The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off at 8 p.m. Thursday. After an eventful free agency period, all 32 NFL teams will look to add more talent to their rosters. There will surely be some excitement on draft night, but predicting trades in a mock draft can get crazy, so here is a full first-round mock draft without trades.
1. Chicago Bears (via CAR): Caleb Williams, QB, USC
After trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it is obvious the Chicago Bears are drafting a quarterback. Former Heisman trophy winner Caleb Williams is the unanimous No. 1 quarterback, and he goes to the Bears.
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Just like the Bears, the Washington Commanders traded last year’s starting quarterback. The Commanders sent Sam Howell to the Seattle Seahawks, and they only added Marcus Mariota this offseason. Mariota’s play style fits 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels’, so it makes sense they go with Daniels here.
3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB, UNC
There is a theme here for the first three picks, as the New England Patriots traded their 2023 starting quarterback, too. That is why the first three picks are almost a lock to be quarterbacks, which will make teams that have a franchise quarterback happy. The Patriots go with North Carolina’s Drake Maye to try and get New England back to glory.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, OSU
If I were doing trades in this mock draft, this would likely be the first big trade of the draft. However, with the Arizona Cardinals staying put, they add the best wide receiver in the draft, Marvin Harrison Jr.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Another potential trade back candidate, the Los Angeles Chargers need some serious help at wide receiver. They traded Kenan Allen to the Bears and lost Mike Williams to the Jets in free agency after releasing him for cap purposes. Malik Nabers is a potential superstar and will give quarterback Justin Herbert a much-needed weapon in 2024.
6. New York Giants: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
The New York Giants need a lot of help, but wide receiver is a big need. It will hurt to see the top two guys go right before their pick, but this is a deep wide receiver class. Rome Odunze is going to be a No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL, so the Giants give Daniel Jones his new best friend.
7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
After the end of the Taylor Lewan era in Tennessee, the Titans have not had a franchise left tackle in two years. They need to make sure they walk away with a starting left tackle in the draft, and they land one here with Notre Dame’s Joe Alt.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, DE, Alabama
The Falcons are loaded on offense, and the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason gives them a real shot at a Super Bowl. They need to build up their defense in the draft, and adding former Alabama pass rusher Dallas Turner is a great call.
9. Chicago Bears: Jared Verse, DE, Florida State
The Bears could elect to add another weapon for their new quarterback, Caleb Williams, but they know the importance of adding another pass rusher. Florida State’s Jared Verse will create havoc paired with Montez Sweat.
10. New York Jets: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Aaron Rodgers is back and healthy, so the Jets keep him happy with an elite tight end. Brock Bowers might be the best tight end prospect ever, and giving him a quarterback like Rodgers would be a scary sight.
11. Minnesota Vikings: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
This pick may happen, but at No. 4, as the Vikings have shown they want to move up for a quarterback after losing Cousins to the Falcons. J.J. McCarthy is one of the most talked about prospects this draft season, and it seems people either love or hate him.
12. Denver Broncos: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
The first cornerback off the board is from Toledo! Quinyon Mitchell is a super athletic cornerback, and after missing out on all the top quarterbacks, the Denver Broncos pair Patrick Surtain II with Mitchell.
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Bo Nix QB, Oregon
The Las Vegas Raiders often shake up the NFL Draft, so they continue that trend. Bo Nix is likely a quarterback you would rather get at the end of the first or early second, but the Raiders get their guy early.
