2024 NFL Draft Review: One pivotal rookie for each AFC West squad

The AFC West will still be the Kansas City Chiefs division to lose, but the other squads will be competitive, especially if the players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft fill needed roles.

With top talent like Joe Alt, Bo Nix, Brock Bowers and Xavier Worthy joining the division, the 2024 NFL Draft will be an interesting one in the AFC West.  With any draft, there is hope rookies can come in an make an impact right away.  Sometimes those impacts come from unexpected players who may have been drafted in the later rounds.  Sometimes even a rookie selected in the first round can be better than expected.

Which rookies will stand out as impact players in the upcoming NFL season.  NFL Mocks takes a look at each team’s pivotal rookie based on team’s need and how each player can help transcend their teams with a stellar rookie season.

Will another great quarterback rise in the AFC West?

Patrick Mahomes will be Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert should be better with Jim Harbaugh as his head coach, but the big questions in the NFC West surround the quarterback situations in Denver and Las Vegas.  While the Raiders missed out on one of the top six quarterbacks in the draft, the Broncos did draft their guy.  But, will he be THE guy?

Denver Broncos – QB Bo Nix (Round 1 – Pick 12)

It’s obvious in Denver.  The pivotal rookie for the Broncos in 2024 is the player they selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.  Sean Payton and company needed a quarterback, and they got one in Bo Nix who entered training camp in a QB competition with Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

Early reports from camp are that QB competition is down to Nix vs Stidham, but things can change as teams enter the preseason schedule.  As for now, it appears Nix and his skillset fits what Payton wants to do on offense.  With all the numbers he put up while in Oregon, Nix has the arm to be something special under Payton and he will get his opportunity.

The question is will he embrace it?

So far in camp, it appears that he is the quarterback that will lead the Broncos into the 2024 NFL season.  If he does lock down the starting role, staying within Payton’s gameplan will not only help Nix grow, but lead a team described by Payton as “young and hungry.”

Coming out of college as one of the more accurate passers, the rookie quarterback will have the playmakers to have early success in the league.  One of those players is Courtland Sutton who loves what Nix brings to the offense.

“Bo brings a lot of really good qualities to our team in terms of the quarterback position,” Sutton said following the draft.  “He does a lot of things really, really well on the field. …He has that leader mentality, that aura that he walks with.”

All those elements showed during his preseason debut on Sunday.  In a 34-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Nix went 15-of-21 with 125 yards and a touchdown to get a leg up on the quarterback competition.

Kansas City Chiefs – WR Xavier Worthy (Round 1– Pick 28)

Patrick Mahomes got the perfect weapon in Xavier Worthy when the Chiefs selected the speedy wide receiver with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

It is hard not to think Tyreek Hill when thinking about the potential of Worthy in an offense catching the ball from Mahomes.  The Texas product wowed Mahomes and Hill with his record-breaking 40-time of 4.21, but it is his production at Texas that makes him intriguing.  Worthy led the Longhorns with 75 receptions for 1,014 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.  He also ranked second with 16.9 yards per punt return. 

What makes Worthy a pivotal rookie is that second-year receiver Rashee Rice has faced off-the-field legal issues which could lead to a suspension.  With that unknown, having a receiver like Worthy in the mix will help the Chiefs offense stay dangerous, especially if the can pick up the offense and find a niche quickly in Andy Reid’s scheme.  Speaking of the Chiefs head coach, Reid was impressed with Worthy during rookie minicamp.

“I thought he [Xavier Worthy] did a nice job picking up things and working through [it]. We asked him to do a whole lot of stuff there,” Reid said. “He was put in most of the primary spots, so it was good for him to be able to get in there and move around a little bit.”

The next step is building chemistry with Mahomes which it looks like the quarterback and receiver are during early in training camp.

Las Vegas Raiders – G Jackson Powers-Johnson (Round 2 – Pick 44)

The Raiders needed offensive line help entering the 2024 NFL Draft and they got it with the selection of Jackson Powers-Johnson who was selected with the No. 44 overall pick.

The Oregon product is a first-round talent who should help solidify the Raiders’ offensive line, primarily at right guard where he is slotted to play.  With his versatility playing along the interior of the offensive line including center, Powers-Johnson is a force with great upper body strength and tenacity. 

In all that 6-foot-3, 320-pound mean streak would look great and silver and black.  Most importantly, if Powers-Johnson can win the starting role at right guard, it will give the Raiders depth as it will push Cody Whitehair as a depth piece at guard.  Due to a shoulder injury, the excitement surrounding Powers-Johnson did take a little hit as he landed on PUP to start training camp, once healthy he’ll be the force in the NFL that he is projected to be and stabilize the Raiders’ offensive line. 

Los Angeles Chargers – DT Justin Eboigbe (Round 4 – Pick 105)

Top draft picks Joe Alt and Ladd McConkey will be key contributors in 2024, but the team’s fourth round pick could be the Chargers most pivotal rookie this upcoming season.  In selecting Alabama’s Justin Eboigbe with the No. 105 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chargers addressed a need in the anterior of their defensive line.

With Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa on the outside, the Chargers needed to address the defensive line, especially with the loss of defensive tackles Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson in the offseason.  As a player who is solid against the run, the 6-foot-4, 292-pound rookie will get an opportunity as a backup to Otito Ogbonnia at defensive tackle but has the versatility to play many positions across the defensive line which he is ready for in the NFL.

“Honestly, it doesn’t even matter,” Eboigbe said when addressing which position he preferred to play. “If I can be on the field, it doesn’t matter. I can play every position. I know one thing: Whatever helps the team – whether that’s at three-technique, five-technique, shade, it doesn’t matter – as long as I can be able to effectively help the team, I’m all for it.”

If Eboigbe can find his niche as a versatile defensive lineman and earn snaps, he will be a value pick for the Chargers.