USC

Fields being traded away merely formalizes what we've known for months - Caleb Williams will be the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Whilst Williams had some tape regression in 2023, and appears to be a unique character, he is a blue-chip quarterback prospect rivaling the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Andrew Luck.

LSU

The Washington Commanders appear to have zeroed in on Jayden Daniels as their next franchise quarterback. Daniels was arguably the best college football player at any position in 2023, deservedly winning the Heisman trophy. He has incredible athleticism, throws a beautifully catchable ball and showed vast improvement since transferring to LSU. He also protects the ball well whilst aggressively pushing the ball down-field. Daniels needs development, and doesn’t have elite arm talent, but is a terrific prospect. It would not shock me if Daniels ended up being the best quarterback of the whole group when all is said and done.

North Carolina

I simply cannot see a feasible scenario where New England doesn’t stay at #3 and takes a quarterback. Presuming Jayden Daniels goes to Washington (their reported top target), I think Drake Maye is a significantly better prospect than JJ McCarthy. Maye is my QB3, but I believe the pendulum has swung way too far in the media. Maye is an outstanding prospect in his own right; highly accurate, very smart with the football and possesses quality field vision. He regressed at the back end of 2023, but his protection was dismal, and his weapons dropped off from 2022, so I'm not too concerned. There isn’t a vast divide between Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye and all 3 are top-5, franchise-caliber QB talents in my opinion.

Ohio State

I think Minnesota moves up to #4 or #5, but I am making a last minute decision to revert to a no-trade mock as per my usual mock draft philosopohy. As the draft leads up, I’m not convinced the Cardinals or the Chargers will get enough from Minnesota to move down. Even if they do, I am probably safer mocking the players I think will be available to the Cardinals and Chargers respectively, and (spoiler alert) JJ McCarthy to the Vikings #11. If a trade happens, then I have a chance of getting a couple of picks right - if I’m wrong, it could throw off my entire mock draft. For Arizona, I think it is almost a given they take a receiver, either here or visa a trade down. Some prefer Nabers, and he’s my 2nd rated prospect, but Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of the most elite WR prospects in recent memory with virtually no flaws to his game, and is my No. 1 prospect in this class irrespective of position. Size, ball skills, speed, route running, instincts, football pedigree - MHJ has it all.

UCLA

This is a prime trade down spot for Chicago; especially if Odunze is gone. There could be many suitors for many different reasons, but a trade here would fit the M.O. of the Bears. With the top-3 wide outs gone, and in a no trade scenario, they could instead opt for a top-shelf defensive lineman - at defensive end, or tackle - and take a good receiver in Round 3. Latu is my top defender in this class based purely on tape alone, but his now famous medical retirement was seen as a potential deathblow to his stock. Charlie Campbell and Tony Pauline are now reporting the vast majority of teams have given Latu the green light medically; if true, he should be a top-20 pick, as he is an exceptional edge rusher and more polished than Turner, Robinson or Verse. I also think he’s better sized at defensive end in a 4-3 scheme than Dallas Turner for Chicago specifically.

Georgia

The Jets were prolific in free agency adding Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses (via trade) and John Simpson to starting deals, plugging their dismal offensive line. Although line depth is still a big need, Charlie Campbell has reported that the Jets are now inclined to take Brock Bowers or Rome Odunze here to give Aaron Rodgers someone not named Garrett Wilson to throw to. Bowers is a blue-chip tight end prospect akin to a big-bodied slot receiver as much as a traditional tight end. Bowers is reportedly liked a lot by the Jets and although New York has Tyler Conklin, he’s a free agent in 2025. Conklin is also not the same caliber of talent Brock Bowers is, and would be a pick reminiscent of Dalton Kincaid to the Bills in 2023.

Alabama

Under Terry Fontenot, the Falcons have drafted 3 freakish athletic talents - Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson. They follow the gold standard once again; this time on the defensive side of the ball. One of the most popular player-to-team fits in mock drafts, Dallas Turner has consolidated himself not only as the top edge rusher in this (weak) class, but also as the likely top defensive prospect period. Turner played extremely well this past season before destroying the combine with his stellar athleticism. With the Falcons’ pass rush being a critical weakness for a decade, the defensively-minded Raheem Morris seems destined to take one early in this draft. It’s of note that some are moving away from Turner here, but I’ve perennially mocked him here for so long that I would hate knee-jerk moving away from Turner and being wrong.

Notre Dame

Prior to Calvin Ridley signing a 4-year deal, it was a toss up between whether Tennessee would take their receiver first or their tackle first in Rounds 1 and 2. Now, with Ridley signed and Andre Dillard a “one-and-done” failure, the Titans appear set to draft their future Left Tackle . Joe Alt appears to have cemented himself as the top tackle in this draft class. He has elite size and although has some natural stiffness at 6-8, he is still a nimble-footed tackle. He has exceptional 2023 tape, stellar technique, and perennial Pro Bowl potential.

Washington

The Giants need a new quarterback. Daniels Jones is clearly not their guy. However, unless the engineer makes a short trade up for QB4, I don’t think that happens in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, if 4 quarterbacks go in the top-5 then the Giants are in a perfect position to draft a true WR1, which they have not had since Odell Beckham Jr. In this case the “worst case” scenario of Harrison Jr. and Nabers being taken. However, the Giants wouldn’t be upset with Odunze, who has been a consistently stellar receiver for the Huskies and is a true NFL WR1 type prospect. He doesn’t possess the elite movement of Harrison or Nabers, but has exquisite body control, is a contested catch monster and is a tough, competitive player. Odunze is also noted to have high character marks with teams.

