Final NFL 2024 Mock Draft
| April 24, 2024 | Sports,
It’s draft week! We are almost 24 hours away from Goodell announcing 32 new NFL players at Campus Martius Park in Detroit, but before then I am going to do my best to predict all 32 names announced with trades (there are MANY) included. Let’s get this party started…
#1 – Chicago Bears (via CAR) – QB Caleb Williams: USC
Maybe the worst kept secret of the off-season may have been who the Bears were going to take at the top of the draft after trading Justin Fields. Williams has all of the intangibles to be a successful NFL QB for a long time and will find himself in the best supporting cast of any #1 overall QB in NFL history to do so.
#2 – Washington Commanders – QB Jayden Daniels: LSU
Daniels exploded in 2023 for LSU by racking up 50 total touchdowns along with just under 5,000 combined rushing and passing yards to run away with the Heisman trophy. Daniels is a dynamic talent and will try to build off his Heisman campaign in the nation’s capital.
#3 – New England Patriots – QB Drake Maye: UNC
Rumors are floating around about the Patriots potentially trading down if they receive the right offer but I am not buying it. They stick and pick here, selecting the 21-year-old North Carolina signal caller, despite a slight regression in his junior year.
#4 – Arizona Cardinals – WR Marvin Harrison Jr.: OSU
The first non-QB off the board is none other than Marvin Harrison Jr. Arguably the second most talented player in the draft, he will land in the desert to catch passes from Kyler Murray and bolster a weak WR room.
#5 – Minnesota Vikings (via LAC) – QB JJ McCarthy: UM
This is where the draft really begins in my opinion. The Vikings acquired an additional first from Houston and everyone and their mother is under the assumption it was a move to load up and trade up for a QB. I believe McCarthy is EXTREMELY situation-dependent on whether he succeeds in the NFL. He lands in one of the few that I believe he can develop in Minnesota. McCarthy lands in Minnesota to develop under Kevin O’Connel while throwing passes to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison with Aaron Jones to carry the rock. You could make the argument this is a better supporting cast for a rookie QB than Chicago.
#6 – New York Giants – WR Malik Nabers: LSU
The Giants are another team that have been linked to JJ McCarthy, but with him off the board to Minnesota, the G-Men pivot and take a playmaker. The crazy athletic LSU product will look to help Daniel Jones out with his ability to score from anywhere on the field.
#7 – Tennessee Titans – OT Joe Alt: ND
The Titans spent a lot of money gathering support for Will Levis in Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard in free agency and at No. 7 they add Levis’ bodyguard. Alt should be a long-term solution at one of the premium positions in the sport and is the best tackle in the draft.
#8 – Chicago Bears (via ATL) – WR Rome Odunze: UW
Would the Bears be able to get Odunze with the ninth pick? Maybe. But in this scenario, the Bears don’t risk anyone jumping them for their guy. They will add Odunze to a WR room that already has DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.
#9 – Atlanta Falcons – DT Byron Murphy II: Texas
Murphy being the first defensive player off the board may come as a surprise to some people, but he has all the tools to deserve that nod. He has a combination of strength and speed that is rare to find at the DT position. Murphy should bolster a weak Atlanta run-defense and pass-rush immediately.
#10 – New York Jets – TE Brock Bowers: UGA
I Went back and forth here a lot between a tackle and Bowers but ultimately settled on the unique talent that is Bowers. The Jets go “all-in” with 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers with an offensive weapon that can be played all over the field.
#11 – Los Angeles Chargers – OT Taliese Fuaga: ORST
Jim Harbaugh’s first selection as head coach of the Chargers is to bolster their O-Line. Harbaugh loves his running scheme, which is what leads him to the 6’6” 324lb beast of Fuaga. Fuaga brings exceptional IQ and foot speed to a scheme that relies on those traits.
