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The NFL Draft is fast approaching. Before you know it, April 25 will be here and the Chicago Bears will be on the clock with the first selection. Opening night of the draft consists of just the first round, but it's arguably the most watched and enjoyed.
However, not every team will have the luxury of making a selection on Day 1. Thanks to a slew of trades throughout the NFL, three teams currently find themselves without a first-round pick — and that number could grow larger as more trades are finalized leading up to the draft.
For now, let's look at the three teams not scheduled to make a selection until Day 2.
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Carolina Panthers
The Panthers infamously shipped away this year's first-round pick as part of a larger package to acquire the rights to select Bryce Young first overall last April. That trade seemed like an overpay at the time, and now it looks even worse knowing that Carolina would have had the first pick in 2024.
Carolina's first pick now belongs to the Chicago Bears, who are widely expected to select Caleb Williams. The USC quarterback will be tasked with taking over for Justin Fields in a Chicago offense trending in the right direction.
As for the Panthers, they find themselves in a relatively unfavorable position. Not only do they not have a first-round pick this year, but Young didn't live up to expectations in his first year as a pro. To make matters worse, they lack major talent at the skill positions and saw their defense take a step back after trading Brian Burns to the New York Giants.
As it currently stands, the Panthers' first pick of the 2024 draft will come on Day 2. They'll kick off Friday night with the 33rd overall pick, then make another selection at 39th overall.
When I do the math on each team's draft picks since 2018 that are still in the NFL, this is what I get:
Bucs: 40/46 (87%)
Falcons: 35/42 (83%)
Saints: 25/34 (74%)
Panthers: 26/46 (57%)(some gray area on guys unsigned/coming off injury) https://t.co/gSxmqRt8gA
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 10, 2024
Cleveland Browns
The Browns are still feeling the effects of their Deshaun Watson acquisition from 2022. That trade saw Cleveland ship away its first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, so the Browns likely won't make their first pick until the second round this year.
Cleveland also parted with three other picks, including a 2024 fourth-rounder, to land Watson. They don't own their fifth- or sixth-round picks either but did replace those with selections from the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, respectively.
The Houston Texans, from whom the Browns acquired Watson, held on to the 2024 first-round pick for nearly two years. Last month, though, they traded the pick to the Minnesota Vikings. In exchange for the 23rd and 232nd picks, the Texans received picks 42 and 188, plus a second-rounder in 2025.
Cleveland does own its second-round pick this year. As it stands, they'll make their first selection of the draft at No. 54 overall.
Deshaun Watson says the Steelers are “very limited in their base defense” and easy to counter.
Meanwhile Watson against the Steelers: pic.twitter.com/YqDuUqHoiX
— SteelYinzer (@YinzerofSteel07) April 10, 2024
Houston Texans
Speaking of the Texans, they don't own a first-round pick either. Through a couple of different trades, they find themselves entering Day 1 of the draft without a selection.
As previously mentioned, Houston shipped off Cleveland's first-round pick to Minnesota, delaying their first selection of the draft but picking up some extra compensation along the way.
The Texans also traded away their own 2024 first-round pick during last year's draft when they acquired the rights to draft Will Anderson Jr. from the Arizona Cardinals. That trade allowed Houston to hold back-to-back picks (second and third overall), and it seems to have worked out quite well given how C.J. Stroud and Anderson fared in their rookie campaigns.
The first two teams on this list deserved some ridicule for bad trades that cost them key first-round picks, but that's not the case with Houston. They're building a formidable AFC contender and, through their trades with Arizona and Minnesota, have been able to stockpile young playmakers and draft picks.
Houston's first pick of the 2024 draft is slated for Day 2 (No. 42 overall, acquired from Vikings).
The Texans top needs going into the draft in less than 2 weeks:
1. CB2
2. DT
3. S
4. RB
5. LBFully expecting the draft to mainly focus on the defense as it should. pic.twitter.com/UiU2C2aLT1
— Jacob (@Stroud4AllPro) April 14, 2024
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