14. New Orleans Saints: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
The former Penn State Nittany Lions offensive tackle will be a highly sought-after draft pick. Fashanu’s potential is a cornerstone left tackle in the NFL, so whoever gets him will be very happy.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
After extending defensive lineman DeForrest Buckner a few days ago, the Colts continue to add to their defensive line. Byron Murphy II is arguably the best defensive tackle in the draft, and after the quarterbacks and receivers go early, the Colts get a steal at pick 15.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
The Seattle Seahawks have a big hole at guard, so drafting Troy Fautanu would fill that. Fautanu played tackle in college, but many analysts have him sliding inside to guard, so the Seahawks bolster their offensive line.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Jacksonville could go a few directions here, but adding the talented Alabama cornerback, Terrion Arnold, may be too good to pass up. Pairing Arnold with Tyson Campbell would give the Jaguars a great duo to try and slow down quarterback CJ Stroud, who plays for division rival the Houston Texans.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
With Joe Burrow back and healthy, the Cincinnati Bengals can beat anyone in the NFL. They have a few holes, so adding a starting cornerback would help them gear up to try and make another Super Bowl run. Clemson’s Nate Wiggins ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine, and that helps him lock down receivers.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Laiatu Latu, DE, UCLA
Losing Aaron Donald hurts, and many will think that adding a defensive tackle would be wise. However, you can’t replace Donald. So, the Rams get a pass rusher instead to try and get after the quarterback. Latu gets after the quarterback all game and would give them a new game-wrecker type of player.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
The Steelers had a wild offseason, signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields. They also traded Diontae Johnson, so wide receiver could make sense here, but adding some protection for Wilson and Fields makes more sense.
21. Miami Dolphins: Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
The Miami Dolphins lost a ton of players in free agency, but their biggest loss may have been to injury. Center Conor Williams had a terrible knee injury, which gave the Dolphins a major hole at center. They added a free agent, but Jackson Powers-Johnson would be an impact player for them at the position.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Chop Robinson, DE, PSU
Howie Roseman excels at making moves in the offseason. The Eagles have fixed or patched holes enough so that they do not have a major need on their roster and can draft the best player available. The Eagles could go Cooper DeJean here, but Roseman loves pass rushers, and pairing Chop Robinson with Nolan Smith gives the Eagles a potentially dominant pass rush tandem for years to come.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
DeJean would fit perfectly in Vic Fangio’s defense, but he also would fit perfectly in Brian Flores’ defense. DeJean can play every position in the secondary and has All-Pro potential with Flores.
24. Dallas Cowboys: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
The Dallas Cowboys lost their franchise left tackle Tyron Smith in free agency, so they add one in the first round. JC Latham is an incredible offensive tackle.
25. Green Bay Packers: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
The run on offensive linemen could start quickly. And the Green Bay Packers released their franchise left tackle, too, so they will add a 6-8 340-pound beast to protect Jordan Love.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, C/G, Duke
The Buccaneers center, Ryan Jensen, retired this offseason, so Tampa Bay gets its center of the future. Graham Barton can play every position on the offensive line but could have a long career as a center.
27. Arizona Cardinals: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
After adding a stud wide receiver earlier, the Cardinals add protection for Kyler Murray.
28. Buffalo Bills: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
One of the biggest storylines of the offseason was the Buffalo Bills trading star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. The Bills could trade up for a receiver, but with no trades in this mock draft, they land a potential WR1 here with Brian Thomas Jr.
29. Detroit Lions: Zach Frazier, OL, West Virginia
If there was one player in the draft that fits Dan Campbell’s gritty type of player, it is former West Virginia offensive lineman Zach Frazier. He is a former state champion wrestler, and his nastiness would be perfect in Detroit.
30. Baltimore Ravens: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
The Baltimore Ravens always find a way to draft good players later in the first round, and that is exactly what they do here. Kool-Aid McKinstry will be a plug-and-play Day 1 starter in Baltimore.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
I was tempted to have the Bills take former Texas Adonai Mitchell, but Mitchell slides all the way down to the 31st pick here. The San Francisco 49ers have a potential issue brewing with Brandon Aiyuk, so adding a replacement makes a lot of sense.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
If there was one pick I want to see happen more than any other in the 2024 NFL Draft, it is for the Kansas City Chiefs to get 40-yard dash champion Xavier Worthy. We know what Patrick Mahomes did with Tyreek Hill; now imagine what he can do with Worthy, offseason addition Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice (pending any suspension from his current legal situation). Add in Travis Kelce, and you can see how wild this offense would be.
