Cole’s Corner: 2024 Full Seven Round NFL Mock Draft

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Round 1

1. Chicago Bears – Caleb Williams, QB, USC                                 

The Bears would have been smart to keep Justin Fields, trade down, select Marvin Harrison Jr. and also gain draft capital. Instead, they appear to be fully sold on Caleb Williams and sent Fields packing in March. No selection can ever be a 100 percent guarantee, but this is about as close as it gets. All of the Bears’ chips are in on Williams and he is not taking top-30 visits anywhere else. Williams to DJ Moore and Keenan Allen will be a thing in 2024. 

2. Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU         

There is no doubt that Washington selects a quarterback on night one of the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite the excellent fit Williams would have been with the Commanders, that can officially be put to rest. With the second pick, the decision likely comes down to Jayden Daniels versus Drake Maye even though the J.J. McCarthy hype has picked up steam in recent times. The Commanders may have tipped their cap with how they want to run their offense by signing Marcus Mariota to be the backup quarterback in 2024. Mariota is a lean, fast, running QB and best compares to the playstyle of Daniels. The recent rumors are that the team is either close to locked in on Daniels as the selection or fully set for the pick. 

3. New England Patriots – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina   

The Patriots have floated the idea of trading down and the Bears likely make a call to see about getting ahead of Arizona and selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. Despite likely using pick nine as leverage, the Patriots actually sit tight. Jacoby Brissett is a solid backup and can start in times of need. He did well with the Browns when called into action for over half of the 2022 season. Brissett is not a long-term solution as your starter though and the Patriots will just take a quarterback at three if they aren’t getting enough value back to trade down. New England makes the call for Maye and gets their starting quarterback early in the draft. 

4. Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State     

The first non-quarterback comes off the board with the fourth overall pick and the Arizona Cardinals will be ecstatic. The Cardinals are currently thin at wide receiver and need to get Kyler Murray some weapons. Drafting the best overall prospect in this class and one of the best wide receiver prospects in recent history will significantly help. Harrison will instantly be WR1 in Arizona, drawing attention away from Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch and Trey McBride.  

5. Los Angeles Chargers – Malik Nabers, WR, LSU                       

Now that Jim Harbaugh is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, there is an expectation that he would like to insert a physical power run scheme. There has to be plenty of truth in this, however, Justin Herbert is too talented to not throw the football and he needs people to throw to on Sundays. The Chargers only have four receivers on the roster at the moment and it isn’t crazy to say that Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer, Derius Davis and Simi Fehoko would be the worst receiving corps in the entire NFL if the season began today. Nabers is the next best prospect in this class behind Harrison Jr. There are concerns about his maturity and being able to “stay the course” in a big city, but the Chargers need to take the chance and make this pick. Herbert immediately gets his star wide receiver. 

6. New York Giants – J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan                       

The Giants are becoming increasingly unhappy with the injury history of Daniel Jones and are probably regretting his four-year, $160 million deal inked just one year ago. McCarthy has been flying up draft boards and if he is available by pick number six, then the New York Giants may have a quarterback battle on their hands. The ironic thing is that Daniel Jones happens to be one of my two player comparisons for McCarthy. Both are mobile pocket passers with the ability to take off and extend plays. As a passer, McCarthy struggles with consistency when throwing to the boundary, a skill that Jones is weaker in as well. It is hard to tell who would get the nod immediately as the starter, but when McCarthy steps in I doubt a whole lot will change. 

7. Tennessee Titans – Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame                             

The Titans need a trusted right tackle who can not only keep Will Levis upright but also clear rushing lanes for Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. With a top ten selection and no offensive linemen selected yet, the Titans have their opportunity to choose whichever tackle they want. Joe Alt has been widely considered the best offensive tackle in this class and by selecting him, the team will now move Nicholas Petit-Frere back to right tackle. Petit-Frere has experience on either side so the transition should be smooth. Brian and Bill Callahan will likely be pleased with their front five after this pick.  

