The Gridiron Review’s 2024 NFL Mock Draft 2.0. Check out our positional rankings for full breakdowns.
1. Chicago Bears (Via Carolina Panthers)- Caleb Williams, QB, USC
At the end of the day, Chicago has a big decision to make. Do they stick with Fields and trade the pick for a ransom, or take Williams and trade Fields. The best argument we have heard for this is that you do not know if Williams can lead you to a Super Bowl, but you know Fields likely is not that guy. Fields can be a good quarterback but has not transcended the team around him. This plus the fact that Fields would have to be paid soon makes the choice obvious in our opinion.
2. New York Giants (Via Trade w/ WAS)- Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Are the Giants currently constructed to drop in a rookie QB to succeed? No. Could they ignore most other needs and trade up for a QB anyways? Yes. We are not as high on Daniels as most, but there is no denying he is the best athlete at the position in this class (something Daboll likely covets). In an ideal world, Daniels sits and works on mechanics, but this is not the best case scenario for him. The Giants lack weapons for Daniels to succeed, but they likely play him too quickly either way.
3. New England Patriots- Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, OSU
We have New England trading for Justin Fields, as we think Mayo and company want to signal a changing of the guard in a big way. They already traded Mac Jones, and could draft a quarterback instead, but this team is lacking all kinds of talent. They have one of the worst receiving groups in the league, but Harrison immediately changes this.
4. Atlanta Falcons (Via Trade w/ ARI)- JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan
While we do not believe McCarthy should go this high, we do buy that his stock is rising. He had a good combine, and insanely good interviews. Atlanta needs to do something at QB, and in this scenario we have Morris bringing Wentz with him from Atlanta, and drafting McCarthy to develop.
5. Los Angeles Chargers- Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Where will Bowers go? He has the talent to be top 5, but the positional devaluing could have him falling a little. The Chargers have a new regime and need to cut costs, and replace these costs with rookie deals. Depending on what happens with Bosa and Mack this could be an EDGE player. However, Harbaugh has historically featured a tight end at every stop, and he has faced Bowers a ton while at Michigan. The Chargers grab another target for Herbert.
6. Washington Commanders (Via Trade w/ NYG)- Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
Washington’s Troy Fautanu has been our overall top linemen pretty much from the start, and he continued to prove it at the Combine. We believe Fautanu has the ability to play all 5 spots on the line. Regardless of whether it is Howell or not at QB next year, they need to protect said QB, and Fautanu will do just that.
7. Tennessee Titans- Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU
The Titans are stuck in limbo, but with their new head coach coming from the Bengals system, a wide open offense is likely in the future. Burks, Phillips, and Hopkins figure to all get playing time, but the offense lacks speed and juice. Thomas is skyrocketing and is one of our favorite prospects.
8. Arizona Cardinals (Via Trade w. ATL)- Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Arizona needs someone that can get a lot of targets that is also dependable. Odunze is being overhyped a tad, and is unfairly getting compared to Larry Fitzgerald (Odunze does not have near the same level of hands), but Odunze still has the size, speed, and production that projects as a number 1.
9. Chicago Bears- Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
This is likely earlier than most for Legette, but he has so much of AJ Brown in him. He is high character, very fast at his weight, and has great hands. The one year of production may concern some, but that is more likely due to the schemes he has been in more than anything to do with him. We are also not the biggest fans of Nabers being an elite prospect so we go with Legette here.
10. New York Jets- Christian Jones, OT, Texas
This pick hasn’t changed since our last mock. Jones continues to trend up in everyone’s eyes after a strong Combine. He continues to remind us of 2023 1st rounder Broderick Jones, who the Jets missed out on last year. The Jets have the chance to right the wrongs, and take Jones, who will help keep Rodgers on the field for more than 4 snaps this season.
11. Minnesota Vikings- Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Minnesota could lose Hunter and Wonnum. Even if they only lose one they need another pass rusher. We also do not believe that a rookie quarterback is the right move for the Vikings, at least no in round 1.
12. Denver Broncos- Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Nix is the most day 1 ready quarterback in our opinion, and has been underrated for far too long. It is unknown how Sean Payton wants to construct this team, but he will likely jump at the chance to draft Bo Nix.
13. Las Vegas Raiders- Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Vegas has their pick of CBs here, and despite our beliefs in the type of prospect Clemson’s Nate Wiggins is, we just have a hard time believing that they pass on Arnold. Arnold in our eyes fits the mold of what it feels like the Raiders are looking for and feels like a guy Antonio Pierce will fall in love with. We believe that the Raiders will address the QB position via FA or trade rather than the draft.
