The 2024 NFL Draft is a little more than two weeks away and the picture is becoming more and more clear when it comes to what teams pick which prospects and so on and so forth.

Three of the four NFC South teams have first-round picks in this year's draft. As we all know, the Carolina Panthers would be in line to pick No. 1 overall, but that was forfeited in last year's trade-up for Bryce Young. Therefore, the Atlanta Falcons are first on the board at No. 8 overall, followed by the New Orleans Saints at 14, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 26. 

The NFCS has been competitive the last couple of years, even if it's been more of a middling competitiveness. So, which first-round draft picks would not only be enough to help one of the teams separate itself from the pack, but strike fear in division rivals?

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Atlanta Falcons

C Graham Barton, Duke Blue Devils

Taking Barton at No. 8 would certainly be a lot higher than he's projected to go and the Falcons can certainly use help along the defensive front seven. But this whole idea is about keeping rivals up at night and the Falcons offense with former Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton would do just that. Sure, another big-time weapon opposite Drake London would be great, but as we know, a quarterback can't hit his targets when he's laying on his back.

Kirk Cousins will turn 36 before the season starts and he's coming off an Achilles injury. The Falcons offensive line is set up at every position but center. As we've seen, interior pressure is becoming more and more of a factor as teams gravitate toward finding ways to scheme it up. A weak spot at a crucial position like center could certainly hamper what should be a very good offense in 2024. 

On the flip side, an effective player at the position not only allows the offense to live up to expectations – he can elevate the unit. Adding Barton gives new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson the athletic anchor he needs to run his Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay-themed offense. 

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Carolina Panthers

N/A

The Panthers don't have a first-round pick, but they do have two second-rounders -Nos. 33 and 39- they could package in some fashion in order to trade into the back end of Round 1. Hell, both picks could move them up into the middle portion of the first round, based of Rich Hill's trade value chart.

We'll see what happens.

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New Orleans Saints

DL Byron Murphy II, Texas Longhorns

Brock Bowers would make a ton of sense here, but it's unlikely he's available at 14. There's a better chance Murphy will be there, however, and he would instantly get the Saints' front four back to the status that had opposing offensive lines dreading matchups ahead of games. 

Murphy gives the Saints the 3T they need and with Cameron Jordan, Chase Young (presumably), and Carl Granderson on the outside, Dennis Allen's defense will continue to make life hard for whomever is trying to score points against it.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

DL Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois Fighting Illini

The Bucs could certainly go center, here, but Zach Frazier is an interesting Day 2 prospect and Jason Licht has the trade ammo to move up in Round 2 or 3, if he wants. There's also the idea of cornerback and outside pass rusher, but drafting a guy like Newton would indirectly help those two positions.

The Bucs began their new process on configuring the defensive line with the selection of Calijah Kancey in 2023 and that worked out very well. Now, they'll double-dip with Newton in hopes of finding the piece that can officially ramp up their four-man pass rush.

How do you help your outside pass rushers and secondary? Interior pressure. Four-man pressure. With Newton, the Bucs would have a very good three-man front comprised of Newton, Vita Vea, and Kancey, along with intriguing pieces in Logan Hall, Mike Greene, and Greg Gaines in the rotation. This team is at its best when the defense is firing on all cylinders and Newton's addition would certainly help make that happen.

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