The 2024 NFL Draft becomes an exercise in groupthink by the time draft day finally arrives. The month between free agency and the draft leads many to lock in on likely scenarios while blocking out other possibilities. This year did not produce the sheer number of surprising outcomes but there were a handful in the Top-50 that could have been foreshadowed.
Here are a handful of those surprising selections and why we should have seen them coming:
It is a stretch to say anyone should have seen Atlanta drafting a quarterback at No. 8 overall months after signing Kirk Cousins to a lucrative free agent contract. On the surface, the organization’s reasoning for the move makes sense: they believe in this year’s team guided by Cousins and do not believe they will be in a position to draft another quarterback high in the draft for many years. Strike while the iron is hot.
The problem is that it sends the wrong message to the current roster. If the team is all in on maximizing this current window, then why not use that first-round selection on a player capable of helping reach the ultimate goal this season? It creates an uncomfortable situation in that locker room.
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia: Raiders (Round 1, No. 13 overall)
Las Vegas is not expected to factor into the AFC Playoff picture this coming season. In that sense, it makes sense for the organization to think about the future and select the best player available, which was Bowers in that instance. Bowers is not a traditional tight end. He can be split out wide and be used in formations with last year’s second round selection Michael Mayer.
Where the choice gets a bit confusing is squaring the club’s interest in preparing for the future while keeping aged veterans like wide receiver Davante Adams and signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Unless they have been unable to find common ground with opposing teams in Adams trade conversations, it makes little sense to carry the 31-year-old into the season if he would fetch draft capital that can help the organization down the road.
WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida: 49ers (Round 1, No. 31 overall)
Pearsall may as well have had his picture on a milk carton because he was missing from all first round mock drafts. San Francisco had been entertaining the idea of moving either Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel, so Pearsall was insurance in the event of a deal. Here is why Pearsall may have…
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