We’re well on the road to the 2024 NFL Draft in April and we’ve cleared a major hurdle with the NFL Scouting Combine taking place in Indianapolis this past week. Some prospects like Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy turned heads with their performances in drills, while others like the top quarterbacks opted to just participate in meetings and interviews.
Below, I’ll offer my post-Combine mock draft with all 32 first-round picks.
For the last several mock drafts, I’ve taken the contrarian position in projecting that Chicago would trade the No. 1 overall pick and opt to stick with current starting quarterback Justin Fields. But just assessing the vibes of where things are heading, I’ve reversed course and now have them using the pick on USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
As alluded to earlier, Williams did not participate in any of the throwing drills at the Combine and will instead work out at USC’s Pro Day on March 20. By then, NFL free agency will have already begun and that will have an impact on where the franchise decides to trade Fields. Regardless, I now believe that the end outcome is the USC QB holding a Bears jersey when walking across the stage at the draft.
Williams being take No. 1 overall sets the table for the rest of the first round and you immediately run into two teams that also need franchise quarterbacks. I have Washington taking UNC’s Drake Maye at No. 2 and New England selecting LSU’s Jayden Daniels at No. 3, although there is a growing opinion of Daniels being the No. 2 QB taken off the board. Circling back to the Bears, I have them dealing Fields to his hometown franchise in Atlanta, opening the door for the Falcons to take the best edge rusher off the board in Alabama’s Dallas Turner at No. 8. Chicago then uses its second first-round pick to get Williams some help in the form of Washington WR Rome Odunze at No. 9.
One thing that may jump out at you when surveying this mock draft is that I have only three QBs being taken in the first round and even in a deep QB class, I think that’s about right. No, I am not buying into this sudden hype surrounding Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy as a potential top-10 pick. McCarthy had a spectacular career in Ann Arbor, but I would not spend premium draft capital on a prospect who wasn’t asked to do much in Michigan’s power-run-heavy offense. I’m looking directly at you Denver (and Las Vegas). Just circle back around and try to nab him in the second round. It’s ok.
2024-03-04 22:00:00
#NFL #mock #draft #prospects #NFL #Scouting #Combine
