2024 Mock NFL Draft

 

Two of these guys will be involved in the first round, and hopefully a third will get drafted on day two.

It's that time of the year for another mock NFL Draft. Here are my guesses for how the draft shakes out. If I guess wrong, oh well. And if I guess right? I'm a genius. That's just how it works.

1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams - QB - USC
Why? He seems to be the consensus choice here. This one seems obvious.

2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels - QB - LSU
Why? A few months ago, I never would have believed that Daniels would hop ahead of Maye to be QB#2, but again, it seems to be the case.

3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye - QB - North Carolina
Why? Some people are running the angle of taking J.J. McCarthy as "another Michigan Man" to fill the shoes of Tom Brady, but when I've tried to make those connections in the past, it just rarely seems to work out that way. Maye is a bigger prospect, too, and I think some are concerned about McCarthy's sturdiness.

Hit the jump for more.

4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison, Jr. - WR - Ohio State
Why? Kyler Murray needs a bona fide option at receiver. If you're going to stick with him at QB - even though I don't think he will ever get the Cardinals to the promised land - you need to give him a weapon to at least make a run at it.

5. Los Angeles Chargers: Rome Odunze - WR - Washington
Why? As much as Jim Harbaugh is a tough, physical, offensive line guy, he didn't really spend much draft capital on offensive line when he was in San Francisco back in the early 2010s. But with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen gone, I think the Chargers have to get one of the "big three" receivers here near the top of the draft. (NOTE: My real belief is that the Minnesota Vikings will trade up to #4 or #5 to get J.J. McCarthy, but I'm not really factoring in trades here.)

6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers - WR - LSU
Why? The Giants are "pot committed" to Daniel Jones at quarterback, so just like with Arizona above them, you have to give him a weapon to at least give the offense a chance. And then if/when you move on from Jones in the next couple years, the next quarterback should have an elite playmaker in Nabers.

7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt - OT - Notre Dame
Why? Bill Callahan is the offensive line coach for the Titans, and he's an offensive line genius. Wherever he goes, the offensive line is going to be a big part of the team's success. Alt could probably go as high as #5 to the Chargers.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Laiatu Latu - DE - UCLA
Why? New head coach Raheem Morris is a defensive guy, and the offense seems to be in pretty good shape with RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts, and new QB Kirk Cousins. Morris knows how important a pass rush is, so I think he goes with perhaps the best pass rusher in the draft (though it's a week draft for edge rushers).

9. Chicago Bears: Dallas Turner - DE - Alabama
Why? I'm really tempted to go with TE Brock Bowers here, because that would be a chance to give Caleb Williams a great set of skill players in WR Keenan Allen, WR D.J. Moore, and TE Cole Kmet. But you have to play defense, too, and Turner is one of the top two pass rushers in the draft.

10. New York Jets: Taliese Fuaga - OT - Oregon State
Why? The Jets have made a short-term investment in Aaron Rodgers, and they need him to stay healthy if they want to capitalize on that investment. New left tackle Tyron Smith has had some injury issues recently in his career, and Fuaga can help support at tackle (if needed) while also playing guard.

11. Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy - QB - Michigan
Why? I mentioned above that I think the Vikings will trade up to get McCarthy, but if he's still here at #11, it's a no-brainer to grab a potential top-5 pick at this spot. Sam Darnold isn't going to win you a Super Bowl and probably won't even win you a division title, so they need a signal caller.

12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix - QB - Oregon
Why? I think the Broncos would prefer McCarthy, but Nix has grown on me throughout the process and could be Sean Payton's Denver version of Drew Brees.

13. Las Vegas Raiders: Michael Penix - QB - Washington
Why? The Raiders let Derek Carr go to the Saints and now they need to find their quarterback of the future. Gardner Minshew is a stopgap player, and Penix has the arm strength and willingness to throw the ball downfield, which is something the Raiders have always liked to do.

14. New Orleans Saints: Olu Fashanu - OT - Penn State
Why? The Saints need offensive line help, and I keep hearing Fashanu is likely to end up here. Personally, I think Fashanu has been overrated the past couple years after studying PSU for Michigan-related pieces, but perhaps #14 is a decent landing spot.

15. Indianapolis Colts: Brock Bowers - TE - Georgia
Why? Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson needs some pieces around him - he has the running back (Jonathan Taylor) and a couple decent receivers, but a tight end like Bowers in a creative offense like Indy's . . . I really feel like this could be a great fit.

