2024 NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Drake Maye #3, Malik Nabers #6
This will be my first mock draft of the year. We will not be doing trades yet, but they will be coming as we get closer to the draft.
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
QB Caleb Williams, USC
Although I don't have Williams ranked as my QB1 in this class, this pick is a foregone conclusion barring some sort of drastic change.
2. Washington Commanders
QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
Daniels is the best QB in this draft and Washington has to draft him here. They have been searching for a signal caller since drafting and letting go of RG3 and Kirk Cousins.
3. New England Patriots
QB Drake Maye, UNC
The Pats desperately need a QB, and while Maye is not without his flaws, he also comes with a ton of upside.
4. Arizona Cardinals
WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio St.
Harrison is both the best and safest player in this draft. He will be the heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald as the next HOF wideout in Arizona.
5. Los Angeles Chargers
OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame
A wide receiver makes all the sense in the world here, but that's not Jim Harbaugh's style. His first draft pick will begin to build in the trenches.
6. New York Giants
WR Malik Nabers, LSU
The Giants have been searching for a playmaker on the outside since Odell Beckham and have struggled mightily. They need to give Daniel Jones one legitimate shot to succeed before moving on from him. With Nabers and Hyatt, he will have that fair shot.
7. Tennessee Titans
OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon St.
The Titans need to fill a lot of holes, however, it always makes sense to start at OT especially when you have a young QB.
8. Atlanta Falcons
EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
The Falcons most glaring need is at pass rusher, and with a legitimate chance to run away with a bad division, it's something they must address if they plan on doing anything in the playoffs.
9. Chicago Bears
OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn St.
The Bears already have the weapons set up and have invested heavily in their defense. With a rookie QB under center, their biggest goal has to be to protect him.
10. New York Jets
WR Rome Odunze, Washington
The Jets should go OL here but they are a bad franchise that makes bad choices. Instead, they'll get their 40-year-old QB another weapon to appease him.
11. Minnesota Vikings
QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
The Vikings have to do something at QB assuming they don't believe Sam Darnold is the long-term answer. I don't think McCarthy is either, but his stock has risen drastically throughout the draft process.
12. Denver Broncos
EDGE Jared Verse, Florida St.
An elite pass rusher has been a staple of the Broncos for a long time now and they need to go out and bring in new blood to attack the quarterback. You can't compete in the AFC West if you can't pressure Patrick Mahomes.
13. Las Vegas Raiders
OT JC Latham, Alabama
The Raiders offensive line collapsed in a hurry over the past few seasons and they aren't going to be able to get anything going until they fix that issue.
14. New Orleans Saints
OL Troy Fautanu, Washington
The Saints are another team who could go in quite a few different directions. For now, we have them grabbing a tackle to protect Derek Carr who took a beating last year.
15. Indianapolis Colts
TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
Someone could trade up and take Bowers earlier than this, but since we aren't doing trades in this mock, this is where he landed. At some point, he's just too good to pass up.
16. Seattle Seahawks
CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Seattle looked set at CB for a long time in 2022 before taking a big step back last season. They will grab Mitchell to solidify the position.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
DT Byron Murphy, Texas
The Jags need some help in the interior of the O-line. Murphy could become an anchor there for a long time.
18. Cincinnati Bengals
CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
OL and CB always seem to be the Bengals' weakness. They have invested in their offensive line and now need to make sure they can lock up elite receivers if they want to get back to the Super Bowl.
19. Los Angeles Rams
EDGE Laiatu Latu, UCLA
The Rams' biggest need is a pass rusher so they take the best one on the board right here.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
OL Graham Barton, Duke
The Steelers had a great line for as long as we can remember, but it has become an issue over the past few years. They have to rebuild it if they want to be better than a team that doesn't sit around 9-8.
21. Miami Dolphins
OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
The line is always the issue in Miami. Tua getting the ball out quick helps a lot, nevertheless, giving him time in the pocket could elevate him to the next level.
22. Philadelphia Eagles
CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama
The Eagles' corners have been their biggest weakness. Adding a potentially elite corner could go a long way in getting them back to the top of the NFC.
23. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland through Houston)
WR Brian Thomas, LSU
The writing seems to be on the wall for Justin Jefferson in Minnesota. It makes sense to replace him now in a strong WR class. You could even see Jefferson moved at some point this season.
24. Dallas Cowboys
OT Amarius Mims, Georgia
The Cowboys' line isn't bad but does need some revamping after losing key pieces over the past few seasons due to age. Most of their success can be attributed to this strategy.
25. Green Bay Packers
CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
With Jaire Alexander's future in Green Bay murky at best, they need to draft a corner to be his long-term replacement.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
The Bucs' line has been struggling since their Super Bowl winning season. This is an obvious position to address.
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston)
DT Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois
After addressing the offense earlier in the first round, they attack the other side of the ball here.
28. Buffalo Bills
Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
The Bills need help at corner and McKinstry is a steal this late in the first round.
29. Detroit Lions
EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn St.
The Lions are a strong team without many weaknesses so they can take someone at just about any position. You can never have too many pass rushers.
30. Baltimore Ravens
WR Xavier Worthy, Texas
The Ravens still need more help at wideout and have not done a good job drafting wideouts throughout their entire existence. Worthy's speed will be too much for them to pass up. We've seen them make picks like this time and again with guys like Breshad Perriman and Hollywood Brown.
31. San Francisco 49ers
OT Jordan Morgan, Arizona
The Niners have a loaded roster, and if there is a concern, it's that they could bolster the line a bit. It's especially important in their offensive scheme.
32. Kansas City Chiefs
CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
Odds are that Kansas City trades back here, however, for now, we have them taking a corner to fill the void left this offseason.
