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2024 NFL Mock Draft 4.0: Bears reset at QB with USC's Caleb Williams, Patriots land LSU's Jayden Daniels

By Trevor Sikkema

• Keep an eye on LSU QB Jayden Daniels climbing draft boards: The New England Patriots make the Heisman Trophy winner the No. 3 overall pick in this mock draft.

• Marvin Harrison Jr. falls into the Cardinals' lap: Arizona, seemingly all-in on Kyler Murray at quarterback, secures the top wide receiver in the 2024 class at No. 4.

• Draft and trade for yourself: Try PFF's Mock Draft Simulator — trade picks and players and mock for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time: 17 minutes

With Week 18 now in the books, we have an official, solidified draft order for the non-playoff teams in the 2024 NFL Draft. After a weekend full of evolving picks, here’s our official mock draft following the 2023-24 NFL regular season.

FIRST ROUND

1. CHICAGO BEARS (VIA CAR): QB CALEB WILLIAMS, USC

Quarterback Justin Fields is playing some of the best ball of his NFL career. Perhaps that sways the Bears to trade the top pick for the second year in a row and acquire even more premium selections. Ultimately, I think they will reset their rookie quarterback contract window and trade Fields for a nice return. This draft process will be fascinating when it comes to the quarterback debate, but I still say Williams is the top prospect.

2. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: QB DRAKE MAYE, NORTH CAROLINA

Big changes are coming to the Commanders’ front office and coaching staff when the regular season comes to a close. With new ownership now in place, it seems likely the franchise will completely turn the page. It will be even easier to do so if the Commanders beat out the Patriots for the No. 2 pick, where the easy choice is whoever is available between Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, with either being a franchise quarterback to invest in.

3. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: QB JAYDEN DANIELS, LSU

Week 18 will be a photo finish for one of the Commanders, Patriots and Cardinals to get the No. 2 overall pick. The Patriots and Commanders have the inside track with a much lower strength of schedule tiebreaker. But the Patriots should target a quarterback no matter what. If it isn't Maye or Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels, is a special dual-threat talent — a worthy swing of the bat.

4. ARIZONA CARDINALS: WR MARVIN HARRISON JR., OHIO STATE

Getting Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 feels like a steal, but if these teams at the top remain as quarterback-desperate as they are now, it’s not impossible. This would be a no-brainer pick for the Cardinals, securing Harrison as their WR1 of the future.

5. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: WR MALIK NABERS, LSU

The Chargers’ new general manager will have several roster holes to address, and when that’s the case, the wise move is to look at the premium positions. That certainly includes an impact receiver.

Nabers has elite movement skills and separation ability, and he is good enough to be the WR1 in many other draft classes. This pick will be the 2024 version of the Sewell/Chase meme for the Bengals back in 2021 — do the Chargers go with a top receiver or offensive lineman? For now, we say receiver due to how good Nabers is.

6. NEW YORK GIANTS: OT JOE ALT, NOTRE DAME

Giants fans might roll their eyes at this one because it’s not a quarterback, but this is how things played out with three signal-callers already off the board. Though 2022 first-rounder Evan Neal has struggled at offensive tackle, general manager Joe Schoen has talked about how much they still believe in him at that spot. However, that all could change if Joe Alt is staring you in the face on draft night. Alt played only left tackle for Notre Dame but is a very natural athlete who possesses the coordination to play on the other side.

7. TENNESSEE TITANS: OT OLU FASHANU, PENN STATE

The Titans’ top need is the offensive line. They drafted Peter Skoronski in the first round last year, but he moved to guard right away. Now, they must look to offensive tackle. Fashanu is a rare mover at 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds. He does have some inconsistencies when it comes to power in both pass protection and run blocking, but he is just 21 years old and can certainly improve in that area.

