With the waves of free agency finally receding, NFL teams now look toward the 2024 NFL draft.
While free agency was the place to shore up serious needs, the draft is where teams can find their next foundational piece and build their team from the ground-up. Many different positions will be taken in the first round, but the quarterbacks will be under the biggest microscope in the month leading up to the draft.
Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and even J.J. McCarthy could all be first-round selections. The allure of a new franchise quarterback could force some teams to trade up. Our two previous mock drafts didn’t include trades that weren’t original - but this one does. A lot of ’em.
They don’t call this time of year March Madness for nothing.
The Houston Texans don’t currently have a first-round pick, though, after the team traded the No. 23 selection to the Minnesota Vikings for two second-round picks. We’ll see if general manager Nick Caserio and company remain there when all is said and done on draft night.
Here’s Texans Wire’s post-post free agency mock draft, featuring a bevy of trades and quarterbacks.
1
Chicago Bears (via CAR): USC QB Caleb Williams
Justin Fields is gone, which means the Bears can submit their draft card more than a month in advance. Caleb Williams is the top quarterback prospect in this class and Chicago will already have a solid infrastructure around him with wideouts D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen plus running back D’Andre Swift.
2
Minnesota Vikings (via WAS): UNC QB Drake Maye
Here. We. Go. The Vikings go up and get their quarterback in a blockbuster trade for the Commanders’ No. 2 overall pick. Minnesota gave up Nos. 11 and 23 as well as a 2025 first-round pick for Washington’s first-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick. The Vikings get their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye to compete with Sam Darnold.
3
Denver Broncos (via NE): Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
The Patriots get in on the quarterback war and let the Broncos move up nine spots to grade J.J. McCarthy. While New England could use a young quarterback, they’ll be fine with veteran Jacoby Brissett. What the Patriots really need are more draft capital and offensive weapons. So the Broncos trade the No. 12 pick, a 2025 first-round pick and wide receiver Courtland Sutton to get McCarthy for head coach Sean Payton.
4
New York Giants (via ARI): LSU QB Jayden Daniels
The madness continues here. The Cardinals don’t need a quarterback and put themselves into a position to still take a top-3 pass-catcher in a move back to No. 6. The Giants, meanwhile, get a tantalizing quarterback prospect in Jayden Daniels who could either side behind Daniel Jones in 2024 or takeover when he inevitable underperformers. New York gave up a 2025 second-rounder in the trade.
5
Los Angeles Chargers: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
The Chargers luck out on the quarterback bonanza to land Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 5. Harrison Jr. immediately becomes Justin Herbert’s No. 1 target after Los Angeles gutted its skill position group. The Chargers’ offense remains a mess, but Harrison is the best pass-catcher on the board and will be Herbert a little bit of light in 2024.
6
Arizona Cardinals (via NYG): WR Malik Nabers
The Cardinals don’t get Harrison, but Nabers is a nice consolation prize. Arizona let Marquise Brown walk in free agency and traded away Rondale Moore. That left Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and tight end Trey McBride as the top pass-catchers for quarterback Kyler Murray. Enter Nabers, who is a bonafide WR1 for Arizona.
7
Tennessee Titans: OT Joe Alt
OK. OK. The draft has settled down a bit now. Alt will remain the pick for the Titans until proven otherwise. Tennessee appears to be all-in on Will Levis at quarterback after adding pieces to the offense like wide receiver Calvin Ridley and center Lloyd Cushenberry, so why not add another good body on the offensive line in Alt?
8
Atlanta Falcons: Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner
Another offensive weapon like wide receiver Rome Odunze would be fun for Kirk Cousins, but head coach Raheem Morris is a defensive guy and needs some love for that room, too. Turner is the best edge rusher in the class and could feast in the NFC South with quarterbacks Derek Carr, Bryce Young and Baker Mayfield.
9
New England Patriots (via CHI): Washington WR Rome Odunze
What? Another trade! Absolutely. New England added Courtland Sutton earlier in the draft and decided to trade up and snag Odunze away from other teams looking to move up. The Patriots traded away the No. 12 pick from the Broncos and a 2025 second-rounder to get back into the top 10 and give Brissett another quality pass-catcher.
10
New York Jets: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
Offensive line could work here as well with many quality options left on the board, but instead, the Jets go all-in on giving Aaron Rodgers more weapons to bring in the dynamic tight Brock Bowers. The Jets just added wideout Mike Williams as well, so the trio of him, Bowers and Garrett Wilson could be enough to put New York over the edge with running back Breece Hall. The Jets just need to pray for no injuries.
11
Washington Commanders (via MIN): Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell
Oof. What a wild top-10 that was. Four trades in 10 picks. And now -- the results of the other sides of those trades to grab quarterbacks. The Commanders refuse to reach on a fifth quarterback here and take the talent cornerback out of Toledo to shore up the secondary with
12
Chicago Bears (via DEN & NE): Texas DT Byron Murphy
The Bears could go in a few directions with this selection. The offense looks set, but another offensive lineman couldn’t hurt. However, the simplest path is to put a big body in the middle of their defensive line. Chicago needs a good defense in the competitive NFC North. Byron Murphy would help make that possible.
13
Las Vegas Raiders: Ohio State CB Terrion Arnold
The Raiders are the biggest losers of the quarterback craze. Multiple attempts to trade into the top 10 were thwarted by other offers, so now Las Vegas is stuck with either Gardner Minshew, Bo Nix, Michael Penix or a different position. They chose the latter and snagged a top-flight cornerback in Terriod Arnold.
