Way Too Early 2024 Mock Draft

If you’re the type of person who starts thinking about next Christmas on December 26, you’ve come to the right place. The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, which means it’s time to take a way, way too early look at next year with a 2024 NFL Mock Draft.

Obviously a lot will change over the course of this year. For instance, our 2023 early mock included two players who weren’t drafted and several others who ended up going on the third day of the event. 

Then again, the mock also predicted all three first-round quarterbacks, including C.J. Stroud to the Texans, both first-round running backs and the Ravens taking LB Trenton Simpson — albeit 65 picks earlier. 

Think of this less as a prediction of the future and more of a preview to set the table for some of the guys we’ll be talking about in six months. 

The draft order is based on the betting odds for each team’s win total in the 2023 season. 

• List of traded future NFL draft picks

2024 NFL Mock Draft

1 – Arizona Cardinals: USC QB Caleb Williams

Barring something drastic, this is going to be the pick whether the Cardinals stick here or not. Williams is on an extremely high level as a prospect already in NFL circles and has the chance to build the buzz even more during this upcoming season. He fits the new prototype of quarterback — high-end arm strength and mobility to excel with a daring style pulled straight from backyard football games across the country. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is electric at his best, but Arizona would have a harder decision about whether or not to keep this pick instead of trade it for a haul than the Bears did when they lucked into the No. 1 pick this year. 

2 – Arizona Cardinals (HOU): Alabama DE Dallas Turner

Because the Cardinals got the Texans’ first-round pick in 2024 as a part of Houston’s move up for DE Will Anderson, they now have two lottery tickets for the top pick with outstanding odds, based on the folks whose job it is to handicap the upcoming season. They could even hit the double jackpot, as they do here, which would give Arizona a litany of options. They could trade the top pick for multiple firsts, or keep it and trade Murray for what could be a handsome return as well. They could take the top non-quarterback with the other, or even trade down again if there’s another quarterback worthy of the selection here. For now, let’s say they stick and pick, and get an Alabama edge rusher after passing on one in 2023. Turner isn’t seen as far off what Anderson brought to the table. 

3 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: North Carolina QB Drake Maye

There are two quarterbacks in this class who some teams likely had in mind when they elected not to overextend for some of the quarterback options that were available this year. Maye is the second one after a brilliant sophomore season where he completed two-thirds of his pass attempts for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding nearly 700 yards rushing and seven more touchdowns on the ground. At 6-5 and 220 pounds, he fits the mold of guys like Chargers QB Justin Herbert and Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence as big-armed passers who can both rifle the ball all over the field and gash the defense for chunks with their legs. He’s far more physically gifted than former UNC QB Sam Howell and if he can avoid the junior-year slump that bit Howell, he should be a top-five pick. 

4 – Indianapolis Colts: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

I’ll admit I fudged things just a bit to get this match, as putting Harrison on his dad’s former team was just too neat of a thought to let go. Harrison could end up being one of the highest-drafted receivers in years. He dominated in 2022 with 77 catches, 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. Unlike his diminutive dad who had to win more with savvy, Harrison can physically dominate defenders at 6-3 and well north of 200 pounds. But don’t worry, he picked up some route-running tricks from Senior, too. If the Colts are picking this high, this would be a solid reward to team up with their new potential franchise quarterback, Anthony Richardson. 

didn't get the free play? no problem with CJ Stroud and Marvin Harrison Jr. pic.twitter.com/rgWMJLauoS

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) March 31, 2023

5 – Washington Commanders: Penn State OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu

Fashanu made the surprising decision to return for another season at Penn State. He had already been picking up some pre-draft buzz, and had he declared there’s a strong chance he would have been a top-10 pick given how teams were jockeying for the top tackles. That’s a heck of a floor to start with for 2024, assuming he can stay healthy. The Commanders would likely be one of the teams exploring a move up for a quarterback in the first year with a new owner if this is where they end up picking. If they take the patient route, a long-term building block at tackle to replace Charles Leno could be an alternative. 

