April 26, 2024
In the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell. Here we'll take a look around at what the Washington Commanders, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys did in Round 1.
• Commanders, Pick 2: Jayden Daniels. QB, LSU: Since Dan Snyder bought the team in 1999, 27 different quarterbacks have started games for Washington. They are Brad Johnson, Jeff George, Tony Banks, Shane Matthews, Patrick Ramsey, Danny Wuerffel, Tim Hasselbeck, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, John Beck, Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy, Kirk 'Kurt' Cousins, Alex Smith, Mark Sanchez, Josh Johnson, Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Garrett Gilbert, Carson Wentz, and Sam Howell.
In 2024, the Commanders will have their eighth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons:
• 2017: Kirk Cousins
• 2018: Alex Smith
• 2019: Case Keenum
• 2020: Dwayne Haskins
• 2021: Ryan Fitzpatrick
• 2022: Carson Wentz
• 2023: Sam Howell
• 2024: Jayden Daniels (assuming he can beat out Marcus Mariota in training camp, a very low bar to clear)
The Commanders nabbed Daniels in their first draft under new ownership, and they'll hope that he can be the long-term answer at quarterback that they have not be able to find in decades.
Daniels won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 after a season in which he completed 72.2 percent of his passes, averaged an incredible 11.7 yards per pass attempt, and had 40 TDs vs. 4 INTs, while also adding 1134 yards on 8.4 yards per carry and 10 TDs on the ground. Some highlights:
In addition to his electrifying ability as a runner, Daniels is a cerebral quarterback who can read defenses, set protections, and make anticipatory throws. The knock on him is that he does not possess elite arm strength and he has a very slender frame that some believe could lead to durability issues. There could also be concerns in that Daniels reportedly expressed that he'd rather play somewhere other than Washington.
If all goes well, Daniels could reinvigorate a Washington fan base that has not had much reason for hope since Robert Griffin III gave them some for a short window of time a little more than a decade ago.
• Giants, Pick 6: Malik Nabors, WR, LSU: Nabers was a star receiver for LSU, catching 89 passes for 1569 yards and 17 TDs in 2023. He's not a tall receiver at 6'0, but he's well built with a strong frame, and 4.35 speed that shows up on the field.
When the Giants were on clock at pick No. 6, Michigan's J.J. McCarthy was available. The Giants obviously didn't think enough of McCarthy to make him their their new franchise quarterback. It will be interesting to see what becomes of McCarthy's professional career.
Nabers is an exciting prospect, but with the non-selection of a quarterback Giants fans will have to endure another season of Daniel Jones*.
• Cowboys, Pick 24: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma: Prior to the draft, the Cowboys' offensive line looked something like this:
• LT Tyler Smith
• LG: T.J. Bass
• C: Brock Hoffman
• RG: Zack Martin
• RT: Terence Steele
It felt like a near-certainty that the Cowboys would be forced to select an offensive lineman with their first-round pick, and sure enough, they did.
Guyton began his career at TCU as a defensive lineman before moving to TE and eventually finding a home at OT. In 2022, he transferred to Oklahoma where he started five games (1 at LT, 4 at RT). He became a full-time starter at RT in 2023. Guyton can move for a 6'8, 322-pound lineman, but he is a little raw, as he had just 14 career starts in college.
He'll likely be expected to start as a rookie in Dallas' offense, and that could be at LT, where he only had one career college start. If Guyton does indeed start at LT, Tyler Smith would slot back in at LG.
Guyton was a popular projection to the Cowboys, and the value was appropriate where they landed him. And actually, the Cowboys traded back from 24 to 29 in a trade with the Lions, and were able to draft Guyton anyway while also adding a third-round pick:
| Lions got | Cowboys got |
| Pick 24 (Terrion Arnold) | Pick 29 (Tyler Guyton) |
| 2025 7th round pick | Pick 73 |
This was a good pick long-term, in my opinion, but Guyton is likely to experience some early growing pains, given his inexperience.
*or Drew Lock
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