8. Minnesota Vikings (mock trade with the Atlanta Falcons) – Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington 

We get our first trade of night one still within the top ten. The Falcons have met with three of the four previous quarterbacks selected, but the addition of Kirk Cousins in free agency means they don’t need a starter. As for the rest of the Falcons’ reported visits, most of those projected first round talents should be on the board outside of the top ten. This signals that they may be anticipating trading down. The Vikings would be foolish to start Sam Darnold in 2024 and need a quarterback who is ready immediately. Michael Penix Jr. is one of the most ready to play now. The lethal pocket passer elevated his stock by running a 4.46 40-yard dash at Washington’s Pro Day, proving that he is more athletic than most give him credit for when evaluating. Minnesota then flew out their entire staff for a private workout with Penix in Seattle. The Vikings likely need to ensure that Denver or Las Vegas doesn’t trade up ahead of them, so the former home of Kirk Cousins calls up the new one. Minnesota moves up from pick 11 to get their starting quarterback and in return give the Falcons pick 11, pick 108 and a 5th-rounder next year  

9. Chicago Bears – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington                   

The Bears made a pass at moving up for Marvin Harrison Jr. but to no avail. After staying at number nine, the Bears get an excellent consolation prize in the Harrison and Nabers sweepstakes by snagging Rome Odunze. Caleb Williams will have no shortage of wide receiver weapons and Chicago could confuse defenses by moving Moore, Allen and Odunze around. This will be a nightmare for some of the best secondaries.  

10. Cincinnati Bengals (mock trade with the New York Jets) – Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia 

The Jets would have selected Odunze, but the Bears send the Jets scrambling. Supposedly ownership wants weapons for Aaron Rodgers and the front office wants another tackle. Caught between a rock and a hard place, New York trades down with the Cincinnati Bengals to gain more draft capital and get some time to come to an agreement. The Jets will now have pick 18, pick 49 and a sixth-round selection next year. The Bengals are now able to select top tight end talent Brock Bowers. Slot receiver Tyler Boyd is gone and Bowers will best succeed off the line of scrimmage in the slot. His rare ability will elevate the passing attack and Joe Burrow will love having him as an option. 

11. Atlanta Falcons (mock trade with the Minnesota Vikings) – Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo 

After dropping back just a few spots, the Falcons look to strengthen their defense. New head coach Raheem Morris is a defensive minded guy and he will want to keep building on that side of the football. GM Terry Fontenot will look to do just that and puts the call in for Quinyon Mitchell. After a run of ten offensive players in a row, finally the first defensive player is selected. Toledo’s superstar corner locked down receivers at the Senior Bowl and terrorized the MAC. Now he gets to start opposite A.J. Terrell , looking to shut down the NFC South. 

12. Denver Broncos – Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA                               

The Denver Broncos waited and the Vikings beat them to Michael Penix Jr. Now at pick 12, they turn to their defense and add one of the best edge rushers in this class. Latu will excel in a 3-4 base defense as an outside linebacker. Rotating his speed and pass rush ability with Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper will be huge for a group lacking true star power.  

13. Las Vegas Raiders – Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State                   

The Raiders need some work on their offensive line this offseason. Selecting the second best left tackle in this class is a start. Kolton Miller could switch over to right tackle and Fashanu can man the left side. Regardless of whether Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew or another quarterback is playing, the blindside will be safer with Fashanu protecting it.  

14. New Orleans Saints – Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU                   

Sadly for the New Orleans Saints, the injury bug for Michael Thomas continued to linger year-after-year. Chris Olave is their best receiver at the moment and Rashid Shaheed’s speed has established him as a weapon out of the slot. The team did add Cedrick Wilson Jr. this offseason, yet they still need another trusted outside X receiver. They choose to keep Brian Thomas Jr. in Louisiana and give Derek Carr more to work with this year.  

