Five Day 1 Draft Day Winners

#4 Las Vegas Raiders

Pick: TE Brock Bowers

Analysis: Bowers is that hybrid perimeter athlete who is going to cause mismatches in the NFL, like at Georgia. Bowers, I felt, was a Top 10 overall prospect in this NFL Draft class because of his route-running ability, great hands, and great instincts in the open field. The Raiders already have Michael Mayer, who was arguably the best TE in last year’s Draft class. This was a literal “Best Player Available” pick. The two tight end sets the Raiders will employ with Davante Adams on the perimeter will make the Raiders interesting in Antonio Pierce’s first full season as Raiders head coach.

#3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pick: OL Graham Barton

Analysis: The Buccaneers contended for the best bargain in all of the first round, landing Barton at No. 26 overall with what many consider the top overall center prospect in this year’s class but an athlete on the offensive line who could play either the guard or tackle positions, where he started 34 games at Duke as a left tackle.

2 Chicago Bears

Picks: QB Caleb Williams, WR Rome Odunze

Analysis:  The Bears had two Top 10 picks in the first round and, in my mind, nearly maximized the opportunity. When you land arguably the top overall prospect in this year’s draft, quarterback Caleb Williams, you are already a winner in this draft. The hype for Williams compares him to Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, something the Bears hope turns into reality. For most of last season, I felt that wide receiver Rome Odunze was the top wide receiver in college football.  Odunze, along with fellow wide receivers Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore, will give Williams plenty of weapons to work with in his rookie season. The only potential regret here is passing on the top edge rusher Dallas Turner, which may come back to bite the Bears.

#1 Minnesota Vikings

Picks: QB JJ McCarthy, EDGE Dallas Turner

Analysis: If you had gone to a Minnesota Vikings fan and said you would be able to trade up twice in the first round and land one of the top coveted quarterbacks and the top EDGE rusher and keep their 2025 first-round pick - they would sign up for it all day. The Vikings front office did a masterful job landing both McCarthy and Turner.

McCarthy was a proven winner at Michigan, who went 27-1 as a starter and guided the Wolverines to a national championship, the program's first since 1997. McCarthy will be flanked by weapons on all sides, with NFL's top WR Justin Jefferson, WR Jordan Addison, and TE T.J. Hockensen. With these playmakers in tow, McCarthy's development should be a step ahead.

My grade on Turner was he was the top edge rusher in this class and a Top 5 overall prospect. Landing him at No. 17 rivals that of the Bears landing Williams at No. 1 for the best overall pick. Turner’s explosive ability off the edge and his ability to be physical with the offensive line are elite, and his instincts around the line of scrimmage and in coverage are unmatched in this Draft Class.