2024 NFL Mock Draft: Five QBs taken in top 15 as NFC team trades up; Cowboys, Steelers help out QBs

The Bears traded Justin Fields to the Steelers, so all that’s left to do is take Caleb Williams here.

I like Jayden Daniels more than Drake Maye — and I’d take him here. But Washington may feel differently; whatever happens, it has to take a QB.

The Patriots were present for both Jayden Daniels’ and Drake Maye’s pro days, and while there have been reports that they may entertain trade-down offers if they don’t find their franchise QB, they won’t have a chance to compete in the AFC East.

I’ve had Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr. closely graded throughout the draft process, but after Nabers’ impressive pro-day numbers, I’m giving him the slightest of edges here. Both receivers are special.

The Chargers have to decide between Marvin Harrison Jr. here or trading down, stockpiling a ton of picks and rebuilding the roster. They chose the latter, allowing the Vikings to sell the farm for J.J. McCarthy.

Best-case scenario for the Giants, who stand pat and have Marvin Harrison Jr. fall in their laps.

The choice here is between Olu Fashanu and Joe Alt, and while Fashanu is my OT1, Alt may be ready to start sooner. In Tennessee, he’ll line up next to 2023 first-rounder Peter Skoronski.

The Falcons now have Rondale Moore and Darnell Mooney on the roster, reducing the likelihood of Rome Odunze. Instead, they beef up the pass rushers with Jared Verse.

It’ll be interesting to see which edge rusher goes off the board first; I lean slightly to Verse but could understand why a team prefers Turner, one of the most explosive players in this class. With Keenan Allen now in Chicago, the Bears — like the Falcons above — can focus on defense here. (Alternatively, now with just four picks in the entire draft, they could choose to trade down.)

Both New York teams get big-time playmakers … after both New York teams spent the early days of free agency trying to fix the offensive line. Garrett Wilson finally gets some help.

The Chargers have jettisoned many of their skill-position players, in part because of the salary cap, and also because Jim Harbaugh will likely lean on the run as he looks to jumpstart this offense. It’s why LA felt comfortable trading out of the No. 5 pick in this mock draft. And even with Olu Fashanu still on the board, Latham, who played right tackle at Alabama, is the pick here. He can slide into the starting job on Day 1, and there are no projecting if he can play a new position (which would be the conversation with Fashanu).

Denver didn’t have the firepower to trade up in this mock draft for QB4, so it stays put and fills big needs on the the defense. Like Jared Verse vs. Dallas Turner, Terrion Arnold vs. Quinyon Mitchell will vary team by team, but both players have a chance to be special. For the Broncos, Arnold has the SEC pedigree, and after the success with Patrick Surtain Jr., going back to the Alabama well was an easy choice.

New head coach Antonio Pierce was in Baton Rouge last week to see Jayden Daniels (and some pretty good WRs), but instead the Raiders stay put and take Michael Penix Jr. here at No. 13.

Somehow Fashanu is still on the board. Trevor Penning hasn’t worked out at left tackle, and Fashanu is too good to pass up in the middle of Round 1.

WR could be a target here, for sure, and while the Colts like their young CBs, Quinyon Mitchell will be CB1 on many teams’ board. So, to get him in the middle of the first round would be a steal.

Troy Fautanu can play tackle, but he may begin his NFL journey as a guard. And as it turns out, the Seahawks have a huge need at the left guard position.

Byron Murphy II is the best defensive linemen in this class, and he could end up going higher than this. The Jags addressed other positional needs early in free agency, and even with the addition of Arik Armstead, Murphy makes a lot of sense here.

I’ve said it since the fall: Brock Bowers is a top-10 talent, but because of the position he plays, and needs at other positions, he could slip to the middle of the first round. Even here, the Bengals could target tackles Taliese Fuaga or Amarius Mims.

Aaron Donald retired, and while it would take 4-5 players to replace his production (and that may be underselling it), Newton is a twitched-up defensive lineman coming off a really good season for Illinois. Cornerback was also a consideration here.

Taliese Fuaga could be long gone by the time the Steelers are on the clock. But if he’s here, this would be a layup; he can be the starter at right tackle while last year’s first-rounder, Broderick Jones, can move over to the left side, where he played at Georgia.

Yes, the Dolphins signed C Aaron Brewer in free agency, but Jackson Powers-Johnson is dominant and should be a Day 1 starter in Miami.

Cooper DeJean is a big, strong, fast cornerback with return ability, and the Eagles need to bolster the secondary.

Brian Thomas Jr. reminds Rick Spielman, my co-host on the “With the First Pick” podcast, of George Pickens. And with Keenan Allen gone, there’s a huge void in the WR room, even if new head coach Jim Harbaugh is going to lean heavily into the run game.

Amarius Mims’ size and athleticism are special, even in this top-flight OL draft class. The only issues are that he hasn’t played much football, and he struggled to stay healthy last fall. But when he was on the field — including his very first college start against Ohio State in the college football playoffs back in January 2023 — he has been dominant. If he had stayed healthy in 2023 (he also tweaked his hamstring at the combine), he would’ve been an easy top-15 pick.

The Packers have a history of only drafting defensive players in the first round, so I’m not going to break tradition here; Alabama thinks Kool-Aid McKinstry has legit NFL cover skills — the only question will be his deep speed — and he answered those questions at his pro day when he ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash. Added bonus: he can be an asset in the return game, too.

The team has moved on from Matt Feiler and Aaron Stinnie, and while they’ve signed Ben Bredeson and Sua Opeta, Graham Barton has Day 1-starter potential. He played left tackle at Duke, but his NFL future will be inside.

The Cards take Malik Nabers at No. 4, and somehow, Laiatu Latu is still on the board at the bottom of Round 1.

The Bills have Greg Rousseau, who has special talents, and they re-upped A.J. Epenesa. But after that, there is a need for some depth, especially now that Von Miller is 35 years old. Robinson may have the highest motor of anyone in this draft class.

Darius Robinson quietly had a dominant season for the Tigers, and followed that up with a not-so-quiet Senior Bowl week, where he showed he can play both as an edge rusher or kick inside. I don’t care that he ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at the combine; he’s 6-foot-5, 285 pounds with 34.5-inch arms and a 35-inch vertical. He’s explosive and powerful and feels like a natural fit opposite Aidan Hutchinson in Detroit.

This make sense; Morgan Moses is now with the Jets, and Tyler Guyton, who was dominant at right tackle for the Sooners last season, slides into the starting job.

I was tempted to go with AD Mitchell here, just in case the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk can’t agree on a long-term deal. Instead, I went with one of my favorite defensive players in this class. Yes, Rakestraw only weighed 183 pounds at the combine, but his playing style reminds me of Devon Witherspoon … who weighed 181 pounds at the combine a year ago.

The Chiefs added Hollywood Brown in free agency, but there’s also room for AD Mitchell, whose size, speed and explosiveness make him an obvious upgrade over Marquez Valdes-Scantling.