2024 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting the first round after the Super Bowl

2024 NFL Mock Draft: Projecting the first round after the Super Bowl

The 2023 season is officially in the books after an exciting finish to the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the 49ers. All teams and fanbases now look to the offseason, hoping franchise-altering improvement is on the horizon. The Eagles have the 22nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Their picks could look a lot different if Howie Roseman starts wheeling and dealing. In the meantime, here is how the first round of the NFL Draft could potentially shake out if it happened, say, tomorrow.

The first 32 picks

1. Chicago Bears (From Carolina) – Caleb Williams, Quarterback, Southern California: The Justin Fields project seems to be over. Fields will likely be dealt to another team to get a fresh start. Caleb Williams is the no-brainer pick here.
2. Washington Commanders – Drake Maye, Quarterback, North Carolina: New owner, new front office, new head coach. Now, a new quarterback to lead the Commanders into a brand new era.
3. New England Patriots – Jayden Daniels, Quarterback, LSU: Jayden Daniels just has too many exciting traits to be considered here. The anti-Mac Jones with his big arm, great mobility and well regarded character in the locker room.
4. Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Junior, Wide Receiver, Ohio State: This is such a great fit for an amazing player. The Kyler Murray/MHJ connection will be immediately electric.
5. Los Angeles Chargers- Brock Bowers, Tight End, Georgia – The first pick of the Jim Harbaugh is an important one. Brock Bowers has a chance to be day one game changer for Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense.
6. New York Giants – Malik Nabers, Wide Receiver, LSU: The Giants offense took a huge step back last year. The Daniel Jones injury and the offensive line regression played a big part, but they lacked playmakers in their receiver group. Malik Nabers is a legit number one receiver type that could help get New York back on track.
7. Tennessee Titans – Joe Alt, Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame: It’s possible the Titans have something in Will Levis and now just need to keep the young passer comfortable. Joe Alt would be a great way to lock down his blindside for the foreseeable future.
8. Atlanta Falcons – Jared Verse, Edge Defender, Florida State: The Falcons have a ton of potential to take a big leap next year under Raheem Morris. Adding a legit edge rusher like Jared Verse to their defense could help make the unit one of the more formidable groups in the league.
9. Chicago Bears – Rome Odunze, Wide Receiver, Washington: Nothing like loading up the offense for your rookie quarterback. Rome Odunze as a number two to DJ Moore would be an amazing combination.
10. New York Jets – Taliese Fuaga, Offensive Tackle, Oregon State: The Jets need to guarantee Aaron Rodgers stays upright in 2024. Taliese Fuaga did not allow a single sack in his entire time at Oregon State.
11. Minnesota Vikings – Jer’zahn Newton, Defesive Tackle, Illinois: Brian Flores’ fielded one of the best defenses in the league last year despite not having a ton of talent on that unit. Jer’zahn Newton would be a disruptive interior presence.
12. Denver Broncos – Bo Nix, Quarterback, Oregon: The Broncos have put themselves in a tricky situation at the quarterback position. Maybe they’re a trade candidate for Justin Fields? If not, Bo Nix feels like a good fit in the Broncos offense. He can be a game manager but has the arm and legs to create big plays.
13. Las Vegas Raiders – Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Offensive Tackle, Penn State: The Raiders also have questions at quarterback but there isn’t a signal caller who makes sense at this point. Building out their trenches feels like a much better direction.
14. New Orleans Saints – JC Latham, Offensive Tackle, Alabama: JC Latham can play either tackle spots or slide inside for the Saints. This is is a safe, solid pick.
15. Indianapolis Colts – Amarius Mims, Offensive Tackle, Georgia: The Colts need to keep building around Anthony Richardson. Amarius Mims could play a few offensive line spots at a high level.
16. Seattle Seahawks – Jackson Powers-Johnson, Offensive Lineman, Oregon: The Seahawks are in a new era, but they are still going to rely on Geno Smith to get them deep into the postseason next year. That means protecting him and building out the offensive line even more. Jackson Powers-Johnson could play center or guard for Seattle at a high level.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Dallas Turner, Edge Defender, Alabama: Who knows what happens with Josh Allen this offseason, but the Jaguars will probably need reinforcements at pass rusher. Dallas Turner can be a great edge presence in the right defense.
