The Falcons traded up in round two, from No. 43 to No. 35. Fortunately, they didn’t draft another quarterback.
Instead, they added Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Ohrhorhro, after doing a deal with the Cardinals.
The Falcons added pick No. 79 to pick No. 43 for No. 35 and No. 186.
It gives the Falcons some help on defense, especially with Grady Jarrett getting closer to the end of the line.
The move will do little to get fans to feel better about Thursday’s stunning decision to take Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick. No matter how hard media members employed by the Falcons and/or the NFL try to make it make sense, it does not.
In the days leading up to Thursday’s first round, the Cardinals were a team many thought could trade down with the No. 4 overall pick.
But when receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was available at that spot, Arizona wasn’t going to move.
“I think, really, we were prepared to pick and we were prepared to pick Marvin at four,” General Manager Monti Ossenfort said in his press conference after the first round. “Really there was no trade that came that was going to get us off that pick. If somebody would’ve [come] and offered us something that would’ve been the best thing for the team, we certainly would’ve done it. Ultimately, we felt the best tonight about sticking with Marvin at number four.”
Aside from Harrison’s strong play at Ohio State, Ossenfort added that he was impressed by the “overall focus” Harrison displayed during his pre-draft visit with the club.
“When that day concluded I felt pretty convicted about who Marvin was,” Ossenfort said. “I was already convicted about who Marvin was as a player. After that day, [I was] convicted of who he was as a person. To me, that was a big day for me just as we went through the process of figuring out who we were going to pick at No. 4.
“Really, it just goes back to the way he handled himself, the way he conducted himself, and the way he had prepared at Ohio State. Really, it was the full package. That day was huge for us and really huge for me personally in just getting to spend that time with him and him getting that time with the rest of our staff.”
In 38 games as a Buckeye, Harrison caught 155 passes for 2,613 yards with 31 touchdowns.
The Cardinals have made their second selection of the first round and this time they’ve gone with a defensive player.
At No. 27 overall, Arizona has picked former Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson.
Robinson, 22, dealt with injuries in 2020 and 2021. But he appeared in 13 games with 10 starts in 2022. He then started 12 games in 2023, registering 8.5 sacks with 14.0 tackles for loss.
He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2023, leading Mizzou in both sacks and tackles for loss.
In 47 collegiate games, Robinson recorded 21.0 tackles for loss and 13.0 sacks.
The first non-quarterback went to the Cardinals at No. 4, giving Kyler Murray a new No. 1 receiver.
After the Bears selected quarterback Caleb Williams, the Commanders took quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Patriots picked quarterback Drake Maye, Arizona quickly sent in the name of Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4.
The selection was expected after Marquise Hollywood Brown departed in free agency, leaving Greg Dortch, Chris Moore, Michael Wilson and Zach Pascal as the top options in the wide receivers room.
Harrison, the son of Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, had -225 odds to be selected where he was. He is widely considered one of the top receiver prospects in any recent draft and one of the safest picks in this draft.
In three years at Ohio State, Harrison Jr. caught 155 passes for 2,613 yards and 32 total touchdowns.
The NFL desperately wants you to watch the draft on TV from the moment it begins. This year, you don’t really need to show up before 8:30 p.m. ET, if that early.
Barring an unexpected turn for the ages, Caleb Williams will be the first overall pick. Jayden Daniels will be the second pick, with a lingering possibility that the Commanders will trade out of the spot. Drake Maye will be the third overall pick; the Patriots are likely to take him, but the Giants and Vikings are in play. Marvin Harrison Jr. will be the fourth overall pick. It’s theoretically possible but unlikely that the Colts will try to jump from No. 15 to No. 4 to get him.
With those caveats, the draft begins at No. 5. Or, in real time, at roughly 9:00 p.m. ET.
Whenever you choose to dial in, we’ll be accompanying the process by posting items about each of the selections. I’ll be taping reactions to many of the picks from the PFT barn tonight.
What we won’t be doing — contrary to the beliefs of some in the media who should know better — is tipping the picks. We never tip the picks. We made that decision years ago. Not because the NFL twists the arms of its broadcast partners to comply (it absolutely does), but because we decided that the audience doesn’t want it.
So, yes, watch the draft on TV. We won’t spoil it for you. But we will enhance your enjoyment of the evening. Especially since (unlike the suits on network TV), folks like Chris Simms and I will be enjoying a legal beverage or agricultural product. Which definitely will enhance our enjoyment of the evening.
I love it when guys insist on doing things their own way. Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of those guys.
Harrison has shown a streak of stubborn independence during the honor-and-privilege nonsense that gets shoved down the throats of prospects who are expected to comply with anything and everything that comes their way.
He didn’t work out at the Combine? OH NO!
He didn’t meet with reporters at the Combine? OH NO!
He didn’t work out at his Pro Day? OH NO!
It’s surprising that he actually showed up at the draft. It’s not surprising that, as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, Harrison hasn’t signed the NFLPA licensing agreement.
That means his jersey won’t be available, and he won’t be in the Madden game, until he signs. If he signs.
He might not sign. He might retain his full rights, without joining the herd. Maybe he’ll design and sell his own jersey. Maybe he’ll do his own deal with EA to appear in the Madden game.
