2024 NFL Draft: 6 Teams with Most Homework to Do at Scouting Combine
The arrival of next week's NFL Scouting Combine introduces the best time of the year for draft enthusiasts near and far.
An annual gathering of the who's who within each draft class, this year's combine will undoubtedly provide a long list of headlines to dive into.
While each eligible prospect has worn their respective collegiate helmet for the final time, the athletic testing, medical exams and interview process in Indianapolis will grant teams the opportunity to begin the process of finalizing their draft board.
Although the evaluation process for teams remains fluid until just days before the draft kicks off April 25, the combine puts a massive spotlight on the cream of the crop that will soon be asked to make an impact at the game's highest level.
Whether it's due to a new regime in town, maximizing on limited capital to boost a roster or an organization in a spot to add a potential face of the franchise, the following is a list of teams that'll have their work cut out for them in Indianapolis. A small reminder that teams can hold a maximum of 45 formal interviews with players that can go as long as 18 minutes in length.
Each section will also include prospects to know.
Atlanta Falcons
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Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot should feel good about where his franchise is just a few weeks away from the March 13 start of a new league year.
With newly minted head coach Raheem Morris in the building, along with an exciting trio of offensive playmakers in Drake London, Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts, Atlanta has pieces to build around.
With five of his seven selections inside the top 110 picks, Fontenot is an ideal spot to add immediate contributors to either side of the line of scrimmage. While London remains the only notable wideout under contract, the crop of wideouts that will remain on the board come Day 2 represents an overwhelmingly deep talent pool from which Fontenot has the chance to add immediate pop.
While the conversations around adding Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields will only pick up steam as the weeks churn on, if Atlanta were to swing and miss on adding the young signal-caller, Fontenot is an awfully opportune spot to either make a move up or grab a youth-infused talent at No. 8.
Prospects to Know
Day 1: QB J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), Edge Dallas Turner (Alabama), Edge Laiatu Latu (UCLA), WR Rome Odunze (Washington)
Day 2: WR Roman Wilson (Michigan), QB Spencer Rattler (South Carolina), CB Cam Hart (Notre Dame), CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (Louisville)
Day 3: Safety Evan Williams (Oregon), DL Khristian Boyd (Northern Iowa), LB JD Bertrand (Notre Dame)
Chicago Bears
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Chicago enters this year's draft with just six picks. However, if quarterback Justin Fields is indeed dealt before the draft kicks off, GM Ryan Poles could enter the process with a little more firepower.
Whether they take USC QB Caleb Williams or not, Poles will surely keep the phone lines open, kicking the tires a little bit on any potential haul that a team may offer.
But in Indy, Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus will have the opportunity to sit down with all of the top signal-callers if they so choose, picking their brains and putting each talent on the white board to show off their ability from an X's and O's perspective.
But the draft process goes beyond the first round, and Chicago's ability to identify players who will not only wear a uniform, but also produce, will remain paramount in working back to relevance in the NFC North.
Prospects to Know
Day 1: QB Caleb WIlliams (USC), WR Rome Odunze (Washington), WR Malik Nabers (LSU), OT Olu Fashanu
Day 2: Edge Jonah Elliss (Utah), WR Jacob Cowing (Arizona), IOL Christian Haynes (UCONN)
Day 3: OT Delmar Glaze (Maryland), IOL Andrew Raym (Oklahoma), IDL Jordan Jefferson (LSU)
Las Vegas Raiders
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There are a lot of questions to be answered moving into the spring for the Las Vegas Raiders.
A new regime has welcomed a new sense of optimism, but the roster remains in desperate need of talent on either side of the ball. The path forward for the Raiders under the leadership of new head coach Antonio Pierce remains exciting.
Pierce is looking to add "alphas" to his roster, per a Raiders rep, so the interview process at the combine will be as important to Vegas as it is for any organization.
That's not to downplay the other 31 teams' interview process, but when you envision certain types of players who both play and carry themselves a certain way, it takes more than watching a few years of tape and giving him a jersey to fit what you want to do both on and off the football field.
The Raiders have nine picks total (three inside top 100), and the following are a few players who could fit the way Las Vegas wants to do things.
