Category: 2024 NFL draft

Titans not projected to receive compensatory pick in 2024

The Titans are not projected to receive any compensatory picks in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans have a total seven of selections in the 2024 NFL draft, but they won’t be adding any more via compensatory picks.

According to Nick Korte of Over the Cap, the Titans are not projected to receive any compensatory picks in 2024 based on the formula used to calculate them.

During the 2023 offseason, the Titans lost and gained a total of five players each in free agency who qualified, thus, they cancel each other out in the formula.

In Korte’s projection, three teams came away tied with the most comp picks (four), a list that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.

The only team in the AFC South to receive a comp pick was the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that hadn’t had one since 2010. The Jags are set to net a third and a sixth, with the sixth coming because of the loss of Arden Key to the Titans.

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POLL: Grade Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft for the Cardinals

Kiper’s newest mock draft has the Cardinals taking a receiver and a tackle. What do you think of the projections?

For the Arizona Cardinals, it is NFL draft season because they did not make the postseason. That means paying attention to all the pertinent mock drafts.

A new mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Cardinals landing Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick and Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton with the 27th pick, the selection they got from the Houston Texans.

What do you think of the mock draft? Vote in the poll below:

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Mel Kiper’s mock draft has Cardinals landing WR, OT in 1st round

Kiper’s latest projections have the Cardinals landing Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton.

We have hit the official beginning of mock draft season with the Super Bowl approaching and the college all-star games getting set to occur. Plus, all the big draft analysts are beginning to make projections for the 2024 NFL draft.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper released a new mock draft and it has good news for the Arizona Cardinals.

The Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots all select quarterbacks with the first three selections, meaning the Cardinals, who pick fourth overall, get to pick the player most fans covet.

They land a top receiver and also a tackle in the first round.

Giants select WR Malik Nabers in Mel Kiper’s first 2024 mock draft

With surrounding Daniel Jones with talent specifically in mind, Mel Kiper Jr. sends WR Malik Nabers to the New York Giants in his first mock.

The New York Giants hold the sixth overall selection in this April’s NFL draft. They are a team that can go in many directions after a disappointing 6-11 season.

So, which way will they go? Will they abandon the company line and draft over quarterback Daniel Jones? Or, will they double down on Jones and add a player who can support him, such as an offensive lineman or receiver?

Long-time ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes the Giants will look to add a weapon such as LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.

The Giants got just six games out of quarterback Daniel Jones on the way to a lost season that showed some cracks in the foundation. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale resigned after the season, and the offense under coordinator Mike Kafka struggled with Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito under center. New York’s quarterbacks were sacked a whopping 85 times, the most in the league, and the offense ranked 30th in yards per play (4.5). The Giants used top-10 picks on offensive linemen in 2020 (Andrew Thomas) and 2022 (Evan Neal), but I absolutely could see them doing it again, as tackles Joe Alt (Notre Dame) and Olu Fashanu(Penn State) are still available in this scenario.

Still, I keep coming back to getting Jones more help, as he has never played with a true No. 1 wide receiver. Nabers could be that. He’s coming off an 89-catch, 1,569-yard season catching passes from Jayden Daniels, and he has a rare combination of speed and route-running ability. He led the FBS with 17 catches of 30-plus yards. The Giants had just 15 total 30-plus yard receptions last season, five of which were from rookie third-rounder Jalin Hyatt.

Kiper mocks Nabers to the Giants after predicting the first three players taken will be quarterbacks (Chicago — USC’s Caleb Williams, Washington — Jalen Daniels of LSU, and New England — Drake Maye of UNC) followed by Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona) and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.

Will general manager Joe Schoen stick to his guns on Jones and Neal and roll the dice on a wide receiver? It’s possible. Nabers would be a great addition, but if Jones or the offensive line can’t stay healthy it will be like adding a shiny hood ornament to a car that’s always on a lift.

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Over The Cap finalizes comp pick projections, with good news for Saints

Over The Cap finalized their compensatory draft pick projections for 2024, with good news for the New Orleans Saints:

The analysts at Over The Cap finalized their compensatory pick projections for the 2024 NFL draft, with good news for the New Orleans Saints: right now, the Saints are predicted to receive three comp picks in this year’s event. But where will they fall?

OTC’s Nick Korte writes that one of them is basically a coin flip, with the Saints expected to receive a fourth- or fifth-round selection for losing David Onyemata to the Atlanta Falcons last season. Between the contracts and valuation of different qualifying players around the league, that pick should fall either at the end of the fourth round (around No. 134) or at the beginning of the fifth round’s comp picks (roughly No. 166). That’s a big swing, and the earlier that pick slots in, the better for New Orleans.

But that isn’t the only comp pick the Saints are expected to receive. OTC has them netting a pair of fifth-round picks as compensation for losing linebacker Kaden Elliss (to the Falcons) and defensive end Marcus Davenport (to the Minnesota Vikings) last offseason.

