Now that the NFL regular season is in the books, it’s a good time to see which 2024 first-round draft picks passed or failed their initial tests.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into our final grades for all 32 NFL first-round picks of 2024.
Which rookies had the highest grades after the conclusion of the 2024 NFL season?
1. Caleb Williams: A
2024 was another letdown of a year in Windy City, but there is one positive for Bears fans to take away: This team finally has a franchise quarterback to build around.
Despite being held back by inept coaching all season long, Williams produced a fine statistical season: A 62.5 completion percentage for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only six interceptions.
Here’s hoping that the Bears pick the right head coaches who maximize the talents of Williams and this roster. The kid has too much promise to waste another year of his rookie deal.
2. Jayden Daniels: A+
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Put Daniels’ 2024 campaign on the Mt. Rushmore of rookie quarterback seasons. What a phenomenal showing by the LSU product in year one.
Daniels completed 69 percent of pass attempts for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions to go along with 891 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He led the Washington Commanders to a 12-5 record — their best mark since the 1991 squad that went on to win Super Bowl 26.
Like Chicago with Williams, the future is ultra-bright for Washington with its young phenom signal-caller.
3. Drake Maye: C+
Maye did pretty darn well on a hapless New England Patriots team that had a horrible offensive line and a weak supporting cast, one whose leading receiver was Hunter Henry with 674 yards.
Working under one-and-done head coach Jerod Mayo didn’t help matters, either. Nonetheless, Maye flashed some serious potential by throwing for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 13 game appearances.
If New England can bolster its o-line and get some real game-changing weapons — Travis Hunter, anyone? — Maye should take that next step in the 2025 NFL season.
4. Marvin Harrison Jr.: B+
Harrison Jr.’s ceiling is so high that folks expected him to produce like a superstar right away. That didn’t happen, but it’s hard to complain about a rookie putting up a stat line of 62 catches for 885 yards and eight touchdowns.
The main issue was how boom-or-bust Harrison Jr. was, though. He went over 50 yards seven times…but was held to under 40 seven times. Nonetheless, his stat line was eerily similar to Marvin Harrison Sr.’s rookie year, and we know how the latter turned out.
Rock-solid rookie year for Jr., but believe us, the best is yet to come.
5. Joe Alt: B
Regarded as one of the best offensive linemen of this era, the second-generation NFLer didn’t disappoint as a rookie. Alt had his fair share of growing pains, but he mostly held his own for Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers.
Per Pro Football Focus, Alt allowed six sacks and committed eight penalties. But he finished with a stellar 77.6 overall grade that ranked 19th among 141 qualified offensive tackles — including a tremendous 79.4 pass-blocking grade.
And to think the kid hasn’t hit his ceiling yet…
6. Malik Nabers: A+
2024 was another miserable year for New York Giants fans. But at least the 2024 draft class looks ultra-promising, led by LSU product Malik Nabers.
Despite missing two games and having to catch passes from Drew Lock and Daniel Jones, Nabers set the Giants’ single-season record for receptions with 109. Nabers had seven receiving scores and was second among rookies with 1,204 yards.
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7. J.C. Latham: C-
The first surprise of the 2024 NFL draft came here when the Tennessee Titans used the No. 7 pick on Latham.
Per PFF, Latham committed 10 penalties and allowed seven sacks while finishing with a “meh” overall grade of 61.8. Like 2the 023 first-rounder and fellow offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, there’s significant room for improvement.
8. Michael Penix Jr.: C+
Kirk Cousins’ lackluster production over the Atlanta Falcons’ first 14 games prompted Raheem Morris to throw the rookie into a tough situation. Penix Jr. was inconsistent in the three games he started, finishing his rookie year with 775 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.
But the Falcons averaged 32 points per contest in games started by Penix Jr, so he did provide the spark they needed. With Cousins already falling out of favor in Atlanta, the Falcons’ decision to draft Penix Jr. eighth overall doesn’t look so bad after all.
9. Rome Odunze: C+
Like Marvin Harrison Jr., Odunze’s ceiling is so high that it’s fair to be a little disappointed with his production, but a final look at the numbers shows that Odunze’s rookie year was anything but a disappointment.
