NFL Draft 2024: 1st-Round Order and Projections for Underrated Prospects
The 2024 NFL offseason has arrived for the 18 teams who fell short of the playoffs.
It'll come for six more clubs once Wild Card weekend is complete.
The draft, then, could be the front and center focus for the majority of front offices around the league. It has our attention, too, as we're laying out the first-round draft order as things stand—only the first 18 selections are cemented so far—before spotlighting two of the more underrated prospects in this class.
First-Round Draft Order
1. Chicago Bears (via CAR)
2. Washington Commanders
3. New England Patriots
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Los Angeles Chargers
6. New York Giants
7. Tennessee Titans
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. Chicago Bears
10. New York Jets
11. Minnesota Vikings
12. Denver Broncos
13. Las Vegas Raiders
14. New Orleans Saints
15. Indianapolis Colts
16. Seattle Seahawks
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
18. Cincinnati Bengals
19. Green Bay Packers
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
22. Arizona Cardinals (via HOU)
23. Los Angeles Rams
24. Miami Dolphins
25. Kansas City Chiefs
26. Houston Texans (via CLE)
27. Philadelphia Eagles
28. Detroit Lions
29. Buffalo Bills
30. Dallas Cowboys
31. Baltimore Ravens
32. San Francisco 49ers
Laiatu Latu, Edge, UclA
Laiatu Latu is by no means a forgotten player in this draft class. After all, he's holding down the No. 10 spot on the B/R NFL Scouting Department's latest Big Board.
It's possible, though, this explosive edge-rusher still isn't getting talked about enough. When ESPN's Matt Miller put together a mock draft last month, Latu didn't come off the board until the 23rd pick.
There will be, admittedly, a ton of attention paid to his medicals, as a neck injury he suffered while at the University of Washington caused the school's medical staff to medically retire him. If those red flags are behind him, though, he has too much game-breaking ability to ignore.
The 6'5", 265-pounder transferred to UCLA in 2022 and spent the next two seasons tallying 23.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions. He pairs his solid size with impressive athleticism and fluidity, and he can beat blockers with speed or power.
He'll need a good medical report to make good on this prediction, but don't be shocked if his name is one of the first five called this April.
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Bo Nix is the kind of quarterback prospect some front offices will easily talk themselves out of. The worry is that despite having five college seasons under his belt (three at Auburn and the last two at Oregon), he hasn't shown much with his processing and pocket presence.
What he has shown, though, is tremendous talent and some astounding statistics. This past season, he completed 364-of-470 passes (77.4 percent) for 4,508 yards with 45 touchdowns against just three interceptions. If that wasn't enough, he added another 234 yards and six scores on the ground.
And he looks good on more than paper. His film routinely jumps off the screen whether it's his explosive athleticism, effortless arm strength or ability to make plays on the move. As the B/R NFL Scouting Department put it, "[Nix's] athleticism and arm talent can be game-changing if honed correctly."
While some teams won't be willing to overlook his weaknesses, all it takes is one front office to fall in love with his upside. Look for that to happen in the first half of the first round.