Three worst first round picks of the 2024 NFL Draft were made by some surprising teams
Every year there are a few NFL teams that make absolutely embarrassing first round selections. This year there were three NFL teams and general managers who completely fumbled their first round 2024 NFL Draft picks that stood out above (or below) the rest. All three teams making surprising moves that absolutely no one saw coming.Terry […]
Every year there are a few NFL teams that make absolutely embarrassing first round selections. This year there were three NFL teams and general managers who completely fumbled their first round 2024 NFL Draft picks that stood out above (or below) the rest. All three teams making surprising moves that absolutely no one saw coming.
Terry Fontenot of the Atlanta Falcons, Dan Morgan (and perhaps owner David Tepper) of the Carolina Panthers, and John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers all made the worst first round picks of the 2024 NFL Draft:
- Falcons, Pick 8 – Michael Penix Jr., QB Washington
- 49ers, Pick 31 – Ricky Pearsall, WR Florida
- Panthers, Pick 32 – Xavier Legette, WR South Carolina
What made these picks so bad on opening night of the 2024 NFL Draft? Let's dive in.
Atlanta Falcons pick Michael Penix Jr.
This pick wasn't all about the player himself. In fact, Michael Penix Jr. posted incredible back to back seasons for Washington. The issue is mainly with roster and contract construction implications over the next 3-4 years.
The Atlanta Falcons and general manager Terry Fontenot must have forgotten that they just signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract worth 180 million dollars, with 100 million guaranteed. There's almost no way that the team will be able to move off of Cousins' contract until after the 2026 NFL season. So, why on earth would the Falcons make such a selection? This is what Fontenot had to say for himself on the pick:
"If you believe in a quarterback, you have to take him. And if he sits for four or five years, that's a great problem to have because we're doing so well at that position. So, it's as simple as, if you see a guy you believe in at that position, you have to take him."
What an absolutely wild stance from GM Terry Fontenot. The Falcons are apparently completely fine wasting the entire rookie contract of Michael Penix Jr. just because "[they] have to take him" if they believe in him.
The Falcons could have filled great needs on their defensive front or even perhaps helped their secondary with an elite player at pick eight. They even could have possibly traded back considering how quickly the quarterbacks came off the board in round one. Nope. Instead, the Falcons spent their pick on a player who–if all goes well–won't see the field until he's 27 years old. Unfathomable mismanagement by the Falcons.
Carolina Panthers pick Xavier Legette
The Carolina Panthers making a bad draft pick isn't the surprising part here. It's the fact that the Panthers weren't actually slated to pick in the first round at all, chose to trade up one pick (from 33rd overall), and selected a player that they probably could have gotten just staying put in round two.
I spoke with multiple NFL staffers last night after the first round who were thoroughly perplexed by the decision. None could confirm whether or not the Panthers had competition trading up into the 32nd slot, but that would likely be the only logical explanation for the move.
Xavier Legette had risen into early round discussions since his impressive NFL Combine performance this spring, but still largely did not deserve to be a first round pick. If you compare his production profile, route running acumen, age, or virtually any other measure to the rest of the first round wide receivers selected he simply falls short by a wide margin. Just look at his career progression in receiving efficiency (in post below):
Legette didn't break out until year five of his college career, and even then it took teammate Juice Wells going down with an injury for his opportunity to be properly inflated enough to fool an NFL franchise into thinking he was worthy of a first round selection. This pick has owner David Tepper's finger prints all over it.
San Francisco 49ers pick Ricky Pearsall
This third selection isn't anywhere near as egregious as the other two, but it still very much feels like a panicked pick by John Lynch given the rumors that he is shopping both his star wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk right now. Here is Ian Rapoport talking through the 49ers wide receiver situation on the Rich Eisen show that perhaps sheds some light on the selection.
Pearsall flashed at times for both Arizona State and Florida throughout his college career, but he was never a consistent or dominant producer on the field. And while he made some fun highlight catches over the last two seasons the truth is that his profile falls incredibly short of typical first round benchmarks for the position.
If the 49ers do move on from Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk here in the near future the pick will make a little more sense, but still, there were better players on the board with more proven production at a far younger age than him. Troy Franklin, Adonai Mitchell, Ladd McConkey, and Keon Coleman were all expected to be selected ahead of him by both betting markets and mock draft data. This was a significant reach.
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