In just a week, the NFL Draft will be here with the first round set to commence in Detroit on Thursday, April 25, at 8 pm EST. Day 2 will be on Friday at 7 pm, and that’s what we’re tackling today.
For the first time, we’re adding a third round to our mock draft and going to 100 picks. Links to Round 2 and Round 3 are included at the bottom of each page and there’s a fourth page with team-by-team summaries.
Three-Round 2024 NFL Mock Draft
1 – Chicago Bears (CAR): USC QB Caleb Williams
Is there anyone left who doesn’t think this is going to be the pick?
2 – Washington Commanders: LSU QB Jayden Daniels
If you polled the rest of the league’s general managers and top executives — which ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler seem to have done in some form or fashion — Daniels would have the edge as the consensus No. 2 quarterback prospect in this class. But the only opinion that matters is what the Commanders think, and they’re not telling anyone yet.
3 – New England Patriots: North Carolina QB Drake Maye
4 – Arizona Cardinals: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
The No. 4 pick has also been the subject of intense trade speculation with Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort‘s reputation as a wheeler and dealer cemented from his first draft last year. I think if a team was willing to give Arizona a significant return, they’d trade the pick. But like the Patriots, the closer we get to the draft the more it feels like the Cardinals will be perfectly content to sit tight and take what they view as an elite prospect at a position of need.
5 – Los Angeles Chargers: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
Assuming there’s not a trade into the top four picks, this selection becomes the inflection point for the entire draft. The way this domino topples will impact everything else. The Chargers have three choices; stay and take a top receiver, stay and take a top tackle, or trade down with a team looking to move up for a quarterback.
Los Angeles’ depth chart at receiver is barren and both top players left on the board are bonafide No. 1 caliber prospects. But just about everything new HC Jim Harbaugh has said and done since taking the job has indicated the Chargers will build through the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and, pardon the cliche, establish the run. That pushes me to either Alt or a trade down. While the Chargers have LT Rashawn Slater, he played on the right side his first two years in college, so I think there would be room for a natural left tackle like Alt.
6 – New York Giants: Washington WR Rome Odunze
How much do the Giants like Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy? If they’re one of the many teams that seem to be genuinely high on McCarthy’s pro potential, then it makes sense for him to be the pick here. New York is another team that has done a good job of covering its tracks. While they’ve conducted extensive research into this quarterback class, there are conflicting opinions between beat reporters and national insiders about what the Giants will actually do.
I personally don’t think McCarthy is worth this pick. They’re different players but there are parallels you can draw to the last quarterback the Giants took with the No. 6 pick, the one they’re trying to replace now. Instead, I think the Giants will add one of the cleanest projections in the entire draft, Odunze. He’s a big wideout who excels on contested catches, but he’s also an outstanding athlete and route runner who will meet HC Brian Daboll‘s qualifications for skill players that they generate separation.
7 – Tennessee Titans: Penn State LT Olu Fashanu
The chalkiest pick in the entire mock draft industry right now is Alt to the Titans. Personally, I think the odds of a pass-catcher are being underrated given HC Brian Callahan‘s comments earlier this offseason, but GM Ran Carthon also has a lot of say in the picks and the depth chart at tackle is dramatically thinner than at wide receiver. Fashanu isn’t a bad consolation prize at all as one of the best pure left tackles in this draft.
8 – Atlanta Falcons: LSU WR Malik Nabers
Most forecast the Falcons addressing their defense with this pick, especially because they have used three straight top-ten picks on offensive skill players and were active in free agency at the position. But Nabers is a future star and a hard player to pass on. Adding him to a skill position group that includes WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts and RB Bijan Robinson would be an embarrassment of riches for QB Kirk Cousins, and could help make the Falcons one of the best offenses in the NFL. There are other ways to patch the defense.
9 – Chicago Bears: Alabama DE Dallas Turner
10 – New York Jets: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
Tackle remains a massive need for the Jets even after landing LT Tyron Smith and RT Morgan Moses in March. Both are high-level starters when healthy but the expiration date for both is looming.
That said, using a top-ten pick on a player who isn’t projected to start would be a tough pill for a contending team like the Jets. Bowers on the other hand fills a need for another pass-catching weapon on offense even though the Jets’ tight end room is adequate as currently constructed. There’s a lot of buzz about this pairing around the league, and I think it’s notable New York lined up Bowers’ official visit to coincide with the start of OTAs and QB Aaron Rodgers‘ arrival.
