The wild card round of the playoffs is over, and that means we are one step closer to having the 2024 NFL draft order finalized. This is one of the more intriguing drafts in recent years, and it all starts at the top with the Chicago Bears.
However, there are a number of interesting situations behind Chicago that could make for a wild draft. The New England Patriots are going to come into the draft with new leadership for the first time in nearly a quarter-century.
Those same Bears have not one, but two selections in the top 10, so how do they best use their capital? At least four of the teams in the top 10 will have new head coaches for the 2024 season; how does that affect draft strategy?
There are a number of questions, and we won’t have the answers to those questions until April. Until then, it’s up to the mock drafts to explore different scenarios and how those decisions could impact their respective teams. So, let’s do exactly that, shall we?
1. Chicago Bears: USC QB Caleb Williams
The Chicago Bears kick off the 2024 NFL draft with a decision to make, and there are legitimate arguments for both sides of thinking here. On the one hand, you can argue that the Bears are unsure of their future with young QB Justin Fields, and therefore should take another swing at it with one of the top QBs in this draft.
With the way the NFL is currently structured, the longer you can have your franchise QB on a cheap deal, the better for your team, so this line of thinking certainly makes some amount of sense.
On the other side, you can make just as compelling an argument that Fields has shown flashes of being a very good quarterback in this league, but he doesn’t have nearly enough around him to help him reach that potential. So to comes down to: Do you take a QB, or do you build around the one you have?
While personally I would trade out of this pick to gather more assets and build around Fields, I don’t think that’s what Chicago will do. I think they’re going to press the reset button with either UNC’s Drake Maye or USC’s Caleb Williams. Williams is the flashier pick and probably has a higher ceiling than Maye, so that’s where we’re going here.
2. Washington Commanders: North Carolina QB Drake Maye
No matter what the Bears do with the first pick, it’s going to leave a talented quarterback right there for the Washington Commanders. This is another spot where you can make an argument that the team should skip out on QB and build around what they currently have.
Sam Howell made a lot of progress this season for the Commanders, and the offense is likely to improve next season — depending on who they bring in to replace head coach Ron Rivera. I can see the thought process behind building around Howell to see how far he can take you.
That said, the ceiling with Howell is far lower than it is with any of the top QBs in the 2024 NFL draft, and Washington shouldn’t pass up their opportunity to get one of them. With the Bears grabbing Williams, Washington is in perfect position to snatch up UNC QB Drake Maye and head into 2024 with my top QB from this draft.
3. New England Patriots: LSU QB Jayden Daniels
The Tom Brady era has been over in New England for a few years, and those years have been rough. So rough, in fact, that now the Bill Belichick era has come to an end in New England, as the team still has not recovered from the loss of their Hall of Fame quarterback.
Mac Jones was tabbed to come in and be the heir apparent to Brady, and that has not worked out for the team. They have also failed to build around Jones in a way that has made use of the skill set he possesses, but at the end of the day, as is the case with the teams ahead of New England, the ceiling is limited with Jones.
The ceiling is much higher with LSU QB Jayden Daniels. The floor might be lower, and Daniels is arguably still a bit raw, but he has incredible athleticism and is a true dual-threat back there. He’s improved a ton as a passer in his years with LSU, and New England should bank on that improvement continuing. It’ll be interesting to see what the new GM’s philosophy is, but it should be to take a swing at the most important position in football — if not all of sports.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
Continuing with the theme of teams who have multiple lines of thinking surrounding them, we have the Arizona Cardinals. In one camp, you have those who question whether QB Kyler Murray can be the guy for the Cardinals to take them to the next level, and think Arizona should move on.
On the other side, you have those who believe that Arizona is in a good place with Murray and simply need to build more around him to give him an offense that can compete with the likes of San Francisco, Dallas, Green Bay, and the elites of the NFC.
No matter which camp you’re in, with the way the 2024 NFL draft has gone in this mock, it’s not really feasible to move on from Murray here. The top three quarterbacks are off the board, and there are significant concerns regarding the other two potential first-round QBs, Michael Penix and Bo Nix.
The next best thing for Arizona? Continue to build up the offense and get a guy who is potentially the safest pick in the entire draft, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers is highly-talented and can fill a major void in the offense left by Zach Ertz.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison, Jr.
