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2024 NFL Draft

USC QB Caleb Williams Expected To Declare For Draft

November 29th, 2023 at 8:34pm CST by Ely Allen

USC junior quarterback Caleb Williams has been projected as the 2024 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick for over a year now. In August, he attempted to temper expectations a bit about his likely declaration following the college season, but that hasn’t stopped pundits from continuing to speculate. At this point, he is still expected to declare and end his collegiate career, but Williams told Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times that he is still contemplating the decision.

There was some thought that Williams’ initial lack of commitment back in August was a concerted effort to avoid being drafted by a team he isn’t interested in joining. When a player like Williams is a near guarantee to be the first player selected, they naturally have the luxury of knowing who will have the No. 1 overall pick by the time the deadline to declare arrives on January 15. If the season ended today, that honor would belong to the Bears, who own the 1-10 Panthers’ first-round pick thanks to the trade that allowed Carolina to draft Bryce Young No. 1 overall in 2023.

This time around, if Williams is considering staying in college for 2024, it might be because he’s unhappy with how he’s leaving USC. Over his first two seasons at Oklahoma and USC, Williams only lost five total games combined. This past year in Los Angeles saw Williams and the Trojans match that total in the last six weeks, alone. After starting 6-0 and rising as high as 10th in the AP rankings, USC would go on to lose five of their next six games with their lone win being a last-second, one-point win over the then 3-5 Golden Bears. They only escaped Berkeley with a win when Cal failed to convert a two-point conversion on a touchdown allowed in the final minute of regulation.

The 7-5 season is disappointing in its own right following the lofty expectations of the prior year’s 11-3 team, but Williams himself also failed to reach the heights of last year’s Heisman-winning campaign. Williams won the prestigious award and a unanimous All-American selection after throwing for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns while limiting his interceptions to only five.

This year, Williams kept his interception total at five but failed to match his other Heisman numbers with 3,633 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, albeit in two fewer games. Even if he wouldn’t have matched those prior year numbers with two more chances, he seemed to be a bit more efficient this season, increasing his completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passing efficiency rating.

Because of that, Williams’ status as the projected first pick overall hasn’t changed. Neither has the expectation that he will decide to forgo his remaining eligibility and declare for the draft. Still, Williams seems to be taking his time, calling this a “game-time decision.” I’m not sure this means we’ll see Williams perform in USC’s bowl game this postseason, but expect the 22-year-old to take things down to the wire in January before making an official decision.

Patriots Eyeing QBs In Free Agency, Draft In 2024

November 29th, 2023 at 2:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Bill Belichick continues this spree of noncommittal offerings about his quarterback position — one that has seen Mac Jones repeatedly benched — the Patriots will have their eye on what could be a pivotal offseason at the position.

It is not fully known if the Pats will move on from the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, who has already been connected to a few teams, but New England obviously knows its current QB situation will not cut it for 2024. Jones may be playing out the string for the Pats, who will almost definitely pass on the struggling passer’s fifth-year option.

Jones would enter a 2024 contract year in that scenario, but it is also possible the Pats simply move on from the former first-round pick. (Jones is tied to a guaranteed $2.79MM in 2024 base salary.) The team is likely to add a quarterback both in free agency and the draft next year, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. A two-pronged approached would be about reconstructing the position, per Fowler, but one avenue stands to take precedence.

With the loss to the Giants, the Patriots plummeted to 2-9. With six games remaining, New England sits third in the 2024 draft order — behind Chicago (via Carolina) and Arizona. The No. 3 choice could be enough to land the draft’s second-best signal-caller, but given the demand at quarterback, the ’24 class’ second-best option will be a live candidate to go second overall. QBs have gone first and second in a draft four times since 2015.

While the Cardinals and Bears represent variables due to Kyler Murray and Justin Fields‘ statuses, both are in play to draft QBs in Round 1. The Cards, as they were this year, could also be a gateway into the top three — should Arizona’s new regime still back Murray next year — via a trade. Moving parts exist, but with no NFL lottery in place, more losses piling up for the Patriots would form a direct route to landing a top QB prospect. The team inched into the 2021 draft at quarterback, waiting on Jones to fall to No. 15. The Pats will have a chance to choose a passer earlier in 2024.