15. Indianapolis Colts – Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois                 

The Colts have two solid defensive tackles in DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Behind those two players, they do need one more guy for depth. Newton is an intriguing defensive tackle because he offers pass rush ability and quickness but happens to not be an excellent run stopper. By selecting Newton, he can come in on third downs to offer pass rush value or in heavy front sets, he is athletic enough to bump out to defensive end. The Colts will enjoy that versatility.

16. Seattle Seahawks – Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama                 

The Seahawks will likely be shocked to see Dallas Turner still remaining on the board by pick 16. GM John Schneider capitalizes on the gift from the rest of the league by selecting Turner. Mike MacDonald, new head coach for Seattle, is a defensive minded coach. His defense will be operating with a strong rotation of pass rushers between Turner, Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe – hard to imagine he would have any complaints with that. 

17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama   

The Jacksonville Jaguars decide to add a cornerback when they come up on the clock for the first time in 2024. McKinstry will greatly improve their defensive back room instantly. This will be important when facing the explosive Texans’ passing attack twice.

18. New York Jets (mock trade with the Cincinnati Bengals) – Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State 

After trading down with the Bengals, the Jets front office gets their way in the first round due to how the board has fallen. By selecting Taliese Fuaga, they will now be sporting a new left tackle in Tyron Smith and a new right tackle as well. Aaron Rodgers should typically get some time in the pocket and Breece Hall will enjoy running behind Fuaga. 

19. Los Angeles Rams – Tyler Nubin, SAF, Minnesota                   

The Rams have one of the worst defenses on paper that I have ever seen. Aaron Donald was their lone bright spot and now that he has announced his retirement, they need to attack the defensive side of the ball all draft long. Getting the best safety in the draft is a step in the right direction. Nubin can either play true strong safety or play nickel safety so that he is closer to the box. 

20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa                       

Cooper DeJean is used to wearing black and gold and will begin his NFL career in the same color scheme. Last year, Patrick Peterson was lined up opposite Joey Porter Jr. The Steelers did add Donte Jackson in free agency and at the moment he is slated to fill that role. By selecting the ballhawk from Iowa, the team could try DeJean at nickel corner or let him start on the outside ahead of Jackson. DeJean’s return ability might not be needed right away due to the addition of Cordarrelle Patterson, but it could come in handy at some point.

21. Miami Dolphins – Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas                             

The Dolphins have established themselves as the fastest show on turf due to the countless skill position speedsters on the roster. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are well known burners at the wide receiver position. Even in the backfield, De’Von Achane is very quick and Raheem Mostert has another gear in open field. Selecting the player who recently broke the NFL combine 40-yard dash record with a 4.21 is the most Dolphins move ever. Worthy is not only fast but actually an extremely talented receiver. Running him out of the slot with Hill and Waddle on the outside is terrifying.  

22. Philadelphia Eagles – Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State   

The Eagles sent their most productive sack artist in Haason Reddick to the Jets recently. In return they received a 2026 third-round pick, while also picking up former Jets edge rusher Bryce Huff in free agency. Although the flip makes sense for both teams, Brandon Graham is now 36-years-old and the team should prepare for a future without him. Snagging another top-tier edge rusher could be huge for their defense. Chop Robinson may have the quickest burst of any edge rusher in this class and he will shine as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Keeping Robinson in the state of Pennsylvania means that the Eagles could run a rotation of Huff, Robinson, Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith Jr. and Brandon Graham. That would be the deepest outside linebacker group in the entire NFL. 

23. Minnesota Vikings – Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State           

The Vikings lost their star pass rusher in Danielle Hunter to the Texans in free agency. Ironically, the team will look to replace his services with a pick received from a trade with the Texans recently. In order to get up to the 23rd pick, the Vikings had to give up pick 42 and pick 188 this year and a second-round pick in 2025. It was originally believed that this would be leverage to trade up from pick 11, however, in this scenario they were able to move up without burning this pick. Adding Verse now gives Minnesota’s defense a physical edge rusher to combine with the finesse of other new edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. 

