This is your official 2024 first-round NFL mock draft!
Several blockbuster trades and free agent signings have taken place since our last mock draft was released…and you know what that means!
It’s time for an updated 2024 first-round NFL mock draft! But with the big weekend drawing closer, we’re shaking it up now by including trades — so let’s dive right into it. Chicago Bears, you’re on the clock!
Presenting our 2024 First-Round NFL Mock Draft with trades.
1. Chicago Bears (From Carolina Panthers): Caleb Williams
Nothing new to see here. With every passing day, the Bears get that much closer to securing their franchise quarterback. The Justin Fields trade to Pittsburgh was confirmation that Chicago is going QB here.
Williams is a five-star prospect who will do wonders immediately with Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, D’Andre Swift and Khalil Herbert as his go-to weapons.
2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels
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This just feels too natural of a fit. New Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury worked with dual-threat QBs Johnny Manziel, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray.
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner perfectly fits Kingsbury’s offense. You can argue that Drake Maye or JJ McCarthy would be a safer pick, but Daniels has the most upside…and it’s too high for the Commanders to pass up.
Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Austin Ekeler would cook up a storm on offense. And for the first time since like the early 90s, the future is suddenly looking ultra-bright in DC!
3. New England Patriots: J.J. McCarthy
According to multiple reports, the Patriots are quickly becoming infatuated with the national championship-winning QB. And the more we think about it, the more we see it as a fit.
McCarthy’s confidence, big-game experience and pinpoint accuracy would make him the ideal QB for the new-look Patriots to work around. If he’s not ready to start right away? No problem, because they have Jacoby Brissett as a bridge QB.
Not to mention that it worked out nicely for the Patriots the last time they drafted a Michigan signal-caller…
4. Minnesota Vikings: (Projected Trade With Cardinals) Drake Maye
Projected trade alert — and our first one in this exercise! The Vikings land the No. 4 pick from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for the No. 11 and No. 23 picks.
With the aggressive move up, the Vikings get a new franchise QB to rebuild around. Maye’s big arm and ability to improvise make him a dream fit in Kevin O’Connell’s offense, and he’ll have it easy with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson as his top weapons.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Marvin Harrison Jr.
This is a dream scenario for the Bolts. They sit pretty at No. 5 and have the best wide receiver prospect in a generation fall right into their laps. Harrison Jr. is ready to take flight and will be an immediate game-changer wherever he winds up.
Harrison Jr. and Justin Herbert may not need long to form the league’s top pass-catching tandem. If they get Harrison Jr., the Bolts will look that much smarter for cutting ties with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
6. New York Giants: Rome Odunze
There have been whispers about the Giants eyeing a QB here. We’re not against it, but the main priority should be to find an explosive game-changing pass-catcher that the Giants have lacked since trading Odell Beckham Jr.
Daniel Jones’ big arm could mesh very nicely with Odunze’s ability to stretch the field. Finally, a true WR1 in the G-Men offense.
7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt
The Titans shored up key roster weaknesses by signing Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard before trading for L’Jarius Sneed.
Now they can continue building around the o-line, adding Notre Dame prospect Joe Alt. Pairing Alt with 2023 first-rounder Peter Skoronski would have the Titans set up nicely in the trenches over the long run.
8. Arizona Cardinals: (Projected Trade With Falcons): Malik Nabers
Armed with two firsts from Minnesota, we project the Cardinals dealing the No. 11 and No. 90 selections to the Atlanta Falcons in order to move up into the eighth spot.
With the move, the Cardinals get the last of the available “big three” WR prospects on the board. Kyler Murray was always at his best when DeAndre Hopkins was on the field, so let’s get him a new WR1 and mega home run threat to fix up the passing game.
9. Chicago Bears: Dallas Turner
The Bears’ offense doesn’t need unnecessary luxury toys at this stage of the draft. They can now focus on addressing the defense, and the best edge rusher in this draft would form a terrifying tandem with Montez Sweat.
10. New York Jets: Brock Bowers
Having already addressed the o-line in free agency, the Jets can look at adding another weapon for Aaron Rodgers. Bowers is a crafty route-runner who can work all over the field, making him a scary-good complement to Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams in the passing game.
Rodgers has never thrown to a true superstar-level tight end. That changes here with Bowers.
