What happened in the NFL Draft first round: Full recap, picks by team, grades and trades

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims with the No. 18 pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Mims: A one-year starter at Georgia, Mims manned the right tackle spot in offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s balanced run scheme. Consider ed the prize of Kirby Smart’s 2021 recruiting class, he waited his turn and then missed half of the 2023 season because of injury once he became the full-time starter. Still, he played at a high level in his eight career starts (zero sacks allowed), especially against Ohio State in his first career start in t he 2022 College Football Playoff.

With his remarkable physique and trim build, Mims carries 340 pounds better than anyone I have ever seen and plays with outstanding balance and arm length in pass protection (Sedrick Van Pran: “You don’t need 1,000 reps when you have his gifts from God.”). Because of tightness in his lower body, he needs continued coaching for better sustain and leverage consistency in the run game, but he creates terrific extension with the play strength to control the point of attack.

Overall, Mims isn’t as far along fundamentally (especially in the run game) as other tackles in the class, but he is a natural in pass protection with above-average length, footwork and body twitch to handle different types of edge rushers. Though there is projection involved with his draft grade, his best football is ahead of him, and he has the talent to become a long-term starter at left or right tackle.

After losing Danielle Hunter in free agency, the Vikings needed some pass rush punch. Minnesota jumped up six spots and grabbed arguably the draft’s most athletic pass rusher in Dallas Turner, who was considered a possible top-10 pick. It was a need, probably equal to cornerback. However, the value was too good to pass up.

One of the nation’s top edge rushers last year, Turner was a consensus first-team All-American after posting 11 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Turner (6-2 ½, 247) solidified his first-round status with an impressive combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds, posted a vertical jump 40 ½ inches and arms measured 34 3/8 inches. He should replace Hunter quite nicely.

Grade: A

Here's how The Athletic Football Show crew reacted to the Falcons' selection of Michael Penix Jr. in real time.

Dallas Turner was seen as a top-10 pick by five of six NFL executives polled during the scouting combine. The unprecedented run on offensive players atop this draft pushed down defensive players. Minnesota winds up getting the third defensive player in the draft with the 17th overall pick.

The Minnesota Vikings have traded with the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up to the No. 17 pick.

Good things come to those who wait? Sure, we’ll go with that. The Seahawks have had a need right in the middle of their defense for what seems like several years now. And after an early run on quarterbacks and tackles pushed the top defenders down, Seattle hits a whopper by landing the top interior defensive lineman in this draft at No. 16.

Murphy, who can play nose or three-tech, is extremely powerful and explosive with a lethal punch at the point of attack. A smaller body in the Aaron Donald mold, Murphy is all gas off the line of scrimmage and his natural leverage makes him a bear to deal with inside. Some teams valued Murphy as a top 10 player in this draft. This is terrific value for new head coach Mike Macdonald.

Grade: A

The Seattle Seahawks selected Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II with the No. 16 pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Murphy: A one-year starter at Texas, Murphy played multiple spots on the interior of defensive coordinator Jeff Choate’s scheme. Although his stats don’t jump off the page, his production improved each season, and he finished 2023 with a team-best 45 pressures and ranked No. 1 among all FBS interior defensive linemen in pass-rush win percentage (19.6 percent).

Murphy fires off the ball to get vertical push through gaps or establish low-man positioning, which helps him shed blocks or anchor the point of attack. He can get swallowed up at times, but his effort and hand usage make his lack of size less of a concern than expected.

Overall, Murphy doesn’t have ideal length, but his rare combination of lower-body twitch, natural leverage and power throughout his frame sets his apart. With his disruptive energy, both as a pass rusher and versus the run, he projects as an impact starter who can play shaded nose or three-technique, similar to Grady Jarrett.

Through 15 picks, 40 percent of the selections are from the soon-to-be defunct Pac-12. That includes three quarterbacks (USC's Caleb Williams, Oregon's Bo Nix, Washington's Michael Penix Jr.), wide receiver Rome Odunze (Washington), defensive end Laiatu Latu (UCLA) and offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State).