He still caught 54 passes for 734 yards and three touchdowns despite playing third-fiddle to DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. The latter is likely to leave in free agency, though, and the Bears’ next head coach will hopefully get more out of this offense.
So we’re already keen on Odunze’s chances of a monster sophomore year.
10. J.J. McCarthy: Incomplete
McCarthy missed his entire rookie year recovering from surgery on a torn meniscus. Sam Darnold had a career year and led the Minnesota Vikings to 14 wins and a surprise NFL playoff berth, setting up the front office for a tough decision.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Minny chose Darnold and traded McCarthy, who would net a nice return in a potential deal. Stay tuned…
11. Olu Fashanu: C
Fashanu started seven games for the New York Jets, appearing in all but two contests. He played 57 percent of their offensive snaps in a rotational role, but it’s clear that Fashanu has plenty of work ahead if he’s to star in this league.
Fashanu committed seven penalties and finished with a mediocre PFF grade of 61.2. The Jets will have to make Fashanu a full-time starter if they want him to develop.
12. Bo Nix: A+
Sean Payton was adamant all along that Nix was his guy, and he certainly wasn’t lying. The Oregon QB was everything Payton and the Denver Broncos wanted after cutting Russell Wilson and eating up $85 million in dead money.
Nix completed 66.3 percent of pass attempts for 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 picks to go along with 430 rushing yards and four rushing scores. He led the Broncos to a 10-7 finish and their first NFL playoff berth in nine years.
That folks, is how you make up for a colossal mistake like a trade for Russell Wilson!
13. Brock Bowers: A+
The Las Vegas Raiders were totally unwatchable this year…making Bowers’ record-setting rookie season all the more impressive.
The Georgia product caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards — both rookie single-season records — and five touchdowns. Also extra impressive when you consider Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II as his main QBs.
Go get Bowers a real QB, Vegas. Then, watch him pop off in Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski’s style.
14. Taliese Fuaga: C
With Ryan Ramcyzk missing the entire 2024 NFL season because of a career-threatening knee injury, Fuaga was thrust into a starting role right away.
There were some flashes, but like his fellow rookie linemen, Fuaga struggled more often than not. He committed 10 penalties and allowed six sacks, per PFF, and finished with a mediocre 65.7 grade.
15. Laiatu Latu: B+
Latu was among the few bright spots in another lost season for the Indianapolis Colts. The UCLA product finished with four sacks, three forced fumbles, and five tackles for a loss.
Furthermore, PFF had him down for a stellar 71.5 grade that ranked 45th out of 211 qualified edge rushers. Aa Latu-DeForest Buckner’s pass-rushing tandem is one reason for Colts fans to be optimistic for 2025.
16. Byron Murphy II: D
The Murphy selection was a bit of a surprise since the Seattle Seahawks had more than enough pass-rushing depth. Used in a rotational role, Murphy played 49 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps and had just half a sack.
His run defense was especially problematic in year one. Seattle’s defense got much better in the second half under rookie head coach Mike Macdonald, so there is some hope that Murphy will take a big step forward as a sophomore.
17. Dallas Turner: C+
The Vikings used Turner in a rotational role, as he played just 28 percent of defensive snaps. But the Alabama product was rock-solid in limiting playing time, with three sacks and one interception.
Minnesota fielded a top-five defense under DC Brian Flores, so it’s not like the pressure was on Turner to perform like a superstar right away. There is lots of promise here, and he’ll enjoy a much heavier role in the 2025 NFL season.
18. Amarius Mims: D-
The Bengals’ o-line took a big hit when they lost standout veteran Trent Brown after just three games. That forced them to play their rookie offensive tackle more than they would have liked, and let’s just say that Mims wasn’t at all up for the challenge.
PFF graded Mims at 57.8 on the year. He committed four penalties and allowed as man sacks in 835 offensive snaps.
19. Jared Verse: A+
Verse’s 4.5 sacks aren’t eye-popping, but a deeper dive shows that he was a monster for the Los Angeles Rams.
Verse finished with a PFF grade of 86.2, making him their ninth-highest-rated edge defender. Verse also ranked sixth in ESPN’s run-stop win rate among edge rushers at 32 percent — playing a vital role in the Rams securing the NFC West crown.