One of the biggest knocks on young star Justin Herbert — and the Los Angeles Chargers as a team — is their inability to do anything in the playoffs. Herbert has been incredible in the regular season, but it hasn’t translated to playoff success yet. One of the big reasons for that inability to translate in the postseason is how decimated by injury the team seems to always be.
When the injury bug hits, it seems to hit the Chargers hard and they simply lose the weapons to finish towards the end of the season. One of the positions they’re thin at is wide receiver, and with the way the board has fallen here, they get the best one available: Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr.
Harrison is the son of former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, so he’s got the NFL pedigree. He also has all the talent in the world. He has soft hands, great body control along the sidelines, and is an accomplished route runner. If he’s available at 5, the Chargers should sprint to the podium.
6. New York Giants: LSU WR Malik Nabers
The New York Giants are another team whom you can make a compelling argument is stuck in the proverbial “QB purgatory”. Daniel Jones has been good, not great, in his tenure in New York, and it’s fair to question whether or not he’s the guy who can lead them to the playoffs and a Super Bowl.
It’s also fair to say that the Giants haven’t really built around him. There aren’t many weapons for Jones to hit in the Giants offense outside of do-it-all running back Saquon Barkley. With three quarterbacks already off the board, the Giants find themselves in a similar position as the Cardinals, and the strategy is largely the same here with LSU WR Malik Nabers.
Were it not for Harrison, Nabers would be, in my eyes, the clear-cut top receiver in this draft. The Giants need guys who can reliably catch the ball and who can stretch the field, and that’s Nabers to a T. They still need a lot of help to compete with the Eagles and Cowboys, but getting a legitimate weapon for Jones is a good start.
7. Tennessee Titans: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
Another team, yet another franchise with significant questions at quarterback but not in a position to do anything about it. The Titans have moved on from head coach Mike Vrabel, and have also moved on from the Ryan Tannehill era at quarterback. Whomever the new head coach is will inherit last year’s second-round pick Will Levis.
Levis, to his credit, had moments where he showed a lot of promise. He also had moments that really showed he was a second-round rookie. He’s young, so it’s probably too soon to give up on him, but the second round hasn’t been kind to many quarterbacks recently, so there is some basis for wanting to move on.
Again, though, it’s probably too early for Penix and Nix to come off the board here, and the Titans have bigger issues on the team. Namely their offensive line. Unless you have a truly elite quarterback, it doesn’t matter who’s back there if you can’t protect them. With that in mind, Tennessee grabs the best offensive lineman in this year’s class: Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt.
Alt has been an absolute beast during his time with the Irish, and will bring back a nastiness to the Titans offensive line they’ve been missing. Alt is a very good blocker in both the run and pass games, and should come in and immediately shore up the left side of the Titans offensive line.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Michael Penix Jr. is super talented, and if that were the only factor, he’d likely already be off the board by now. But, unfortunately, there is a significant injury history at play with Penix. He suffered several serious injuries during his time at Indiana, and that will be a major factor in his draft projection.
If his medical checks all come back clean, he could be a top-5 pick in the first round. If there are still question marks in the medical history, he could slide into the mid-20s — even potentially out of the first round all together if the checks are bad.
On the field, though, there’s not much to doubt. He’s been the catalyst for the Washington Huskies terrific offense and their National Championship Game run. Detractors would mention that he’s throwing to an all-star cast of wide receivers, but Penix makes that offense go as much, if not more, than the tools around him do.
Atlanta also has a new head coach coming in, and it’s entirely reasonable to think they’re going to want their own quarterback and not be saddled with Desmond Ridder. This may be the perfect spot for Penix.
9. Chicago Bears: Washington WR Rome Odunze
The Chicago Bears have a golden opportunity to immediately improve their team to a pretty dramatic degree. It’s not every year a team has two top-ten selections. If Chicago is going to make a move in the NFC North and challenge the Packers and Lions, they need to make the most of their opportunity.
They have the chance to get even more draft capital if they decide to stick with Justin Fields and trade out of the first pick. They didn’t do that here, so it’s about getting tools around Caleb Williams so he has the best opportunity for success. The cupboard is pretty bare in Chicago outside of wide receiver D.J. Moore, so getting more weapons needs to be the goal.