The free agent market will include several backup options. While some signed two-year deals this offseason, Sam Darnold, Jacoby Brissett, Marcus Mariota, Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater and Joshua Dobbs are among the options to fill in as a bridge player or a true backup. Given the injuries to starters this season, it would not surprise to see the QB2 market increase come free agency.

Gardner Minshew and Baker Mayfield would represent higher-end bridge options, with Ryan Tannehill potentially dropping into that boat after his midseason benching. Kirk Cousins resides as the top free agency option. As of now, the Vikings look like the favorites there. The Pats’ draft position also would point to a stopgap free agent or backup supplementing a rookie — as opposed to a veteran as the answer for a team in need of significant upgrades on offense.

Belichick’s status will hover over all of this. As the losses increase, the chances of the Patriots either forcing the legendary sideline presence out or trading his rights elsewhere seemingly increase. Belichick’s extension is believed to run through only 2024.

Illinois DL Jer’Zhan Newton To Enter Draft

November 25th, 2023 at 10:09am CST by Ben Levine

One of the top defensive line prospects will indeed be heading to the NFL for the 2024 campaign. Illinois’ defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton told reporters that he intends to declare for the NFL draft.

Per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Newton revealed that he won’t be playing in a bowl game if Illinois lands one of the contests. The Illini can become bowl-eligible by beating Northwestern later today. That means today’s game will likely be Newton’s finale college appearance.

“It’s really important for me, trying to get my teammates one more game to play in,” Newton told reporters. “I know a lot of people don’t have careers after this, a lot of people won’t go to the NFL, so just to have people playing one more game together as a unit, seeing my team play, that would be really big for me.”

Newton put himself on the NFL radar following a strong 2022 campaign. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors after finishing the season with 62 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. While his numbers have taken a bit of a dip in 2023, he’s still been productive, compiling 47 stops, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. The defensive tackle is a candidate for the Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top defensive player.

Newton will surely hear his name called during the first round of the 2024 draft, and there’s a chance he pushes himself into the top-10 conversation. In a recent ESPN roundtable, Newton landed as the No. 8 overall prospect in the draft.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

November 10th, 2023 at 8:44am CST by Adam La Rose

Yesterday’s Panthers-Bears game carried signficant draft implications, as many noted in the build-up to the primetime matchup. With Carolina having dealt its 2024 first-round pick to Chicago as part of the deal involving last year’s No. 1 selection, the Bears were able to boost their chances of picking first in April with a win.

Owning the top selection in a draft touted for having multiple high-end options at the quarterback spot would of course add further to the speculation surrounding Justin Fields. The Bears gave the 24-year-old a vote of confidence last spring by trading out of the No. 1 slot, but he has yet to develop as hoped this season. Chicago could opt for a fresh start under center (particularly if they declined Fields’ fifth-year option) this spring while also having the opportunity to add help elsewhere on the roster with their own first-rounder, which seems destined to fall within the top 10 or perhaps even top five selections.

Of course, teams like the Giants, Cardinals and Patriots have experienced signficant troubles of their own this year. A continuation of their first half performances could leave them in pole position for the Caleb Williams–Drake Maye sweepstakes. All three teams face potential uncertainty with respect to their current passers’ futures, despite each having term remaining on their respective contracts.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. With plenty still to be sorted out over the coming months, here is an early look at the current draft order:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Arizona Cardinals: 1-8
  3. New York Giants: 2-7
  4. New England Patriots: 2-7
  5. Chicago Bears: 3-7
  6. Los Angeles Rams: 3-6
  7. Green Bay Packers: 3-5
  8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-5
  9. Denver Broncos: 3-5
  10. Tennessee Titans: 3-5
  11. Atlanta Falcons: 4-5
  12. Washington Commanders: 4-5
  13. Indianapolis Colts: 4-5
  14. Las Vegas Raiders: 4-5
  15. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  16. New York Jets: 4-4
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: 4-4
  18. Buffalo Bills: 5-4
  19. New Orleans Saints: 5-4
  20. Minnesota Vikings: 5-4
  21. Dallas Cowboys: 5-3
  22. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-3
  23. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  24. Cincinnati Bengals: 5-3
  25. Seattle Seahawks: 5-3
  26. San Francisco 49ers: 5-3
  27. Miami Dolphins: 6-3
  28. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-2
  29. Detroit Lions: 6-2
  30. Baltimore Ravens: 7-2
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: 7-2
  32. Philadelphia Eagles: 8-1

NFL To Permit Draft-Eligible Underclassmen To Play In All-Star Games

November 8th, 2023 at 1:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The pre-draft process will see a noticeable tweak beginning in 2024. Three postseason all-star games will soon be allowed to extend invites to draft-eligible underclassmen.