Also Read: 2024 First-Round NFL Mock Draft For All 32 Picks: 9.0 (Post-Free Agency Edition)
11. Atlanta Falcons (Projected Trade With Cardinals): Jared Verse
In this piece, we have the No. 11 pick swapping hands twice. The Falcons are happy to move down three spots for an extra third-round pick, and they get their hands on a top edge-rusher anyway.
The Falcons have lacked a Pro Bowl-caliber edge rusher to complement Grady Jarrett for a while now. Adding Verse to the front seven is a cherry on top of a phenomenal offseason by Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris.
12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix
This would definitely be a reach, but the Broncos have to do SOMETHING at quarterback. Sorry, but Jarrett Stidham ain’t it.
Nix is a long-term project who needs to sit for at least a year before taking over. His grade-A accuracy and ability to attack the middle of the field however make Nix an ideal fit for Sean Payton’s offense.
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Olu Fashanu
This would be a home run of a value pick for the Raiders. Kolton Miller is the only rock-solid piece on that o-line, and Fashanu is a plug-and-play guy who will immediately make life easier for the Raiders’ QB.
Per Pro Football Focus, Fashanu didn’t allow a single sack in 733 pass-blocking snaps from 2021 to 2023. Fashanu and Miller could be a dynamic pass-blocking tandem for years to come in Sin City.
14. New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga
Ryan Ramcyzk’s future is up in the air with a knee injury, and 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning has been a giant flop up to this point.
Fuaga, like Fashanu, is NFL-ready and would upgrade the OT position immediately. By drafting Fuaga, New Orleans could even try Penning at guard.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Terrion Arnold
Colts GM Chris Ballard did a masterful job keeping his secondary intact by extending Kenny Moore and Julian Blackmon. If he adds Alabama’s Terrion Arnold to this mix, the Colts will have the makings of a top-five secondary in football.
And you need that when you’re dealing with an onslaught of prolific passers in the AFC.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Troy Fautanu
The Seahawks’ o-line has been a problem for years now, and Damien Lewis’ departure in free agency doesn’t help matters.
So Seattle doesn’t need to overthink this pick: Take the best remaining offensive lineman, which is local kid and Washington product Troy Fautanu in this exercise.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinyon Mitchell
The Jaguars were a woeful 26th against the pass last season, and the departure of Darious Williams doesn’t make things any better for this shaky secondary.
So two picks after the rival Colts take Terrion Arnold, the Jaguars also address their pass D by taking a pure lockdown corner in Mitchell. Trust us, they’ll want him with star receivers like Michael Pittman Jr., Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins residing in the AFC South.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Laiatu Latu
Lou Anarumo’s defense lives and dies by the pass-rush. The main concern there is that Trey Hendrickson is the only edge rusher that constantly provides headaches for opposing teams.
Time to address that here. Latu, who racked up 23.5 sacks over his final two seasons at UCLA, would be the perfect running mate for Hendrickson.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Byron Murphy
Aaron Donald’s abrupt retirement leaves the Rams in need of a new defensive lineman. They can sit here at No. 19 and take the best remaining at the position.
Murphy and young stars Kobie Turner and Byron Young would form a terrifying three-headed monster at pass-rush. You don’t replace a GOAT like Donald, but these three young studs together would certainly soften the blow.
Also Read: 2024 First-Round NFL Mock Draft For All 32 Picks: 8.0 (Post Scouting Combine Edition)
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Brian Thomas Jr.
The Diontae Johnson trade leaves Pittsburgh in need of another receiver to help George Pickens.
LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. averaged 17.3 yards per catch and hauled in 17 touchdowns. He has future WR1 written all over him, and he’ll make life so much easier for the Russell Wilson-Justin Fields tandem.
21. Miami Dolphins: Cooper DeJean
The release of Xavien Howard saves money, sure, but the Dolphins still have a giant void at corner that needs to be addressed.
DeJean and Jalen Ramsey could be the AFC’s best cornerback tandem. That would go a long way in helping Miami close the gap with top AFC clubs like Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Kansas City.
22. Las Vegas Raiders (Projected Trade With Eagles): Michael Penix Jr.
Projected trade alert part 3! The Raiders trade the No. 44 pick plus their 2025 first and fourth-round picks to the Eagles for the No. 22 selection.
