What Were the Weirdest Picks in the 2024 NFL Draft?

[PossibleCabbage]

Not the best picks, or the worst picks, but the combinations of player, pick, and team that make you wonder what the general manager was thinking, and wish you could find someone pretty in tune with a team to explain to you what the logic there was.

For example, while you can't precisely complain about a late day 3 pick, I am genuinely curious what Baltimore saw in Devin Leary (who is a marginal athlete but has a live arm albeit with spotty accuracy) that made them think "this is the man who should back up Lamar Jackson."  I've long understood both that you kind of want your backup to be able to run the same sort of offense as the starter so you don't have to do two installs, and that it's better when your backup can run around a little.  While the Ravens certainly want Jackson passing more and running less, his elusiveness is still elite and Leary's... is not. While Josh Johnson is 37 years old, it's not like Leary isn't a great developmental piece since he's 25.  It's not a bad pick (it's in the 200s) it's just weird.

Edited April 28 by PossibleCabbage

[Soko]

I know it’s just a 6th, but Milton to NE was weird. He’s in the Tebow tier of most obvious “never gonna be a good QB” prospects, IMO.

[vike daddy]

does Penix top the list?

Chicago taking a punter (albeit a very good one) in the 4th?

[Tugboat]

It's still the Chargers Joe Alt pick for me.  In terms of "wtf?" to value invested ratio.

Not because i think it was a bad pick in a vacuum.  I love Joe Alt as a prospect.  One of the cleanest bluechip LT prospects i've seen in a good while.  It just strikes me as so strange to take what is basically a pure LT prospect with that value premium at Pick 5...when you've already got a rock solid, young LT cornerstone in place.  It just seems like burning premium value on something you don't actually need, and adding a lot more risk than is necessary if the plan is to convert Alt to RT which he's never really played to any notable degree that i'm aware of.  Heck, he's probably played more TE than RT.  😆  Especially when there were some terrific natural RTs available.  And even if the gameplan is to move Slater to RT...it still just seems like burning excess value when he's well above capable at LT already.  Just such a weird fit.  Even though i get falling in love with Alt as a LT prospect.

 

Also Penix obviously.  But the entire 3 top picks for Atlanta were...odd to me.  Ruke i can kind of wrap my head around as an "upside" pick and there's also a scheme change happening...but felt early.  And i have no idea what they're seeing in Trice.  Just a weird draft for them overall.

 

The rest though, is really more just questions about "value" where teams grabbed a guy.  But i can at least generally see the reasoning behind most of the picks.  From Day 1 and 2 at least.  Once we hit Day 3, there's really no such thing as a "weird pick".  It's just a free-for-all trying to grab talent, and everyone's board is gonna look totally different.  Positional value goes halfway out the window because you're not exactly expecting guys to start anytime soon.  Really just trying to get guys who are eventually going to be solid depth, STers, and if you get very lucky...maybe start some day.

[Teen Girl Squad]

Atlanta's in general. The Penix pick, trading up for Roro. double dipping at DT with Dorlus in the high 4th. I didn't hate the picks but the draft value and their roster make it quite head scratching.

[Armbar]

I thought Atlanta had a great draft. I love what they did, even though the Penix pick was questionable. 

[Tugboat]

45 minutes ago, Soko said:

I know it’s just a 6th, but Milton to NE was weird. He’s in the Tebow tier of most obvious “never gonna be a good QB” prospects, IMO.

The only thing that makes it a bit weird to me, is that they also just took another relatively "raw" QB at #3 with Maye.  So now you're gonna have two guys who need plenty of work, sitting behind an established Vet in Brissett who is also going to eat up snaps and attention from coaching.  It's hard to see how there's going to be enough to go around.