6 – Las Vegas Raiders: Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

The name alone is eye-catching enough but McKinstry was a legit player for the Tide this past season as a starter after starting six games as a true freshman. He picked off one pass and knocked down 15 others, and has the size and length teams prioritize for cornerbacks. The Raiders still need help all over their defense, particularly corner. 

7 – Green Bay Packers: Texas QB Quinn Ewers

If Green Bay ends up picking this high, the Jordan Love era probably didn’t go well. There is an opening for a third quarterback to emerge in this class and Ewers has the past pedigree to make him a key name to watch. If he can live up to the annually Texas-sized expectations the Longhorns have, watch out. There’s plenty of talent on offense for him to work with, and he has shown flashes of high-end arm talent over the past two years. Staying healthy and becoming consistent will be the keys. 

8 – Chicago Bears: Florida State DE Jared Verse

Verse surprised when he decided to return for another season as it’s likely he would have been a first-round pick. 2022 was his first year at Florida State after transferring from Albany and he arrived with a bang, notching nine sacks and a first-team All-American selection. He’s a relentless player who at 6-4 and 250 pounds can rush with both speed and power. The Bears haven’t really addressed their edge rushing group this year which makes it a top priority in 2024. 

9 – Atlanta Falcons: Penn State CB Kalen King

I was tempted to give the Falcons Georgia TE Brock Bowers given HC Arthur Smith‘s love for the tight end position and Bowers’ local roots. Instead they fill a different need by taking King. Penn State regularly puts out high-level athletes and King should check that box. He was incredibly productive in 2022 as well, with 16 pass defenses, three interceptions and just an 18.3 passer rating allowed in single coverage, per PFF. Atlanta traded for CB Jeff Okudah but he’s in the final year of his contract. Even if he plays well, he might end up elsewhere. 

10 – New England Patriots: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt 

Odds are Alt goes much higher than this in the real deal based on the buzz he’s getting so far as one of the cleanest tackle prospects in the country. He’s got the size and athleticism the NFL looks for and comes from a program that’s been a factory for quality NFL offensive linemen. The Patriots didn’t take a tackle this year despite it being a big need, which pushes it into next offseason’s to-do list. 

11 – Chicago Bears (CAR): Georgia TE Brock Bowers

Bowers has been one of the best players in all of college football from the moment he stepped onto the field as a true freshman. Not only is he a good enough athlete to play receiver, he’s got a well-rounded game as well. Tight end is one of those positions the modern NFL has deemed as less valuable, which could push him down the board a bit. But he’s every bit as good as Falcons TE Kyle Pitts was and Pitts went fourth. The Bears already have TE Cole Kmet, but even if they end up extending him as he goes into a contract year, Bowers would provide an upgrade. 

12 – Tennessee Titans: Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka

The Buckeyes are a wide receiver factory and HC Mike Vrabel‘s connections to the program are especially noteworthy given the huge void on the depth chart at that position currently. Egbuka was nearly as productive as Harrison Jr. in 2022 but stylistically he has more in common with former Ohio State WRs Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. 

13 – Los Angeles Rams: Ohio State DE J.T. Tuimoloau

In addition to receivers, Ohio State has become known as an edge-rushing factory over the past several years. They have two players worth knowing who could end up in the first round with big years. Tuimoloau is the first. He had one of the single most dominant games by a defensive player all season in the win against Penn State last year.

https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1586442039331151872?s=20

This will be the Rams’ first first-round pick since 2016, and assuming they hold onto it they’ll be looking for an impact player at a high-value position. If that’s just a taste of what Tuimoloau can do, then he’d more than fit the bill. 

14 – New York Giants: Miami DL Leonard Taylor

Taylor was a former five-star recruit who has been productive in his first two seasons at Miami, notching 19 tackles for loss and five sacks in his first two seasons. He’s well on his way to becoming a first-round pick with those numbers and the Giants could need a replacement for DL Leonard Williams after this season. 

15 – Pittsburgh Steelers: Iowa CB Cooper DeJean

Iowa isn’t necessarily seen as a feeder school for cornerback talent but they have an intriguing prospect with DeJean. He picked off five passes in 2022 as a sophomore, his first year as a starter, and took three of them back for touchdowns. He’s listed at 6-1 and over 200 pounds, which is terrific size for the position, and based on some of his highlights he could be a strong tester too. And yes, in case you haven’t put it together from the name “Cooper,” he’s a white cornerback. 

