2024 NFL mock draft: QBs go 1-2-3, WRs go 4-5-6 in new first-round projections

There’s no doubt the Bears will be selecting Williams with the first overall pick, it’s all a matter of submitting the card at this point. Since trading Justin Fields, Chicago hasn’t tried to hide its intentions with Williams. They’ve spent extensive time with him between his pro day and his (one and only) Top 30 visit, where Bears brass and teammates got an opportunity to meet with Williams. GM Ryan Poles has done everything he can to build the ideal landing spot for an incoming rookie QB – dynamic weapons, a QB-friendly offensive coordinator and a top-10 defense. The result? Arguably the best-ever position for a No. 1 QB in history. – Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire

The smoke continues to follow Jayden Daniels to the Commanders. However, we continue to stick Maye here. Perhaps some of the smoke surrounding Daniels to Washington is done on purpose. GM Adam Peters is here for the long haul and he’s going to take the prospect with the best long-term ceiling and that’s Maye. – Bryan Manning, Commanders Wire

There’s no need to shake the boat and get cute here, if you’re the Patriots. Drake Maye being gone means Jayden Daniels is the pick. The former LSU quarterback stands tall and unbothered in the pocket. He has the legs to move when he’s out of time and the arm to deliver strong and accurate throws downfield while under pressure. There are no guarantees the Patriots will ever be in this position, again, to take a top draft prospect at quarterback. Daniels could easily be the No. 1 guy this year, too. This is a no-brainer pick. – Jordy McElroy, Patriots Wire

At the end of the day, the Cardinals need a WR1 badly. No one is a better bet to be that guy than Harrison. So while trading the pick for all the picks might be tempting, if it means passing on a talent like Harrison. He is everything the Cardinals need. – Jess Root, Cards Wire

The Chargers are a prime candidate to trade down to add more picks. But they decide to stand pat and add a dynamic playmaker to the offense. Los Angeles needs to get younger and faster at the wide receiver position, which Nabers will inject into the room. Nabers is coming off his most productive season for the Tigers, which included 89 receptions for 1,569 yards (17.6 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns. Seventeen of those catches went over 30 yards. – Gavino Borquez, Chargers Wire

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was an option here but perhaps the sun is beginning to set on his pre-draft hype. Instead, the Giants go with wide receiver Rome Odunze, who immediately provides Daniel Jones a true No. 1 – a player whom many feel is the best receiver in the draft and an ideal fit for the Giants’ offense. The Giants will still have QB options in Round 2 should they desire to go that route. – Dan Benton, Giants Wire

The only thing that could deter the Titans from taking Alt if he’s on the board at No. 7 is if one of the top-three wide receivers are available, which they weren’t in this mock. Regardless of who is available, the Titans should take Alt if he’s there, as the left tackle position is their biggest need and has been a major issue for the past two seasons. Along with left guard Peter Skoronski and center Lloyd Cushenberry, the Titans would have a fantastic foundation upfront for quarterback Will Levis to work behind. – Titans Wire, Mike Moraitis

While Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was considered here at pick No. 8, we felt addressing the defense was more in line with the Falcons’ win-now mentality. Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner is someone who could contribute immediately and bring a little firepower to Atlanta’s pass rush. Cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold were also considered but we felt it was slightly too early. Turner finished his final season at Alabama with 11 sacks and 33 hurries. The Crimson Tide standout could help replace the 13 combined sacks that the Falcons lost by not re-signing free agents Bud Dupree or Calais Campbell. – Matt Urben, Falcons Wire

Trade details:

• Raiders receive Nos. 9, 75
• Bears receive Nos. 13, 44

The Raiders make a small trade up from No. 13 to No. 9 to secure Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy. This is a fantastic landing spot for McCarthy as he can sit behind Gardner Minshew and/or Aidan O’Connell for a while until he is up to speed. The Raiders have a strong offensive line and weapons galore, which means that McCarthy won’t be asked to do a ton early on. Plus, the Raiders are able to keep three picks inside the top 85, giving them room to still improve their team. – Marcus Mosher, Raiders Wire

The starting five are set up front for the Jets, but this is still a group that will eventually need to be addressed down the line. And injuries are always possible with this team. The advantage to drafting Fautanu here is he is versatile and athletic enough to play multiple positions. The Jets can have options at both tackle and guard both in the short term in case of an injuries and in the long term with Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses both set to be free agents at the end of the season. It wouldn’t be a surprise at this point if Fautanu is the No. 2 offensive lineman on the Jets’ board, behind Joe Alt. – Billy Riccette, Jets Wire

The Vikings get what I believe to be the best defensive player in the draft. Jer’Zhan Newton could be what Christian Wilkins was within Brian Flores’ defense. Harrison Phillips is more than serviceable inside the defensive line but he is heading into a contract year. Taking Newton allows for a long-term plan to form while putting him in a defense and position to succeed for the long haul. – Andrew Harbaugh, Vikings Wire

