2024 NFL Draft - Worst Draft Picks In The First Round

April 28, 2024

2024 NFL Draft article looking at worst picks from the first round. What NFL rookies were bad picks for their new NFL teams?

Some teams made some really good picks on Thursday night in the first round of the NFL Draft. Other teams...well, let's just say that some teams made some baffling decisions.

These decisions could prove to be smart moves, or they could set these organizations back in a big way.

Here are the worst picks from the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

J.C. Latham - Pick 7 - Tennessee Titans

J.C. Latham is a talented tackle. He's young and has all the tools to be a high-end offensive lineman in this league. However, there's a lot of room for improvement with Latham, and one big issue is that he exclusively played right tackle at Alabama. If the Titans wanted to go tackle here, there were arguably some better options on the board. Wide receiver Rome Odunze was still on the board as well.

Michael Penix Jr. - Pick 8 - Atlanta Falcons

I mean...what??? Easily the most baffling pick of the first round was Michael Penix Jr. to the Falcons. The team invested big money in Kirk Cousins this offseason and while it theoretically makes sense to grab a quarterback for the future to replace Cousins in a few years, it's tough to see Penix being that guy. He'll turn 24 next month. You don't want a 24-year-old guy being your future project, considering he'd be 26 or 27 when Cousins is done in Atlanta.

Arthur Blank looks just as confused by the Michael Penix Jr. pick as we all are…pic.twitter.com/ZhoppJetJz

— Scott Simpson (@NimblewNumbers) April 26, 2024

Jordan Morgan - Pick 25 - Green Bay Packers

Arizona's Jordan Morgan projects to be a starting offensive lineman, but most people tend to think he'll have to move from tackle to guard. He'll be a really good guard, but there are questions about the value here of taking a guy at 25 who will likely be asked to play a different position in the pros.

Xavier Legette - Pick 32 - Carolina Panthers

Yes, Xavier Legette has the build to be an A.J. Brown-type receiver. And yes, he was very impressive last season, catching 71 passes for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns. But Legette is also a guy who barely saw the field for the first four years of his career. A 23-year-old receiver with one year of college productivity is a huge risk in the first round, no matter how productive he was.

32. Carolina Panthers (via Buffalo Bills) - Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

Grade: C+

Might’ve taken AD Mitchell here instead. Legette is a big, strong, fast receiver who is still very limited as a route runner.https://t.co/XEunJi0mki pic.twitter.com/ZIvzCYx5nB

— SB Nation (@SBNation) April 26, 2024

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