Quarterback windfall in NFL Draft. 5 takeaways from the Class of 2024 first round

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is now in the books, and the prognostications of an unpredictable 32 picks and a record number of quarterbacks were proved to be correct. The surprises delighted many, and shocked others, as it was an entertaining first night in Detroit.

Below are five takeaways from a first round that will go down in history as an iconic class, although the players will ultimately determine whether that's for better or for worse.

1. Finally, the 'Year of the QB'

Every year, the momentum around quarterbacks being drafted higher than expected picks up in the final days before the draft. And every year, that hype ended up being another boy-who-cried-wolf storyline. Until now.

It's been 41 years since the legendary 1983 NFL Draft had six quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Three became Hall of Famers, four played in Super Bowls and one became a pro bowler. That record number has finally been matched. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye went 1-2-3 as expected, but viewers were shocked as Michael Penix Jr. went eighth to the Falcons and J.J. McCarthy fell to 10 for the Vikings (who traded up one spot with the Jets). The demand for signal callers prompted Denver to take Bo Nix with the 12th pick.

Now, the big question becomes whether or not this year's class of six passers can live up to the impressive careers of the '83 class.

2. The best defense is a good offense

There had never been a draft with no defensive players taken in the first seven picks and it was predictable storyline to envision that record would be broken in 2024.

But nobody forecasted that the run of exclusively offensive players would last until the middle of the first round. The Colts made UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu the first defensive player taken at pick 15, which itself was a surprise considering Indianapolis had three edge rushers produce at least eight sacks and ranked fifth in the NFL as a team in that category.

This probably won't represent a wider trend, but it's a pretty unique year for half of the first dozen picks be quarterbacks while a defensive player doesn't come off the board until halfway through the first round. It certainly provided entertainment for the rabid fans that watch the draft.

3. If the shoe fits... (or even if it doesn't)

Coming into any NFL Draft, there is always a multitude of talk about team needs and scheme fits. And yet, the first round was littered with peculiar fits for many different teams.

The first of these strange fits was the Chargers drafting Notre Dame's Joe Alt at pick five. Alt didn't allow a sack at left tackle in college and also never played a snap in his career at any other position, but he'll be a right tackle for the Chargers. The Falcons took Penix, who turns 24 in two weeks, to be a developmental quarterback behind Kirk Cousins for at least the next two years.

The Colts added an edge rusher they didn't really need. The Bengals need an immediate starter at tackle and took a player with eight career college starts on the offensive line. Miami then repeated the Indianapolis mistake by taking an edge rusher when they finished third in the NFL in sacks. And in most of these cases, those players weren't generally considered the best prospects available by any sort of consensus.

4. Trade... or no?

There was plenty of talk about potential trades coming into Thursday, and yet the phones appeared silent for fans anxiously hoping for (or dreading) movement.

The Vikings technically did trade up, but not in the manner expected as they moved up one spot with the Jets to take McCarthy. And they moved up again to take Dallas Turner at pick 17. The Lions then moved up to take Terrion Arnold, trading picks with Dallas.

The Chiefs made a surprising deal with the Bills to get Xavier Worthy at 28, and the Panthers moved up by the most significant one spot imaginable to get into the first round at pick 32. But compared to some of the projections, it was surprising to see so little trade movement.

5. Winners and losers from day one

No more punny headlines in the final takeaway, just two teams whose fan bases are delighted after the first round and two fan bases that are left shaking their heads. Of course, time will tell who the real winners and losers are in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The first winner is Chicago, which added the consensus top quarterback in Williams and brings him into one of the best situations ever for a rookie passer. He already had two great receivers and a tight end before the Bears added Rome Odunze. The division rival Vikings are another winner, after getting the quarterback they wanted without trading up and then getting possibly the best pass rusher in Dallas Turner.

The loser is Atlanta, pure and simple. The selection of Penix is baffling on so many levels, even if he ends up as a quality starter in the NFL. When his day comes, he'll likely already be nearing a contract decision and will be in his late-20s. The other loser is Green Bay, and it showed on the shocked face of the cheesehead-clad fan as the Packers took Jordan Morgan at pick 25. Just not a need area and not good value for a fan base that seemed have its heart set on Cooper Dejean.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Quarterbacks snapped up in NFL Draft: Analysis, winners and losers