Assuming the Saints will get three comp picks in the fifth round (as is OTC’s official projection), here is where New Orleans expects to be picking:

  • Round 1, Pick 14
  • Round 2, Pick 45 (via Denver Broncos)
  • Round 5, Pick 148
  • Round 5, Pick 167 (compensatory)
  • Round 5, Pick 168 (compensatory)
  • Round 5, Pick 172 (compensatory)
  • Round 6, Pick 191
  • Round 6, Pick 200 (via Philadelphia Eagles)
  • Round 7, Pick 229 (via Denver Broncos)

We won’t find out for sure until comp picks are announced later this year, typically the week before free agency starts in March. Keep an eye out for confirmation and the official draft order.

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4 takeaways from the Steelers pick in Mel Kiper’s 1st mock draft

The Steelers went cornerback in Mel Kiper Jr. first mock draft of the season.

ESPN NFL draft writer Mel Kiper Jr. put out his first mock draft of the season this week and you know we had to dig into it. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kiper selected Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter with the No. 20 overall pick. Here are our big takeaways from the choice.

Saints pick a surprising LSU product in Mel Kiper mock draft

The Saints picked a surprising LSU product in Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, adding a big-time wide receiver in Brian Thomas Jr.:

There’s a long-running narrative that the New Orleans Saints avoid drafting players out of LSU, but it’s not like they pointedly pass on the Tigers each year — it’s just rare for the stars to align so that those players stay in Louisiana after turning pro. And the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper changes that trend, though maybe not in the way the Saints-LSU fan contingent might expect.

It’s not Jayden Daniels going to the Saints at No. 14 overall in Kiper’s most recent projection, but one of his receivers: and it isn’t Malik Nabers, neither. With the top three receivers all being picked inside the top-10, it’s LSU standout Brian Thomas Jr. going to New Orleans. Here’s why Kiper says he’s a good fit:

Derek Carr had an up-and-down debut season in New Orleans, and his sizable contract almost certainly means he’ll be back as the starter in 2024. But what do we know about the playmakers around him? Chris Olave is a star who has put up back-to-back seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. After that? There are big questions. Michael Thomas likely will move on this offseason, while Alvin Kamara has regressed in recent years. And while Rashid Shaheed showed he can be a useful complementary receiver, Carr could use another asset in the receiving game to try to boost this offense.

Thomas, the third of the LSU offensive players off the board in this projection, led the FBS with 17 touchdown catches last season while averaging 17.3 yards per reception. He had just three drops on 93 targets. He can take the top off defenses and be a stellar No. 2 option as a rookie. Plus, the born-and-raised Louisiana kid wouldn’t have to leave the state.

Thomas posted modest numbers through his first two years at LSU before breaking out in 2023 with 68 receptions for 1,177 yards. He primarily lined up out wide in the Tigers’ offense but was still a threat to make plays after the catch (averaging 5.7 yards per catch with the ball in his hands). He went 7-of-13 on contested catches this year (53.8%) and is 17-of-36 (47.2%) on those targets in his career.

Look for the Saints to stock up on receivers this offseason. Right now they have just two of them under contract for 2024 in Chris Olave and A.T. Perry, though Rashid Shaheed will return as an exclusive rights free agent. Michael Thomas is technically signed but the Saints must choose whether to extend his contract or release him from it before free agency starts in March.

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Ravens add CB depth in Mel Kiper’s first 2024 NFL mock draft

The Baltimore Ravens add cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in Mel Kiper’s first 2024 NFL mock draft of the offseason

It’s NFL draft season and as teams around the league start preparing to head down to Mobile, Alabama for the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the guy that created the craze surrounding the leadup to event just released his first mock.

Mel Kiper is the gold standard for draft evaluation, and the legend from Baltimore just revealed his first mock draft of the spring.

With Marlon Humphrey battling injuries, and Brandon Stephens playing out of position, Kiper has the Ravens selecting All-SEC cornerback, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. out of Missouri.

Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri

The Ravens’ defense has been spectacular this season, but defensive tackles Justin Madubuike and Michael Pierce, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Geno Stone are all set to be free agents this offseason. While they’re likely to bring back a couple of these players and might have young replacements on their roster for others, I see a banged-up cornerback group that could use more depth.

Rakestraw would make six cornerbacks off the board in Round 1, which would be the most since the 2020 draft. He has the versatility to play out wide or in the slot. He had just one interception in four college seasons, but he did have 24 career pass breakups, so he knows how to get his hands on throws. I like Rakestraw’s fit in Baltimore.

Rakestraw, considered a top-five cornerback prospect in the 2024 NFL draft by ESPN’s Matt Miller and Field Yates, also missed the Tigers’ win over Arkansas to close out the regular season due to an undisclosed injury.

He finished his career with 24 pass breakups, an interception, and two forced fumbles.

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Cardinals assistants getting offseason work at college all-star games

At least five Cardinals assistants will be part of the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl this offseason.

The Arizona Cardinals are in the offseason and preparing for free agency and the 2024 NFL draft. While all of the coaching staff will be involved in some form with predraft evaluations, visits and more, some of the assistant coaches on head coach Jonathan Gannon’s staff are getting extra work and an up-close look at some prospects.

The two biggest predraft college all-star games are the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Several Cardinals assistants have been tabbed to be on the coaching staffs for the Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl.

Here are the assistants we know of so far.