32 players were drafted in the first round of the 2024 PML draft. Here’s how they performed and what it may mean for their season.
1. Jets- Caleb Williams: 18/28, 206 pass yards, 0 pass tds, 2 ints, sacked 3 times, 1 rush, 7 rush yards, 1 fumble: We didn’t see the generational, pro ready prospect in week 1, we saw a rookie curve against a defense that was good last season but lost several key pieces. Too early to worry but a bad start for Caleb and I don’t like that he only had 1 rush.
2. Bears- Marvin Harrison Jr: 1 reception, 41 receiving yards: It was a bad day for the Bears all around and Marvin only got the ball once for a big gain. When this team starts playing better I expect so will Marvin.
3. Commanders- Drake Maye: 10/18, 202 pass yards, 1 pass td, 4 ints, sacked 1 time, 2 rushes, 10 rush yards, 1 fumble: He started good but finished terribly. 4 interceptions is bad, Maye needs to limit turnovers and complete more passes. If he loses his dev in year 1, I think it’ll be telling that Maye won’t succeed in Washington. Can anyone?
4. Ravens- Jared Verse: 3 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss: Not a stat sheet stuffer, but a solid debut from the talented Verse. This Ravens defense is loaded with talent now that Sauce is here alongside Roquan and more. Will Verse’s lack of speed and strength be a problem or can he succeed with his high level of skill?
5. Cardinals- Xavier Worthy: 3 receptions, 15 receiving yards, 5 kick returns, 200 kick return yards: Worthy matched up against Tariq Woolen so don’t panic on the receiving stats. It’s good to see Worthy get his ability utilized and he had a great game returning even if he was hawked down and held short of the endzone.
6. Cardinals- James Williams: 9 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss: A good game for Williams as his job is to fly around and make tackles, he couldn’t take advantage of playing rookie Bo Nix in the passing game but those big plays will come. It’s only a matter of time for a player like Williams in a defense like Arizona’s.
7. Colts- Kool-Aid McKinstry: 3 total tackles: Cornerbacks are hard to judge unless you watched the whole game and paid attention to who’s who. In this case, I’m going to guess he had a bad debut since the Colts defense allowed a perfect passer rating only forcing one incompletion, but maybe he didn’t get targeted and played well.
8. Texans- Brock Bowers: 5 receptions, 118 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown: Bowers is a beast and got to have a nice debut against the CPU. I expect him to have this kind of statline against users, too. His speed and skill at the tight end position is deadly for opposing defenses. He almost always has a mismatch.
9. Titans- J.T. Tuimoloau: 2 total tackles: Underwhelming to say the least. Sometimes a small amount of stats is good but not for edge rushers, you want to be in the box score as a game wrecker. The Titans defense was good against the run so it’s surprising he couldn’t record a tackle for loss.
10. Jaguars- Kalen King: N/A: CPU game so not knocking him too hard but didn’t record a stat and only played 9 snaps. This pick is looking as bad as most thought.
11. Giants- Quinn Ewers: N/A: He’ll make his debut in week 2 after starting the season injured. Can he do what Daniel Jones did last season and carve up the Eagles? If he can’t do you blame first game nerves or something else?
12. Vikings- Dallas Turner: 4 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack: A nice debut for the great edge rusher that is Dallas Turner. The Vikings defense was a problem for them last year, but maybe Turner can help make the Vikings defense other teams’ problem.
13. Buccaneers- Myles Jones: 2 total tackles: The Buccaneers got the win and forced Dak into a subpar game, Jones’ lack of stats can be viewed as good thing as a part of the successful week 1 defensive effort. Jones is certainly a force at 6’4 and 96 speed.
14. Raiders- Rome Odunze: 1 reception, 55 receiving yards: The Raiders are turning it around behind a bunch of rookies and Rome wasn’t too involved but a big play could be a hint of what’s to come. He has the potential to pop off if people focus on Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams
15. Chiefs- Keon Coleman: 3 receptions, 73 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown: A nice debut from Coleman but how hard is it when you have Patrick Mahomes throwing you the ball. Keon is one to watch as a future superstar thanks to the Kansas City offense.
16. Dolphins- Kingsley Suamataia: 0 sacks allowed, 47 downs played: 0 sacks allowed isn’t all that impressive considering Tua only passed 17 times and the Dolphins run game was not nearly as dominant as it was last season. Suamataia isn’t a bust as a 75 overall star, but is he helping the Dolphins like a different position might have?
