The 2024 NFL Draft is about one month away, and in our latest mock draft, this first-round is filled with insane trades that'll make your head spin. I think the top three picks in April's draft are nearly locked-in. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye seem to be the top three selections. Sure, something major could change, but I believe that the NFL Draft "begins" with the fourth overall pick, as that's where some crazy stuff can happen.
Would the Arizona Cardinals stay at No. 4? Would they trade down? Well, we do know that they are listening to offers to trade down, and for them specifically, they still have quite a few of roster holes. Teams like the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos could be logical candidates to trade up. Let's try to put together a first-round mock draft with what kind of reporting and momentum is out there.
2024 NFL Mock Draft: This first-round mock will make your head spin
1. Chicago Bears - Caleb Williams, QB, USC
There isn't going to be any other outcome here. The Chicago Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a late-round draft pick, officially signaling the end of that era and essentially opening the door for the Caleb Williams era.
2. Washington Commanders - Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
More in line with the type of quarterback he's worked with before, Kliff Kingsbury gets his ideal prospect in Jayden Daniels, the Heisman Trophy winner. I personally believe Drake Maye is the better prospect, but the Washington Commanders make a huge move to get their QB of the future in Daniels. They traded Sam Howell earlier this offseason.
3. Minnesota Vikings (via NE) - Drake Maye, QB, UNC
Trade! The Minnesota Vikings move all the way up to the third overall pick for Drake Maye, as the New England Patriots somehow pass on a likely franchise QB and instead decide to collect draft capital.
4. Arizona Cardinals - Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, OSU
Marvin Harrison Jr to the Arizona Cardinals feels very likely if the team does not trade out of the fourth overall pick. The team simply needs more weapons, and Kyler Murray did lose Hollywood Brown in the passing game. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
5. Los Angeles Chargers - Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
With Jim Harbaugh’s first selection as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, they look to beef up their offensive line with Joe Alt, who is every bit of a franchise left tackle, but the Chargers decide to put him on the right side, as they have Rashawn Slater on the left side.
6. New York Giants - JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Wow! JJ McCarthy falls out of the top five and is right there for the New York Giants. Frankly, the team should not put Daniel Jones back out on the field and should instead roll with the QB room of McCarthy and Drew Lock, who has been a backup before.
7. Tennessee Titans - Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
The Tennessee Titans need a franchise left tackle so Will Levis is not running for his life. Olu Fashanu has insane technical skill and could be a week one starter for Tennessee. The Titans and GM Ran Carthon would certainly be making a huge investment into the offense if they continued to add to it in the 2024 NFL Draft.
8. Atlanta Falcons - Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
The Atlanta Falcons poured a ton of resources into their offense this offseason with Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney coming over. Now, they turn their focus to defense and draft Dallas Turner, who brings an immediate upgrade to their pass rush department.
9. Chicago Bears - Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
More weapons! Caleb Williams will now be throwing to DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Malik Nabers. Yeah, that’ll do. Keenan Allen is old and should definitely not take the Bears out of a WR at pick nine.
10. Indianapolis Colts (via NYJ) - Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Trade! The Indianapolis Colts put the finishing touches on their skill positions on offense by taking Brock Bowers in a trade-up with the New York Jets. Bowers comes into a very offensive-minded team in Indy and will become a weapon that Anthony Richardson will frequent.
11. New England Patriots (via MIN) - Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
The Patriots traded down with the Vikings and will select Rome Odunze with the 11th overall pick, which all of a sudden gives them a solid room of wide receivers along with Demario Douglas, KJ Osborn, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
12. Dallas Cowboys (via DEN) - Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Trade! The Dallas Cowboys trade up in the first round and want to select Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State. The Cowboys did lose Tyron Smith in free agency to the New York Jets and should ensure that their best team strength along the OL will remain a strength.
13. Las Vegas Raiders - Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
The Las Vegas Raiders love their defensive backs. This time, they’ll take Terrion Arnold in the first round. Arnold seems to be the best coverage corner in this year’s draft class and will be the second major addition LV has added to their defense. They threw a bag at free agent DT Christian Wilkins.
14. New Orleans Saints - JC Latham, OT, Alabama
A move that makes a ton of sense is the Saints filling one of their two tackle needs in the first round. Trevor Penning is a bust and Ryan Ramczyk could retire. Taking JC Latham, or any other first-round tackle available is the smart move here.
15. New York Jets (via IND) - Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
Troy Fautanu could play tackle and guard at the next level, so I think this would be a very wise move for the Jets and GM Joe Douglas, who has added three new starters along the OL this offseason thus far in Tyron Smith, John Simpson, and Morgan Moses.