14. New Orleans Saints- Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Nabers’ slight slide ends here. We are on record saying that we do not love him as a top 5 prospect, and he is getting overhyped. However, he still is a first round talent. With Michael Thomas likely being released, and Shaheed a free agent, the Saints only have Olave and Perry in the room. They are locked into Derek Carr this year at least and need more weapons for him to throw to.
15. Indianapolis Colts- Javon Bullard, DB, Georgia
With Julian Blackmon and Kenny Moore II set to hit FA, the Colts are in need of a new safety and nickel. The Colts do have Rodney Thomas II and Daniel Scott who could compete for Safety, but Javon Bullard would beat them both out and could drop into the NB spot in nickel and dime packages, while Thomas or Scott could come on as the 2nd safety.
16. Seattle Seahawks- Kingsley Suamataia, OL, BYU
Kingsley Suamataia is our next highest ranked IOL, not including Zak Zinter who’s unfortunately bound to fall due to his late season injury. Despite the Seahawks having a strong set of bookend tackles, the interior starters of their OL are all set to hit FA. Suamataia is a tackle to most and one we believe could play tackle no doubt, but we kind of like the fit of him at Guard better, and he would slide in as a Day 1 starter as the Seahawks continue to flip Russelll Wilson the bird with their investment on the OL.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars- Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
If Wiggins falls to the Jags here, we believe they will run their card up to the podium before the clock hits 9:50 because this would be robbery. This is an easy pick for a team that just released CB2 Darious Williams. Wiggins is a prospect we love a lot, and have much higher standards for than others. If Wiggins continues to develop at the rate he has. The Jags could be looking at one of the best young CB Tandems in the NFL with Wiggins and Campbell.
18. Cincinnati Bengals- Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
It doesn’t sound like the Bengals are going to be retaining RT Jonah Williams who in the past has asked to be traded by the team. The Bengals can’t make mistakes and risk Joe Burrow’s health. Continuing to have the best offensive line needs to be a priority and they show it by taking Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga. We have our concerns about Fuaga(without having done our rescout yet), which is why we don’t have him as high as other people, but he is definitely trending up for us after a strong Combine. Plus he doesn’t need to learn new footwork as he played RT in college.
19. Los Angeles Rams- Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Another player we are not as high on, Dallas Turner has unlimited upside, but is far more developmental than analysts are claiming. He is an insane athlete, yet does not possess a ton of pass rushing moves. He is very very similar to Nolan Smith out of Georgia, and will likely need the perfect spot to truly unlock his potential. The Rams just had Kobie Turner lead rookies in sacks, and he would be able to learn from Aaron Donald and anyone else they bring in. The Rams continue to beef up the pass rush to help their weak secondary.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers- Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Due to the injury at the Combine Fashanu is a prospect that’s trending down for us, at least for now. We thought about Amarius Mims here since it seems like Pittsburgh likes their Georgia kids who can block, but Mims is also trending down for us a little bit due to the injury. We also thought about JC Latham who’s actually trending up quite a bit for us, but at the end of the day Pittsburgh is gonna Pittsburgh, so we have them taking Fashanu anyways because if your school name is Penn State or Pitt, Mike Tomlin wants you.
21. Miami Dolphins- Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Mike McDaniel continues to play Madden in real life lol. Worthy is not a first round prospect, and has huge effort concerns, but Miami may take him anyway. Who knows how long Tyreek Hill can continue his level of play, but taking Worthy here adds even more speed to the team and will allow him to develop which he very much needs.
22. Philadelphia Eagles- Darius Robinson, EDGE/DL, Missouri
It seems the rumors of Philly fielding calls for Reddick may be true. With Fangio taking over the defense, the Eagles should be switching to a 3-4. Davis should be the nose, with Carter at the end. This opens up the other end spot and Darius Robinson will fit that need admirably.
23. Houston Texans (Via Cleveland Browns)- Byron Murphy II, DL, Texas
The Texans have one of the brightest futures in the NFL, but they could use some more pass rushing, especially on the interior. Byron Murphy II has insane potential athletically and he has the production to match. He should open up rushing lanes for Will Anderson and whoever else they bring in.
24. Dallas Cowboys- Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
This is yet another pick that doesn’t change for us. As a Georgia and Eagles fan this would hurt Jack to see, but at the same time with as many questions are around Mims right now in terms of health and lack of experience we truly believe if anyone is going to get the most out of him on Day 1 it’s Dallas.