The NFL announced Wednesday it will permit underclassmen to play in the Senior Bowl and other pre-draft showcases, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes. While “Senior Bowl” will carry less meaning, the East-West Shrine Bowl and HBCU Legacy Bowl will also be permitted to extend invites to non-senior players. These changes will be effective immediately.

In addition to the actual games, players use the practices to showcase their skills for NFL personnel. The Senior Bowl’s practices are a prime scouting event annually, bringing all 32 teams’ staffs to Mobile, Ala. Wednesday’s announcement will change how those rosters are constructed, likely taking spots away from seniors, with the fringe Mobile candidates potentially needing to play in the lower-tier all-star games. As InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton offers, the NFL effectively only endorsing three all-star events will negatively impact the Hula Bowl and the other round of all-star games. Those Alabama-based workouts, however, will likely generate more buzz due to the caliber of prospects that will be eligible for invites.

Players who have been out of high school for three years are draft-eligible, meaning this will impact juniors and redshirt sophomores. With the NCAA’s COVID-19 policy extending an additional year of college eligibility to players in school during the pandemic, NFL draft classes have seen an uptick of mid-20-somethings in recent years. That era winding down stands to return rookie classes to their usual age range, though the NIL development and the transfer portal have given players more appealing options to stay in school for their senior seasons.

But the opportunity to compete against top competition at Senior Bowl practice will be a draw for underclassmen, who previously only had the Combine and their respective pro days as official venues to change their pre-draft stock. Sixty-nine juniors entered this year’s draft, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, doing so without any all-star game opportunities. It will be interesting to see the Senior Bowl’s roster makeup in 2024. Per usual, several of the top prospects in the upcoming class are draft-eligible juniors. This includes top QBs Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, whose Senior Bowl workouts — should the USC and North Carolina prospects choose to participate — will be highly anticipated.

Caleb Williams Not Certain To Enter 2024 NFL Draft?

August 28th, 2023 at 2:47pm CST by Rory Parks

The 2023 college football season is underway, and USC quarterback Caleb Williams led his team to a resounding victory over San Jose State in the first game of the campaign by completing 18 of 25 passes for 278 yards and four TDs. Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner who has drawn favorable comparisons to quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, and Trevor Lawrence, is off to a hot start.

Assuming that he continues to perform at a high level and does not suffer a major injury, there is every reason to believe that Williams will be the first player selected in next year’s NFL draft (or at least the first QB). Indeed, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel writes, Williams’ father, Carl, asked schools when his son was being recruited how those schools planned to help Caleb on the path to becoming the NFL’s No. 1 overall pick in 2024.

However, Williams is still leaving his options open, and he suggested that he could remain with the Trojans for what would be his senior season next year.

“That’s for sure now going to be an in-the-moment decision at the end of the year,” Williams said. “It’s my third year, and the dream and goal was to go three-and-out (to turn pro after three seasons in college). Being around these guys and in college and enjoying it, we’ll have to see at the end of this year.”

On the one hand, it’s not surprising for a player in Williams’ situation to be non-committal, even if he has every intention of entering the draft as soon as he is eligible to do so. After all, there is still a long way to go between now and the time when he must declare for the draft, and it stands to reason that his focus is currently on helping USC win football games (which will only help his draft stock). But ESPN’s Matt Miller has heard that if the team that would be most likely to select Williams is not a team that Williams wants to play for, the talented passer could forego the draft and try again in 2025.

