Round one of the 2024 NFL Draft lived up to the hype that's been building for the last several months. It had multiple trades, some shocking moments and has left us with plenty of questions entering Friday's rounds two and three. Here's a quick list of the three teams that I think best capitalized on their round one picks, as well as one team (no spoilers) that didn't do so well.

The Teams That Won:

Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB, USC, 1(1). Rome Odunze, WR, Washington, 1(9).

The Bears had picks one and nine in their franchise’s most significant draft ever, and they appear to have nailed both picks. Getting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick was a no-brainer, and they followed up on that pick by selecting their wide receiver of the future in Washington’s Rome Odunze. Williams now enters Chicago with a solid offensive line and one of the league’s best receiving corps, a dream setup for a number one overall pick.

Minnesota Vikings: JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan, 1(10). Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama, 1(17).

Before the draft, I listed Minnesota as the team who needed perfect early draft picks, as they possessed two first round picks (11 and 23 originally) but no others until round four. Thankfully for Minnesota, they got great value for both picks and filled their two biggest roster holes. JJ McCarthy appears to be their new franchise quarterback, and they only had to trade up one spot (pick no. 10) to get him. Then, they traded up again to pick no. 17 and selected the falling Dallas Turner, the talented Alabama edge threat who’ll look to fill the hole left by the departing Danielle Hunter. Considering I had McCarthy and Turner going off my board at picks nos. 5 and 8 respectively, Vikings fans should be overjoyed by the value they acquired. Considering the talent already present on this Vikings roster, McCarthy may have found himself in this year’s best quarterback landing spot.

Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo, 1(22).

Well, they did it again. After defensive standouts Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter fell to the Eagles in 2022 and 2023, Philadelphia watched as my no. 1 cornerback prospect, Quinyon Mitchell, fell right into their hands at pick 22. Mitchell provides an eye-popping combination of size and speed, which he uses to break up passes and lay major hits on defenders. He’ll be a perfect fit for a Philadelphia defense that imploded down the stretch last year. Mitchell will be an instant star in Philadelphia and will be able to learn from experienced veterans Darius Slay Jr. and James Bradberry IV. It’s just a shame he didn’t go to Georgia like the rest of the Eagles.

The Team That Lost:

Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington, 1(8).

Huh? Clearly, NFL teams were higher on UW’s Michael Penix Jr than the media was. I wasn’t sure Penix would be drafted in the first round, let alone two picks before JJ McCarthy and four picks before Bo Nix. Penix turns 24 in two weeks but will presumably be sitting behind Kirk Cousins for at least two years. Cousins will be 36 when the season starts, but he just signed a four–year, $180M contract with the Falcons. Penix could be in his mid-late twenties by the time Kirko vacates the throne. If Penix does see the field consistently before that time, it’ll likely result in massive financial losses for Atlanta, similar to what the Broncos experienced by cutting Russell Wilson with three years left on his deal. Penix has the arm talent to succeed in the right system, but I just do not understand drafting an elderly quarterback when you just gave a 35-year-old $100M guaranteed alongside a $50M signing bonus. JJ McCarthy was still on the board, is three years younger, and would benefit more from developing as a backup. Clearly I’m not the only one confused, as Falcons GM Terry Fontenot was seen explaining the draft pick to a seemingly confused Falcons owner Arthur Blank immediately following the pick. Reports have since emerged that the Seahawks, Saints and Raiders all tried to trade up and do the same thing, but none of those QB rooms are quite as locked down as Atlanta’s previously was. I just don’t like this pick at all, especially given what Atlanta could have accomplished by trading down.