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1591554141914267648?s=20

16 – Denver Broncos: Alabama OT J.C. Latham

Alabama’s another one of those schools that churns out high-level NFL offensive linemen and Latham appears to be next up in the pipeline. After starting the entire 2022 season at right tackle and acquitting himself well, Latham is expected to move over to the left side in 2023 for the tide. A strong season there should put him in the mix for a selection in the top half of the round. 

17 – Minnesota Vikings: Ohio State DE Jack Sawyer

Here’s the other Ohio State pass rusher to keep an eye on. A former five-star recruit who was one of the top players in the country, Sawyer was one of the players expected to pick up where guys like the Bosa brothers and Chase Young left off. He has 7.5 sacks in his first two seasons in rotational duty, but is expected to be a starter in 2023. He’s listed at 6-4 and around 265 pounds, so he has the size and athletic ability. Sawyer just needs to put it all together for us to be talking about him in this range next year. 

18 – Seattle Seahawks: Ohio State DT Michael Hall

The impressive stat when it comes to Hall is six sacks on just 266 defensive snaps. That kind of pass-rush production will get the NFL’s attention. Showing he can hold up with a bigger workload will be important but with all the talent Ohio State has on its defensive line coming into this season, there’s a good chance for all of them to continue being productive. 

19 – Houston Texans (CLE): LSU DL Maason Smith

If the Texans follow a similar playbook to what the 49ers did, which is a good bet with new HC DeMeco Ryans in the fold, they’ll keep adding to their defensive line in the coming seasons. Smith barely played this past season due to a torn ACL, but as a true freshman, Smith had four sacks and five tackles for loss in seven games. That’s not bad for a true freshman, but there’s an extra layer of intrigue when considering LSU played the 6-5, 300-pound Smith as an edge rusher. If he picks up where he left off, that kind of profile will interest a lot of teams. 

20 – Baltimore Ravens: Georgia OT Amarius Mims

Starting Ravens RT Morgan Moses will be 32 in 2023 and could be a cut candidate in 2024, either for cap or performance reasons. Georgia has been a pipeline for offensive line prospects over the past few seasons and Mims is slated to step into the starting lineup this season after some time as a reserve. At 6-7 and 330 pounds, he could bring a lot of the same things to the table as Moses. 

21 – Detroit Lions: Texas WR Xavier Worthy

The six-game gambling suspension is an unfortunate setback for Lions WR Jameson Williams, who Detroit was expecting to take a big step forward in 2023. If he doesn’t, the team will need to pivot as they try to put playmakers around slot WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. Worthy took a step back as a sophomore after being one of the best receivers in the country as a true freshman. However, he still had nine touchdowns. There will be questions about his size, as he’s listed at 6-1 and 160 pounds. Worthy is one of the most elusive players in the nation after the catch, however, and would give the Lions another big-play threat. 

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1581359725408841729?s=20

22 – Los Angeles Chargers: Clemson LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

There was only one linebacker taken in the first round this past draft as the league continues to de-emphasize the position. Modern linebackers have to be able to cover a lot of space with how pass-happy the league has gotten. That’s an area where Trotter, son of a former NFL linebacker by the same name, is really good at. He stuffed the stat sheet in 2022 with 13.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble and five pass deflections in 14 games. The Chargers spent a third-round pick on LB Daiyan Henley this year but Eric Kendricks and Kenneth Murray are in contract years. 

23 – Dallas Cowboys: Washington DE Bralen Trice

Trice was one of the most productive edge rushers in the nation last year with nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. At 6-4 and 260 pounds, he’s got the size and power to be a fit in more of a 4-3 scheme. The Cowboys will need to start thinking about life after DE DeMarcus Lawrence eventually. 