Obviously, that would be an exceedingly risky strategy that could backfire in a big way. If Miller’s sources are accurate, it could also create a scenario like the one that unfolded in 2004, when the Chargers held the No. 1 overall pick and hoped to make Eli Manning their long-term signal-caller. Manning had made it clear, however, that he did not want to play for the San Diego franchise, so while the Chargers did draft the Ole Miss product, they quickly swung a deal with the Giants whereby Manning wound up with Big Blue and Philip Rivers landed with the Chargers, a transaction that had an indelible impact on both clubs and on the league as a whole.

Another factor at play here is the fact that collegians are now entitled to earn money through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) ventures, and as one of the top athletes in all of college sports, Williams has taken full advantage of that. As noted in a recent article by the Sports Business Journal, Williams has built a “seven-figure portfolio” through deals with brands like Beats by Dre and PlayStation, so he may have the financial wherewithal to pass on an NFL landing spot that he considers less than ideal.

Williams spent 2021, his first college season, at Oklahoma before transferring to USC in 2022. Across those two years, he completed 469 of 711 passes (a 65.9% completion rate) for 67 TDs against just nine interceptions. He also carried the ball 192 times for 824 yards (a 4.3 YPC rate) and 16 scores.

QB Notes: Hooker, Dolphins, Watson, Draft

July 13th, 2023 at 3:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Lions added one of the draft’s most talked-about quarterbacks in Hendon Hooker. The third-rounder is rehabbing the ACL tear which ended his college career, and 2023 is not expected to see him on the field much, if at all.

Hooker has been making progress in his recovery, however, and he indicated last month that he is ahead of schedule. Detroit has no need to rush the Tennessee alum, with veteran Jared Goff in place and high expectations for the offense as a whole after last year’s performance. Hooker remains on a positive track to be available at some point during the year.

The 25-year-old said that he is “progressing very well,” via Cora Hall of the Knoxville News Sentinel. The Lions are not thought to be seeking an addition to their QB room, pointing further to Hooker being available if need be, perhaps as early as the fall. His recovery will be worth watching during training camp and the preseason.

Here are some other quarterback-related notes:

  • Plenty of attention will be focused on the pivot position during the season for the Dolphins, given the health uncertainty surrounding Tua Tagovailoa. The backup spot is up for grabs this summer, with 2022 second-rounder Skylar Thompson and free agent signing Mike White vying for the QB2 role. The former “appears to have the early lead” in the competition, per Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network. Thompson made two starts to close out the regular season, and was in place for the team’s narrow playoff loss to the Bills. Moving on from veteran Teddy Bridgewater, Miami inked White to a two-year, $8MM deal. That investment was larger than the team anticipated they would make, and it is noteworthy White could be third in the pecking order heading into training camp. Beasley notes that the Dolphins’ Week 1 backup may not yet be on the current roster, and Bridgewater is one of a few veterans still on the open market.
  • Deshaun Watson‘s 11-game suspension made his debut Browns campaign a shortened one, and his brief stint at the end of the season was far from the Pro Bowl level of production he has demonstrated earlier in his career. During his first full offseason in Cleveland, though, the returns have been impressive. Watson drew positive reviews for his work in the spring in addressing the issues most prevalent in his 2022 play, as noted by Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan. A step forward from the 27-year-old – along with the Browns’ re-tooled receiver room – would go a long way in helping Cleveland return to the postseason and justifying the team’s enormous investment (in both trade capital and finances) in him.
  • The 2024 draft class is headlined by a few highly-touted passers, and it comes as no surprise that USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are receiving the most attention at the top of the board. The pair are thought to be in a QB tier of their own entering the college season, as detailed by Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Williams won the Heisman trophy in 2022 and has drawn comparisons to Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Trevor Lawrence with respect to how he is rated as an NFL prospect. Maye, meanwhile, finds himself behind Williams in summer rankings, but trainer Jordan Palmer (one of the evaluators with whom Breer discussed the top QB prospects) stated that he would be the No. 1 option at the position in most drafts. Wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. has been named as a possible contender for the top pick in April, but Williams and Maye likely represent the favorites for that distinction heading into the fall.

WR Notes: Harrison, Parker, Wideman

July 4th, 2023 at 7:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

Plenty of time remains until the 2024 NFL draft will become an area of serious concern around the league, but a few figures can comfortably be considered first-round locks. One of those is Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who is in line for a repeat of his hugely productive 2022 season this fall.

