Final 2024 NFL Mock Draft

The 2024 NFL draft is nearly here. It’s one of the most dramatic and story-filled nights of the NFL season and it starts on April 25th. These young men will impatiently wait for their NFL futures to start. Who will go where? Who will your favorite team take? This is my mock draft of what I think will happen in the first round — not what I’d do.

Pick #1. Chicago Bears: (QB) Caleb Williams - USC

^{Breakdown: After much debate on whether they’ll give him another shot or not, Chicago traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers to compete for their starting job. Now it’s all but set in stone that the Bears are going to roll the dice on a new quarterback. Pretty short and simple, but the consensus QB1 of the class should be the selection here.} 

Pick #2. Washington Commanders: (QB) Jayden Daniels - LSU

^{Breakdown: Washington is one of two teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers being the other, going into the draft where they don’t have a single quarterback on the roster who attempted a pass for their team a season ago. However, unlike Pittsburgh, Washington did very little to address the QB room adding Marcus Mariota and Jeff Driskel. It’s pretty clear new head coach Dan Quinn will draft a new signal caller on opening draft night. Jayden Daniels is an electric dual-threat play-maker who fits the mold offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has worked with in the past. Washington gets a new commander to sling the rock while Quinn and company get to build around them.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #3. Minnesota Vikings: (QB) Drake Maye - North Carolina

• Trade: Minnesota sends picks #11, #23 & 2025 1st for New England’s #3

^{Breakdown: The New England Patriots are “open for business”. They’re in a prime position to trade down and collect some additional assets while they try to stack the blocks in the post-Bill Belichick era. With that said the Minnesota Vikings trade up to grab the future face of the franchise. Drake Maye is a great fit here and could develop into one of the leagues’ best in Kevin O’Connell’s offensive scheme, not to mention the playmakers he’d inherit. Minnesota wants a new gunslinger that can handle a high-volume passing game and they’ll get just that with Drake Maye.}

Pick #4. Arizona Cardinals: (WR) Marvin Harrison Jr. - Ohio State

^{Breakdown: A popular trade-down candidate here, but Arizona already has seven selections in the top 105 picks and doesn’t necessarily need to add more draft capital. There’s very little chance Arizona will pass on a generational talent like Marvin Harrison Jr. unless they’re presented with a king’s ransom. Arizona should stand pat and give Kyler Murray a much-needed offensive play-maker to pair up with Trey McBride.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #5. New England Patriots: (QB) J.J. McCarthy - Michigan

• Trade: New England sends picks #11 [via Minnesota] & #103 for Los Angeles’ #5

^{Breakdown: How fitting would it be that Jim Harbaugh potentially has the power to decide where his former quarterback lands? In a trade-up battle between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, Harbaugh decides he doesn’t want his former player as a divisional rival. As for J.J. McCarthy, he just seems like a New England Patriots-type player. Team before himself and doesn’t need to be a high pass-volume guy to be effective. McCarthy is a smart player and won’t do anything to put the ball in jeopardy. Not saying McCarthy is going to be a world-beater or anything like that, but the last Michigan quarterback New England drafted worked out pretty well for them. Jacoby Brissett is a solid veteran with plenty of starting experience, so McCarthy won’t have to start right away while he develops.}

Pick #6. New York Giants: (WR) Malik Nabers - LSU

^{Breakdown: There has been some chatter about the Giants wanting to make a splash and select a quarterback, but then they’d just continue their constant repetitive circle of neglecting their previous mistakes. The New York Giants are lacking offensive play-makers and should surround their quarterback with weapons. Saquon Barkley left in free agency, Darren Waller is contemplating retirement and the rest of the roster isn’t exactly inspiring. They need a new spark of youthful talent on offense and selecting one of the top wide receivers is too good of an opportunity to pass up. Not only will it help the team this season, but it will also help whomever they have under center in 2025 if they do move on from Daniel Jones.}

