The NFL draft is over and it’s time to review the picks made around the nation.

The first several picks of the NFL draft went as expected until the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Micheal Penix Jr. (Washington) with the 8th overall pick. This pick was very confusing for many viewers across the nation because Atlanta has recently signed Kirk Cousins who has proven to be a solid quarterback. Cousins is 35 years old, but still has a lot of football left in him, so it probably would’ve been better for them to get some offensive weapons to help him. 

“I was also very surprised by the pick, but I think he will be able to grow in Atlanta,” sophomore Hudson Chandler said. 

With the 13th overall pick, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Brock Bowers, a tight end from Georgia. Bowers is one of the most versatile tight ends in the draft and is expected to possibly be the next Travis Kelce. Bowers being able to run a 4.53 second forty yard dash at 6’4” 240 lbs makes him a one of a kind athlete with a very high ceiling.

The local Dallas Cowboys selected offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) with the 29th overall pick after trading back with the Detroit Lions. Guyton has only played 14 college football games, but he shows very high potential with his size and speed. Guyton is 6’7” and weighs in at 328 lbs making him very capable of playing on any NFL team.

“I was very surprised with the pick, but I was happy they made the pick because he seems very good,” Dallas Cowboys fan, sophomore Emmett Eisenburg said.

The San Francisco 49ers made a surprising pick by choosing wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (Florida) with the 31st overall pick. Pearsall wasn’t a bad pick, but there were other wide receivers that some would say should’ve gone ahead of Pearsall. Receivers such as Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey, and Adonai Mitchell could’ve been picked, but Pearsall was still a decent pick.

One of the biggest falls in the draft was cornerback Kalen King out of Penn State. Before the college football season, he was projected to be a first round draft pick, but due to a bad season he was selected by the Packers with the 255th pick being the third to last pick. King still has potential to make it in the NFL, but will need to get back into the state he was two seasons ago.

With their rookie seasons ahead of them, all these players will need to prove why they deserve a spot on one of the 32 teams if they want to stay in the NFL.