With this move, the Raiders land a new young QB to build around at long last. Penix Jr. isn’t ready to start just yet, but the Raiders have Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew II as bridge QBs for next year.
This is about the long-term future in Sin City. Penix Jr., Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are a nice offensive core for the new-look Raiders to get excited about.
23. Arizona Cardinals (Protected Trade With Vikings): Chop Robinson
Our projected trade with Minnesota has Arizona also selecting at No. 23 here.
Having already secured their offensive weapon for Murray, they can get a top-flight pass-rusher in Chop Robinson to bolster a D that didn’t have a single player hit seven sacks last season.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Jackson Powers-Johnson
The Cowboys lost Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz in free agency. Seeing how quiet Jerry Jones has been in free agency thus far, it’d be a giant surprise if Dallas didn’t use one of its early picks on the o-line.
Powers-Johnson is also ready to start and would give Dallas a key building block in the trenches for years to come. Gotta think long-term with Zack Martin getting up there in age.
25. Baltimore Ravens (Projected Trade With Packers): Xavier Worthy
In this projected trade, Baltimore acquires the No. 25 pick in this NFL mock draft and the Green Bay Packers’ 2024 fourth-round pick in exchange for the No. 30 and No. 93 picks.
With that, the Ravens get another pass-catching weapon for Lamar Jackson in Texas wideout Xavier Worthy. Adding him to a supporting cast with Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews AND Zay Flowers? Sign us up for that!
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Nate Wiggins
The Bucs had the fourth-worst passing defense last year and traded top corner Carlton Davis to Detroit. We know Tampa usually goes with a pass-rusher in round one, but a ball-hawking 6-foot-2 corner like Wiggins would be perfect in Todd Bowles’ opportunistic defense.
27. Arizona Cardinals (From Houston Texans): Kool-Aid McKinstry
Arizona needs a pure lockdown corner that they’ve been searching for since Patrick Peterson’s departure.
McKinstry has the ideal size at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds to hold down the fort against the many stud wide receivers in the NFC West — namely Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, DK Metcalf and Brandon Aiyuk, just to name a few.
28. Buffalo Bills: Adonai Mitchell
So with Stefon Diggs getting traded to Houston, and with No. 2 wideout Gabe Davis leaving in free agency…Buffalo HAS to take the best remaining pass-catcher.
Mitchell has the size, speed and explosiveness off the line of scrimmage to immediately replace Diggs as Josh Allen’s new WR1.
29. Detroit Lions Jer’Zhan Newton
The Lions don’t have any glaring flaws, so we wouldn’t be surprised if this was a “best player available pick.” But what they really should do here is simply choose the best remaining defensive lineman.
Aidan Hutchinson has come into his own as an elite pass-rusher, but the Lions could use a run-stopping force in the middle to take this d-line to a brand new level.
30. Green Bay Packers (Projected Trade With Ravens): Amarius Mims
Having traded down with the Ravens, the Packers still end up big winners by getting an NFL-ready tackle in Amarius Mims.
The Packers released Pro Bowler David Bakthiari in a cap-saving move, and they lost guard Jon Runyan to the New York Giants in free agency.
There’s a pressing need for offensive line help here, and the 6-foot-7, 340-pound giant would make life that much easier for Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs.
31. San Francisco 49ers: J.C. Latham
The 49ers still have the game’s best offensive tackle in Trent Williams, but he’s also about to enter his age-36 season. The 49ers’ other tackle, Colton McKivitz, allowed nine sacks last season, per PFF.
So yes, another offensive tackle here is what the 49ers need. Even if Latham isn’t ready to start, he can learn from one of the all-time greats in Williams before enjoying an expanded role in 2025.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Tyler Guyton
Kansas City didn’t re-sign Donovan Smith, and it might be a good idea to plan a future without Jawaan Taylor after leading the league in penalties last year.
The Chiefs draft and develop offensive linemen better than anybody else. They can take the Oklahoma product and plan to start him right away with Smith gone.
Supplying Patrick Mahomes a steady o-line has led to back-to-back Super Bowl Championships, after all!
Also Read: 2024 First-Round NFL Mock Draft For All 32 Picks: 7.0 (Post Super Bowl 58!)
