The NFL Draft looms large as the next piece of the behemoth that is the NFL Off-Season. With one of the most promising QB, WR and offensive line classes in recent memory, this draft will likely produce some stars and maybe even some Hall of Famers. With all that in mind, here are a couple of fanbases that should be pumped for the upcoming draft and a few that might want to skip the draft coverage.
Which NFL fanbase should be ecstatic about the upcoming draft, and which ones aren’t confident about their team’s direction?
Excited: Arizona Cardinals
The Cards have the most picks in the draft with 11 (tied with the Rams and Packers) and they have a whopping seven picks in the first 104, 5 coming in the first 71 picks. This is a chance to completely reload the roster with great talent. The number 4 overall pick is also a very intriguing one, it could be used to select a top receiver like Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers, or with all the teams in need of a QB, could be traded back for even more draft capital. Either way, this draft is the first thing Red Bird fans have had to be excited about in a long time.
Scared: Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have their first-round pick this year (unlike last year after it was taken away from them for their role in the Brian Flores scandal). That’s pretty much where the good news ends. The Dolphins will skip 100+ picks in the mid-rounds, not picking between slots 55 and 157. That’s bad news for a team that needs to rebuild depth after a difficult free agency where many key players on both sides of the line have gone. It’s quite possible the roster is going to look pretty ugly without these crucial mid-round picks.
Excited: Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons made arguably the biggest free agency splash of the year by adding Kirk Cousins to lead the team. With the three previous first-round picks of Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson, the offense is absolutely loaded with talented skill players for Kirk to exploit. This means that they can go out and use their draft picks to beef up the defense and o-line, or like the Cardinals, take their high pick and add more draft capital in a trade. The Falcons are ready to take over the weak NFC South, and this NFL draft will help them keep that dream alive long-term.
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Scared: Buffalo Bills
The Bills lost major starting talent in players like Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde this off-season and traded arguably their best player in Stefon Diggs. That means they’ll have to reload through the draft. However, the Bills will not pick from 61 to 127, which means they’ll miss out on a good chunk of viable starters after the second round. It’s unreasonable to expect late round players to fill the shoes of the players gone from the Bills roster. It could be a tough season in Buffalo.
Also Read: 10 College Running Backs to Keep an Eye on in the 2024 NFL Draft
Excited: New York Jets
The Jets have a top-10 pick again, but this time, that pick will get to play with Aaron Rodgers instead of Zach Wilson (who’s been shipped back to the Rocky Mountains with the Broncos). Whether they add another offensive weapon or further strengthen the offensive line that now includes future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, that top talent will give the fans a lot to be excited about.
While they won’t pick from 10 to 72, GM Joe Douglas has shown he will be aggressive in making trades to get the guys he wants, like he did when he traded up for Jermaine Johnson in 2022, who has grown into a fearsome pass rusher. The Jets have to feel good about Douglas’ ability to make things happen and that high first pick (that they got to retain due to Rogers’ unfortunate injury last year).
Scared: Carolina Panthers
The Panthers should be scared of this draft for one reason only. Watching what should be their first overall pick go to the Bears. That pick will be used to select arguably the best QB prospect of the last 20 years in Caleb Williams. That will be a tough pill to swallow for Panthers fans as they watch Bryce Young trot out there again, like watching CJ Stroud tear it up this past season wasn’t enough. With only six selections throughout the NFL draft, the Panthers better have had a better scouting year than the last one.
Excited: Chicago Bears
Speaking of the Bears, that fanbase hasn’t been more excited in a good while. Finally, they can see a future that doesn’t involve misery. If Williams is truly the guy, then the Bears will immediately have one of the better teams in the league. The addition of Keenan Allen to the WR core means Williams has weapons galore to come in and play with. Oh and don’t forget they have their own number 9 pick as well that could become another offensive target or a beastly offensive lineman to protect the new sausage king of Chicago. This is the best a team has been set up in the draft in a while.
Also Read: 5 Most Obvious Potential Draft Busts From the 2024 NFL Draft and 5 Potential Steals
Scared: Cleveland Browns
The Browns have been on a path of NFL draft capital destruction in the last few years after the DeShaun Watson trade, as well as some others like the Za’Darius Smith deal with Minnesota. They only have two picks in the top 100, at the underwhelming 54 and 85 slots. Without a top-50 pick, there’s not much immediate impact to be made here for Cleveland. The roster looks solid for 2024, but we can’t help but wonder what damage is being done here if there is no success to be found in the next two or so years.
Excited: Washington Commanders
Things are looking up for the Commanders. Drake Maye is the overwhelmingly likely number 2 overall pick for the Football Team, and with off-season additions like Austin Ekeler and Bobby Wagner, the roster appears to be in a much better place than the last few years. A new promising QB is one thing, but the DC side has another five picks in the top 100. This is a chance to come into the season with an absolutely loaded roster of young and veteran talent and set the team up for the long term.
Scared: Denver Broncos
The Broncos are in desperate need of a QB, after getting rid of Russel Wilson. However, they weren’t quite terrible enough to have a good pick for one. Sitting at number 12 in the 2024 NFL draft, with several teams in need of a QB in front of them, we’re not sure they will be able to get what they want at that slot. Without their second-round pick this year, they’ll have to reach into the future to move up, too. That’s a potentially disastrous combination that could leave them without a first and second-round pick next season, depending on how desperate they are. We wouldn’t want to be Sean Payton right now.
Also Read: 10 Defensive College Players to Keep an Eye on in the 2024 NFL Draft