20. Troy Fautanu: Incomplete
The promising offensive tackle out of Washington debuted in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos and looked really solid in his first NFL game. Unfortunately, Fautanu suffered a serious knee injury in an ensuing practice and was ruled out for the year.
So, like JJ McCarthy, it’s unfair to give Fautanu a real grade after just one year.
21. Chop Robinson: A
With Bradley Chubb missing the entire year and Jaelan Phillips being limited to four games, the Dolphins needed Robinson to step up and produce. And produce, he did.
Robinson had six sacks and four pass defenses in a rotational role. ESPN ranked him 11th in their pass rush win rate for edge defenders.
22. Quinyon Mitchell: B
Mitchell was instrumental in helping the Eagles finish with the NFL’s No. 1 defense, forming a prolific shutdown tandem with fellow rookie Cooper DeJean.
Mitchell had 12 pass breakups and finished as PFF’s No. 32-graded cornerback at 73.1. You can’t ask for much better from a rookie defensive back.
23. Brian Thomas Jr. A+
2024 was a miserable year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it didn’t stop Thomas Jr. from putting together a grade-A rookie year.
Thomas caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns — with the latter two marks leading all rookies. There’s something for Trevor Lawrence to work with next year.
24. Terrion Arnold: C-
It was a tough rookie year for the Detroit Lions rookie, to say the least. Pro Football Reference had him down for 660 yards and four TDs allowed in coverage, with opposing QBs combining for a 93.7 passer rating when targeting him.
Arnold also had a disappointing PFF grade of 51.5, a clear-cut indicator that there’s plenty to work on in the NFL offseason.
25. Jordan Morgan: C
Unfortunately, the new Green Bay Packer was limited to six games because of a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.
Morgan only saw 186 total snaps on the year. PFF had him at a mediocre 59.2 grade, but he at least didn’t allow a single sack and only committed one penalty.
26. Graham Barton: C-
It was a mostly difficult rookie year for the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ center, to say the least. Barton committed a whopping 13 penalties and finished with a PFF grade of 55.8, ranking just 46th among 64 centers.
The Bucs won the NFC South for a fourth straight year anyway, but Barton has a lot to clean up if he’s to be a long-term starter in this league.
27. Darius Robinson: D
A calf injury limited Robinson to six games in his rookie year with the Arizona Cardinals. Going by what we saw in those games, however, there wasn’t a whole lot to love, really.
Robinson had just one sack, no pass breakups, and zero forced fumbles or takeaways. He failed to generate much pressure on the QBs and was a liability in the run defense department, so there’s plenty of development and maturing ahead.
28. Xavier Worthy: B
Worthy didn’t full-on light it up as most folks had hoped, but he answered the bell for a Kansas City Chiefs offense that barely had top wideouts Rashee Rice and Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown this year.
The Texas speedster caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns. Used as a gadget weapon, he also had 104 rushing yards and three rushing TDs. And to think he still has room to get better…
29. Tyler Guyton: F
Sorry if this was harsh, but it really was a nightmare rookie year for the Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle in every aspect.
PFF graded Guyton at 49.4 on the year, meaning he literally “failed” as an NFL rookie. And in just 668 offensive snaps, Guyton committed 18 penalties and allowed six sacks.
30. Nate Wiggins: C+
Wiggins was burned his fair share of times in man-to-man coverage, but he mostly made up for it with great ball-hawking skills and elite run defense.
Wiggins had one interception, 13 pass breakups, and a forced fumble and compiled a superb PFF run defense grade of 80.5. You take the good with the bad, and there was lots of good here.
31. Ricky Pearsall: B
Pearsall missed the San Francisco 49ers’ first six games recovering from a shooting in a robbery gone wrong. Thankfully, he avoided significant injuries and returned to the field in Week 7.
Pearsall’s production was really good for a guy with limited playing time, too. In 11 games, he mustered 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns. With Pearsall on the rise, don’t be surprised if the 49ers trade Deebo Samuel in a cap-saving move.
32. Xavier Legette: C
Carolina’s new offensive toy had an inconsistent rookie year that left a lot to be desired. He caught just 49 passes for 497 yards and four touchdowns.
Legette was too often a non-factor, finishing with single-digit receiving yards in four games. He also went north of 50 yards in just three games.
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