The picture has become clearer since my last mock. The NFL's free agency period has started, and we've seen plenty of movement there and in the trade market. While I can't say I've kept track over the years, I'm assuming this offseason includes the most QB trades we've seen in the NFL.
It feels like every team has either traded away or traded for a QB. The biggest trade of the last week has been the Chicago Bears parting ways with Justin Fields for pennies on the dollar. While most people reading the tea leaves knew this was the direction the Bears were headed, the trade loudly and emphatically tells you what the plan is with the first overall pick in the draft.
That's one thing in this mock that has not changed.
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NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
From
Carolina Panthers
Round 1 - Pick 1
USC
• 6'1"
/ 215 lbs
There's plenty of time between now and the first pick of the draft, but while you'll hear plenty of speculation about what the Bears could do here or red flags on Caleb Williams, don't get caught up in them. Barring something cataclysmic, Williams will be a Chicago Bear.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
LSU
• 6'4"
/ 210 lbs
I'm confident Caleb Williams will go first, but as for the second QB off the board, it's anybody's guess. Opinions vary across the league on who the best QB is in this class after Williams. In this mock, the Commanders are lured by the tantalizing playmaking and potential of Jayden Daniels.
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Mock Trade from
New England Patriots
Round 1 - Pick 3
Drake Maye
QB
North Carolina
• 6'4"
/ 225 lbs
When the Vikings made the trade with Houston to add a first-round pick, it sent alarm bells about what their plans might be following Kirk Cousins's departure. Minnesota packages those two picks to move up and grab a new franchise quarterback.
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Mock Trade from
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1 - Pick 4
Joe Alt
OT
Notre Dame
• 6'8"
/ 322 lbs
The Titans don't mess around here. They want Joe Alt and make sure they get him by moving up to No. 4. There's been so much focus on the QBs in this class, and we haven't talked nearly enough about the franchise cornerstone potential of some of the tackles in the class. Alt is the best of the bunch.
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Mock Trade from
Los Angeles Chargers
Round 1 - Pick 5
Ohio State
• 6'4"
/ 205 lbs
Trades everywhere you look, and only one for a QB! In this scenario, it's hard to imagine somebody won't be looking to move up if Marvin Harrison is available. The Jets take advantage here to pair Harrison with Garrett Wilson and give former VP hopeful Aaron Rodgers another weapon.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Malik Nabers
WR
LSU
• 6'0"
/ 200 lbs
I don't know how Giants fans would feel seeing this flurry of action in front of them, but when the dust settles, they still have excellent options available to fill multiple needs. For me, the value of adding Malik Nabers to an offense with a serious devoid of playmakers is too much to pass up.
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Mock Trade from
Tennessee Titans
Round 1 - Pick 7
Rome Odunze
WR
Washington
• 6'3"
/ 215 lbs
The Cardinals passed up on the chance to draft Marvin Harrison but added assets and got Rome Odunze. That's not bad if you ask me. Ironically enough, one of the players I see Odunze compared to most often is former Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Arizona would probably be pretty happy with another decade of that production.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
Dallas Turner
EDGE
Alabama
• 6'3"
/ 247 lbs
I could see a team looking to trade up for a QB here if this is how things fall, but instead of going that route I have the Falcons adding what they view as the top edge rusher in the class in Alabama's Dallas Turner. The addition of Turner and Atlanta's moves in free agency suddenly make the Falcons a team to be reckoned with in the NFC South.
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Mock Trade from
Chicago Bears
Round 1 - Pick 9
Michigan
• 6'3"
/ 219 lbs
The Bears would love to add more draft picks after parting with multiple in recent trades, so they listen when Denver calls looking to move up. As for Denver, there's been a significant overhaul of the roster, and there's a gaping hole at QB. Michigan's J.J. McCarthy strikes me as a prospect Sean Payton could be intrigued by.
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Mock Trade from
New York Jets
Round 1 - Pick 10
Oregon State
• 6'6"
/ 324 lbs
After parting ways with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, the popular theory is that the Chargers will use the No. 5 pick to add a receiver. I still think Jim Harbaugh will look to build from the line of scrimmage out. So they trade down to 10, add a great right tackle in Fuaga, and could address the need for receivers later in a deep WR class.
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Mock Trade from
Minnesota Vikings
Round 1 - Pick 11
Penn State
• 6'6"
/ 312 lbs
The Patriots didn't sign Jacoby Brissett as a long-term answer, but this roster has plenty of needs. By trading down and adding picks, they can address more of them. One of those needs is along the offensive line, where they add a prospect oozing with potential in Fashanu.
