NFL teams are still making moves in free agency. However, most of the big-name players have signed new contracts. There have also been several significant trades over the past few weeks. All of these offseason moves have impacted the outlook for the 2024 NFL Draft, filling holes for some teams while creating new ones for others.
- More 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Profiles
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
- 2024 NFL Mock Drafts
- Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
While the 2024 NFL Draft is still a few weeks away, let’s look at how free agency impacted the draft at the quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end positions.
2024 NFL Draft Burning Questions
How Did Free Agency Impact the NFL Draft at the Quarterback Position?
Where else to start besides Kirk Cousins? The veteran signed with the Atlanta Falcons, taking them out of the quarterback market in the first round. However, the Minnesota Vikings have a massive hole at the quarterback position, with Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall being the three on the roster. They are widely expected to trade up for J.J. McCarthy or Drake Maye. Minnesota recently acquired the 23rd overall pick from the Houston Texans, giving them two first-round selections to try and jump into the top five.
The Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders are locks to draft a quarterback after trading away last year’s starters. Meanwhile, the New York Giants added Drew Lock but are doing their homework on quarterbacks in the draft. The Las Vegas Raiders are unlikely to trade up for a quarterback after signing Gardner Minshew but could take one on Day 2. After releasing Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos have Jarrett Stidham penciled in as their starter. Yet, they are heavily linked to Bo Nix in mock drafts.
How Did Free Agency Impact the NFL Draft at the Running Back Position?
While running backs struggled to get big-money contracts in free agency last year, they had no trouble this offseason. The running back draft class lacks elite prospects, causing teams to pay up on the open market. The Dallas Cowboys are the only landing spot where a rookie could have a featured role in 2024. Tony Pollard signed a significant contract with the Tennessee Titans, leaving the re-signed Rico Dowdle and second-year man Deuce Vaughn as the only two running backs on the Cowboys’ roster.
There were several potential landing spots for Day 2 running backs before the start of free agency, including the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. However, one move ended that possibly for both teams. Josh Jacobs signed with the Packers, leading to Aaron Jones getting released. The veteran quickly signed with the Vikings, pairing up with Ty Chandler. Meanwhile, many believe the Los Angeles Chargers will draft Blake Corum after swapping out Austin Ekeler for Gus Edwards. We might not see a running back get drafted until the third round.
How Did Free Agency Impact the NFL Draft at the Wide Receiver Position?
When Michael Pittman Jr. and Tee Higgins received the franchise tag, it threw a wet blanket on the free agency wide receiver class. Mike Evans also re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the start of free agency. However, several moves impacted the rookie receiver draft class. The Atlanta Falcons traded for Rondale Moore and added Darnell Mooney in free agency. They are unlikely to take a wide receiver in the first round, even if Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze are still on the board.
However, the Los Angeles Chargers have a massive need at wide receiver after releasing Mike Williams and trading away Keenan Allen. Even if the team believes Quentin Johnston has a sophomore-year breakout, they are more likely to select a receiver with the fifth overall pick now (assuming they don’t trade the pick away). Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. That shouldn’t stop them from adding a wide receiver with one of their two early second-round picks but they are no longer forced to draft one.
How Did Free Agency Impact the NFL Draft at the Tight End Position?
Last year’s draft class had several starting caliber tight end prospects. Unfortunately, Brock Bowers is the only tight end that will get drafted on Day 1. Furthermore, he could be the only tight end to get drafted before the start of the third round. Yet, the free agency class wasn’t very appealing for NFL teams. Dalton Schultz and Hunter Henry were the top two options with both re-signing with their respective 2023 teams before the start of free agency. Meanwhile, there were some puzzling moves over the past few two weeks.
Gerald Everett followed his former offensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks, Shane Waldron, to the Chicago Bears. The veteran could have been a stop-gap option for a tight end-needy team this offseason, including the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Mike Gesicki signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, giving Joe Burrow an athletic threat at tight end. Had Bowers slipped out of the top 10, the Bengals could have traded up for him. They were also a popular team to draft Ja’Tavion Sanders in the second round of mock drafts before signing Gesicki.
2024 NFL Mock Drafts
Here are a few early predictions for the 2024 NFL Draft. We’ll continue to add our 2024 NFL Mock Drafts leading up to the start of Round 1.
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Thor Nystrom (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Matthew Jones (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Kent Weyrauch (1.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Andrew Erickson (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Derek Brown (1.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Russell Brown (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: PJ Moran (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft With Trades: Mike Fanelli (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft With Trades: Marco Enriquez (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft With Trades: Dennis Sosic
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Two-Round Writer Collaborative
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: First Round Picks & Predictions
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Top 20 Picks & Predictions
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Top 10 Picks & Predictions
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Early Picks & Predictions
- Early 2024 NFL Mock Draft with Trades: Picks & Predictions
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
