HEADLINE

2024 NFL Mock Draft: Offensive dominates first two rounds

Field Level Media

April 16, 2024 at 8:02 pm.

1. Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams, QB, USC
The quarterback with the highest upside on the board, the Bears reset priorities to help the unique but talented Williams reach his Patrick Mahomes-like ceiling.

2. Washington Commanders
Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
The Commanders secure the best QB available. Even without Williams’ immense upside, Maye is comfortable in the pocket and capable in the “Air Raid” derivative scheme employed by new coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

3. New England Patriots
Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
A trade wouldn’t be a surprise here but predicting the priorities and appetite for risk from personnel boss Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo isn’t easy. In the Heisman winner the Patriots would have a dual-threat quarterback with a quick trigger and the open-field skills that indicate his ceiling hasn’t been touched.

4. Arizona Cardinals
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Nothing to overthink here. Kyler Murray gets a pro-ready, top-tier receiver. This tandem in their physical prime could quickly rejuvenate the Cardinals’ passing game.

5. Los Angeles Chargers
Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
Alt brings another sure thing to the edge in Jim Harbaugh’s run-centric scheme that should make Justin Herbert a deadly force from the pocket.

6. New York Giants
Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Plus size and athleticism with the ability to separate from man coverage and create after the catch. Odunze isn’t a speedster but uses his body and reach to claim every jump ball.

7. Tennessee Titans
Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Fashanu is the most refined pass blocker in the class. Tennessee is trying to support their new potential franchise quarterback in Will Levis, and this is the first step.

8. Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama
Plus athleticism will excite Raheem Morris as he brings his 3-4 scheme to the Falcons, who can’t seem to find a consistent pass rush outside.

9. Chicago Bears
Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
One of the youngest prospects in the draft, Nabers can ease into the offense as a second receiver behind DJ Moore and help redefine Monsters of the Midway.

10. New York Jets
Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Drafting tight ends in the top 10 might be foolhardy, but the Jets are in win-now mode yet again. Bowers brings a gamebreaker approach to tight end that Aaron Rodgers can use to exploit defenses instantly.

11. Minnesota Vikings
Jared Verse, DE, Florida State
The Vikings prioritize length in their edge group and Verse has it in spades, combined with explosive athleticism and decent technical refinement. Verse should bring up the floor of a depleted defensive line and elevate Brian Flores to new heights as a defensive coordinator.

12. Denver Broncos
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Betting big on the underdog quarterback isn’t a novel concept to Sean Payton, who tutored undrafted free agent Tony Romo in Dallas and pushed his chips to the middle of the table for Drew Brees coming off shoulder surgery. McCarthy isn’t going to flinch under the taskmaster coaching of Payton but getting great results might mean surviving growing pains.

13. Las Vegas Raiders
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
With 4.4 speed and nearly unprecedented playmaking to get to balls in the air, Mitchell has a chance to rise to stardom early behind the Raiders’ dominant pass rush.

14. New Orleans Saints
JC Latham, OT, Alabama
Pass protection is a serious need in New Orleans with a pair of wobbly tackles. A franchise whose draft board rarely matches the masses targets Latham for his strength and the footwork to help preserve QB Derek Carr after a rough year running for cover in 2023.

15. Indianapolis Colts
Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
The Colts would be intrigued by a move down with a handful of offensive linemen and wide receivers that fit the prototypes GM Chris Ballard prefers. The value of landing Arnold in this spot is too good to resist.

16. Seattle Seahawks
Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
Versatile defensive linemen are like favorite songs for new coach Mike Macdonald — he can’t pick just one. A gap-shooting force with strength and agility, Newton brings valued versatility to the new-look Seahawks.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Losing Calvin Ridley leaves a mark, but Thomas will be cheaper and more than capable with impressive size, speed and agility.

18. Cincinnati Bengals
Laiatu Latu, DE, UCLA
Latu’s technical refinement fits in a rotation with Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson but it might not be long before he becomes the marquee edge for the Bengals.

