2024 NFL Mock Draft: Patriots, Seahawks among six teams selecting first-round QBs

National Football League

Published Feb. 14, 2024 7:19 p.m. ET

Let the speculation begin.

With the NFL season officially coming to a close after the Kansas City Chiefs were crowned Super Bowl champions, football fans now shift their focus to the 2024 NFL Draft, which is just over two months away.

The draft is one of the most fun events on the football calendar, and it’s very different from what I get to do in the fall, which is talk about college football and things that are more concrete. The lead-up to the NFL Draft, for the most part, is speculative.

With that said, I’m going to offer up my first mock draft of the NFL offseason. The beauty of a first mock draft is that you are allowed to be creative and throw out some scenarios that are really fun, which is exactly what I did with my mock draft 1.0.

Here is a look at my complete 2024 first-round NFL mock draft:

1. Chicago Bears – QB Caleb Williams, USC

I truly believe Chicago is going to end up trading Justin Fields and pick Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. I know that this is the consensus, but there are a lot of things that make sense in this pick for me. Williams’ talent can’t be overlooked. He’s been the closest thing to Patrick Mahomes in college football for the last two years. In so many ways, he’s even more polished and, at least in college, was better than Mahomes was at Texas Tech.

Williams carries so many of those same traits that make Mahomes almost impossible to beat in the postseason. He has the ability to make plays outside of the pocket and is absolutely deadly on the run, which I think is his best attribute.

What will the Bears do with Caleb Williams, Justin Fields in the NFL draft?

This isn’t an indictment on Fields. I don’t think that this is a conversation or an evaluation between the two specific players because the details surrounding these players are so vastly different. Remember, you’re looking at Fields entering the fourth year of a rookie deal, and now you’re going to have to make a decision: Are you signing him to a long-term contract? Why not start the rookie contract clock over? I think that’s more beneficial than anything.

2. Washington Commanders – QB Drake Maye, UNC

If Williams wasn’t in the draft, Maye would be a slam dunk No. 1 overall pick.

I got to call one of his games last year when UNC played in the Holiday Bowl. Even in a loss, he was sensational. My jaw was on the floor most of the night in the booth just because of some of the plays and throws that he was making.

He is a bit Josh Allen 2.0 for me and when you look at him in college, he’s better than what Allen was at Wyoming. He’s big. There is some athleticism in the pocket. But then his ability to get the ball out and on target is pretty exquisite.

3. New England Patriots – QB Jayden Daniels, LSU

The Patriots have to go quarterback as well, and Jayden Daniels is the No. 3 quarterback on my list. Daniels was sensational as the Heisman Trophy winner this past season and he does so many things that should translate to the modern NFL.

Ten years ago, I think there would have been a bigger debate surrounding Daniels because he’s not the biggest quarterback. But his mobility and athleticism, along with his ability to attack down the field by throwing the ball in intermediate and downfield zones, make him very attractive to the next level.

It’s pretty obvious that New England is going to be searching for a quarterback. Mac Jones is not going to be the answer.

4. Arizona Cardinals – WR Marvin Harrison, Ohio State

You know the Cardinals are set with Kyler Murray. They gave him a big, big extension, and now they’ve got to give him weapons, particularly on the outside.

The best one is Harrison, which is a pretty easy pick. You know how I feel about him. I think he’s the best non-quarterback in the draft. That’s an easy selection for Arizona.

Caleb Williams, Brock Bowers & Marvin Harrison Jr. in Joel Klatt’s mock draft 1.0

5. Los Angeles Chargers – TE Brock Bowers, Georgia

This is where it gets interesting. The first four picks are pretty easy, but then you wonder where the Chargers want to go? Do they want to go defense? Do they want to go offensive line? Do they want to get Justin Herbert a weapon?

Knowing what I know about Jim Harbaugh, his philosophy and the way he likes to play offense, he has almost always had a versatile tight end dating back to his days at Stanford. The deal with Michigan over the last few years, and even if you go back to the 49ers with a guy like Vernon Davis, is that you not only have to have the ability to go down low, but he also wants to put two and three tight ends on the field to get a big personnel group to try and hurt the defense with a flex style, fast tight end.

Bowers fits Harbaugh perfectly. I love this pick.

6. New York Giants – WR Rome Odunze, Washington

I think the Giants going wide receiver here, regardless if it’s Odunze or Malik Nabers. They need playmakers and I would take Odunze.

Odunze is phenomenal. This guy is bigger than you think he is. He is a really good route runner. And if not for what I would categorize as a generational talent in Harrison, Odunze would be categorized as the best playmaker at wide receiver in the draft.

7. Tennessee Titans – OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame

The Titans gave up the fourth-most sacks last season. Luckily for them, this draft is heavy on offensive tackles. This is one of the things that I really love about this draft – we’ve got a lot of quarterbacks, we’ve got very good wide receivers, and we’ve got a really good, deep group of offensive linemen. This has not been the case in every single draft. Because of that, I think that there are going to be some differences and variances in the way that teams evaluate these players.

