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With the PRR series just about halfway over, along with some pick swaps and odds movement for various player selections, it's about time I drop my second official 2024 Mock Draft. This one is loaded with seven(!!) trades, as well as some reaches and surprising picks for positions of need.
This one is a doozy, so sit back, relax, and enjoy another 2024 Mock Draft!
Photo: Jaylynn Nash/USA TODAY Sports
#1 Chicago Bears (via CAR) - Caleb Williams, Quarterback, USC
No change here, and barring something extreme, there won't be. Caleb is the best player in this class and rightfully deserves to be the first player off the board. Chicago is in the best shape a top QB has ever gone to, and the Bears will finally learn what it's like to have a winning season and a winning QB again.
Pro Comp: Alien
#2 Washington Commanders - Drake Maye, Quarterback, North Carolina
Same pick here for the Commanders. Despite picking up Mariota and the odds moving in Jayden Daniels favor, Drake's ceiling is much higher and he's more NFL-ready than Daniels. It would take a lot to convince the Commanders, and myself, otherwise to go in a direction other than Maye.
Pro Comp: Jordan Love
#3 Minnesota Vikings (via NE) - JJ McCarthy, Quarterback, Michigan
Trade alert!!
With Maye off the board, the Vikings take their second preferred option at QB with JJM. He fits into Kevin O'Connell's system, has made some NFL level throws throughout his career, and he's much better than the majority of people give him credit for. The young talent should sit behind Sam Darnold for most of his rookie year, and he'll be more than ready to rock in 2025.
Pro Comp: A more athletic Brock Purdy
#4 Arizona Cardinals - Marvin Harrison Jr, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
I've gone back and forth on if the Cardinals should trade down, especially since we have more needs outside of WR, but MHJ is too valuable to pass up here. He's a perfect pairing with Kyler, and rounds out a rather underrated receiving room.
Pro Comp: AJ Green
#5 New England Patriots (via LAC) - Jayden Daniels, Quarterback, LSU
Trade alert!!
After moving back up the draft board, the Pats (hopefully) get their QB of the future in Heisman-winner Jayden Daniels. Given his age, I expect him to start at some point his rookie season, and he may take the reins sooner rather than later. New England still needs to get him a top weapon, and that may get solved through the draft.
Pro Comp: Justin Fields
#6 New York Giants - Malik Nabers, Wide Receiver, LSU
New York added a ton of offensive linemen in the draft, so they get one of the elite receivers in this class to help out Daniel Jones (or whoever their QB will be). Nabers is the consensus best player available at this point, an New York calling his name shouldn't be a surprise for Giants fans.
Pro Comp: Calvin Ridley
#7 Tennessee Titans - Joe Alt, Tackle, Notre Dame
If Alt falls here, the Titans should be sprinting up to the podium to put their card in. He's the best OT in this class and fills a major need for Tennessee's blindside. No need to overthink it; Alt will be a franchise tackle for the Titans.
Pro Comp: Kolton Miller
Photo: Brandon Sloter/Getty Images
#8 Indianapolis Colts (via ATL) - Brock Bowers, Tight End, Georgia
Trade alert!!
This may be an antsy move, but Indy needs to add another weapon for Anthony Richardson to utilize. Bowers can line up on the line, out wide, and in the slot, giving a tricky offense even more versatility.
Pro Comp: George Kittle
#9 Chicago Bears - Rome Odunze, Wide Receiver, Washington
The Bears stay put at 9 this time around and grab a refined receiver in Rome. With DJ Moore as the WR1 and Keenan Allen set to work in the slot, Odunze gives Chicago the jump-ball/possession threat who has some pretty solid YAC skills to pair with it.
Pro Comp: Davante Adams
#10 New York Jets - Taliese Fuaga, Tackle, Oregon State
The Jets stick with OL this draft once again, but get a more versatile player in Fuaga. Taliese has a ton of experience at tackle, but can bump inside to guard if necessary. He'll likely start as a guard unless either Tyron Smith or Morgan Moses goes down.