Pick #7. Tennessee Titans: (OL) Joe Alt - Notre Dame

^{Breakdown: A true blessing for Tennessee here as the draft’s best offensive lineman falls into their laps. Tennessee wants to do everything it can to make quarterback Will Levis succeed. This offseason they went out and signed play-makers Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley. Now all that is left is to sure up the offensive line. Tennessee gets lucky with the quarterback run atop the draft and is blessed to have the best tackle fall to them here. Joe Alt would step in right away and protect Levis’ blindside for years to come.}

Pick #8. Atlanta Falcons: (EDGE) Dallas Turner - Alabama

^{Breakdown: New head coach, Raheem Morris, inherited an electric young group on offense and addressed the biggest missing piece during free agency by signing Kirk Cousins to a 4-year deal. Now Raheem Morris can ingrain his defensive roots and start planting stars onto his defense. Atlanta has lacked a good consistent game-changing pass rusher in recent years, so selecting arguably the best edge rusher in the draft just makes too much sense.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #9. Indianapolis Colts: (TE) Brock Bowers - Georgia

• Trade: Indianapolis sends pick #15 & #82 for Chicago’s #9

^{Breakdown: Colts general manager, Chris Ballard, has never moved up in the first round during his tenure with Indianapolis. However, in an uncharacteristic move knowing he’d have to jump the Jets, he pulls the trigger and selects arguably the best offensive play-maker in the draft. The Colts know how important it is to surround their young quarterback with talent and watching the rest of the AFC South make big moves this offseason, Ballard wants to join in on the fun giving Anthony Richardson a new weapon to utilize.}

Pick #10. New York Jets: (OL) JC Latham - Alabama

^{Breakdown: Going into year two of the Aaron Rodgers era, he’s only played four snaps thus far - that’s not ideal! The Super Bowl window is narrow for the New York Jets. The front office has made it very clear this offseason that they want to give Rodgers weapons and protection upfront. Although, they put a band-aid on the offensive line this offseason for a title run. Free agent acquisition, Tyron Smith, has averaged eight games played over his last four seasons. New York is thinking of their future, depth, and injury insurance taking the big man out of Alabama. Jets general manager, Joe Douglas, comes from the Philadelphia family tree, so prioritizing the offensive line is in his genes.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #11. Los Angeles Chargers: (OL) Taliese Fuaga - Oregon State

• Trade: Los Angeles received picks #11 [via Minnesota] & #103 from New England for #5

^{Breakdown: New head coach, Jim Harbaugh, has a whole roster to retool to his liking. He’s going to try and get as many of “his players” as he possibly can to reach his vision. It might not be done overnight, but Harbaugh is going to build the Chargers from the ground up and that starts through the trenches. A strong run game has always been the focal point of a Jim Harbaugh-led offense and it will be no different this time around. Taliese Fuaga is a gritty hard-nose player and will fit perfectly in the Jim Harbaugh-Greg Roman offensive scheme. Fuaga played mostly right tackle in college, but he’ll likely be moved inside at the next level since he’s an excellent puller and lead blocker in the run.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick # 12. Philadelphia Eagles: (CB) Terrion Arnold - Alabama

• Trade: Philadelphia sends picks #22 & #53 for Denver’s #12 & 76

^{Breakdown: General manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles have been building their roster through the trenches over the past several drafts and after some key retirements this offseason, those players will be put to the test as full-time starters. This time around, Roseman goes against the grain and moves up for arguably the best corner in the draft to build up the backend. Towards the end of last season, the secondary was a major weakness, and couldn’t stop a nosebleed. Terrion Arnold is a versatile player who can play outside, nickel, or even safety. He’ll step in and find a prominent role right away. With both Darius Slay and James Bradberry slowing down, Roseman is going to draft an eventual replacements like he’s done with other veterans. Learning from the respected veterans is a big part of the process and this will be no different.}