16. Seattle Seahawks: Troy Fautanu - OT - Washington
Why? The Seahawks need some offensive line help, and Fautanu is a hometown pick who played for new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb at Washington.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Terrion Arnold - CB - Alabama
Why? It's amazing in this day and age that the first cornerback off the board could be all the way down at #17, but this is an uninspiring group. Arnold is a solid corner, but not the type of game-changer that should go in the top ten.

18. Cincinnati Bengals: J.C. Latham - OT - Alabama
Why? The Bengals seem to be solid at offensive tackle with Orlando Brown, Jr. and Trent Brown, but Latham could potentially slide inside to play guard for a bit and help Cincinnati's offensive line before eventually moving back out to tackle.

19. Los Angeles Rams: Byron Murphy II - DT - Texas
Why? The Rams have had a ton of success with their solid defensive line play. Guys like Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald have played well while keeping the Rams at or near the top of the NFC, so with Donald having retired, I think they take a shot at Murphy trying to keep the good DL play going.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tyler Guyton - OT - Oklahoma
Why? The Steelers are typically a smashmouth football team, and Guyton is a very athletic tackle prospect. I'm torn between Guyton and Georgia's Amarius Mims; Mims is less experienced, and I feel like Mike Tomlin might be feeling a little bit of heat to find a guy who can play now instead of having to be groomed.

21. Miami Dolphins: Jer'Zhan Newton - DT - Illinois
Why? Newton represents an upgrade on the defensive line, which I think is more important than their offensive line needs; while the OL could use help, it's already a super explosive offense.

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell - CB - Toledo
Why? Mitchell is in the discussion to be the top corner taken off the board, but I think that will be Arnold. Regardless, the Eagles need to run the ball and play defense, and Mitchell should help with that philosophy.

23. Minnesota Vikings: Jared Verse - DE - Florida State
Why? This may be a pick the Vikings use to move up to take J.J. McCarthy. If the Vikings stay here, they could pick Verse to help their pass rush now that Danielle Hunter is gone. (If this pick belongs to the Chargers, I could see Harbaugh going for LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas at this spot.)

24. Dallas Cowboys: Graham Barton - C - Duke
Why? Dallas's best years have come when they've had elite offensive linemen, and they have some holes to fill now. Barton could play any of the five positions on the line, so there are lots of holes he's able to plug. (Phrasing!)

25. Green Bay Packers: Cooper DeJean - S - Iowa
Why? DeJean is probably the biggest playmaker in the defensive backfield of the draft, and he just seems like a Packer - someone who won't mind spending a good chunk of his career playing on the Frozen Tundra.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Amarius Mims - OT - Georgia
Why? Mims might be gone by this point, but if he's still hanging around, I don't see how the Buccaneers pass him up. He's a giant and can really move.

27. Arizona Cardinals: Braden Fiske - DT - Florida State
Why? Arizona needs help on the defensive line, and some of the top options are already off the board. Fiske was the talk of the Combine after his workout, at least among the interior defensive lineman.

28. Buffalo Bills: Xavier Worthy - WR - Texas
Why? Stefon Diggs has been traded to the Houston Texans, and the big-armed Josh Allen could use a downfield threat. Worthy just so happens to be the fastest guy to ever test at the Combine.

29. Detroit Lions: Kool-Aid McKinstry - CB - Alabama
Why? The Lions need some big-time help at corner. Jeff Okudah was supposed to be the solution, and he's gone. Cam Sutton wasn't the answer, anyway, but he's been released after a domestic violence incident. The Lions got some help in free agency but are probably looking at McKinstry or Clemson's Nate Wiggins here.

30. Baltimore Ravens: Roger Rosengarten - OT - Washington
Why? This seems like a place where the Ravens could trade out of the first round, because I don't see a lot of value here for this team. But if they stay here, perhaps Rosengarten is a good fit as they try to fill out their offensive line.

31. San Francisco 49ers: Jackson Powers-Johnson - C - Oregon
Why? I also don't see much value here for the 49ers, who have a good roster already; the best players available don't really fit a current need for the team. But perhaps an interior offensive lineman like Powers-Johnson could help, with the play to eventually move him from guard to center since he has some position flexibility.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Ladd McConkey - WR - Georgia
Why? McConkey seems like a safe bet to be a good player, though perhaps not a great one. It seems like the Chiefs have taken chances with "high upside" guys without much luck after Tyreek Hill, so maybe McConkey can give them some stability here.

What do you think I got wrong, besides most of it?