19. Los Angeles Rams
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
He’s arguably a better long-term prospect than Joe Alt and JC Latham, but Fashanu isn’t quite an out-of-the-box play at left tackle. He’ll have a chance to nail down the job on a revamped offensive line that is suddenly a strength.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers
Byron Murphy II, DL, Texas
A ‘tweener who becomes a 3-4 defensive end in the Steelers’ scheme, Murphy’s burst and high motor make for the ideal match as Pittsburgh rebuilds the front seven.

21. Miami Dolphins
Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Miami could go with an interior lineman or select Fuaga, a power blocker with tackle and guard potential, to fill the massive gap created by right guard Robert Hunt’s exit for Carolina.

22. Philadelphia Eagles
Chop Robinson, DE, Penn State
Significant changes came to the Eagles’ defense after a late-season meltdown, and Robinson would help further refresh the pass rush alongside new addition Bryce Huff.

23. Minnesota Vikings
Darius Robinson, DT, Missouri
Robinson has great length, a stout frame and serious strength to further bolster Minnesota’s defense.

24. Dallas Cowboys
Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
Value at offensive tackle is tempting in this spot, but Wiggins could be a top-10 level NFL cornerback and is the best player available. Paired with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, Wiggins would give the Cowboys a top-tier CB crew.

25. Green Bay Packers
Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa
There’s just something about the Hawkeyes that appeals to Green Bay decision-makers who add the versatile DeJean as a peer to 2023 first-rounder via Iowa, outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Raw as a junior with only eight career starts, Mims has blackout-the-sun size at 6-8, 335 pounds and can break in at right tackle.

27. Arizona Cardinals
Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Signing Sean Murphy-Bunting is a solid start, but the Cardinals can’t pass on Kool-Aid at the end of the first round. Can play man or zone and isn’t afraid to step to the best receivers in the game.

28. Buffalo Bills
Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Coleman would be miscast as a No. 1 receiver or replacement for Stefon Diggs. But the Bills are setting up their offense to emphasize their talent at tight end, and can utilize the tall and reliable Coleman in downfield and contested catch spots.

29. Detroit Lions
Ennis Rakestraw, CB, Missouri
Willing in any role the Lions might choose, Rakestraw doesn’t mind brawling with a competitive grade the Lions embrace.

30. Baltimore Ravens
Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
Fautanu has tackle and guard flexibility and can pave wide paths in the running game.

31. San Francisco 49ers
Graham Barton, C, Duke
Capable at center or guard, Barton also has experience at left tackle. He’s been on the maybe list of at least five teams before getting to this point, and GM John Lynch shouldn’t think twice.

32. Kansas City Chiefs
Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Patrick Mahomes gets another big-play toy in Worthy, who ran the fastest 40 ever at the combine (4.21 seconds) right after receiving a motivating text from the KC quarterback.

Second round
33. Carolina Panthers
Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon

34. New England Patriots
Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona

35. Arizona Cardinals
T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas

36. Washington Commanders
Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

37. Los Angeles Chargers
Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan

38. Tennessee Titans
Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan

39. Carolina Panthers
Marshawn Kneeland, Edge, W. Michigan

40. Washington Commanders
Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State

41. Green Bay
Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia

42. Houston Texans
Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State

43. Atlanta Falcons
Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State

44. Las Vegas Raiders
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan

45. New Orleans Saints
Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

46. Indianapolis Colts
Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon

47. New York Giants
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas

48. Jacksonville Jaguars
Zach Frazier, OL, West Virginia

49. Cincinnati Bengals
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas

50. Philadelphia Eagles
Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon

51. Pittsburgh Steelers
Sedrick Van Pran, C, Georgia

52. Los Angeles Rams
Payton Wilson, LB, NC State

53. Philadelphia Eagles
Javon Bullard, S, Georgia

54. Cleveland Browns
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

55. Miami Dolphins
Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson

56. Dallas Cowboys
Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU

57. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas

58. Green Bay Packers
Junior Colson, LB, Michigan

59. Houston Texans
Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan

60. Buffalo Bills
Chris Braswell, Edge, Alabama

61. Detroit Lions
Christian Haynes, OG, Connecticut

62. Baltimore Ravens
Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida

63. San Francisco
Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky

64. Kansas City Chiefs
Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale

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