Especially since Milton is an enormous project.  Probably doesn't work out...but he's got big upside if you can ever tighten up his mechanics.  And by "tighten up" i mean, "completely reinvent".  Particularly when it comes to footwork and synchronizing that with everything else.  He basically just...doesn't have any semblance of structure footwork at the moment.  Which is insane at that point, but if you can instill something like that, he's got rare gifts.  His arm is pretty special.  It's basically just a gimmick right now, because he has zero control over it.  But the way he throws, the way the ball flies out of his hand, is something you can't teach.  He's also a sneaky dynamic athlete on the ground as well.  If you can ever link up some half decent footwork with that arm...you'll have something.

There's a ton of work to be done, and who knows how receptive to it he'll even be.  But there's also a ton to work with there in terms of natural tools.  I like him a lot more than the other Day3 QBs as a project to tinker with.  The only weird thing is just the complication with their Drake Maye scenario...who is also going to need a bunch of technical work and coaching up, and obviously has to be the priority.

[Xenos]

3 hours ago, Tugboat said:

It's still the Chargers Joe Alt pick for me.  In terms of "wtf?" to value invested ratio.

Not because i think it was a bad pick in a vacuum.  I love Joe Alt as a prospect.  One of the cleanest bluechip LT prospects i've seen in a good while.  It just strikes me as so strange to take what is basically a pure LT prospect with that value premium at Pick 5...when you've already got a rock solid, young LT cornerstone in place.  It just seems like burning premium value on something you don't actually need, and adding a lot more risk than is necessary if the plan is to convert Alt to RT which he's never really played to any notable degree that i'm aware of.  Heck, he's probably played more TE than RT.  😆  Especially when there were some terrific natural RTs available.  And even if the gameplan is to move Slater to RT...it still just seems like burning excess value when he's well above capable at LT already.  Just such a weird fit.  Even though i get falling in love with Alt as a LT prospect.

 

Also Penix obviously.  But the entire 3 top picks for Atlanta were...odd to me.  Ruke i can kind of wrap my head around as an "upside" pick and there's also a scheme change happening...but felt early.  And i have no idea what they're seeing in Trice.  Just a weird draft for them overall.

 

The rest though, is really more just questions about "value" where teams grabbed a guy.  But i can at least generally see the reasoning behind most of the picks.  From Day 1 and 2 at least.  Once we hit Day 3, there's really no such thing as a "weird pick".  It's just a free-for-all trying to grab talent, and everyone's board is gonna look totally different.  Positional value goes halfway out the window because you're not exactly expecting guys to start anytime soon.  Really just trying to get guys who are eventually going to be solid depth, STers, and if you get very lucky...maybe start some day.

Based on what Harbaugh and Alt have said, Slater is staying at LT and Alt is transitioning to RT. Alt said that was a possibility that teams have conveyed to him before the draft. You know my disappointment in what happened. But now that it’s done, I’m just hoping he turns into Sewell and kills it. History and stats seem to be on his side at least 😅

 

[Tugboat]

12 minutes ago, Xenos said:

Based on what Harbaugh and Alt have said, Slater is staying at LT and Alt is transitioning to RT. Alt said that was a possibility that teams have conveyed to him before the draft. You know my disappointment in what happened. But now that it’s done, I’m just hoping he turns into Sewell and kills it. History and stats seem to be on his side at least 😅

 

It's interesting to see it charted like that.  But i feel like that's still kind of skirting the crux of the issue here.

Alt is so good and polished at LT...i wouldn't be surprised if he "figures it out" at RT.  But i'm not really sure what the advantage of that is.  The other thing is, this is charting a lot of college LTs who simply could not hold up there and were moved.  Which is not the case with Alt.  So that's already bolstering the LT -> RT pipeline.  Also often guys who actually have prior experience playing RT in college before moving to LT.  Plus weird situations like say...Jake Matthews who played a ton of RT at TAMU because Joeckel, then stayed an extra year to show he could play LT...and has stuck there as a top notch guy forever since.  But Jaguars tried to make Joeckel a RT initially and he didn't have a clue what he was doing.  I wouldn't blink at that as a selection for a team wanting to build an insane OLine with an elite RT if the guy has significant RT experience or demonstrated ability to flip.  But Alt is a bit unique to this situation i think.  And there are definitely guys who can't make the switch effectively.

