ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. is largely considered the top NFL draft pundit. Kiper has his first one-round mock draft for 2024 out this week and we spent some time digging into it and here are our big takeaways.
Quarterbacks go 1, 2, 3
Kiper is banking on the Chicago Bears dealing away quarterback Justin Fields which would allow them to select USC’s Caleb Williams No. 1 overall. He then follows it up with LSU’s Jayden Daniels to the Washington Commanders and North Carolina’s Drake Maye goes to the New England Patriots.
J.J. McCarthy is QB No. 4
The only other quarterback Kiper has going in the first round is Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. He lands with the Seattle Seahawks at pick No. 16. If this happens, some teams will be very happy in the second round when guys like Bo Nix from Oregon and Washgington’s Michael Penix are on the board.
The usual positions dominate
As is the norm, wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver make up the bulk of the first round. In fact, 22 of the first 32 picks are one of those four positions.
Jer'Zhan Newton the biggest bargain?
Kiper only has a single defensive tackle off the board and that’s Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton. So getting him at No. 23 is a massive bargain for the Houston Texans. Realistically, Newton’s talent is Top 10 in this draft and could dominate as a rookie.
Joe Alt wins the battle for top tackle
It feels like it’s a two-man race between Notre Dame’s Joe Alt and Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and for Kiper it’s Alt. Kiper has Alt going to the Tennesee Titans which is a perfect pick and Fashanu three picks later to the Jets.
