Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
It’s DRAFT WEEK. Here’s our latest mock draft, leading off with the Chicago Bears at No. 1.
We’re officially onto draft week 2024. This is truly when the smoke that comes out about from teams and anonymous sources can have some legs to it, because teams will have their boards finalized this week. So, before the week get started, here’s another mock draft, based partially on the smoke coming from scouts and sources leading up to this week.
1 . Chicago Bears select Caleb Williams, QB, USC
You can put this one in stone at this point. Williams probably already has an apartment picked out on Lakeshore Drive by now.
2. Washington Commanders select Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Last mock draft we discussed, I had LSU QB Jayden Daniels in this spot. However, I think I’m overthinking the no. 2 spot in this position. Maye is the second best QB in the class and has plenty of Air Raid experience to work with Commanders’ OC Kliff Kingsbury. Plus, his athletic upside is unlimited.
3. New England Patriots select Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Don’t fall for the play action coming from people suggesting that the Patriots will trade this pick. This has to be a QB, and Daniels’ explosiveness with his arm and legs will be a needed boost to the Patriots’ offense.
4. Arizona Cardinals select Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Look—I get the Cardinals wanting to move up and down the draft board by accumulating picks and then go get Harrison Jr.. But it just seems easier to pick him and 4 and have a very good to elite player for the next decade plus.
5. Minnesota Vikings (via Los Angeles Chargers) select JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan
McCarthy is still very raw, but has enough functional athleticism and arm talent to make plays off play action, which fit the Minnesota offense like a glove. No better place to grow than with a team that has two great tackles, a good playcaller and top tier weapons.
6. New York Giants select Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
The Giants miss out on McCarthy, but settle for my WR2 in this draft. Odunze’s body control, footwork and reliablility on the outside make him a great fit in New York, land of 1000 slot receivers.
7. Tennessee Titans select Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
The Titans need a left tackle badly, and all of their moves this offseason have led them to this point. Alt is a big, tall tackle with surprisingly nimble feet, who can grow under the tutelage of Bill Callahan.
8. Atlanta Falcons select Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
It wouldn’t surprise me if the Falcons try trading out of this pick, but in this situation they stay put and draft Turner. The Falcons’ inability to generate pressure (32nd in ESPN’s Pass Rush Win Rate) doomed them last season, and Turner has the length combined with the growing pass rush arsenal to be a high ceiling pass rusher.
9. Chicago Bears select Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
This pick also could be one that gets traded back, as the Bears still need help along both lines. However, when you get the chance to add a walking big play in Malik Nabers, you got to. Nabers is a little similar to DJ Moore, yes, but that explosiveness will play well with new QB Caleb Williams.
10. New York Jets select Taliese Fuaga, OL, Oregon State
The Jets could be the team to end the Brock Bowers slide, but instead opt to draft a tackle to fortify their offensive line. Despite adding Morgan Moses and Tyron Smith, both are on the wrong side of 30 and have missed time in previous seasons. Fuaga can either back up Moses at right tackle or play inside at guard, and in 2025 can take over for Moses or Simpson. The Jets’ top priority should be protecting Aaron Rodgers, and this is how they do it.
11. Los Angeles Chargers select JC Latham, OT, Alabama
If we know anything about Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman, the Chargers are going to run the piss out of the football. Latham is a dancing bear on the right side, with knockout power in the run game on gap runs and light enough feet to survive in the passing game. Latham is an instant floor raiser for a Chargers’ offense that wants to get more physical.
12. Denver Broncos select Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Hear me out: Broncos head coach Sean Payton has emphasized adding playmakers this offseason, at ANY position. Bowers is a big play waiting to happen at tight end, being especially adept after the catch. Bowers can maximize his ability under Payton and give whoever plays QB another top target.
13. Las Vegas Raiders select Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
The Raiders probably wanted Fuaga here, but Arnold becomes the top corner off the board with his physicality and ability to play inside and outside. The Raiders need secondary help, and Arnold is an instant shot of energy.
14. New Orleans Saints select Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
The Saints get my top tackle in Fashanu at 14, an incredible coup for a team that desperately needs a high ceiling left tackle. Then Trevor Penning experience has been lackluster to say the least, with a move to right tackle or inside in his future. Fashanu is the best pass protector in the class, with a lot of room to grow as a run blocker.
15. Indianapolis Colts select Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU
Imagine Thomas’ speed downfield with QB Anthony Richardson’s arm. ‘Nuff said. Thomas can be an immediate shot of downfield explosion with his speed and is still growing as a true route runner.
16. Seattle Seahawks select Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
This one feels kinda set in stone. Fautanu can play guard or tackle, and fills in an offense that is now run by his college offensive coordinator.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars select Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
This feels like its between Arnold, Mitchell, Nate Wiggins or Kool-Aid McKinstry, with Mitchell taking the edge in this mock. His ability to play zone or man and match any concept is an instant boost to a defense that sorely needs impact players at corner.
