Three 2024 NFL Draft storylines that more people should be talking about

A little over three weeks out from the 2024 NFL Draft, there are still many questions, for many teams, that need answering. Here are three storylines that should be getting more attention:

1. The competition to trade up for a QB is being undersold

There are three teams directly outside the top 10 who desperately need a quarterback — the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. 

Many draft gurus are mocking the Vikings to trade up with the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 overall to grab Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, but what if the Broncos, whose only rostered QBs are Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci, push all their chips to center and beat Minnesota to the punch?

Nobody knows just how truly desperate Broncos GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton are to find Russell Wilson’s successor, and perhaps they’re more inclined to overpay to jump into the top five just so the Vikings don’t take their QB.

And also, who says McCarthy is even there at pick No. 4? Some scouts and draft experts have him rated higher than North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and there’s even been some smoke around McCarthy going second overall to Washington.

The Raiders just narrowly missed out on the playoffs last season, and they’re not exactly a team in full rebuild mode, so aggressively pursuing a passer makes a lot of sense.

Vegas’ offensive line is solid, and there’s a trio of talented pass-catchers in Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Michael Mayer. A decent QB could make the difference in making or missing the playoffs in 2024. Selling off future assets to land that quarterback may be a price the Raiders are willing to pay.

And finally, the Giants at No. 6 can’t be ruled out either as a possible trade-up candidate. The writing is on the wall for Daniel Jones, and if Maye falls past the third pick, who’s to say New York doesn’t move up a couple of spots to land the strong-armed 21-year-old?

2. The Arizona Cardinals are the draft’s true wild card

The Cardinals are in prime position to dictate how the first round shakes out more than any other team. They’ve gotten plenty of interest in their No. 4 overall pick, and it seems there’s a good chance they’ll move out of that pick for a QB-needy team looking to trade up.