25. Green Bay Packers- Tykee Smith, DB, Georgia
The Packers as of this moment are set to lose Savage, Ford, Owens, and Nixon to FA. In our first mock we had them taking our Safety 1 Beau Brade, but due to doing nothing at the Combine he’s trending down. Tykee Smith has been one of our top graded DBs since the start. We believe that he has a very similar skill set and set of tape to 2023 DB Brian Branch who just had an awesome rookie year. Packers fire back and draft their version of Branch this year. Smith can take over at Safety and/or NB for the Pack.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
Joe Tryon officially appears to be a bust. On paper the Bucs starters are all solid. Their secondary was rough in the rankings last year, but their starters are somewhat set. Another way to help the secondary is the get more out of your pass rushing, and Latu is the more technically sound rusher in this class.
27. Washington Commanders (Via Trade w/ ARI orig. Houston)- Drake Maye, QB, UNC
We have been off the Maye bandwagon for over a year now. See our initial scouting video on him here. This season did nothing to change our opinions on him. Maye has a lot going for him, with decent athleticism, and good arm, and he is only 20. However, he needs to sit for a year or two. He changes his motion under pressure and struggles to sense pass rush as a whole. His accuracy is also spotty and he truly makes some head scratching decision. We predicted Will Levis not being a first rounder far earlier than most, and we see Maye sliding some as well. With Wahsington signing a vet (Russell Wilson in our opinion), and trading Howell, Maye should get the time to develop while the new ownership builds the team around him. If Maye does not sit, we really worry he will be Sam Darnold 2.0.
28. Buffalo Bills- Keon Coleman, WR, FSU
This is a match made in heaven. Coleman has great hands and excels at physical play with the ball in the air. This would be perfect if Diggs stays in Buffalo, and Coleman can start at the two. Regardless, Coleman has the upside of a true number 1 as well.
29. Detroit Lions- Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
You don’t have to be a super NFL fan to know just how bad Cam Sutton and the Lions CBs were… I mean they were starting Kindle Vildor…..
Anyways, Kamari Lassiter falls right into their lap and becomes CB1 immediately. Lassiter is 100% a Dan Campbell type of player who Detroit fans are going to love. We still believe(from our first mock) that Iowa State’s TJ Tampa is a Dan Campbell player too, but again due to lack of Combine testing he is trending down at the moment. The Lions are going to need to address CB multiple times, so it’s possible that they are able to land Lassiter now and Tampa at a later time.
30. Baltimore Ravens- Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Baltimore needs someone who can catch the ball. Flowers was great for the most part this season, but behind him there is not much. OBJ is washed, and Bateman does not seem like he will ever truly develop. Mitchell adds much needed size and elite hands that should pair perfectly with Flowers and Andrews.
31. San Francisco 49ers- Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon
Yes, we are higher on Khyree Jackson than most… what a shock lol. Just look at the CBs that SF has in the room right now. Ward, Lenoir, Thomas. None of those guys are freaky or standout athletes. They are hard nosed football players who like to be physical. Thomas has been struggling, so we believe that they are going to be in the market for a CB. Jackson who we think has the physical tools to be a very good CB in the league, falls right to Lynch and Shanahan and fits into the scheme immediately.
32. Kansas City Chiefs- Ladd McConkey, WR, UGA
Rashee Rice was a gem for the Chiefs. But besides him, the receiving room si ROUGH. Add in Travis Kelce not getting any younger, and you get the Chiefs needing to keep adding weapons. McConkey is the best route runner in this class, and is wicked after the catch. He struggles with catching the deep balls, but he could be lethal in the short and medium area for the Chiefs.
Trades:
NYG Receives: 1.02,
WAS Receives: 1.06, 2025 Round 1 & 2
ATL Receives: 1.04
ARZ Receives: 1.08, 2025 Round 1 & 2
WAS: 1.27
ARZ: 2.01, 2024 Compensatory 3rd
QB Carousel
* This will be an article where we further expand on our feelings on each QB move
Justin Fields traded to the Patriots
Baker Mayfield resigns with Tampa Bay
Mac Jones traded to Jacksonville (Official)
Russell Wilson signs with Washington
Kirk Cousins resigns with Minnesota
Zach Wilson traded to the Chiefs
Trey Lance traded to NYJ
Gardner Minshew signs with PIT
Daniel Jones stays in NYG (unable to find trade partner)
Jameis Winston signs with LVR
Sam Howell traded to LAR
Drew Lock signs with PHI
Carson Wentz signs with ATL
Sam Darnold signs with Seattle
Malik Willis traded to BAL
Bailey Zappe traded to SF
Jacoby Brissett signs with IND
Jimmy G (Him and UDFA Sam Hartman will start a podcast)