Now concludes the 2024 NFL draft. Well, sort of. There’s a lot of cynicism around the league about the final rounds of this year’s draft. How many of these players would have been labeled undrafted free agents in a robust class that wasn’t fractured by returning players of the NIL era? It’s impossible to say. There’s always value, but it would be interesting to look back on Rounds 4–7 in four years and tabulate how many of these players are still contributing.
That said, it’s time for some takeaways. What can we take away when these young men are months away from getting onto a professional football field? Well, I’m glad you asked. To me, this is about making the right situational decisions and maximizing value. However, that comes with a caveat. Teams can get cute generating additional draft capital—think of the very early Paul DePodesta–era Cleveland Browns—but end up with Corey Coleman in a draft that had Joey Bosa, Ronnie Stanley, Jalen Ramsey, DeForrest Buckner and more. It’s a bit like fencing. You have to strike as well as just tap dance around looking cool.
Verderame: Round 2 and Round 3 Grades for Every Pick | Orr: Winners and Losers From Round 1 | Verderame: Round 1 Grades for Every Pick
So, join us as we run through Day 2 and discuss what we liked, what we didn’t like, and what blew us away…
• The NFL is most certainly a business, but I do wonder how the San Francisco 49ers plan to balance what they need from their best offensive players with what I imagine to be another Super Bowl push in 2024. Receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk were clearly dangled, though no trade was consummated by the end of Round 3. I would imagine that if there is any lingering interest, or any adjustments in price tag, it would happen on Day 3 of the draft. Why? There was a belief around the league that this wide receiver class had starting-caliber talent through the second round, which is why you saw teams jockeying at the end of the first round to set themselves up for the Carolina Panthers’ Xavier Legette selection Thursday, then Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey, Ja’Lynn Polk and Adonai Mitchell coming off the board shortly after Friday. After the completion of Day 2, it would be highly unlikely to see a team add a difference-maker at the position, so teams that completely whiffed, or still need firepower at the position, will have both a better idea of their own personal situation and ability to spend draft capital for 2025, and how to weigh that future capital.
Kyle Shanahan noted Thursday that if the 49ers got a good trade offer for Shanahan himself, they’d better take it. Putting himself out there was a bit of a defense mechanism, though we obviously know that would never happen. At some point, does Samuel get tired of being strung out? Does Aiyuk take the drafting of another wideout—one who he knows personally and actually complemented Shanahan and GM John Lynch on—personally? This team feels dangerously close to having its championship window closed. Shouldn’t there be more effort devoted to making everyone feel like they’re part of the climb back in 2024, and not expendable?
