• The first shock of the draft: The Falcons selected former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8, even though they just signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year $180 million contract this offseason. Penix was QB6 on the PFF big board, behind J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix, who were still available when Penix was selected.
• Xavier Worthy goes in the first round: Xavier Worthy put the league on notice when he set the NFL scouting combine’s 40-yard dash record at 4.21 seconds. However, he arguably wasn’t even the best receiver on his own team, as Adonai Mitchell ranked 47 spots above him on the big board.
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Every NFL draft features several players who get taken much earlier than anticipated, and Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft was no different.
Sometimes, it’s because a team really values a certain player’s traits. Other times, teams might be concerned that another team might take that player before they can pick again. There are even times when there’s just a plain disregard for the consensus board.
Here are a few players who could be categorized as “reaches” after Round 1.
T JC Latham, Tennessee Titans
There was some buzz that Latham would be the Chargers’ pick at No. 5 overall, which would have made him the first tackle off the board. However, that was ultimately a smokescreen, as the Chargers went with the consensus top tackle in Joe Alt.
Still, the idea that Latham would go much higher than expected turned out to be true, as the Titans selected the Alabama product at No. 7 overall.
While Latham put up a quality 81.9 PFF grade last season, he was the OT5 on the PFF big board and the 18th-ranked player overall.
Tackles such as Taliese Fuaga, Olu Fashanu and Troy Fautanu were still available and ranked higher than Latham on the big board.
QB Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
In the first major shock of the draft, the Falcons selected former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8, even though they just signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year $180 million contract this offseason.
While Penix was very productive in 2023, his 43 big-time throws ranking first in the nation by a distance, he has an extensive injury history and will be 24 years old when the 2024 season starts.
Given that Kirk Cousins is set to be paid $90 million in guaranteed money over the next two seasons, Penix likely won’t see the field until he’s 26 years old — at the earliest. On top of that, Penix was QB6 on the PFF big board, behind J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix, who were still available when Penix was selected.
QB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
This reach felt more out of desperation than anything. The Broncos probably would have preferred to trade down (they now won’t pick again until 76th overall) and selected Nix a little later. After the run on quarterbacks preceding this pick, though, the Broncos couldn’t afford to trade down, with the quarterback-needy division-rival Raiders sitting right behind them.
Nix is a good fit for Sean Payton’s West Coast system, though, and this was a common pairing in many mock drafts.
EDGE Chop Robinson, Miami Dolphins
We were lower on Robinson than most, as we actually didn’t even have him as the top edge defender on his own team (Adisa Isaac was 38th on our big board, while Robinson came in at 40th).
Miami lost Andrew Van Ginkel to free agency, and Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb suffered lower-body injuries late in the 2023 season, so the need for an edge defender was there. We just felt that Miami could have potentially traded down and accumulated picks yet still been able to get Robinson a little later.
EDGE Darius Robinson, Arizona Cardinals
Calling Robinson a reach hurts me to write, as he was my selection for PFF's “My Guys” article. However, Robinson came in as the 61st overall player on the big board, and by that standard, he’s a reach at Pick 27.
Robinson is a tweener, as he weighs about 290 pounds and lines up both as an interior defender and on the edge. He was very productive as an edge rusher last season, converting nine of his 42 pressures into sacks. It will be interesting to see how he fits in at the next level.
WR Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
Xavier Worthy put the league on notice when he set the NFL scouting combine’s 40-yard dash record at 4.21 seconds. However, he arguably wasn’t even the best receiver on his own team, as Adonai Mitchell ranked 47 spots above him on the big board. Worthy was the WR14 on our board, yet he was the sixth taken in the first round.
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