NEWSLETTER
It’s NFL Combine Week which means we’re another step closer to the NFL Draft. That means after this latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft, we could start to see a few players really shoot up or down draft boards. As for the top of the draft, it’s still anyone’s guess as to what Chicago will do. While things have seemed to be trending toward taking Caleb Williams, Peter King’s latest report seemed to indicate a lean toward Justin Fields. Will the Bears move the pick? Who else will look to move up or down the board? We’ll find out soon enough!
2024 NFL Mock Draft
1. Chicago Bears: QB Caleb Williams – USC
I still don’t see the Bears passing on the top-rated quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft with how things seem to be trending. Peter King’s latest report indicated that the Bears trading the first overall pick is still certainly possible. While it could be all part of Ryan Poles’ negotiation tactics, any report from King about the Bears and Ryan Poles is worth noting. Remember, it was King who had the specifics on what Poles wanted for the first pick last year at this time. I still think it’s Caleb Williams, but this most recent report certainly gives Fields backers some hope.
2. Washington Commanders: QB Drake Maye – North Carolina
I think Washington will be incredibly active in trying to move up to first overall to select Caleb Williams, but right now, I’m just not sure if they will meet the Bears’ “historic haul” of an asking price. Whether it’s Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels, the Commanders will take their top quarterback left on the board and reset the most important position in the game for their new head coach and offensive coordinator.
3. New England Patriots: QB Jayden Daniels – LSU
Three quarterbacks in a row! The Patriots have been rumored as a team willing to trade back in the draft to stockpile picks, but I think as we get closer and closer they’ll realize how badly they need to take a shot on a quarterback. Whether it’s Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye here and number three, I think New England will make the move to bring in a new QB and inject some life into the franchise.
4. Arizona Cardinals: WR Marvin Harrison Jr – Ohio State
The Cardinals fall to the fourth overall pick but still end up with arguably the best player in this draft. Kyler Murray is very likely back for another year, so Arizona goes with the best player available to get a big-time weapon on the outside.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: TE Brock Bowers – Georgia
I think Jim Harbaugh should draft a player who should be Justin Herbert’s best friend for the next several years and also be the key cog in his offense in his return to the NFL. Bowers is an absolute monster and provides Herbert with a consistent, reliable target in an offense that desperately needs one. I also think he’s a more important fit in Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s offense than a new top wideout. Los Angeles can certainly use help in a few other spots, so trading back to stockpile picks might be considered, but I think Harbaugh grabs the most talented player left on the board to be a big-time difference-maker in his offense.
6. New York Giants: WR Malik Nabers – LSU
While the Giants might not be able to answer their QB question at sixth overall, they get the next best thing and draft a legitimate top wide receiver, which is something they’ve been missing for a while. I keep going back and forth on whom the second-best receiver in this draft class is, but really, I’m not sure the Giants can go wrong either way. They grab Nabers and add an explosive playmaker to Brian Daboll’s offense.
7. Tennessee Titans: LT Olu Fashanu – Penn State
The Titans need help on both lines of scrimmage, and thanks to how things shook out with the NFL Draft order this week, the top two offensive tackle prospects on the board fall to them at number seven. They go with Olu Fashanu out of Penn State to anchor their offensive line and improve a group that’s allowed the fourth-most sacks in the NFL this season.
8. *TRADE* Chicago Bears (via Atlanta Falcons): EDGE Dallas Turner – Alabama
The Falcons need a quarterback, and since the NFL Combine began, there has only been more fuel added to the fire of Justin Fields potentially going home to Atlanta. The 8th overall pick might be a steep asking price right now, but with plenty of rumored suitors for Fields’ services, Ryan Poles creating a bidding war is entirely possible. We saw it last year with the first overall pick. So the Bears move back into the Top 10 here and snag the top EDGE on the board to play opposite Montez Sweat.
9. Chicago Bears: WR Rome Odunze – Washington
Rome Odunze is a perfect fit opposite DJ Moore and gives Caleb Williams a very good 1-2 punch to work with at wide receiver. The Bears will have some other needs to fill on the edge and upfront, but I think they’ll attack that in free agency. Pairing Odunze’s high ceiling with Caleb Williams first overall is too good of an opportunity to pass up for Ryan Poles.
10. New York Jets: LT Joe Alt – Notre Dame
With Olu Fashanu off the board, the Jets go ahead and grab the next best tackle on the NFL Draft board to help protect Aaron Rodgers and his repaired Achilles! Even with a healthy Rodgers this season, the Jets would have had an uphill climb with their instability on the offensive line. Grabbing Alt with the 10th overall pick gives the Jets a massive upgrade at a premier position heading into a very important 2024-25 season.