16. Seattle Seahawks - Jackson Powers-Johnson, OC, Oregon
The best iOL prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jackson Powers-Johnson is inserted into, frankly, a dire situation with the Seahawks iOL. The Seahawks need to beef up their OL, and with a new defensive-minded head coach, I think it’s likely.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars - Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
The Jaguars have again been aggressive in the NFL offseason, signing free agents left and right. This time, they add another young piece into the secondary with Quinyon Mitchell. The team did address their CB position in FA with Ronald Darby.
18. Cincinnati Bengals - Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois
The Bengals should not shy away from adding to their DL this NFL Draft cycle. The best defensive lineman is Johnny Newton. With the team signing Sheldon Rankins, they could surely go in a different direction. I think Cincy could address their iOL with this pick, but they’ll take Newton in this mock draft.
19. Los Angeles Rams - Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
The Los Angeles Rams had a ton of production from some of their young defensive players in 2023, so they’ll look to add to that unit with Laiatu Latu. The Rams signed a pair of guards in free agency to improve their OL. I think we could see them add a mid-round QB, for what that is worth.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers - Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Amarius Mims could be tasked with protecting either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson in 2024. Unfortunately for Mims, both Fields and Wilson hold onto the ball way too long and take too many sacks. When a QB plays like that, it’s almost impossible for an OL to be good enough.
21. Miami Dolphins - Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
The Miami Dolphins definitely need to flip the script a bit and establish some type of hard-nosed culture. The cold weather jokes about the Dolphins are actually not totally inaccurate, so bringing in some production along the defensive line is a good step to shedding those jokes once and for all.
22. Philadelphia Eagles - Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
The Eagles need to eventually get some legitimate cornerbacks in the building. The duo of Darius Slay and James Bradberry couldn’t inspire me to make a ham sandwich, so let’s add Nate Wiggins to a secondary that brought back CJ Gardner-Johnson on a three-year deal.
23. New England Patriots (via MIN) - Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
The two first-round picks that the New England Patriots got in their trade-down with the Minnesota Vikings will be Rome Odunze and Tyler Guyton, a tackle from Oklahoma. The Patriots could kick Guyton to the left side, as they re-signed Mike Onwenu and will keep him at right tackle.
24. Denver Broncos (via DAL) - Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
The Denver Broncos select Bo Nix with what was the Dallas Cowboys’ first-round pick. The Broncos trading down strategically nets them someone who’d be a perfect fit within Sean Payton’s offense.
25. Green Bay Packers - Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
The Green Bay Packers could go in a number of different directions here. I opted for a CB in Kool-Aid McKinstry. I think GB could easily take a tackle here, but not much else. McKinstry could potentially fill the void if Jaire Alexander isn’t on the team come week one of the 2024 NFL Season.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
The Buccaneers need to get more juice off the EDGE, especially after Shaq Barrett’s departure, so they look to Jared Verse from Florida State to provide that juice. Can the Bucs build on their breakout 2023 season?
27. Arizona Cardinals - Christian Haynes, OG, UConn
The Arizona Cardinals seem to have figured out their tackle situation with Paris Johnson and Jonah Williams, so they turn their focus to the iOL with Christian Haynes. All of a sudden, the Cards offense is beginning to take shape, and if Kyler Murray can return to his old self, they could make a ton of noise in 2024.
28. Buffalo Bills - Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
The Buffalo Bills need another viable target next to Stefon Diggs. They do have Curtis Samuel, Dalton Kincaid, and Dawson Knox, but a true WR2 is needed, so that’s where Keon Coleman comes into play. With Diggs getting older, they have to also be thinking about the long-term here as well.
29. Detroit Lions - Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
The Detroit Lions have added CB Carlton Davis and DT DJ Reader to their defense this offseason, and I don’t think they’d be done there. Chop Robinson is an excellent athlete and could help the Lions shore up their defense. If that side of the ball can take a step forward in 2024, you might be looking at one of the most complete teams in the NFL.
30. Baltimore Ravens - Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Now the fastest man in the history of the NFL Combine, Xavier Worthy joins Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers, and Mark Andrews in Baltimore, perhaps giving the Ravens the most impressive lineup of players on offense in the entire NFL. Can the Ravens finally play up to their potential in 2024?
31. San Francisco 49ers - Graham Barton, OG, Duke
The San Francisco 49ers had quite a bit of turnover along their defensive line this offseason, so at this point, they should turn their focus to improving their interior offensive line, which is where Graham Barton comes into play.
32. Kansas City Chiefs - Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
The Chiefs did sign Hollywood Brown in free agency, but I don’t necessarily think that Brown should take them out of the running for a WR in the first round. Now yes, the NFL Draft is loaded at WR, and the Chiefs do have other needs, but I don’t think they’d pass up the chance to draft a top-tier WR.
There you have it; another first-round mock draft, and this one comes with some wild trades. While we won’t know for sure what happens until it actually happens, I think the 2024 NFL Draft will definitely feature some major trades, as certain teams are searching for that stud franchise QB or other major position.