• Could the Rams make another blockbuster QB move? Los Angeles could be an ideal situation for a rookie signal-caller, sitting behind Matthew Stafford and learning from Sean McVay.
• Will Buffalo feel a need to immediately replace Stefon Diggs? Despite the deep 2024 receiver class, the Bills could make a splash move into the top half of the draft for a Tier 1 wideout.
• Draft and trade for yourself: Try PFF's Mock Draft Simulator — trade picks and players and mock for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Click here for more draft tools:
2024 Mock Draft Simulator | 2024 Big Board | 2024 Draft Guide
2024 Player Profiles | 2024 Mock Drafts | NCAA Premium Stats
Trades make the NFL Draft more exciting, whether it’s a franchise-changing move up to land a quarterback or a smaller trade to get ahead of a rival.
Trades are also incredibly difficult to predict, and we’re not going to try. Instead, these are five trades that would shake things up and make the 2024 NFL Draft more exciting.
Los Angeles Rams trade into the top 10 for a quarterback
In 2016, the Rams sent the No. 15 overall pick, two second-round picks and a third-round pick, along with 2017 first- and third-round picks, to move up to No. 1 overall with the Tennessee Titans and select Jared Goff. The Rams also received a fourth- and a sixth-round pick from the Titans in the 2016 draft. In 2021, Los Angeles traded Goff, a third-round pick and first-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023 to acquire quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions.
So, while people wonder who the Rams might select with their first first-round pick since 2016, I’m wondering whether they will attempt to move up for one of the top four quarterbacks in this draft class, should one fall out of the top five. Los Angeles with head coach Sean McVay would be the perfect landing spot for any rookie signal-caller, and they could sit behind Matthew Stafford, who even at 35 years old still ranked fourth among quarterbacks with an 86.0 PFF passing grade in 2023.
Buffalo Bills make a huge move up to land Rome Odunze
The Bills traded away star receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and lost deep threat Gabe Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. They could stick their 28th overall selection and draft a second-tier receiver from a deep class, but Rome Odunze would give them a new true No. 1 receiver for quarterback Josh Allen, and that’s an appealing enough proposition to trade up.
If Odunze falls to No. 8 or 9, where the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears pick, the Bills might be able to get them to swap first-rounders by adding in a second-rounder and a first-rounder next year. The Bears may like that deal, given that they come into this draft with just four picks. Chicago would add another top-70 selection, while Buffalo would land a receiver who ranks fourth in the draft class with an 89.5 PFF receiving grade.
Baltimore Ravens make a big jump for an offensive tackle
The Ravens traded away starter Morgan Moses, whose 80.4 PFF grade in 2023 was the third highest among right tackles. They also restructured left tackle Ronnie Stanley’s contract this offseason after he ranked 18th among left tackles with a 75.9 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2023. He is now set to become a free agent after 2024. That gives the Ravens both short- and longer-term needs at tackle.
Baltimore picks at No. 30 overall and could draft a falling tackle, with players like Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton and Arizona’s Jordan Morgan frequently being linked to the Ravens in mock drafts. I like the idea of Baltimore being aggressive, especially if a player like Washington’s Troy Fautanu or Penn State’s Olu Fashanu reaches the midpoint of the first round. The Ravens would likely need to add a second- and a fourth-round pick to get up into that range, but given their needs at the position this year and next, it’s a move that could set them up for the next five years at left tackle.
New England Patriots move back into Round 1 for a quarterback
A move back into Round 1 for a quarterback by the Patriots would shake up the 2024 NFL Draft for two reasons. It would mean some late first-round excitement and that they didn't select a quarterback with the third overall pick. It might seem crazy to pass on a quarterback with that top-five selection, but I’m not convinced the Patriots are set up to bring in a quarterback at No. 3, given their current receiving options.
Instead, New England could draft wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., whose 3.44 yards per route run average in 2023 ranks second in this draft class, and then make a move back into the first round for someone like Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. Going from Pick No. 34 into the late 20s or early 30s would likely cost the Patriots a third-rounder at most, and Penix would be able to sit behind Jacoby Brissett before taking the reins, in theory with a bona fide No. 1 receiver in Harrison.
Las Vegas Raiders make a big move up on Day 2 for a quarterback
The Tennessee Titans traded up on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft to select quarterback Will Levis, and this year’s draft feels primed for a similar move, depending on who falls out of Round 1. Perhaps it's for Penix, or maybe Oregon’s Bo Nix. Or, if six quarterbacks come off the board in Round 1, maybe South Carolina Spencer Rattler becomes the trade-up option.
The Raiders' ideal scenario would be Nix or Penix making it out of the first round. It wouldn’t cost them too much to move up from Pick No. 44, with the Titans sending Nos. 41 and 72 along with a 2024 third-round draft pick for Nos. 33 and 81 last year. Landing Nix, who made just five turnover-worthy plays in 2023, would give the Raiders a potential starting quarterback without breaking the bank in terms of draft capital.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.