The Broncos attempted to move up to No. 9 when J.J. McCarthy fell to that spot, but the Raiders outbid Denver. So the Broncos are left without any of the top four QBs, and they don’t want to reach for a leftover QB here. Instead, Denver lands Verse, who totaled 18 sacks in two seasons at FSU. The Broncos might be able to land their QB of the future later in the draft, or the team could gear up to make a run at Dak Prescott in 2025. – Jon Heath, Broncos Wire

There’s little surprise what the Bears will do at No. 1, but there’s plenty of intrigue with the No. 9 selection – as there are so many different directions they could go. In this scenario, the top three receivers and the top edge rusher in Dallas Turner were off the board, so I traded back with the Raiders – swapping first rounders and turning a third rounder into a high second rounder. In addition, landing a top edge rusher in Latu, who might just be the best pure pass rusher in this draft class. Latu would be the perfect complement to stud Montez Sweat, solidifying the one remaining weakness to help take this top-10 defense to a top-five unit. – Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire

It is so, so tempting to pick Brock Bowers here. But the Saints need to eat their dinner before they can have dessert. If they don’t get the offensive line right it won’t matter who is running routes while Derek Carr is being sacked. Fashanu is the safest lineman available given his combination of youth and starting experience at a blue chip program, rare athleticism, and prototypical size by NFL standards. Getting him and Trevor Penning on the field together may be challenging but the Saints can’t afford to settle for less. – John Sigler, Saints Wire

If Mitchell is available when the Colts are on the clock, there should be no hesitation in making that selection. Mitchell is a terrific athlete and brings a level of physicality to the position that shows up in the run game. He is suited for both man and zone coverage schemes and had excellent on-ball production at Toledo. Cornerback is the biggest need for a Colts defense that ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in 2023 in explosive pass plays surrendered and the bottom third in pass breakups and yards per pass attempt allowed. Mitchell is an instant upgrade to this unit. – Paul Bretl, Colts Wire

This may be a bit of a reach pick, but Seattle’s offensive line situation is so dire that you can make a good case to draft for that No. 1 need right away. In Jackson Powers-Johnson the Seahawks get a versatile piece up front who has experience playing at all three interior positions and could likely start Week 1 at any of them. Last season at Oregon he played center, earning a 90.6 pass blocking grade – the second-highest mark in the nation at his position. If that’s where they like him, JPJ need only beat out Olu Oluwatimi and Nick Harris, but at left guard his only competition would be long-time vet Laken Tomlinson. Wherever they utilize him, JPJ would give a serious boost of strength to the team’s greatest roster weakness. – Tim Weaver, Seahawks Wire

The Jaguars swapped in Ronald Darby for Darious Williams, but that isn’t a long-term solution at the position. While Jacksonville believes it has a cornerback to build around in Tyson Campbell, the rest of the group outside of Darby mostly consists of young, untested players who were late-round draft picks. The Jaguars can be hopeful that Gregory Junior, Montaric Brown, Christian Braswell, and/or Erick Hallett become reliable options, but the opportunity to take Arnold would be a no-brainer. The 6’0, 189-pounder is the type of press corner who would fit perfectly in new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s scheme. – Adam Stites, Jaguars Wire

The Bengals might just trip over their own feet getting to the podium for this one. Sure, Brock Bowers is still on the board. But they’ve got Mike Gesicki to soak up some of those slot reps with Tyler Boyd gone and can address the long-term outlook elsewhere. Byron Murphy is really appealing too, yet Sheldon Rankins via free agency can solve some issues without spending a first-round pick on the defensive line. Fuaga could end up as the best right tackle from the class, though. And the team needs now-later upside because short-term starter Trent Brown has had attendance issues. There’s even an angle where they kick Fuaga inside for a year to give the guard spot some competition, too. Bowers would be nice, but all the top weapons don’t matter if Joe Burrow isn’t healthy. – Chris Roling, Bengals Wire

I was surprised to see Bowers still on the board and while the Rams don’t have a pressing need at tight end after signing Colby Parkinson, it’s hard to pass up a talent like Bowers. The Rams could still find a role for him right away as a big slot receiver and second tight end in 12 personnel, so there should be no concerns about fitting him into a crowded position group. Bowers would open things up for Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp on the outside by commanding attention over the middle, which would do wonders for Matthew Stafford. Bowers should be a top-10 pick so landing him at No. 19 is a huge steal. – Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire

We continue to speak Graham Barton to the Steelers into existence. The Steelers need a starting center and could also stand to upgrade their offensive tackle. Barton does both. After starting at center as a freshman, Barton was moved to left tackle out of necessity and was exceptional there as well. Barton is a clean, technically sound, balanced athlete who does everything well. – Curt Popejoy, Steelers Wire

