It's officially draft week.
The biggest event of the NFL offseason will be kicking off on Thursday with the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Between now and then, you can expect to hear a lot of rumors and only about 5% of those rumors are going to be true, but you won't know which 5%, which is why it's so hard to figure out what's actually going to happen in the draft.
Every year, the draft gets turned upside down with a big trade or a surprise pick and this year will certainly be no different. It's impossible to predict EVERYTHING that's going to happen in the first round, but I'm going to try and do that anyway with my one and only mock draft of the year.
That's right, you get one mock draft from me and we're doing it now.
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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.
Round 1
2024 NFL Mock Draft
From
Carolina Panthers
Round 1, Pick 1
USC
• 6'1"
/ 215 lbs
This is the one pick in the draft that won't shock anyone. If the Bears don't take Williams, they should fire everyone and fold the franchise.
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Round 1, Pick 2
LSU
• 6'4"
/ 210 lbs
The Commanders will have a huge decision to make at second overall between Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. The team decides that Daniels has the higher upside, so they roll the dice on the Heisman-winning quarterback out of LSU.
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Round 1, Pick 3
Drake Maye
QB
North Carolina
• 6'4"
/ 225 lbs
The Patriots could trade this pick away, but when a possible franchise quarterback is sitting there for the taking, you take him and don't overthink things, which is what New England ends up doing here.
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Round 1, Pick 4
Ohio State
• 6'4"
/ 205 lbs
The Cardinals got pretty crazy in the first round last year with multiple trades, but this year, no one is able to blow them away with an offer, so they stick at fourth overall and take Harrison.
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Mock Trade from
Los Angeles Chargers
Round 1, Pick 5
Michigan
• 6'3"
/ 219 lbs
The Vikings are desperate for a quarterback and after failing to make a trade with either the Patriots or Cardinals, they finally find a willing partner in the Chargers. To make the deal happen, the Vikings send the 11th overall pick and the 23rd overall pick to Los Angeles.
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Round 1, Pick 6
Malik Nabers
WR
LSU
• 6'0"
/ 200 lbs
The Giants might have taken a QB here if one of the top four had fallen into their lap, but since that doesn't happen, they decide to bring in something they've been lacking over the past few years: A star receiver.
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Mock Trade from
Tennessee Titans
Round 1, Pick 7
Rome Odunze
WR
Washington
• 6'3"
/ 215 lbs
SURPRISE! The Colts need some receiving help and they get that in a major way by making a trade to land Odunze. To make the deal happen, Indy sends the 15th, 46th and 234th overall picks to Tennessee.
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Round 1, Pick 8
Dallas Turner
EDGE
Alabama
• 6'3"
/ 247 lbs
After loading up their offense in free agency, the Falcons finally add a potential defensive star in Turner.
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Round 1, Pick 9
Jared Verse
EDGE
Florida State
• 6'4"
/ 260 lbs
The Bears decide to steal the Texans' strategy from last season: After watching Houston draft a star QB (C.J. Stroud) and a star defensive player (Will Anderson Jr.), the Bears make the decision to add Verse to their Caleb Williams haul.
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Round 1, Pick 10
Brock Bowers
TE
Georgia
• 6'4"
/ 230 lbs
Aaron Rodgers offers to personally turn the card in himself for this pick. The Jets would have loved one of the top three receivers, but with all of them off the board, they give Rodgers the best tight end in the draft.
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Mock Trade from
Minnesota Vikings
Round 1, Pick 11
Alabama
• 6'0"
/ 199 lbs
The Chargers give some serious thought to taking Joe Alt here, but then they realize they have a bigger need at cornerback and with Patrick Mahomes in your division, that's a need that you need to fill.
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Mock Trade from
Denver Broncos
Round 1, Pick 12
Joe Alt
OT
Notre Dame
• 6'8"
/ 322 lbs
After watching Alt tumble down the draft board, the Steelers decide to make a move for the Notre Dame tackle. The addition of Alt will help ensure that Russell Wilson doesn't spend his first season in Pittsburgh running for his life. To make this trade happen, the Steelers send the 20th and 51st overall picks to Denver.
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Round 1, Pick 13
Toledo
• 6'0"
/ 193 lbs
The Raiders would have loved to trade up for a quarterback, but since they couldn't make that happen, they settle on Mitchell, who some people have ranked as the top corner in the draft.
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Round 1, Pick 14
Penn State
• 6'6"
/ 312 lbs
The Saints desperately need help at tackle and they get that help by selecting Fashanu.
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Mock Trade from
Indianapolis Colts
Round 1, Pick 15
JC Latham
OT
Alabama
• 6'6"
/ 342 lbs
The Titans could have stayed at seventh overall and drafted Joe Alt, but instead, they added two more picks in a trade down with the Colts AND they still managed to get a tackle that they're high on in Latham.