Pro Comp: Donald Penn
#11 Los Angeles Chargers - Troy Fautanu, Tackle, Washington
With a need at right tackle, the Chargers snag Troy here, one of the most athletic linemen in this class. With him and Rashawn Slater set at the edges of the line, and Greg Roman bringing in a run-heavy mindset, this move makes the most sense for the Chargers.
Pro Comp: Garrett Bolles
#12 New England Patriots (via MIN via DEN) - Brian Thomas Jr, Wide Receiver, LSU
Trade alert!!
The Pats move back up to pair their future franchise QB with one of his top targets over the past two seasons. Although BTJ wasn't the WR1 on LSU's offense, he has all of the tools to be one in the NFL.
Pro Comp: Tee Higgins with a sprinkle of Rashee Rice
#13 Las Vegas Raiders - Amarius Mims, Tackle, Georgia
With the Raiders seemingly punting their starting QB situation to 2025, they beef up the OL with Amarius Mims. Despite his elite athletic profile and dominance when on the field, the key will be staying healthy in order to reach his mountainous ceiling.
Pro Comp: Brian O'Neill
#14 New Orleans Saints - Olu Fashanu, Tackle, Penn State
With Ryan Ramczyk slated to miss the entire 2024 season, and Trevor Penning (expectedly) not panning out the way they hoped, the Saints take another swing at improving the offensive line with Olu. He's strong, has good footwork, and has the potential to be a franchise tackle for the Saints.
Pro Comp: Andrus Peat
#15 Atlanta Falcons (via IND) - Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
It took long enough, but the first defensive player finally gets taken nearly halfway through the draft. The Falcons need to improve their pass rush, and Dallas's athletic profile is too good to pass up here.
Pro Comp: Baron Browning
Photo: Ryan Kang/Getty Images
#16 Dallas Cowboys (via SEA) - JC Latham, Tackle, Alabama
Trade alert!!
The Cowboys trade up to get a new franchise tackle. JC could slate in on the left or right side depending on where they want to stick Terence Steele. I like JC better on the right, and he could be an anchor there for years to come.
Pro Comp: Mike Onwenu
#17 Jacksonville Jaguars - Terrion Arnold, Cornerback, Alabama
With the Jags targeting their DL in free agency, Terrion is the most logical pick here. Although he isn't the top corner on my board (spoiler for a future PRR), he's considered the most complete corner in this class. The Jags land a dawg with this pick.
Pro Comp: Denzel Ward
#18 Cincinnati Bengals - Byron Murphy II, Defensive Tackle, Texas
With DJ Reader gone in free agency, the Bengals take Byron here. He played nose a good amount in college, so he can fill in when needed at that spot, but he'll make his money as a 3-tech by taking advantage of guards in 1v1 pass rushes.
Pro Comp: Prototype John Randle
#19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (via LAR) - Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State
Trade alert!!
With Verse still on the board, the Bucs keep him in the Florida area to add another weapon to their defensive front. Verse has raw strength and a knack for terrorizing opposing QBs. He should fit well on Todd Bowles defense.
Pro Comp: Kayvon Thibodeaux
#20 Pittsburgh Steelers - Xavier Worthy, Wide Receiver, Texas
Pittsburgh has several needs, but I have a feeling they'll want to get the speed demon of this class. Xavier and Pickens are exact opposite players, and that'll help Arthur Smith design some interesting concepts for this offense (being overly optimistic with this one, but we've seen crazier work out before).
Pro Comp: DeSean Jackson
#21 Miami Dolphins - Graham Barton, Offensive Lineman, Duke
After losing some key players on the interior of their line, the Dolphins don't let Graham fall any further. He'll make for an awesome guard in the league, and has the chops to fill in at tackle if necessary. I re-watched his tape and feel much better about his NFL potential this time around.
Pro Comp: Teven Jenkins
#22 Los Angeles Rams (via PHI) - Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA
Trade alert!!
After moving down, the Rams move back up to snag the most polished edge rusher in this class. Latu will most likely start as a designated pass rusher, giving LA an underrated pass rush with Byron Young and Latu at the edges, and Kobie Turner inside.