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From
Denver Broncos
Round 1 - Pick 12
Jared Verse
EDGE
Florida State
• 6'4"
/ 260 lbs
The Bears have made plenty of moves this offseason but have yet to address the need for another pass rusher. Florida State's Jared Verse fits the profile of what they've looked for here in the past.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Toledo
• 6'0"
/ 193 lbs
The Raiders still need to address the quarterback spot but aren't comfortable with the options here. So after putting together one of the best defensive lines in the NFL they get to work on the secondary by adding a corner who just feels like a Raider in Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Troy Fautanu
IOL
Washington
• 6'4"
/ 317 lbs
New Orleans needs a new left tackle, and Fautanu is about as solid as it gets at the position. He's an excellent athlete who held up well against some excellent pass rushers in his time with the Huskies.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Alabama
• 6'0"
/ 199 lbs
I'm high on Terrion Arnold, who had a rough start to the season for Alabama but was playing at a remarkably high level by the end of the year. He's a player who stands out repeatedly when watching the tape and would be an excellent addition to the Colts defense.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Amarius Mims
OT
Georgia
• 6'8"
/ 350 lbs
The best way to describe the tackle talent in this draft class is that I have Georgia's Amarius Mims as the fifth one off the board in the first half of the first round, and there's a legitimate shot he winds up as the best of them all. He hasn't played nearly as many snaps as the players taken ahead of him, so it could take some time, but the athletic ability he displays for a man his size (and not just in tights) is awe-inspiring.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Texas
• 6'2"
/ 205 lbs
Mitchell is a player whose name I hear pop up more often as the draft approaches. Although his overall production isn't there compared to the other top receivers in the class, teams are intrigued by Mitchell's combination of size, speed and physicality when attacking the football.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Texas
• 6'0"
/ 306 lbs
Whether or not this is Cincinnati's most pressing need is up for debate, but Murphy is as disruptive an interior defender as you'll find in this class. The Bengals have addressed some holes on offense already, and this pick is a boost to the defensive front.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Illinois
• 6'2"
/ 295 lbs
With Aaron Donald's retirement, the Rams suddenly find themselves with a massive hole in the interior of their defensive line. Newton is not Aaron Donald, but they share similar traits. Both are undersized, disruptive interior linemen with strong and violent hands.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Duke
• 6'5"
/ 314 lbs
Whether it's Russell Wilson or Justin Fields at QB, the Steelers need to improve along the offensive line. Barton offers positional versatility as he played left tackle at Duke, but many NFL teams see him as an interior lineman who could end up at center. His combination of effectiveness at multiple spots will come in handy for Pittsburgh.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Laiatu Latu
EDGE
UCLA
• 6'5"
/ 265 lbs
The Dolphins defense took a massive hit when Christian Wilkins left for Las Vegas, but they're able to start rebuilding their pass rush with Latu.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Nate Wiggins
CB
Clemson
• 6'1"
/ 182 lbs
Bringing C.J. Gardner-Johnson back is a good start to fixing the secondary, but the Eagles shouldn't stop there. Consider me to be very pro-Nate Wiggins as I'm a big fan of his length, speed and demeanor.
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Mock Trade from
Minnesota Vikings
Round 1 - Pick 23
LSU
• 6'2"
/ 209 lbs
Moving down from the third spot nets the Patriots a new left tackle in Olu Fashanu and a deep threat in the passing game who could evolve into much more in LSU's Brian Thomas. In this scenario, it's possible the Pats would take a quarterback with their second-round pick.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Oregon
• 6'3"
/ 328 lbs
Based on their lack of action in free agency, the Cowboys could go any number of directions with this pick. While a tackle to replace Tyron Smith is in play, Jackson Powers-Johnson makes sense too.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
Iowa
• 6'0"
/ 198 lbs
Green Bay has given itself flexibility at this spot after the moves it has already made, so I see this as a combination of need and the best player available. DeJean's absence from the combine has caused him to be overlooked in some circles and raised questions about how teams see him, but I've seen enough of him in college to expect he's still a first-round pick.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Brock Bowers
TE
Georgia
• 6'4"
/ 230 lbs
Speaking of best player available, here's Brock Bowers falling to Tampa. Retaining Mike Evans is huge, as is keeping Baker Mayfield, but the Bucs can't stop adding weapons to their offense if they want to maintain their hold on the division. Bowers is not the classic tight end, but he's a matchup nightmare in the passing game.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 27
Alabama
• 5'11"
/ 199 lbs
The Cardinals have gotten to work fixing their defense and continue toward that goal by adding McKinstry to the secondary. Overall, moving down, adding assets and finishing the first round with Rome Odunze and McKinstry is a very strong start to the draft for Arizona.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Minnesota
• 6'2"
/ 210 lbs
Cards on the table: I had no idea what to do as I went through this mock exercise and reached this pick. Buffalo has had to clear a lot of cap room recently, but it's also added some pieces. One spot that still needs to be addressed is safety, and while I don't know for sure there's a safety teams view as a first-rounder in this draft, Nubin's my favorite in the class.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Chop Robinson
EDGE
Penn State
• 6'3"
/ 254 lbs
In previous mocks, I said that no matter what happened, I would have the Lions address their secondary with this pick. Well, I lied. This time, I have them adding Chop Robinson to enhance their pass rush, which will, in turn, help the secondary. So it's only a half-lie!
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Round 1 - Pick 30
JC Latham
OT
Alabama
• 6'6"
/ 342 lbs
The Ravens may go receiver or corner here instead, but they have a need at tackle, and Latham is excellent value for them this late in the first. Plus, it's not like the Ravens don't have a long history of drafting Alabama players.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Arizona
• 6'5"
/ 311 lbs
The 49ers have been actively overhauling their defense this offseason but still need reinforcements on the offensive line. Morgan is one of the most underappreciated players in this class. It's understandable due to the depth at tackle, but I see him as an above-average starter at the position for a decade.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Tyler Guyton
OT
Oklahoma
• 6'7"
/ 322 lbs
The tackle run continues to end the first round. Adding Marquise Brown in free agency probably doesn't keep the Chiefs from taking another receiver in the draft, but it could push them to address other needs earlier. As Patrick Mahomes approaches 30, the Chiefs should have a long-term eye on protecting him along the offensive line.
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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.