In theory, the NFL draft is a level playing field. Unlike the Super Bowl, you don’t automatically win the draft just because Patrick Mahomes is on your roster. Teams are free to build or send away draft capital rather than building the missing pieces of their roster through trades and free agency.
But the reality in 2024 is that while a team like the Houston Texans can coast around for a while after clinching last year’s draft, the pressure is sky-high for most other teams. The teams below range from terrible to those that need some help to get to the next level.
Buffalo Bills
Position needs: wide receiver, defensive end, safety.
The Bills have their quarterback. What they don’t have is right An Super Bowl appearance in the Josh Allen-Sean McDermott era, despite it being very close. But close is no longer good enough.
Now they’ve traded Stefon Diggs and are burdened with the largest non-QB dead money in NFL history. They also released impact players like Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White.
Clearly, Buffalo needs to draft a stud wideout. The options are vast, although they may have to trade up to get their guy (although the Bills have ten picks in 2024, only two of them are before the fourth round.) They also need help at safety after parting ways with Poyer and Micah Hyde, and they could use a long-term option on the defensive end as well. Other than Allen (and maybe Ed Oliver), Brandon Beane hasn’t been able to find any studs in the draft. Given the financial implications of Diggs’ dead money and Allen’s mega-deal, that needs to change or Buffalo is in danger of taking a major step back.
Chicago bears
Positional Needs: Quarterback, Defensive Line, Lead.
There are two lenses through which to view Chicago’s upcoming wedding to Caleb Williams, the presumptive No. 1 pick. The first is that Williams is handed to Chicago on a silver platter. His insane playing skills and astonishing accuracy have earned Williams the label of ‘generational talent’. Picking Williams is a no-brainer, so it’s basically the No. 9 pick that ramps up the pressure on GM Ryan Poles. Presumably the Poles will opt for a defenseman, perhaps a pass-rush threat to pair with Montez Sweat. Whether he hits or misses That player, or trades to accumulate more picks is the real question since Williams is such an obvious choice. Even if he underperforms, Chicago won’t feel the heat because almost any other team in the NFL would have gone for him.
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Except… the layers surrounding the decision to hand the keys to Williams run deep. Chicago shipped off Justin Fields, who at times looked like a legitimate franchise quarterback, and the Bears got next to nothing in return. They’ve added weapons for Williams in Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift, and have a serviceable and deep offensive line. But Chicago in particular can’t afford to miss under center anymore, especially with a draft class swirling with other potentially great quarterbacks. The wounds from the Mitch Trubisky era and how the Bears could have selected Mahomes instead that year still run deep. In a few years, if we ridicule Chicago for acquiring Williams when they could have selected future Hall of Famers Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, the team could essentially implode.
Denver Broncos
Position needs: quarterback, cornerback, wide receiver, edge.
Denver needs a lot of pieces, but most of all it needs leadership. Russell Wilson is gone, but Denver is saddled with $53 million in dead money through 2024. Right now, the Broncos’ best quarterback is Jarrett Stidham, a man who has thrown eight touchdown passes in his career. Will Sean Payton be able to accomplish what John Elway was not and find a franchise QB? You’ll have to pull a rabbit out of a helmet. The Broncos have the No. 12 pick, but the top four passers could easily disappear at that point. After No. 12, Denver doesn’t reselect until the third round and only has eight picks total, so they’re not exactly working with a ton of draft capital. GM George Paton filled a few holes in free agency, most notably by signing Brandon Jones to replace Justin Simmons at safety.
But thanks to playing in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs and a Los Angeles Chargers team that could drastically improve under John Harbaugh, the clock is ticking on the Payton era.
Los Angeles Chargers
Position Needs: Offensive Tackle, Lead, Running Back.
We wouldn’t even consider that the Chargers might be the worst prospect if they hadn’t landed this year’s biggest free agent, Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh and Justin Herbert form a great core, but the Chargers will be chock full of new players in 2024 more than any other team. The team has lost four defensive starters, along with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler on the other end. ball.
What Los Angeles does with the No. 5 overall pick is one of the most intriguing dilemmas of this year’s draft. Conceivably, they could have their pick of any non-quarterback. Do they draft a tackle to pair with Rashawn Slater? Will they find a new weapon for Herbert? Or maybe they trade up and spread out the roster build.
No one believes Harbaugh will turn the Chargers into Super Bowl contenders in year one, but that doesn’t mean expectations aren’t huge. The draft decisions Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz make in 2024 will set the tone for their leadership. Remember, the battles between Harbaugh and GM Trent Baalke had a lot to do with Harbaugh leaving San Francisco.
Minnesota Vikings
Position needs: quarterback, cornerback.
It’s no secret that the Vikings will target a franchise quarterback after letting Kirk Cousins go. This draft will be the team’s most important in recent history. With the 11th and 23rd picks, not to mention the seven further picks in the later rounds, Minnesota has plenty of draft capital to work with. There’s a lot on the table, except Caleb Williams. We don’t know yet if the Vikings have anointed any of the other QBs as the second coming. Maybe they’re comfortable waiting to see who’s available and let their quarterback-whisperer-head coach Kevin O’Connell do his thing. However, upgrading seems more plausible.
Minnesota will also have to build around their new quarterback. Another offensive weapon would be ideal, as would increased offensive line depth. They could also use an upgrade at Cornerback.
But let’s be honest: the direction of the Vikings will be determined by who the Vikings select as their quarterback. If they trade their present and their future and find the next Josh Allen, that’s fantastic. If they stay put, get their guy and he’s a bust, yeah. Third-year GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t have that long of a tenure to make a solid prediction on who he’ll go for. But if he’s wrong, he and O’Connell may not be around to fix it.
Jets from New York
Position needs: offensive line, wide receiver, safety, quarterback.
General Manager Joe Douglas has been busy this season. He strengthened the offensive line as promised and brought in three new starters, including one of the best left tackles in recent memory, Tyron Smith. But he still needs to add an impact player or two, as this new line isn’t exactly teeming with spring chickens and some, including Smith, have a history of injury problems.
New York has the No. 10 pick overall and like many teams could go in any number of directions. That includes snagging one of these stud wideouts to add to a receiver room that features Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams and Xavier Gipson.
The Jets also have to think deeper in the draft about a successor to Aaron Rodgers, who turns 41 in December. It should be noted that New York has the Mr. Irrelevant pick this season. But it should also be noted that things like the Brock Purdy Miracle don’t happen to the Jets.
The pressure is primarily on Douglas and Robert Saleh — who gave up a 2024 second-round pick in the Rodgers trade — to not only land a pair of young impact players in this draft for the future, but also their roster in the present to keep healthy. . Rodgers is returning from the Achilles injury he suffered in Week 1 last season. Williams, who is coming off ACL surgery, might not even be ready for training camp. And as improved as the offensive line appears, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is coming off Achilles surgery and OT Morgan Moses has undergone surgery for a torn pectoral muscle.