Pro Comp: Jaelan Phillips
#23 Denver Broncos (via NE via MIN) - Bo Nix, Quarterback, Oregon
After moving back, the Broncos take a chance on Bo Nix, who should fit well in Sean Payton's system. He's dead accurate in the intermediate to short game, and has some good athleticism to make plays out of structure when needed.
Pro Comp: Jared Goff passing-profile with Trevor Lawrence's athleticism
Photo: Brandon Sloter/Getty Images
#24 Seattle Seahawks (via DAL) - Jackson Powers-Johnson, Center, Oregon
After moving quite a few picks back, the Seahawks still land JPJ, the top interior offensive linemen in this class. Jackson brings power, toughness, and good athleticism to one of the most important positions on an offense, and Seattle desperately needs a good center.
Pro Comp: Diet Jason Kelce
#25 Green Bay Packers - Cooper DeJean, Defensive Back, Iowa
Same spot, same pick here for the Packers. If Cooper falls this far, he makes way too much sense for the Packers to take here. His nickel and safety ability is intriguing to say the least, and he has the athleticism to ball out at both spots.
Pro Comp: Micah Hyde
#26 Philadelphia Eagles (via LAR via TB) - Quinyon Mitchell, Cornerback, Toledo
The Eagles need a CB1 for the future, and I can't think of a better corner to fit into Fangio's system. Quinyon played in off-coverage a ton, and thrived from that spot. He also showcased he could play just as well in press at the Senior Bowl, giving him immense value for the Eagles defense.
Pro Comp: L'Jarius Sneed
#27 Arizona Cardinals - Johnny Newton, Defensive Tackle, Illinois
The Cardinals stay put at 27, and add my top interior defensive lineman of this class. Johnny plays with violence, power, and speed to win in the run and pass game, which is something that was missing from the Cardinals defensive front all last season.
Pro Comp: Javon Hargrave
#28 Buffalo Bills - Nate Wiggins, Cornerback, Clemson
Most people would have the Bills go receiver here, but they need a CB1 badly. Wiggins slides in this mock, making him the best player available at this point in the draft. With a loaded WR class, the Bills can afford to gamble to take one later.
Pro Comp: Donte Jackson
Photo: Zachary Hanby/Clemson Athletics
#29 Detroit Lions - Kool-Aid McKinstry, Cornerback, Alabama
Kool-Aid lands in Detroit as they stick in the first round this time around. Drafted to another team that needs a CB1, I believe Kool-Aid is an immediate upgrade to Amik Robertson and Emmanuel Moseley. Between his man and zone coverage skills, and good athleticism, Detroit can deploy him in multiple ways.
Pro Comp: Charvarius Ward
#30 Baltimore Ravens - Adonai Mitchell, Wide Receiver, Texas
Baltimore has a few more pressing needs outside of a WR, but Adonai is too good to pass up here. Between his understanding of defensive looks and coverages, and his receiving prowess to exploit defenders, he has the makings of a true WR1.
Pro Comp: CeeDee Lamb
#31 San Francisco 49ers - Tyler Guyton, Tackle, Oklahoma
With most of the big name OTs off the board, the Niners take a shot on Guyton. He has some nice tools to be a starter in the league, and he fills an immediate need on the right side of a pretty subpar offensive line.
Pro Comp: Jawaan Taylor
#32 Kansas City Chiefs - Keon Coleman, Wide Receiver, Florida State
With the recent news of Rashee Rice not looking too good, the Chiefs reach for Keon here. In my PRR blog, I mentioned that Keon is much more of a "highlight" playmaker, rather than a down-to-down threat. Pairing him with Mahomes should help him reach his ceiling, and give opposing defenses more things to stress about.
Pro Comp: George Pickens
Photo: Melina Myers/USA TODAY Sports
Final Notes:
Troy Franklin, Darius Robinson, and Chop Robinson all fall out of the first round compared to my first mock. I still believe all of them will succeed in the league, I just have a feeling the NFL is lower on them than they previously were.
Contrastingly, guys like Tyler Nubin, Jordan Morgan, and Michael Penix Jr have seen their draft stocks increase over the past month. We'll see if they get taken in the first round, as there are always a few surprises that pop up on draft night.
Join me on Friday as we round out this weeks' PRR with the top linebackers in this class!
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