The son of Colts Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, the 6-3, 202-pounder lit up the statsheet last campaign. Harrison recorded 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he is expected to follow that up in 2023 after the departure of Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Other pass-catchers will be worth watching for the Buckeyes (including Emeka Egbuka), but Harrison will enter the season as the top-ranked wideout in the ’24 draft class.

In fact, he could find himself in contention for the No. 1 overall spot, according to at least one NFL general manager. The unnamed exec said, via ESPN’s Matt Miller, “We haven’t had a wide receiver drafted first overall since Keyshawn [Johnson], but Harrison could push that – even in a draft with Caleb Williams.”

The presence of not only Williams but also a group of signal-callers including UNC’s Drake Maye in this class would make it surprising for Harrison to hear his name called first at this point. His substantial potential will nevertheless make him a name to watch as the season takes shape.

Here are some other receiver-related notes:

  • The Patriots recently retained DeVante Parker on a three-year extension worth up to $33MM. $14MM in guarantees is reportedly included in the deal, but its base value this year ($1.22MM) and next ($3.3MM) leaves most of his compensation set to be earned via incentives, as detailed (on Twitter) by Henry McKenna of Fox Sports and corroborated by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The pact’s incentives are tied to playing time, reception and yardage totals and All-Pro honors, which comes as little surprise given the modest statline Parker put up (31-539-3) in his debut Patriots campaign. Reiss notes that more than half of the value of the contract will be tied to incentives, making the former Dolphins’ performance a key storyline to follow moving forward.
  • The NFL will conduct a supplemental draft for the first time since 2019, and a pair of receivers are known to have been granted eligibility for selection. One of them – Malachi Wideman – will audition himself to teams during a Pro Day this Saturday (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KRPC2). Wideman had a productive stint with Jackson State, which, coupled with an impressive showing on the weekend, could put him on the radar of being selected. The supplemental draft will take place on July 11, and teams will have the opportunity to acquire Wideman, Milton Wright and any other eligible players at the expense of 2024 entry draft capital.

Packers Sought Russell Wilson-Type Haul For Aaron Rodgers; Jets Debated Stronger Derek Carr Push

May 8th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers has begun attending Jets offseason workouts, but it took an extensive process for the Packers to move him off their roster. The teams had different goals when they begun negotiations.

The Packers initially sought a trade package comparable to the haul the Seahawks received for Russell Wilson or the Lions picked up for Matthew Stafford, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports. But with Rodgers moving out of the picture in Green Bay, the Jets were never expected to pay what it would have likely cost the Broncos (or another suitor) to pry Rodgers from the Packers in 2021 or ’22. Still, the lag time between the first Rodgers-related discussion between Packers GM Brian Gutekunst and Jets counterpart Joe Douglas — in January, when the latter represented the only interested party among those Gutekunst contacted — led to some uncertainty.

Just before Derek Carr committed to the Saints, Jets brass debated if they should make a stronger push for the longtime Raiders quarterback, Costello adds. The Jets hosted Carr in February and met with him again at the Combine. Though, Gang Green viewed the 10th-year veteran as its Rodgers backup plan throughout the process. With the Jets not knowing until March 12 Rodgers was even planning to play in 2023, they saw their top backup plan vanish when Carr signed with the Saints on March 6.

Shortly after the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as OC — a move widely rumored to be a Rodgers-related decision — Robert Saleh instructed his staff to study Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan Tannehill, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. The former 49ers starter surfaced as a Jets option, while the longtime Titans first-stringer has been involved in trade rumors this year. But the Jets waited out Rodgers and received confirmation, via the four-time MVP’s agent contacting Douglas, his client was onboard with the Jets.

The Packers could have obtained more in a trade for Rodgers had they unloaded him in 2021 or ’22, but Jordan Love had not progressed to the point the team was ready to roll with the former No. 26 overall pick. Gutekunst sought to tell Rodgers the Packers planned to field a younger roster this season and make moves to help their salary cap, per Breer, with this meaning Rodgers favorites Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis would not be back. (Cobb is now a Jet, with Lewis potentially on the team’s radar.) Of course, Gutekunst and Rodgers never got around to a meeting regarding his future. The parties had multiple January meetings in California scheduled, Breer adds; neither came to fruition. Gutekunst dealt with Rodgers’ agent during the trade talks.

