The 2024 NFL draft is just over a week away. While there's still plenty of mystery surrounding how things will unfold, one thing is certain. This year's draft will feature plenty of excitement throughout the weekend.

And the 2024 draft may generate memories that linger for years to come.

Memorable drafts come in different flavors, of course. They can be historically good—like the 1983 draft that yielded Hall of Famers John Elway, Bruce Matthews, Eric Dickerson, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Darrell Green, Richard Dent and Jim Covert.

Sometimes draft classes are remembered for colossal missteps, like the New Orleans Saints' decision to bet the house on Ricky Williams in 1999 or the Chicago Bears' 2017 decision to draft Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes.

This year, there are multiple reasons the draft might leave a lasting impression. Let's take a look.

Tons of QB Intrigue at the Top

Draft drama is usually remembered fondly, and we're likely to get plenty of it when it comes to the top quarterbacks. The Bears are widely expected to take USC's Caleb Williams with the No. 1 selection, but things get a lot murkier after that.

The Washington Commanders and New England Patriots—who hold the second and third picks, respectively—need new signal-callers. The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers are candidates to trade the fourth and fifth picks, respectively, to quarterback-needy teams.

There's a very real chance that Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy are all drafted in the top five, if not the top four. There's been very little clarity on how the order might go, though.

The Commanders have not tipped their hand, and they may not have made a choice.

"Their board is not set, and they have received calls from other teams about the No. 2 overall pick in this draft process," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Monday on Get Up.

Fowler has also reported that teams don't view it as a lock that the Patriots will take a QB at No. 3.

Then, there's the uncertainty of if and which teams will try moving up for a quarterback. According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the New York Giants have shown "strong" interest in acquiring a quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings, who now own the 11th and 23rd overall picks, need a quarterback and have the capital to make a move.

For draftniks, it's fascinating stuff, and the reality that not all of the top QB prospects are likely to become legitimate stars makes it all the more interesting.

More Quarterbacks Could Enter the Round 1 Equation

While Williams, Maye, Daniels and McCarthy are all veritable first-round locks, they might not be the only signal-callers to be drafted on opening night. Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. are not in the same caliber as the top four, but they could still potentially be drafted in the first round.

There is no shortage of quarterback-needy teams this year—the list includes the Giants, Vikings, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders—that might not be able to draft a QB at the top of Round 1. They could look to move down, or up from Round 2 to land a quarterback at the bottom of the first round for one very big reason—the fifth-year option.

First-round picks come with the fifth-year option, while selections made after Round 1 do not. That can be a huge factor when quarterbacks get involved because a rookie QB contract provides a ton of flexibility.

Prospects like Nix and Penix might also be options for teams like New England and Washington if they trade out of the top three—Penix is among Washington's list of pre-draft visits.

A potentially large first-round QB class could be memorable for a couple of reasons. If it does yield multiple Pro Bowlers, we could look back on the 2024 draft similarly to the 1983 draft or, perhaps, the 2004 draft that yielded Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger.

The QB class could also fail spectacularly, as the 2021 class largely has. Or, it could yield a huge quarterback mistake, like Chicago's Trubisky pick or the Cleveland Browns 2018 decision to take Baker Mayfield over Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.

With a half-dozen quarterbacks possibly in the first-round mix, the possibilities are many.

We Might See a Draft Record Broken

Records are usually memorable, and there's a chance we see a new one set in 2024.

As ESPN's Adam Schefter recently pointed out, the current record for offensive players taken in the first round is 19 and has occurred three times. We could see 20 or more go this year.

There are a few reasons there could be an early run on offensive players. The quarterback class is a big part of it, but the draft is also loaded at wide receiver, offensive tackle and interior offensive line.

Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is the top-ranked prospect at any position on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board, and he's only one of six pass-catchers ranked inside the top 32.

Florida State pass-rusher Jared Verse and Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell are the only defensive players ranked inside the top 10 by the B/R Scouting Department. The draft isn't particularly deep at marquee defensive positions like cornerback and edge, so from a value standpoint, targeting an offensive player will make sense for many franchises.

In the B/R Scouting Department's latest mock draft, 20 offensive players went in the first round, and that mock only included four quarterbacks. The actual draft may unfold similarly.

The potential record is only part of the equation, though. The NFL loves offense, and if we look back on the 2024 class as one littered with top-tier offensive talent, we're not likely to forget it.