Trade details:

• 49ers receive Nos. 21
• Dolphins receive Nos. 31, 63

It isn’t a slam dunk that the 49ers trade up for an offensive tackle, but this is the type of scenario where they’ll be aggressive in trading up. Latham is one of, if not the best, right tackle prospects in this year’s class. He figures to go earlier than this, but if he or any other top OT prospects slide into this range San Francisco should be aggressive in moving up to grab them. The 49ers shed their second-round pick in the process which isn’t ideal. Plenty of capital later in the draft should give them plenty of room to move up as needed though. Not to mention they’ll have checked the box on their biggest need in the draft with one of the best prospects available. Everything beyond that is secondary. – Kyle Madson, Niners Wire

The Eagles are always ahead of the curve when preparing for the future. Like Jason Kelce in 2022 (Cam Jurgens), Philadelphia will draft Lane Johnson’s successor at right tackle two years ahead of his expected departure.   JC Latham (Alabama), Graham Barton (Duke), and Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) are all prospects that fit this plan of attack. Still, we’re rolling with another talented Georgia Bulldog in this mock draft.   With the No. 22 overall pick, Howie Roseman selects Amarius Mims as the next great student at Stoutland University. Mims has a massive 86¾-inch wingspan and is a raw offensive tackle with just eight career starts and over 800 career snaps. The 6-foot-7, 340-pound right tackle allowed only one pressure and zero sacks in more than 150 pass-blocking plays last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. – Glenn Erby, Eagles Wire

A lot of people are now fading Michael Penix after months of evaluation. There are questions about his arm strength, mobility, and accuracy, I am not worried about them in Minnesota with this staff and set of skill players. Penix Jr. relied on his skilled receivers at Washington to bail him out. I suppose giving him Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson is a good idea. He is worth the late first because of the fifth year it adds to his deal. He will be 29 by the time that contract ends. You will know what you have within that time frame, and if you move on, you move on. This can’t age any worse than the Lewis Cine pick if you are Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. – Andrew Harbaugh, Vikings Wire

The Cowboys are in need of depth on the interior of the defensive line. Johnathan Hankins was the starting nose tackle, who didn’t make much impact and is now in Seattle. The team drafted Michigan’s Mazi Smith in the first round of 2023, but he didn’t make much impact after losing a ridiculous amount of weight and not fitting Dan Quinn’s defensive gameplan. Neville Gallimore left in free agency as well and three-tech Osa Odighizuwa is on the final year of his rookie contract with just 11 career sacks. Getting Murphy in the building would be ideal, as despite his shorter arms he has the athleticism and motor to play at either DT spot and significantly increase the run-blocking and pressure packages to complement Micah Parsons. – KD Drummond, Cowboys Wire

With so many possible targets still on the board, there was an attempt made to move down. But a trade failed to materialize, so the Packers took one of their best fits: DB Cooper DeJean. He could solve a short-term issue at safety or a long-term issue at cornerback. He’s a playmaker. He’s 21. He’s an elite athlete. He has return value. The Packers trust prospects from Iowa. DeJean to Green Bay has made good sense throughout the draft process. – Zach Kruse, Packers Wire

Trade details:

• Buccaneers receive Nos. 32, 64
• Chiefs receive Nos. 26, 92, 2025 fifth-round pick

Thomas’ addition to the Chiefs offense would be a boon for Patrick Mahomes, and could usher in a new era of dominance in Kansas City. A true No. 1 option, Thomas has all the traits scouts and general managers look for in a young pass catcher: sure hands, good size, and blazing speed. It may be a stretch to think Thomas will make it this far down the board in the first round, but if he does, the Chiefs shouldn’t think twice about moving up to select him. – John Dillon, Chiefs Wire

At this point, the Cardinals want to address cornerback or the defensive edge. While they could go with Penn State’s Chop Robinson, there is enough doubt about his ability to turn elite athleticism into pro production to believe that what McKinstry did on the field is more translatable and predictable for success as a coverage guy that Robinson’s mediocre pass-rushing production in college. With the addition of McKinstry, the Cardinals have a guy capable of being a No. 1 corner, adding him to a room of Sean Murphy-Bunting and 2023 third-round pick Garrett Williams, whose half season as a rookie after coming back from a torn ACL was pretty solid. – Jess Root, Cards Wire

Mitchell or Troy Franklin were the two prospects for the Bills here as a receiver must be the choice after the way this offseason has gone. While both players are similar and will need to round out their respective games in the pros, Mitchell is the pick. He has a bit more of an NFL-ready frame and a lot of raw potential to work with. The Bills lost Stefon Diggs as their No. 1 option out wide and Gabe Davis leaves an opening in the deep-threat department. Mitchell could realistically fill both voids… but regardless, he would not end up being the only receiver the Bills select this year. – Nick Wojton, Bills Wire