18. Cincinnati Bengals – Laiatu Latu, Edge Defender, UCLA: The Bengals should be back as Super Bowl contenders next year so long as Joe Burrow is healthy. They need to keep adding weapons to that defense given their title hopes hinge on getting after Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen.
19. Los Angeles Rams – Cooper DeJean, Defensive Back, Iowa: The Rams defense overachieved in 2023 and has a ton of exciting young players all over the unit. Adding Cooper DeJean to the secondary could make the group one of the better defenses in the league.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Nate Wiggins, Cornerback, Clemson: The Steelers got great play out of Joey Porter Junior in 2023 and now they can get him a running mate. Wiggins and Porter would be a nasty, physical duo.
21. Miami Dolphins – Jordan Morgan, Offensive Tackle, Arizona: The Dolphins offense is one of the best in the NFL. This offseason they’re probably going to give Tua Tagovailoa a lot of money. Now they need to protect him.
22. Philadelphia Eagles – Quinyon Mitchell, Cornerback, Toledo: The Eagles have a ton of needs at this point in the offseason. However, given positional value and where the strength of the class is, cornerback feels like the right direction here. James Bradberry took a big step back in 2023 while Darius Slay struggled through injury and is not getting any younger. Quinyon Mitchell is a polished, athletic cover man with great ball skills. He can play man and zone at a high level, figuring as a good fit in Vic Fangio’s defense. He would be a day one starter in a secondary in desperate need of youth and athleticism.
23. Houston Texans (From Cleveland) – Troy Franklin, Wide Receiver, Oregon: The Texans have a truly special player in CJ Stroud. Now they just need to load up that offense with talent. Nico Collins and Tank Dell are a good wide receiver duo, but they should add a third guy in Troy Franklin. Franklin can line up in the slot or the perimeter, creating big plays with his size, speed, and ability after the catch.
24. Dallas Cowboys – Byron Murphy II, Defensive Lineman, Texas: Even after drafting Mazi Smith last spring, the Cowboys defense was extremely vulnerable against the run. Here they can double down on big interior players.
25. Green Bay Packers – Tyler Guyton, Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma: Jordan Love looked like The Guy in 2023. Now the Packers can confidently build around him, starting with reloading in the trenches.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Terrion Arnold, Cornerback, Alabama: The Buccaneers enjoyed a good season in the post-Tom Brady era and need to keep getting younger on both sides of the ball. Terrion Arnold is a ball-hawking cornerback who could fit well in Todd Bowles’ defense.
27. Arizona Cardinals (From Houston) – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Cornerback, Alabama: The Cardinals can keep adding speed and youth to their rebuilding defense. Kool-Aid McKinstry has the tools to be a shut down cornerback in Jonathan Gannon’s defense.
28. Buffalo Bills – Brian Thomas Junior, Wide Receiver, LSU: With Gabe Davis set to hit free agency and rumors swirling around Stefon Diggs’ future in Buffalo, the Bills need to draft a wide receiver for Josh Allen. Brian Thomas Junior feels like a great fit. He is a big bodied receiver who made the bulk of his plays downfield at LSU.
29. Detroit Lions – Kamari Lassiter, Cornerback, Georgia: The Lions were so close to a Super Bowl berth this year. They need pieces in place to hold onto big leads, meaning they need to keep investing in their secondary. Kamari Lassiter would be a game changer in that young secondary.
30. Baltimore Ravens – Keon Coleman, Wide Receiver, Florida State: Drafting Zay Flowers was crucial in Lamar Jackson getting back to MVP. Now they need to draft a number two receiver. Odell Beckham Junior is not getting any younger and Rashod Bateman has failed to live up to his draft status. Here they can draft Coleman whose excellent ball skills and talent after the catch would be a great pairing with Zay Flowers’ electric ability.
31. San Fransisco 49ers – Ennis Rakestraw Junior, Cornerback, Missouri: Cornerback is a glaring weak point in an otherwise excellent defense. Ennis Rakestraw Junior is a hard nosed cornerback who could help keep the Niners defense among the NFL’s elite groups.
32. Kansas City Chiefs – Xavier Worthy, Wide Receiver, Texas: The Chief are Super Bowl Champions again so it might be a little early to talk about what is wrong with them. But no one would argue that the Chiefs defense and magic play by Patrick Mahomes is what brought the team their championship this year. The offense leaves a ton to be desired in the way of skill player talent. Xavier Worthy speed would fit all too well in the Chiefs passing game.