I don’t know if there is a surefire No. 1 offensive tackle based on their differences. But it would surprise me if Alt wasn’t one of the first two offensive tackles selected. He’s my No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in this draft.

8. Atlanta Falcons – EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama

The Falcons need some pass-rushing help along the edge. Turner is my top-ranked edge rusher, so he remains down south and goes to Atlanta.

9. Bears (from Carolina Panthers) – WR Malik Nabers, LSU

In my draft, the Bears already selected Williams, so they need to give him some help on the outside. With Harrison and Odunze off the board, you have to think if the group of wide receiver prospects is deep enough to go down that rabbit hole so early in the draft.

I think it is. Nabers is a really great player. If you add him with D.J. Moore as targets for Williams, you’ve got something going on offense. And to be fair to Fields, he never had a wide receiver duo as talented as those two.

10. New York Jets – OT, Olu Fashanu, Penn State

You’ve got to maximize the years you have with Aaron Rodgers. He’s coming back, but you’ve got to be able to protect him. The Jets have good enough of a defense and Garrett Wilson is still on the outside. If you can protect Rodgers, the Jets should be pretty good and a playoff team.

I got to cover Fashanu a bunch. He’s a really wonderful human being, maybe even a better human being than he is a football player or vice versa, but he’s great in both categories. He’s just scratching the surface and I think he’s got the highest upside among all offensive linemen in the draft. He would have been the top offensive tackle taken off the board last year, but he opted to stay and get his degree.

Any chance the New York Jets see the playoffs next season?

11. Minnesota Vikings – CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama

The Vikings, I believe, need some help in their secondary. Arnold is my top cornerback in this draft, but I’m still diving more into scouting these players as draft prospects. There are a handful of good cornerbacks in this draft.

12. Denver Broncos – QB Bo Nix, Oregon

You can argue that this is possibly where the draft starts. We know there are going to be quarterbacks taken up high. The Broncos could try and trade up if Sean Payton falls in love with one of the top quarterbacks. But they don’t have a lot of ammunition to do so because they don’t have a second-round pick.

The Russell Wilson trade didn’t work out. Denver has to get cheap salary-wise at the quarterback position as a result and find a quarterback who can fit Payton’s preference of playing like a point guard. Payton likes to call scat protections in big moments, where he’s only going to protect with five upfront and then have five free releases, counting on his quarterback to protect himself with his feet and accurately get the ball out on time.

It might be a little high to select Nix, but he fits that mold perfectly. He’s an experienced, smart, point guard-style and accurate passer. Maybe the Broncos can move back to pick Nix, but they have to select him in the first round because they don’t have a second-round pick.

13. Las Vegas Raiders – OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State

The Raiders need help upfront and they need to get more physical. I like Fuaga a lot. Not many people got to see him a ton, but he was terrific for Jonathan Smith. The last couple of years, Oregon State was a really good running team, in large part due to Fuaga. He was one of the best offensive linemen in the country.

14. New Orleans Saints – EDGE Jared Verse, Florida State

Verse is a really good, athletic player. I like him a lot. I could see him with double-digit sacks early in his career.

15. Indianapolis Colts – CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo

The Colts need help on their defense, particularly in the secondary. I don’t think a lot of people know Mitchell unless you followed college football at depth. I think he’s a guy who can be an under-the-radar riser. He’s got good speed and he’s fluid.

16. Seattle Seahawks – QB JJ McCarthy, Michigan

This is so interesting because of their new coaching staff. Mike Macdonald coached under John Harbaugh, then Jim Harbaugh, then John Harbaugh again. What do you think he’s going to be trying to build? The Raven-Michigan way. That’s going to be a great defense, hard edges, run stuffer in the middle and good hybrid players in the secondary.

Offensively, you want to be able to ground and pound and then have a quarterback who can create in order to play at the top end with this philosophy. You have to have a quarterback that can create. That’s why Baltimore is having great success with Lamar Jackson. That’s why Michigan won the national championship. The Wolverines had a quarterback who could complete a pass on fourth down against Alabama or go get a first down in several other big games.

Nobody in this draft, outside of Jim Harbaugh, is going to know McCarthy as well as Mike Macdonald, who was the coordinator at Michigan when McCarthy was a freshman. McCarthy wasn’t the starter yet, but when I called many of their games that season, everyone knew he was the future of the program.

J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix & Terrion Arnold in Joel Klatt’s mock draft 1.0

Now, you look at McCarthy’s record at Michigan and the way he’s played over the last two years, his play will jump off the tape even though he didn’t throw the ball the way the other top quarterback prospects did. He played a great complementary style to the philosophy that Michigan wanted to run. I think that’s going to be really attractive to Macdonald.

