MOCK NFL DRAFTS
| Pick | Team | Pos | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 |
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QB |
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| Go ahead and lock this one in, there’s a 0% chance that we get a surprise here on draft night. The former Heisman winner will be primed to have a stellar rookie season with the phenomenal supporting cast that Chicago has built over the past couple of seasons. | ||||
#2 |
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QB |
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| I’ve been back and forth on who I think Washington will go with here, but too many signs are pointing to Daniels being their guy for me to avoid. The reigning Heisman winner is a game changer on the ground, and if Washington can bring him some stability and good coaching with their new staff, he could develop into one of the best dual-threat players in football. | ||||
#3 |
|
QB |
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| This is a dream come true for the Patriots. There have been some rumors that they also like J.J. McCarthy, but Maye is a much better and more pro-ready prospect, which is great for a New England roster that will otherwise have to start Jacoby Brissett. I wouldn’t rule out a trade down if the right offer comes in, but the Patriots would be smart to stick with their pick here and grab their new franchise quarterback. | ||||
#4 |
|
WR |
||
| There’s a good chance that Arizona will end up trading out of this pick on draft night, but with the top three quarterbacks already off of the board, I’m not sure they’ll get the haul that they are looking for. Instead, they’ll get an elite consolation prize in Marvin Harrison Jr., who may be the best overall player in this class and perfectly fills a major position of need for them. | ||||
#5 |
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WR |
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| It wouldn’t surprise me if the Chargers decide to take Joe Alt or Brock Bowers with this pick, but ultimately they need much more help in the receiving core than they need on the offensive line. It would be a waste of Justin Herbert’s talent to give him Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston as his top two targets, so Malik Nabers is the perfect fit for them here. He would be the WR1 in most classes, so Los Angeles will walk out of this feeling good about the value they got. | ||||
#6 |
|
WR |
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| Word on the street is that the Giants want Drake Maye, but in this scenario, the only quarterback they’ll have a shot at is J.J. McCarthy. Instead of taking him, they’ll continue the run on wide receivers with Washington’s Rome Odunze, who many consider to be a top two WR in this class. He would instantly be the most talented pass catcher on New York’s underwhelming offense. | ||||
#7 |
|
OT |
||
| This is almost a perfect scenario for the Titans. They were able to get some quality weapons in free agency for Will Levis to throw to, and now they’ll get the anchor left tackle that they’ve been missing for years. Joe Alt is considered by many to be a top-five talent in this class, and putting him right next to Peter Skoronski on Tennessee’s offensive line would make for a dominant duo on Levis’ blindside. | ||||
#8 |
|
LB |
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| Atlanta is another team that could trade out of their pick, but they’ll instead stay put and address one of their biggest positions of need. They’ll likely be deciding between Laiatu Latu and Dallas Turner here, but the latter will ultimately be the pick because of the red flags in Latu’s profile. The Alabama product should fit right in on a defense now led by Raheem Morris. | ||||
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#9 |
|
DL |
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| Byron Murphy II is a difficult player to project a landing spot for, but I think Chicago makes a lot of sense. They need help all over the defensive line, but they should feel more secure about their edge rushers given the great year that Montez Sweat had in 2023. Pair that with the fact that Dallas Turner is already off of the board, and that gives the Bears plenty of reasons to go with the dominant defensive tackle prospect with the second of their first-round picks. | ||||
#10 |
|
TE |
||
| It would be tempting for New York to take an offensive lineman here, but they’re going all in this year with Aaron Rodgers set to return from his Achilles injury. They want someone who is going to see the field and contribute in year one, and Bowers is the perfect player to do that for them. He’s considered a generational prospect by many scouts, and his presence would arguably give New York a top-three set of skill-position players in the entire league. | ||||
#11 |
|
QB |
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| McCarthy and the Vikings have been linked all offseason, and Michigan’s star quarterback will fall right into the team’s lap in this scenario. I’m skeptical about the notion that he can start on day one, but there’s no denying that Minnesota is the perfect landing spot for him with all of the weapons that they have on the roster. | ||||
#12 |
|
DE |
||
| Denver will have to wait until Day Two of the draft to address their glaring need at the quarterback position, so they’ll work on improving the defense with this pick. Jared Verse is an uber-talented edge rusher who could be the best defender in this entire class, and he will easily be the best edge that they’ve rostered since Bradley Chubb. | ||||
#13 |
|
OT |
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| Head Coach Antonio Pierce is trying to establish a new and improved culture in Las Vegas, and to do that, he’s going to build through the trenches. Las Vegas’ offensive line is set on the blindside with Kolton Miller holding things down at left tackle, so that gives them the ability to go with Taliese Fuaga at this pick. He has been a major riser throughout the course of the offseason so far, and while this isn’t exactly a flashy pick, this would be an objectively smart pick from a team building perspective. | ||||
#14 |
|
OT |
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| Saints fans should be jumping with joy if things fall this way on draft night. They need a tackle more than any other team in the league, and Fashanu is arguably the top pass protector in this class. He would’ve been a top-ten pick had he declared for last year’s draft, so the Saints will get a great value at a premium position here. | ||||
#15 |
|
CB |
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| It seems to be a two-horse race between Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold for the CB1 honors, but if I was a bettin’ man, I’d say that Mitchell goes off the board first. He’d be a great fit for the Colts with this pick, and this just seems to be one of the more obvious pairings at this point in the draft cycle. | ||||
#16 |
|
DE |
||
