NFL Rumors: Latest report is bad news for teams looking to trade up for QB in NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft features three quarterback prospects who are expected to transform the franchises that draft them: USC quarterback Caleb Williams, UNC quarterback Drake Maye, and the Heisman Award winner, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. The three leading quarterback prospects have demonstrated unique skillsets at the college level, and NFL teams are eagerly hoping for more of the same at the professional level. 

As with every NFL draft, there's more demand for highly-touted quarterbacks than there are quarterbacks expected to perform at the highest level. Finding a franchise quarterback in later rounds is rare, despite anomalies like Tom Brady and Joe Montana.

More often than not, the NFL's leading quarterbacks are usually drafted in the first round. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson were both drafted after their teams managed to trade up in the draft to select them. This year, teams hoping to trade up for one of the top prospects may be out of luck.

Teams wielding top 2024 NFL Draft picks aren't expected to trade down

The Chicago Bears traded away the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but they plan to hold onto the No. 1 pick this time around. The Bears are expected to spring for USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who has been perceived as a generational talent since winning the Heisman Trophy in his sophomore year with the Trojans. 

Williams being selected first overall is a given, but there has been more mystery surrounding the future of the No. 2 overall and No. 3 overall picks. The Washington Commanders and the New England Patriots currently hold the next two selections, and recent reports from the NFL Scouting Combine may offer some clarity on what these teams will do with their draft picks. 

NFL Network's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have indicated updates on the status of these two coveted picks. According to Fowler, Washington is receiving trade inquiries for the No. 2 pick.

Although there are no actionable offers to date, Fowler noted that "the interest in moving up is there." Fowler listed the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, and Las Vegas Raiders as teams potentially interested in acquiring the No. 2 selection, but said he would be surprised if the Commanders parted ways with their pick. 

Like the Bears, the Commanders have been a franchise plagued by quarterback turnover and draft errors, and the future of 2022 fifth-round selection Sam Howell remains uncertain.

The same can be said for the future of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who was selected with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. There's already been ongoing uncertainty at the quarterback position in New England, and that was just between Jones and backup quarterback Bailey Zappe. While former New England head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick was famous for trading down, current head coach Jerod Mayo has made it abundantly clear that he plans on doing things differently.

The Patriots have been mired with subpar quarterback play, so it wouldn't be surprising if they kept the highest draft pick they've had in decades. Graziano reported that despite initial speculation that New England would continue Belichick's tradition of trading down, rumors at the Combine have signaled otherwise.

"There's a lot of speculation about what the Patriots will do with the No. 3 pick," Graziano said. "Some thought early in the week that a trade down was possible, but by the end of the week, the sense seemed to be that the Pats would stay put and take one of the top three quarterbacks. That wouldn't preclude New England from pursuing a veteran such as former Patriot Jacoby Brissett in free agency, in case it decides it doesn't want to rush the prospect it selects at No. 3."

It seems that all three of the beleaguered franchises that hold the top three picks in the 2024 NFL Draft will take another swing at quarterback. Ideally, all three would have their next franchise quarterback, but the NFL is not an ideal world. If history means anything, only one of those three prospects — if any — will develop into a future star.