2024 NFL Mock Draft: Team trades back into Round 1 for Michael Penix Jr.; AFC contenders keep adding weapons

The first wave of free agency is behind us and a lot has changed. The New York teams both bolstered their offensive lines, the Steelers added two former franchise quarterbacks while trading their most recent first-round QB to the Eagles, and the teams just outside the top 10: Minnesota, Denver and Las Vegas have some serious decisions to make about whether to trade up (or down) for their next face of the franchise.

In my mock draft 8.0, the Vikings, who now have two first-round picks (No. 11 and 23), move up to No. 5 overall, swapping with a Chargers team that could use the extra draft capital. But even at No. 5, Minnesota has to settle for QB4, but we always talk about how important fit is when building around a young quarterback and there are few better fits than playing for Kevin O'Connell.

Meanwhile, the Chargers find two starters -- one on offense, the other on defense -- with their two first-rounders.

As for those other two QB-needy teams in Denver and Las Vegas ... the Broncos target a cornerback with their pick and the Raiders do the same. Except Las Vegas takes a page from the 2018 Ravens playbook and trades back up into the bottom of Round to get their franchise passer.

Keep reading to see who they target, as well as to check out all 32 picks in mock draft 8.0.

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

Round 1 - Pick 1 Caleb Williams QB USC • 6'1" / 215 lbs Projected Team Chicago PROSPECT RNK 2nd POSITION RNK 1st PAYDS 3633 RUYDS 121 INTS 5 TDS 41 The Bears traded Justin Fields to the Steelers and all that's left to do is take Caleb Williams here.

Round 1 - Pick 2 Jayden Daniels QB LSU • 6'4" / 210 lbs Projected Team Washington PROSPECT RNK 5th POSITION RNK 2nd PAYDS 3812 RUYDS 1134 INTS 4 TDS 50 I like Jayden Daniels more than Drake Maye -- and I'd take him here. But Washington may feel differently; whatever happens, they have to take a QB here.

Round 1 - Pick 3 Drake Maye QB North Carolina • 6'4" / 225 lbs Projected Team New England PROSPECT RNK 4th POSITION RNK 2nd PAYDS 3608 RUYDS 449 INTS 9 TDS 33 Maye reminds me a lot of Justin Herbert in that he didn't have a lights-out final season in college and skeptics are wondering what he'll look like at the next level. I think he'll be a better pro than college QB, and even though '23 was uneven at times, his '22 tape is pretty good. The Patriots will likely get several very lucrative opportunities to move down from No. 3 but like Washington and Chicago above them, they desperately need a quarterback.

Round 1 - Pick 4 Marvin Harrison Jr. WR Ohio State • 6'4" / 205 lbs Projected Team Arizona PROSPECT RNK 1st POSITION RNK 1st REC 67 REYDS 1211 YDS/REC 18.1 TDS 15 The Cardinals have to decide if they like WR2 or WR3 enough to move off of No. 4, where Marvin Harrison Jr. will be waiting. If so, they can trade down, get a haul, and potentially still land Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze. I have them staying put, not overthinking it and taking Harrison here.

Mock Trade from Los Angeles Chargers Round 1 - Pick 5 J.J. McCarthy QB Michigan • 6'3" / 219 lbs Projected Team Minnesota PROSPECT RNK 19th POSITION RNK 4th PAYDS 2991 RUYDS 202 INTS 4 TDS 25 Now things get spicy. The Vikings package their two first-rounders -- the No. 11 and No. 23 picks -- to move up to No. 5 and take JJ McCarthy. Kirk Cousins signed with Atlanta and yes, Sam Darnold is now in the building, but there's not a much better fit for JJ McCarthy than playing for Kevin O'Connell.

Round 1 - Pick 6 Malik Nabers WR LSU • 6'0" / 200 lbs Projected Team N.Y. Giants PROSPECT RNK 3rd POSITION RNK 2nd REC 89 REYDS 1569 YDS/REC 17.6 TDS 14 Best-case scenario for the Giants, assuming they don't want a QB in the draft. Drew Lock provides depth behind Daniel Jones and the offensive line has been bolstered through free agency. Darren Waller could retire, so Brock Bowers is a consideration here, but Nabers is the easy choice for an offense that has lacked that type of playmaking ability since Odell Beckham Jr. was in New York.