14
Miami Dolphins (via NO): Illinois DT Johnny Newton
It didn’t take long for another trade to pop up. With a lot of needs and an uncertain future, the Saints decide to trade back with the Dolphins and get another second-round pick in the process. Miami, meanwhile, gets its next starting defensive tackle in Johnny Newton to fill the void left behind by Christian Wilkins.
15
Indianapolis Colts: Iowa CB Cooper DeJean
The Colts need secondary help in a division with a lot of good quarterbacks. So they snag a ballhawk in DeJean who can play anywhere in the defensive backfield and on special teams.
16
Seattle Seahawks: Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson
It would be very surprising if the Seahawks don’t go with Jackson Powers-Johnson here. Or any interior offensive lineman, for that matter. Seattle needs protection for Geno Smith and its duo of running backs in a division with a lot of space eaters up front.
17
Jacksonville Jaguars: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
Notice an AFC South trend here? The best defense against good quarterbacks is a great secondary and pass-rushers. Jacksonville has the latter, so they grabbed Wiggins here as another good cornerback.
18
Cincinna Bengals: OT Olu Fashanu
Lost in the shuffle here is Fashanu, who should be a Day 1 starter for the Bengals to protect quarterback Joe Burrow. Cincinnati is a contender in the AFC so long as their quarterback remains upright, and Fashanu will be one the better options in the draft.
19
Los Angeles Rams: Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
McKinstry tore up the Alabama Pro Day after a Jones fracture prevented him from participating at the NFL combine. He could go even higher than this. But in this scenario, he falls as far as the Rams to give Los Angeles its best cornerback since Jalen Ramsey.
20
Pittsburgh Steelers: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
The Steelers are in prime position to take one of the second-tier wide receivers late in the first round. Pittsburgh traded away Diontae Johnson and doesn’t have any depth behind George Pickens. Mitchell is a great add here to give Russell Wilson or Justin Fields more weapons.
21
New Orleans Saints (via MIA): LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.
The Saints mercifully released Michael Thomas this offseason, which left a serious hole in their wide receiver room. Chris Olave is the top option and A.T. Perry showed promise at times. Rashid Shaheed is a quality option but not an every-down pass-catcher. Brian Thomas, though, become a No. 2 option for Derek Carr.
22
Philadelphia Eagles: Michigan CB Mike Sainristil
The Eagles secondary of Darius Slay and James Bradberry is a little bit older. Sainristil would inject a little bit of youth and give Philadelphia some depth in 2024 before he turns into a full-time starter next year.
23
Washington Commanders (via ARI, MIN, HOU, CLE): Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
This pick has been passed around a lot in recent weeks. First from Cleveland to Houston, then to Minnesota and Arizona before it finally gets to Washington. The Commanders get a big-armed quarterback in Penix who gets a bunch of quality weapons at his disposal and Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator. Washington also picked up a lot of draft capital in the process.
24
Dallas Cowboys: Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga
Dallas adds to its offensive line to give Dak Prescott as much protection as he needs in 2024. This is a critical year for the Cowboys, who could be set up for a teardown in 2025 if things don’t go well for the franchise. Fuaga can stabilize the offensive line after the loss of Tyron Smith.
25
Green Bay Packers: Alabama OT JC Latham
A late run on offensive tackles benefits the best teams in the NFL. The Packers’ youth movement will continue up front after the release of David Bakhtiari, where Latham should take over if he’s still here when Green Bay is on the clock.
26
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Florida State EDGE Jared Verse
The surprising lack of pass rushers taken in the first round lands Verse in Tampa - not too far from Florida State. The Buccaneers get a quick fix at pass rusher after the release of Shaq Barrett.
27
Arizona Cardinals (via HOU): Oregon WR Troy Franklin
Arizona goes 2-for-1 on wide receivers in the first round to give Murray more options on offense. Nabers and Franklin are different players to give the Cardinals more versatility alongside Wilson, Dortch and McBride.
28
Buffalo Bills: Georgia OT Amarius Mims
Buffalo has a lot of needs here, but the allure of Mims’ massive frame is too much to pass up this late in the first round. Offensive line depth is crucial in the AFC and Mims is good enough to be a starter either in 2024 or beyond.
29
Detroit Lions Lions: Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson
The Lions need pass rusher help for Aidan Hutchinson. Robinson is a great choice and third-best option after Turner and Verse.
30
Las Vegas Raiders (via BAL): Oregon QB Bo Nix
Surprise! The Raiders trade back into the first round by giving up the No. 44 pick and a 2025 third-rounder pick to select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. While he isn’t a flashy prospect, Nix provides a solid floor that the Raiders need at the position - even with Gardner Minshew primed to start.
31
San Francisco 49ers: Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton
The 49ers will have to make a decision on the future of Brock Purdy soon. So rather than just give him more weapons, San Francisco opts to give him a better offensive line - starting with Guyton.
32
Houston Texans (via KC): WR Ladd McConkey
Let’s end on a fun note. The Texans trade back into the first round rather than wait at No. 42. Houston was looking for an inside possession receiver and land one with McConkey in the final pick of the first round. The Texans sent the Nos. 42 and 86 pick to move up 10 spots and give C.J. Stroud another pass-catcher in 2024.
