Top AFC veteran QB-rookie WR connections to watch in the 2024 NFL season

The wide receiver prospect group was deep entering the 2024 NFL Draft.  Led by Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers, the rookie receivers entering the league in 2024 is not only deep but should play key roles on the teams that drafted them in Year 1 in the NFL.

A few of those receivers have landed with teams in the AFC who happen to have top quarterbacks in the league.  Which veteran quarterback, rookie wide receiver combinations will benefit each team in the conference?

Top AFC quarterbacks with exciting rookie receivers in 2024

In looking around the AFC, the combinations selected was based on current team needs at the position as well as the qualities that rookie receiver brings to the team’s offense.  Whether they were selected in the first round or a later round, these talented rookies will have an opportunity to flourish catching the ball from some of the top signal callers in the NFL.

Let’s take a look at which combinations will ignite excitement in the upcoming 2024 NFL season.

Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson to Devontez Walker

Lamar Jackson may have himself another weapon in Devontez Walker.  Selected with the No. 113 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the North Carolina product comes to the Ravens with great hands and gives Jackson a downfield threat that will be intriguing to watch if you are a Ravens fan.

Thus far in training camp, Walker has been turning heads and could quickly become a favorite target of Jackson, a quarterback the rookie enjoyed watching prior to being drafted by the Ravens.

“It’s definitely an honor,” Walker said. “I’ve been watching Lamar since he came out of high school, watched him at Louisville. I think he’s a great football player. He’s somebody that I wished I was on his team, and now that wish is coming true. He’s a great player. I love watching him, so I’m looking forward to being alongside of him.”

Now, Walker gets to play with Jackson which will be a delight to see due to that vertical threat ability he brings to a receiver group led by Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor.  With Jackson’s ability to extend plays, an athletic wide receiver like Walker will have opportunities to get behind defensive players and make big plays for the Ravens.

New York Jets: Aaron Rodgers to Malachi Corley

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is excited about third-round pick Malachi Corley and it’s because of what the Western Kentucky product can do once the ball is in his hands.

Compared to Deebo Samuel because of his big, physical frame, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Corley ran through defenders in leading Western Kentucky with 79 receptions for 894 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns.  Although he needs to improve on his route running, it is his yards after the catch (YAC) that has Rodgers and Jets fans excited about the wideout.

In the last three seasons in college, he led the FBS with 2,068 YAC yards.  That trait makes him an interesting target for Rodgers who has a knack of forming chemistry with receivers selected in later rounds of the draft and Corley is someone he’s excited to work with, calling him his “favorite receiver in the draft” during an interview with the Offical Jets Podcast following the 2024 NFL Draft.

“Now, he might not have been the best on paper in the draft,” Rodgers explained.  “But I really felt like he was going to fit in with what we’re trying to do – his mindset, his ferocity.”

The Jets’ offense will try to be both physical and more explosive in 2024.  Rodgers will have Garrett Wilson as his prime receiver, but in signing of Mike Williams and drafting Corley, the team will have versatile options to get the ball to.  Watch out for the Rodgers to Corley connection.

Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert to Ladd McConkey

The Chargers traded away Keenan Allen in the offseason, but they did add an interesting playmaker in the mix with the selection of Ladd McConkey with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Georgia product enters the league with quickness and outstanding route running which will make him an instant top target for Chargers QB Justin Herbert.  Although both Herbert and McConkey are battling injuries in camp, this should be one of the top veteran QB-rookie receiver combinations in the NFL given how quickly McConkey has picked up the offense.

“He’s just picked up the offense so easily,” Herbert said of McConkey back in June.  “It’s like he’s been a four or five-year vet.  He understands the game, he understands leverage.  He’s a smart player, he’s very athletic.  He can beat man coverage, find the soft spot in zones.”

In all, it is the footwork that makes McConkey an intriguing rookie entering 2024.  Can he translate his game to the NFL level and be that reliable target Herbert is looking for?  Well, it looks like the duo is off to a good start and moving forward just need to continue building chemistry.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence to Brian Thomas Jr.

