NFL teams felt they simply had to draft new quarterbacks, even if that meant overreaching on the draft board and getting players who graded out several slots lower. Whether it was the Atlanta Falcons getting Michael Penix at No. 8 or the Denver Broncos grabbing Bo Nix at No. 12, NFL organizations seemed to worry that if they didn’t go big for a quarterback in this NFL draft, they wouldn’t get a similar opportunity in future years. Is it panic, desperation, or simply being bold in a year with lots of quarterback options to choose from?
USA TODAY Sports NFL draft analyst Nate Davis looked at both sides of the quarterback equation. Quarterbacks won the draft in one sense, according to Davis:
“For the fourth time in the common draft era (since 1967), the first three players picked were passers. For the first time ever, six went in the first dozen picks as the 2024 draft joined the legendary one from 1983 as the only ones with a half-dozen QBs off the board in Round 1.”
On the other hand, quarterbacks also lost in this NFL draft:
“Thursday very much illustrated teams are investing and/or reinvesting at the position at an insane rate. But these young slingers need look no further than three years to get a sense of how expendable they’re becoming, first-round pedigree or not. Four of the five QBs taken in Round 1 in 2021 are already on different teams, none assured of starting again. Kenny Pickett, the lone quarterback taken on Day 1 in 2022, is already an ex-Steeler himself. This isn’t to suggest this year’s crop will fail – though history tells us three of the six probably will – but there’s no doubt the runway for and patience afforded these young arms isn’t near what it used to be.”
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