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The NFL Draft is one of the biggest non-game spectacles in all of sports. For weeks leading up, 20 year olds are dragged through the mud or put on pedestals that very few can live up to. Every little detail of their lives will be posted, tweeted, broadcasted to millions, good or bad. They’ll be compared to legends like Aaron Rodgers, or busts like Mitch Trubisky. It’s a dirty business that can make or break where a player is drafted, taking millions out of their pocket. And it’s beautiful.
It’s reality TV in the form of football. There’s so much drama built around each pick. A team will draft a player, and before they can even strap on their shoulder pads, analysts will tell them it’s the worst pick of the draft. The bottom line is, no one knows what’s true or what’s false. Players will be told they’re a top 10 pick and become the camera focus of the night as they continue to fall down the draft boards.
So I’m going to hop in the fun, like I do every year, and give you my Mock Draft 1.0. Right before the combine and free agency takes off, you’ll see where I think the nation's best prospects end up.
Pick 1: Chicago Bears (via CAR) select Caleb Williams, QB, USC.
Chicago finds itself with a once in a lifetime opportunity with back to back number one overall picks thanks to Carolina. This time they stay put and select one of the most promising prospects of the 21st Century.
Pick 2: Washington Commanders select Drake Maye, QB, UNC.
A lot of people believe that this pick may be heading in the direction of Jayden Daniels. I think Kliff Kingsbury goes with Drake Maye with his familiarity with the Air Raid offense.
Pick 3: New England Patriots select Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State.
A highly sought after pick, as many believe that New England will not take a quarterback here, making them perfect for a team wanting to trade up for Jayden Daniels. I agree that they don’t take a QB, but I also think they stay put. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a can’t-miss weapon for whoever is slinging the pigskin in Foxborough this season.
Pick 4: Arizona Cardinals select Malik Nabers, WR, LSU.
Another potential trade down candidate, but with New England grabbing wide receiver one, Arizona doesn’t want to risk missing out on the big three receivers. They’ll take the next best thing in Malik Nabers, who will play a big part in getting Kyler Murray back to form.
Pick 5: Atlanta Falcons (via LAC) select Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU.
And away we go… Jim Harbaugh has options here at pick five, but will trade back for a lovely package from the Atlanta Falcons who intend on jumping the Giants for quarterback three. The Chargers are going to find themselves in a potential full roster overhaul. The more capital for Harbaugh, the better.
Jayden Daniels will find himself entering an offense with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson. One of the best supporting casts for a rookie Quarterback to find himself in.
Pick 6: New York Giants select JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan. (New York G)
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. McCarthy has been all the smoke as of late, as rumors swirl about him flying up the ranks into the top 10. Brian Daboll rids himself of Daniel Jones, and will begin turning this raw prospect into the exact quarterback he wants to run his offense.
Pick 7: Tennessee Titans select Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame.
Ran Carthon doubles down on boosting their offensive line after selecting guard Peter Skoronski last season. A physical freak of nature to protect Will Levis come September.
Los Angeles Chargers select Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia.
Jim Harbuagh played his cards perfectly. He gained some extra draft capital while also staying in the top 10 to get Justin Herbert a shiny new weapon in Brock Bowers.
Pick 9: Chicago Bears select Rome Odunze, Wide Receiver, Washington.
The Bears get Caleb Williams another option to compliment DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Rome Odunze will have an immediate impact and set new offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, with plenty of options.
Pick 10: New York Jets select Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State.
After a disappointing season in 2023 with Aaron Rodgers’ quick injury after all the offseason hype, Joe Douglas drafts Rodgers a new bodyguard in Olumuyiwa Fashanu. Necks are on the line this season if the Rodgers experiment does not work out, so the Jets aim to keep him as safe as can be.
Pick 11: Minnesota Vikings select Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama.
Free agent edge rusher Danielle Hunter could be on his way out the door with a massive offseason looming for Minnesota. Minnesota drafts his replacement Dallas Turner at eleven to help ease the departure.
Pick 12: Jacksonville Jaguars (via DEN) select Terrion Arnold, DB, Alabama.
A win-win scenario for both franchises in the second trade of my mock draft. Jacksonville gets a game changer in the secondary with defensive back number one Terrion Arnold, and Denver gets back some draft capital after trading for Russell Wilson and Sean Payton.
Pick 13: Las Vegas Raiders select Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State.
Las Vegas finds a gem at 13 to complement Kolton Miller on the other side of the offensive line. Whether it’s Aiden O’Connell, or someone else, they'll be protected.
Pick 14: New Orleans Saints select JC Latham, OT, Alabama.
The tackles are flying off the boards now as New Orleans gets Andrus Peats replacement. 2022 first round pick Trevor Penning has been a complete disappointment as well. New Orleans attempts to right its wrongs by selecting Alabama stud JC Latham.
