• The Jaguars’ trade-up may have shaped a big chunk of Round 1: If the Browns had stayed put at No. 2, perhaps the Jaguars would have drafted Ashton Jeanty and the Panthers would have secured Mason Graham.

• The Saints’ decision not to draft a quarterback in the first round had a ripple effect: Jaxson Dart easily could have been the team’s choice, which would have negated the Giants’ trade back into the first round for the Ole Miss signal-caller.

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Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

The only constant in life is chaos, and that certainly applies to the NFL draft. This year was no exception, as we saw a few wild first-round trades, unexpected falls from certain prospects and franchise-altering decisions made by all 32 teams.

Of course, it’s always fun to think about the domino effect that different scenarios may have had on the remainder of the draft, so we’ll look over a few of those that seemed like realistic options heading into draft weekend.

What if the Browns didn’t trade down with the Jaguars in the top five?

The draft started in explosive fashion with the Jacksonville Jaguars trading up to the second-overall pick to take Colorado superstar Travis Hunter. Ultimately, they made the Browns an offer they couldn’t refuse, one that included a 2026 first-round selection. Had Cleveland remained in its original slot and drafted Hunter, the rest of the top eight may have looked very different.

The above scenario is just one of many that could have unfolded if Cleveland had selected Hunter second overall instead of trading down. The ripple effect starts in earnest with Jacksonville, which was rumored to be seeking an offensive playmaker. The best one remaining was Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, who went off the board one pick later to Las Vegas.

Speaking of the Raiders, losing out on Jeanty would have created a scenario where they possibly would have taken a trench player. There were rumors before the draft that they would have been satisfied with Armand Membou as their right tackle. That would have allowed them to still fill needs at wide receiver and cornerback later in the draft while digging into the depth of the running back class.

If Las Vegas had picked Membou, the Jets would have been forced to find another solution at No. 7. Perhaps they would have pivoted to another offensive tackle — Kelvin Banks Jr. — thereby creating a ripple effect further down the draft order. They also might have selected an offensive playmaker such as Tyler Warren or Tetairoa McMillan.

The Panthers could have been the most interesting team in the above scenario, with both Mason Graham and McMillan still on the board. Head coach Dave Canales recently referred to Cleveland selecting Graham ahead of them as a “big moment,” perhaps revealing that they may have picked Graham over McMillan if he were on the board. That would’ve created an interesting situation for McMillan, too; how much further would he have fallen down the board?

What if the Panthers selected Jalon Walker with the eighth pick?

Many mock drafts projected the Carolina Panthers to select Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker with the eighth-overall pick. Doing so may have changed the draft immensely, particularly for one of their division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta ended up selecting Walker at No. 15, perhaps feeling he was an excellent value that they didn’t expect to be there. They also traded a future first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams to acquire the 26th pick and select edge defender James Pearce Jr.

If the Falcons were willing to go to such lengths to draft Pearce, they may have simply selected him with their original pick in the first round had Walker not been on the board. They also would still own their 2026 first-round pick as opposed to sending it to the Rams.

We also will never know what the Rams would have done had they kept their original pick and selected a player. Perhaps it would’ve been an offensive lineman, such as Josh Conerly Jr. or Josh Simmons, who went to Washington and Kansas City, respectively, just a few picks later. Maybe they would have selected Pearce for themselves to pair with Jared Verse off the edge.

Now, the biggest question for the Rams is how well-armed they will be if they choose to find Matthew Stafford’s successor in next year’s draft class. With two first-round picks in hand, they may have the flexibility to trade up to get their quarterback of choice. The Rams’ 2026 draft could set the tone for the future of their franchise, and they may have the Panthers, among others, to thank for it.

What if the Saints took Jaxson Dart with the ninth pick?

The Saints likely did the shrewd thing with their first-round pick by adding offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. to an offense that ranked dead last in PFF pass-blocking grade last season. While they eventually drafted quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round, New Orleans could have sent shockwaves through the league had it selected a different quarterback at ninth overall.

Considering Shedeur Sanders’ fall to the fifth round, we’ll examine this scenario with Jaxson Dart, who was actually the second quarterback drafted. Multiple possibilities present themselves if the Saints had done so. First and foremost, Kelvin Banks Jr. would have fallen, but likely not very far, with teams such as Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Miami all searching for offensive line help within the next few picks.

