1: Chicago Bears – Caleb Williams, QB, USC
I know there are some Bears fans that are clamoring to keep Fields and trade this pick away, but Fields’ contract is expiring after next season and Caleb Williams is a cheaper (and frankly better) option than Fields. Williams is a dynamic athlete with serious arm talent who thrives playing out of structure and should be the franchise guy in Chicago.
2: Washington Commanders – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Sam Howell gets replaced by Drake Maye yet again as the Commanders opt to go with the North Carolina quarterback here. Early on in the ranking process, Maye was considered to be neck and neck with the current consensus QB1 in Caleb Williams. Maye is currently getting some slack from people, but I don’t know why. He’s a good athlete in his own right and has an incredible arm.
3: New England Patriots – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Three picks, three quarterbacks! The Mac Jones era is all but over in New England and to replace him, the Patriots draft his polar opposite in Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. Daniels stands out as an extremely dynamic athlete who can sling the ball at a high level too. It’s a new era in New England with head coach Jerod Mayo now at the helm, why not take your potential franchise quarterback to really introduce a turn of the tide?
4: Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Hard to imagine anyone else going with this pick. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the top dog in a class LOADED with wide receiver talent, and the Cardinals need anyone they can get to add talent to their roster. Harrison is big, fast, and strong, a true X receiver in every sense.
5: Los Angeles Chargers – Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
The Jim Harbaugh era in LA begins! With his first pick in the 2024 draft I have him going down the route of getting more talent for Justin Herbert while also supplementing his very tight end-heavy offense. Bowers is thought of to be a generational prospect at the position with his dynamic run-after-catch ability plus being a capable blocker.
6: New York Giants – Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
The New York Giants need help at receiver badly. Malik Nabers should be able to help boost that room tremendously. He was an absolute stud for the Tigers in 2023 and was a big reason as to why Jayden Daniels had such a great season. He’s got a compact build at 6’0” 200 lbs., but is an exceptional athlete, can explode down the field after the catch, and makes the tough grabs with good ball tracking. If Marvin Harrison Jr. wasn’t in this year’s class, Nabers is the first receiver off the board.
7: Tennessee Titans – Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
New head coach Brian Callahan is going to make that Titans offense look a lot different in the next couple of seasons and to do that, he has to lay down a strong foundation first. They already have Peter Skoronski who they took in the first round last year, but Alt is a true cornerstone tackle and is a great player now, but can also grow with whoever the franchise quarterback ends up being in Tennessee.
8: Atlanta Falcons – Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
The Falcons’ defense was actually pretty solid this past season but they definitely need an infusion of youth, which is where Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner comes in. He’ll be a good fit for Raheem Morris with his mixture of size, athleticism, tenacity, and overall pass rush ability.
9: Chicago Bears – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Outside of D.J. Moore, the Bears don’t really have enough in that receiver room to help support the quarterback I gave them earlier in Caleb Williams. Rome Odunze is a great fit to play alongside him though as a true go-up-and-get-it receiver. Washington made the National Championship due in large part to Rome Odunze, it would be really fun to see him moss some unfortunate cornerback with a beautiful ball from Williams. It’s a connection that could become one of the league’s best.
10: New York Jets – Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
It’s no secret that the New York Jets have been attempting to rebuild their offensive line for years so they take Fuaga, a draft riser after a very impressive showing at the Senior Bowl. He’s an absolute mauler who is also good in his pass sets. He should help the Jets with their seemingly never ending quest to build a good offensive line.
11: Minnesota Vikings – Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum, and Marcus Davenport are all projected to be free agents this offseason. The Vikings need to boost that room because not all of those guys will be coming back in free agency. This may be a little high for him, but I like the fit in Minnesota.
12: Denver Broncos – Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Sean Payton likes to draft offensive linemen. Now it’s not necessarily a need for the Broncos, but veteran starter Garrett Bolles being a cap casualty this offseason is a very real possibility so the Broncos need to prepare to be without him and Olu Fashanu is a good player to bring in a new era of Broncos football.
13: Las Vegas Raiders – Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
The Raiders aren’t there yet, there’s a few key pieces that the team is lacking and a cornerstone cornerback is one of them. Terrion Arnold can be that for Las Vegas. He’s an aggressive man-to-man corner with zone coverage skills that have improved greatly year by year. He tackles well and hits hard, kind of similar to Devon Witherspoon from last year’s draft who was the first corner off the board as well. With Antonio Pierce now fully in command of the team, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him want to take a guy who fits that aggressive mentality.
14: New Orleans Saints – J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama
Latham is huge and athletic. 6’6” and 360 lbs with a projected 40 time of under 4.9s should not be taken lightly. I know some may be concerned after the last Alabama lineman with crazy size and athleticism in Evan Neal, but they’re not the same whatsoever. Latham isn’t a project, he’s only allowed two total sacks in his three year college career. If I’m the Saints, and I see that Ryan Ramczyk has been dealing with injuries and Trevor Penning just isn’t panning out, I’m taking Latham here and walking away happy.
15: Indianapolis Colts – Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
The best corner under contract for the Colts next season is Julius Brents. He’s good, but they need more to help out that pass defense, they could definitely take an edge rusher here but I don’t see the value. With Wiggins, a height-weight-speed freak, I do see the value.
16: Seattle Seahawks – Byron Murphy II, IDL, Texas
Despite not having a ton of talent in the room, the Seahawks defensive line was able to generate some pressure. Byron Murphy just helps add talent to a group that overperformed this past season. Murphy had a great year and adds a very balanced game to that Seahawks defensive line.
