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In looking back at the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, hindsight offers far more than clarity -- it offers contrast. One year later, the class has already separated itself into stars-in-the-making, high-upside prospects who are still trying to reach their potential, and careers defined as much by durability as production. These updated grades draw on performances from both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with greater weight placed on this season because, well, what have you done for me lately?

Injuries -- often the defining subplot of any young career -- played an important part in the final grades because, as the old cliche goes, "the best ability is availability." 

Another recurring theme and important reminder: It's so incredibly difficult to know who these players are going to become based solely on their college performance, or even with a year under their belts in the NFL. Just keep that in mind -- these grades are more of a check-in 18 months into their professional careers than a final commentary.

With all that in mind, let's re-grade all 32 first-rounders from the 2024 class.

1. QB Caleb Williams: A

Williams flashed big-play ability under trying circumstances during his rookie season, and even though his completion percentage is down in 2025, he continues to grow into Ben Johnson's offense. 

There's reason to think he's only going to get better, because we've seen it happen in real time over the first 12 weeks of the season.

2. QB Jayden Daniels: B+

An easy argument could have been made last year at this time that Daniels deserved to be QB1 -- Daniels played all 17 regular-season games and led the Commanders to a deep playoff run. A lot of it was due to his athleticism and playmaking ability, but some of it was landing in the right spot (which clearly wasn't the case for Williams, at least as a rookie). 

One of the concerns about Daniels coming out of college has been realized in 2025: his slight frame leading to injuries.

3. QB Drake Maye: A+

I'll admit it, I got it way wrong on Maye; he was incredibly raw coming out of UNC, and I thought it made the most sense to leave him on the bench as a rookie, especially on that Pats team that was one of the worst in the league. But Maye was more than encouraging in his 12 starts. 

All he's done in 2025 is become one of the best deep-ball passers on the planet, and oh-by-the-way, he's a legit MVP candidate and has a lot to do with the Patriots having a 2.5-game lead over the Bills in the AFC East.

4. WR Marvin Harrison Jr.: B

It was going to be really tough for Harrison to live up to the hype coming out of Ohio State, especially after Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. played out of their minds as rookies. Still, MHJ had eight receiving touchdowns, which was second among all rookies after Thomas (who had 10), and his explosive play rate (19%) was 12th in the league among all wideouts. 

In 2025, his 34 receptions is second only to Rome Odunze among the 2024 draft class, and his EPA/target is seventh in the league, right behind all-world wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

5. OT Joe Alt: B

Not a lot to say here other than Alt might be one of the most important people on the Chargers' roster. He looked like a perennial All-Pro in 2024. He then seamlessly transitioned to left tackle in 2025 (it's the position he played at Notre Dame) to replace an injured Rashawn Slater … only to have his season cut short after suffering an ankle injury that required surgery. If he had been healthy this season, he's an A+. 

6. WR Malik Nabers: B

Nabers was second in the league in targets and receptions as a rookie, behind only Ja'Marr Chase -- and without the benefit of having Joe Burrow throw him the ball. He was somewhat better than advertised, and was going to again be an integral part of the Giants' offense in 2025.

But a torn ACL ended his season after just four weeks. Just like Alt above, if Nabers had been healthy this season, he's an A+. 

7. OT JC Latham: C-

I give the Titans credit for trying to fix the offensive line -- they took Latham in 2024, and the year before, they used their first-round pick on Northwestern's Peter Skoronski. Latham's 44 pressures allowed as a rookie was third-worst in the NFL. 

He has improved so far in 2025, allowing just 18 pressures in seven games this season, which ranks 35th among all offensive tackles.

8. QB Michael Penix Jr.: D

Even though he started just five games as a rookie, Penix ranked third among all quarterbacks in explosive play rate (10.8%). 

But the concerns that plagued him throughout the draft process -- his inability to stay healthy in college, where he had two ACL surgeries and two more shoulder surgeries -- cropped up again in Week 11, when he suffered another season-ending ACL injury. Even before the injury, Penix Jr. had struggled, completing just 60.2% of his throws in 2025.

9. WR Rome Odunze: A

It took Odunze time to get rolling as a rookie, and much like Harrison, the expectations coming out of college may have been unrealistic. Still, Odunze posted a 68% success rate vs. man coverage, which was best among rookies, though overall, it's hard to argue that he didn't struggle with consistency. 

Among first- and second-year wideouts this season, he's tied for first in touchdown receptions (six) and explosive plays (20).

10. QB J.J. McCarthy: D-

McCarthy missed the entirety of his rookie season after suffering a knee injury during the preseason. He was named the starter in 2025 after the Vikings let Sam Darnold sign with the Seahawks.