18. Cincinnati Bengals select Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
Murphy could go higher by the time we get to draft night, but in this one he goes to a perfect fit in Cincinnati. Murphy’s explosiveness on the inside and ability to play both the 1 and 3T will be a feather in his cap when he gets to the Bengals.
19. Los Angeles Rams select Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
The Rams brought in Robinson for a visit last week, and he might have the edge for them over Laiatu Latu. Robinson’s burst and explosion, combined with a clean bill of health, is going to be huge for a Rams team that has to get better play from their EDGEs.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers select Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
The Steelers are trying to recreate the 2023 Georgia offensive line, and I respect it, quite frankly. Mims’ injury history and lack of experience keep him down the board, but he could be one of the best tackles in the NFL—if he’s healthy.
21. Miami Dolphins select Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
Dolphins GM Chris Grier was the man who picked Dolphins’ EDGE Jaelan Phillips despite a lengthy injury history, and here he does it again with Latu. If his medicals check out, Latu is the best pass rusher in the class with a bevy of moves and counters.
22. Philadelphia Eagles select Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
I refuse to believe the Eagles will select a first round defensive back until Howie Roseman does it, so the Eagles opt for their right tackle of the future at 22. Guyton is a bit rough around the edges as a former TE, but his athleticism and smoothness in the pass game will be a lot for OL coach Jeff Stoutland to work with.
23. Los Angeles Chargers (via MIN(via HOU(via CLE))) select Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
The Chargers double up on Alabama prospects, first with Latham and now with McKinstry. Despite a Jones fracture that kept him out of the draft process, McKinstry is experienced in press and is a more than willing tackler, making him the pick over a guy like Nate Wiggins.
24. Dallas Cowboys select Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL, Oregon
Powers-Johnson’s lack of experience at center keeps him down the board here, but the Cowboys are the team to stop the slide. His versatility and ability to move in space despite being a bigger center give him the potential to be a Creed Humphrey-level player in the NFL.
25. Green Bay Packers select Graham Barton, OL, Duke
Barton and the Packers feel like a perfect fit. Despite the lack of length, Barton plays with power and has held his own against longer tackles. Green Bay still needs help along the offensive line with David Bakhtiari no longer on the team, and Barton can slide in at tackle, guard or center if need be.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
The Bucs are trying to get younger on defense, and have started that process with releasing EDGE Shaq Barrett. Here, they replace him with Verse, a powerful EDGE defender with a high floor.
27. Arizona Cardinals select Cooper DeJean, CB/S, Iowa
After picking Harrison Jr. at 4, you can throw a dart at any position defensively for the Cardinals and say to select that. DeJean’s route recognition and ability to play in zone coverage make him a great fit for Jonathan Gannon’s defense.
28. Buffalo Bills select AD Mitchell, WR, Texas
I think the Bills aren’t truly set on drafting a receiver here despite trading WR Stefon Diggs, but Mitchell is a fit that they can’t refuse. The Bills don’t have an outside receiver right now, and Mitchell’s upside as a three-level threat make him a high ceiling player.
29. Detroit Lions select Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois
Newton is my favorite player in this draft class, and a perfect fit in Detroit. Despite a litany of lower body injuries, his quickness and violence make him a great complement to DJ Reader and Alim McNeill on the inside for the Lions.
30. Baltimore Ravens select Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
Yes, the Ravens could use another receiver to aid QB Lamar Jackson, but the Baltimore offensive line has been ravaged by injury. Ronnie Stanley was rotating snaps for most of the season and still might not fully be back from injury. Suamataia can play either tackle spot, and is an easy mover with a lot of upside.
31. San Francisco 49ers select Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
One of my favorite recent player-team fits, Wiggins goes to the Bay Area and becomes a 49er. Wiggins’ speed and aggression as a pass defender on the outside make him a great fit in San Fran, where Charvarius Ward becomes a free agent in 2025.
32. Kansas City Chiefs select Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
The rich get richer, with the Chiefs selecting McConkey. While not a true outside receiver, McConkey’s speed and ability to create separation with nuanced route running make him an easy separator in the short-intermediate areas.
33. Carolina Panthers select Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
Ok, so hear me out. The Panthers have both 33 and 39, and Frazier could be the pick here at either spot. He’s a former wrestling champion who is a finisher as a blocker. The Panthers are committed to running the ball in 2024, and Frazier could be the pivot for a team that wants to be physical.
54. Cleveland Browns select Brandon Dorlus, DL, Oregon
Dorlus is a versatile linemen who can win with power or speed against guards, and played inside and outside at Oregon. The Browns need an impact defender on the inside, and Dorlus could pair well with Myles Garrett.