Round 1 - Pick 7 Joe Alt OT Notre Dame • 6'8" / 322 lbs Projected Team Tennessee PROSPECT RNK 8th POSITION RNK 2nd The choice here is between Olu Fashanu and Joe Alt and while Fashanu is my OT1, Alt might be ready to start sooner. In Tennessee, he'll line up next to '23 first-rounder, Peter Skoronski.

Round 1 - Pick 8 Jared Verse EDGE Florida State • 6'4" / 260 lbs Projected Team Atlanta PROSPECT RNK 19th POSITION RNK 3rd The Falcons now have Rondale Moore and Darnell Mooney on the roster, reducing the likelihood of Rome Odunze. Instead, they beef up the pass rushers with Jared Verse.

Round 1 - Pick 9 Dallas Turner EDGE Alabama • 6'3" / 247 lbs Projected Team Chicago PROSPECT RNK 9th POSITION RNK 1st It'll be interesting to see which edge rusher goes off the board first; I lean slightly to Verse but could understand why a team prefers Turner, one of the most explosive players in this class. With Keenan Allen now in Chicago, the Bears -- like the Falcons above -- can focus on defense here. (Alternatively, now with just four picks in the entire draft, they could choose to trade down.)

Round 1 - Pick 10 Rome Odunze WR Washington • 6'3" / 215 lbs Projected Team N.Y. Jets PROSPECT RNK 15th POSITION RNK 3rd REC 92 REYDS 1640 YDS/REC 17.8 TDS 15 Both New York teams get big-time playmakers ... after both New York teams spent the early days of free agency trying to fix the offensive line. Garrett Wilson finally gets some help.

Mock Trade from Minnesota Vikings Round 1 - Pick 11 Taliese Fuaga OT Oregon State • 6'6" / 324 lbs Projected Team L.A. Chargers PROSPECT RNK 14th POSITION RNK 4th The Chargers have jettisoned many of their skill-position players, in part because of the salary cap, and also because Jim Harbaugh will likely lean on the run as he looks to jumpstart this offense. It's why LA felt comfortable trading out of the No. 5 pick in this mock draft. And even with Olu Fashanu still on the board, Fuaga, who played right tackle at Oregon State, is the pick here. He can slide into the starting job on Day 1 and there are no projecting if he can play a new position (which would be the conversation with Fashanu).

Round 1 - Pick 12 Terrion Arnold CB Alabama • 6'0" / 199 lbs Projected Team Denver POSITION RNK 7th PROSPECT RNK 1st Neither Denver nor Las Vegas was able to trade up in this mock draft for QB4 so they stay put and fill big needs on the the defense. Like Jared Verse vs. Dallas Turner, Terrion Arnold vs. Quinyon Mitchell will vary team by team, but both players have a chance to be special. For the Broncos, Arnold has the SEC pedigree, and after the success with Patrick Surtain Jr., going back to the Alabama well was an easy choice.

Round 1 - Pick 13 Quinyon Mitchell CB Toledo • 6'0" / 193 lbs Projected Team Las Vegas PROSPECT RNK 9th POSITION RNK 1st I wouldn't call this 'settling' -- Mitchell is my CB1 after a spectacular 2023 season, Senior Bowl and NFL combine.

Round 1 - Pick 14 Olumuyiwa Fashanu OT Penn State • 6'6" / 312 lbs Projected Team New Orleans PROSPECT RNK 6th POSITION RNK 1st Somehow Fashanu is still on the board. Trevor Penning hasn't worked out at left tackle and Fashanu is too good to pass up in the middle of Round 1.

Round 1 - Pick 15 Brian Thomas Jr. WR LSU • 6'2" / 209 lbs Projected Team Indianapolis PROSPECT RNK 20th POSITION RNK 4th REC 68 REYDS 1177 YDS/REC 17.3 TDS 17 I thought long and hard about going CB here but WR won out. Michael Pittman is WR1 while Alec Pierce is still looking to find his form and Josh Downs is the slot threat. Thomas Jr. is a home run threat who can take some pressure off Pittman.

