What Schefter is hearing about NFL draft
With just a few more days until the 2024 NFL draft begins, it's time to share some information and insight ahead of Round 1. Where could the quarterbacks go in the top 10 picks? Which teams are already making calls about trading up or down? And is there a sleeper to be the first defensive player drafted?
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ESPN and its draft crew will be in Detroit later this week, as the first round begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, live on ESPN, ABC, and the ESPN App. It's one of the best weeks of the year, with several unknowns throughout the draft and a few teams serving as pivot points in Round 1.
Here's some of what we're hearing:
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Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort has advertised, with the No. 4 overall pick, his team is open for business. But no sales are expected to be final until the Cardinals are on the clock. Ossenfort has told teams around the league that have inquired about trading up that he wants to wait until he is in position to pick before agreeing to any trade.
A team always could try to outbid the market and lock in the selection now, but it's difficult to give up the haul of compensation it would take without knowing exactly which quarterbacks will be available. And so Ossenfort is sitting, in the eyes of one coach, "in the catbird seat." The coach explained: "He sits at [No.] 4 and can take all the calls he wants."
Thus, while the football world waits to see whether the Giants, Vikings, Broncos, Raiders or any other team is interested in trading up to potentially select the fourth quarterback in this draft, the Cardinals will wait for the right offer.
In last year's draft, no team was more active in the first dozen picks than Arizona, which went from No. 3 to No. 12 to No. 6, all to wind up with offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Houston's 2024 first-round pick and more selections. The Cardinals might be able to pull off a similar feat and still come away with one of this draft's elite wide receivers, along with added draft compensation. Arizona already has six picks in the top 90, so a significant trade down isn't as urgent unless it's a huge package.
Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels (LSU) knows he's entering the draft, not free agency, which is why he is ready to accept wherever he is selected and attempt to become the face of that franchise. While Daniels would have liked more face time with Commanders officials during his visit last week -- which included three of the other top quarterbacks in the class -- the signs continue to point to Washington taking him at No. 2.
The Commanders have been highly impressed with Daniels' abilities, and they are not alone. One NFL head coach whose team is not in the quarterback market said he would take Daniels over Caleb Williams (USC), who is expected to be drafted No. 1 by the Bears. "It's a no-brainer to me," the coach said. "Jayden looks like the best guy in this draft."
Another head coach compared Daniels to Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson: "If you pick Daniels, you're getting Lamar 2.0, but he's further along as a passer than Lamar was when he came out," the coach said.
Washington still is going through its process, but Daniels is the favorite to be its pick. He will become the fourth LSU quarterback to be selected in Round 1, after Joe Burrow (No. 1 in 2020) JaMarcus Russell (No. 1 in 2007) and Bert Jones (No. 2 in 1973).
The Patriots, slated to pick No. 3, also have been fielding calls from teams. It would take a big offer for New England to move off that spot knowing it needs to come out of Round 1 with a quarterback, but the team has listened. And the Vikings, among others, have attempted to move up.
Some around the league believe if the Vikings can get as high as No. 3, their preference would be quarterback Drake Maye (North Carolina), who was coached in high school by Minnesota's new quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. But many are waiting to see how the Patriots value Maye vs. J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and whether New England could make a play like the Cardinals, who made two trades in Round 1 a year ago. At the NFL owners meetings last month, team owner Robert Kraft said this: "One way or another, I'd like to see us get a top-rate, young quarterback."
If the Patriots opt to trade out of No. 3, they could follow a similar path as Arizona to get a quarterback they covet.
When Caleb Williams visited Chicago in early April, the Bears did something smart. Rather than have Williams go to dinner with their front office and coaches, they sent him to dinner with team leaders Cole Kmet, DJ Moore, T.J. Edwards and others. The thinking was, those are some of the team's most respected players, the players whom others listen to, and this group then would be able to tell the other players what they were getting in Williams, who is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick.
And the Bears believe -- after using first-round picks in previous years on quarterbacks Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, Cade McNown, Jim Harbaugh and Jim McMahon -- they finally have their man.
