Oh what a rush! Hard to believe that we are one quarter of the way through the football season. This fall has brought excitement, drama and plenty of unknown. However, that won’t prevent us from taking a stab at an early season NFL Mock Draft. There’s sure to be plenty of moving and shaking between now and April but here’s a look into our crystal ball as to how the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit could possibly unfold. Thank you for reading All Access Football, the number one independent football newsletter on the planet.
1. Chicago Bears – Caleb Williams, QB, USC, Jr: The way things are trending in Chi-Town it could be a clean sweep (GM/HC/QB could all be gone). No better way to start anew than with the most anticipated quarterback since Trevor Lawrence.
2. Las Vegas Raiders – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina: While Jimmy Garoppolo is a nice placeholder and Aidan O’Connell has shown well, the opportunity to select Maye is too enticing.
3. Chicago Bears (via Panthers) – Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State, Jr: Coming back around again due to their trade with Carolina, the Bears add an elite receiver to pair with their new blue chip quarterback.
4. Los Angeles Chargers – Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois, rJr: A steady riser, Newton is big, athletic, explosive and can disrupt the backfield. The Chargers need to get more physical up front on defense.
5. Arizona Cardinals – Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama, Jr: This has been a stingy defensive unit and if Arizona is able to add a lockdown corner to the mix, it’ll open up the pass-rush possibilities.
6. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans) – Laiata Latu, OLB, UCLA, rSr: If head coach Jonathan Gannon learned anything from his time in Philly, it’s that you can never have enough pass-rushers; the Cardinals double-down on defense.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas, rSo: The Baker Mayfield resurgence is a cool story but a reality check could be in store; there’s a reason why it was a one-year deal.
8. Denver Broncos – Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia, Jr: It remains to be seen if the Broncos can get out from the albatross contract of Russell Wilson and considering how much they gave up, it could be hard. Only other choice is to keep building around him.
9. Washington Commanders – JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan, Jr: With new ownership could come a new head coach and/or signal-caller. The poised, accurate McCarthy could be the best quarterback DC has had since Kirk Cousins.
10. Indianapolis Colts – Joe Alt, Jr, OT, Notre Dame, Jr: With the need of quarterback being so great around the league, it could result in some top players such as Alt to slide. He would be an excellent blindside protector for AR5.
11. Minnesota Vikings – Bo Nix, QB, Oregon, rSr: The worst-kept secret in football is the Vikings’ desire to move on from the aforementioned Cousins (go figure). With the dual-threat Nix, the offensive could evolve from being a mobilized offense.
12. New England Patriots – Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State, rJr: While New England could also be in the quarterback market, they are on the outside looking in of the run on signal-callers. It would be great value to land Fashanu here.
13. New Orleans Saints – Jared Verse, DE, Florida State, rJr: It has been and always will be about defense, so long as Dennis Allen remains. The damage Verse could do lining up opposite of Cameron Jordan and company is exciting to think about.
14. New York Jets – Graham Barton, OT, Duke, Sr: If Aaron Rodgers returns, keeping him upright should be top priority. Mekhi Brown has been a debacle, while Duane Brown has battled injuries and is on a one-year deal.
15. New York Giants – Malik Nabers, WR, LSU, Jr: The G-Men desperately need playmakers; nabbing Nabers would provide a solid young nucleus alongside rookie wideout Jaylin Hyatt.
16. Tennessee Titans – Trey Benson, RB, Florida State, rJr: Both Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry will be unrestricted free agents this offseason. Tennessee may want to reconstruct with a young, big-bodied back such as Benson for a fraction of the cost.
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17. Los Angeles Rams – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State, Jr: Even with the emergence of Puka Nacua as a premier talent, the Rams need a dependable complimentary target and will have several pending free agents at the wideout position.
18. Houston Texans (via Browns) – Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia, Jr: The Texans offensive line unit seems to revolve weekly due to injuries and mishaps; adding Mims provides a foundational building block to help protect new franchise signal-caller CJ Stroud.
19. Atlanta Falcons – Dallas Turner, OLB, Alabama, Jr: While the Falcons have quite a few needs, with several aging vets coming up on free agency, Atlanta needs to inject some fresh legs into the pass-rush unit.
20. Cincinnati Bengals – JC Latham, OT, Alabama, Jr: Maintaining a healthy Joe Burrow has been concerning and starter Jonah Williams will be seeking a significant pay raise on the open market.
21. Green Bay Packers – Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota, Sr: Green Bay has been seeking stability on the backend of the secondary for quite some time and the heat-seeking Nubin offers mega versatility.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers – Maason Smith, DT, LSU, rSo: The lengthy, strong and physical Smith would fit right in with the Pittsburgh DNA. They have had turnover up front on defense and Cameron Heyward could hang up the cleats—with a valid case for Canton.
23. Dallas Cowboys – Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson, Jr: There are several directions that Dallas could choose to go in but by pairing Wiggins with Trevin Diggs, the Cowboys would have one of the more formidable corner duos in the league.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars – Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas, Jr: It’s unlikely that Jacksonville will be able to re-up both Calvin Ridley and Jamal Agnew, who duals as an excellent return man. The Jaguars like speed and Worthy could challenge John Ross’ record forty-yard dash in Indy.
25. Philadelphia Eagles – Chop Robinson, DE, Penn State, Jr: A natural replacement for Brandon Graham who is playing out the final year of his contract and would seem to be his swan song in Philadelphia.
26. Buffalo Bills – Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa, Jr: Former first round pick Kair Elam has been a healthy scratch and is officially a bust, while Tre’Davious White has apparently suffered yet another season-ending injury.
27. Detroit Lions – Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami, Jr: The Chauncey Gardner-Johnson experiment was short-lived and he can’t be depended upon. Enter Kinchens who aligns with the Lions philosophy and can serve as an enforcer as the last line of defense.
28. Kansas City Chiefs – Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State, Jr: The wide receiver committee is cool and all but this offense was much more lethal when it had a bonafide number one wideout; Coleman could assert himself rather quickly with the current group of castoffs.
29. San Francisco 49ers – Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan, Sr: A legacy player who bringstoughness and tenacity, Jenkins could also help offset the potential loss of Javon Kinlaw who will enter free agency.
30. Miami Dolphins – Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas: How about some more speed at the only position that Miami seems to lack playmakers. Sanders would add another dynamic weapon into the offensive fold.
31. Seattle Seahawks – Cedric Gray, LB, North Carolina, Sr: Expect Gray to be a combine riser and shoot up draft boards as we approach April. He is fast, quick to diagnose and constantly shows up around the football.
32. Baltimore Ravens – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas, Jr: The gamble on Odell-Beckham Jr., who was signed to a one-year deal has yet to payoff, so the constant search to find Lamar Jackson more weapons continues.
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Thank you for the feedback Bobber. The last pick (Ravens) was meant to be fast-riser Adonai Mitchell from Texas, I have made the correction. Great to have such knowledgeable readers such as yourself on board, buckle up!
Hate to nit pick but you have bothered the Chiefs and Ravens taking the same player.
Also, Brown is gone from the Jets,IR. Has been successfully replaced by Becton who has been replaced by Vera-Tucker