2024 NFL Mock Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft is mere hours away. To cap off months of film study and prospect analysis, it’s only right that we take a look at our predictions for the entire first round of the draft.

To keep things simple there is only one trade, because with all the news of top-5 picks being open for business, it would be a disservice not to have at least one trade.

1. Chicago Bears – Caleb Williams, QB, USC
   • This pick is the simplest of the draft. The moment the Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, they might as well have sent this pick in. Williams gives the Bears the best chance they have had in a very long time at a true franchise quarterback who can help them rise to the top of the NFC.
2. Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
   • This is where things start to get interesting. It’s a matter of tastes when it comes to determining who the number 2 QB in this class is. Purely based on the offensive system Kliff Kingsbury has ran for most of his career, including his tenure as the Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals, it would make sense for them to take Daniels who played in a very similar system at LSU and can start from Day 1.
3. New England Patriots – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
   • The Patriots are left in an interesting spot here. No matter what they do in this draft, this team is still 2-3 years away from being a contender. The question at that point becomes whether to draft a quarterback now and build a team around him or build the team and then draft the quarterback. After looking at what next year’s QB class has in store, Eliot Wolf and company opt for resetting at the position this year with an incredibly gifted passer resembling Justin Herbert.
4. Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
   • Arizona cannot go into next season with Michael Wilson as their top receiver, so they take the best WR prospect of the last decade in MHJ. At 6’4 and 205 lbs, Harrison can win with everything. He has the size and strength to box out DB’s, the speed to stretch a defense, and the route polish and hands to bring everything together.
5. TRADE || Minnesota Vikings – JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan
   • The first and only trade of this mock, as Minnesota gives up their two first-round picks this year (11th and 23rd overall) to move up for their quarterback of the future. McCarthy will ideally get the chance to sit behind Sam Darnold for some time to develop before he takes the reigns of head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
6. New York Giants – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
   • As great as Marvin Harrison Jr. is, Odunze is not far behind. At 6’3 and 219lbs with a 4.4 second 40-yard-dash, Odunze brings rare physical traits to pair with his crisp routes and fantastic hands. Although he is the second receiver off the board, he would be the top receiver in nearly any other class, and he gives Daniel Jones and the Giants the alpha wideout they have been looking for.
7. Tennessee Titans – Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
   • The chalk pick. Joe Alt is undoubtedly the best tackle in this class, with interest coming from teams as high up as the Arizona Cardinals at 4th overall. The Titans need to build their O-line to protect Will Levis, and after signing former Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley it is clear what the Titans front office wants to do here. If Alt is there, the Titans won’t be on the clock for long.
8. Atlanta Falcons – Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
   • Atlanta is in an interesting spot where they have some options. While a pass rusher is their biggest need, there isn’t an edge in this class that feels like a lock for the top-10. There may be an opportunity to trade down and get one of the top 3 edge rushers at a value, but Raheem Morris decides to play it safe and take the most physically gifted pass rusher in this class.
9. Chicago Bears – Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
   • The Bears get lucky and have one of the top 3 receivers in the draft fall to them at 9. Nabers adds an explosive, deep-threat ability to compliment Keenan Allen and DJ Moore and provide Caleb Williams with one of the most potent receiving trios in the league.
10. New York Jets – Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
    • The Jets have invested a lot into their offensive line this offseason, and have assembled a good group as a result. However, their two tackles are on the tail-ends of their careers and , let’s face it, it’s the Jets. Someone is going to get hurt. Fuaga brings positional versatility and high-level skills and talent to patch whatever hole is needed and give the Jets a long-term plan at tackle.
11. TRADE || Los Angeles Chargers – Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
    • With the first of Minnesota’s two picks, the Chargers take the best Tight End prospect since Kyle Pitts. Justin Herbert needs someone to throw to after the departures of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, and this is the first of what will likely be multiple pass catchers that Harbaugh & company bring in.
12. Denver Broncos – Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
    • The Broncos can’t go into next season with Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham as their QB’s, so Sean Payton takes the most seasoned and mature quarterback in the class to start right away.
13. Las Vegas Raiders – Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
    • While the Raiders do need a QB, a corner of Terrion Arnold’s caliber is too good to pass up. Antonio Pierce likes guys with attitude and toughness, and Terrion (who played safety in high school) is as tough as they come. The Raiders get a key part of their defense moving forward, as well as a perfect culture fit.
14. New Orleans Saints – Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
    • The Trevor Penning experiment hasn’t worked and there is no guarantee that Ryan Ramczyk will be ready to play this year after his knee injury. This leaves the Saint with no choice but to take the best remaining tackle, in this case arguably the best pass blocker in the class.
15. Indianapolis Colts – Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
    • It’s no secret that the Colts were heavily pursuing now-Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed in free agency. After missing out on Sneed, the Colts opt for the superstar corner out of Toledo to be an anchor of their defense.