Round 1 - Pick 16 Troy Fautanu IOL Washington • 6'4" / 317 lbs Projected Team Seattle PROSPECT RNK 32nd POSITION RNK 1st Troy Fautanu can play tackle but he may begin his NFL journey as a guard. And as it turns out, the Seahawks have a huge need at the left guard position.

Round 1 - Pick 17 Byron Murphy II DL Texas • 6'0" / 306 lbs Projected Team Jacksonville PROSPECT RNK 13th POSITION RNK 1st Murphy is the best defensive linemen in this class and he could end up going higher than this. The Jags addressed other positional needs early in free agency, and even with the addition of Arik Armstead, Murphy makes a lot of sense here.

Round 1 - Pick 18 JC Latham OT Alabama • 6'6" / 342 lbs Projected Team Cincinnati PROSPECT RNK 13th POSITION RNK 3rd The Bengals added tight end Mike Gesicki -- which doesn't disqualify them from the Brock Bowers sweepstakes -- but the offensive line remains an issue; right tackle JC Latham is a mauler and if he's on the board Cincy has to take him.

Round 1 - Pick 19 Johnny Newton DL Illinois • 6'2" / 295 lbs Projected Team L.A. Rams PROSPECT RNK 22nd POSITION RNK 2nd Aaron Donald retired and while it would take 4-5 players to replace his production (and that may be underselling it), Newton is a twitched-up defensive lineman coming off a really good season for Illinois. Cornerback was also a consideration here.

Round 1 - Pick 20 Amarius Mims OT Georgia • 6'8" / 350 lbs Projected Team Pittsburgh PROSPECT RNK 18th POSITION RNK 5th The Steelers have their quarterback(s), their left tackle in '23 first-rounder Broderick Jones, and they return to Georgia to get their right tackle in Amarius Mims, who, for me, is a better prospect coming out of college than Jones.

Round 1 - Pick 21 Brock Bowers TE Georgia • 6'4" / 230 lbs Projected Team Miami PROSPECT RNK 14th POSITION RNK 1st REC 56 REYDS 714 YDS/REC 12.8 TDS 7 The Dolphins continue to get better on offense. There were a few trades above that were for other position needs that pushed Bowers down but it's hard to envision how a top-10 player (he's actually No. 6 on my big board) lasts this long. I get it. But as I've written in the past (repeatedly): In the last 20 years, 19 tight ends have gone in the first round. Five of those were selected in the top 10 (Eric Ebron, 10th overall in 2014; TJ Hockenson, 8th overall in 2019; Kellen Winslow II and Vernon Davis, 6th overall in 2004 and 2006; and Kyle Pitts, 4th overall in 2021). The other 14 were drafted between No. 19 and No. 32. And 10 months ago, Sam LaPorta lasted until Round 2.

Round 1 - Pick 22 Cooper DeJean CB Iowa • 6'0" / 198 lbs Projected Team Philadelphia PROSPECT RNK 41st POSITION RNK 7th If the Eagles trust Cam Jurgens at center, they can pass on Jackson Powers-Johnson here and instead focus on the secondary. DeJean is a big, strong, fast cornerback with return ability.

Mock Trade from Minnesota Vikings Round 1 - Pick 23 Nate Wiggins CB Clemson • 6'1" / 182 lbs Projected Team L.A. Chargers PROSPECT RNK 23rd POSITION RNK 3rd The Chargers trade down from No. 5 in this mock draft and get a starting right tackle and a starting cornerback -- and Wiggins blew up the combine after an impressive '23 season in which he played like a shutdown corner and improved as a tackler.

Round 1 - Pick 24 Jackson Powers-Johnson IOL Oregon • 6'3" / 328 lbs Projected Team Dallas PROSPECT RNK 33rd POSITION RNK 2nd Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz are gone, Tyler Smith now moves from left guard to left tackle, and there are questions along the interior offensive line. Selecting Powers-Johnson here would be the easiest pick of the draft.