Pick #13. Las Vegas Raiders: (OL) Troy Fautanu - Washington

^{Breakdown: I think Michael Penix Jr., a popular mock selection here, will get the Will Levis treatment and slide into the second round. The Raiders signed Gardner Minshew this offseason and Aidan O’Connell played well down the stretch last season. Make no mistake, both of these options are not long-term solutions and nothing more than a bridge for the eventual replacement, but Penix, or any remaining quarterback for that matter, would be a reach at pick #13.}

^{Originally, the pick was Toledo’s cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, however, a little nugget I found interesting during draft prep came from “The Ringer’s” Ben Solak. Former Chargers and new Raiders general manager, Tom Telesco, has only taken one non-power five player in his previous four draft classes and it was at pick #200. If he continues that trend, Mitchell likely isn’t their target. Instead, they’ll build up the offensive line and select Washington’s Troy Fautanu, a player who could play guard or tackle for them right away.}

Pick #14. New Orleans Saints: (OL) Olumuyiwa Fashanu - Penn State

^{Breakdown: The New Orleans Saints only have two selections in the first four rounds of the draft while having seven in the 5th through 7th rounds, so they need to make their “premium” picks count. The Saints have a problem at offensive tackle. Ryan Ramczyk’s knee injury isn’t going well and is uncertain if he will play in the upcoming season. On top of that, 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning has been a disappointment thus far. It’s almost a lock the Saints take an offensive tackle in the first round and snatching the last one before the talent tier break is a dream come true.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #15. Chicago Bears: (DT) Byron Murphy II - Missouri

• Trade: Chicago receives picks #15 & 82 from Indianapolis for #9

^{Breakdown: The Chicago Bears’ situation reminds me of the Houston Texans from a season ago. Two top-12 picks heading into the draft and have the chance to get a young stud quarterback and a game-changing defensive player. However, unlike Arizona who moved up, the Bears decided to move down to collect more draft picks. Chicago only has four total draft picks in this draft (#1, #9, #75 & #122), so trading down from pick #9 to collect an additional day-two pick is perfect. Most analysts have Chicago taking Washington’s wide receiver Rome Odunze, but with the addition of Keenan Allen, I don’t think they add another pass-catcher this early. Instead, they decided to bulk up their defense and take the best interior defensive lineman in the class to pair with Montez Sweat.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #16. Cincinnati Bengals: (WR) Rome Odunze - Washington

• Trade: Cincinnati sends picks #18 & #149 for Seattle’s #16

^{Breakdown: If the Tee Higgins trade rumors weren’t heating up as it was, this selection will surely start the fire. The fact is, as much as the Bengals say they want to re-sign Tee Higgins and claims he’s part of their future plans, both sides have to agree to terms and I don’t believe Cincinnati wants to pay him what he’s worth. In this mock, the Bengals leap-frog the WR-needy Jacksonville Jaguars to secure their Higgins replacement. Rome Odunze is one of the top-3 receivers in the draft and if Cincinnati could land the Washington product, it could finally make Higgins expendable.}

Pick #17. Jacksonville Jaguars: (CB) Quinyon Mitchell - Toledo

^{Breakdown: The Jaguars absolutely need to attain a corner or two in this draft. It’s arguably their biggest need and they’re happy that one of the drafts best falls to them at #17. The AFC South is becoming a quarterback’s division and they’ll need to slow down these young promising passers. Quinyon Mitchell is the best player available in an area of need, it’s a win/win for Jacksonville here.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #18. Seattle Seahawks: (EDGE) Jared Verse - Florida State

• Trade: Seattle receives picks #18 & #149 from Cincinnati for #16

^{Breakdown: After watching the top offensive linemen go picks before their selection, the Seahawks do what they normally do and move back. During his tenure as the Seahawks general manager, John Schneider has moved down a total of eight times in the first round. Seattle only has two selections in the top 100 picks, so they could look to acquire more ammunition dropping down a couple of spots. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to move down again to collect more picks and select one of the offensive linemen in the next tier, but new head coach Mike Macdonald needs an elite pass rusher for his defense. Jared Verse is a VERSE-atile player that can play a number of positions along that front seven. Macdonald will covet those types of traits.}