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Round 1, Pick 16
Troy Fautanu
IOL
Washington
• 6'4"
/ 317 lbs
The University of Washington star won't have to travel far to start his NFL career because the Seahawks decide to keep him in Seattle with this pick.
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Round 1, Pick 17
Oregon State
• 6'6"
/ 324 lbs
Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke loves to draft guys who can play in the trenches, so no one should be surprised when the Jags use their first-round pick on Fuaga.
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Round 1, Pick 18
Texas
• 6'0"
/ 306 lbs
The Bengals could certainly go with a receiver or an offensive lineman here, but after watching the draft's top defensive tackle fall to them at 18, they decide to pull the trigger on this pick.
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Round 1, Pick 19
Laiatu Latu
EDGE
UCLA
• 6'5"
/ 265 lbs
With Aaron Donald now retired, this becomes an easy pick for the Rams, who keep Latu in Los Angeles by taking him with the 19th overall pick.
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Mock Trade from
Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 1, Pick 20
Bo Nix
QB
Oregon
• 6'2"
/ 217 lbs
There's nothing Sean Payton loves more than an accurate quarterback and during the 2023 college season, there was no one more accurate than Nix, who led all FBS quarterbacks in completion percentage.
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Round 1, Pick 21
Amarius Mims
OT
Georgia
• 6'8"
/ 350 lbs
The Dolphins need help on the offensive line and Mims will give that to them.
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Round 1, Pick 22
Iowa
• 6'0"
/ 198 lbs
The Eagles are known to wheel and deal in the first round, but this year, they decide to sit tight and take DeJean. The versatile defensive back should be able to instantly help a Philadelphia secondary that struggled some in 2023.
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Mock Trade from
Minnesota Vikings
Round 1, Pick 23
LSU
• 6'2"
/ 209 lbs
After cutting Mike Williams and trading away Keenan Allen, the Chargers finally bring in a weapon for Justin Herbert in the form of Thomas.
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Mock Trade from
Dallas Cowboys
Round 1, Pick 24
Georgia
• 6'0"
/ 185 lbs
The Bills badly need a receiver and although they probably would have loved to make a trade to the top of the draft to grab one of the top-three guys, they quickly learn that's not practical, so they settle on a small trade-up for McConkey. The Cowboys get the 28th, 128th and 133rd picks in return to make this trade happen.
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Round 1, Pick 25
Illinois
• 6'2"
/ 295 lbs
There are a lot of ways the Packers could go here, but one of their biggest needs is at defensive tackle, so they decide to fill that with Newton, who falls down to them at 25 due to questions about his injured foot.
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Round 1, Pick 26
Chop Robinson
EDGE
Penn State
• 6'3"
/ 254 lbs
If there is one need the Buccaneers absolutely have to address early in the draft, it's at pass rusher and with Robinson falling down to them at 26th overall, this ends up being an easy pick for Tampa Bay.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1, Pick 27
Alabama
• 5'11"
/ 199 lbs
If the Cardinals get out of the first round with one of the top receivers and one of the top corners, they will be thrilled, which means they'll be thrilled here, because they're going to end up with Marvin Harrison Jr. and McKinstry.
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Mock Trade from
Buffalo Bills
Round 1, Pick 28
Oregon
• 6'3"
/ 328 lbs
The Cowboys need help all over the place right now, but they decide to prioritize the offensive line, which is how they end up with Powers-Johnson.
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Round 1, Pick 29
Nate Wiggins
CB
Clemson
• 6'1"
/ 182 lbs
The Lions already added some corner help this offseason by trading for Carlton Davis, but after cutting Cam Sutton, Detroit decides that it still needs some corner help, so the Lions grab Wiggins.
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Round 1, Pick 30
Duke
• 6'5"
/ 314 lbs
The Ravens are in the process of totally revamping their offensive line, so it won't be any surprise if they take an offensive lineman in the first round. In the end, the Ravens end up going with Barton because of his versatility on the interior of the O-line.
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From
San Francisco 49ers
Round 1, Pick 31
Washington
• 6'3"
/ 215 lbs
The Raiders decided not to go with a QB at 13th overall, but they make up for that by trading back into the first round to grab Penix. To make this deal happen, they send the 44th overall pick and the 77th overall pick to the 49ers.
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Round 1, Pick 32
Tyler Guyton
OT
Oklahoma
• 6'7"
/ 322 lbs
It won't be surprising if the Chiefs look to go receiver here, but if they don't love the options they have when they're on the clock, taking an offensive lineman would make a lot of sense.
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