24. Dallas Cowboys – Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon     

The Cowboys are facing a bit of turnover on their offensive line after losing Tyron Smith to the New York Jets and Tyler Biadasz to the Washington Commanders. With their first pick of the draft, the Cowboys find their replacement for Biadasz at center. Jackson Powers-Johnson is the best center in this class and will certainly give Dallas some stability upfront.  

25. Green Bay Packers – Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson                   

The Green Bay Packers have a major need of depth in their secondary. Nate Wiggins is a lean cornerback with outstanding straight-line speed and excellent timing when attempting to break up passes. If the Packers do make this selection, it would make sense for Wiggins to start on the outside, opposite Jaire Alexander. Eric Stokes would then be able to slide inside to nickel. It would be surprising to not see Wiggins starting for the Packers’ Week One matchup in Brazil versus Philadelphia. 

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State 

The Buccaneers were able to retain Mike Evans this offseason which means that their starting receivers will once again be Evans, Chris Godwin and Trey Palmer. Rakim Jarrett would be considered the fourth receiver, yet they lack strong depth past that point. Adding Keon Coleman gives the team another X receiver and direct backup for Evans. Coleman will be utilized in the red zone and get an opportunity to learn from one of the more underrated receivers in the game.  

27. Arizona Cardinals – Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama                   

After selecting Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick, the Cardinals turn to the secondary in the back half of the first round. The Cardinals will hope that Terrion Arnold gives their secondary some added spark. Arnold would likely start on the outside but may be worth a try at nickel. Regardless of where he lines up, he will see the field a ton. 

28. Buffalo Bills – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas                                 

The Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis era in Buffalo is officially over. At the moment, Josh Allen’s arsenal of receiving weapons is slim. The addition of Curtis Samuel gives the Bills a versatile slot receiver who happens to be dangerous on screens, reverses and jet sweeps. Khalil Shakir also had a respectable second half of last year, giving him a strong case for increased playing time. Even though Mack Hollins was also added this offseason, he should be no more than a backup on the outside. Ultimately, the Bills should probably add two more receivers in this draft. They start by selecting Adonai Mitchell. Mitchell will immediately be WR1 and give Allen a reliable target on the outside.  

29. Detroit Lions – Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri                   

The Detroit Lions reached for Jahmyr Gibbs last draft, yet that significantly panned out for the team. In fact, the Lions hit on all four of their first selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. Selecting Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the first round feels like a bit of a reach but the Lions will hope for continued success with their picks as they look to strengthen their secondary. The Lions like to play three safety sets with Brian Branch as the nickel safety. If they ever align in a dime package, then Rakestraw may have some value in the slot. He probably won’t start on the outside ahead of new cornerback additions Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson, but he will add value as depth.  

30. Baltimore Ravens – Darius Robinson, DT, Missouri               

Missouri Tigers come off the board in back-to-back selections. Darius Robinson is an interesting prospect because he is a tweener between defensive tackle and edge rusher. Robinson’s great length and motor will intrigue many teams, including the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore is well known for running a 3-4 base defense and Robinson is best suited to align at 3-4 defensive end. This will keep him closer to the football while still being able to utilize his explosiveness as the nose tackle eats up blockers next to him. Robinson has Raven written all over his explosive DNA. He will likely be able to snag the starting spot away from Brent Urban. 

31. San Francisco 49ers – Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon                   

The San Francisco 49ers were once again so close to a Super Bowl. Since coming up a little short, rumors have been circulating about other teams having interest in Brandon Aiyuk. Some of that chatter has recently died down, however, it would not be shocking for the discussions to pick up again prior to the season. Even if Aiyuk remains in San Francisco this season, he will be a free agent in 2025. Troy Franklin will be great to have with Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel but his selection would likely be preparation for a loss of Aiyuk sooner rather than later.  

32. Kansas City Chiefs – Byron Murphy III, DT, Texas                     

With the final pick of the first round, the defending Super Bowl champs look to strengthen their defensive line. Murphy could make a push to start ahead of Derrick Nnadi at defensive tackle. Nonetheless, he is a true 4-3 defensive tackle who at minimum will be an excellent third option in their rotation. 

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