Round 1, No. 5: Chargers draft Notre Dame OT Joe Alt (2024)

NOTE: For updates from the third day of the NFL Draft, go here.

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft began with a quarterback and ended with a wide receiver. Fitting for a night that was all about the offenses.

With their first No. 1 pick in 77 years, the Chicago Bears selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams, hoping to finally find their franchise QB. Williams set off a record run of six quarterbacks over the first 12 picks, including Jayden Daniels (Commanders, No. 2), Drake Maye (Patriots, No. 3), Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons, No. 8), J.J. McCarthy (Vikings, No. 10) and Bo Nix (Broncos, No. 12).

A record 23 offensive players were taken over 32 picks, including seven wide receivers. The first defender did not come off the board until No. 25.

The full first-round results:

1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
7. Tennessee Titans: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
8. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
9. Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
10. Minnesota Vikings (from N.Y. Jets): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
11. New York Jets (from Minnesota): Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
14. New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
15. Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA
16. Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
17. Minnesota Vikings (from Jacksonville): Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
19. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
21. Miami Dolphins: Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Minnesota through Cleveland and Houston): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
24. Detroit Lions (from Dallas): Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
25. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Morgan, OL, Arizona
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, OL, Duke
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston): Darius Robinson, Edge, Missouri
28. Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
29. Dallas Cowboys (from Detroit): Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
30. Baltimore Ravens: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
31. San Francisco 49ers: Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
32. Carolina Panthers (from Buffalo through Kansas City): Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

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The Los Angeles Chargers selected Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt with the No. 5 pick

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Alt: A three-year starter at Notre Dame, Alt was a mainstay at left tackle in offensive coordinator Gerad Parker’s balanced scheme. The son of a Pro Bowl offensive lineman, he played quarterback and tight end in high school before transitioning to tackle and becoming an All-American in South Bend. Although his pass-pro anchor isn’t always immediate and he gets caught overextending, Alt has the natural ability to achieve proper leverage, frame up rushers with his length and consistently get back to the strength of his body without losing balance. In the run game, he displays terrific movement skills and large, skilled hands to generate movement at the point of attack.

Overall, Alt stays light on his feet with the big-man agility, body control and instinctive recovery skills to become a high-level run blocker and above-average pass protector very early in this NFL career. He projects as a first-year, scheme-versatile starter with the pedigree to be a cornerstone player for an NFL franchise (he is Jake Matthews in Nate Solder’s body).

The first four picks in this draft are exactly what Dane Brugler, Daniel Jeremiah, Mel Kiper, Albert Breer and Peter Schrager had on their final mock drafts, which I compiled as a reference heading into this draft. Two of those five mocks had Minnesota trading into the fifth spot to select quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but that did not happen. The Chargers wind up taking Joe Alt, widely regarded as not only the top tackle in the draft, but a tone setter. Message sent.

There was some talk that the Cardinals would trade down but instead, they stay and got one of the best receiver prospects that we've seen in a long time. I love the Marvin Harrison Jr and Larry Fitzgerald comparisons. Both were hyped prospects and big receivers that were excellent route runners with incredible ball tracking and contested catch skills. The Cardinals were committed to giving Kyler Murray shorter, speedy receivers like Marquise Brown, so Harrison will give him a big target that can annihilate press coverage with a big catch radius. With tight end Terry McBride, James Connor, and right tackle Paris Johnson Jr, the Cardinals have an interesting offense next year. Good job by the Cardinals of not overthinking it and adding the best non-quarterback in the draft.

The history for QBs going 1-2-3 to start the draft isn't real good. In 1971, Jim Plunkett went No. 1 to New England, followed by Archie Manning to New Orleans and Dan Pastorini to Houston. In 2021, Trevor Lawrence was No. 1 overall to Jacksonville, followed by Zach Wilson to the New York Jets and Trey Lance to San Francisco.

All three QBs in 1971 had quality careers (and Plunkett was part of two Super Bowl champions with the Raiders), but none were enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of the trio drafted in 2021, only Lawrence is on his original team three years later.

The Cardinals have more to work with in this draft than any team in the NFL and Monti Ossenfort gets things started with a bang, and a great new friend for Kyler Murray. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is arguably the most complete WR prospect we’ve seen in a decade, with no true holes to his game. His ability to adjust to off-target throws — deep and underneath — is unmatched in this class.

Arizona has so much to work with in this draft. A trade-down definitely could’ve made that haul even greater. But the Cardinals also needed a wide receiver. There’s nothing wrong with sticking and taking the best player at an area of need. Great pick. Possibly elite.

Grade: A

The Arizona Cardinals selected Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Harrison: A two-year starter at Ohio State, Harrison lined up primarily on the boundary in 2022 before seeing more slot and field reps in 2023 in head coach Ryan Day’s multiple spread offense. At a program known for producing high-level receiver talent, he became the first pass catcher in school history with multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons and set the school record with 15 100-yard receiving games. In his final season, he earned a trip to New York City as a Heisman finalist, took home the Biletnikoff Award and became just the fifth two-time unanimous All-American in Ohio State history (and the first since Orlando Pace).