As for the trade price, one of the Jets’ counterproposals — during the sides’ off-and-on talks — involved a 2025 Packers second-round pick coming back in the event Rodgers did not return in 2024. The March Rodgers-Jets summit did not involve discussion about how much longer Rodgers would play, though that later became an understandable component of the Jets’ trade push. Instead of the Jets receiving a 2025 second from the Packers — in the event Rodgers retires after this season — the teams agreed on the deal that included the 2024 first-rounder being a conditional pick and not a locked-in 1, Breer adds. That said, Rodgers has only failed to play 65% of his team’s offensive snaps twice in his 15-year starter run. It represents a fairly safe bet the Jets will send the Packers their 2024 first-rounder in this swap.

Rather than the 65% figure, the Jets wanted to tie the 2024 draft choice to team placement, per Breer. But the Packers did this in the Brett Favre trade 15 years ago; the Green Bay icon’s biceps injury ended up leading the Jets out of the playoff race and reducing the Pack’s compensation to a 2009 third-rounder. With Packers president Mark Murphy involved in both negotiations, the Packers did not relent on a refusal to tie the pick to the Jets’ 2023 record.

Douglas was a bit leery about a potential post-draft suitor emerging as an alternative for Rodgers, Breer adds. The Jets had lost Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins in a two-team race last year. The All-Pro wideout was nearly a Jet, but when the Dolphins entered the fray, Miami became Hill’s preferred destination. This helped provide the impetus for the Jets to complete the deal by the draft, even as no other teams were closely connected to Rodgers this offseason.

The 2023 pick-swap component also did not enter the negotiations until late. That turned out to matter, with many believing the Jets were prepared to draft tackle Broderick Jones in Round 1. The Steelers moved up three spots, from No. 17 to No. 14, to prevent that from happening. New York selected edge rusher Will McDonald with its Green Bay-obtained No. 15 pick. The Packers chose Iowa pass rusher Lukas Van Ness at 13.

Broncos Field Calls On Wide Receivers

May 1st, 2023 at 7:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 1: As expected, the calls did pertain to Jeudy and Sutton’s availability, Breer adds. Although the Broncos crowded their receiver room by drafting Mims, the Payton-Paton regime stuck to their previous Jeudy-Sutton prices — a first-rounder for Jeudy, a second for Sutton. Those picks would now need to come in the 2024 draft (or later, potentially). But momentum has slowed on a Jeudy or Sutton trade. The Broncos picked up Jeudy’s fifth-year option Monday.

APRIL 29: The Broncos made their first Sean Payton-era pick a fairly surprising one, trading into the back of the second round for Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims. As a result, Denver’s receiver room is crowded.

Already rostering former first-round pick Jerry Jeudy and ex-second-rounders Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler, Denver has UDFA success story Tim Patrick fully cleared from his training camp ACL tear. The team also signed ex-Payton Saints charge Marquez Callaway in free agency. It certainly seems like the group could be broken up, on some level, after the team chose Mims at No. 63.

Indeed, Albert Breer of SI.com reports the Broncos received a few calls on two of their receivers after taking Mims (Twitter link). It is fair to assume that, since Patrick is coming off an ACL tear and Hamler is rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle, the calls came in for oft-discussed trade candidates Jeudy and Sutton.

Denver has set a high price on its top two wideouts, having sought a first-rounder for Jeudy and a second for Sutton. Payton and GM George Paton said the plan is for Jeudy to be back, and Payton also said the team does not intend to trade Sutton. Drafts can change teams’ plans, but the Broncos have rebuffed offers thus far. Teams are also being stingy with 2024 picks, per Breer, who adds that draft is viewed as stronger than this one — particularly toward the top.

The Broncos, who also have return man Montrell Washington on their roster, drafted Mims in part for his return capabilities. But the Oklahoma speedster should be expected to mix in on offense early. That puts Hamler’s deep-threat role in question, assuming the Broncos hang onto Jeudy and Sutton. While the Broncos drafted Hamler in the 2020 second round, the ex-Penn State speed merchant has been unable to stay healthy as a pro.

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