16. Seattle Seahawks – Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
    • Seattle could go in a number of directions here, but at the end they opt to take the most polished pass rusher in the class. Standing at 6’5 and 265 lbs, Mike MacDonald gets Uchenna Nwosu his QB-hunting partner to anchor the edges of the Seahawks defense.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
    • The Jaguars cannot go into such an important year for Trevor Lawrence with Christian Kirk and Gabe Davis as his top options. While a trade for someone like Tee Higgins would be ideal, they instead decide to take the slightly raw but supremely talented wideout from LSU.
18. Cincinatti Bengals – Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
    • Joe Burrow needs protection, plain and simple. Adding a young, skilled, and highly talented tackle with position versatility gives the offensive line some injury insurance, and will hopefully keep Joe Burrow healthy.
19. Los Angeles Rams – JC Latham, OT, Alabama
    • If the Rams want to get the most out of the twilight of Matthew Stafford’s career, they’ll need to provide him with more protection. Latham is a tough and nasty right tackle with incredible hand strength who will help set the tone for the offensive line and keep Stafford upright.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
    • After the departure of Mason Cole, center seems to be the biggest whole for the Black & Gold, so Omar Khan takes the top center in the class. JPJ brings elite movement skills and incredible toughness to the position and helps bolster a young and improving Steelers front.
21. Miami Dolphins – Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois
    • Miami gets lucky and has the top interior defensive lineman fall right into their lap to pick up where Christian Wilkins left off. Newton has great explosion, has unreal strength, and just finds a way to wreck games for opposing offenses.
22. Philadelphia Eagles – Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
    • After the Eagles defensive collapse last year, Howie Roseman needs to prioritize corner. With Avonte Maddox clearly on the way out, Howie drafts the best nickel in the class. DeJean brings elite athleticism, toughness, and the ability to return kicks and punts (extra value thanks to the new kickoff rules.
23. TRADE || Los Angeles Chargers – Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
    • With the second of Minnesota’s picks, the Chargers take the freak tackle from Georgia. While Mims may not have the largest sample size, the film he does have screams massive potential for the 6’8 340 lbs right tackle.
24. Dallas Cowboys – Graham Barton, OL, Duke
    • The Cowboys need help on the interior o-line, and there isn’t a player in this class more equipped to switch between guard and center than Graham Barton. Barton brings a grimy toughness and technical skill at all 5 O-line spots that will come in handy for Mike McCarthy.
25. Green Bay Packers – Byron Murphy, DT, Texas
    • The Packers, as per usual, take the dollars everyone else lets fall. In this case they get Murphy, the talented DT from Texas and the 2nd best DT in the class. While they may have Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt, the Packers front office won’t pass up on that level of talent.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
    • With the departure of Shaq Barrett this year, the Bucs are in desperate need of help on the edge. Enter Jared Verse, the last of the top 3 pass rushers in this class and the best pure power rusher of those 3. Verse’s power and ability as a run-stopper will make him a great addition to this team and an instant starter for this defensive line.
27. Arizona Cardinals – Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
    • The Cardinals follow-up the selection of MHJ with the fastest corner in the draft. While his tackling leaves a lot to be desired, Wiggins talent and coverage skills are undeniable and will be a huge help for Jonathan Gannon’s defense.
28. Buffalo Bills – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
    • After losing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, Josh Allen is in sore need of a top wideout. Lucky for him, Adonai Mitchell is available. The 6’4 receiver out of Texas (formerly from the University of Georgia) has 4.3 speed and is a skilled route-runner with insane body control that should help keep Josh Allen playing like he has.
29. Detroit Lions – Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
    • The Lions may have just paid Amon-Ra St. Brown, but that doesn’t mean they are done building at receiver. Legette provides elite athleticism and enough technical skills to get the job done, not to mention his work ethic and attitude make him a perfect fit for Dan Campbell’s Lions.
30. Baltimore Ravens – Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
    • The Ravens take the successor to Ronnie Stanley in the ultra-athletic Guyton. While it will take a year or two for him to develop, his traits are undeniable.
31. San Francisco 49ers – Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
    • Just as the Ravens did, the 49ers draft the successor to Trent Williams in the also ultra-athletic Suamataia. The tackle out of BYU will have a few years to sit and learn from Williams before he’s given his shot, but the Niners aren’t desperate for his services quite yet anyways.
32. Kansas City Chiefs – Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
    • The rich get richer as the Chiefs add the jump ball specialist from Florida State. The Chiefs need at wideout is well-documented, and with the Rashee Rice situation being what it is, they need to take the best WR available right now. Coleman may not be the fastest, but his hands and ability to elevate will make him a great option for Patrick Mahomes, who appears to have a Midas touch with any half-decent receiver on his team.