2024 NFL draft: Latest buzz, rumors, prospect sleepers

We're less than three weeks from Round 1 of the 2024 NFL draft. Draft boards are starting to firm up, team needs are becoming more clear and prospects are starting to make their official visits. And along the way, intrigue around what every team is going to do on Day 1 is picking up.

We've heard a lot of buzz about early picks, standout players, potential trades and the quarterback market. So we asked NFL draft analysts Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates to break down the latest intel from around the league.

Who are the hardest prospects to rank right now and what is the most surprising piece of information you've heard about how specific positions stack up? Who are the most interesting Day 3 sleepers? And which teams could trade up for a non-QB in Round 1? We get into all that and then let Matt, Jordan and Field empty their scouting notebooks with what they're hearing, seeing and thinking.

Who is the hardest prospect to rank right now?

Miller: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina. Projecting where Maye will ultimately be selected in the first round -- somewhere in the top six picks -- is much easier than deciding his grade. He is hovering at No. 9 overall on my board with the potential to slide down a little in the final run up to the draft. I just think the situation he is drafted into will matter so much in determining what kind of success Maye has in the NFL. He started  only 26 games in college, and his turnovers (16 interceptions) and missed-throws scare me. I've accepted that Maye will be drafted much higher than my ranking for him, but he's my most difficult evaluation when it comes to balancing his upside with his current ability.

Reid: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia. In talking to scouts over the past two months, I've gathered that opinions are all over the place on Mims. The talent and physical traits are impossible to ignore. At 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds, Mims has the tools and it doesn't take long to recognize his first-round talent when he's on the field. But "on the field" is the key here.

Mims battled durability concerns throughout the past two seasons, with only eight starts in 30 career games played. He underwent TightRope ankle surgery after three starts last season and even suffered a lower-body injury at the combine. If you told me that Mims would be the best offensive lineman from this class in five years, I'd believe you -- but I'd also believe you if you said he would miss a significant amount of time with injuries as a pro. My No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 19 overall player on my board, Mims is a high-end talent, but the injury history could give some teams pause.

Yates: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA. This one is easy. Latu put out the best tape of any defensive player in the class last season. Heck, I'm not sure it's even close. He is an incredibly talented pass-rusher who combines the ability to torque, bend the edge, use his hands and execute a plan to be the best sack artist in the draft.

But he's also a medical question mark after he was forced into retirement while playing at Washington because of a neck injury in 2020. He resurfaced at UCLA in 2022, was able to resume his career and has been healthy since, but the reality is that every NFL's team tolerance for medical risk is different. I see top-10 tape and believe Latu merits a top-10 selection -- but if the medicals are alarming to teams, his range could be wider than the film would suggest. And some of that is baked into my No. 16 overall ranking.

Who is your favorite Day 3 sleeper?

Reid: Hunter Nourzad, C, Penn State. After starting his career as a tackle at Cornell (2018-2021), Nourzad transferred to Penn State and spent most of the 2022 season at left guard (507 out of 549 snaps), starting eight games. But he really broke out once he moved to center in 2023. At 6-3 and 317 pounds, Nourzad is feisty and gritty, creating quick wins at the first level with his movement skills and then connecting on blocks at the second level. Likely a zone-scheme center in the pros, Nourzad has the strength, agility and instincts to turn into a starter. He was one of the more impressive prospects that I saw at the East-West Shrine Bowl in January, and I have a late-Round 4, early-Round 5 grade on him -- but he can definitely outplay that draft slot.

Yates: Myles Harden, CB, South Dakota. I like cornerbacks who are disruptors and Harden unequivocally fits that bill. Back in the 2022 season, Harden forced six turnovers over the first four games (three interceptions, three forced fumbles) as a tenacious, confident, springy player who is excellent at the catch point. He has a ton of experience as a four-year player and ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash at the combine, a good enough speed to fortify my belief that he'll find an immediate role for a team as a third or fourth cornerback. And Harden -- a top-150 prospect for me -- has the upside to develop into a larger role in time.

Miller: Michael Barrett, LB, Michigan. Two of the best games I watched this draft season of any linebacker were from Barrett: against Alabama in the College Football Playoff and his 2022 tape against Rutgers. In the latter, Barrett had two interceptions and took one back for a pick-six. Against the Crimson Tide, he was all over the field while recording nine tackles and a sack of quarterback Jalen Milroe. He was a two-down 'backer at Michigan and likely will be the same in the pros, but his instincts and playmaking ability are so much fun to scout. I have him in the Round 5-6 range.

Which team is most likely to trade up for a non-QB in Round 1?

Yates: Buffalo Bills. After trading away Stefon Diggs, the Bills have one of the thinnest receiver rooms in the NFL. Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Mack Hollins currently stand atop the depth chart, with Buffalo having lost both Diggs and Gabe Davis (signed in Jacksonville) this offseason. While the depth of this WR class certainly makes it viable for a very good receiving option to be available at No. 28 (Buffalo's current pick), GM Brandon Beane has a history of being willing to move up the board to get his guy. In fact, Beane has moved up in the first round four times in six years, including last year to land tight end Dalton Kincaid. Even if it is just a handful of slots, I've got my eyes on the Bills.

