The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is over and like always, there are some knee-jerk reactions, but they're reactions that actually hold weight.

Some guys, and teams, are breathing a semi-sigh of relief after tonight's results and some are officially looking over their shoulder. So, without further ado, let's dive in and talk about the folks on both sides of the spectrum.

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Winners from the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft

1. QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Not only did the Giants move away from taking a quarterback at No. 6 overall – they took a playmaker in Malik Nabers Jr. that will immediately provide a boost for Jones and the offense as a whole. 

The Giants are stuck with Jones in 2024 because of his contract, so why not give him zero excuses when it comes to taking the next step? If he doesn't then the team has a viable No. 1 wideout that can help out whomever is playing QB in 2025.

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2. QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Williams enters the best situation a rookie has entered in NFL history when considering the supporting cast around him. When including his skill set, it's almost impossible for him to fail at the pro level.

Especially considering the fact the Bears drafted Rome Odunze at No. 9. There is basically no reason why Williams shouldn't succeed in Chicago – outside the team's disastrous history.

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3. QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington Huskies

Look, we can talk about QB development, especially with the year Jordan Love just had in Green Bay. Penix is a winner simply because he'll get paid a top-10 rookie salary while sitting on the bench for at least two years.

That's because the Falcons literally locked Kirk Cousins up through 2025 and gave him $100 million guaranteed. By the time the team can take advantage of Penix's rookie deal, they'll have just one year to decide whether or not they want to approve his fifth-year option and that's even if Cousins is out of the picture by then. Meaning, we're talking about 2026 when Penix sees the field, and still then, Cousins represents a $57.5 million cap hit that includes a $35 million base salary.

Oh, and Jordan Love was the 26th overall pick – not the eighth overall pick. This is a wild move by the Falcons, but at least Penix is getting paid to develop.

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4. WR Xavier Worthy, Texas Longhorns

I mean, not only does Worthy get to play with the best quarterback and best player in the game, but he goes to an offense in desperate need of a playmaker.

How is that not a major win for any wideout entering the league?

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5. Minnesota Vikings

A lot of people figured the Vikings would have to trade up to No. 4 in order to get their shot at one of the top QBs in the draft, but that wasn't the case, at all.

The Vikings only had to move up one spot in order to get J.J. McCarthy and it cost them the 129th overall pick (fourth round) and the 157th overall pick (fifth-round) in exchange for No. 10 and No. 203 (sixth-round) overall.

Minnesota then went on to grab EDGE Dallas Turner with the 17th overall pick, which also filled a major need. At the same time, though, they traded a 2025 third- and fourth-rounder to move up just six spots, so now the Vikes are without picks in the Rounds 2, 3, and 4, next year. They still come out of this draft as winners, but at the lowest ranking.

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Losers from the first round of the NFL Draft

1. OT Trey Pipkins, Los Angeles Chargers

Go ahead and mark the beginning of the end for Pipkins as the Chargers' starting right tackle. Joe Alt will take over that role, with Rashawn Slater doing his thing on the left side.

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2. Atlanta Falcons

Simply put: What the hell are the Falcons doing?

They add a very expensive player in Cousins that, if he doesn't work, becomes an awful decision and puts even more pressure on Penix to become a factor earlier than expected. This team needed another pass rusher, another corner, another defensive lineman – hell they could've traded back and gotten a better center before taking a QB at No. 8 made sense.

Falcons are the Falcons for a reason and Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft is the perfect proof of why.

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3. Philadelphia Eagles cornerbacks

James Bradberry has been underrated for most of his career, but he is coming off an objectively down year that has him under the microscope heading into 2024. It's also manageable to move on from both his and Darius Slay's contracts in 2025 if the Eagles reallywant to.

With Quinyon Mitchell as the 22nd overall pick, it's clear the Eagles are planning on some kind of succession plan, at some point. It's just a matter of when and whom.

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4 Iowa DB Cooper DeJean

It seemed like DeJean was going to be the first defensive back off the board for the longest time. Then, medical concerns cropped up. But, he answered them, and had an excellent pro day, just to watch himself fall to the second round.

He may be a loser in the short-term, but something tells me this will motivate DeJean to where he's a winner in the long run.

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