Pick #19. Los Angeles Rams: (EDGE) Laiatu Latu - UCLA

^{Breakdown: With their first first-round selection since 2016, the Rams select arguably the best pure pass rusher in the entire draft. Many anticipate the Rams will go with a defensive tackle in an attempt to replace Aaron Donald, but addressing an effective pass rush is a much bigger need. Laiatu Latu does have a potential red flag with a neck injury, which will cause a minor slide on draft night. If Latu can continue playing at a high level, this will be a steal for the Rams and give them the spark they need on defense.}

Pick #20. Pittsburgh Steelers: (OL) Graham Barton - Duke

^{Breakdown: Many analysts believe the Steelers will look to replace Diontae Johnson in the first round. I don’t buy it. Pittsburgh has a knack for finding late-round gems at the position and should look to improve their line issues first. Graham Barton played the majority of his college career at tackle but has experience on the interior as well. Many scouts think he’ll be best suited for center in the NFL. Wherever Pittsburgh puts him, Barton brings flexibility and toughness upfront for the Steelers. Whether it’s Justin Fields or Russell Wilson under center, they’ll have a new bodyguard to protect them.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #21. Arizona Cardinals: (DB) Cooper DeJean - Iowa

• Trade: Arizona sends picks #27 & #104 for Miami’s #21

^{Breakdown: As mentioned above, the Arizona Cardinals have a total of seven selections in the top 105 picks. Arizona can be aggressive in the early rounds to add good players that’ll start right away. Cooper DeJean fits that description and is among one of the best defensive backs in the draft. He’ll likely slide down into the 20s with an injury notation, but he’s still an elite athlete nonetheless. Arizona needs help in the secondary and Cooper DeJean’s versatility is the type of trait head coach Jonathan Gannon adores. DeJean can play corner or many scouts believe he’ll play safety at the next level, regardless, Arizona grabs a playmaker on both sides of the ball in the first round.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #22. Denver Broncos: (EDGE) Darius Robinson - Missouri

• Trade: Denver receives picks #22 & #53 from Philadelphia for picks #12 & #76

^{Breakdown: The Denver Broncos traded for their new QB1 earlier this week, so no need to give away the farm to move up now. Slightly kidding, kind of. During draft prep, I saw many reports about the Broncos wanting to move up and do “whatever it takes” to get a quarterback, which is where the Patrick Surtain II trade rumors transpired. However, looking at their roster and draft capital, it was very hard to envision a scenario where they actually made it happen, even with packaging Surtain II. After failing to land one of the top-4 passers, the Broncos move down 10 spots to turn their third into a second-rounder. This gets them closer to taking a quarterback on day two of the draft. My guess is Oregon’s Bo Nix, but only time will tell. Regarding pick #22, they add the best defensive player on their board and scoop up Missouri’s Darius Robinson to give the middle of their defense a needed boost.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #23. New England Patriots: (OL) Jordan Morgan - Arizona

• Trade: New England receives picks #11, #23 & 2025 1st from Minnesota for pick #3

^{Breakdown: After collecting an additional 2024 and a future 2025 first-rounder from the trade with Minnesota, the Patriots can fill some more roster holes. Earlier New England selected their new quarterback and now they’ll give J.J. McCarthy some much needed protection. It won’t matter who is under center if the offensive line can’t hold up. Jordan Morgan is a plus pass protector on the outside and could bump to guard if need be.}

Pick #24. Dallas Cowboys: (OL) Amarius Mims - Georgia

^{Breakdown: The Dallas Cowboys all of a sudden have a need along the offensive line. After years of having a strong foundation upfront, it’s slowly deteriorated and needs some renovation. Amarius Mims is a big man at 6’8” and can develop into a franchise blind-side protector for years to come. Not the exciting player fans want to see after a rather lackluster free agency, but it’s the selection that had to be made.}