What’s interesting about this is that former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is now the offensive coordinator in Seattle. Many will think that the Seahawks will take Michael Penix Jr. due to his natural connection, but it’s going to be Macdonald’s call. He’s not, necessarily, going to want to play the way Washington did and throw the ball all over the lot. Macdonald’s going to be trying to put the philosophy and the organizational structure in place, just like Michigan and Baltimore.

What quarterback would be better to do that than the guy who just led Michigan to a 15-0 record and a national championship? He’s more NFL-ready than you think.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars – CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson

The Jaguars need help in the secondary. Wiggins is one of my top corner prospects in the draft, so a natural fit here.

18. Cincinnati Bengals – OT JC Latham, Alabama

I think this will be the start of a run on offensive tackles. There are a few that I like to be picked in the mid-to-late first-round area.

The Bengals need offensive line help and Latham makes sense. He was Alabama’s right tackle and the Bengals just need to protect Joe Burrow.

19. Los Angeles Rams – OT Amarius Mims, Georgia

Similar to the Bengals, picking an offensive lineman makes a lot of sense for the Rams. You’re not going to get many more years of Matthew Stafford, so you’ve got to protect him. Mims, who played right tackle at Georgia, can step right in and do that.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers – OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma

The Steelers fall into that vain of offensive linemen-needy teams. I’d watch for Guyton, who played right tackle at Oklahoma.

21. Miami Dolphins – QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington

This is a fascinating pick. The Dolphins need to make a decision on Tua Tagovailoa’s contract. There are so many advantages to not paying your quarterback.

As someone who suffered 10 concussions during my college career, I’m going to put this as compassionately as possible: Giving Tagovailoa a huge deal is risky. He’s been injury-prone outside of his head injuries, but from first-hand experience, it doesn’t get better. It’s not like a ligament. I’m nervous for him.

So, I can see Penix fitting in with this offense and these weapons, looking similar to how he did in college. Imagine the Dolphins getting to start over with a rookie deal at that position while getting to solidify what they’ve got, particularly at the skill positions, and having a quarterback who’s a better downfield passer than Tagovailoa?

Michael Penix Jr. & Troy Franklin in Joel Klatt’s mock draft 1.0

Tagovailoa does a lot of things well, and I think he’d be a perfect fit for Payton’s offense in Denver, so I’m not saying he should be out of the league. And yes, Tyreek Hill had a great year. But how often did he have to adjust to an underthrown ball? Penix’s best attribute is to throw with great accuracy and leverage down the field.

I want to see how Penix fits in this offense. It would be amazing.

22. Philadelphia Eagles – OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon

The Eagles likely need to find their heir apparent to Jason Kelce. Powers-Johnson was a center at Oregon, though he doesn’t necessarily have to play center in the NFL. There aren’t many centers that get taken in the first round. Powers-Johnson can play guard at well.

23. Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns) – EDGE Laiatu Latu, UCLA

You would assume that CJ Stroud is going to get better and better. If he’s going to give you the lead in games often, the best thing you can do is pass-rush the opposition efficiently. They’ve already got Will Anderson, but why not give him another partner on the opposite side? He’s got double-digit sacks over the last two years.

24. Dallas Cowboys – OT Jordan Morgan, Arizona

This isn’t a sexy pick for the Cowboys, but Morgan makes a lot of sense. Tyron Smith is 33 and a free agent, so they need some help at offensive tackle.

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25. Green Bay Packers – DT Byron Murphy, Texas

The Packers desperately need help on the interior of their defense to stop the run. I like Murphy. He played great for Steve Sarkisian at Texas.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – CB Cooper Dejean, Iowa

The Buccaneers need to bolster their secondary, so how about taking the ballhawk Hawkeye? He had seven interceptions and three pick-sixes over the last couple of seasons.

27. Cardinals (from Texans) – EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn State

The Cardinals had the third-fewest sacks and they get the opportunity to draft a hell of a player from Penn State. I thought about having the Cowboys select Robinson, but Robinson is explosive and a good fit for the Cardinals.

28. Buffalo Bills – WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU

The Bills need to do something on the outside for Josh Allen. Stefon Diggs is 30 and Gabe Davis is a free agent. So, why not give him Thomas?

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

What a great playoff run it was for the Lions, but it was clear that they needed to help their secondary. Their pass rush is pretty good, but they need to help it out with a better secondary.

30. Baltimore Ravens – WR Keon Coleman, Florida State

I didn’t love the Ravens’ game plan against the Chiefs and thought they should’ve run the ball more. But you also need to have the ability to run play action with guys who can create at wide receiver and win 50-50 balls. Coleman checks those boxes.

31. San Francisco 49ers – CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

Similar to the Lions, the 49ers can bolster their pass rush by improving their secondary. Why not get more quality defensive backs? And maybe you end up facing Mahomes again.

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32. Kansas City Chiefs– WR Troy Franklin, Oregon

Mahomes would be getting a player who I could easily categorize as the second- or third-best wide receiver in college football last season.

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.