Pick 15: Indianapolis Colts select Quinyon Mitchell, DB, Toledo.
Shane Steichen shocked the world in 2023 with his success of turning around the Indianapolis Colts with Gardner Minshew in place for the injured Anthony Richardson. With the Colts being closer than most think, a nice new weapon in the secondary is needed in a division with CJ Stroud and Trevor Lawrence.
Pick 16: Seattle Seahawks select Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State.
Seattle’s defense proved to be a scary force to deal with last season. New Head Coach Mike MacDonald turned Baltimore’s defense into a force to be reckoned with last season. Now he has a chance to do the same in Seattle with a nice addition of Jared Verse.
Pick 17: Denver Broncos (via JAX) select Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA.
Denver is in dire need of a hero on the defensive line. They have a few solid ball players, but no true playmaker on the line. Laiatu Latu is a game wrecker. His neck injury is one of the only reasons he’s floating in this range.
Pick 18: Cincinnati Bengals select Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia.
The Bengals are only picking here at 18 due to Joe Burrow’s injury. There aren't many holes on the offensive side of the ball that need work, but the offensive line is one of them. Mims checks off all the boxes with athleticism and size coming in at a whopping 6’7, 340 pounds.
Pick 19: Los Angeles Rams select Jackson Powers-Johnson, Center, Oregon.
Brian Allen hits the market and Sean McVay wastes zero time in drafting his replacement. The clear cut best center in the draft, who dominated the Senior Bowl, heads to Hollywood.
Pick 20: Pittsburgh Steelers select Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington.
Pittsburgh is another team who is investing heavily into the offensive line in back to back seasons. Troy Fautanu can play anywhere on the offensive line.
Pick 21: Miami Dolphins select Nate Wiggins, DB, Clemson.
As Miami says goodbye to lock down cornerback Xavien Howard, they say hello to lock down cornerback Nate Wiggins out of Clemson. Wiggins is 6’2 with next-level athleticism and will learn plenty from All Pro vet Jalen Ramsey.
Pick 22: Buffalo Bills (via PHI) select Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU.
Buffalo and Gabe Davis seem to be going their separate ways this offseason, and Josh Allen will need a new deep threat. Buffalo will play no games and jump up to secure the extremely fast wide receiver out of LSU.
Pick 23: Houston Texans (via CLE) select Johnny Newton, DI, Illinois.
DeMeco Ryans gets a nice piece on the defensive interior to keep the opposing offensive line on their toes, while Will Anderson destroys opposing Quarterbacks.
Pick 24: Dallas Cowboys select Tyler Guyton, Tackle, Oklahoma.
Tyron Smith is on his way out the door and Dallas must keep their viscous offensive line in tact. Tyler Guyton is the perfect replacement, and will fit right in to protect Dak Prescott.
Pick 25: Green Bay Packers select Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa.
A defense that struggled at times over the course of 2023 gets a promising new addition to their secondary. The first white cornerback to play in the NFL in a very long time, falls in Green Bay.
Pick 26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are the most consistent duo in the NFL putting up slight 1,000 yard seasons each of the last three seasons. Father time is about to start calling though, and the Buccaneers need a back up plan at receiver. No better way to do it than by selecting Troy Franklin. Baker Mayfield will have plenty of options.
Pick 27: Arizona Cardinals (vis HOU) select Byron Murphy, DI, Texas.
Jonathan Gannon loves players who ride the bus, and Byron Murphy is driving the damn thing. Come April, there’s a good chance he could gain some steam and end up in the top 15, but for now he ends up in Arizona.
Pick 28: Philadelphia Eagles (via BUF) select Kool-Aid McKinstry, DB, Alabama.
I have a feeling that Philadelphia fans will love someone with the name Kool Aid. So will new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The Eagles need some fresh answers in the secondary after the world saw the abysmal performance they put on in the wild card game.
Pick 29: Detroit Lions select Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State.
The end of the draft is usually where we see a nice run off of raw edge rushers and defensive backs going to contending teams to tie them to a 5th year contract. Chop Robinson will come in and help take all the pressure off of Aiden Hutchinson.
Pick 30: Denver Broncos (via BAL) select Bo Nix, QB, Oregon.
Boom. The final trade of my Mock Draft 1.0 comes at the greedy hands of Sean Payton. They use some of the capital they received from Jacksonville to jump back into the first round and draft the very experienced Bo Nix.
Pick 31: San Francisco 49ers select Ennis Rakestraw, DB, Missouri.
Ennis Rakestraw comes into a star studded team to help them try and get their defense over the hump.
Pick 32: Kansas City Chiefs select Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas.
Because why not? Outside of Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce, the receiving corps in Kansas City looked pretty bleak. The 6’4 beast out of Texas gives Patrick Mahomes a big target in 2024.
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