The 2024 NFL draft brought a slew of talented prospects into the league, many of whom will compete for key roles as early as their rookie seasons. These new players will push ineffective and aging veterans in heated positional battles as clubs make tough cuts and pare their roster size down from 90 at the start of training camp to 53 for the season opener.

While these impact rookies will change the NFL's landscape, some veterans are already benefitting from a lack of first-year competition this offseason.

Going into the draft, certain positions were largely viewed by outside analysts as areas of concern. However, franchises internally granted a vote of confidence to several players in these areas by opting against bringing in prospects who could conceivably contest for the job.

With that in mind, let's look at five projected starters whose employer appears to be quite confident in their abilities based on how the draft and offseason has played out thus far.

Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns had six chances to bring in a running back prospect during the 2024 draft and each time declined to address the position. The team looks to be confident in Nick Chubb's ability to make a full recovery and get back to producing at a Pro Bowl level, even after he suffered a gruesome season-ending knee injury early in 2023.

Chubb has been working his way back to health ever since he was carted off the field in Week 2 after taking a brutal shot to the knee from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. He underwent multiple surgeries to repair the immense damage shortly after but still appears to be in line to begin playing again this season.

When providing an update to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot late in March, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said of Chubb's recovery: "Honestly, it's probably too early to really understand what he's going to look like. He's doing truly doing a fantastic job with the rehab and he should start to load run probably sometime this upcoming month."

Berry revealed the spring and early summer months will be most telling in terms of "potential readiness for early in the season", but he praised the back's recovery work and seems optimistic he'll play a role in 2024.

Although the Browns did recently restructure Chubb's contract to convert some of his salary into incentives, the team hasn't made any major moves to bolster the backfield outside of replacing Kareem Hunt with a pair of low-cost veterans in Nyheim Hines and D'Onta Foreman. The club also has Jerome Ford, the starter for much of the 2023 campaign, under contract for the next two seasons.

The Browns likely would have utilized at least one middle-round pick on a running back prospect if they didn't believe in Chubb. By declining to draft a back—as well as avoiding signing any of the big names in a historically deep 2024 free-agent RB class—the team has to be envisioning Chubb making a full recovery and returning to his RB1 role.

Austin Corbett, C, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers had one of the shakiest offensive lines in the league and gave up a whopping 65 sacks last season. They addressed some glaring issues in the interior of the offensive trenches by signing Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis on the open market but still had a relatively big question mark at center heading into the 2024 draft.

Considering projected starter Austin Corbett underwent a pair of knee surgeries in the last year and suited up for just four games in 2023, it was rather surprising the Panthers decided against utilizing any of the seven selections they ultimately made last week on the position.

The hope clearly is for Corbett to return to form and adequately man the position for the rebuilding club. When healthy, Corbett has been a great player and was a key contributor to a Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams squad just a few seasons ago. He started all 17 games at right guard in 2022, his first season with the Panthers, and earned a respectable 69.1 grade from Pro Football Focus after allowing just two sacks across 985 offensive snaps.

While Corbett hasn't played center at the NFL level yet, he's embraced the impending move brought about by Carolina's recent signings. The 28-year-old joked that the transition was inevitable by saying "I just talk too much anyway," and he said he knew he would end up snapping at some point in his career due to his vocal nature.

Handling the job shouldn't be too tall a task for Corbett in his seventh NFL campaign, but health could still be an issue. If he goes down, the Panthers don't have many options to replace him.

Undrafted free agent signee Andrew Raym and versatile veteran Brady Christensen—whose been deployed at several spots along Carolina's offensive line over the last three years—would be the two most likely options if the club elects not to make any further additions at center.

The lack of draft picks and proven veteran signings shows Carolina's brass is confident in Corbett, however, and the club will be leaning on him to both make a successful transition and stay healthy in 2024.

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys made a splash following the 2024 draft by revealing a marquee running back acquisition. Fans may have been disappointed that their big pickup to fill a position of clear need wasn't one of the talented rookie prospects, but rather veteran free agent Ezekiel Elliott.

According to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram, Elliott came to terms Monday on a one-year, $3 million deal (with $2 million in guarantees) to return to the team that selected him No. 4 overall in 2016.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport first revealed that Elliott was in talks with the Cowboys during the early stages of the 2024 draft, discussions that likely led Dallas to eschew the position entirely during the event. The Cowboys will now be tasking Elliott with filling the gaping hole in their backfield created by Tony Pollard's departure earlier this offseason.

Per The Athletic's Jon Machota, owner Jerry Jones praised the 28-year-old's work with the New England Patriots during his lone 2023 campaign with the club and said "he's good enough to be a starter" for the Cowboys in 2024.