17. Titans- Troy Franklin: 5 receptions, 100 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 3 kick returns, 75 kick return yards, 2 punt returns, 19 punt return yards: Franklin made plays on offense and on special teams and it still wasn’t enough for a Titans win. Hopefully he can continue to perform this well and they’ll come out with a win instead.
18. Dolphins- Barrett Carter: 5 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss: This was a bad pick during the draft and despite a fine week 1, it’s hard to see Carter elevating this defense. He can be a solid run stopper but can he be first round pick good? Jaylen Waddle good?
19. Saints- Smael Mondon Jr: 9 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks: A great debut taking over for Demario Davis as the New Orleans defense was a top unit in week 1. Smael made countless plays in the run game but we’ll have to wait to see if he can make plays in coverage.
20. Buccaneers- Jaheim Bell: 3 receptions, 40 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown: Bell showed a lot of his potential in just three catches. He needs to develop a bit but certainly can be a game changer and elevate Baker Mayfield even more.
21. Panthers- Braelon Allen: 15 rushes, 53 rush yards, 2 receptions, 11 receiving yards: Not a good showing from Allen after he had 3 good carries to start the game, he couldn’t get anything going after. It’ll be interesting to see how he’s used as Ekeler only got 1 rush but had more work in the passing game. Will that continue or will they both be used evenly to throw off defenses?
22. Seahawks- Maason Smith: 3 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks: He fell in the draft but showed he shouldn’t have with a solid statline for a defensive tackle. He impacted the run and pass game and that’s all you can ask for.
23. Packers- Donovan Jackson: 1 sack allowed, 53 downs played: The Packers rolled to victory so Jackson is part of a successful offense, both rushing and passing, but Jordan Love was sacked 3 times including one allowed by Jackson so it’s too early to say he’s a good offensive lineman.
24. Lions- Ja’Markis Weston: 7 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection: Weston was taken for his athletic ability and it didn’t disappoint in his debut. He made plays against the pass and the run helping the Lions hold the Giants to 17 points and get a big win to start strong.
25. Bengals- Malik Nabers: N/A: Nabers was injured and will be out two more games before he can make his debut but you just have to wonder with Chase, Higgins, and Boyd if this was just a bad pick that won’t help the Bengals on offense while they have a struggling defense, too.
26. 49ers- Amarius Mims: 1 sack allowed, 51 downs played: Another rookie lineman that allowed a sack and as a team the 49ers allowed 6 of them. The Rams have a great defense and pass rush but San Francisco is certainly missing Trent Williams who retired and I’m not sure if Mims is the replacement anchor they hoped. The 49ers ran the ball exceptionally well despite the passing struggles, though.
27. Texans- Malik Benson: 6 receptions, 136 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 2 punt returns, 7 punt return yards: Another Texan taking advantage of a CPU game but Benson is the perfect compliment to Mike Evans. Bowers is the wide receiver 2 in Houston but Benson will be essential to opening up the run and making big plays.
28. Saints- Johnny Wilson: 3 receptions, 74 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown: A good start for the giant rookie who won the 2 spot in New Orleans. He made plays after the catch and made a contested catch showing his versatility but also his lack of route running and he was schemed open or beat linebackers.
29. Bills- Olumuyiwa Fashanu: 0 sacks allowed, 41 downs played: Fashanu went down with a torn labrum during this game and will be out for the next 3 games, but the Bills didn’t allow a sack in their comeback win. Their run game, however, was awful as James Cook averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Buffalo will have to improve their run blocking without Fashanu for now.
30. Bears- Xavier Thomas: 1 total tackle, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack: He only made one play judging by the statline but he’s a project picked for his elite speed and strength so this is a fantastic debut of the raw potential Thomas can bring to Chicago’s pass rush alongside Hunter and Bosa.
31. Patriots- Leonard Taylor: N/A: He played some snaps but not a majority for New England so it’s not a huge problem he was left off the box score. The Patriots defense had a dominant performance so while Taylor may not get any credit, he didn’t do anything bad which is almost as good.
32. Jaguars- Joe Alt: 1 sack allowed, 39 downs played: The Jaguars were CPU this game so don’t put too much thought into that sack allowed. It’s worth noting that Alt was some sort of injured during the game with less downs played than the other Jaguars offensive linemen but he is good to go for next week. Alt on paper looks to be a great pass blocker who could work on his run blocking.