#12 – New Orleans Saints (via DEN) – OT Olu Fashanu: PSU
Making sure the Raiders do not take their guy, the Saints need to jump up and take the Penn State product. Fashanu may be the rawest of the top OT prospects in the draft, and he needs developing in the run game, but his pass blocking ability is needed to keep Derek Carr upright.
#13 – Las Vegas Raiders – OT J.C Latham: UA
The run-on tackles continue with Las Vegas. The Raiders take the Alabama product that brings size, speed, and power to help out a team that is desperately looking to beef up their O-Line.
#14 – Denver Broncos – DE Dallas Turner: UA
With the Broncos building up a team from basically scratch, they trade back a couple spots and still grab one of the best defensive players in the draft. Turner’s run-defense is still a work in progress, but his pass-rushing ability has an elite ceiling to contribute immediately.
#15 – Indianapolis Colts – CB Quinyon Mitchell: TOL
Mitchell’s stock exploded starting at the Senior Bowl and continued at the combine and the result is him being the first DB off the board in the draft. Mitchell is a rare athlete at the CB position and had one of the best seasons for a CB in college football last season.
#16 – Seattle Seahawks – DE Jared Verse: FSU
New head coach Mike Macdonald comes from Michigan where the philosophy is to focus on a “run-wall” as he coined it. His first step at creating this at the NFL level is the freakishly strong Verse. He still has work to improve on his tackling, but Verse may just be the safest bet of the projected first round edges.
#17 – San Francisco 49ers (via JAX) – WR Adonai Mitchell: TEX
Outrageous? Crazy? Never going to happen? Yeah probably but hear me out. Brandon Aiyuk has been on the trade block for quite some time now and Trevor Lawrence and the Jags need a deep threat with Ridley departing.
The 49ers waste no time drafting his replacement in taking Mitchell. Mitchell will have no problem with replacing Aiyuk as Shanahan’s deep threat. The reason I go Mitchell over Thomas Jr, is that Mitchell is better at quickly getting off the line which is needed in the West Coast scheme.
#18 – Cincinnati Bengals – DT Jer’Zhan Newton: IL
Tackle has been a common pick for the Bengals here at pick 18 but that’s (obviously) not the route I am taking. I do not believe their signing of Sheldon Rankins “blocks” them from taking a tackle. Newton has very good hands, pass-rushing tools and block-shedding ability, but his size knocks him down to some scouts. Aaron Donald anyone?
#19 – Los Angeles Rams – DE Laiatu Latu: UCLA
Trying to replace what Aaron Donald brought to the Rams defense is an impossible task, but the Rams will attempt to by taking Latu. Latu’s injury history is a legit concern for some teams but his production speaks for itself racking up 27 (!!) sacks in his last two seasons of college football.
#20 – Pittsburgh Steelers – OT Troy Fautanu: UW
The Steelers desperately need help keeping their QB on their feet, whether it’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Fautanu might just be the most athletic tackle in the draft and he falls right into the Steelers lap.
#21 – Miami Dolphins – OT Amarius Mims: UGA
Mims is a giant coming in at 6 ‘7 ” ,340lbs and yet he is able to sit in his stance and cover ground, which might just be the eighth wonder of the new world. Mims lacked experience at Georgia, only logging 682 snaps. His upper body strength allows him to hold blocks extremely well and is more smooth than explosive.
#22 – Philadelphia Eagles – CB Terrion Arnold: UA
The Eagles secondary struggled mightily in 2023 and GM Howie Roseman addresses the issue with Arnold. Like most corners, Arnold isn’t fully polished but he’s got the athleticism to succeed in man or zone schemes. A side fact to note about Arnold is that he is this year’s Alabama player that Saban named his “favorite”. Last year it was Brian Branch, who did pretty well I’d say for Detroit.
#23 – Green Bay Packers (via LAC, MIN, HOU, CLE) – OL Graham Barton: DUKE
Barton will more than likely end up playing somewhere on the interior of the line in the NFL, but the Packers need help there. Barton is a mauler in the run game, using his strong hands and explosive base to knock defenders over. The Packers will look to Barton to be the battering ram for new acquisition, Josh Jacobs.
