In this 2024 NFL Mock Draft, we will go through a first-round simulation team by team. The Pittsburgh Steelers gain a solid pick at 20, as they hope to get a quality player that fills a void for them. The rest of the teams either reach for players or find some good value in their selections.
There are no trades, but there are plenty of surprises. Here's my latest 2024 full first-round mock draft.
1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
The obvious choice here for the Bears as they have to take Caleb Williams. He has a ton of talent and could develop into a potential star. Some character concerns have risen around his name in recent weeks. Some might see him as selfish and not a team player. His talent is undeniable, and the rumors of trading Justin Fields will eventually conclude.
2. Washington Commanders: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
After Williams goes at one, the Commanders stick with their guns. They take Drake Maye out of North Carolina. Unless a trade happens or something crazy occurs, this will be the pick. You can almost write this one in permanent marker. Maye has a ton of physical talent that needs to be ironed out at the next level. If he can do that, then he will be a tremendous player.
3. New England Patriots: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
New England is the first pick where you don't know where they are leaning. They could always trade back, but it sounds like they want to move on from Mac Jones at quarterback. They decide to keep the run on the position going here by selecting Jayden Daniels. He has a ton of elements to his game that make him explosive. That will be a welcomed addition to a stale Patriots offense.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
He could always go earlier, but Marvin Harrison Jr. gets overshadowed by the top quarterback-hungry teams in this mock draft. He has all the talent in the world and should become a top receiver in the NFL in no time. He has the size, speed, and play-making ability that each team covets. Since Arizona is sticking with Kyler Murray, he needs some weapons on offense to help him out.
5: LA Chargers: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
He didn't have a great combine, but you cannot deny the talent you see when you watch Brock Bowers play football. Jim Harbaugh will love his game, and the Chargers could use some extra weapons on offense. He should be able to command respect in the middle of the field on day one. LA gets a great weapon for Justin Herbert to throw to.
6: New York Giants: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
First pick where a shocker is coming off the board. The New York Giants select Taliese Fuaga with the sixth pick. He has a lot of talent, but the Giants kind of reach for him here. He will be an upgrade for them at right tackle, but they could try to find a way to trade back. Fuaga is a reliable right tackle, but there are plenty of other top tackles still left on the board at this pick.
7: Tennessee Titans: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Malik Nabers is the pick here for Tennessee after they continue to struggle with receivers. DeAndre Hopkins is still a reliable veteran, but he cannot be your only option on offense. Will Levis deserves a real shot at the starting quarterback spot with the Titans, and that means giving him weapons. Nabers is a talented guy coming out of LSU and will likely be a top-15 pick.
8: Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
The top EDGE rusher flies off the board here as the Falcons take Dallas Turner. A freak athlete who rushes the passer better than anyone in this class. Atlanta has been searching for a long-term option at the position for a while now. Bud Dupree is a pending free agent, so they could re-sign him and take another position. Right now, Turner makes a lot of sense for them.
9: Chicago Bears: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
Chicago was going to take Turner, but he is off the table now. They pivot to their second favorite EDGE rusher in the class by taking Jared Verse. They want someone to pair well with Montez Sweat, and that is exactly what they accomplish here. With Verse and Sweat together, they should become one of the best duos in the league.
10: New York Jets: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
It would be crazy to see Joe Alt slide this far in the draft, but he did in this simulation. The Jets would love for this time to happen as they get a great tackle prospect to slide into their void at left tackle. They should be able to get a quality tackle at this point, but their pick of the class at left tackle is almost too good to be true. Great pick with Alt here to help protect Aaron Rodgers.
11: Minnesota Vikings: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
One of the best combine performers was Nate Wiggins. He showed speed and explosiveness as an athlete and that translates over to his tape at cornerback. There is a lot of talent at the top of the class in this position. The Vikings like Wiggins most, and that lands him being the first taken at the highly coveted position in this mock draft.
12: Denver Broncos: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
After most of the quarterback class failed to do much during the combine, someone like J.J. McCarthy might be at risk of slipping out of the first round. We know that the Denver Broncos are desperate for a quarterback as they will release Russell Wilson this offseason. McCarthy is a guy that Sean Payton likes. Since they have no second-round pick this year, they have to reach for a quarterback.
13: Las Vegas Raiders: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Las Vegas could do an array of things with this pick, but with cornerback being one of their top needs, they go with the top guy available. Quinyon Mitchell has quickly shot up draft boards since the conclusion of this past college season. He had a great week at the Senior Bowl and followed that up with a strong performance at the NFL Combine. If he finishes his pro day with another solid outing, then this is probably where he will land in the draft.
14: New Orleans Saints: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
A great value pick here as Olumuyiwa Fashanu falls to pick 14. He lands in the lap of the New Orleans Saints. They could use some help at left tackle. They lost Terron Armstead recently, and that has not given them a chance to recover. They land one of the best left tackle prospects coming out of college in a while with Fashanu. A great pick for the Saints.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Another receiver flies off the board here as the Colts need some extra firepower on offense. Anthony Richardson will be back from injury, but he needs more than Michael Pittman Jr to throw to. Pittman is a pending free agent, but no one believes that he will be leaving the Colts. Rome Odunze is an explosive receiver that should light a spark on offense.
16: Seattle Seahawks: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
This would be a slam-dunk Seahawks pick. They just hired a defensive-minded Head coach, so it's possible he could go defense with his first pick. Laiatu Latu is the selection out of UCLA here and he should be a dependable edge rusher at the next level. He had the best Senior Bowl performance out of any edge rusher in attendance. A solid pick by Seattle.
