With a wild free agency period starting to slow down, several of these additions have shaken up what the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft could look like. Teams are building through the free agency period and changing their needs for when the end of April rolls around. Let’s dive into how the first round of the draft could play out.
2024 NFL Mock Draft 5.0 – Free Agency Update
With the top three quarterbacks being the talk of the town, the Minnesota Vikings have positioned themselves to be one of the teams that goes up and gets one of those guys. Without doing trades in this mock draft, they were able to land JJ McCarthy at 11, but when the clock starts on the 2024 NFL Draft, we could see them picking inside the top five for one of the top three quarterbacks.
The first six picks could end up being all quarterbacks and receivers, making for an interesting start to the draft and how the rest of the positions will fall. With the rumor that the New England Patriots want Jayden Daniels, if he’s not there, they could trade out of that spot or select a wide receiver like Marvin Harrison Jr. and take either Bo Nix or Michael Penix later in the draft.
The New York Jets will be an interesting team to keep an eye on. They were locked in as a team that would take an offensive lineman. However, after getting two tackles in free agency, they could pivot to an offensive weapon or continue to build on their already strong defense. Brock Bowers could be in play for them, immediately elevating the passing game and making the team more well-rounded than it currently is.
The EDGE class has four guys in the top tier, and then there is a significant drop-off in elite talent. Where those four go will be interesting to watch, with the middle of the draft needing to improve their pass rush. Depending on how the rest of free agency goes, we could see those four come off the board much earlier than expected.
Let’s look at the rest of the 2024 NFL Mock Draft and how that ended up shaking out.
Rankings by Position: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | iOL | iDL | EDGE | LB | CB | S
2024 NFL Mock Draft 4.0 with Trades: Post-NFL Combine Risers
2024 NFL Mock Draft 3.0: The Quarterback Shake Up
Mock Draft 2.0: Bears Keep Fields and Draft WR
NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Bears Move on From Justin Fields
RD | PK | OVR | TEAM | SELECTION |
1 | 1 | 1 |  Chicago Bears (via CAR) |  QB Caleb Williams, USC |
With the Bears likely moving on from Justin Fields and resetting the quarterback contract with a rookie, Williams would likely be the first overall pick. He's a potential star in the NFL and has the tools to elevate the current talent on their offense. | ||
1 | 2 | 2 | Washington Commanders |  QB Jayden Daniels, LSU |
Sam Howell started the year well but finished it how he was expected to. Daniels has the dual-threat capabilities needed to be a star in the NFL and bring new life to the Commanders' offense, which has struggled to get going the past few seasons. | ||
1 | 3 | 3 | New England Patriots |  QB Drake Maye, North Carolina |
Under new head coach Jerod Mayo and trading away their starting quarterback Mac Jones, the Patriots need to find their new franchise quarterback. The rumors are that they plan to trade the pick if they can't land Daniels, but that seems hard to believe with how badly they need to find their new gunslinger. | ||
1 | 4 | 4 | Arizona Cardinals |  WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State |
While the wide receiver class has a plethora of talent, the Cardinals need to find their WR1. Harrison is arguably the most talented player in the class, and getting Kyler Murray a star with versatility will be key if they plan to find success with him under center. | ||
1 | 5 | 5 | Los Angeles Chargers |  WR Rome Odunze, Washington |
The Chargers wide receiver group lost two valuable pieces after cutting Mike Williams and trading Keenan Allen, and their last first-round receiver didn't look like a WR1 in his first season. They need to find someone that can be their no.1 guy, and Odunze can be exactly that. | ||
1 | 6 | 6 | New York Giants |  WR Malik Nabers, LSU |
Wide receivers are flying off the board early, and if the Giants plan on rolling out Daniel Jones next season, they need to find him a weapon. Nabers can give him that versatile piece through the air and immediately upgrade the passing game. | ||
1 | 7 | 7 | Tennessee Titans |  OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame |
With one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last year, picking the best available offensive lineman should be at the top of their list. With his size and athleticism in the trenches, Alt is likely to be the first tackle off the board come April. | ||
1 | 8 | 8 | Atlanta Falcons |  EDGE Jared Verse, Florida State |
After signing Kirk Cousins to pair with their already talented offensive weapons, the Falcons have their offense in place and can address their needs on defense. The EDGE class is extremely top-heavy, so grabbing their top pass rusher should be their main priority. | ||
1 | 9 | 9 | Chicago Bears |  EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama |
With receivers coming off the board quickly, the Bears can pivot and address the major need: their pass rush. Turner can be argued as the best pass rusher in the class and the most pro-ready, making this an easy pick for the Bears. | ||
1 | 10 | 10 | New York Jets |  TE Brock Bowers, Georgia |
After grabbing two offensive tackles in free agency, the Jets can afford to look at the offensive skilled positions to elevate their passing game. Bowers is a top-five talent and despite positional value, he'd be a perfect fit for their offense. | ||
1 | 11 | 11 | Minnesota Vikings |  QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan |
The Vikings are officially in the post-Kirk Cousins Era and need to find their next franchise quarterback. They may have to trade up in the draft to ensure they get their guy, but it's not unrealistic to get McCarthy at 11 if another team can't trade ahead of them. | ||
1 | 12 | 12 | Denver Broncos |  EDGE Laiatu Latu, UCLA |
Denver is in a tricky spot. They're without Russell Wilson and Jerry Jeudy, and while they weren't lighting the world on fire, their offense needs to be worked on, but not as much as their defensive line, which was one of the worst in the NFL last season. | ||
1 | 13 | 13 | Las Vegas Raiders |  CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa |
Christian Wilkins was a tremendous signing for the Raiders defensive line, and now it's time to focus on their secondary. DeJean can play all five positions in the secondary and will bring versatility to their third level. | ||
1 | 14 | 14 | New Orleans Saints |  OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State |
An offensive line is only as strong as its weakest link. With the Saints missing on former draft picks on the offensive line, they need to find one they can plug in and start immediately. Fuaga would fill a massive hole on the left side and would elevate the group from a bottom-half line to one of the better ones in the NFL. | ||
1 | 15 | 15 | Indianapolis Colts |  EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn State |
The Colts have a few directions they could go with this pick. Look for them to heavily invest in corners if they don't land L'Jarius Sneed or another weapon for Anthony Richardson. But getting the high-potential pass rush from Robinson would greatly benefit their defense. | ||
1 | 16 | 16 | Seattle Seahawks |  iDL Byron Murphy II, Texas |
The Seahawks need to find a weapon for their defensive line and are in a perfect spot in the NFL Draft to get their top guy. Murphy has the makings of a future All-Pro and would transform the trenches on day one. | ||
1 | 17 | 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars |  CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama |
The Jaguars have added several pieces to their defense this free agency and clearly have an emphasis of upgrading there. Grabbing their top corner would be the best option for them, and build their offensive weapons later in the draft. | ||
1 | 18 | 18 | Cincinnati Bengals |  OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State |
The Bengals need to find an offensive lineman to protect Joe Burrow and help open running lanes in the ground game. Fashanu has shown flashes of All-Pro-level traits and can slide into the left tackle position immediately. | ||
1 | 19 | 19 | Los Angeles Rams |  CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo |
The Rams are loaded with talent on the offensive side of the ball, and with the top offensive linemen coming off the board, grabbing a defensive back to build their defense should be their go-to pick. | ||
1 | 20 | 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers |  OT Amarius Mims, Georgia |
A developmental tackle, the Steelers are in a great spot after signing Russell Wilson and can build on the skilled positions later in the draft. With Broderick Jones on the right side, where Mims mainly played, he's still a ball of clay they can mold on the left side. | ||
1 | 21 | 21 | Miami Dolphins |  iOL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon |
The Dolphins have many offensive weapons around their franchise quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Bolstering their offensive line to open up running lanes for their speedsters and protect their gunslinger should be the main priority at 21. | ||
1 | 22 | 22 | Philadelphia Eagles |  CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson |
With Darius Slay aging and James Bradberry not playing up to an acceptable level, grabbing a top-tier defensive back is key to getting the Eagles back in the win column. Wiggins has CB1 potential with his speed and size to lock down a team's best receiver. | ||
1 | 23 | 23 | Houston Texans (via CLE) |  iDL Darius Robinson, Missouri |
The Vikings likely traded for this pick to bolster their chances of moving up inside the top four, but if they can't make a trade happen and they land McCarthy at 11, grabbing a guy that would fit great in Brian Flores' 3-4 scheme would be tremendous for them. | ||
1 | 24 | 24 | Dallas Cowboys |  OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma |
The Cowboys offensive line is either aging or they've lost pieces this offseason, making this pick of a tackle a vital piece to their offense. Guyton is a developmental player with all-pro potential who they can mold to the left or right side. | ||
1 | 25 | 25 | Green Bay Packers |  iOL Graham Barton, Duke |
The Packers love their versatile offensive linemen, and with Jordan Love coming along last season, they can afford to get protection for him and address the offensive weapons later in the draft with how deep the class is. | ||
1 | 26 | 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |  CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri |
After trading away Carleton Davis, the Buccaneers have a shallow depth in the secondary. Baker Mayfield had a solid season with their current weapons, and they can address those weapons later in the draft to help bolster the offense. | ||
1 | 27 | 27 | Arizona Cardinals (via HOU) |  OT JC Latham, Alabama |
Grabbing the best player in the draft with their earlier pick, the Cardinals can focus on building their offensive line. Signing Jonah Williams earlier in the offseason to play the left side, Latham can slide into the left side to protect Murray's blindside. | ||
1 | 28 | 28 | Buffalo Bills |  WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU |
Losing Gabe Davis to the Jaguars in free agency means the Bills have an open spot for a WR2 on their offense. Putting Thomas across from Stephon Diggs would give the Bills a potentially lethal one-two punch and an upgrade from what they had previously. | ||
1 | 29 | 29 | Detroit Lions |  iDL Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois |
With this pick, the Lions are in an interesting spot. They built a solid all-around team to compete for the next several years and can take the best player available at this pick. Newton can slide into the 3T and play between Marcus Davenport and Aidan Hutchinson. | ||
1 | 30 | 30 | Baltimore Ravens |  WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia |
After appearing to hit on Zay Flowers but missing on Rashod Bateman, the Ravens need to find another receiver for Lamar Jackson. McConkey has inside and outside capabilities and would provide another piece to their passing game that they're missing. | ||
1 | 31 | 31 | San Francisco 49ers |  OT Troy Fautanu, Washington |
Another well-built team on both sides of the ball, the 49ers should invest in keeping their offensive line strong. Fautanu can play any position along the line and has the potential to be a day-one starter. | ||
1 | 32 | 32 | Kansas City Chiefs |  WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas |
Despite the lack of talent at the receiver position, the Chiefs were still able to win the big game on the back of Patrick Mahomes. Getting another weapon for him would make this team even more lethal than it already is and would bring speed and size to the receiver position. | ||
Trending Now
Dynasty Rookie ADP
2024 NFL Draft Big Board
What’s New On YouTube
2024 NFL Draft Quick Links
- Senior Bowl Standout Players
- 2024 NFL Draft Eligible Prospects Returning to School
- 2024 NFL Draft Tracker: Underclassman Who Have Declared
Connect and Engage with the Show:
- Subscribe on YouTube
- Visit us on the Web
- Follow us on Facebook
- Follow on Twitter
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
- Follow on Instagram
- Subscribe on Google Podcasts
- Subscribe on Spotify
Join our Communities:
Sign up for PrizePicks with the promo code FACEOFF for a 100% match up to $100!
