4 weeks agoThe Atlanta Falcons selected Washington quarterback
Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. This is the first real surprise of this year's draft after the Falcons signed quarterback
Kirk Cousins this offseason. Injuries are the main concern for Penix, but besides that, he showed plenty of long-term upside in his two seasons with the Huskies, culminating in a national championship appearance earlier this year. The 23-year-old lefty will obviously enter his first season in the NFL as a clear backup in Atlanta, but this pick will give the Falcons insurance with Cousins returning from a torn Achilles in 2023. This selection will be debated for a while, especially given all of Atlanta's needs on defense.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 weeks agoThe Tennessee Titans selected Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. The Titans were hoping that Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt, the consensus No. 1 offensive lineman in this class, would fall to them at No. 7, but that didn't happen -- he went to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5. Latham is a solid fallback option, though, and should immediately boost the protection for young quarterback
Will Levis in Tennessee. The 21-year-old is a mauler at right tackle and short start immediately in his rookie season in the NFL in 2024. He weighed in at 342 pounds, so he's a mountain of a man with long arms and huge hands. This pick is great news for Levis and running backs
Tony Pollard and
Tyjae Spears.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 weeks agoThe New York Giants selected LSU wide receiver
Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. There was plenty of noise in the days leading up to the draft that the G-Men wanted to trade up to draft either North Carolina quarterback
Drake Maye or Michigan QB
J.J. McCarthy, but that ended up being a smokescreen despite the questions about
Daniel Jones as he comes off a torn ACL. Nabers is one of the fastest and most explosive receivers in a stacked class at the position and will give Jones an elite offensive weapon as he looks to bounce back in 2024. He should become New York's immediate No. 1 wideout among a group that includes
Wan'Dale Robinson,
Jalin Hyatt and
Darius Slayton. Nabers will make the Giants more explosive immediately, but can Jones get him the ball consistently behind a shaky offensive line?
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 weeks agoThe Los Angeles Chargers selected Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Under new head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the Chargers are unsurprisingly trying to build up their offensive line to help protect their ground game and quarterback
Justin Herbert. Alt was the consensus best offensive-line prospect in this year's draft and should be a starter in LA from Day 1 in 2024 at right tackle across from Rashawn Slater on the left side. He stands at 6-foot-8 1/2 and 320 pounds and uses his size and strength to his advantage to climb to the second level. Despite his towering size, he's quick and nasty in the trenches. Not only will Alt help keep Herbert clean in the pocket, but he should be an asset in the run game, too.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 weeks agoThe Arizona Cardinals selected Ohio State wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. With no other team trading up with the Cardinals to make it four straight quarterbacks in a row to start this year's draft, the Cardinals will give QB
Kyler Murray a big-time new receiving weapon in Harrison. It makes sense after the team lost
Marquise Brown this offseason. Harrison is an absolute stud at the position and should immediately be Arizona's best wideout in his rookie year alongside names like
Michael Wilson,
Greg Dortch and
Chris Moore. Harrison was a unanimous two-time All-American and scored 28 total touchdowns the last two years. He's bigger than his father and has incredible body control. Harrison should be fantasy relevant in Year 1 while being peppered with targets by Murray.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 weeks agoThe New England Patriots selected North Carolina quarterback
Drake Maye with the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. The Patriots will open the Jerod Mayo era with a new franchise QB in Maye after the team traded former first-rounder
Mac Jones to the Jaguars this offseason. The 21-year-old has prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, plenty of arm strength and the intangibles that coaches like. However, he's much more of a project than
Caleb Williams and
Jayden Daniels, and may need to sit for a year behind Jacoby Brisset and
Bailey Zappe before New England is comfortable naming him the unquestioned starter under center. Long-term, though, Maye has the talent to be a great QB in the NFL. The problem in New England, though, is that they're lacking in offensive weapons around him right now.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 weeks agoThe Washington Commanders selected LSU quarterback
Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Daniels should enter Week 1 as the team's starter under center after Washington traded last year's starter,
Sam Howell, to the Seahawks this offseason. The 23-year-old Heisman Trophy winner last year might be the most physically gifted QB in this draft class, although there is some concern that he might not be able to withstand the beating at the position, especially if he continues to take unnecessary hits as a runner. Like
Caleb Williams, the upside is off the charts, and he'll have a strong No. 1 receiver in
Terry McLaurin and a strong backfield behind him with
Austin Ekeler and
Brian Robinson Jr.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 weeks agoThe Chicago Bears selected USC quarterback
Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, as expected, in the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Last year's draft trade with the Carolina Panthers allowed Chicago to move to the No. 1 spot this year. Williams was the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick to the Bears for the entire pre-draft process, and it became more apparent when they dealt
Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers a month ago. Not only is the 22-year-old the safest QB prospect in this year's class, but he's entering a situation in Chicago that should be conducive to immediate success in real life and in fantasy. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner will be the clear top pick in rookie-only fantasy drafts this fall and should be in play in two-QB leagues in 2024 as well.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 weeks agoPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver
A.J. Brown has signed a three-year, $96 million contract, which is the highest for any wide receiver in NFL history. This contract keeps him as an Eagle through 2029. Brown struggled toward the end of last season, and there were growing concerns that the All-Pro was interested in leaving Philadelphia. This massive extension puts those rumors to rest. Despite the disappointing finish, the 26-year-old tallied 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns. Brown will again be considered a top-tier wide receiver in fantasy drafts this year and will serve as the primary target for
Jalen Hurts.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Ian Rapoport
4 weeks agoThe current expectation is that the Minnesota Vikings will stay put at pick No. 11 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night, and that Michigan quarterback
J.J. McCarthy will be on the board when they're on the clock. The Vikings added an extra first-round pick (No. 23) to aid a potential jump into the top five to take a franchise signal-caller, but they may not need to do that after all. The Denver Broncos have been subtly linked to McCarthy as well, and they'd only have to jump from No. 12 to No. 10 to cut in front of Minnesota. McCarthy has also been linked to the New York Giants (No. 6) in recent days, but that's believed to have been a smokescreen. The Vikings are desperate for a new QB after failing to re-sign
Kirk Cousins in free agency.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pro Football Talk - Mike Florio
4 weeks agoPer a league source, the current expectation is that the New England Patriots will sit tight at No. 3 overall in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night and take North Carolina quarterback
Drake Maye. The New York Giants (No. 6) and Minnesota Vikings (No. 11) had been linked to a potential trade up to No. 3, but the Patriots unsurprisingly have been asking for a lot in return. If the Patriots do stay in the third spot, their next challenge will be getting Maye ready after he showed plenty of inconsistencies and shaky mechanics in his final year with the Tar Heels. In an ideal world for the Pats, Maye would sit and learn behind veteran
Jacoby Brissett and
Bailey Zappe in 2024 and then be ready to go as the team's starter under center in 2025. The Patriots traded former first-rounder
Mac Jones to the Jaguars this offseason.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Pro Football Talk - Mike Florio
4 weeks agoThe Kansas City Chiefs have really been working to see if they can move up from No. 32 in the first round of Thursday night's NFL draft. The belief around the league is that the Chiefs moving up from No. 32 would be for one of the speed wide receivers in this talented draft class at the position. It makes sense given the fact that the Chiefs are expecting second-year wideout
Rashee Rice to be suspended for multiple games in 2024 after his involvement in a car accident that involved injuries. Even with Rice in the fold, KC has the need to bolster their receiving corps behind Rice and aging tight end
Travis Kelce. If the Chiefs do pull off a trade up in the latter portion of the first round, they could be targeting Texas receiver
Xavier Worthy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - James Palmer
4 weeks agoThe Jacksonville Jaguars are calling around in an effort to move up in the first round of Thursday's NFL draft, and teams taking their calls believe they are on the hunt for a specific pass-catcher, according to a source. Even though the Jaguars signed wideout
Gabe Davis in free agency this offseason, it appears the Jags are looking to make a splash early in the first round this year for another weapon for quarterback
Trevor Lawrence. Jacksonville currently holds the No. 17 overall pick. If they were to trade into the top 10, players such as Washington receiver
Rome Odunze, LSU receiver
Malik Nabers, and Georgia tight end
Brock Bowers could all be options as they look for extra pass-catchers after they lost
Calvin Ridley in free agency. Stay tuned.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dianna Russini
4 weeks agoESPN's Jeff Darlington reports that the Minnesota Vikings are very tense with the first round of the 2024 NFL draft just hours away from starting on Thursday night as they look to trade up to No. 3 with the New England Patriots in an effort to take a quarterback of the future. The Vikings currently sit at the No. 11 pick and were unable to re-sign quarterback
Kirk Cousins in the offseason. The player that has fascinated them throughout the pre-draft process has been North Carolina QB
Drake Maye, but there is serious competition for the No. 3 pick, including the Patriots themselves. If Minnesota can't get Maye at No. 3, they'd likely need to jump the Giants at No. 6 in order to get Michigan QB
J.J. McCarthy. If they whiff on Maye and McCarthy, Washington's
Michael Penix Jr. could be the fallback option for the Vikes.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Darlington
4 weeks agoThe San Francisco 49ers have been in trade rumors regarding star wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk all offseason, but NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports the team has also talked with teams about trading fellow star wideout
Deebo Samuel. Russini said one of the teams the 49ers have talked with currently holds a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, so a blockbuster deal could be in the works. Aiyuk is reportedly asking for more money than the 49ers are willing to give him, while Samuel has been in the trade rumor circles for multiple seasons. With high-priced assets like
George Kittle,
Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner on the roster, the organization will have to make moves in order to re-sign quarterback
Brock Purdy in the near future. If one of the wideouts is traded, they should retain plenty of fantasy value with their new team.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Dianna Russini -- The Athletic
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