Miller: Washington Commanders. We all believe they will take a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick, but I also think they're the team most likely to move up for a non-quarterback. The Commanders currently own pick Nos. 36 and 40 in the second round and are in the market for a left tackle after signing interior linemen Nick Allegretti and Tyler Biadasz in free agency. Per the Jimmy Johnson draft trade chart, packaging the two second-rounders would be good enough to get to pick No. 16 overall and grab a left tackle before the run on the position likely starts around pick No. 20 with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the clock. I think Penn State's Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Washington's Troy Fautanu and/or Oklahoma's Tyler Guyton could be available in that range.

Reid: Arizona Cardinals. One thing we know about GM Monti Ossenfort is that he enjoys wheeling and dealing on draft day. The Cardinals are tied for the most draft picks (11), and after trading back from No. 3 and then trading back up to the No. 6 spot last year, I believe Ossenfort will be aggressive again. With two first round picks, Arizona could explore trade-up options from the 27th overall pick, as the team needs help at corner, at wide receiver and in the trenches. But also watch for the Cardinals to entertain trade-back scenarios from No. 4, and then perhaps use those assets to trade up from No. 27 (or move around in later rounds).

What is the most surprising thing you've heard about the order in which prospects will come off the board?

Miller: J.J. McCarthy, QB2. If this was one or two people saying it, I'd probably dismiss it as the usual April draft buzz that doesn't come to fruition. But enough sources around the NFL are whispering that McCarthy could very well be the second quarterback off the board that it has to be considered possible at this point. The Commanders will ultimately decide what works best for their franchise -- and owner Josh Harris, general manager Adam Peters, coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will likely all be involved in that process -- but ruling out McCarthy in Washington would be foolish based on leaguewide intel surrounding the quarterbacks. He's currently my QB4 at No. 22 overall.

Reid: There are mixed predictions around the NFL on the second tight end off the board behind Georgia's Brock Bowers. Texas' Ja'Tavion Sanders was seen as the most likely option exiting the 2023 season, but that narrative has shifted during the pre-draft process. For one, scouts are enamored with Kansas State's Ben Sinnott. He has a lot of fans as a Day 2 target. Scouts who I spoke to raved about his versatile skill set as a pass-catcher and blocker, and many believe he simply offers more than Sanders. It helps that Sinnott put on a show at the combine; he had the highest vertical (40 inches), longest broad jump (10-foot-6) and fastest three-cone drill (6.82 seconds) of all tight ends. Don't be surprised to see Sinnott as the second tight end off the board and inside the top 75 picks.

Yates: The edge class seems to elicit varying opinions from around the league. Alabama's Dallas Turner is a popular fit to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 (including in my recent mock draft), but it's hard to figure out how the run at the position will look after that. UCLA's Latu and Florida State's Jared Verse have certainly had momentum since the start of last season, but Penn State's Chop Robinson feels like a wild card in it all. He's No. 18 on my board, and I believe he has a real chance to be the second edge rusher taken based on conversations with multiple people around the scouting community. He's an explosive player. Ultimately, the draft-day order will wind up being decided by the style of player that teams taking an edge rusher early want, and these first-rounders get the job done in very different ways.

Let's empty the notebooks with everything else we're hearing and seeing this week

Miller's notes:

• Keep an eye on the Philadelphia Eagles as a sneaky offensive tackle team in Round 1, even after Thursday's extension of Jordan Mailata. General manager Howie Roseman drafts ahead of need better and more aggressively than any other decision-maker in football while also building through the trenches with premium picks. With right tackle Lane Johnson entering his age-34 season and center Jason Kelce retiring this offseason, don't be shocked if a player like Oklahoma's Guyton is tabbed as a Week 1 starting right guard and an eventual replacement for Johnson.

• Speaking of offensive tackles, another team to keep an eye on is the Denver Broncos. Left tackle Garett Bolles is entering the final year of his deal -- one that was signed by the previous regime -- and will turn 32 right after the 2024 draft. The Broncos are light on draft picks without a second-rounder this year but should be considered a team to watch at tackle in Round 1 or Round 3.

Reid's notes:

• A lot of scouts were interested in the Yale pro day on Wednesday, as offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie has gotten a bit of buzz. He played in only four games last season after suffering a torn quad, but everyone seems to love his prior work over three seasons as a starter. Measuring at 6-5 and 323 pounds with 36⅛-inch arms, Amegadjie couldn't go through testing but did do positional drills as he works his way back from the injury. Multiple evaluators said he looked good and showcased his standout movement skills, and I've heard mostly late-Day 2 grades on him.

• School pro days are now officially over, but scouts are still on the road to attend personal days for prospects who are recovering from injuries and want to show that they are healthy. There are many notable ones coming up quickly: Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean (April 8), Georgia's Bowers and Mims (April 10) and Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton (April 16).