Robinson, a Detroit native, played inside for Missouri before stepping outside and playing more of an EDGE role. His length, strength and ability to finish in the backfield are all assets the Lions can use to help ease the pressure on Aidan Hutchinson on the other side. The Lions can also play them next to each other and create major matchup issues for the opposing offense. With the top CBs and desirable OL off the board, it made choosing Robinson easier. – Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire

Morgan is a smooth prospect whose best position in the NFL might be at left or right guard.   The former Arizona offensive tackle has a great center of balance after he competed as a shot put thrower in track and field while at Marana High School in Tucson, Arizona.  A long, athletic offensive tackle with great change of direction and bend, Morgan has the quickness and athletic ability to play left tackle and has good power in the run game. During his final season at Arizona, Morgan led the Wildcats’ offensive line in total blocking grade (84.3), run-blocking grade (77.0), and pass-blocking grade (87.3) per PFF. He allowed only two sacks in 787 snaps over 12 games. – Glenn Erby, Ravens Wire

Miami is without third- and fourth-round picks, so landing another second-rounder by sliding back 10 spots in the first round is a coup, even if it meant missing on players like Latham, Mims, Murphy, and Thomas. The Dolphins still wound up with their left tackle of the future, though. While the team has a pair of starting tackles in Terron Armstead and Austin Jackson, as well as a quality backup in Kendall Lamm, there’s a strong chance both Armstead and Lamm retire after the 2024 season. In Guyton, the Dolphins get a 6-foot-8 Goliath with the skills to be an elite pass blocker and the short area quickness to be a fit in the team’s zone blocking run scheme. – Adam Stites, Dolphins Wire

After moving back six spots and turning one of our third-round picks into a second-rounder, we’re still able to fill one of our biggest needs while getting great value. Robinson isn’t a finished product yet, but that’s what NFL coaches are for. What can’t be taught are the physical tools Robinson brings to the table, with elite explosiveness and the best first step of any edge rusher in this entire class. It’ll take some patience, but Robinson has immense upside thanks to his rare athleticism. Especially considering how we improved our draft capital by trading down, this pick is a huge win. – Luke Easterling, Bucs Wire

We didn’t want to leave out the teams without a first-round pick (whether it’s official or due to a trade in our mock draft). So, those editors selected a top realistic option for their respective teams on Day 2.

If the board falls like this and Oregon’s Bo Nix is still on it, then a trade-down involving a quarterback-needy team could be quite realistic. But if a deal doesn’t materialize, the Panthers would probably be more than happy to make Wiggins the first Clemson Tiger ever drafted by the organization. Although relatively solid in 2023, the Carolina defense recorded the fewest takeaways in the NFL. So they can grab a playmaking starting corner here and use the 39th overall pick on one of the many wide receivers who remain. – Anthony Rizzuti, Panthers Wire

The Cleveland Browns have a depth of starting experience in their offensive line room. Former tenth overall pick Jedrick Wills has started 53 games, two-time All-Pro Jack Conklin has started 94 games, Dawand Jones (PFWA All-Rookie team player a year ago) started nine games as a rookie, and even swing tackle has started 14 games in three years.

The problem? Wills is a free agent after the season. Hudson III is a free agent after the season. Conklin is coming off of yet another season-ending injury and could be moved as soon as this summer. While the Browns have a deep tackle room today, their outlook just nine months from now is murky. This is why offensive tackle as early as the 54th pick in the draft is firmly on the table.

BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia is a top-shelf athlete, is within the age range the Browns prefer to select early on, fits a team need, and has met with the Browns on multiple occasions this draft cycle. If the cousin of All-Pro Penei Sewell is on the board when Cleveland picks in the second round, they may be running the card to the podium. – Cory Kinnan, Browns Wire

Houston spent over $175 million in guaranteed money building a contender behind breakout Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. Receiver, linebacker, defensive end and running back were all addressed, not just with upgraded players, but also with relevant names. 

Defensive tackle remains a concern following the loss of Sheldon Rankins and Maliek Collins. The Texans added Foley Fatukasi and Denico Atury to fill the gap, but one is a rotational option while the other spent the last four seasons playing defensive end. They need another pass-rushing specialist to take on a few more sacks up the middle. 

Fiske needed one year at the Power 5 level to prove his NFL value. Known for his IQ and attention to detail, he wins with power and quickness against forward-leaning offensive linemen. The ceiling’s not as high as other prospects, but his floor is pushing near the roof. Houston needs a consistent pass-rusher up the middle. Fiske can be that while providing value in the run support game. – Cole Thompson Texans Wire