17: Jacksonville Jaguars – Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
The Jaguars had a disappointing season after making the divisional round of the playoffs last year, some of that was due to the inconsistencies in the weapons group and the injury to Trevor Lawrence, and part of it was because they needed some more talent on defense. Mitchell was incredible at the Senior Bowl and he helps the Jaguars with a good CB pairing with Tyson Campbell
18: Cincinnati Bengals – Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are both on expiring contracts and probably won’t be back next season. Troy Franklin is another one of those tall fast receivers who can be an instant upgrade as a deep threat to whatever the Bengals have under Ja’Marr Chase if both Higgins and Boyd leave in free agency.
19: Los Angeles Rams – Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
It’s not the sexiest pick for a team that, despite making the playoffs, has a lot of holes on the roster, but an offensive lineman is always a way to help bolster the team. Joseph Noteboom can definitely be upgraded and Rob Havenstein is only getting older. Selecting Amarius Mims gives you a cheaper, younger option to pair with last year’s second round pick Steve Avila as two cornerstone offensive linemen.
20: Pittsburgh Steelers – Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
Cooper DeJean is such a fun prospect. Can play cornerback, safety, and return punts. Super athletic, versatile player who just feels like a Steeler. He’d be perfect to be coached up by Tomlin and would be great to play alongside Mikah Fitzpatrick who can also do it all.
21: Miami Dolphins – Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
Another Senior Bowl riser, Jackson Powers-Johnson is easily the top center in the class. The Dolphins are going to potentially need a center with Connor Williams’ contract expiring. Powers-Johnson can run AND pass block with the best of them and would be a big help for that Miami offensive line.
22: Philadelphia Eagles – Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
An uber-athletic offensive tackle from Oklahoma goes to Philadelphia. Sound familiar? Tyler Guyton is a project player right now, but for the Eagles that’s perfect. They have one of the best in the game with Lane Johnson (who is the other uber-athletic offensive tackle from Oklahoma) who can mentor Guyton until he retires, at which point Guyton (ideally) would be ready to take over the starting job.
23: Houston Texans – Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
The Texans traded up to get the arguable best pass rusher in the class last season in Will Anderson (who just won Defensive Rookie of the Year) and now he just falls into their lap. Latu is such a good technician off the edge and would be a really, really great pairing with Anderson and would bolster that defense for years. The only concern, which is a big one, is his medicals. Latu actually had to medically retire from a neck injury at Washington before transferring to UCLA. That’s what causes his drop, because otherwise, he’s a top 10 pick.
24: Dallas Cowboys – Jer’Zhan Newton, IDL, Illinois
Newton is a really good player and seems to be what the Cowboys have been searching for on the defensive line for years now. They drafted Mazi Smith in the first round last year, and he didn’t have the greatest year. Smith is more of a nose tackle though, Newton adds more value as a pass rusher while also being able to stop the run. He fits what the Cowboys want and need even if it’d be weird to take two interior defensive linemen in the first round in back to back drafts
25: Green Bay Packers – Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
McKinstry was widely considered to be the best corner in the draft not too long ago. He’s certainly a very good player, which is perfect for the Packers here even with the drop in his ranking. Good size and athleticism which is great alongside Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes. They traded Rasual Douglas at the deadline, so adding his replacement in McKinstry would be a good move, and can never have too many good defensive backs.
26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
The biggest problem for the Buccaneers, despite having an unpredicted playoff appearance, was the interior offensive line. Now, Fautanu was a tackle at Washington, but projects as a guard in the NFL and should be a solid day 1 starter at that spot.
27: Arizona Cardinals – Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Yes, the Cardinals already picked Marvin Harrison Jr. at 4 in this mock, but why not get another really good player at a premier position that you need talent at? Brian Thomas Jr. was another big help in Jayden Daniels’ Heisman campaign catching 17 of Daniels’ 40 touchdown passes. He projects to be a really good deep threat immediately in the NFL, and gives Kyler Murray a solid group of receiving threats to work with. I know how desperately they need defensive help, but this just isn’t the right spot to reach for someone on that side of the ball.
28: Buffalo Bills – Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
This is exactly what the Buffalo Bills need. Coleman is a perfect pairing with Josh Allen, able to come down with almost any 50/50 ball thrown his way. Provides a safe target when Josh Allen is trying to air it out, think the Julio Jones and Matt Ryan connection. Granted Jones was more athletic and a better prospect, but Coleman can be that deep threat for the Bills that they’ve needed.
29: Detroit Lions – Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
Bit of a reach here in my opinion, but Trice is a good option to take some of the heat off of star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, which makes it a fine pick in my book. If he’s not the main edge rusher in your group, then I think Trice is a solid addition to any NFL team.
30: Baltimore Ravens – Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
The Senior Bowl can do wonders for some prospects, and Ladd McConkey is definitely someone who benefitted from participating. McConkey showed really fluid route running ability during the 1-on-1s and is someone who can help out this Ravens team that doesn’t have it all figured out just yet in that receiver room.
31: San Francisco 49ers – Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
Unfortunately, Trent Williams can’t play forever. So the 49ers opt to draft his replacement in Jordan Morgan, someone who can sit for a year or two, and then be ready to start once Williams retires, similar to the Eagles with Lane Johnson and Guyton at pick 22.
32: Kansas City Chiefs – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Finally, the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. They need help at receiver, so why not get someone who’s got really great hands in the Texas standout Adonai Mitchell. He can really help in being a reliable option for Patrick Mahomes so they can continue the dynasty that they’re establishing.