The Jaguars lost top wide receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency. To make up for that loss, the Jags signed Gabe Davis and drafted Brian Thomas Jr. with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to help fill the void and give Trevor Lawrence a new and interesting target to get the ball to in 2024.

With a new contract, Lawrence will be looking to bounce back from a somewhat down season in 2023.  Lawrence and the Jaguars offense took a step back which was partly due to Lawrence nursing an injury towards the end of the season.  In adding Davis and Thomas Jr. to a core that includes Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram, Jacksonville will be looking to get that explosiveness back in their offense and what better way to do that than a talented receiver like Thomas Jr., who served second fiddle to Malik Nabers at LSU.

As the second option with the Tigers, the 6-foot-3, 209-wide receiver blended his size with elite speed to lead the SEC with 17.3 yards per catch.  Do you think Lawrence’s eyes won’t light up when he sees Thomas Jr. streaking down the field.  During OTAs, the fourth year QB got a glimpse of his new weapon and was impressed.

“I think that’s the one thing I’m most impressed with is he’s picking up the offense super fast. He’s a quiet guy, so we’re still getting him to ask questions and stuff. But he doesn’t ask any questions, he always knows what to do,” Lawrence said, via Jaguarswire.com.

“I’ve been impressed. It’s tough for a rookie. I was there obviously at one point and I was swimming a little bit, and to see him come out here and pick everything up and really not skip a beat has been impressive. The more comfortable he gets in the system and knows what to do, he’s just going to get better and better.”

There will be a lot of Lawrence-to-Thomas touchdowns in Duval County as soon as this upcoming season.

Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen to Keon Coleman

The Bills took a gamble by trading Stefon Diggs in the offseason, especially after losing Gabriel Davis in NFL free agency.

What the Bills are gambling on is third-year wide receiver Khalil Shakir having a breakout season and the tight end duo of Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox elevating their games as top playmakers for Josh Allen.  They also hope 2024 NFL Draft second-round pick Keon Coleman finds chemistry with Allen that will make this veteran quarterback-rookie wide receiver combo a duo who will create excitement in 2024.

With his big body, athleticism and motivation, Coleman has already impressed in OTAs and has Allen gushing over his football IQ and how he is leaning the playbook.

"He's a very smart player," Allen said of Coleman, via the team’s official website. "He's been getting in his playbook. He knows it very well already as a rookie. (He's) constantly studying, constantly asking questions. He loves football. I think that's a first and foremost thing that you learn about him. He loves this game."

While there are expectations of Coleman, there shouldn’t be too much pressure on the Bills’ top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.  With 50 catches for 658 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his final season at Florida State, there is still some room for growth which can elevate him quickly as one of Allen’s favorite targets.

Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes to Xavier Worthy

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs managed to win two Super Bowls without Tyreek Hill who make the offense so dynamic and explosive during his days in Kansas City.  With the selection of Xavier Worthy with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chiefs have added that dynamic ability back to the offense.

Not to put Worthy in Hill’s category before he has even played an NFL game, but the talent and that record-breaking speed is hard to ignore.  You better believe Andy Reid will utilize Worthy in the same fashion he did Hill and fans can count on Mahomes getting the ball in Worthy’s hands in creative ways to utilize that speed.

That’s what makes this veteran quarterback-rookie wide receiver combination the top duo to watch in the upcoming 2024 NFL season.  Heck, they have already given a preview in training camp.  Take a look:

Oh, it’s going to be fun and Mahomes is already loving his new weapon.  That 60-yard connection also has Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy gleaming with excitement.

“I definitely got too excited for that play; I’ve got to control (and) contain my emotions a little bit, but anyway, the throw, the play, the execution, it’s exciting because it was really the first time we’ve had that type of play with Xavier (Worthy),” Nagy said. “You get a guy that wants it so bad, Pat (Patrick Mahomes) wants it to be able to connect with him, so when that happens, especially early in the practice, it’s a good feeling.”

How in the world did NFL teams allow the Chiefs to draft this electric weapon?