Highest-Graded FBS QBs | 2024 Regular Season and Postseason

Perhaps the Giants would have been in the most difficult position, as they traded back into the first round to select Dart. Considering the urgency they showed in doing so, they may have felt that Dart was a significantly better option than Shough. If they didn’t trade up with Houston, they may have still gambled on Shough with the 34th overall pick. Or they could have considered themselves satisfied with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in their building and addressed a different position altogether.

There is also the matter of the Houston Texans, who traded down with the Giants and selected wide receiver Jayden Higgins near the top of the second round. Could Higgins have been a first-round pick if Houston sat tight? Would they have drafted an offensive lineman who could have been ahead of Higgins on their board? We’ll never know, but the Saints selecting a quarterback in the top 10 could’ve altered the decisions of many other teams.

What if the Cowboys selected a wide receiver in the first round?

Dallas certainly made things interesting when it selected Alabama guard Tyler Booker with the 12th pick. Many, including more than 60% of PFF Mock Draft Simulator users, expected the Cowboys to take a wide receiver with the pick. Perhaps there was a world where Tetairoa McMillan could’ve been an option, but players like Luther Burden III, Emeka Egbuka, and Matthew Golden also could have been in play.

Selecting any one of those players instead of Booker would have altered the plans of several teams picking later on. Egbuka was the first of the group to get drafted, coming off the board at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ draft slot. It was a surprising selection at the time, but perhaps it gave some insight into the team trying to maintain the sustainability of its receiving corps. If Egbuka was off the board, it’s fair to wonder if the Buccaneers would have pivoted to another receiving option or selected a defensive player like many expected.

If Dallas had selected Golden, we may not have seen the Green Bay Packers break their 23-year drought of selecting a wide receiver in the first round. Assuming the Cowboys drafted Golden and the Buccaneers drafted Egbuka, the Packers may have had to pivot to another area of need, especially considering the next best receiving options, Burden and Jayden Higgins, weren’t taken until the second round. Green Bay may have drafted edge defender James Pearce Jr. or cornerback Maxwell Hairston instead.

We’re also left to wonder what would’ve happened if any of these teams picked Luther Burden III, thereby ending his real-life slide to Round 2 to the Chicago Bears. The Bears were likely playing to the value of their board by selecting Burden, but it’s fair to think that offensive line, defensive line and running back would have been at the top of mind, considering those are positions they attacked later on.

And one more ripple effect: The Cowboys are reportedly trading for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, whose 78.6 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked 24th among 112 qualifiers. Does that deal get done if Dallas had selected a wideout in Round 1?

What if Shedeur Sanders had not had such a dramatic fall?

The drama surrounding Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders mystified audiences throughout draft weekend. Even those who didn’t consider him a sure-fire first-rounder generally had him pegged as a top-50 or top-60 talent and a potential starter based on his tape. Intangible reasons were likely at play in his fall to the fifth round.

What scenarios could have played out in a more reasonable fall for Sanders? We’ll assume he wasn’t going to be selected in the top 10, similarly to the previous Saints scenario. If Sanders went to the Saints or any other team in need of a quarterback, here is what the potential early draft hauls could have looked like.

• Cleveland Browns (stay at No. 2): WR/CB Travis Hunter, QB Shedeur Sanders
• Cleveland Browns (Trade down to No. 5): DI Mason Graham, QB Shedeur Sanders, RB Quinshon Judkins
• Pittsburgh Steelers: QB Shedeur Sanders
• New York Giants: ED Abdul Carter, QB Shedeur Sanders
• New Orleans Saints: T Kelvin Banks Jr., QB Shedeur Sanders

Had any of these teams felt better about Sanders’ intangibles, perhaps they would’ve traded up to acquire him. The hypothetical scenario of Sanders and Travis Hunter staying together in Cleveland, particularly with the irony of Sanders ending up there anyway, would’ve been fun. The Browns also ironically ended up with Graham, Sanders and Judkins in reality, but also nabbed linebacker Carson Schwesinger with the 33rd-overall pick.

The Steelers didn’t select a quarterback until the sixth round in Ohio State’s Will Howard, which likely showed their commitment to Aaron Rodgers. There is a world where the Steelers would have gotten impatient with Rodgers and decided to move toward the next best option. Perhaps that could have been Sanders or Jaxson Dart, but they opted for defensive tackle Derrick Harmon instead.

The Giants and Saints have a more straightforward path here as the teams that selected Dart and Tyler Shough, respectively, as alternatives to Sanders. They clearly felt comfortable enough with those two to draft them inside the top 40. We are only left to wonder how much Sanders factored into those decisions.