 

The other thing is...even in this chart, it's still showing some weird distortions.  Probably based on the gap between LT-RT when also making that jump to Pros.  Where a guy with RT experience, is going to be able to adjust to a serviceable level more quickly when making the transition.  As much as RT has become a key position in it's own right...LT is still the anchor of an OLine.  They're typically asked to do more on their own, on an island.

It's also not really breaking down those grades by guys who were drafted and plugged in as LTs out of desperation...when they really should've been moved to RT or Inside.

 

The whole thing is just bizarre to me.  But there's definitely a good chance Alt goes to work and just figures it out.  He seems like the epitome of a professional and relentless worker who will get it sorted.  He's clearly very attuned to the technical aspects of the position in the first place.

 

It just seems like a kind of tragic waste.  😆  Of a player's full potential value...and of draft capital.  But i guess that's maybe Harbs thing.

[Soko]

LT vs RT is a distinction that gets way too vastly overrated tbh, at least in the modern NFL.

[Tugboat]

50 minutes ago, Soko said:

LT vs RT is a distinction that gets way too vastly overrated tbh, at least in the modern NFL.

I really don't think it is though.  RT has become significantly more important than it used to be, due to the emphasis on pass protection...but the guys who can competently play each is still a massive distinction.  And it's not always a one-way distinction.  It's not just a simple, "LT is better so they can automatically play RT".  It doesn't mean a terrific RT is going to be able to play LT.  Some can play both, but it's akin to the Inside/Outside Corner thing.  Yes, a NB/Slot Corner/3rd Safety has become massively more important in today's game.  But there's still an absolutely clear delineation between guys who can truly hold up on the perimeter and those who cannot.  And it's also not an automatic two-way exchange, where there are boundary corners who would be a total mess inside.

 

So in terms of "importance" it's maybe a little bit overrated.  But in terms of where an individual player can hold up...it's still as important as ever, maybe even more so with preeminence of pass protection.  And at the end of the day, a majority of teams still build their base protections off a LT anchor who can hold up on an island against anyone.

 

 

At the end of the day...even beyond the demands on LT still being higher, it's completely opposite footwork.  Completely opposite everything.  Some players can do that.  Some cannot.

 

 

 

Edited to add:

It's not even about the "Blindside" or anything.  Ex//Miami didn't just flip Armstead to RT because Tua is a southpaw QB.  It's about the way you build your entire offensive scheme and protections.  Where LT is still at a premium (smaller than it used to be).  Also about not forcing good players to switch for no reason.

Edited April 28 by Tugboat

[Soko]

28 minutes ago, Tugboat said:

At the end of the day...even beyond the demands on LT still being higher, it's completely opposite footwork.  Completely opposite everything.  Some players can do that.  Some cannot.

Sure, but does anyone see an edge rusher prospect and assume they won’t be able to make it in the NFL if they play on the opposite side that they did in college?

It’s not like there’s a shortage of defensive ends coming from the offense’s right side. See Crosby, Bosa, Watt, Parsons plays a ton on the left (and all over), Allen, Judon. So while there is something to being a blindside blocker vs frontside, I think the importance about ends there. It’s not really an end-all.

It’s also not like we haven’t seen tons of guys moving around the OL, whether that be switching sides or legitimately switching positions, every single year. See Lane, Wirfs, Solder, Onwenu, Sewell, Thuney, Slater, Skoronski, Kolton, Wynn, Connor Williams, Ramcyzk. Like, it happens enough where I’m not going to see a guy (with the right measurables) and just assume, no, he can’t play left/right. Yeah, it’s something he’ll have to go out and do, but there are people throughout this process that make it seem like Alt’s going to have to learn Cantonese.