LSU

I’m not 100% certain the Chargers will actually end up moving down based on recent comments from new General Managers Joe Horitz, even if Arizona also does not. It would make the world of sense for them to stick and take Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Joe Alt. The latter would be in Harbaugh’s MO, but the Chargers need a wide receiver desperately and Joe Alt may not be a smooth transition to RT, with Rashawn Slater being an All-Pro left tackle. If their objective is to bolster the offensive line, then may be best trading down for Latham or Fuaga as cleaner RT projections (which I've previously mocked). Meanwhile, Their current receiving corps has over 1,000 yards fewer receiving yards as a collective unit than any other roster in football. I simply don’t think they could pass on one of the best two players in the entire draft at wide receiver - Marvin Harrison Jr., or Malik Nabers - even with Greg Roman as OC.. In most drafts, Nabers would be a consensus WR1. Malik Nabers is my 2nd rated prospect in this entire draft class behind only Marvin Harrison Jr, at any position. He has very few flaws and is versatile both as an X receiver and in the slot, as well as incredible speed. Charlie Campbell reported in a hot press that nearly every team he spoke with has Nabers ahead of Odunze, and that Nabers potentially being WR1 isn’t out of the question.

Michigan

I am moving away from trades in this mock, but to be clear, I think the Vikings need to move up for McCarthy. Charlie Campbell is reporting that the Cardinals and Vikings may have a trade set up, but I think MHJ could be too tempting for them. Either way, it is a consensus opinion that Minneosta is moving up for a quarterback; likely consolidating their position to not be beaten by JJ McCarthy. Like Anthony Richardson last year, McCarthy is a huge reach in the top-10 in a vacuum, and as draft day looks I am less certain the Vikings would trade the farm to move up for QB4 when they could make a more JOsh Allen-esque jump with - say - Tennessee or Atlanta. To me, JJ McCarthy is a late 1st round talent. However, the need around the league for a QB is seismic, and McCarthy is an athletically gifted, cerebral quarterback who could thrive in Minnesota.

Texas

Despite reports that Payton will look to aggressively trade up, I actually think Denver is more likely to trade down to acquire more capital, possibly considering Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with an acquired selection. In a no-trade scenario, the Broncos would be better addressing their defense. They could take an edge rusher like Laiatu Latu or Jared Verse, but I quite like them sticking here and taking pure BPA in Byron Murphy II (the Broncos’ defensive line is also awful) . Byron Murphy II is a bit undersized but is an excellent run defender and a dangerous interior pass rushing threat with incredible 2023 tape. His back half of 2023 was borderline top-5 caliber. Some believe that certain teams have Byron Murphy II as the best defender in this draft class.

Alabama

Something to monitor - Charlie Campbell is reporting that the Michael Penix Jr. hype at #13 is real, and that it might even be the most likely option in Round 1. That would be a shocker given the state of their roster and Penix’s longevity/tape concerns. Michael Penix Jr. would be a big reach this high, in my opinion, as he is more range appropriate at their #44 pick in the 2nd round. They could trade back into the late 1st round for him. Either way, I cannot in good conscious mock Penix this high, so I’m sticking with my typical projection of Offensive Tackle. Beyond Joe Alt, this is a “horses for courses'' type OL class with no order of consensus. I’m 50/50 between JC Latham and Taliese Fuaga as the top right tackle off the board, but I think Fuaga is a slide candidate. I personally really like him, but it wouldn’t shock me if teams viewed him as an NFL guard as opposed to right tackle. Meanwhile, Latham is a tough-as-rails right tackle or guard with ideal size and athletic traits to dominate the open-side. I’ve warmed up to him a lot during the pre-draft process after being down on him for much of this cycle. Latham would be a long-term bookend to stellar left tackle Kolton Miller.

Penn State

The Saints’ offensive line is in complete disarray and should be the priority at #14. Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State) and Olu Fashanu (Penn State) are the two most connected names to the Saints. I prefer the former prospect; however, for what the Saints really need - a safe, quality blindside prospect with no positional question marks and quality - Fashanu might be a safer pick. Charlie Campbell was one of the first to report early this season that Olu Fashanu was not seen by teams as the elite prospect the media had perpetuated; sure enough, he's been dropping recently on most mocks and is now a rare sight in any top-10. However, Fashanu possesses a lot of upside, quality size (hands aside) and is a safe bet to turn into a good NFL starter.

Toledo

The Colts’ free agency moves consolidated for me that cornerback is the likely play in Round 1 (presuming Brock Bowers is gone). I like JuJu Brents, and Kenny Moore II, but they need one more starting boundary cornerback. I have been flipping this week on whether I think the Colts would take Arnold or Mitchell here if presented with the option of choosing between both. To me, Quinyon Mitchell is the best cornerback in this class and I feel I will regret not sticking with my gut and going with him as my CB1. Mitchell is my top rated cornerback, as he is extremely smooth and fluid with prototypical boundary cornerback size and blanket coverage ability. He had 6 interceptions in college (albeit 4 coming in 1 game), and would fulfill the athletic and length that I think Ballard would covet.

Washington

According to Charlie Campbell, the Seahawks are considering improving their offensive line with this pick. This makes sense, as their OL is an utter disaster. Equally, Byron Murphy II - if available (which is not the case in this final mock draft) feels like he’d be the pick here, as he would be a hand in glove fit for the defensive philosophy of Mike MacDonald building a run wall as per Baltimore and Michigan. He’s not available, so I’m going to settle with Fautanu here, as he has connections to Jeff Grubb and fits their biggest need; plus, they do have Dre’Mont Jones and Leonard Williams at defensive tackle versus virtually no-one at center or guard. Troy Fautanu would be a really good fit for Seattle at guard, as he’s durable, has positional flexibility as a potential 5-position starter. He was a terrific blocker for Michael Penix Jr. last season.