Round 1 - Pick 25 Ennis Rakestraw Jr. CB Missouri • 5'11" / 191 lbs Projected Team Green Bay PROSPECT RNK 29th POSITION RNK 5th The Packers moved on from left tackle David Bakhtiari and while Rasheed Walker was serviceable, the team may want to add depth at the position. But with the top left tackles off the board, Green Bay looks to the secondary. Yes, Rakestraw only weighed 183 lbs. at the combine but his playing style reminds me of Devon Witherspoon ... who weighed 181 at the combine a year ago.

Round 1 - Pick 26 Graham Barton OT Duke • 6'5" / 314 lbs Projected Team Tampa Bay PROSPECT RNK 49th POSITION RNK 8th The team has moved on from Matt Feiler and Aaron Stinnie, and while they've signed Ben Bredeson and Sua Opeta, Graham Barton has Day 1-starter potential. He played left tackle at Duke but his NFL future will be inside.

From Houston Texans Round 1 - Pick 27 Laiatu Latu EDGE UCLA • 6'5" / 265 lbs Projected Team Arizona PROSPECT RNK 11th POSITION RNK 2nd The Cards land Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4, and somehow, Latu is still on the board at the bottom of Round 1. Two of the easiest picks in the first round.

Round 1 - Pick 28 Adonai Mitchell WR Texas • 6'2" / 205 lbs Projected Team Buffalo PROSPECT RNK 34th POSITION RNK 6th REC 55 REYDS 845 YDS/REC 15.4 TDS 11 Yes, the Bills signed Curtis Samuel but what is Stefon Diggs' future in Buffalo? Instead of waiting around to find out, the team takes AD Mitchell here; he's a big, explosive pass catcher who can dominate at all three levels.

Round 1 - Pick 29 Chop Robinson EDGE Penn State • 6'3" / 254 lbs Projected Team Detroit PROSPECT RNK 21st POSITION RNK 4th It's no surprise Chop flashed at the combine and his pro day, and while he had just four sacks last season for Penn State, he's incredibly disruptive coming off the edge. In Detroit, he'll make life easier for Aidan Hutchinson and a much-improved Lions defense.

Round 1 - Pick 30 Tyler Guyton OT Oklahoma • 6'7" / 322 lbs Projected Team Baltimore PROSPECT RNK 29th POSITION RNK 6th This feels like a layup; Morgan Moses is now with the Jets and Tyler Guyton, who was dominant at right tackle for the Sooners last season, slides into the starting job.

Mock Trade from San Francisco 49ers Round 1 - Pick 31 Michael Penix Jr. QB Washington • 6'3" / 215 lbs Projected Team Las Vegas PROSPECT RNK 28th POSITION RNK 5th PAYDS 4903 RUYDS 8 INTS 11 TDS 39 In 2018, the Ravens traded back into the bottom of the first round to select Lamar Jackson. The compensation: Baltimore sent picks 52 and 125 in 2018, and pick 53 in 2019 to Philadelphia for picks 32 and 132 in 2018. In this mock draft, the Raiders send picks 44 and 148 in 2024, and a 2nd- and 4th-rounder in 2025 to move up to No. 31. Las Vegas gets the best deep-ball thrower in the class, in addition to arguably the best cornerback with pick No. 13.

Round 1 - Pick 32 Keon Coleman WR Florida State • 6'4" / 215 lbs Projected Team Kansas City PROSPECT RNK 37th POSITION RNK 8th REC 50 REYDS 658 YDS/REC 13.2 TDS 11 Yes, Coleman ran a 4.61 at the combine but I do not care. At all. He also hit more than 20 mph in the gauntlet drill and didn't drop a pass. We talk about the importance of game speed all the time and the only more obvious example might be Puka Nacua, who ran a 4.57 at the 2023 combine only to have a record-setting rookie campaign for the Rams. In KC he can be eased into the offense alongside Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown.

The 2024 NFL Draft will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly updated draft order and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.