With the 2024 NFL Draft upcoming this week, I decided to predict the first 32 picks of the first round in a mock NFL Draft, including multiple trades. I went with some fun trade scenarios while being realistic about the players taken in round one.
Using the NFL Mock Draft Database, I had teams get value at certain spots by trading down or staying put, while some teams stayed true to their aggressive nature to get the guy they might want by moving up.
I had many different options and decisions to make at certain selections, but this is the order I feel good about despite all the rumors and draft smoke across the NFL Draft industry.
Mock NFL Draft: Top 10 Picks for Thursday Night
https://gty.im/2047896326
The Chicago Bears kick off the NFL Draft with the first overall pick, taking USC’s Caleb Williams essentially set in stone at this point.
Now, what the Washington Commanders do is interesting with the second overall selection. Despite all the LSU’s Jayden Daniels rumors, I think quarterback North Carolina’s Drake Maye was their guy all along.
With the 3rd overall selection, even with a huge quarterback need, I have the Patriots trading down with the Vikings at pick 11. New England drops down to 11th overall, to then trade back up with the Giants at pick-six to get Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. The Patriots with many needs on the roster get two first-rounders out of the Vikings trade, including pick 23.
Before the sixth pick, I have Jets trading up with the Chargers at pick five, with LSU’s Malik Nabers heading to the Meadowlands. The Chargers get the 10th pick, a third-rounder, and a 4th-rounder from New York. At ten, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga heads to Los Angeles, fitting for an offensive tackle that can set the tone in the run game.
At picks seven with the Titans, eight with the Falcons, and nine with the Bears, I stayed sort of chalk but mixed some players around their usual spots. Same with Arizona at four with Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. Although they could trade down, I am not sure if it’s worth risking to miss out on the top three receivers.
Tennessee lands their bookend tackle in Notre Dame’s Joe Alt to help protect Will Levis on the blindside. Atlanta upgrades even further with their weapons, adding Washington’s Rome Odunze to catch passes from veteran free agent Kirk Cousins. Chicago gets a top edge off the board to pair with Montez Sweat in Alabama’s Dallas Turner, giving them more speed at the position.
Mock NFL Draft: Picks 11-21 Middle of Day 1
https://gty.im/1791595778
I won’t have an analysis for every pick moving forward, but just wanted to highlight some that I made on the NFL Mock Draft Database with their simulator.
Georgia’s Brock Bowers to the Big Apple makes sense to me (if the Denver Broncos pass) as a versatile chess piece for Brian Daboll’s offense. If they pass on the top three receivers and can’t trade up for a quarterback, the Giants will get someone who gives them size as a pass catcher, and with the potential Darren Waller retirement, it could happen.
I had two more trades in this mock NFL Draft right after pick 11, with the Eagles and Steelers trading up for the top player available at their positions. Philadelphia trades up with Denver, getting pick 12 for pick 22 and their second-round pick. The Broncos get their franchise quarterback in Oregon’s Bo Nix at pick 22.
The Eagles get the top corner prospect in this class in the Toledo product, as Mitchell could be a target for the Jacksonville Jaguars if Philly doesn’t trade up for him. Their biggest need is at the cornerback position and would like to pair Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
The same goes for Vegas, as they trade down with Pittsburgh and receive 13th overall pick of the NFL Draft, while giving up 20th overall and a second-rounder. This would be where Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. goes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Raiders take him at their original pick for him to land in Las Vegas.
The Steelers get the top offensive tackle available in Fashanu, as the Penn State pass protector would slide right in at left tackle. Even if Broderick Jones was drafted last year to play on the left side, this would help him develop on the right side for another year and start at right tackle.
While the Patriots got their franchise signal caller in McCarthy 6th overall, with their second first-rounder at pick 23, they get a versatile offensive tackle in Washington’s Troy Fautanu. He could plug in on the left side right away and would be the blindside protector for the Michigan passer.
Fautanu could be a target for the Seattle Seahawks as well, along with Penix with the Washington connection with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, their former head coach.
Mock NFL Draft 1st Round:
https://gty.im/1843506689
- CHI: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
- WAS: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
- MIN: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU (TRADE)
- ARI: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
- NYJ: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU (TRADE)
- NE: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan (TRADE)
- TEN: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
- ATL: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
- CHI: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
- LAC: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State (TRADE)
- NYG: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia (TRADE)
- PHI: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo (TRADE)
- PIT: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State (TRADE)
- NO: J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama
- IND: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
- SEA: Byron Murphy, DT, Texas
- JAC: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
- CIN: Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois
- LAR: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
- LV: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington (TRADE)
- MIA: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
- DEN: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon (TRADE)
- NE: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington (TRADE)
- DAL: Graham Barton, IOL, Duke
- GB: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
- TB: Jackson Powers- Johnson, IOL, Oregon
- ARI: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
- BUF: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
- DET: Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri
- BAL: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
- SF: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
- KC: Kool-AId McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Gabriel, Tom, and I talk about mostly the top ten of my mock NFL Draft for the YouTube Morning Coffee Grindz podcast. We go over the biggest topics surrounding the NFL Draft and go into some rankings of players with team fits.
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