11 – Minnesota Vikings: Texas DT Byron Murphy II
After the Vikings traded their 2025 second to the Texans to acquire a second first-round pick at No. 23 overall, most thought it was the first step in a plan to trade up for a quarterback. There’s still time for that with the draft in a week, but I think it’s worth questioning some of the assumptions most of us have been making about the Vikings for the past month.
The big question even when the trade happened was what would be the other shoe to drop — or in other words, which team was going to make the second trade with the Vikings to put them in position for a quarterback. That would also likely answer the question of who Minnesota was targeting. Williams, Daniels and Maye have been heavy favorites to be the top three picks and all three teams have shown relatively little trade interest, so this trade implied the Vikings liked McCarthy enough to persuade the Cardinals or Chargers to move down.
But this all rests on the assumption the Vikings were looking to get more draft capital. This nugget from ESPN’s Adam Schefter has flown under the radar. He said it was the Texans who initiated the trade, not the Vikings, as Houston looked to secure extra draft capital to swing the trade for WR Stefon Diggs. The deal itself suggests that. The Vikings did not pay that much of a premium to acquire an additional first-round pick based on the trade charts, which supports the idea that this trade just fell into their laps.
Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has said the team is keeping all of its options open, which is standard GM speak and not all that telling. Various buzz reports have said the Vikings are interested in trading up but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg, which is also standard negotiating procedure. All the GMs are playing poker this time of year.
But what is notable is how the Vikings allowed Cousins to walk this year once they hit a price point that was too rich for their blood. When thinking about how willing the team will be to trade a ton of assets for an unproven rookie, that should be factored in. The Vikings have tried to rebalance their roster this offseason after shedding Cousins’ massive contract, and those efforts could continue in the draft. If Minnesota isn’t truly sold on McCarthy or likes another prospect, they could take Murphy here and double back with the second first-rounder on a quarterback.
12 – Denver Broncos: Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
13 – Las Vegas Raiders: Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell
The Raiders need a quarterback but that’s not quite how the board lines up picking No. 13. Las Vegas has other needs to address that do line up with the talent available, namely cornerback and right tackle. Tackle is a deeper pool to draw from than cornerback this year, which is why I leaned toward Mitchell. He has all the tools to be a top cornerback in the league and that’s exactly what the Raiders have said they wanted to add to the defense this offseason.
14 – New Orleans Saints: Oregon State RT Taliese Fuaga
I feel pretty confident saying the Saints will draft a tackle after the news about RT Ryan Ramczyk‘s knee not responding as well as the team had hoped this offseason. Fortunately, there should be some solid options for the team even picking at No. 14. I went back and forth between Fuaga and Alabama RT JC Latham, but ultimately I think Fuaga’s mobility makes him a slightly better fit for Saints OC Klint Kubiak‘s scheme, an offshoot of the Shanahan tree.
15 – Indianapolis Colts: Iowa CB Cooper DeJean
16 – Seattle Seahawks: Washington OL Troy Fautanu
To me, the Seahawks feel like one of the teams most likely to trade back. Some of that is the history of the organization and GM John Schneider, some of that is the way the board has fallen with talents at positions like cornerback, receiver and edge rusher available. Seattle is in good shape at those positions but could use more picks to fill other needs.
That said, since I’m not doing trades in this article, the Seahawks stay put and land one of the best players on the board at a position of weakness for them. Fautanu played left tackle for the Huskies but NFL teams think he could have star potential at guard.
17 – Jacksonville Jaguars: Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
New Jaguars DC Ryan Nielsen will amp up the level of man coverage the defense plays, and in order to do that Jacksonville needs help in the secondary. Arnold came on this past season after operating in fellow CB Kool-Aid McKinstry‘s shadow. He’s the better athlete and man coverage player between the two.
18 – Cincinnati Bengals: Alabama RT JC Latham
19 – Los Angeles Rams: UCLA DE Laiatu Latu
This remains one of my favorite player to team fits in the draft, assuming Latu is still on the board. His medical history injects some uncertainty into his draft outlook. This is the first first-round pick the Rams have had since 2016 and you can bet it will be allocated toward a premium position.
