• The Panthers trade back and pick up receiver help: South Carolina’s Xavier Legette would add size and speed to this group, as well as a contested-catch skill set not currently on the roster.
• Browns look for starting talent along the offensive line: Oklahoma‘s Tyler Guyton is likely long gone by that spot, but he would be an ideal option if he slid that far. Arizona‘s Jordan Morgan would be similar, but the best realistic hope may be BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia.
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As the 2024 NFL Draft approaches, attention is focused on the first round and the talents that can instantly transform a unit or even a franchise.
However, a few NFL teams are focused on those players, hoping that one or two might slip out of the first round and be available when their first selection rolls around.
Here, we will present an optimal (and at least vaguely realistic) scenario for the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns — teams that do not have a first-round pick.
R2 (33): Carolina Panthers — WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina
The Panthers still need wide receiver help, and they’re well-positioned to get it at the top of the second round.
Diontae Johnson will give them a much-needed upgrade over a year ago, while Adam Thielen can still function as part of a depth chart as long as he doesn’t sit atop it — the way he did in 2023.
This is an incredibly deep receiver class, and the order of receivers from WR4 through WR16 or so is chaos. So, it’s difficult to pinpoint which receiver the Panthers would love to slip out of the first round.
Many would point to LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., the consensus WR4 in this class, but I am much lower on him than others. His game seems very one-dimensional, and he is about to enter a league that has moved away from that dimension.
Teams often look to trade back up to the first picks of the second round after they get a chance to gauge the players who fell. Last year, Tennesse jumped into Pick 33 to select quarterback Will Levis, and the true best-case scenario for Carolina is that a trade partner gives them a reason to move back. Last year, Arizona moved back eight spots and picked up an extra third-round selection to do so.
If Carolina got the same deal, they could still grab their favorite receiver, only with an extra draft pick along the way. South Carolina’s Xavier Legette would add size and speed to this group, as well as a contested-catch skill set not currently on the roster.
R2 (42): Houston Texans — CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
The Houston Texans have done wonders to load up with immediate-impact players and address problem areas on the roster. They could still stand to upgrade in a couple of key areas and could realistically target an offensive lineman, an interior defensive lineman or a cornerback with their first selection.
Jeffrey Okudah and C.J. Henderson represent two former top draft picks, but each has already failed to live up to expectations in the NFL and is a reclamation project rather than a clear starting upgrade.
The cornerback class is deep, and rankings at that position will always be heavily varied due to scheme, but if either Kool-Aid McKinstry or Nate Wiggins (Nos. 25 and 22 on the consensus big board) slipped as far as Houston, Nick Caserio and company should run the card in with the pick.
McKinstry, in particular, seems to have fallen out of favor, as all the attention has gone to his teammate Terrion Arnold.
Even the next wave of corners would make sense for Houston at this spot, but as long as we’re dreaming, let’s dream big.
R2 (54): Cleveland Browns — T Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
The Browns also have a very strong roster with few obvious holes. They could add competition or an upgrade in a few spots and will likely have an eye on the offensive tackle market, given Jedrick Wills’ failure to develop into an elite player at left tackle.
Linebacker is also a spot that could use competition. Former first-rounder Devin Bush is another player who could be replaced, and new addition Jordan Hicks is not a long-term solution.
Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst are both useful interior players, but if one of the top defensive tackles fell into their lap, neither veteran would stop Cleveland from pulling that trigger.
Their best option would be one of the high-upside tackles falling to their spot, giving them the runway to develop him from the bench while Wills plays out his contract.
Oklahoma‘s Tyler Guyton is likely long gone by that spot, but he would be an ideal option if he slid that far. Arizona‘s Jordan Morgan would be similar, but the best realistic hope may be BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia.
Suamataia is an impressive athlete with the tools to be a high-level starter, but he is a work in progress. He allowed 13 total pressures and earned an 86.1 pass-blocking grade last season, but his run-blocking was problematic.
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