That’s where Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze comes in. The Huskies had a tremendous offense this season on their way to the National Championship game, and Michael Penix’s favorite target was Odunze. He should provide the Bears with the perfect complement to Moore, giving them a deep threat who can open up the rest of the field for Moore and the rest of the offense.
10. New York Jets: Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga
The New York Jets find themselves in an interesting position coming into the 2024 NFL draft. They have their quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, but for how long? And what sort of performance are they going to get out of Rodgers next year, coming off a significant injury? These are questions that are going to have to be answered sooner rather than later.
That said, they are in a position where they can kick that can down the road for at least one more year. The more pressing issue for the 2024 version of this team is protecting Rodgers and keeping him upright for the season. Rodgers’ injury was a freak injury and not on the offensive line, but they still were not great all year. The Mekhi Becton experiment has largely not worked out, and the Jets are in a good position to replace him.
Taliese Fuaga would come in and immediately be an improvement over Becton and give Rodgers a good blindside blocker to protect him in what may be his final season in the NFL. New York could explore strengthening an already solid front seven on defense, but offensive line should take priority.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Penn State OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu
This is somewhat of a nightmare scenario for the Minnesota Vikings. Four of the top quarterbacks have been taken in the top 10, leaving them without the option to get a first-round QB in-house to serve as the heir apparent to Kirk Cousins — whether that’s immediately or after another year or two.
Additionally, Brock Bowers is also off the board, eliminating the possibility of Minnesota bringing in the talented tight end to serve as an insurance plan against T.J. Hockenson not being ready to go to start the season. While many mock drafters have the Vikings going with strengthening the defense in this scenario, I’m taking things in a different direction.
The Vikings offensive line was the subject of a lot of criticism throughout the 2023 season. Some of it justified, some of it not. The group as a collective didn’t play as poorly as some may think, but there is a lot of room for improvement in both pass protection and run blocking. Both of those can be improved immediately by taking Penn State offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu.
Had Fashanu come out last season, he likely would have been the first offensive lineman off the board. Now, he serves as the third, and yet he still might be the best of the entire group. Minnesota could do a lot worse making the best of a bad situation here.
12. Denver Broncos: UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu
The Denver Broncos need help at a number of important positions, and unfortunately for them, a lot of the best players at those positions have come off the board before they got a chance. Denver needs a quarterback, but the value simply isn’t there. They could use a wide receiver, but this is a decently deep class and the top guys are already off the board, so the value isn’t there at that position, either.
Offensive line is another direction they could go, but with the top three tackles already taken and the value along the interior not there, either, that’s not likely. That leaves them in the unenviable position of either punting on the pick and trying to gain some capital in a trade down, or take a position that, while just as important, may be seen as less of a priority: Edge rusher.
Laiatu Latu is the best in the class at this position, and would immediately give the Broncos a dangerous pass rusher coming off the edge. In a division that has Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes, you can never have enough ability to get to the QB. It may not be the pick fans want, but it would be a solid option for the Broncos.
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Illinois DL Jer'Zhan Newton
The Raiders may have something brewing in Las Vegas. The team seemed to really turn it around after firing former head coach Josh McDaniels and turning the team over to Antonio Pierce. They also might have found something in their fourth-round rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell. If they have, that opens up the 2024 NFL draft a lot for them.
Las Vegas has a lot of good pieces surrounding O’Connell. Davante Adams is still one of the best wide receivers in the game. Jakobi Meyers provided a nice complement to Adams and had a fantastic year himself.
Josh Jacobs had somewhat of a down season, but is still a highly-talented running back. They also have a good offensive line to protect O’Connell. So now it’s time to focus on the defense.
Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton wreaked havoc on Big 10 offenses last season, and would give the Raiders a lot of flexibility along the line. Not only can he play inside and give the Raiders a proven playmaker at tackle, but he has the versatility to play outside on the edge and potentially provide some relief for All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby.
14. New Orleans Saints: Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner
Similar to the Raiders, New Orleans is in a relatively good place on the offensive side of the ball. Wide receiver Chris Olave is one of the better young players in the league. Quarterback Derek Carr is good enough that there’s no pressing need to move on from him. They have a good offensive line and running game.