17: Jacksonville Jaguars: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
Another cornerback comes off the board here with Cooper DeJean. Jacksonville could use some help in their secondary, and that is exactly what DeJean can do for them. He is listed as a cornerback coming out of college, but he can play all over the secondary. That includes safety and slot corner too. Add in the fact that he also returns punts, and he is a great value for the Jaguars.
18: Cincinnati Bengals: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Tons of cornerbacks coming off the board in round one. Shouldn't be too surprising as the NFL remains a pass-happy league. Terrion Arnold might be the top corner on some boards, but he slips a little here. He didn't test terribly at the combine, but other prospects at the position had better results. Arnold would be shoved into the starting lineup in Cincinnati.
19: LA Rams: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
LA decides to go defense here, even though there are plenty of needs to choose from. They select Byron Murphy II out of Texas. He had a solid combine and is someone that many have as their top defensive tackle. This draft is a little light on impact defensive linemen, but Murphy has proven to be one of the better players in the trenches.
20: Pittsburgh Steelers: Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon
Finally, the Steelers pick in the first round comes around. They could go in plenty of directions with this pick. They could go offensive tackle to secure the future on the right side. It would allow Broderick Jones to finally slide over to the left side. Or they could invest in the defensive trenches or add some firepower on offense.
Center remains a need for Pittsburgh. They need a sure-fire bet that could be a long-term answer. Jackson Powers-Johnson becomes their guy. He is the best center in the upcoming draft class, and it is not out of the realm of possibility for him to be picked here. We know the black and gold have been looking at this center class closely.
It seems like they could be open-minded about taking a tackle here too. That could be someone like Amraius Mims, but they decide to stick to center here. They could always try and get either Zach Frazier or Sedrick Van Pran-Granger in later rounds. They know Powers-Johnson is the best player out of the three and refuse to wait.
Powers-Johnson should be able to slide into Arthur Smith's offense with ease. He is a quality moving athlete for his size. He had a tremendous week down at the Senior Bowl, in which the Steelers were well-represented. He is someone who should get more attention from Pittsburgh during the remaining pre-draft process. A plug-and-play center in round one.
21: Miami Dolphins: Graham Barton, OL, Duke
Miami could use some help on both sides of the ball. They stick to the offensive line here as they will need to figure out if Tua is the quarterback to stick with. Graham Barton is a versatile offensive lineman who will give them plenty of options. He can start at tackle, guard, or center. A valuable pick here that allows the Dolphins to figure out the perfect configuration of starters in the trenches.
22: Philadelphia Ealges: Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
It was just announced that Fletcher Cox will be retiring from the game of football. He had a tremendous career in Philadelphia. With that in mind, the Eagles turn their attention to a replacement. They select Jer'Zhan Newton out of Illinois. He is an explosive defensive lineman and one of the few in this class who deserves to be selected in the top round.
23: Houston Texans: Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
Adding some more weapons to help your young quarterback is never a bad thing. Houston could use some extra help on offense, especially after Tank Dell went down with an injury last season. They have some good pieces on offense, but getting younger and adding a deep threat with Troy Franklin would only help their offense.
24: Dallas Cowboys: Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
Dallas has a couple of holes that they need to fill in the offseason. Trying to find a center in free agency isn't too likely. We know they have limited resources in terms of cap. They will try and build in certain voids via the draft. Zach Frazier would be a shocking pick in the first round, but he would be a brilliant replacement for Tyler Biadasz as their starting center.
25: Green Bay Packers: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
With David Bakhtiari gone from the team, trying to find solutions on the offensive line should be a priority. Jordan Love showed that he can be the franchise guy that he has been developing into. He needs protection and adding JC Latham here is phenomenal value. Green Bay gets a young guy that will allow them some flexibility with their tackles.
26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Payton Wilson, LB, North Carolina State
Linebacker is a spot that needs help in Tampa Bay. They could use some youth in that area of their roster. They have gotten better quarterback play from Baker Mayfield, but their defense has started to sink. Selecting Payton Wilson here adds an athletic linebacker who should be able to transition to the NFL well. They get a speedy guy that should excel in all areas of the game.
27: Arizona Cardinals: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
They took Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick earlier in this mock draft. Now they decide to stick to the offensive side of the ball and protect Kyler Murray with Amarius Mims. They took Paris Johnson Jr. high in last year's draft. He mostly played right tackle, but this pick of Mims will allow him to slide over to the left side. A great value pick here by Arizona.
28: Buffalo Bills: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
With the loss of Gabe Davis in free agency and the uncertain futures of different weapons on offense, the Bills need help. Josh Allen is spectacular, but he will need to have weapons come through Buffalo each year to replenish his options. Brian Thomas Jr. is a great receiver coming out of college. He has limited play time, but if he continues to develop, he could be special.
29: Detroit Lions: Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
With how things are currently going for Troy Fautanu, he will be picked much higher than this. Detroit runs to the podium to take Fautanu as he will be their next starting tackle at some point in time. The Lions understand the importance of the trenches and they know that constantly investing up front is important. The value of this pick is there, and it was too hard to pass.
30: Baltimore Ravens: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
31: San Francisco 49ers: T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State
In today's NFL, two super important positions are receiver and cornerback. San Francisco has a great defense up front. They could use an upgrade at corner and they decide to take T.J. Tampa out of Iowa State. This might be seen as a reach, but he might not be there by the time they select in the second round. Cornerbacks are flying off the board, so the 49ers decided to take one now.
32: Kansas City Chiefs: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
This would be a perfect way to end night one of the draft. Kansas City takes Ladd McConkey with the final pick of this first-round mock draft. He would be a perfect fit and immediately become Patrick Mahomes' favorite receiver. He has a ton of separation skills and someone who has done nothing but excel in the pre-draft process. A perfect fit for the Chiefs.