Elliott appeared in 17 games with the Patriots, starting five of them while rushing 184 times for 642 yards and three touchdowns—all career-low marks for the eight-year veteran. He did have his most productive season as a pass-catcher since 2020, however, contributing 51 receptions on 65 targets for 313 yards and two scores.

While Jones may believe Elliott is still a top talent in the NFL, the back's rapid ascension from unsigned free agent to projected starter is more of a testament to the rough shape Dallas' running back room was in prior to his arrival.

After opting against a running back with any of its eight picks in the 2024 draft, Dallas was left with unproven or ineffective veterans such as Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freeman, Malik Davis and Snoop Conner set to battle it out in training camp with undrafted free agent Nathaniel Peat for a handful of roster spots and a hierarchy.

Although he lacks upside and has been steadily on the decline since his last Pro Bowl campaign in 2019, Elliott should bring some much-needed stability and familiarity to the Cowboys' backfield. Whether he'll have enough tread left on his tires to shoulder a starting-caliber load remains to be seen, but Dallas just gave him a massive vote of confidence by bringing him in without any notable rookies to compete with.

Benito Jones, DT, Miami Dolphins

It's hard to fault the Miami Dolphins for letting Christian Wilkins walk in free agency. The defensive tackle signed a blockbuster four-year, $110 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, a contract the cash-strapped 'Phins would have found difficult to cram in under the salary cap.

Unfortunately, the loss of Wilkins, an anchor in the defensive trenches, has left a massive void in the middle of Miami's defensive line. With none of the franchise's seven 2024 draft picks capable of playing nose tackle, Benito Jones will get the first crack at filling that hole during his second stint with the club that brought him into the NFL as an undrafted free agent back in 2020.

Jones hasn't done too much of note since catching on with the Dolphins the first time. As a rookie, he appeared in a mere six games and recorded two tackles while playing just 12 percent of the defensive snaps in those contests. He went on to sign with the Detroit Lions following a 2021 season spent on the practice squad and was active for all 34 of Detroit's games over the last two seasons.

While Jones wasn't a massive contributor in the Motor City, he did log 15 starts and participated in over half of the team's defensive snaps last year. He posted a career-best 26 tackles—including three for loss—and recorded a sack in 2023. Now rejoining the Dolphins on a one-year, $1.79 million deal, Jones is in line to assume his biggest role yet.

Miami could use all the help it can get in the defensive trenches with top edge-rushers Jaelen Phillips and Bradley Chubb both coming off severe season-ending injuries. Considering his veteran teammates are recovering and reinforcements like rookie first-round pick Chop Robinson still have to get brought up to speed, Jones will need to get off to a fast start to keep the defensive line stable.

It may not be an ideal situation for the Dolphins, but if Jones can answer the call and fill in for Wilkins adequately, the team will be in fine shape. It will make the signing one of the better value pickups of 2024 while also setting Jones up to cash in when he returns to the open market next spring.

Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills

Buffalo appeared to be in dire need of receiving room help during the 2024 draft after parting ways with incumbent No. 1 wideout Stefon Diggs and key playmaker Gabe Davis earlier in the offseason.

Instead of addressing the position at No. 28 overall, the Bills opted to trade down twice and didn't make a pick until Day 2. While the choice at No. 33 was a receiver in Keon Coleman, it was rather surprising the club didn't address the position again with any of the nine other selections at its disposal.

While Coleman is certainly an asset and a fantastic value pickup—he ranked No. 22 overall and was the No. 5 wideout on the final Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board—he's likely going to be limited to playing the X receiver role in the NFL. The big 6'3", 213-pound pass-catcher is strong with great ball skills but lacks the speed to burn defenders on deep routes and needs some footwork refinement.

By only drafting Coleman and declining to sign any notable veterans outside of Curtis Samuel this offseason, the Bills provided a massive vote of confidence to Khalil Shakir.

Shakir has steadily ascended Buffalo's depth chart after starting his career as a little-utilized fifth-round rookie. He only tallied 10 receptions for 161 yards and one touchdown while seeing the field for just 29 percent of the offensive snaps in Year 1. He brought that production up to 39 catches for 611 yards and two scores while playing a shade over half of the offensive snaps in his sophomore campaign.

Shakir's numbers are now poised to see a massive uptick in a critical third season. His late-year surge in 2023—which included six receptions for 105 yards in the regular-season finale and a seven-catch, 44-yard, one-touchdown outing against the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs—was likely a key reason Buffalo's brass felt comfortable moving on from Diggs.

Based on Buffalo's lack of pickups in the 2024 draft, Shakir appears to be on track to burst out as a star this season and could quickly emerge as Josh Allen's new top target.