It only took 15 picks, but Indianapolis finally took a defensive player. And the Colts got a good one in UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu, who arguably was the best defensive player in college football last year. Indianapolis was 28th in scoring defense, 24th in run defense and allowed 22 rushing touchdowns. Latu should help in every area, and he enters the NFL as one of its best stories. The only question was whether a cornerback might have been a more impactful pick, but Latu is a keeper.

Latu’s NFL dream nearly was derailed with a neck injury in 2020 that caused him to miss two seasons and led to a medical retirement at Washington. After surgery, Latu was cleared to play again and transferred to UCLA in 2022. Latu twice earned All-Pac-12 honors and was a consensus first-team All-American last fall with a national-best 21.5 tackles for loss and a league-high 13 sacks. Latu (6-4 ½, 259) also was an elite rugby player.

Grade: B+

The Indianapolis Colts selected UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu with the No. 15 pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Latu: A one-year starter at UCLA, Latu was an outside edge rusher in former defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s scheme, splitting his time standing up and rushing with his hand on the ground (was also schemed inside at times). Medically rejected at Washington, he was cleared by doctors after transferring to UCLA and was extremely productive over the past two seasons, with 129 total pressures in 25 games. After leading the FBS in tackles for loss in 2023, the consensus All-American cleaned up on the awards circuit as a senior, taking home the Morris Trophy (best DL in Pac-12), Ted Hendricks Award (top DE in FBS) and Lombardi Award (top OL/DL in FBS).

For pass rushers, there is a saying: “Beat the hands, beat the man.” Latu lives by this principle with the cohesive way he weaponizes his hands and feet to defeat blocks (led the FBS with a 24.6 percent pass-rush win percentage in 2023). As a run defender, his lack of ideal length and pop will show at times, but he made significant improvements with his read/react in this area as a senior.

Overall, Latu’s medical history will play a major part in his draft grade, but he is a pass-rush technician with the instinctive feel and athletic bend to be an impactful “two-way go” rusher in the NFL. His play style and journey are reminiscent of Miami Dolphins 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips.

The rush on quarterbacks is going to really help out a lot of teams in the back half of the draft. It also helped the Saints. In a big, big way. Fuaga was a top-two tackle on some NFL boards, top-three on several more. There’s not a team in the NFL in need of a tackle more than the Saints – and they just landed a road-grader.

Fuaga was dominant at times on the right side for the Beavers last season, arguably the best run blocker in the country at 6-foot-5, 324 pounds. This is a culture pick as much as anything else, too. Fuaga will help improve the team’s overall toughness up front. Great value for the Saints down here in the middle of the first.

Grade: A

I spoke to Kirk Cousins' agent, Mike McCartney, who explained to me the Atlanta Falcons called Cousins while they were on the clock at No. 8. The Falcons had told Cousins when he signed with the team this offseason that that they would be drafting a quarterback in the later rounds of the 2024 draft. He was stunned when they took one in the first round, picking University of Washington standout Michael Penix Jr. McCartney's and Cousins' biggest concern is that they don't believe this helps the team for the upcoming season.

The Raiders' biggest needs were at OT and CB and they had their choice of CB available to them but Brock Bowers was probably by far the best player on their board. They just drafted Michael Mayer last season so this was a true BPA selection which is rare. The Raiders have gotten themselves in trouble before reaching for need. Bowers is a top 7 prospect that fell to them at 13.

The New Orleans Saints selected Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga with the No. 14 pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Fuaga: A two-year starter at Oregon State, Fuaga was entrenched at right tackle in former head coach Jonathan Smith’s zone-based run scheme. He became the starting right tackle prior to the 2022 season and finished his career starting 25 straight games, earning team captain and All-American status in 2023.

Arguably the top run-blocking lineman in the draft, Fuaga is quick into contact and creates immediate displacement with his aggressive mentality and stiff, controlled hands. Though he has functional athleticism and technique for the edges, his first reflex is to use his hands in pass pro, which leads to him oversetting or undersetting versus pass-rush counters (and highlights his lack of elite range and length).

Overall, Fuaga has only average play range and can be dinged here and there for minor flaws, but he has the size, core strength and balance to be a plug-and-play starter in the NFL (reminiscent of Taylor Decker). Some teams view him best inside at guard, while others want to keep him at right tackle (Duke Manyweather compares him to Mike Iupati).