2024 NFL Draft: 6 QBs go in top 13, Jets trade up in Joel Klatt’s mock draft
Draft week is here, and we’ll finally start seeing players going to new homes.
Before that happens, it’s time for one last mock draft. In my previous two mock drafts, I had six quarterbacks going in the first round. That hasn’t changed in my final mock draft, but I’ve shuffled the landing spots of a few of them.
I’m excited for the 2024 NFL Draft, which I’ll cover on NFL Network for the first two days.
As the final countdown is here, here’s my last mock draft of the year.
2024 NFL Draft prospect rankings | Top 10 QB prospects | Top 10 RB prospects | Top 10 WR prospects | Top 10 TE prospects | Top 10 OT prospects | Top 10 IOL prospects | Joel Klatt’s first mock draft | Joel Klatt’s second mock draft
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina Panthers) — QB Caleb Williams, USC
We all know what’s going to happen. Williams is going to a place where he’s better suited to have success than Justin Fields was when he was drafted. I think Williams can have a lot of success in Chicago and I hope he does. This situation is pretty rare for a team to pick a quarterback at the top of the draft.
2. Washington Commanders — QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
Personally, I would draft Drake Maye. However, there’s too much smoke in NFL circles about Daniels going to Washington and how much some of these guys love the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Part of that is because he’s a safer pick. He might not have the overall ceiling that Maye has, but he’s safer. I know Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury loves Daniels.
Daniels has the ability to run, which is a huge feather in his cap. Defensive coordinators will hate seeing that. He can also throw the ball well and can throw it beautifully. He’s smart and mature. I still like the player, even if I would’ve drafted someone else instead.
3. New England Patriots— QB Drake Maye, UNC
Here’s what’s interesting: Depending on how much the Patriots love J.J. McCarthy, they could be willing to deal this pick.
But if they stay pat, Maye should be the pick. Maye has a ridiculously high ceiling. I understand some of the criticisms and that he occasionally plays too loose. But he’s hyper-competitive and the team around him wasn’t the best last season, so he was trying to do everything in his power to win. He has all of the tools necessary to succeed.
Of all the teams who’ll likely draft a quarterback in the first round, New England has the least around the young quarterback to succeed early in his career. I don’t know what the Patriots are doing on the offensive line. They don’t seem to have a ton of weapons. This might not be one of the most advantageous situations to go, but if you’re one of these guys, you still want to get drafted as high as possible.
4. Arizona Cardinals — WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Some mock drafts have the Cardinals trading out of this pick as teams might feel inclined to try and trade up to draft a quarterback. The Cardinals don’t have to do that because the player they need and want is right there. Outside of Williams, Harrison is the best player in this draft. He’s so good, particularly on third downs with his body control and ability to get open. He’s such a hard worker. He should be a No. 1 receiver for a long time, and I’d be shocked if he wasn’t an All-Pro at some point.
5. Minnesota Vikings (trade with Chargers) — QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
This is where the draft gets interesting. If this is how the first four picks go, Jim Harbaugh holds the keys to where his college quarterback is going to play. I would be shocked if they aren’t in communication about that, and I think Harbaugh wishes in a lot of ways that he could draft McCarthy. The Chargers won’t trade Justin Herbert, but I think they’ve kicked the tires on this. The problem is that the money doesn’t work, owing Herbert too much and creating a massive dead cap hit. I don’t think they’ve abandoned that thinking because Harbaugh loves McCarthy.
So, Minnesota is ultimately where Harbaugh decides to send McCarthy. It’s the best place to go for any of these quarterbacks, with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at receiver and Kevin O’Connell as a playcaller, giving whoever ends up going here a chance to have a C.J. Stroud-esque rookie season.
6. New York GiantsWR Malik Nabers, LSU
The Giants need a lot of help on the outside. I’m hearing a lot of buzz about Nabers going here. What he does after the catch, his speed and his explosiveness are all special. All of those are going to pay huge dividends at the next level.
7. New York Jets (trade with Titans) —WR Rome Odunze, Washington
If you’re the Titans, you can stand pat and just take one of the top offensive linemen.
Or you can realize what’s going on and see that only one of the three premium receiver prospects are still on the board. If a team really loves Odunze, they might have to trade up and get him at this point. The Jets might be one of those teams, and such a trade would allow the Titans to likely still be able to draft one of the top offensive tackles in this draft.
