Now that the 2024 NFL Draft is approaching, it’s time to consider the event’s potential significance. It has a significant impact not just on the prospects’ futures, but also on coaches and current players, such as Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
This year will be no exception, as 257 picks have the potential to affect the trajectory of a team as a whole as well as a player’s particular career. Why do you ask? Because a single pick could have a significant impact on a player’s future in several ways. The apparent is that it might significantly increase or decrease their production, while another is that it could decide whether they stay with their team or leave.
This, among the million other draft-related possibilities, is most likely on the minds of coaches and general managers as they try to analyze their draft moves. So, let’s take a look at the current five players who will be most impacted by the 2024 NFL draft.
Over the previous half-decade, the Bills have done everything possible to become a Super Bowl contender. They spent a lot of money to develop around their franchise quarterback, Josh Allen, but they were still unable to win the Lombardi Trophy or even play for one during that time span.
Moving forward to 2024, Buffalo has released many starters due to financial constraints, as evidenced by their cap space, according to Spotrac. Two of those starters, wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, were key weapons for Allen. That leaves Dalton Kincaid as Allen’s greatest receiving option for now.
This draft will essentially be about reconstructing the Bills to fit Allen again, similar to how free agency has been in recent years.
Daniel Jones, quarterback, New York Giants.
At No. 6 overall, the Giants aren’t in the ideal position to replace Daniel Jones, assuming they want to. There have been suggestions that they could trade up to grab quarterback Drake Maye, as ESPN’s Dan Granziano wrote, or trade down. You can be confident that whatever decision they make, especially in the first round, will have an impact on Jones in some way.
If it’s a quarterback, Jones’ tenure as New York’s starting quarterback is likely to end. However, if the Giants stick with offense and take one of the top three receivers, whoever is left between Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze, Jones and his future are equally affected.
Although Jones may not be the Giants front office’s ideal starting quarterback, what he’s been given in terms of an arsenal has been less than appetizing. But finding a top prospect receiver is only one requirement. Daniels was sacked 30 times in six games last year, including 10 times in one game, which resulted in his season ending prematurely. Both of these issues will need to be addressed by the Giants’ quarterback.
Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings
It appears that no matter what deal the Vikings have offered Justin Jefferson in recent months, the wide receiver has refused to accept. It’s unclear whether this is related to numbers. But Jefferson could be waiting to see what the Vikings do with their first-round pick.
The Vikings are currently ranked 11th, but they also have the No. 23 pick from a trade with the Houston Texans. That makes Minnesota one of the strongest trade-up alternatives in the 2024 NFL Draft for a quarterback. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.
Jefferson is a top-tier wide receiver in the league. He’ll undoubtedly be seeking for a lucrative contract, especially following Amon-Ra St. Brown’s extension, but he’ll also be looking for consistency and production from a starting quarterback regardless of the contract he signs.
Caleb Williams, quarterback, most likely with the Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams is almost certainly going to be the Bears’ first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But the question is, what will the Bears do after that? They also hold the No. 9 selection, which they can use in a variety of ways.
Picking only eight picks later is intriguing for the Bears because it may lead them to a valuable wide receiver to give Williams. Alternatively, it might be utilized to obtain additional picks throughout the round. Remember, the Bears only have four picks in this year’s draft, so acquiring additional capital may be general manager Ryan Poles’ best option overall.
Williams is the Bears’ future, and he may be the most important draft pick in organization history, given their quarterback situation. However, what they do after his selection may have an equal impact on his destiny.
With a franchise quarterback like Justin Herbert, new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has one of the ideal circumstances any new head coach could ask for. However, in order for Herbert to be the finest version they’ve seen yet, Harbaugh and his staff will need to reload his arsenal.
The Chargers could pick whatever they wanted at No. 5, but wide receiver appears to be the most important position at this point to compensate for the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in free agency.
As good and talented as Herbert has been since entering the NFL, he has yet to make the significant impact that many believe he should have by now. With Harbaugh in charge of the Chargers, Herbert may now be held to even higher standards, as it was previously considered that a head coach was all he needed. While that may have been true, every quarterback requires serious receiving support, making the Chargers’ first-round pick critical.
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