| There’s some talk of Latu possibly going in the top-ten, but I think that his injury history and age will ultimately knock him down the board a little bit further than people think. That’s great news for the Seahawks, who will get to address a major position of need without having to trade up at all. Mike Macdonald was able to get great play out of 31-year old Jadeveon Clowney last year; think about what he can do with an elite young technician like Latu. | ||||
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#17 |
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CB |
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| The Jaguars could consider grabbing a wide receiver here, but it’s a deep class and they could find quality prospects at the position in the later rounds. Instead, they’ll choose to take Alabama’s Terrion Arnold, who has a legit case to be the CB1 in this class. Jacksonville needs to be improving their defense constantly in a division that now features C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis. | ||||
#18 |
|
DL |
||
| Newton’s stock has plummeted in the media this offseason, but I just don’t think that most NFL teams agree with that. There’s no good reason for his fall, and this is a guy that was talked about as a likely top-ten pick for most of the season. Cincinnati has a major hole on the interior of their defensive line now that D.J. Reader left the team in free agency, so taking Newton here seems like a very logical move for Cincinnati. | ||||
#19 |
|
OT |
||
| Many think that the Rams will go with a skill-position player at this pick, but they have much more pressing needs. One of those is the offensive line, and I think Fautanu is a guy that Sean McVay would really love to work with. He moves effortlessly and could be used in a lot of unique ways, and I think that this would be one of the best pairings for both sides if this happens. | ||||
#20 |
|
OT |
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| Pittsburgh did well by taking Broderick Jones in the first round of last year’s draft, but they still need another tackle to fully solidify the offensive line. JC Latham would fit in nicely at right tackle for them, and he really excels as a mean and nasty run blocker, which is exactly the type of lineman that new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will love. | ||||
#21 |
|
C |
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| Robert Hunt signed a mega deal with the Panthers and Connor Williams remains a free agent, so the interior of Miami’s offensive line remains a mess. Luckily for them, their pick is right in front of several other teams who may be chomping at the bit to draft Powers-Johnson. They’ll get him without moving up at all, and this seems like a very necessary pick given the lack of talent that they have in the trenches. | ||||
#22 |
|
CB |
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| Philadelphia’s secondary imploded at the end of last season. Darius Slay and James Bradberry are both clearly aging and couldn’t make a tackle if their lives depended on it, so Howie Roseman will be aggressive to get Kool-Aid McKinstry with this pick. The Alabama product thrives as a physical outside press cornerback, and he fits well with everything that Philadelphia’s defense is all about. | ||||
#23 |
|
CB |
||
| Minnesota would ideally like to take a defensive lineman with this pick, but with all of the top guys already off the board, they’ll instead add to their secondary by taking Nate Wiggins. He’s a guy with a high range of outcomes, but I think that Minnesota would love to take a shot on him and the elite athleticism that he comes with. | ||||
#24 |
|
OT |
||
| Dallas needs help at several different spots on their offensive line, so the versatility that Graham Barton brings will be very attractive to them here. Amarius Mims was also in consideration, but he seems to be more of a right tackle than anything else, and the Cowboys already have Terence Steele to fill that role. Barton will start and be a major contributor in year one if he ends up in Dallas. | ||||
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#25 |
|
OT |
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| It’s a well-established fact that the Packers are looking to revamp their offensive line, and they’ll get a better pick here than they could’ve imagined. Mims has one of the highest ceilings out of any player in this entire draft class, and getting a player with this caliber of talent without trading up may be enough to get the Packers over the hump in 2024. | ||||
#26 |
|
CB |
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| Tampa Bay could also be looking for an edge rusher with this pick, but I don’t think that they’ll pass up on DeJean if he’s still on the board. He had an absolutely dominant career at Iowa, and he has the versatility to be a strong contributor as a cornerback, safety, or special teams player. All coaches will love that, but Todd Bowles will be the one to pull the trigger on taking him in the first round. | ||||
#27 |
|
DE |
||
| I don’t think Chop Robinson will make it out of the first round, and Arizona needs talent on the edge of their defensive line. The only reservation I have about this is the fact that BJ Ojulari, who they took in the second-round of last year’s class, is very similar in play style to Robinson, but I don’t ultimately think that would change their minds. | ||||
#28 |
|
WR |
||
| Buffalo is as good as locked into taking a first-round wide receiver now that Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone, so they’ll go with Brian Thomas Jr. with this pick. There’s a lot that he needs to work on and continue to develop if he ever wants to be a top-ten wideout in the NFL, but there are very few players his size that move as effortlessly as he does. | ||||
#29 |
|
DL |
||
| As we saw last year, the Lions aren’t scared to go out and get their guy, even if it’s not a good ‘value’. Robinson seems to be a consensus Day Two player in the media, but I think he could sneak into the back end of round one. His hybrid build will make him a versatile and dangerous weapon opposite of Aidan Hutchinson, and I believe that he’s a player that the Lions are strongly considering. | ||||
#30 |
|
WR |
||
| Some teams have reportedly removed Mitchell from their draft boards because of his supposed character concerns, but the Ravens won’t be able to pass him up if he’s available here. He tested out as an elite athlete at the Combine, and he flashed a lot of potential on tape, which shows just how high his upside is if all of the off-field stuff can get figured out. | ||||
#31 |
|
OT |
||
| San Francisco’s roster is very strong overall, but they could always use more talent on the offensive line. Morgan is one of the more under-the-radar prospects in this class, but his versatility to play both guard and tackle will be appealing to a 49ers’ roster that needs more depth everywhere in the trenches. | ||||
#32 |
|
WR |
||
| Kansas City’s first pick will be between a wide receiver and a left tackle, but if Legette is on the board, I don’t think that they’ll be able to resist taking him. His combination of size and speed is unparalleled in this class, and it’s clear to see the upside that he could have playing with Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl Champions in Kansas City. | ||||