6 hot takes leading into the 2024 NFL Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft is just seven days away. Yes, only one week left until we see how all 32 teams will be impacted. The quarterback position is the one that continues to grab all the headlines ahead of Thursday and for good reason. There are likely four quarterbacks going in the top 10 and potentially the top five.
How picks end up coming off the board in the NFL Draft is going to be interesting. Analysts have been debating these players for months and NFL teams might think the complete opposite of the media. It ends up happening every year nad what feels like a hot take at the time could end up being brilliant or have them look like a joke.
What are the biggest hot takes heading into the NFL Draft? Here are six that could end up coming to fruition.
1. Darius Robinson gets drafted ahead of Johnny Newton
This one feels like sacrilege but the NFL has been planting seeds that this could end up happening. Robinson will be attending the NFL Draft and Newton won't be. Does that mean that Newton wasn't invited? Not necessarily but seeing Robinson get invited says that the league expects him to go in the first round. Pair that with Newton having a Jones fracture this past year and it could become reality.
2. Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson is a top 5 player in the class
Listen, I understand that I'm going to be the outlier here. Robinson ranks in the 20s based on consensus but there is one thing that Robinson has that nobody in this class does: an elite first step reminiscent of Von Miller. That's incredibly high praise but it helps him attack the quarterback and be disruptive in the running game. Whoever gets Robinson is going to be rewarded early and often.
3. One of the top four quarterbacks falls to 11th overall
Now, this doesn't mean that they should fall, but the idea that all four go in the top four or five likely isn't reality. Quarterbacks have onle gone 1-2-3 three times in NFL Draft history and they have never gone with the first four picks. With the depth of this quarterback class having options at the end of round one, teams likley won't panic and force the pick.
4. 8 wide receivers go in the first round
There is a guarantee that three wide receivers are going in round one with Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers. After that, there is a group of five-seven wide receivers that could end up going in the first round. With the sheer depth of the wide receiver class and how much surplus value you can get from a wide receiver on a rookie contract, watch teams stock up, especially at the end of the first round.
5. Spencer Rattler gets drafted before Bo Nix
The idea that Bo Nix is goingto be draftred highly is one that doesn't make a lot of sense. There isn't a lot of upside and arguably no upside to even be a starting quarterback in the NFL. While Rattler didn't have the same kind of college success that Nix had the last two seasons, what he does have is immense upside when it comes to sheer talent. A former five-star recruit with an elite arm, that is the type of player that teams want to bet on.
6. Olu Fashanu falls into the 20s
The offensive tackle class is incredibly deep across the board and there are a lot of talented players with differnet skill sets. Going into the season, Fashanu was the top offensive tackle and one of the top two per consensus. However, there are a lot of great players at the position in this class and someone like Fashanu could slide through no fault of his own. One element that might hinder his draft stock is Fashanu's small hands. He has the same size hands as Kenny Pickett which at only 8.5" is incredibly small, especially for an offensive lineman.