This would be a really good spot for Odunze and would certainly show that they’re all-in for Aaron Rodgers and create a really strong receiver duo with Garrett Wilson.
8. Atlanta Falcons — Edge rusher Dallas Turner, Alabama
This is an easy one. The Falcons need some help on the edge and getting to the quarterback, making Turner the first defensive player off the board. I would be really surprised if this wasn’t the pick.
9. Chicago Bears — OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame
What a draft this would be if the Bears were able to get Williams and not have to do anything to land the top offensive tackle in the draft. They took Darnell Wright to be their right tackle in the first round last year, so adding Alt would be a great bookend on the other side.
10. Tennessee Titans (trade with Jets) — OT Olu Fashanu, Penn State
Don’t worry, Titans. You can still get a top-end offensive tackle prospect after trading down and losing out on Alt. Fashanu can play left tackle and has a lot of upside. He’s smart, tough and will only get better in the run game. He’s already athletic enough to dominate in pass protection.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (trade with Vikings) — TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
Harbaugh can trade back from five because it’s likely that the player and the position group he covets will still be available at 11 while also picking up a second first-round pick in the process. So, he can get Bowers here and draft an offensive lineman later.
Bowers is a prototypical player for Harbaugh’s offense. Many will argue that this is a prime receiver destination, but Harbaugh has never prioritized the position. It doesn’t mean he hasn’t had good ones, but he prioritizes tight ends because he wants to run offense out of 12 personnel (two tight ends). It creates extra pressure on the defense by either spreading out the offense to pass the ball or getting big to run the ball. Bowers can own the middle of the field in the pass game and block in the run game.
Simply put, I think Jim Harbaugh loves Brock Bowers.
12. Denver Broncos — QB Bo Nix, Oregon
The Broncos have to get a quarterback. I think they like Nix, but they might want to try and trade down from this position, first. In their mind, they might think they can draft Nix later. However, there isn’t really a player that someone has to move to No. 12 to draft.
This might be a reach to draft Nix here, but this is a good fit for him. Sean Payton’s offense is perfect for Nix. He wants a point guard out there with five free releases and can protect himself with his mind. He’s accurate and can get the ball out quickly. Nix, in a lot of ways, is a version of Drew Brees. He might not be as polished as Brees was coming out of college, but they have a similar passing style.
13. Las Vegas Raiders — QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington
The Raiders can go in a lot of directions here, but they have a lot of questions at quarterback. Penix is one of the most polarizing prospects in this draft, but I’m unsure why. What he was asked to do at Washington was what he’ll be asked to do in the NFL. You don’t have to project his success because we got to see him 15-to-20 times a game control the game from the pocket.
Penix is the best deep-ball thrower in this draft. That description might sell him short, though. He passes the football down the field. When you watch the leverage and ball placement he uses down the field, it’s better than anyone in the draft and one of the better ones I’ve evaluated in the last few years. He’s always putting the ball on the receiver’s side.
14. New Orleans Saints— OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
Similar to the Raiders, the Saints can go in a lot of directions here. Fuaga played right tackle at Oregon State, making him a good replacement for Ryan Ramczyk as he’s struggled battling back from knee surgery this offseason.
15. Indianapolis Colts — CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
The Colts need help in the secondary. There might be some debate between Mitchell and Arnold here. However, Mitchell ran the faster 40, he’s stronger, and I like his length. I’m not scared off by the fact that Mitchell played in a lower conference, as we’ve seen Sauce Gardner have success.
16. Seattle Seahawks — DT Byron Murphy, Texas
Mike Macdonald will want to implement his defensive philosophy right away in Seattle, looking to create a run wall. Building a run wall starts with defensive tackles and Murphy is right there. Murphy is a good fit here as there’s an old adage that you build a defense front to back and inside-out. Murphy is a foundational piece for that.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars— CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama
If the Colts take Arnold, Mitchell would also make sense here. But this is a terrific spot for Arnold, he can really solidify the Jaguars’ secondary. I really love his story, with Nick Saban playing him at corner, as many thought he’d play safety in college. He was a freshman All-American and an All-American last year. He doesn’t have a ton of experience, so he has high upside. I love his game.
18. Cincinnati Bengals — WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
This is an interesting spot for the Bengals. It’s a deep draft at receiver and they need some Tee Higgins insurance. Let’s keep the LSU to Cincinnati pipeline going. I like Thomas a lot and in most other drafts, he’d possibly be a top-10 pick.