Prospects to Know
Day 1: OT Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State), CB Terrion Arnold (Alabama), CB Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo)
Day 2: OT Amarius Mims (Georgia), IOL Cooper Beebe (Kansas State), WR Ricky Pearsall (Florida),
Day 3: IDL De'Wayne Carter (Duke), Edge Jaylen Harrell (Michigan), OT Javon Foster (Missouri), OL Mason McCormick (South Dakota State)
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Washington Commanders
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It's been an offseason of change in Washington, with newly hired GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn now in charge of leading the Commanders back toward competitive football.
While the organization finds itself in an opportune spot to take one of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall, Washington has to add contributing talent beyond Day 1, which is why it hired Peters from San Francisco.
The Commanders were deemed a "quarterback away" before signing Carson Wentz a few seasons ago, so retooling a roster with cornerstones already in place could quickly put D.C. back in contention in the NFC.
With two additional Day 2 picks accrued after trading Montez Sweat (Bears) and Chase Young (49ers) at the trade deadline, Peters has a ton of ammo within the first 105 selections (six picks) and an ownership group that will allow him to do his job without any questions.
Prospects to know
Day 1: QB Drake Maye (North Carolina), QB Jayden Daniels (LSU), WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State)
Day 2: LB Payton Wilson (NC State), WR Jha'Quan Jackson (Tulane), WR Malachi Corley (Western Kentucky), Edge Austin Booker, (Kansas), CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Missouri), IOL Christian Mahogany (Boston College)
Day 3: RB Jaden Shirden (Monmouth), TE Tip Reiman (Illinois), TE Jared Wiley (TCU), CB Jarrian Jones (Florida State), Safety Beau Brade (Maryland)
Los Angeles Chargers
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If there's anything to expect from the Los Angeles Chargers this fall, it's that they will feature a physical brand of football that can be played both in September and winter.
With eight picks in his back pocket, GM Joe Hortiz can go a variety of ways on each day come April. He's a wizard in identifying middle-round talent, so Hortiz's ability to transfer his draft success from Baltimore to the sun-filled streets of Los Angeles will remain paramount in the Chargers competing inside a top-heavy AFC West.
With core pieces in place, headlined by quarterback Justin Herbert, missing the playoffs simply won't be an acceptable season under Harbaugh. His first draft as head bench boss is colossal.
Prospects to know
Day 1: WR Malik Nabers (LSU), TE Brock Bowers (Georgia), OT Joe Alt (Notre Dame)
Day 2: IOL Zach Frazier (West Virginia), TE Jaheim Bell (Florida State), WR Ja'Lynn Polk (Washington),
Day 3: IOL Tanor Bortolini (Wisconsin), WR Joshua Cephus (UTSA), OT Roger Rosengarten (Washington), CB Nehemiah Pritchett (Auburn)
Buffalo Bills
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Another year in Buffalo, another season ended by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Look, I'm not trying to add insult to injury, but at some point the Super Bowl window in Buffalo will begin to close and steps must be made to reach that next rung.
Moving into 2024, the Bills simply have to find their identity as a team. Who are the Buffalo Bills, and what type of game do they expect to play when they line up with Sean McDermott's group?
Right now, they need more athletes, and they need players who play with some pop behind their pads on both offense and defense.
This year's draft is as important as any has been for GM Brandon Beane. An organization still without a Super Bowl and with a rabid fanbase desperate to reach its first title game since 1993, the Bills have 10 total picks, which should allow Beane to add immediate contributors on all three days.
Prospects to know
Day 1: WR Xavier Legette (South Carolina), WR Keon Coleman (Florida State), CB Ennis Rakestraw (Missouri), S Tyler Nubin (Minnesota), Edge Chop Robinson (Penn State)
Day 2: DL Braden Fiske (Florida State), Edge Jonah Elliss (Utah), WR Javon Baker (UCF)
Day 3: CB Dwight McGlothern (Arkansas), LB Jordan Magee (Temple), DL Keith Randolph (Illinois), S Evan Williams (Oregon), LB Nathaniel Watson (Mississippi State)
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