Players must join the union. They are not required to join the group licensing portion of it. They retain their full NIL rights. For a new age of college players who profited significantly from NIL deals, why sign anything away to anyone else?
And if EA adds to Madden 25 a player named “WR18" with appearance and attributes similar to Harrison, don’t be surprised if Harrison files a lawsuit for infringement on his name, image, and likeness. As he absolutely should.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was more focused on rehabbing his torn ACL than the NFL Draft at this point last year, but he has been keeping close tabs on things as the start of Thursday night’s first round draws closer.
The Cardinals have the fourth and 27th picks in that first round and the first of those selections has been the subject of much conversation over the last few months. With quarterbacks widely expected to come off the board with the first three picks and other teams potentially interested in moving up to take a fourth signal caller, the fourth pick looks like one of the pivotal ones.
Murray did not share whether he thinks Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort should keep the pick or trade it, but he told Fox in an interview that any opinion he has about what the team should do is balanced by confidence in what Ossenfort will choose.
“I’ve put my foot on the table for a couple guys in the past,” Murray said. “It didn’t work out. Obviously, things happen. It is what it is, and we move on. But I got full faith in the guys upstairs. It’s a new regime. Last year, they did a hell of a job. This year, obviously, with me being out and just the culture shift and the way I saw the guys buy in, it’s been a complete 180 for us. I’m just excited. I know Monti and [head coach Jonathan Gannon] are on the same page, and I know any decision they make is going to be the best decision for the team. Obviously, that’s the corporate answer, but I know who I want. We’ll see if it happens.”
Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has long been seen as the likely choice if the Cardinals stay put at No. 4 and one imagines Murray would be thrilled with that addition. We’ll find out in the near future what the Cardinals decide to do with that and the rest of their selections.
The Vikings have never drafted a quarterback higher than No. 11 in the draft. Tonight, could they not draft a quarterback at all?
Yes, we’ve all assumed for weeks that the Vikings will take a quarterback high, following the defection of Kirk Cousins. But it’s not all that crazy to think the Vikings won’t trade up for a quarterback, given the extent to which the teams holding the higher picks are putting a thumb or two on the scale. Even if there’s a guy whom coach Kevin O’Connell regards as “the guy,” the front office might not be willing to pay “the price” to get him.
Then, if the Vikings don’t move up and remain where they are at No. 11, O’Connell might not regard any of the available options at that point as “the guy.” So if G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wants one of the remaining quarterbacks there, O’Connell might say, “I think we’re better off with Sam Darnold this year.”
Let’s not forget that they have Darnold. He failed with the Jets (who hasn’t?), and Carolina was dysfunctional. The 49ers loved him, and plenty of folks who know how to coach quarterbacks have faith in him.
For the Vikings, the best option could be to ride with who they have and use the 11th and 23rd overall picks on players at other options. If it happens, it would be a surprise. But it wouldn’t be a sign of insanity.
If Jim Irsay has his way, Marvin Harrison Jr. won’t be wearing his college number in 2024.
The Colts have retired No. 18 for Peyton Manning, and owner Jim Irsay would like to draft receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
In a recent interview with Mike Chappell of Fox 59, Irsay admitted that the Colts have “great” interest in the son of Hall of Fame Colts receiver Marvin Harrison. Irsay also acknowledged that it will probably be “too difficult” to make the move from No. 15 to No. 4 with the Cardinals.
“I wouldn’t rule anything out,’’ Irsay added. “We’re open-minded.”
It would be an amazing move, if the Colts make it. But it would be very expensive to get all the way to No. 4.
Maybe they’ll get lucky. Maybe the Cardinals will trade down with a team that wants the best remaining quarterback. Maybe Colts Ring of Honor member Jim Harbaugh will then do one of his various former teams a favor by letting the Colts draft the son of his former teammate in Indy.
The Giants claim they don’t have buyer’s remorse on Daniel Jones. They nevertheless might be trying to buy another quarterback.
Via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, the Giants have explored trading up from the sixth overall pick in the draft. Raanan says the “belief” is that the Giants hope to land North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.
Jones was the sixth overall pick five years ago, from Duke.
The Giants gave Jones a long-term deal after the 2022 season, after not picking up his fifth-year option for 2023.
Jones has a fully-guaranteed salary of $35.5 million in 2024. The Giants also have Drew Lock under contract; his $5 million base salary has another $3 million in incentives tied to playing time that weren’t mentioned when initial reports of the contract emerged.
If they make a move for Maye and get him, the next question becomes whether he’ll play right away. If he does, he wouldn’t have a lot of help at the skill positions. Which will make it harder for him to thrive.
Of all the teams thought to be looking for quarterbacks in round one, only the Giants have a former first-round quarterback who earned a second deal. And he’s entering the second guaranteed year of his second deal. In lieu of giving him a chance to play like he did in 2022, they’d be passing on a chance to give him a weapon and giving up extra assets to get a new quarterback.
The mere suggestion of this speaks to the chronic struggles the Giants have endured since winning their last Super Bowl, 13 years ago. And the struggles seem to flow, quite frankly, from an ownership group that has ripped through coach after coach and General Manager after General Manager as they ricochet around inside a revolving door of dysfunction.