2024 NFL Mock Draft: Patriots trade up to No. 1 overall to select Caleb Williams as three QBs go in top 10

One thing already seems set in stone for the 2024 NFL Draft: Caleb Williams is going to be the first player picked. We, of course, don't know by which team, but if the Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 overall pick, even if it's courtesy of the Carolina Panthers, they aren't guaranteed to select USC's reigning Heisman Trophy winner. 

But you better believe Bears GM Ryan Poles will receive plenty of phone calls if they again obtain the top selection. In this mock, the Bears swing a deal with the Patriots, the latter of whom want to upgrade the quarterback position. No, it's not all Mac Jones' fault in New England, but just about everyone would agree Williams would give New England a massive boost at the game's most vital position. 

The details of this mock trade are as follows: 

• Patriots get: Bears 2024 first-round pick (No. 1 overall) 
• Bears get: Patriots 2024 first-round pick (No. 5 overall), No. 36 overall, No. 67 overall, a 2025 first-round pick and Christian Barmore

Important: The draft order now is determined by the current, official draft order. Thanks to Tankathon for compiling it. 

For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen to the latest episode below!

NFL Mock Draft

Round 1

Mock Trade from Chicago Bears Round 1 - Pick 1 Caleb Williams QB USC • 6'1" / 215 lbs Projected Team New England PROSPECT RNK 1st POSITION RNK 1st Bill Belichick swings for the fences with this trade to earn the rights to select Williams, who is a virtual lock to be the first player selected in the 2024 draft.

Round 1 - Pick 2 Marvin Harrison Jr. WR Ohio State • 6'4" / 205 lbs Projected Team Chicago PROSPECT RNK 2nd POSITION RNK 1st Let's ride the Justin Fields roller coaster for a while. After a monstrous performance on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 5, things are looking up for the third-year quarterback. They'd be looking up even more after this selection.

Round 1 - Pick 3 Olumuyiwa Fashanu OT Penn State • 6'6" / 312 lbs Projected Team Denver PROSPECT RNK 3rd POSITION RNK 1st Yes, the Broncos are clearly in need of massive defensive changes, but Fashanu is too athletic and too good at a premium position for Sean Payton and Co. to pass on here.

Round 1 - Pick 4 Drake Maye QB North Carolina • 6'4" / 225 lbs Projected Team Minnesota PROSPECT RNK 5th POSITION RNK 2nd Maye would be the perfect heir apparent to Kirk Cousins, as he'd give the Vikings plus athleticism and a cannon for an arm instantly.

Mock Trade from New England Patriots Round 1 - Pick 5 Laiatu Latu EDGE UCLA • 6'5" / 265 lbs Projected Team Chicago PROSPECT RNK 13th POSITION RNK 3rd Right now Latu looks like the most NFL-ready edge-rusher in the 2024 class, and that's precisely what Chicago needs.

Round 1 - Pick 6 J.J. McCarthy QB Michigan • 6'3" / 219 lbs Projected Team N.Y. Giants PROSPECT RNK 19th POSITION RNK 4th I'd be stunned if the Giants pass on a first-round quarterback in 2024. McCarthy is relatively young with a gun-slinger mentality and plenty of arm talent.

Round 1 - Pick 7 Chop Robinson EDGE Penn State • 6'3" / 254 lbs Projected Team Arizona PROSPECT RNK 31st POSITION RNK 6th The Cardinals feel like a team that could swing a trade for a veteran quarterback in the offseason... or just sign one. Under that assumption, they go with the highly athletic, ultra-bendy Robinson to anchor the pass rush.

Round 1 - Pick 8 Joe Alt OT Notre Dame • 6'8" / 322 lbs Projected Team Green Bay PROSPECT RNK 9th POSITION RNK 4th Traditionally, the Packers have waited to find good value blockers later in the draft, but Alt is too clean of a prospect to pass on here at the early stages of the Jordan Love era.

Round 1 - Pick 9 Kool-Aid McKinstry CB Alabama • 5'11" / 199 lbs Projected Team Las Vegas PROSPECT RNK 10th POSITION RNK 1st The Raiders need a confident perimeter cornerback on this defense, and that's what they'd get in McKinstry.

From Houston Texans Round 1 - Pick 10 Malik Nabers WR LSU • 6'0" / 200 lbs Projected Team Arizona PROSPECT RNK 11th POSITION RNK 2nd Nabers looks like a first-round wideout, and the Cardinals need to start building the core of pass-catching weapons.

Round 1 - Pick 11 JC Latham OT Alabama • 6'6" / 342 lbs Projected Team N.Y. Jets PROSPECT RNK 6th POSITION RNK 2nd More blocking help for the Jets with Latham, who'll have two years at right tackle for Alabama under his belt, plus a 2020 season at guard. He's one of the more pro-ready blockers in the class.

Round 1 - Pick 12 Patrick Paul OT Houston • 6'7" / 332 lbs Projected Team Washington PROSPECT RNK 33rd POSITION RNK 6th Sam Howell needs to get rid of the football quicker, and the Commanders offensive front has to protect him more soundly. Both things are true. They can start the latter efforts with the super-experienced Paul here.

Round 1 - Pick 13 Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State • Sr • 6'1" / 205 lbs Projected Team Tennessee PROSPECT RNK 20th POSITION RNK 3rd Mike Vrabel's time at Ohio State should get him good intel on Ebuka, who looks like another first round-caliber pass catcher from the Buckeyes program.

