Two Days, One Draft
As we approach the final day of the 2024 NFL Draft, the event has undeniably lived up to its high expectations. Notably, some anticipated outcomes did materialize: Caleb Williams being the top pick, the Vikings making a strategic move for J.J. McCarthy, and the Chargers securing Joe Alt to bolster their offensive line at pick no. five.
In addition, the rich got richer in Round One when the Eagles locked down their secondary with CB Quinyon Mitchell; the Chiefs added a speedy young WR in Xavier Worthy, and the 49ers stacked an already loaded receiving corps with speedy Flordia wideout Ricky Pearsall.
But that wasn’t all the fun. Oh no. It got weird early on in Thursday night’s first round with two surprising picks and a flurry of trades.
The First-Round Elephant In The NFL Draft Room
Some of the hate thrown toward former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith for what appeared to be terrible draft decisions in his tenure in HOTlanta might have been misdirected. With the eighth overall pick in this year's draft, most assumed the team would address their defensive needs by snagging EDGE rusher Dallas Turner out of Alabama.
You know what they say about assuming things…
To be fair, no one could have imagined that general manager Terry Fontenot and new head coach Raheem Morris would be looking for a signal caller after signing veteran QB Kirk Cousins to a $100 million contract just a few weeks ago. However, that’s precisely what they did, grabbing Washington QB Michael Penix before the draft head even reached double digits.
Then it got weirder.
Raiders Gonna Raider?
After selecting TE Michael Mayer with the 35th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and the fact their QBs are currently veteran journeyman Garder Minshew and Aiden “Farva” O’Connell, the last thing on anyone's radar was Las Vegas grabbing a bookend in the first round. It was widely assumed the team would go QB, offensive line, or defense with the 13th overall pick.
PIVOT.
Welcome to Sin City, Brock Bowers.
It’s a baffling move from a franchise that tends to make some head-scratching decisions, such as hiring head coach Josh McDaniels. If you’re a Mayer manager or truther, this must be a tough pill.
Conversely, if you were high on Bowers heading into the draft – who wasn’t – this could be a concerning landing spot for the talented pass-catcher. No QB. No competence. Z fun.
WR End Run
There were some surprising moves towards the end of the first round, including the Chiefs moving up for Xavier Worthy, the Carolina Panthers acquiring pick no. 32 to snag WR Xavier Legette, and the Jacksonville Jaguars taking a chance on LSU WR Brian Thomas at pick no. 23.
Love it or hate it, Thomas adds a dynamic weapon for QB Trevor Lawrence in the ninth most pass-heavy offense in the league.
The acquisition of Worthy in Kansas City makes the defending Super Bowl champ's offense even more dynamic – because they needed that, right?
The more concerning landing spot is Legette, heading to an inept Carolina franchise struggling to develop QB Bryce Young.
The Best Of First Round Rest
That wasn’t all that happened in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. While the focus tends to be on the flashy offensive talent that comes off the board, there were plenty of impactful picks on the other side of the ball in Round One.
Defense Wins Championships
If defense is your thing – I would imagine that if you’re here at IDP+, it is – there were some gems on Thursday night.
The aforementioned Dallas Turner, who did NOT get drafted by the Falcons, dropped to Minnesota at pick no. 17, giving them an edge presence their defense desperately needs.
EDGE rusher Laiatu Latu out of UCLA, the first defensive pick of the board in Round One, landed in Indianapolis and could be a key piece in their push to compete with a healthy Anthony Richardson in the AFC South.
Rams head coach Sean McVay wasted no time attempting to replace the recently retired future hall-of-famer, Aaron Donald. The team used a first-round pick for the first time since 2016 to acquire versatile Florida State EDGE rusher Jared Verse, and he has some BIG shoes to fill.
Welcome to Hollywood, Jared.
NFL Draft Day Two Cometh
Friday came in with a bang, folks. Round Two featured eight defensive players coming off the board within the first 11 picks. The three offensive players mixed in were all WRs.
The Bills took a stab at replacing veteran WR Stefon Diggs at pick no. 33, grabbing Florida State pass-catcher Keon Coleman. That pick was followed by a surprising reach from the Rams, who grabbed Cooper Kupp clone Ladd McConkey with pick no. 34.
And the Rams weren’t done. With pick no. 39, McVay selected DL Braden Fiske. Replacing Donald will be a two-person job in Los Angeles.
The Eagles further upgraded their secondary, adding Iowa CB Cooper DeJean to pair with Mitchell.
RB Dead Zone
The NFL has significantly devalued the RB position, and this has been evident so far in the 2024 NFL Draft. Through three rounds, only four ball carries have been selected.
The first ball carrier didn’t come off the board until pick no. 46, with the Carolina Panthers drafting Texas RB Jonathan Brooks. The next RB selected – Florida State’s Trey Benson – went to Carolina with the 66th overall pick in Round Three, followed by Michigan RB Blake Corum to the Rams at pick no. 83 and MarShawn Lloyd to Green Bay at pick no. 88.
Steel City Steals
The draft isn’t over by a long shot, but one team has stood out during the first two days.
The Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yes, Steelers fans, your team got significant upgrades across the board.
The first stop was the offensive line, where they grabbed two game-changing big men: OL Troy Fautanu from Washington and C Zach Frazier out of West Virginia. With the upgrades they've managed so far in the draft, one of the worst units in the NFL in 2023 could catapult into the top tier of trench men.
Then, with the 84th overall pick, Pittsburgh snatched up Michigan WR Roman Wilson, followed by NC State LB Payton Wilson.
With the departure of WR Diontae Johnson, Roman Wilson provides a reliable receiving position in an otherwise weak receiving corps. In addition, Payton Wilson could help shore up a defense that vastly underperformed based on expectations in 2023.
The Best (And Worst) Of The Rest
With three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, some under-the-radar picks will be more impactful than we realize right now.
- The New England Patriots quietly added Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk with the 37th overall pick. Polk, a much-needed weapon in one of the weakest WR corps in the league, will be key to helping third overall pick North Carolina QB Drake Maye succeed at the pro level.
- The Dallas Cowboys haven’t been able to get over their playoff-ineptitude hump in recent years, in part to an inconsistent defense. Jerry Jones and company want to change that by adding Western Michigan EDGE rusher Marshawn Keeland. Pairing him with Micah Parsons could spell trouble for opposing QBs.
- It’s not the McCaffery you wanted but the McCaffery you needed. Sure, every team wants Christian, but the Washington Commanders might have caught lightning in a bottle with his younger brother Luke. Coming out of Rice, McCaffery fell to the 100th pick and should be a nice compliment to rookie QB Jayden Daniels.
On the flip side, some picks left us scratching our heads.
- The obvious one that stands out is Penix to Atlanta. The team just paid Cousins a king’s ransom, and we will unlikely see him start for the Falcons in the foreseeable future.
- While it seems you can’t have too much-receiving talent, sometimes adding a receiver with high draft capital doesn’t add up. That’s where I’m at with the Clots taking Adonai Moiitchell with the 52 overall pick. In an offense with a mobile QB in Richardson and RB Jonathan Taylor, will there be enough volume to feed Mitchell, Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce?
- You do not often see a team look to replace a young, 1,000-yard rusher just a season removed from their breakout. However, the addition of Blake Corum to the Rams with pick no. 83 seems to point to just that. Kyren Williams, who is entering his third NFL season, will now be in a committee with Corum, making it unlikely either back will have an impactful 2024 season.
The offseason is just beginning, folks. While we are nearing the end of the draft, there is still a lot of news and noise to come. Make sure to stay up on the latest happenings here at IDPGuys.org and follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @NatePolvogt
