2024 NFL Draft - Wildest Draft Night Scenarios and Potential Surprises

Joey Pollizze breaks down five potential surprises that could occur in the 2024 NFL Draft. Which teams will make a surprising move on April 25?

Every year, the NFL Draft features plenty of surprises. Last year, there were a few that shocked the football world. The first was the Houston Texans trading future assets to acquire the third overall pick. That meant Houston was able to select C.J. Stroud second overall and Will Anderson Jr. with the third overall pick. Even quarterback Will Levis falling to Round 2 was a surprise.

Then, two years ago, the Tennessee Titans made a blockbuster trade on draft night to send star wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles for two picks, including the 18th overall pick. These types of moves over the past two drafts were certainly surprising and ones that no one saw coming.

Don't expect that to change during the 2024 NFL Draft. So, here are five potential surprises that could occur on Thursday.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

The Cincinnati Bengals Trade Tee Higgins

It's hard to imagine the Cincinnati Bengals trading away wide receiver Tee Higgins on draft night. The Bengals have stated numerous times this offseason that they have no intentions of doing so, despite interest from other teams. However, if the right offer presents itself, Cincinnati could be more inclined to move him. That could be on Thursday when trades appear more likely to happen.

Now, what the Bengals' price is for Higgins remains a mystery. But they should be able to get a significant package for one of the game's most underrated receivers. He has totaled two 1,000-yard seasons already in his short career year to go with 257 receptions and 24 touchdowns. Cincinnati could either acquire a late first-round pick plus more for the 25-year-old or package the 18th overall pick and the wideout to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft.

With Higgins set to play on the franchise tag this upcoming season, it appears this could be his last year in Cincinnati. The team already paid Joe Burrow $275 million over five years and will have to pay superstar Ja'Marr Chase within the next year. There just won't be any room to pay the former Clemson product what he wants. So, there's a chance we see him traded on draft night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers Acquire Brandon Aiyuk

There are plenty of rumors picking up about the San Francisco 49ers trading away wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on draft night. For starters, there have been reports that Aiyuk has asked the team for a trade. While his agent has denied those claims, it appears the wideout really wants out of San Francisco. Just a couple of days ago, he went on Instagram and said there would be fireworks in six days. Six days from when he posted that on April 19 is the night of the 2024 NFL Draft.

𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Brandon Aiyuk’s latest IG post:

“Brother said we got 6 days and it’s fireworks” pic.twitter.com/LLpl5nBIXE

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) April 19, 2024

Now, this may all just be a smokescreen. However, Aiyuk is in the final year of his rookie deal and has unfollowed the 49ers on social media. The two sides are also apparently not close on a long-term deal, which all points to a possible trade on Thursday.

One of the best suitors for Aiyuk would be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not only did Pittsburgh trade away Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason and need another wide receiver, but the Steelers and 49ers have reportedly had talks surrounding the young wideout. Watch out for a possible trade involving the 26-year-old on Thursday.

The New York Giants Take J.J. McCarthy

Very few people know what the New York Giants plan to do in Thursday's draft. A year after they went 6-11, the Giants will enter the 2024 NFL Draft with plenty of needs. They could use a wide receiver like Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze to help quarterback Daniel Jones in the passing game or an offensive lineman like Joe Alt to protect him.

Nonetheless, the Giants will pass on both Odunze and Alt to select quarterback J.J. McCarthy -- which might be the first surprise of the night. Even with Jones still on the roster and on a four-year, $160 million deal, don't think the team won't try to upgrade its quarterback room. New York can also get out of that massive contract and release Jones after the 2024 season.

"I did this Mock Draft and I had the Giants trading up to draft JJ McCarthy..

The Giants have done extensive work on these Quarterbacks and the response that I've got from other teams has been crazy"@PSchrags #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/t0EahlDlBJ

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 18, 2024

As for McCarthy, he would give the Giants a bright future. Despite not being relied upon a ton in college at Michigan, the young quarterback has a really high IQ and has the talent to be a successful player in the NFL. Don't be surprised if New York stays put at sixth overall and selects a quarterback.

The Denver Broncos Trade Up to Select... Bo Nix

With Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and McCarthy all likely off the board early, quarterback-needy teams like the Denver Broncos might go out and make a big move to select one. That's exactly what the Broncos will do on Thursday by trading multiple picks to the Atlanta Falcons to acquire the eighth overall pick.

There's no doubt that Denver is in the market for a franchise quarterback after trading away Russell Wilson this offseason. As it stands now, the Broncos will roll with Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson -- who the team acquired on Monday -- at the quarterback position. But that will change once the Broncos trade up to select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.

Odds @Broncos draft Bo Nix at #BetMGM

+325: Open

-140: Last week

-165: Now

57% of money is on Broncos to draft Nix. pic.twitter.com/HTstlwZnvv

— John Ewing (@johnewing) April 19, 2024

There have been reports over the past couple of weeks that Nix would love to play for the Broncos. Analysts have also even compared the Oregon product to future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, whom head coach Sean Payton coached for 14 seasons. If Payton also sees the comparison between those two quarterbacks, he won't be afraid to make a big move in the draft to get his guy.

The Buffalo Bills Make a Massive Deal to Move Into the Top 10

The Buffalo Bills are Super Bowl contenders and will likely be that way for quite some time with quarterback Josh Allen under center. However, it's obvious the team has several needs heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, including at the wide receiver position.

After trading away Stefon Diggs to the Texans and losing Gabe Davis to free agency, the Bills wide receiver group surely needs some help. As of now, Buffalo's top-three wide receivers are Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, and Mack Hollins. That's not exactly good enough to help Allen in the passing game. As a result, look for the team to be aggressive in Round 1 to move up and select one of the top receivers in the draft class.

With Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers the favorites to land with the Arizona Cardinals at fourth overall and Los Angeles Chargers at fifth overall, respectively, the Bills could do all they can to land the next best wide receiver prospect in Odunze. We could see them trade multiple picks -- including a first-round pick in next year's draft -- to the Chicago Bears for the ninth overall pick. That could mean Allen gets his new WR1, and Odunze lands in the best possible spot for fantasy purposes.

More Fantasy Football Analysis