Trades Could Come Fast and Furiously on Day 1

Draft-day chaos can leave a lasting impression, and trades can provide it. There are several reasons we could see multiple first-round trades next week.

For one, teams have become more comfortable with moving around in the first round. We saw nine trades during the first round of the 2022 draft and six draft-day trades last year. We've already seen one trade of draft picks, as the Vikings acquired the 23rd pick and a 2024 seventh-rounder from the Houston Texans for 2024 second- and sixth-round picks and a 2025 second-round selection.

We could see other teams look to move out of the first round because there isn't a huge difference in the talent level of late-first-round prospects and Day 2 players this year—which might explain Houston's willingness to trade out.

"The Houston Texans took note and said, 'Let's get a free future second-rounder and still land the same caliber of prospect this year,'" Brent Sobleski of the B/R Scouting Department posted on X after the Texans-Vikings trade.

Additionally, with a shortage of legitimate first-round-caliber defenders, we might see teams maneuvering to fill needs on that side of the ball. Teams like the Philadelphia Eagles or Baltimore Ravens, for example, might be willing to jump another team for a prospect like Alabama corner Terrion Arnold or UCLA edge-rusher Laiatu Latu.

We could also see teams move up for pass-catchers like Harrison, LSU's Malik Nabers or Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, depending on how their individual boards align.

All of this is on top of the aforementioned quarterback market, which could see teams trading both at the top and the bottom of Round 1. Tracking all the movement could become a dizzying affair, one that leaves an enduring memory for draft-day diehards.

Players Could Be Traded on Opening Night Too

The trade activity might not be limited to draft selections either. Several notable veterans are facing contract situations that could lead to a trade, and one or two of them could realistically be dealt on draft day.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, for example, requested a trade after receiving the franchise tag—though, he's more recently noted that he expects to play in Cincinnati in 2024.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is entering the final year of his contract and could become a trade candidate if a long-term deal doesn't appear imminent. Aiyuk hasn't formally requested a trade. However, the buzz has been building enough that his agent, Ryan Williams, recently took to social media to deny that Aiyuk has requested to be dealt.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Denver Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton has skipped the start of his team's offseason program "as he seeks a new contract."

It could also be worth keeping an eye on extension-eligible receivers like Minnesota's Justin Jefferson and the Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb.

We're focusing on receivers here because the 2024 class has a ton of talent at the position. If, say, the 49ers find a receiver they love available at pick No. 31, they might decide that getting a receiver on a rookie contract is more valuable than paying Aiyuk long-term.

Two years ago, the Tennessee Titans made a similar decision when they traded A.J. Brown to Philadelphia and then immediately drafted Treylon Burks. That proved to be a franchise-altering move for Philadelphia and a not-so-great one by the Titans—and you can bet that Tennessee fans aren't ready to let it go.

A Wide Second Tier of Talent

As previously noted, Day 2 is likely to feature a lot of quality talent this year. According to the Bleacher Report Scouting Department, the grade range for potential starters and potential impact players (grades of 7.0-7.9) runs from the 23rd-ranked prospect (Georgia OT Amarius Mims) to the 87th (Kansas edge Austin Booker).

There are a couple of reasons this is noteworthy. For one, it means we could see a ton of future stars come out of the 2024 class. That includes quarterbacks like Williams and receivers like Harrison but also Day 2 prospects like Texas running back Jonathon Brooks and Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.

That aforementioned '83 draft featured a lot of talent after Round 1, including Pro Bowlers like Wes Hopkins, Roger Craig, Bill Pickel and Albert Lewis. The large number of quality players combined with 1983's Hall of Famers created arguably the most impactful draft in league history.

While the 2024 draft might not yield 40-plus Pro Bowlers, it might have a substantial impact on the not-too-distant future of the NFL.

Over draft weekend, this wide second tier could also lead to even more draft trades. We've already discussed teams potentially trading down to acquire more picks while dipping into the Day 2 talent pool. We could also see several teams scrambling to trade up and into Rounds 2 and 3.

There's a serious lack of depth after that second tier—due possibly, in part, to NIL money making it easier for draft hopefuls to justify returning to school. Don't be surprised to see teams trying to package multiple Day 3 picks to move into Day 2 or trading for future selections and moving out of the later rounds entirely.

We saw a record 43 trades during the 2023 draft, and this year could set a new benchmark.