Last year at this time I introduced the Quarterback Draft Desperation Tiers, a unique breakdown of where every team stands in terms of needing/wanting/having to draft a quarterback.
At the time I wrote, the 2023 NFL Draft was “unlike any draft we’ve seen in recent years” … so naturally we immediately got a similar draft with a bunch of high-profile quarterbacks.
The difference this time around, however, is the presence of TONS of top-tier talent that wasn’t there in 2023. There are several highly coveted wide receivers along with a bunch of really good offensive linemen and a slew of talented defensive players (particular at cornerback) who are sliding through the cracks a bit. Also: Brock Bowers, a potentially generational tight end talent! Or a future librarian, depending on who you ask.
Just like last year, there are tons of teams that need a quarterback too. It’s the never-ending cycle in the NFL. Quarterback saturation is a pipe dream; there will be no Thanos-like post-snap vacation for NFL GMs anytime soon.
So let’s break down which NFL teams are guaranteed to draft a quarterback early, which teams are guaranteed not to and everything in between.
Sure things
Bears
Holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears were at a crossroads this offseason, debating whether to draft Caleb Williams or trade the pick for a massive bounty and build around Justin Fields. They’ve made their decision quite clear at this point. Tyson Bagent is the current QB1, narrowly ahead of Brett Rypien.
Commanders
They also traded the incumbent starter, dealing away Sam Howell and letting Jacoby Brissett walk in free agency. Free agent Marcus Mariota sits atop the depth chart, but he’s such an obvious placeholder/quiet veteran backup for whoever will be drafted second overall. Either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels could/would go first overall if they were in different non-Caleb draft classes by themselves.
Sure thing, fueled by spite?
Patriots
The offseason battle between Bill Belichick and Patriots ownership has been something else. Belichick’s basically sat back and taken the wildly unnecessary public beatings, most notably through “Dynasty,” the Apple TV+ docuseries that came off as a ham-handed public-relations machine for the Krafts. As a result, most of the angst in New England has shifted from Belichick allegedly losing his fastball to how things will operate in…
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