11. *TRADE* Las Vegas Raiders (via Minnesota Vikings): QB JJ McCarthy – Michigan
The Raiders removed the interim tag from Antonio Pierce and made him their head coach; then they brought in former Bears OC Luke Getsy to run their offense. Interesting choice. We know they won’t be a team looking to add Justin Fields, but making a splash for a quarterback is certainly still in the cards. McCarthy feels like a quarterback Getsy would be interested in. He succeeded in a run-first offense and took care of the football at Michigan. Vegas gets aggressive and takes their QB in the NFL Draft.
12. Denver Broncos: EDGE Jared Verse – Florida State
The Broncos still need a quarterback as they’re likely to move on from Russell Wilson, but instead of reaching for one with the 12th pick, Sean Payton takes the top EDGE defender left on the board to sure up his defense. If the draft/trade market doesn’t work out, finding a placeholder in free agency will be a viable option for Denver, and with their amount of needs, going the safe route with a high-ceiling EDGE makes sense here.
13. Minnesota Vikings (via Las Vegas Raiders): EDGE Laiatu Latu – UCLA
The Vikings still have some quarterback uncertainty as well, but with where they’re at in the NFL draft, I think they should bring back Kirk Cousins to work with the talented group of receivers and add a difference-maker on defense. Danielle Hunter’s future in Minnesota is uncertain after this season. If he’s gone, they’ll most certainly need an impact pass rusher. If he stays, they still need some help on the other side. Laiatu Latu fills a big need for the Vikings.
14. New Orleans Saints: OT Taliese Fuaga – Oregon State
The Saints need help on both sides of the line of scrimmage. I’ve had them going EDGE at this spot for most of the mock drafts, and that’s still a distinct possibility, but with all of the question marks they have up front, I think they pivot and grab the incredibly solid Fuaga to anchor their offensive line.
15. Indianapolis Colts: CB Terrion Arnold – Alabama
While Kool-Aid McKinstry was for most of the year seen as the top cornerback in this year’s NFL Draft, he now might not even be the top CB selected from his own team! Terrion Arnold is rising up draft boards quickly thanks to his tools and incredibly high ceiling. He might be a riskier pick than McKinstry, but the potential is incredibly high for Arnold, and the Colts roll the dice on him here.
16. Seattle Seahawks: C Jackson Powers-Johnson – Oregon
Jackson Powers-Johnson has for most of this draft process been the top choice at the center position, but usually centers start going off the board in the second round. As we get closer to the draft, Powers-Johnson just seems to keep moving up boards, and his excellent Senior Bowl performance surely only increased his stock. Seattle takes him here and finds their offensive line anchor.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: CB Nate Wiggins – Clemson
The Jags collapse was a brutal one down the stretch, and it really amplified their NFL Draft needs. They most certainly need a little more help on offense, but defensively, the team struggled mightily in the last few weeks. Taking a true playmaker at the cornerback position can inject some life into a defensive unit that lacked big-play ability and consistency down the stretch.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: OT JC Latham – Alabama
Now that Tee Higgins has been tagged and brought back into the fold, I can certainly see the Bengals going a different route with this pick. They began addressing the offensive line last offseason, but it still needs some help. JC Latham is the best tackle left on the board at this point, and I think he’s the logical pick now that Higgins will be in Cincinnati again next season.
19. Los Angeles Rams: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry – Alabama
You really can’t go wrong in the NFL Draft with Alabama, and the Rams will need to address the cornerback position. McKinstry has been an interesting case in terms of his draft stock. He was originally the top cornerback in this class but has started to slide a little bit. With a solid showing at the combine and Alabama’s pro day, I can see him climbing back up and being a logical landing spot with the Rams as they look to bolster their secondary.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Cooper DeJean – Iowa
Pittsburgh is one of the teams that will very likely be involved, and if the Patriots don’t want to include that higher pick, I still think Justin Fields will end up here. But for now, since they missed out on Fields, Mike Tomlin adds a versatile, high-upside piece to his secondary in Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and they’ll address the QB position elsewhere.