It can be difficult to discuss Harrison without sounding hyperbolic, because he grades well above average in most areas of playing the position. A tall, lean target with the long speed and short-area agility of a smaller player, Harrison displays controlled fluidity in his releases/routes, which allows him to create separation with complex breaks, stem angles and subtle head/body fakes. He has the uncanny ability to slow down the ball with his eyes, expand his catch radius and frame the football to make low-percentage catches appear routine (similar to Larry Fitzgerald). He has finesse tendencies, and his average physicality is one of the only areas of his game that must improve.

Overall, Harrison has dominant receiving traits and can win from anywhere on the field, because of his athletic gifts, route savvy and adjustment/finishing skills at the catch point. He is among the best receiving prospects to enter the NFL in recent memory, and he has the dedication to his craft to be a playmaking No. 1 NFL receiver and future All-Pro.

The New England Patriots selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick.

The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler on Maye: A two-year starter at North Carolina, Maye thrived in Phil Longo’s Air Raid offense in 2022 and Chip Lindsey’s more balanced attack in 2023 (head coach Mack Brown also hired Clyde Christensen, who coached Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and several other NFL quarterbacks, as an offensive analyst in 2023). Despite only two years as the Tar Heels’ starter, they were the two most productive seasons by a quarterback in North Carolina history — Maye’s 5,019 yards of total offense in 2022 set the school record and his 4,057 yards of total offense in 2023 were the second-most (he was the only FBS quarterback to accumulate over 9,000 yards of total offense over the last two seasons).

With his arm strength and pacing, Maye put the full inventory of throws on tape and operates with timing from the pocket to attack the defense’s leverage. He is a quick-reaction athlete to make plays off-schedule as a scrambler and can rip throws from different platforms. His arm can get juiced-up at times, disrupting his ball placement, and his progression reads are still a work in progress, especially when he feels pressed to make a play (39-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in the first half compared to 24-to-12 in the second half).

Overall, Maye needs to cut down on the reckless decisions, but he is a well-put-together passer with the on-field command, athletic instincts and arm talent to create solutions for the problems that NFL defenses present. With his physical gifts and smarts, he is cut from the same cloth as Justin Herbert and has a similar ceiling as an NFL player.

Most of the concerns regarding Caleb Williams subside if you buy into the idea his risk-taking said more about a weak supporting cast (on both sides of the ball) at USC. I'm interested in seeing how that aspect of his game transfers to Chicago, where the presence of a defensive-minded coach signals less tolerance for risk. Williams will have a couple solid veteran receivers and a defense that appears solid. He won't have to carry the Bears as much as he had to carry USC.

Jayden Daniels is a bit of a work in progress as a prospect. The ceiling is certainly there, though.

The Commanders probably don't have the supporting cast to win right away, like last year's C.J. Stroud, so the return might take a couple years to see on the field.

The Commanders did what everyone expected and turned in the card for Jayden Daniels. Daniels is extremely talented and really refined his game in his final season but as of right now, Washington does not have the ecosystem to support a young quarterback and we've seen multiple first-round quarterbacks get sunk because of their environment. They don't have a defense to take the pressure off of Daniels, they don't have weapons outside of Terry McClaurin, but most importantly, they don't have the offensive line.

One of the concerns with Daniels was his propensity to scramble when he felt pressure, he had one of the highest scramble rates of any quarterback in recent memory. Washington will want him to build better habits. There had been whispers that Washington wanted to trade back into the first round for a tackle — that would be a wise move. If they can't find upgrades for their offensive line, I wonder if they will consider letting Daniels sit and add some size to his skinny frame. Daniels has the potential to be a game breaker but hopefully, he doesn't get failed by the franchise.

A dazzling athlete, Jayden Daniels won the 2023 Heisman Trophy going away. A true dual-threat quarterback, Daniels (6-3 ½, 210) completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He also rushed for 1,134 yards (8.4 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns. While he flashed that ability in his previous seasons (three at Arizona State, one at LSU), Daniels took three steps forward in 2023.

Daniels will make some incredible plays as a rookie and perhaps have an impact like Robert Griffin did for Washington in 2012. But at some point, Daniels will need to rely on his arm and not default to his legs to beat quality NFL defenses. That’s probably not a rookie-year measurement, but it will determine whether he’s Vince Young or Lamar Jackson.

Pre-draft, I said Daniels could be the best of Justin Fields or the worst of Fields. I'd argue that's selling Daniels a bit short given how much better he is as a downfield passer. Daniels has the rushing upside to match and even exceed Fields, which means Top 5 fantasy football value is within reach. For dynasty, Williams is the No. 1 QB, but for redraft, Daniels should rank higher. Of course, that risk of being the "worst of Fields" should caution you not to draft Daniels ahead of Joe Burrow and the like, but as a QB1, it's possible. A line of 3500/20 passing and 600+ rushing yards with 5+ touchdowns is doable, and that would be Top 10.

Additionally, this is stock up for Terry McLaurin and yes, Jahan Dotson, who makes for a terrific bounceback candidate. McLaurin is a Top 25 option once again, and Dotson could finish as a strong WR3, especially if he sees the end-zone volume from 2022.