That leaves defense. New Orleans could get better at all three levels of the defense, and edge rusher probably gives them the most bang for their buck. There are a couple of really good prospects still available here in Alabama’s Dallas Turner and Penn State’s Chop Robinson.
We’re going with Turner here, as he has flashed some truly elite potential at the position that I’m not sure Robinson has. Both are very good prospects, but I think the ceiling is a bit higher with Turner than it is Robinson.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Florida State WR Keon Coleman
We didn’t get a chance to get a good look at what the Indianapolis Colts would look like under rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson this season. Richardson only played in four games before being lost for the season with an injury. Richardson has all the talent in the world, but he’s also incredibly raw as a quarterback and has a lot of development to go through.
Getting weapons in that offense to help him along in that development needs to be a priority for the Colts going forward. It helps that they have one of the top running backs in the league already in Jonathan Taylor. They also look to have a nice wide receiver duo in Michael Pittman, Jr. and Alec Pierce.
Adding former Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman to the fold could complete the wide receiver room and set the Colts up with a great group of young guys for years to come.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson
Like a number of the teams ahead of them in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks may have some questions about the future of their franchise as it pertains to the quarterback position. Geno Smith was an incredible story for the Seahawks last season.
Smith came back from being one of the more highly-publicized NFL draft busts to have a great season in his ninth year to lead the league in completion percentage, have over 4,000 yards, make his first Pro Bowl team, and win NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
This season, Smith fell back to Earth somewhat, having a pedestrian season as the Seahawks missed out on the playoffs. Smith is a 10-year veteran and isn’t likely to replicate his 2022 season, but now may not be the time to move on from him just yet.
Instead, the Seahawks should look to improve on defense, and in particular in their pass rush. Taking Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson does that for them, and also provides them with some positional versatility. While Robinson has a great burst off the line to beat tackles in pass rushing situations, he’s also strong enough to hold up on the interior of the line at tackle, if necessary.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
In today’s NFL, you can never have too many quality cornerbacks. The Jaguars already have one in Tyson Campbell, but they could use more. Kool-Aid McKinstry is the prototypical modern-day NFL cornerback, possessing a great blend of size, speed, aggressiveness, and ball skills.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Alabama OL J.C. Latham
The Cincinnati Bengals have a very good team. They’re only a couple of seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance, and a lot of those pieces are still in place. The biggest priority for them should be keeping their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, upright and healthy. Alabama lineman J.C. Latham can help with that. Latham can play inside or outside, having experience at both guard and tackle for the Crimson Tide.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
The run on Alabama players continues, as the Rams make it three picks in a row here in our 2024 NFL mock draft. The Rams have a solid unit on offense with the emergence of Kyren Williams at running back along with Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford. LA will eventually have to face life after Stafford, but they likely have at least one more year to avoid that.
Where they should be focused is on defense. They need help at corner, and former Crimson Tide cornerback Terrion Arnold can come in and immediately provide that help.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Oregon QB Bo Nix
The Pittsburgh Steelers made the playoffs with Mason Rudolph taking snaps as their quarterback. Kenny Pickett was injured, but even when healthy there’s a lot of room for improvement there. This might be a bit of a reach for Nix, but the Steelers have a lot of talent on offense and defense. They need a better quarterback if they’re going to do more than settle for just making the playoffs.
21. Miami Dolphins: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
Cornerback has been a position of strength for the Miami Dolphins for years, dating back to the days of Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain. Now, both guys are long gone and have had stints with the team as coaches, trying to bring up the next generation of corners, to varying degrees of success.
Xavien Howard has been a star — when healthy. Kader Kohou came from relative obscurity to become a solid player for them. But they need more. Nate Wiggins can come in and immediately provide a starter opposite Howard and someone to step in if Howard goes down again.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Georgia OT Amarius Mims
The Philadelphia Eagles of 2024 are likely to look a lot different than the team of 2023. They have a number of key veterans who could be on the way out, including Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Fletcher Cox. While they aren’t likely to lose all four of those guys at once, at least one of them is likely to call it a career.
The Eagles need to be prepared, and they have needs on both the offensive and defensive line. They’re more likely to get value from looking at the offensive line and taking Georgia tackle Amarius Mims. The Bulldogs-to-Eagles pipeline has been well established in recent years, and this is another one that just makes sense.