#24 – Dallas Cowboys – WR Brian Thomas Jr.: LSU
Tell me where you’ve seen this before. The Cowboys have needs on both their offensive and defensive lines and instead of addressing those, they go with the flashy WR instead. Thomas will look to take a lot of attention off of Ceedee Lamb and help out Dak Prescott as a deep and sideline threat. Running a 4.33 40-yard dash at 6’3” 210lbs is also mightily impressive.
#25 – Los Angeles Chargers (via GB) – DB Cooper DeJean: IA
The Chargers trade down parade ends here and they finally make their second selection of the first round and it is the flexible Cooper DeJean. There is some debate of whether DeJean will play safety or corner in the NFL, but whichever it is he will slot in instantly for LA. DeJean brings a high football IQ, great size for a DB and quick instincts. DeJean is also the best run-defending DB in the draft and would help a Chargers unit that found themselves middle of the pack in that aspect.
#26 – Baltimore Ravens (via TB) – OT Tyler Guyton: OU
There is not a more athletic tackle in the draft than Guyton. He could honestly play tight end. His background of playing defensive end shows up on tape as he is explosive off the ball. Guyton is still very raw in his ability to win with technique but it’s easier to teach an athlete how to play football, than to teach a football player how to be athletic.
#27 – Arizona Cardinals (via HOU) – CB Nate Wiggins: CLEM
The second Cardinals selection will address the secondary with Wiggins. Wiggins’s one knock is that he is light and it shows up in run-defense where defenders can easily push him around. Outside of that, Wiggins is great in man and zone, using fluid hips, an elite recovery speed, and great arm length to disrupt any receiver he is lined up against.
#28 – Buffalo Bills – DE Chop Robinson: PSU
I think many people expect the Bills to go WR in the first round but not me, especially with Troy Franklin as the best one available. Chop falls to Buffalo and they can’t help but take the Penn State product. What Chop lacks in his game are coachable attributes and Buffalo is a spot that has been known to unlock such traits in their defensive front.
#29 – Detroit Lions – DE Darius Robinson: MIZ
Like Quinyon Mitchell, Robinson was a huge beneficiary of the Senior Bowl and instantly shot up from a day two projection to a day one. I believe Robinson will play more DT than DE in the NFL due to his lack of ability on the edge and the effectiveness of his bull-rush on interior lineman. I thought hard about going McKinstry here, but settled on Robinson to play alongside Aidan Hutchinson on that Detroit front. Robinson will look to add more production to a Detroit defense that allowed the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL last season.
#30 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – CB Kool-Aid McKinstry:UA
Whoever Detroit didn’t take between Robinson and McKinstry I had going to Tampa. McKinstry may not be the most athletic corner in the draft class but his IQ and talent make up for it. His ability to be effective in the run game should also not go unnoticed. The Buccaneers defense allowed the third-most passing yards in the league last year, and they will look to McKinstry to help fix that.
#31 – Jacksonville Jaguars (via SF) – C Jackson Powers-Johnson: ORE
After receiving Aiyuk from SF in this mock trade, the Jaguars are able to sit at No. 31 and still pick a player that addresses a dire need. He is a versatile lineman, with ability to play all over the offensive line and has all the traits you look for in one. The only knock on him is his arms are pretty short but his ability to overpower and embarrass defensive linemen shows why he should be a starting center in the league for a decade, if not longer.
#32 – Kansas City Chiefs – OT Jordan Morgan: AZ
And just like that, it’s the last pick of the first round and it’s none other than the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, Kansas City. Similar to Buffalo, public consensus is that the Chiefs address their WR room early in the draft, but I do not believe it happens on day one and instead, they address their need at tackle with Jordan Morgan. Morgan’s lack of strength is nothing that an NFL workout and diet plan can’t fix. He brings fast hands and quick feet to help protect the best QB in the league, Patrick Mahomes.