24 – New Orleans Saints: Oregon QB Bo Nix

There are two older quarterbacks who elected to stay for yet another season of college football in the hopes of juicing their stock like we’ve seen some guys do over the past few years, whether it’s Bengals QB Joe Burrow or new Lions QB Hendon Hooker. Nix was a highly-touted recruit at Auburn who was never able to quite put it all together in three years as the starter. He transferred to Oregon this past season and took a massive leap forward. Nix nearly doubled his previous career-high for passing touchdowns and saw a major jump in both completion percentage and yards per attempt. He was productive on the ground too with over 500 rushing yards and another 14 touchdowns. At Auburn, Nix had a reputation for playing reckless and out of control, but there were scouts excited to dig into his tape this offseason to see how much he’d been able to improve. With another outstanding season, it’s quite possible Nix asserts himself into the first-round conversation. 

25 – Miami Dolphins: Kansas State OL Cooper Beebe

Beebe got ahead of the jump for NFL scouts who would have projected him from tackle to guard and moved inside after starting his first two seasons at left and right tackle for the Wildcats. He excelled at guard as well and is the type of safe, reliable prospect who could garner some attention at this point in the draft, especially for a team that’s struggled for stability along the offensive line like Miami. 

26 – Green Bay Packers (NYJ): Wisconsin OT Jack Nelson

Nelson has NFL length at 6-7 and has earned an honorable mention for the all-Big 12 team each of the past two seasons. Wisconsin is another one of those teams that does a good job with offensive linemen, though it’ll be interesting to see if the new scheme changes things. The Packers have a big decision coming up with LT David Bakhtiari, who has a $40 million cap hit in 2024. 

27 – Jacksonville Jaguars: Washington WR Rome Odunze

In 2022, Odunze was one of the most productive receivers in the country with 75 receptions, 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns. He weighed declaring for the draft before electing to come back for his senior season at Washington, and now could be in position to go even higher if he has another big season. Jacksonville is solid at receiver this season but in 2024 Calvin Ridley isn’t under contract and Zay Jones will be 29 and a potential cap cut. They need to keep the talent stocked around Lawrence.

28 – Buffalo Bills: Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton

Newton was one of the most productive defensive tackles in college football last season with 14 tackles for loss and another 5.5 sacks. Listed at 6-3 and 295 pounds, Newton is a quicker, pass-rushing presence on the interior. The Bills are in good shape at that spot right now with DT Ed Oliver but he’s in the final year of his contract. 

29 – Philadelphia Eagles: Rutgers CB Max Melton

Charlie Campbell with Walter Football has league sources who were high on Melton as a potential riser had he come out for the draft this past year, even while playing at Rutgers. That could bode well for his stock in 2024. Melton has solid size and outstanding speed. His brother, Bo Melton, is a former seventh-round pick who’s on his second team. 

30 – San Francisco 49ers: Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

The second older quarterback prospect hoping for a big boost in stock, Penix started his career out at Indiana. There were some promising flashes, particularly in 2020, but injuries ultimately derailed things and left his time with the Hoosiers a “what could have been.” He tore the ACL in his right knee twice, in 2018 and 2020, and a combination of other injuries meant the most games he ever played in a season at Indiana was six. He transferred to Washington and played a full season for the first time in 2022. He was prolific with 4,641 yards passing, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s a lefty thrower with a big arm and hard to bring down in the pocket, though he’s not as much of a pure runner. Penix skipped the draft this year like Nix in the hopes another season could raise his stock from the middle rounds to Day 2 or even higher. I have him here more for the sake of getting him in the first round, less because I think the 49ers will be in the market for a rookie quarterback, though you can’t rule anything out for that position in San Francisco. 

31 – Cincinnati Bengals: Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders

Sanders broke out in 2022 during his third season with 54 receptions for 613 yards and five touchdowns. He’s got good size and movement skills at 6-4 and around 250 pounds. If Ewers and the Longhorns have a good season and Sanders keeps it up, he’ll have a case to join Bowers in the first round. 

32 – Kansas City Chiefs: UCLA DE Laiatu Latu

Latu began his career at Washington but had to retire due to a neck injury. However, he transferred to UCLA and received clearance to play, responding with an outstanding 2022 season. Latu finished with double-digit sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.