Two weeks into the free-agency period and four weeks until the 89th NFL Draft, how has the former affected the latter?

If general managers really adhered to the best-player-available mantra, it would have no affect. But when that happens in the first round of the NFL Draft, it’s often just coincidence. Most teams need a player who will go straight into the lineup at that stage of the draft, and that usually comes at a position of need.

One draft question has been answered this month: The Chicago Bears will make the first pick. While the Bears had quarterback Justin Fields on the roster, there remained at least a long-shot chance that Chicago would trade the No. 1 selection. But Fields’ trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers put the Bears on the clock.

Here’s a pre-free agency look at how the first round could go (with each team picking in its current position), and it’s filled with components of the passing game – the throwers, catchers, protectors and preventers:

1. Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams by the Chicago Bears

The Bears obtained wide receiver Keenan Allen in the Los Angeles Chargers’ salary-cap fire sale, giving their incoming rookie QB two targets who had more than 1,200 receiving yards last season.

2. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels by the Washington Commanders

Maybe Washington could have talked up Sam Howell as a budding Peyton Manning, based on the similarity of their early stats, and expressed an undying desire for Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Perhaps that would have enticed the Arizona Cardinals to trade up from No. 4, and Washington could have picked Daniels there and had a little extra draft capital to boot. Instead, the Commanders have traded Howell to the Seattle Seahawks. It’s either Daniels or North Carolina’s Drake Maye here. Does Washington want another Tar Heel QB? Signing Marcus Mariota as the mentor quarterback points to Daniels.

3. North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye by the New England Patriots

New England jumps on the quarterback train, too – three years after selecting Alabama QB Mac Jones in the first round. The Patriots traded Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this month for next-to-nothing, and now have the opportunity to select another quarterback from Michigan. That worked out well for New England, but the Patriots aren’t picking off a pro-day performance.

4. Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. by the Arizona Cardinals

Hollywood Brown led the Arizona wide receivers in 2023 with 574 receiving yards, and he’s with the Kansas City Chiefs now. Harrison had 174 receptions for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns in the past two seasons for the Buckeyes.

5. LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers by the Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers escaped salary-cap purgatory by trading six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round draft choice and releasing two-time 1,000-yard receiver Mike Williams. If that wasn’t enough to pick a top-flight wide-receiver prospect here, Los Angeles has only four wide receivers on its roster.

6. Georgia tight end Brock Bowers by the New York Giants

What about those 85 sacks allowed by the Giants in 2023 and New York’s seemingly constant desire for a No. 1 wide receiver? The Giants signed five free-agent offensive linemen, and they’ve chosen a wide receiver in the top 75 in each of the past three drafts. Tight end Darren Waller is thinking about retiring? Go ahead.

7. Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt by the Tennessee Titans

The Titans’ offseason makeover continues in the draft with their new left offensive tackle.

8. Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner by the Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are out of the quarterback sweepstakes after signing Kirk Cousins in free agency. Atlanta also signed wide receiver Darnell Mooney, a former Gadsden City High School standout, as a wide-receiver upgrade. That gives the Falcons the opportunity to make the first selection on defense of the 2024 draft.

9. Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse by the Chicago Bears

The trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for wide receiver Keenan Allen means Chicago doesn’t have to pick Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze here. Instead, the Bears can address their pass-rush problem, a weakness that wasn’t helped during Chicago’s busy free-agent season.

10. Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze by the New York Jets

Odunze won’t fall past this pick. Aaron Rodgers throwing to wide receivers Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams and Odunze? The Jets won’t have the fewest yards in the AFC again in 2024.

11. Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell by the Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings lost quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency. They are supposed to pick a quarterback here. But why pick the No. 4 quarterback when the first cornerback choice is waiting to be made?

12. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy by the Denver Broncos

Denver might have gone the Vikings’ route here, but Minnesota beat them to it. So instead of rolling with a season of former Auburn standout Jarrett Stidham, the Broncos pull the quarterback trigger after releasing Russell Wilson.

13. Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold by the Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas did not have a cornerback play at least 70 percent of its defensive snaps in 2023, and the Raiders have not addressed their secondary in free agency. They do here.

14. Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga by the New Orleans Saints

Which team is going to mix up first-round tackles Fuaga, Troy Fautanu and Olumuyiwa Fashanu on their draft card? With uncertainty about the health of Ryan Ramczyk, the Saints go with Fuaga.

15. Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins by the Indianapolis Colts

The Colts gave up the most points in the AFC last season, so it’s either Wiggins or UCLA pass-rusher Laiatu Latu here.

16. UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu by the Seattle Seahawks

After the Colts pass on Latu, the Seahawks go with the pass-rusher over Alabama offensive tackle J.C. Latham, a decision made a little easier by the return of tackle George Fant via free agency.

17. LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. by the Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars lost wide receiver Calvin Ridley in free agency, but they signed wide receiver Gabriel Davis. Jacksonville needs more to get quarterback Trevor Lawrence moving forward again.

18. Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu by the Cincinnati Bengals

Is signing Trent Brown to a one-year contract in free agency the answer to filling the vacancy left at right tackle when former Alabama standout Jonah Williams departed for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency? This pick answers that question.

19. Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II by the Los Angeles Rams

Can the Rams get lightning to strike twice? They hit the Hall of Fame jackpot with an undersized defensive lineman when they drafted Aaron Donald. He retired this offseason as a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

20. Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell by the Pittsburgh Steelers

Which does Pittsburgh need more to make its signing of quarterback Russell Wilson a success: A stronger offensive line or a receiver to pair with former Hoover High School standout George Pickens? After dumping wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers go with the pass-catcher. Wilson still has good mobility.

21. Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton by the Miami Dolphins

Free agency hit the Miami defense hard, including losing interior defenders Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis, a former Alabama standout.

22. Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry by the Philadelphia Eagles

Are the seasons starting to catch up to Philadelphia cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry, a former Pleasant Grove High School and Samford standout? The Eagles gave up more passing yards and more TD passes than every team except the Washington Commanders in 2023.

23. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix by the Minnesota Vikings

After bypassing the Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at No. 11 to add the first cornerback in this year’s draft, Minnesota still gets a first-round QB by using its second selection on the former Pinson Valley High School standout.

24. Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson by the Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys took some hits on the offensive line in free agency, including losing center Tyler Biadasz to division rival Washington, causing the Oregon battery to go back-to-back in the first round.

25. Alabama offensive tackle J.C. Latham by the Green Bay Packers

The Packers have been renewing their historic connection with the Crimson Tide this offseason with the acquisition of running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney in free agency. After bidding adieu to tackle David Bakhtiari this offseason, Green Bay gets another Alabama building block.

26. Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

By trading former Auburn standout Carlton Davis to the Detroit Lions this month, Tampa Bay created a vacancy in its secondary. The Bucs aren’t scared off by DeJean’s offseason injury.

27. Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson by the Arizona Cardinals

Robinson joins Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. back at No. 4 as Arizona’s first-round upgrades.

28. Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey by the Buffalo Bills

Are the Bills going to waste quarterback Josh Allen’s prime years by being merely good? Buffalo needs upgrades at wide receiver, particularly after losing Gabriel Davis in free agency. The Bills signed Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins this month, but that’s one receiver with a 10.7-yards-per-catch career average and another with 18 receptions in 2023, respectively.

29. Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin by the Detroit Lions

After signing guard Graham Glasgow to a three-year contract extension and adding guard Kevin Zeitler in free agency, Detroit goes back to building its defense in the draft. Nubin’s addition will allow the Lions to keep rookie star Brian Branch at slot corner most of the time.

30. Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu by the Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens lost right tackle Morgan Moses in free agency and have left tackle Ronnie Stanley entering the final season of his contract. Baltimore is tickled Fautanu is still available.

31. Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton by the San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers could run it back with the offensive line that started Super Bowl LVIII in February, but they might not want to, all things considered. Barton has five-spot position versatility and would give San Francisco some options on an upgrade.

32. Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims by the Kansas City Chiefs

Obviously, the Chiefs are going to take a replacement for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed or bring in Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, a guy even Patrick Mahomes can’t overthrow. Kansas City has been making picks to prepare for Sneed’s departure for the past two years, and the signing of free agent Hollywood Brown fills the speed receiver role, leaving the Chiefs to make a practical selection.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.