Holy smokes, Batman! Did we have a knock-your-socks-off trade yesterday, or what? With Stefon Diggs in Houston, and the Bills having moved on from their top-two targeted receivers from last season, the blockbuster deal had a seismic impact on the 2024 NFL Draft.
With Diggs, Joe Mixon and Danielle Hunter, the Texans have loaded up this offseason after they won a playoff game a few months ago and have the reigning Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year. Houston is going to be a problem. I wonder which directions the Texans decide to go in with their nine selections in this draft.
As for the Bills -- the #WRtrain is now of the bullet variety and nearly at maximum capacity with Bills Mafia members. It'll be a stunner if Buffalo doesn't draft a receiver in the first round, and the team has 10 total picks to attempt to retool a roster that'll have plenty of new faces in 2024 for Josh Allen's age-28 season.
If you're new here, I got you covered. We're rebranding the Pick Six newsletter through the end of April. I, CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Chris Trapasso, will be with you every step of the way. Honored.
Before I begin, this paragraph will be your daily reminder to tell all your buddies and that one uncle who's always texting you the importance of drafting mid-round offensive linemen to sign up for the With the First Pick newsletter. All you have to do is click here and then share this link with them.
1. Today's NFL mock draft 🔮: AFC contenders stock up at WR
Josh Edwards steps to the plate today with his mock draft, and it's a dandy. Receivers galore.
1. Chicago Bears -- Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Washington Commanders -- Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
3. New England Patriots -- Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
4. Arizona Cardinals -- Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
10. New York Jets -- Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
18. Green Bay Packers -- Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
23. Los Angeles Chargers (via mock trade with Vikings) -- Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
27. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
We've been saying for a while the draft starts with the No. 4 overall pick, but I think there's a case to be made that it really begins at selection No. 2. Everyone feels like the Commanders will select Jayden Daniels, but no one is sure. What Washington's new regime decides to do at quarterback will set off a ripple effect with the quarterback market in this class.
As I highlighted above, we must remember it's not just the wideouts -- the offensive tackle class is tremendous, too.
Oh, and you're going to have to click the link to see which receiver Josh sent to Buffalo after the Diggs trade.
2. Packers seven-round mock draft 🔥
A young, upstart Green Bay team was excruciatingly close to advancing to the NFC title game a season ago, and now GM Brian Gutekunst has four picks in the top 91, and 10 overall, in this 2024 draft to continue to infuse the Packers roster with youthful talent.
We couldn't nail down a time for Mr. Gutekunst to write a mock draft for us, but staffer Garrett Podell did one heck of a job with this Packers haul, which included reliable playmaker Cooper Dejean in Round 1 and high-upside blocker Kingsley Suamataia in the second. No Aaron Jones? No problem. Garrett sent Florida State stud running back Trey Benson to the Packers at No. 88 overall. Awesome value there to fill a clear-cut need.
Because I'm not featuring a specific 'With the First Pick' episode today, here's a convenient link to the podcast's archive for your perusal. Our resident GM Rick Spielman and host/analyst Ryan Wilson will be pumping out episodes all month leading into the draft.
3. Prospect of the day 📈: Michael Hall, DT, Ohio State
This defensive tackle class has some household names at the top, likely first-round picks -- Texas' Byron Murphy and Illinois' Johnny Newton, plus no one will be shocked if Florida State's elite tester Braden Fiske sneaks in the first 32 selections. Hall is one of the headliners of the "second wave" at the interior defensive line position, ironically alongside bitter rival Kris Jenkins from Michigan.
While not a tremendously twitchy athlete, Hall has tentacles for arms and has an advanced pass-rush move arsenal. He plays with stellar low-center-of-gravity power and hustles on every single play. I will not be stunned if he's ultimately the finest defensive tackle from this class. I mean that.
- Notable pro day results: 4.75 in the 40-yard dash, 33-inch vertical, 9-foot-3 broad
- Combine measurements: 6-foot-2 and 6/8", 290 pounds
- Current CBS Sports prospect ranking: No. 56 overall (No. 5 DT)
4. 'Trust the tape' prospects 👀
Second straight day with me featuring one of my own articles. When I'm writing this newsletter, I'm often forced to be a shameless self-promoter, I can't lie. This is Part I of one of my favorite pre-draft pieces each year. Essentially, these are the prospects I still really like despite average-to-well-below-average combine or pro day workouts. In 2023, the Trust The Tape Team featured hits like Packers pesky defensive lineman Karl Brooks, Lions stud safety Brian Branch and Packers receiver Jayden Reed.
This year, the team goes six deep. For a mini-spoiler, I'll tell you South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler made the team. His film is too damn good. And I'll reveal the Trust The Traits members next week.
5. News and notes 📝
- Bills GM speaks on Buffalo's future. Brandon Beane held a press conference in the aftermath of the Diggs trade and wanted to be clear about his intentions with the 2024 iteration of the Bills saying, "we're going to trot out a damn good team come September."
- Josh Allen was made aware of possible trade. Beane also stated that while he hasn't spoken to Allen after the trade, he did mention there was a possibility of moving the star receiver this offseason to Buffalo's franchise quarterback.
- Vernon Davis has theory on his brother's tragic death. The former NFL tight end and brother of Vontae Davis, who passed away Monday, believes the tragedy may have been an accident, but pointed out authorities have not made an official determination.