19. Los Angeles Rams— Edge rusher Jared Verse, Florida State
I loved Verse’s production at Florida State. He’s a really good player and played at a high level. I love his quickness and strength. He also plays hard on every down, regardless if he’s attacking the quarterback or if it’s a run.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers — OT Amarius Mims, Georgia
This was a little bit harder for me to figure out. The Steelers can draft Mims and move fellow former Georgia Bulldog Broderick Jones from right tackle to left tackle.
21. Miami Dolphins — OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
Dolphins fans were all over me for having Penix go here in my first two mock drafts. I thought it’d be a great fit. The Tua Tagovailoa folks were having none of it though.
But the Dolphins have made it clear that Tagovailoa will be their quarterback moving forward. If you feel like he’s your guy, you protect him. With Tagovailoa’s structure, you want to prioritize interior offensive line help to keep the pass rush out of his lap.
22. Philadelphia Eagles — CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
The Eagles could go interior offensive line, though Wiggins also fills a need here at corner.
23. Los Angeles Chargers (trade with Vikings via Texans and Browns) — OT JC Latham, Alabama
There are plenty of quality offensive linemen available here that would allow Harbaugh to run a team in his image. Do we expect him to suddenly deviate from that? He once told me and my announcer partner, Gus Johnson, that his offensive philosophy comes from his dad saying, “When you finally bury me, I want a diagram of a power play on my tombstone.” That’s how deeply they care about the physical nature of how to run the football.
Latham would be a strong pickup.
24. Dallas Cowboys — OL Troy Fautanu, Washington
The Cowboys could do a lot of things here. They need flexibility up front to protect Dak Prescott. When you talk to people at Washington, they’ll say how much Fautanu means to the program. In fact, FOX Sports’ Brock Huard (a former Husky) told me he’s one of his favorite players to ever come out of the program.
25. Green Bay Packers — OL Graham Barton, Duke
The Packers could go interior offensive line here. I like Barton a lot. He’s got some center in his background, but he can play all three interior positions – either guard or center. From that standpoint, I like this pick.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Edge rusher Chop Robinson, Penn State
Robinson’s first step and quickness are elite. Everyone talks about how Michigan ran the ball 32 straight times against Penn State this past season when discussing McCarthy. Robinson was the reason for that. Michigan was not going to be able to block him, in particular on the road, where it’s loud and this guy times up the snap cadence. He creates problems in the backfield.
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Texans) — Edge rusher, Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Even if Robinson is gone, the Cardinals could go with an edge rusher. This would be a steal. He suffered a neck injury in practice at Washington earlier in his career and medically retired from the sport. He thought he was never going to be able to play again. But he got a second opinion from Peyton Manning’s doctor, getting a second lease on his football life and following his position coach down to UCLA. When you talk about production, this guy was fantastic for the Bruins, and a big reason why they were so much better over the past couple of years. He is quick, athletic, long, and he’s got great instincts.
Just for his story, I hope this is the case, and he continues to stay in the first round, even with that neck injury history.
28. Buffalo Bills — DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
The Bills could easily go wide receiver here, but I really love Newton, who is disruptive on the inside of the interior defensive line. I think he’s the second-best interior defensive lineman. He is mean and nasty and can get upfield. I really like his game. They tried to sign Arik Armstead when he was released by the 49ers, but they missed out, so this is a good chance to solidify the interior of that defensive line.
29. Detroit Lions — CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
The Lions’ draft last year was Big Ten, Midwest-heavy, especially with players who produced. DeJean fits that mold. He’s a perfect Lion. This guy has great instincts. He is always around the football. In a lot of ways, he would have been and was Iowa’s best offensive player. He was their best chance to score. They were going to start putting him on offense when he hurt himself, so he is coming off an injury, but, to me, this one just makes a lot of sense.
30. Baltimore Ravens — Edge rusher Darius Robinson, Missouri
The Ravens get some continued help on the outside. This is a team that always drafts the best possible player and the best available player.
31. San Francisco 49ers — Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
When you look at what the 49ers need to do, they need to line up with the Chiefs and stop Patrick Mahomes. How do you do that? You continue to get hybrid, nickel, safety-type defensive backs, and Kool-Aid McKinstry could be that type.
32. Kansas City Chiefs — WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas
I think Mitchell can be a No. 1. He is a good story. He played a lot of different places in high school and then transferred from Georgia to Texas. People don’t realize he transferred to Texas just to be around his daughter, who’s in Houston.
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Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him on X/Twitter at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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