Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Several projected trades reshape the draft landscape.
Kevin Hickey’s first mock draft of 2024 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling several more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2024 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
*projected trade
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“If there’s a player that can “change the landscape of your organization” like a quarterback, then “you do whatever it takes to get him.”
The 2024 NFL draft is less than a week away and the Denver Broncos are set to select 12th overall in the first round — barring a trade.
During a pre-draft press conference on Thursday, Broncos general manager George Paton confirmed that teams have called Denver about trading down and about moving up.
“We’ve had teams call to move up, and we’ve had teams call to move back,” Paton said. “We have flexibility.”
There’s been much speculation that the Broncos could trade up for a quarterback, but such a move could be costly. Just how much it would cost depends on how high Denver moved up and how many other teams attempt to make the same move.
“The hypothetical relative to what the compensation is a lot of times is driven by who else is interested,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “George, he has talked to all these teams in front of us. Obviously [the compensation] depends on how much further you go up. Also, if there’s someone else doing the same thing. … [Trading up] certainly is a possibility and then it’s how much you can palate.”
Denver is not going to tip its hand before draft day arrives, but neither Payton nor Paton ruled out the possibility of making a big trade for a QB.
“I would just say if it’s a player that you think can change the landscape of your organization moving forward, like quarterback, then you do whatever it takes to get him,” Paton said. “If there’s consensus in the building, a love in the building, you’re aggressive and you try to get him. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get him, but you try.”
Alternatively, if the Broncos are not able to move up and the club does not like the options available at No. 12, Denver could trade down.
“[W]e’re open to everything,” Paton said. “We’re wide open.”
Next week’s draft will be televised on ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes. The Broncos hold eight draft picks this year (view them here).
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Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. eventually falling to the Patriots and the Raiders in Round 2, respectively.
“A universe of surprises is what I pray for!”
Much like Dune 4’s prescient man/worm emperor Leto II, at this point in draft season we gladly welcome any surprises we can get. Luckily, in our latest league-wide mock draft we were treated to a couple of them in the top five. After USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye came off the board at No. 1 and No. 2 overall respectively we expected the pattern of at least four QBs being taken in the top five picks to continue.
However, the Patriots and Cardinals both went in a different direction and we didn’t see another quarterback get drafted until LSU’s Jayden Daniels fell to the Vikings at No. 11. Then Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy went to the Broncos at 13, followed by a long gap between QB picks. Eventually, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. fell to the Patriots and the Raiders in Round 2, respectively.
Here’s how our full three-round, 100-pick mock draft played out.
QBs and WRs dominate the latest mock draft from The Huddle.
HC Green’s first mock draft of 2024 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling several more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2024 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
*projected trade
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Check out the newest mock draft from The Huddle!
Harley Schultz’s first mock draft of 2024 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling several more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2024 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
*projected trade
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The New York Giants are meeting with quarterbacks Bo Nix (Oregon) and Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.
The New York Giants may not get their shot at the top four quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL draft but are making contingency plans in the event that plays out.
Those plans include top-30 visits with Oregon’s Bo Nix and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, who could each be available come pick No. 47 overall.
The #Giants’ pre-#NFLDraft work on QBs included #Oregon’s Bo Nix and #SouthCarolina’s Spencer Rattler making visits to East Rutherford this week, sources tell me and @RapSheet. So the team has done deep dives on passers who will be available at different levels of the draft. pic.twitter.com/EwonpMzH0q
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 17, 2024
Nix struggled at Auburn before transferring to Oregon and establishing himself as a viable pro. NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein gives a pro comparison of Tony Romo — something Giants fans probably don’t want to hear.
Rare five-year starting quarterback whose play has matured in front of our eyes. Nix displays the accuracy, arm talent and athleticism consistent with today’s brand of pro quarterback. He can be punctual in getting the ball out at the top of his drop or he can work through progressions and beat defenses with second-reaction plays. He throws with good velocity and puts the ball on the money when throwing on the move. Nix has shown great improvement with his pocket poise. He’s capable of moving the sticks as a scrambler or as part of the running game. Some of his gaudy production has been driven by the Oregon offense’s design, but his talent clearly stands out. I’ve harbored bias from watching the overwhelmed version of Nix during his Auburn days, but as the saying goes, “tape don’t lie.” Nix appears more than ready to attack the league with an NFL-caliber skill set.
Rattler, meanwhile, had less success after transferring to South Carolina from Oklahoma but still put up respectable numbers. Although Zierlein didn’t give him a pro comparison, he did note that the quarterback flashes, albeit inconsistently.
Four-year starter who took more starting snaps at South Carolina than he did at Oklahoma. Rattler will still flash glimpses of what he showed in his 2020 season as a Sooner but fails to consistently sustain the type of play that NFL teams look for. He lacks desired height for a pocket passer and doesn’t have enough arm strength to beat greedy NFL cover men. He was better than some of his 2023 numbers might indicate, as poor pass-blocking and drop-prone receivers often put him in bad spots. He can scramble and extend plays, but he’s not a dynamic runner and needs optimal protection and separation in order to work in rhythm. He needs an offense that can shrink the field so he can operate quickly and find his rhythm. He has the know-how but might not have the tape or traits to inspire confidence in projecting anything more than a QB2/3.
The Giants have done work on nearly every quarterback available in the draft and appear destined to select one at some point later this month.