[Tugboat]

1 hour ago, Soko said:

Sure, but does anyone see an edge rusher prospect and assume they won’t be able to make it in the NFL if they play on the opposite side that they did in college?

It’s not like there’s a shortage of defensive ends coming from the offense’s right side. See Crosby, Bosa, Watt, Parsons plays a ton on the left (and all over), Allen, Judon. So while there is something to being a blindside blocker vs frontside, I think the importance about ends there. It’s not really an end-all.

It’s also not like we haven’t seen tons of guys moving around the OL, whether that be switching sides or legitimately switching positions, every single year. See Lane, Wirfs, Solder, Onwenu, Sewell, Thuney, Slater, Skoronski, Kolton, Wynn, Connor Williams, Ramcyzk. Like, it happens enough where I’m not going to see a guy (with the right measurables) and just assume, no, he can’t play left/right. Yeah, it’s something he’ll have to go out and do, but there are people throughout this process that make it seem like Alt’s going to have to learn Cantonese.

This first part is all 100% irrelevant though.  Pass rushers come from everywhere.  Heck, some of the most damaging come from the interior these days.  Or especially on stunts, twists and other little games.  But that doesn't change how you set up your protection schemes.  Left to Right and Inside Out.  You rarely see any sort of double team help to the LT, or even TEs brought in just to help out.  RT are far more often given at least a TE chip to give them time to gain their depth against a good Left End rusher.  Or help from a RG to protect against inside counters.  etc.  Things that help "mask" a RT being a lesser athlete than a Prototype LT.

 

Like i said...obviously having a quality RT has increased in importance.  But that doesn't change the way that schemes are drawn up.  It doesn't change a prospects ability to magically learn RT footwork and hand placement and feel for space, after spending their entire meaningful career playing everything at LT with the opposite.  Some can do it.  Some cannot.  Alt hasn't demonstrated anything on tape that shows he can make the switch, and he looked like absolute trash even in just drills in gym shorts at the combine.  That's what i don't get about it.

And i don't disagree at all on the idea that some prospects show aptitude and ability that lends itself to a position switch.  Others do not.  And that's what my whole gripe here is about.

 

In the same sense that you note certain elite pass rushers often come off that LE/RT side.  It's because that's the way the scheme is drawn up.  It's also because that's the way some elite pass rushers just bend the edge better.  They're just better and more comfortable there.  Doesn't make them "better" or "worse" per se.  It just means they're better at doing one thing compared to the other.  Which is literally the exact thing that i don't understand about this Joe Alt pick.  It's what makes it "weird" to me.  Plus the "value" proposition of it all, where LTs are still valued more than pure RTs in general.

 

It's not that taking a RT at 5 would even be "bad" per se.  It's just that selecting a LT to play RT at 5 is dumb and weird.  And terrible value, because there is still a noticeable premium on guys who can hold their own at LT in the NFL.

[DreamKid]

11 hours ago, PossibleCabbage said:

For example, while you can't precisely complain about a late day 3 pick, I am genuinely curious what Baltimore saw in Devin Leary (who is a marginal athlete but has a live arm albeit with spotty accuracy) that made them think "this is the man who should back up Lamar Jackson."  I've long understood both that you kind of want your backup to be able to run the same sort of offense as the starter so you don't have to do two installs, and that it's better when your backup can run around a little.  While the Ravens certainly want Jackson passing more and running less, his elusiveness is still elite and Leary's... is not. While Josh Johnson is 37 years old, it's not like Leary isn't a great developmental piece since he's 25.  It's not a bad pick (it's in the 200s) it's just weird.

For whatever reason, Tee Martin seems to really like Devin Leary.

[jebrick]

11 hours ago, vike daddy said:

Chicago taking a punter (albeit a very good one) in the 4th?

That was the Bears last pick in the draft so I get it