NEWSLETTER
We’re finally within one week of the 2024 NFL Draft and the rumors and scenarios are certainly swirling. We’ve had some very memorable drafts over the years with everything from historically bad picks to incredibly stacked draft classes, plus we can’t forget the awkward moments with players falling down draft boards while on camera in the Green Room.
As we head towards the 2024 NFL Draft, a slew of events are ripe for history-making or even record-breaking. Let’s take a look at four reasons this year’s draft could go down as one of the most memorable ones in a long time.
5 Reasons the 2024 NFL Draft May Be a Wild One
Photo By: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK
A Quarterback Top Heavy Start
One thing most draft pundits feel certain about is that USC’s Caleb Williams will be the first player off the board to the Chicago Cubs at Pick No. 1. The next two selections also belong to quarterback-needy teams, the Washington Commanders and the New England Patriots.
The next two teams in the draft order are the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers, who are set at quarterback, but may decide to trade their picks to other teams in need of a signal caller. That means that there’s a solid chance that Williams, Drake Maye (North Carolina), Jayden Daniels (LSU), and possibly J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) could be drafted as four of the top 5 picks, with the actual order still up in the air after Williams.
First-Round Offensive Players Could Set New Record in the 2024 NFL Draft
Adam Schefter recently pointed out that the record for the most offensive players taken in the first round currently stands at 19.
Right now it appears that number could be broken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. 4for4’s Connor Allen has 20 players on offense being selected on Day 1 in his latest mock draft with the first seven players selected all on the offensive side of the ball. After the four quarterbacks mentioned above, wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabors are all within the top 10, followed by offensive tackle Joe Alt from Notre Dame.
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Trades May Be Abundant on the First Night
There is no lack of trade rumors surrounding the 2024 NFL Draft, from teams trading up, down, and swapping multiple picks. There has already been one completed trade, as the Minnesota Vikings got the 23rd pick and a seventh-rounder from the Houston Texans for second and sixth-round picks this year plus a second-round selection in 2025.
To start we have the quarterback situation at the top as mentioned above. Then there’s so much offensive talent this season that teams may trade down to clubs with different needs as there won’t be much difference between a late first-rounder and a player they can draft early on Day 2. The top tier of defensive players is more elite than in recent years so we may see NFL teams trading up to get to EDGEs Laiatu Latu from UCLA and Alabama’s Dallas Turner, or corners Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo and Terrion Arnold (Alabama).
We Could Also See NFL Players Traded
Some NFL veterans are dealing with contract negotiations and are rumored to have requested trades that could come into play on the first night of the 2024 NFL Draft. 49er wideout Brandon Aiyuk has been linked to trade requests all over social media, but his agent Ryan Williams took to Twitter to debunk said rumor. I guess we will have to see how that one plays out.
There’s also Tee Higgins, Courtland Sutton, and CeeDee Lamb all worth keeping our eyes on for possible movement due to contract situations. Of course, nothing may happen, but we’ve seen it go down before with A.J. Brown being dealt to the Eagles seemingly out of nowhere on Day 1 of the NFL Draft.
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