It's been rough going so far in 2025, and this may be a multi-year, multi-step process to get McCarthy playing at the level of Darnold or Kirk Cousins before him in Minnesota. Luckily, Kevin O'Connell is his coach, and he's preached frequently about the importance of being patient with young quarterbacks. 

Whether his receivers -- who have been visibly frustrated at times this season -- can also be patient will be something to monitor.

11. OL Olumuyiwa Fashanu: C

Fashanu allowed just one sack on 348 pass-rush snaps as a rookie, but his pressure rate (6%) ranked 30th overall. 

In 2025, he has allowed the fifth-most pressures so far this season, though some of that could be due to Justin Fields consistently holding the ball in the pocket and taking unnecessary hits. We'll see if that changes now that Tyrod Taylor is the starter.

12. QB Bo Nix: B-

Nix personified the game manager as a rookie, and he and Sean Payton seemed to be the perfect match. He struggled to push the ball down the field, though his ability to win with his legs was an asset. 

In 2025, Nix is top 10 in the league among all quarterbacks with a 9.8 yards per scramble, but he ranks 27th among all quarterbacks with eight interceptions so far and is dead last with five interceptions that were dropped by defenders.

13. TE Brock Bowers: A+

It's not even an exaggeration to say that Bowers was one of the best non-quarterbacks in the league in 2024. And had there been a redraft, no one would have faulted, say, the Cardinals for taking Bowers over Harrison with the fourth-overall pick.

Bowers has battled a knee injury for much of the 2025 season (he suffered it in the opener vs. the Patriots), but as he works his way back to full health, he's again proven how important he is to an otherwise hard-to-watch Raiders offense.

14. OL Taliese Fuaga: B+

A lot of the pre-draft chatter was that Fuaga would have to move inside at the next level. I never understood that, and neither did Fuaga (or the Saints, apparently). He played left tackle as a rookie and then moved to right tackle in 2025, after the team used its first-round pick on Kelvin Banks Jr.

He's a road-grader in the run game and he and Banks will be the offensive tackle bookends for whomever ends up as franchise quarterback in 2026 and beyond. 

15. EDGE Laiatu Latu: B+

Latu flashed at times during his rookie season, but in Year 2 he has improved in just about every category. He already has one more sack than he had all last season (5.0 vs. 4.0) -- and leads all first-rounders from his draft class in sacks so far in 2025. 

Latu is also top 10 in the league in hurries and pressures, and he's being used considerably more often in coverage than he was as a rookie (9.0% vs. 1.3%). And while he technically wasn't in coverage on the interception vs. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Sunday, it counts all the same.

16. DL Byron Murphy: B+

Even though Murphy had just a half-sack in 2024, he finished third among rookie defensive linemen in pressures and led rookies at his position in pass-rush win-rate. 

He's been much more disruptive this season, as evidenced by his 6.0 sacks so far, which is No. 1 among all defensive linemen. He's also the Seahawks' best run defender and certainly feels like a perfect piece in Mike MacDonald's dominant defense.

17. EDGE Dallas Turner: C

As a rookie, Turner saw limited snaps (he played 270 fewer snaps than the next closest rookie pass rusher, Chop Robinson), only managed 2.0 sacks, and his success rate, both as a pass rusher and against the run, ranked near the bottom of the league.

Through Week 11 of the 2025 season, he's already played 167 more snaps than he did as a rookie. He's also improved his sack totals (up to 2.5 so far), and his pressure rate has improved from 9.6% to 14.4%. Turner is still scratching the surface of what he's capable of, but he has shown modest improvements from 2024 to 2025.

18. OL Amarius Mims: C

It's hard to fault the Bengals for trying to fix their offensive line. Mims did play in 15 games as a rookie, and he flashed the size and athleticism that made him a first-round pick, but he also struggled to stay healthy. Still, he allowed just 3.0 sacks in 2024.

Through 11 weeks of 2025, Mims has improved as a run blocker and has allowed 5.0 sacks. And while his pressure rate allowed has increased, his average time to pressure has gotten better, according to two NextGenStats.

19. EDGE Jared Verse: A+

The AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, Vers flashed an elite motor and ended 2024 with 77 pressures, which was fourth in the entire league behind only Trey Hendrickson, Myles Garrett and Jonathan Greenard.

So far this season,  he has 44 pressures and has improved his sacks per pressure percentage from 5.8% to 8.2%. Even on a defense full of dudes, Verse stands out.

20. OL Troy Fautanu: C-

Fautanu's rookie year was cut short by a knee injury just two weeks into the season.

As a 2025 full-time starter, he has capably manned the right tackle position, where he has allowed just one sack through 10 games. 