Pick #25. Green Bay Packers: (OL) Tyler Guyton - Oklahoma

^{Breakdown: The Green Bay Packers had a magical run last season and blew expectations out of the water in Jordan Love’s first season as the starter. How will Green Bay follow up? That is to be determined, but it’ll go as far as their offense line will take them. The Packers failed to consistently protect Aaron Rodgers along the offensive line. They don’t want to make the same mistake with Jordan Love and start off their draft with a promising anchor at tackle. Tyler Guyton is a good pass protector who has traits to play on the right or left side.}

Pick #26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (OL) Jackson Powers-Johnson - Oregon

^{Breakdown: The interior offensive line is an area of need. With starting center Ryan Jensen announcing his retirement after a career-ending injury, the Buccaneers failed to find a suitable replacement in free agency. Insert the best center in the draft class and those problems are solved. Tampa Bay could go other routes with this selection, but beefing up the interior offensive line should be a top priority. Jackson Powers-Johnson does have some concussion concerns, but clearly Tampa Bay isn’t too worried and land their starting guy for the next several years. Even ESPN has a chart saying this type of position is a hit in the first round.}

🚨🚨[TRADE!] Pick #27. Miami Dolphins: (DT) Jer’Zhan “Johhny” Newton - Illinois

• Trade: Miami receives picks #27 & #104 from Arizona for #21

^{Breakdown: The Dolphins only have two selections in the top 150 picks. Trading down and gaining another pick just outside the top 100 should be something they should highly consider. Miami has a few defensive studs recovering from major injuries and lost Christian Wilkins in free agency. No single player will be able to replace Wilkins, but Johnny Newton is a step in the right direction and will make an impact right away.}

Pick #28. Buffalo Bills: (WR) Brian Thomas Jr. - LSU

^{Breakdown: The Buffalo Bills are down two of their top wide receivers from a season ago. Buffalo traded stud receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and watched Gabe Davis sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. The Bills have a lot of holes on their roster after free agency, but let’s be honest, Josh Allen and the offense are going to keep this team in games. Getting Allen the weapons he’ll need to compete with the other elite AFC contenders should be their top priority. On “The QB Room” podcast, Josh Allen even admits he likes Brian Thomas Jr., among other options. Thomas Jr. would step in right away and be the #1 receiver while filling some of the void left by Diggs and Davis.}

Pick #29. Detroit Lions: (OL) Zach Frazier - West Virginia

^{Breakdown: Head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions showed last year they simply do not care what anyone thinks and they’ll do what they want. Going out of the norm on draft day they traded back and ended up selecting running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell in the first round. Two positions that typically aren’t considered “first-round material”. Detroit is going to select players that fit their culture and style of football no matter the position. This time around, that player is Zach Frazier.}

Pick #30. Baltimore Ravens: (CB) Kool-Aid McKinstry - Alabama

^{Breakdown: The Baltimore Ravens are drinking the Bama Kool-Aid again. Even without former general manager Ozzie Newsome, the Alabama pipeline is strong with Baltimore. The Ravens have a strong history of having a stout defensive unit and in order to keep that tradition alive, they need to fix the secondary. McKinstry would pack a punch and upgrade the back end of this defense.}

Pick #31. San Francisco 49ers: (CB) Nate Wiggins - Clemson

^{Breakdown: One could argue that cornerback is the biggest need for the 49ers, while others would say it’s right tackle. I wouldn’t be surprised if San Francisco went to the offensive line here, but it’d be a minor reach if they went with the top remaining guys (Roger Rosengarten or Kingsley Suamataia). Instead, San Francisco grabs the lengthy corner from Clemson, Nate Wiggins, to solidify their secondary.}

Picks #32. Kansas City Chiefs: (EDGE) Demeioun “Chop” Robinson - Penn State

^{Breakdown: The defending champions could go a number of ways here, but ultimately they opt for the potential that is Chop Robinson. Patrick Mahomes can and will make anything work on the offensive side of the ball. Continuously retooling the defense and giving defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo weapons to play with makes this team that much more dangerous. Robinson will be the next toy for Spagnuolo to utilize and move around the defensive front.}