The Dallas Cowboys' sucker-punch conclusion to their 2023 season in a 48-32 NFC Super Wild Card Weekend loss against the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers as the conference's No. 2 seed was so stunning it had quarterback Dak Prescott openly saying he sucked that night.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones completely changed his organizational outlook to team building because of the 2023 season-ending defeat, but the good news is they are now a few spots ahead of some other NFC contenders in the 2024 NFL Draft order.
Sure, it's odd seeing the Cowboys, who went 12-5 in the regular season, with the 24th pick in the draft, and the Packers, who went 9-8, behind them at pick 25, but that's because the league's draft order is determined by playoff results for the 14 teams who reach the postseason. The final arrangement won't be set until after Super Bowl LVIII, where the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
Some intriguing angles regarding this year's draft include the Chicago Bears' possession of two selections in the first 10 picks, including the first overall pick. They acquired that pick in a blockbuster trade last year with the Carolina Panthers that allowed the Panthers to move up from nine to one to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. The 2024 Bears will become the 21st team in the Common Draft era (since 1967) to have two top 10 picks in the same draft provided they don't trade back. They will need to decide if they want USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, or to retain Justin Fields, their 11th overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft.
Only three drafts all time have seen the first three picks all be quarterbacks, but with the Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots on the clock, the 2024 draft has a chance to join the 1971, 1999 and 2021 draft classes as the fourth. With Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye (the only FBS player with over 7,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards across the last two seasons) and LSU's Jayden Daniels (the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner) a part of the upcoming draft as options for those teams, it appears the first three picks could be historic once again.
The Arizona Cardinals have a dilemma if one of the aforementioned teams select Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the consensus best wide receiver prospect in years, ahead of them at pick four. Since they have their quarterback in Kyler Murray, should they stick and pick or trade down?
Should the Atlanta Falcons, who have picked offensive skill-position players in the last three drafts -- running back Bijan Robinson eighth overall in 2023, wide receiver Drake London eighth overall in 2022 and tight end Kyle Pitts fourth overall in 2021-- trade up for a quarterback since they have the eighth overall pick again after quarterback Desmond Ridder proved he isn't the guy? Or do they trade down and stockpile assets for the future under new head coach Raheem Morris?
2024 NFL Draft order
| Overall Pick | Team | 2023 W-L | Strength of Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Bears (via trade with CAR) | 2-15 (CAR record) | .522 (CAR SOS) |
2. | Commanders | 4-13 | .512 |
3. | Patriots | 4-13 | .522 |
4. | Cardinals | 4-13 | .561 |
5. | Chargers | 5-12 | .529 |
6. | Giants | 6-11 | .512 |
7. | Titans | 6-11 | .522 |
8. | Falcons | 7-10 | .429 |
9. | Bears | 7-10 | .464 |
10. | Jets | 7-10 | .502 |
11. | Vikings | 7-10 | .509 |
12. | Broncos | 8-9 | .488 |
13. | Raiders | 8-9 | .488 |
14. | Saints | 9-8 | .433 |
15. | Colts | 9-8 | .491 |
16. | Seahawks | 9-8 | .512 |
17. | Jaguars | 9-8 | .533 |
18. | Bengals | 9-8 | .574 |
19. | Rams | 10-7 | .529 |
20. | Steelers | 10-7 | .540 |
21. | Dolphins | 11-6 | .450 |
22. | Eagles | 11-6 | .481 |
23. | Texans (via trade with CLE) | 11-6 (CLE record) | .536 |
24. | Cowboys | 12-5 | .446 |
25. | Packers | 9-8 | .474 |
26. | Buccaneers | 9-8 | .481 |
27. | Cardinals (via trade with HOU) | 10-7 (HOU record) | .474 |
28. | Bills | 11-6 | .471 |
29. | Lions | 12-5 | .481 |
30. | Ravens | 13-4 | .543 |
31. | Chiefs* | 11-6 | .481 |
32. | 49ers* | 12-5 | .509 |
* Pending Super Bowl result
More storylines will emerge following the NFL Scouting Combine and free agency during the offseason in the lead up to the draft, which is set for April 25-27 in Detroit.