20 – Pittsburgh Steelers: Georgia OT Amarius Mims
The Steelers don’t practice a lot of subterfuge in the draft process and everyone usually has a pretty good idea of what their intentions are. This year, it’s clear they want to add to the offensive line with starting jobs open at right tackle and center. They had success with a Georgia tackle last year by taking Broderick Jones and going back to the well with Mims could let them shift Jones back to the left side.
21 – Miami Dolphins: Florida State DE Jared Verse
22 – Philadelphia Eagles: Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton
The Eagles have shown a ton of interest in Guyton, who physically is one of the most talented tackles in the class and just needs some time to develop. Philadelphia loves putting players in a situation where they can learn from established mentors, just look at this quote from GM Howie Roseman, so Guyton would be a long-term heir to RT Lane Johnson, who turns 34 soon. Factor in OL coach Jeff Stoutland‘s proven developmental chops and it makes sense for the Eagles to skip over a more pressing need at corner.
Really interesting explanation from Howie Roseman on drafting with a long-term view in mind, which involves making use of the high-quality veterans already on the roster. pic.twitter.com/TDWlYQM8cT
— Brooks Kubena (@BKubena) April 16, 2024
23 – Minnesota Vikings (CLE via HOU): Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
In this scenario, the Vikings wait and still land a potential long-term solution at quarterback. Penix’s stock has been hard to nail down. He has been lights out the past two seasons at Washington but the national championship game spotlighted some of the flaws of his game. His injury history is also extensive. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has reported that Penix has seen his stock legitimately grow once coaches started getting involved in the draft process, going from a Day 2 prospect to now a potential first-rounder, either here or in the next several picks via a trade.
24 – Dallas Cowboys: Duke OL Graham Barton
25 – Green Bay Packers: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
The Packers are a hard team to mock for. They are pretty much set at a lot of the premium positions like quarterback, receiver, edge rusher, etc. The exception might be tackle, but Green Bay has a successful history of waiting til the middle rounds at that position. They need help at center, safety and linebacker, but could probably trade down and address those positions.
A cornerback like Wiggins would not be available further down the board in all likelihood. The Packers have invested a lot in their secondary but Wiggins is a speedy cover athlete and one of the best players available. At worst, it gives the team options for the future.
26 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Penn State DE Chop Robinson
The Buccaneers have some useful players at edge rusher but no clear-cut elite option. It’s hard to get that type of player this late in the first round but Robinson does have elite athleticism and tools to give him at least a shot.
27 – Arizona Cardinals (HOU): Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
28 – Buffalo Bills: LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.
There’s a good chance the Bills have to trade up next week to make this pick, as Thomas is a terrific athlete and tends to come off the board in the top 25 picks in most mocks. The depth of this year’s receiver class could create an interesting dynamic, however, where teams feel like they can wait and still get a quality option, allowing them to pull from a position with less depth. At any rate, Thomas would be a perfect fit for what the Bills’ receiving corps is missing now as a big, explosive outside receiver.
29 – Detroit Lions: Missouri DL Darius Robinson
The Lions have been looking for a disruptive pass-rushing interior player for a few years now and I think there are some good options for them at the end of the first round. Robinson doesn’t have the name recognition of some other prospects but he put himself on the map at the Senior Bowl. He’s one of just 13 prospects attending the draft this year and I don’t think he’ll go home on Thursday night without a job.
30 – Baltimore Ravens: Texas WR Xavier Worthy
31 – San Francisco 49ers: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
While the 49ers have big needs along the line of scrimmage, Mitchell’s talent might be too good for the team to pass up with some long-term uncertainty about both WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel is 28 and will have an out in his contract in 2025, which is also the last year of his deal. Aiyuk is currently in the last year of his deal, and it’s not clear if the 49ers will get him signed long-term or not. Maybe both are still on the team in 2025, but at any rate, San Francisco can use more young skill position talent to build around QB Brock Purdy.
32 – Kansas City Chiefs: BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia
Tackle is a huge need for the Chiefs and while it’s a deep class I could also see Kansas City get aggressive to move up for a prospect. If they stay put, however, a prospect like Suamataia would have the upside of some of the other first-round prospects as long as the Chiefs were willing to be a little patient.
Continue To Round 2
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