21. Miami Dolphins: OT Amarius Mims – Georgia
You really can’t go wrong drafting a Georgia lineman, and Amarius Mims is a MONSTER. The Dolphins desperately need to address the offensive line. Adding the 6’7, 340 lb tackle from Georgia makes a lot of sense. Mims missed a few games with an ankle injury this season, but he’s fine now and has looked every part of a first-round pick at tackle. He’s got that massive frame, he’s explosive off the ball, and he is very athletic for his size.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: CB Quinyon Mitchell – Toldeo
The Eagles’ collapse down the stretch of the season was certainly something to behold. I still think they have a very talented roster. However, defensively their glaring need for help in the secondary got exposed. Philly really needs to add help to their defensive backfield, and Quinyon Mitchell’s experience and upside should be a really good fit here.
23. Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns): WR Troy Franklin – Oregon
With C.J. Stroud having an amazing rookie year, the Texans go out and reward him in the NFL Draft by adding a big play machine in Troy Franklin. Franklin averaged over 17 yards per reception last season at Oregon and scored 14 touchdowns. He’s a true playmaker that can straight-up fly. Add him to the receiving corps and continue to build up that offense for Stroud.
24. Dallas Cowboys: OT Jordan Morgan – Arizona
The Cowboys will have a few moving parts on their aging offensive line, so grabbing the versatile Morgan here makes a lot of sense. He can play inside or outside, and given the uncertainty of that unit for Dallas, bringing in Morgan alongside 2022 first-round pick Tyler Smith gives them a solid foundation on the offensive line.
25. Green Bay Packers: EDGE Bralen Trice – Washington
Lukas Van Ness hasn’t really worked out like the Packers had hoped. 31-year-old Preston Smith could end up being a cap casualty. Bralen Trice had a phenomenal season with Washington, and it makes sense here. He’s a complete player as an EDGE in his ability to defend both the run and the pass. While Green Bay probably still wants to add to the OL, Trice may be the better option in this slot.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: WR Brian Thomas Jr – LSU
Midway through the season, I’m not sure anyone expected the Bucs to be picking this far back in the first round, but here we are! Tampa has a few positions of need to address on both sides of the ball, but with the possible departure of Mike Evans looming, their need at wideout combined with who’s left on the board gives them the LSU standout with the 26th pick.
27. Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans): EDGE Chop Robinson – Penn State
The Cardinals need help just about everywhere on defense, and they get a piece they can plug in on the edge right away with Chop Robinson. In an NFL Draft that has solid depth at the EDGE position, Arizona benefits and grabs a building block for their defense after taking arguably the best player in the draft at fourth overall. All in all, a pretty fantastic first round for the Cards.
28. Buffalo Bills: DL Jer’Zhan Newton – Illinois
The Bills will need help at receiver and on the interior of their defensive line. Jer’Zhan Newton is a high-ceiling player who falls a bit thanks to positional value. The good news for him is that he lands in a nearly perfect situation with Buffalo. The playoff loss to the Chiefs showed they definitely need help in the middle, and Murphy provides that. With DaQuan Jones hurt this year and likely on the way out this offseason, Newton would be a home run pick in the first round for the Bills.
29. Detroit Lions: DT Byron Murphy II – Texas
While the defense flashed at times, ultimately that side of the ball let the Lions down in the worst way against San Francisco. When they needed stops in the NFC Championship game, they just couldn’t come up with them. So Detroit needs help defensively in a few different spots. They grab Byron Murphy II to keep building up a young defensive line that has a whole lot of upside.
30. Baltimore Ravens: WR Keon Coleman – Florida State
Once we get toward the back half of the first round, the order in which the remaining receivers go will be intriguing. There are so many options after the top three go off the board, and the order will just be based on who falls in love with whom throughout the draft process. If Keon Coleman makes it to Baltimore at #30, I think he’s an easy pick for them to give Lamar Jackson a big, fast target on the outside.
31. San Francisco 49ers: OT Tyler Guyton – Oklahoma
The right tackle position is still very much one of need for San Francisco in the NFL Draft, and while they need to add some help in the secondary as well, the talent left on the board at tackle makes Tyler Guyton the logical pick here. Guyton has a ton of upside, he can start on day one, and whenever Trent Williams calls it a career (not that that’s happening immediately), Guyton can get a look on the left side as well.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: WR Adonai Mitchell – Texas
The Chiefs need to add a playmaker on the outside. They still won the Super Bowl, which speaks to Patrick Mahomes’ greatness, but they still need to add offensively. He’s a big target for Mahomes to look for at 6’4, 196 lbs. Mitchell is a complete receiver, a great route-runner, and can do just about whatever Andy Reid asks him to do offensively. This pick would also help open things up for last year’s WR draft pick Rashee Rice, who’s gotten better and better as the year went on, and only make things easier on Travis Kelce. Adding Mitchell would be a huge win for Mahomes, Kelce, and the Chiefs offense.
