Articles & Features

When it comes to evaluating NFL draft prospects, numbers don't always tell the whole story. Nowhere is this more evident than in the often stark differences between a player's performance at the NFL Combine and their showing at their college pro day.

As the summer heat bakes the practice fields and NFL training camps loom on the horizon, front offices across the league are in a rare moment of calm. But make no mistake, in the quiet offices of GMs and scouts, the wheels are already turning for next year's draft. The echoes of last April's war room frenzy may have faded, but the lessons – both triumphant and painful – remain fresh.

As an NFL analyst, I've spent countless hours poring over game tape, crunching numbers, and dissecting every aspect of football. But there's one concept that's always nagged at me, a phantom that haunts every broadcast and post-game press conference: momentum.

With just one more day until the 2024 NFL Draft, many questions still linger. How many QBs will go top-10? How many trades will shake things up? Will we see any NFL stars on the move Thursday?

The AFC South is a tougher one to analyze. The Jaguars are up and coming, but are they actually a force to be reckoned with? The Titans are stuck in some weird NFL purgatory, seemingly destined to be fringe playoff contenders playoff contenders year after year with no real shot at the Super Bowl.

The Detroit Lions secured the NFC North title in 2023 for the first time since 1993. The NFC North is an intriguing division with the Bears and Vikings set to roll out new starters under center. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers look to have found their new franchise quarterback in Jordan Love. The 2024 draft will be important for these teams to keep pace with their neighbors in a competitive division.

With the arrival of Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, the quarterback picture has changed in the NFC South. The Buccaneers, Falcon, and Saints will be aiming to add talent in the 2024 draft to give them an edge in pushing for a division title. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers will need to do all they can to surround Bryce Young with talent despite being without a first-round pick in this year's draft.

The NFC West division has intriguing storylines around all four franchises. The LA Rams are looking to rebuild their roster without Aaron Donald after opting to trade away multiple draft picks in recent years. The Cardinals have a pair of first-round picks to build around Kyler Murray coming off a season-ending injury. The Seahawks and 49ers are two of the most talented rosters in the NFL, and they have plenty of draft capital to add talent for another playoff run in 2024.

The AFC East has been flipped on its head in comparison to most of the Brady and Belichick era, with the Patriots consistently finishing in first place and their rivals never truly building a roster that could challenge for a title. Now the Patriots find themselves in a rebuild while the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets all have a chance to make noise in the playoffs in 2024.

The Kansas City Chiefs sit atop the AFC West coming off back-to-back Superbowl championships. The Broncos, Chargers, and Raiders all figure to have new faces in place at quarterback or head coach for the 2024 season and will be looking to build a roster capable of ending the Chiefs streak of eight consecutive AFC West titles.

The AFC North has had a franchise in the AFC championship game for the last three years. Last year the Browns, Ravens, and the Steelers all made it to the postseason, with the Bengals missing out with a nine-win season that saw Joe Burrow miss seven games with injury. This is a stacked division with all four teams just a couple of pieces away from a run at a Superbowl.

We’ve reached the part of the college football season where some teams start to gear up for conference championships and New Year's Six Bowls while others prepare for smaller bowl games or the offseason, knowing they need to find a new quarterback. It’s also the part of the season when big-name players start to opt out of bowl games and declare for the draft.