21. EDGE Chop Robinson: C-

Spotty playing time and lack of production plagued Robinson for the first half of his rookie season, but he logged all six of his sacks in 2024 between Weeks 9 and 16.

So far this season, Robinson has just one sack (vs. the Patriots in Week 2), even though he's been used primarily in pass-rush situations. 

22. CB Quinyon Mitchell: A+

I mentioned above that in a redraft of this class, Brock Bowers would be the first non-quarterback selected. Quinyon Mitchell would have a great case to be the second. 

He hit the ground running his rookie season, allowing an average of 1.5 yards after the catch (via Next Gen Stats), which was tops in the league. He also had 12 pass-breakups, which ranked 17th among all cornerbacks, though he didn't log an interception.

And while he's still looking for his first NFL interception, so far in 2025, he's improved his completion percentage against to 39.4% (down from 53.2% as a rookie), which ranks No. 2 in the league behind only Sauce Gardner.

23. WR Brian Thomas Jr.: C+

Brian Thomas Jr. was one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 class; he broke franchise rookie marks with 87 catches, 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, flourishing as a vertical threat.

The 2025 season has been a slog so far; he's battled inconsistencies and drops -- going back to training camp -- and after ranking 28th in the league in EPA per target (0.38) among all WRs last season, BTJ is currently 80th (-0.09).

24. DB Terrion Arnold: C

As a rookie, Arnold flashed physicality and the playmaking ability we saw of the second half of his final year at Alabama, but he was also plagued with penalties, inconsistent technique and injuries. 

A shoulder injury and a concussion saw him miss three games so far in 2025, but he has shown improvement in coverage. His eight pass breakups currently ranks 14th in the league.

25. IOL Jordan Morgan: C-

Jordan Morgan's rookie season was mostly defined by a shoulder injury that eventually landed him on injured reserve, limiting his development and playing time.

Still, he didn't allow a sack in any of his 95 pass-blocking snaps as a rookie. He's been healthier and more consistent in 2025, where he's lined up at right guard the last six games after playing mostly left guard over the first month of the season.

26. IOL Graham Barton: B+

Barton, who played left tackle at Duke, was the Bucs' starting center as a rookie and allowed just two sacks all season, which tied for fourth among all NFL centers.

So far in 2025, he showed his versatility, kicking back out to left tackle for the injured Tristan Wirfs (in Weeks 1-3) before returning to center.

27. DL Darius Robinson: D

Robinson's rookie season was marred by injury -- a calf injury in training camp kept him off the field until Week 13. He had 1 sack as a rookie, but you glimpsed the athleticism that made him a first-round pick.

Despite a dominant training camp in 2025, Robinson has struggled so far this season. He has missed time with both a pectoral injury and a groin injury, limiting his impact and resulting in just 1 sack in eight games played.

28. WR Xavier Worthy: B

Worthy's rookie year started slow but finished strong with him setting a Super Bowl rookie receiving yardage record. Not surprising given his size, but his main struggle was with press coverage.

Injuries to his shoulder and ankle have slowed his 2025 season, and he has just 27 receptions through Week 11. He remains an explosive threat to score every time he touches the ball, but much like the 2025 Kansas City Chiefs, it just hasn't yet all come together.

29. OT Tyler Guyton: C-

Guyton's rookie season was plagued by difficulties moving to left tackle (he played primarily right tackle at Oklahoma). He also struggled with pass protection and ended up leading the team with 18 total penalties. 

In 2025, his development was slowed by a knee fracture in camp and a subsequent concussion. He remains a work in progress, but it's hard not to love the physical tools if he can stay healthy. 

30. CB Nate Wiggins: B+

Wiggins flashed excellent coverage skills as a rookie, allowing a passer rating against of 66.7, to go along with his 13 pass breakups and an interception.

In 2025, he's battled through an elbow injury to haul in three interceptions, seven pass breakups and a passer rating against of just 51.8. 

31. WR Ricky Pearsall: C-

Pearsall suffered a gunshot wound to his chest prior to his rookie season, so the fact that he's playing football is a miracle and a blessing. Amazingly, he finished 2024 with 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdowns.

His 2025 season has been hampered by injuries: a training camp hamstring issue and a midseason PCL injury have resulted in fewer snaps and less production; he's managed just 21 receptions in five games so far.

32. WR Xavier Legette: C

Inconsistent production and struggling with drops defined Legette's rookie campaign. He finished the season with 497 receiving yards and the promise of growing into something more than a legit deep threat.

So far in 2025, he's been hampered by minor injuries -- and the lingering inconsistencies --  though he has shown improvement in finding the end zone, and has become a more reliable red-zone target for Bryce Young.