If Williams goes to the Bears, it will be USC's sixth No. 1 overall pick in the common draft era (since 1967), which would break a tie with Oklahoma for the most by any school in that time. Williams, of course, played his freshman season at Oklahoma.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and J.J. McCarthy, his former quarterback at Michigan, are inextricably linked. If McCarthy sneaks into the first four picks, it will mean the Chargers, who hold the No. 5 selection, will likely have the first non-QB pick. If McCarthy doesn't find his way into the first four picks, there could be a team calling Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz to trade for the No. 5 pick and the chance to draft McCarthy. Either way, McCarthy is poised to get Harbaugh's new NFL coaching job off to a successful start without even taking a snap for him.
And, there is one other ironic scenario: If McCarthy winds up going at No. 4, it would leave Harbaugh with the chance to select former Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., uniting the former Michigan coach with one of the Buckeyes' best players in recent years. During an interview Friday in Ann Arbor that will be played in its entirety on this week's Adam Schefter podcast, McCarthy praised Harrison as the most feared wideout any of his teams faced and the only receiver he actually would stand up and watch when Michigan was on defense, uneasy about what Harrison could do.
In the same interview, McCarthy was asked which Michigan player was poised to make a bigger impact at the next level than people expected, and he cited tight end AJ Barner. Michigan's offense relied more on Barner's blocking than receiving, but McCarthy believes the 6-foot-6, 251-pound Barner will make an impact in both areas at the next level.
Speaking of Harrison, it would be no surprise if he wins 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, as it would be a continuation of what Ohio State players consistently have done at the next level. Take a look at all the Rookies of the Year the school has produced since 2016:
2016 DROY: Joey Bosa (Chargers)
2017 DROY: Marshon Lattimore (Saints)
2019 DROY: Nick Bosa (49ers)
2020 DROY: Chase Young (Commanders)
2022 OROY: Garrett Wilson (Jets)
2023 OROY: C.J. Stroud (Texans)
This will be the third straight draft in which a Buckeyes wide receiver will be a first-round pick. They had Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks) in 2023 and Wilson and Chris Olave (Saints) in 2022.
The Seahawks will have additional insight into a few local prospects, including quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and offensive lineman Troy Fautanu who both played at Washington and could be first-round picks. New coach Mike Macdonald hired former Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb as his OC and offensive line coach Scott Huff as his O-line coach, which means Seattle could have an intriguing decision to make if both are available when its pick comes up at No. 16.
Our experts get you ready for Round 1. Watch now.• Kiper's favorite prospects in the draft• What you need to know about the QBs• Picking the biggest sleepers of the class• Miller's NFL comps for top prospects• View the full collection on ESPN+
With regards to Penix, though, it should be pointed out that the Seahawks are high on quarterback Sam Howell, whom they traded for last month, and feel he offers some unique advantages. The 23-year-old Howell started 18 NFL games for the Commanders, is the same age as Penix (and Daniels) and is one year younger than Bo Nix (Oregon). Macdonald and the Seahawks feel they have invested in their future at the position with a player who already has game experience. Bypassing a quarterback also would be consistent with Seattle and continue an odd trend for the franchise.
In the 15 years John Schneider has been the Seahawks general manager, the team has drafted only two quarterbacks: Russell Wilson in the third round in 2012 and Alex McGough in the seventh round in 2018. Despite the fact that Ron Wolf, Schneider's former boss in Green Bay, used to advocate drafting a quarterback on a nearly annual basis, Schneider has not followed that path. He still has managed to field some of the league's top rosters, however.
The Seahawks haven't taken a QB in Round 1 since 1993, when they drafted Rick Mirer at No. 2.
The Rams are scheduled to make a first-round pick (No. 19) for the first time since 2016, when they used the No. 1 overall pick on quarterback Jared Goff. Now, with 11 total picks -- tied for the most in the league -- they're in a position to strengthen their defense, which lost Aaron Donald to retirement.
Should L.A. decide to look for a future successor for quarterback Matthew Stafford, who currently has no more guaranteed money on his contract after the season, general manager Les Snead could turn to a familiar face: Bo Nix. Snead was a g
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3 of May 2024
