The NFL draft is one of the most anticipated dates on the NFL calendar. For many months, prospects have been training and waiting for the moment they hear their name called and realize their lifelong dream of making it to the NFL.
Fans have grown attached to certain prospects and hope that one pick might become the player that puts their team over the edge and brings home a Lombardi trophy. Draft night is never short on drama and Thursday night shouldn’t be any different. These are the five biggest storylines heading into the NFL Draft.
Who is the second QB taken?
It will be a formality when Caleb Williams is selected by the Chicago Bears first overall. The intrigue surrounding the draft starts when the Washington Commanders are on the clock. The QB-needy Commanders seem to have two options, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye. Early on, Maye was seen as the better prospect but as of last, Daniels has been the betting favorite to be selected.
Don’t count out Maye being still selected at two, however. Either way, whoever is selected will start a domino reaction that will dictate how the rest of the draft turns out.
Are star wide receivers on the move?
Usually, there is a big draft day trade that involves a big-name player moving to a new team. Brandon Aiyuk and Tee Higgins are candidates to be dealt with during the draft this season. Both receivers are looking for a new contract but have yet to receive one from their respective teams.
Aiyuk especially has been the center of rumors about his impending departure from the San Francisco 49ers. A move similar to the A.J. Brown trade that happened during the 2022 NFL draft isn’t out of the question. A wide receiver-needy team could look to fill that void by trading for an already proven talent at the position.
Where does J.J. McCarthy go?
J.J. McCarthy is one of the more polarizing prospects in the draft this year. The Michigan QB is coming off an undefeated season and national championship victory, yet is still being labeled as a bust in the making by many critics.
McCarthy has risen in betting odds since the end of the college season and is now favored to be a top-five pick on Thursday. Betting odds don’t tell the full story, however. Will Levis was projected to be the solidified second overall pick on draft night and fell out of the first round.
There’s a chance McCarthy sees the same slide, but more likely a team like the Minnesota Vikings or Denver Broncos trades up to inside of the top five for McCarthy.
When is the first defensive player taken?
All the talk has been about the offensive players in this draft, and rightfully so. Outside of the QBs, receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers and tackle Joe Alt are seen as elite prospects.
The defensive side of the ball does exist, however, with no shortage of talent in this draft too. Edge rushers like Dallas Turner and Laiatu Latu are candidates to be selected first, as well as cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold.
Given the amount of talent on offense, it’s possible that a defensive player might not be taken inside the top ten. There has never been a draft where a defensive player hasn’t been taken inside the top ten, so look out for that piece of history potentially being made.
How many wide receivers are taken in the first round?
The most receivers ever selected in the first round is seven, a mark this class has a chance to equal.
Harrison Jr. and Nabers, as well as Rome Odunze and Brian Thomas Jr., are locks to be taken in the first round. Texas teammates Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy figure to be first-round picks, while Ladd McConkey could also sneak inside the top 32.
All seven being selected inside the first round would be hard to imagine and it’s more likely one of Mitchell, Worthy, and McConkey falls to day two. The potential is there however for the receiver class to match that record of seven.
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