23. Houston Texans: LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr
The Houston Texans have had one of the better franchise turnarounds in recent memory. From the first pick in the draft last year to a good looking offense and a playoff appearance — and win. It’s a testament to what getting it right at quarterback can do for your franchise. Now that they’ve got their guy at QB, it’s time to fill out the offense.
They have a good duo of wide receivers in Nico Collins and Tank Dell. They could use a guy to complement those two. LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas is a big-bodied receiver who would provide that complement.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Iowa CB Cooper DeJean
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but for some reason Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean just feels like a Dallas Cowboys pick to me. The Cowboys already have a couple of dynamic playmakers in the defensive backfield in Trevon Diggs and Daron Bland, but you can never have too many. DeJean would add to their defensive prowess, and can provide additional value on special teams as a return man.
25. Green Bay Packers: Washington OL Troy Fautanu
It looked dicey for the first month or so of the season, but it looks like the Green Bay Packers have found yet another franchise quarterback with Jordan Love. Love has been on fire the past couple of months, and he’s showing the promise that made him a first-round pick and the heir apparent to Aaron Rodgers.
Now the focus needs to be on protecting him. With tackle David Bakhtiari potentially being out due to health concerns, Washington OL Troy Fautanu could step in and be the left tackle of the future for Green Bay. As a bonus, if Bakhtiari is back and healthy, Fautanu could kick inside and make for a very good offensive guard as well.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Duke OL Graham Barton
The Buccaneers need help at multiple positions at offensive line, but they don’t have multiple picks in the first. To mitigate that, they take Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton here. Barton was the left tackle at Duke this past season, but he also has experience on the interior of the line at center.
27. Arizona Cardinals: Oregon WR Troy Franklin
With two picks in the first round and a desperate need to improve the offense, we’ve got the Arizona Cardinals going back to the well at wide receiver and taking former Oregon prospect Troy Franklin. When paired with Harrison, Jr. and Rondale Moore, Franklin can provide the perfect complement to complete the skills trio at the position.
28. Kansas City Chiefs: Georgia WR Ladd McConkey
The Chiefs are once again in the playoffs on the arm of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and they made pretty easy work of the Miami Dolphins to advance. That said, they haven’t been the typical Chiefs team this year, and it’s due to some pretty poor play from their wide receiver group.
Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey is just the type of wide receiver that could thrive in the Kansas City offense. Mahomes would have a reliable slot receiver again, and the rich would get even richer.
29. Buffalo Bills: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
The Buffalo Bills may not have looked like the team of old for much of the season, but they flipped a switch late and showed why they’re still one of the elites in the AFC. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are a dynamic duo, but the Bills could stand to add some tools around them. Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell could provide the team with a big-bodied, athletic receiver they’re missing and help a potent offense thrive even more.
30. Detroit Lions: Alabama EDGE Chris Braswell
It’s been a storybook season for the Detroit Lions. They won their first division title in 30 years, and with their win over the Los Angeles Rams, got their first playoff victory since 1991. Like a lot of teams, they’ll eventually need to figure out the situation at quarterback, but it can wait for at least another season.
They’ve got a great pass rusher already in the fold with Aidan Hutchinson, but it’s a passing league and the more pressure you can put on opposing quarterbacks, the better. Putting Alabama EDGE Chris Braswell opposite Hutchinson would be a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators to gameplan for.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Georgia CB Kamari Lassiter
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has shown that last season wasn’t a fluke. He replicated his success from 2022 in 2023 and has shown that the 49ers have something special with him. It’s imperative the 49ers capitalize on this and make a push for the Super Bowl before Purdy is in line for the raise of all raises.
That means getting better on the defensive end and getting some more talent particularly at the cornerback position. Kamari Lassiter achieves this for them.
32. Baltimore Ravens: Penn State CB Kalen King
The Baltimore Ravens are a team with few holes on the roster. But they play in a conference that has a ton of talented wide receivers. If there was a position on the Ravens that could be improved upon, it’s cornerback. Kalen King has the size and length you want to see from a modern-day cornerback and could give Baltimore a great option on the outside against the AFC elites.
