Those sweet surprises made the 2024 NFL Draft a real thrill ride. Most conspicuous of those was Shedeur Sanders, the electric quarterback from Jackson State, who was selected by the Cleveland Browns. This decision made way for thousands of. Particularly from the talking heads, they argued Sanders’ raw ability, temperament and his place within the broader NFL quarterback ecosystem. Few doubted Sanders’ ability to succeed as a professional quarterback. Though he flashed star potential, concern remained about whether he was ready for the league and how he would fit on a team with an established and productive starter.
Sanders was drafted two rounds later than Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. This raised many eyebrows and led to speculation about why he fell so far down the draft board. Coaches were very interested in his progress through the weekend, balancing his talent level with the needs of their teams. This year’s draft was no exception, boasting an impressive top class of talent. Miami quarterback Cam Ward, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter were among the athletes who brought a spark to the event.
Coaches Weigh In on Sanders’ Talent and Concerns
Coaches from every FBS conference were on the record saying Shedeur Sanders is overrated. Most guys realized what he was able to do and thought of him as one of the more talented quarterbacks who showed toughness in difficult spots. One Big 12 coach noted,
“He’s got a bigger, stronger body, he does a great job of extending things, got the crap beat out of him with a subpar offensive line.”
There were legitimate concerns too, about his demeanor and whether he could succeed in the NFL with an attitude like that. Reacting to the Sanders selection, one Group of 5 coach asked a fair question about what this signals when taking a quarterback as a backup, saying,
“If you’re Tampa and you’ve got [Baker Mayfield], do you want the noise associated with [Sanders] being your backup quarterback?”
Many of these other coaches expressed this same thing. The two teams argued back and forth whether or not Sanders could succeed in a position with no promise of playing time. As one Big 12 head coach told me about the need for clarity on Sanders’ fate, adding,
“If you’re not drafting the guy to be your starter, it really doesn’t matter where you pick the guy.”
The Landscape of Defensive Talent
The 2024 NFL Draft would be similar, except there was a deeper well of defensive prowess. Thirty defensive tackles, twenty-nine cornerbacks, twenty-seven edge rushers, twenty-two linebackers and nineteen safeties selected. This pick illustrates both the depth and talent in this year’s class. Alongside him was Jalon Walker of Georgia, who recently received the Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker. Coaches praised him as one of the highest available talents on the market. One even claimed that he was better than Mykel Williams not just as a pass rusher but overall.
Another one to grab headlines was Dallas Henderson, who dominated his senior season with 12 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. Henderson’s eye-popping performance made him a consensus All-America and record-breaking sensation who had NFL teams salivating. He’s coming into a New York Giants defense that runs most of its defensive schemes out of a 3-4 set. At this point, expectations are through the roof for his work at the pro level.
Analyzing the Draft’s Top Picks
Though there were a lot of surprises in that draft, especially in the later rounds, those first picks were pretty obvious. Cam Ward from Miami came out as the overall first choice at QB, with Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter hot on his heels. Coaches pointed to these guys as part of what was becoming a massive gap in talent across college football.
Mike Denbrock maybe best described this unforgiving reality when he said,
“If you stacked all the [College Football] Playoff teams up from top to bottom, talent-wise, what were we? Maybe five? Six?”
As teams assessed their needs during the draft, many were keenly aware of how recent recruiting classes had strengthened their rosters. A high-level Power 4 defensive coordinator marveling at just how many good players are in this year’s draft pool told me.
“Just knowing some guys who didn’t get drafted or getting drafted really low tells me that there were a lot of good players.”
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