Round 1 - Pick 14 Brock Bowers TE Georgia • 6'4" / 230 lbs Projected Team Cincinnati PROSPECT RNK 4th POSITION RNK 1st The Bengals jump at the opportunity to stop Bowers mini slide here, giving Joe Burrow another uber-talented receiving weapon.

Round 1 - Pick 15 Johnny Newton DL Illinois • 6'2" / 295 lbs Projected Team L.A. Rams PROSPECT RNK 22nd POSITION RNK 2nd Newton has Aaron Donald-like traits, which will likely draw in the Rams come draft time.

Round 1 - Pick 16 T'Vondre Sweat DL Texas • 6'4" / 366 lbs Projected Team L.A. Chargers PROSPECT RNK POSITION RNK The Chargers get a wide-bodied, established run stuffer who's flashed as a pass rusher in 2023. Needed piece to this defense.

From Cleveland Browns Round 1 - Pick 17 Graham Barton OT Duke • 6'5" / 314 lbs Projected Team Houston PROSPECT RNK 48th POSITION RNK 8th Barton might be a guard at the next level, and the Texans could use more interior blocking help for C.J. Stroud.

Round 1 - Pick 18 Kamren Kinchens S Miami (FL) • 5'11" / 207 lbs Projected Team New Orleans PROSPECT RNK 38th POSITION RNK 2nd The Saints get younger at safety with Kinchens, who's demonstrated high-caliber, three-down ability for the Hurricanes.

Round 1 - Pick 19 Jared Verse EDGE Florida State • 6'4" / 260 lbs Projected Team Atlanta PROSPECT RNK 7th POSITION RNK 1st The Falcons bet on Verse's bend, burst, and surprising power with this selection. They could stand to get younger and more dynamic around the corner.

Round 1 - Pick 20 Jordan Morgan OT Arizona • 6'5" / 311 lbs Projected Team Indianapolis PROSPECT RNK 59th POSITION RNK 10th The Colts go in the trenches at the start of Year 2 of the Anthony Richardson era. Morgan is a gifted pass protector with an NFL left tackle frame.

Round 1 - Pick 21 Cooper DeJean CB Iowa • 6'0" / 198 lbs Projected Team Buffalo PROSPECT RNK 29th POSITION RNK 5th Back to the cornerback well for the Bills with DeJean, a heady, ballhawking cornerback with plenty of zone-coverage familiarity.

Round 1 - Pick 22 Kalen King CB Penn State • 5'11" / 190 lbs Projected Team Dallas PROSPECT RNK 16th POSITION RNK 2nd The Cowboys get another highly athletic perimeter cornerback to pair with Trevon Diggs when he returns from injury in 2024.

Round 1 - Pick 23 Rome Odunze WR Washington • 6'3" / 215 lbs Projected Team Baltimore PROSPECT RNK 53rd POSITION RNK 7th The Ravens load up at receiver for Lamar Jackson with another first-round pass catcher in Odunze, who, stature-wise, is the opposite of 2023 first-rounder Zay Flowers.

Round 1 - Pick 24 Kris Abrams-Draine CB Missouri • 5'11" / 178 lbs Projected Team Seattle PROSPECT RNK 34th POSITION RNK 6th Abrams-Draine has been on the draft radar for a while and is enjoying a productive 2023 season at Missouri. He'd be a fun, versatile piece for Pete Carroll to deploy in 2023 and beyond.

Round 1 - Pick 25 Barrett Carter LB Clemson • Sr • 6'1" / 230 lbs Projected Team Pittsburgh PROSPECT RNK 17th POSITION RNK 1st The defense has carried Pittsburgh early in 2023, but the Steelers continue to build that side of the ball when they see Carter fall into their laps here.

Round 1 - Pick 26 Leonard Taylor III DL Miami (FL) • 6'3" / 305 lbs Projected Team Jacksonville PROSPECT RNK 14th POSITION RNK 1st The Jaguars stay in state and land a high-upside interior rusher in Taylor.

Round 1 - Pick 27 Johnny Wilson WR Florida State • 6'6" / 228 lbs Projected Team Tampa Bay PROSPECT RNK 47th POSITION RNK 6th Another enormous, physically imposing rebounder to replace impending free agent Mike Evans after the season.

Round 1 - Pick 28 Keon Coleman WR Florida State • 6'4" / 215 lbs Projected Team Detroit PROSPECT RNK 28th POSITION RNK 4th Coleman gives the Lions a physical presence on the perimeter of their already fun passing attacking.

Round 1 - Pick 29 Kingsley Suamataia OT BYU • 6'4" / 326 lbs Projected Team Miami PROSPECT RNK 24th POSITION RNK 5th Another big-bodied blocker for Mike McDaniel's offense to protect Tua Tagovailoa and pave lanes for the explosive ground game.

Round 1 - Pick 30 Nate Wiggins CB Clemson • 6'1" / 182 lbs Projected Team Philadelphia PROSPECT RNK 21st POSITION RNK 3rd A long-limbed outside cornerback with the long-term future in mind for the Eagles.

Round 1 - Pick 31 Xavier Worthy WR Texas • 5'11" / 165 lbs Projected Team Kansas City PROSPECT RNK 30th POSITION RNK 5th The Chiefs scare everyone by selecting a small and super-speedy wideout near the end of the first round.

Round 1 - Pick 32 Kamari Lassiter CB Georgia • 6'0" / 180 lbs Projected Team San Francisco PROSPECT RNK 49th POSITION RNK 7th Lassiter would give the 49ers a talented outside cornerback to be developed with the long view in mind.