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Peter Schrager of NFL Media dropped the first of two mock drafts that he does each cycle and the Vikings selections are interesting.
Mock drafts come at a dime a dozen anymore, but sometimes special ones drop. On Tuesday, Peter Schrager of NFL Media dropped the first of two mock drafts that he does each cycle. One comes the week before the draft, and the other comes the week before.
In his mock draft, the plugged-in Schrager gave the Vikings a pairing we haven’t seen often with their two first-round picks. Yes, they kept both their first-round picks, which means they did not land one of the top quarterbacks.
What he did for them, though, was fix, or at least address, two areas of need.
Here it is.
After weeks on the phones with GMs and HC’s, my first 2024 Mock Draft. https://t.co/eLUxc3fJWD
– Giants trade up for JJ McCarthy
– QBs go 1-4
– Colts trade up for Malik Nabers
– Eagles take Cooper DeJean
– Broncos go… Defense. @nflnetwork @NFLMedia @gmfb— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 16, 2024
He has them selecting Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold with the 11th overall pick in the draft. The Crimson Tide alum plays a physical style and does very well in both man and zone coverage. Nick Saban is known for coaching up and having smart defensive backs, which best describes Arnold.
The second pick of the first round for the Vikings comes at 23rd overall and he has them taking a quarterback to compete alongside Sam Darnold. Schrager rolls with the Heisman Trophy finalist Bo Nix out of Oregon. Nix has some interesting traits and is a player that has evaluators torn. His coming to Minnesota with the weapons and staff they have helped, but the long-term potential of being the solution is questionable.
Vikings fans should be excited about the Arnold pick but they need to be prepared for a letdown selection at quarterback if they miss out on trading up for one of the top talents.
Bleacher Report picked three very different New Orleans Saints quarterbacks as pro comparisons for Oregon draft prospect Bo Nix:
You won’t find Derek Carr, Andy Dalton, and Drew Brees mentioned in the same conversation too often, but that’s where we found ourselves here. Bleacher Report’s Derrick Klassen shared his scouting report on Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, a prospect in the 2024 NFL draft, and offered a couple of different pro comparisons for Nix: Carr, Dalton, and Brees.
Incidentally, all three of them have played for the New Orleans Saints. And that’s where this comparison falls apart. Brees of course accomplished a Pro Football Hall of Fame-worthy career in black and gold. Dalton spent a single year in New Orleans, having been signed to back up Jameis Winston before being given the starting job, and he ended that season with the worst offensive output the Saints had seen in decades. The jury is still out on Carr, but the early returns aren’t good.
Still, we’re missing the forest for the trees here. Klassen’s greater point is that Nix should be seen as a high-end backup who should probably be picked early in the second round of this year’s draft. That’s where Brees (drafted with the first pick of the second round), Dalton (the third pick in the second round), and Carr (the fourth pick in the second round) all went off the board. While Dalton and Carr both started as rookies, Brees didn’t, though it’s worth noting he played in a different era that took a more patient approach to young quarterbacks.
So does this mean Nix could end up wearing black and gold in New Orleans, too? Probably not this year. If he’s projected to be picked before the Saints go on the clock at No. 45 overall, he probably won’t make it to them. At the same time the Saints have been seen as a possibility to draft him. Quarterback is low on their list of needs but if they believe Nix has a chance at supplanting Carr in the next year or two, it shouldn’t shock anyone if they draft him.
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Can the Ducks keep their first-round streak in the NFL draft going?
When it comes to helping players make the jump from college to the NFL, few teams have been better than the Oregon Ducks, particularly with first-round talent.
The Ducks are currently on a four-year streak of having a player drafted in the first round, which started with quarterback Justin Herbert in 2020, selected by the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 6 overall. In 2021, the Detroit Lions took LT Penei Sewell with the No. 7 overall pick, the New York Giants took EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022, and the New England Patriots drafted CB Christian Gonzalez at No. 17 in 2023.
Earlier this offseason, it seemed like a lock that the Ducks would be able to extend that first-round streak, potentially seeing QB Bo Nix, OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, and WR Troy Franklin go in the first 32 picks. However, over the past few weeks, those three have seen their names slide down mock draft projections a bit. While it’s still common to see various mock drafts project them in the first round, it is at least a question of whether or not Oregon will keep the streak going.
This past week, Circa Sportsbook released their opening lines for NFL Draft positions, which gives an over/under for prominent players.
NFL 🏈
2024 Draft Position Opening LinesFor Draft Position props Over means the player is selected at a higher draft position number (ie. later in the draft) and Under means a lower draft position number (ie. earlier).#NFLDraft2024 pic.twitter.com/wI7mfYnAtp
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) April 15, 2024
Bo Nix has his over/under set at 32.5; Jackson Powers-Johnson’s over/under is set at 30.5; Troy Franklin’s over/under is set all the way down at 41.5.
Based on those numbers, it seems like Powers-Johnson has the best chance to be a first-round pick, but he very well could fall into the second round. Of course, some mock drafts have Bo Nix going as high as No. 12 overall to the Denver Broncos, while I’ve seen others that project Franklin to the Buffaloes at No. 28.
We ultimately will see in a couple of weeks where each of these players ends up, but for now, the streak is certainly something to keep an eye on.
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Here’s our latest mock draft release as the real deal draws near.
Cletis Cutts’ first mock draft of 2024 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling several more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2024 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
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