8. ATLANTA FALCONS: QB MICHAEL PENIX JR., WASHINGTON

Penix has put together a monster season with one game to go. The sixth-year gunslinger with an unorthodox throwing style has racked up 40 big-time throws this season, the most of any FBS quarterback. That includes five in the conference championship game against Oregon and six in the Sugar Bowl against Texas. The Falcons desperately need a new quarterback to get behind. If it’s not a free agent or a player like Justin Fields in a trade, Penix should be on their radar in the first round.

9. CHICAGO BEARS: WR ROME ODUNZE, WASHINGTON

With a new quarterback in hand, the Bears could double-dip on offense to get him a new receiver to pair with DJ Moore. Odunze is an impressive athlete at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, and his contested-catch reliability got even better in 2023. He feels like the total package and would’ve easily been WR1 in last year’s draft.

10. NEW YORK JETS: OT TALIESE FUAGA, OREGON STATE

The 2024 season is all about building around Aaron Rodgers for one big Super Bowl run. The best — and most needed — course of action is investing in the offensive line. Fuaga, who started at right tackle for Oregon State for two seasons, is a powerful offensive tackle who has the requisite strength and mentality to start in the NFL as a first-year player.

11. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: QB BO NIX, OREGON

Five quarterbacks in the top 12 would make for a wild opening night of the 2024 NFL Draft, but until these teams actually fill their needs at the position, dipping into this very talented 2024 signal-caller class again feels plausible. If you’ve seen what Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has done with his quarterbacks this year, you have to be somewhat excited about what he could do with Nix’s experience, high football IQ and dual-threat ability.

12. DENVER BRONCOS: ED DALLAS TURNER, ALABAMA

Quarterback is the Broncos' top need, but it’s hard to justify that here after five are off the board. (I believe Nix, Penix and Daniels will certainly be Broncos targets).

Turner has the best combination of size, speed and production in this year’s edge rusher class, sporting a 90.6 pass-rush grade on true pass sets over the past two seasons.

13. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: CB NATE WIGGINS, CLEMSON

The Raiders could be in the quarterback market, but with four already gone in this mock, I have them looking elsewhere (Aidan O’Connell hive, stand up). They could go interior defensive line, but a shutdown cornerback is our pick. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Wiggins has the size-athleticism combo to line up against any type of receiver.

14. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: ED JARED VERSE, FLORIDA STATE

The Saints could be in for heavy turnover this offseason, but whether it’s a little or a lot, they need to invest in a difference-making edge rusher. Verse is a powerful player who can win with speed-to-power from three-point and two-point stances. He’s not quite as big as Cam Jordan, but he brings a similar all-around ceiling.

15. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: CB COOPER DEJEAN, IOWA

DeJean, who just officially declared for the draft, started at outside cornerback for Iowa in their off-coverage, Cover 3 base system. At 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds, he can body any type of receiver at the catch point, and his experience in off-coverage has allowed him to showcase his instincts, ball skills and playmaking ability. Though he doesn’t have a lot of experience in press coverage, he has the skill set to play it with success.

16. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: DI JER’ZHAN NEWTON, ILLINOIS

We thought the Seahawks were a good landing spot for interior defender Jalen Carter last draft season. They opted for cornerback Devon Witherspoon instead, so grabbing his former teammate this year could be a great fit for them. Newton might be the only first-round interior defensive lineman, thanks to his lightning-fast hands, reliable run-defense grade and versatile alignment experience.

17. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: OT JC LATHAM, ALABAMA

In the end, it was quite a disappointing year in Jacksonville, particularly on the offensive side of things. Latham has been the Crimson Tide’s right tackle for the past two seasons, but he did get snaps at right guard before that. He could start his NFL career there while giving the Jags tackle flexibility for the future.

18. CINCINNATI BENGALS: TE BROCK BOWERS, GEORGIA

I am not confident that Bowers will make it out of the top 15 in this draft, but he’s the ideal prospect for the Cincinnati Bengals. Wherever they end up picking, that is likely his floor. Landing spots for even elite tight ends have been tricky to figure out over the years, but Bowers has been as consistently impactful as they come for the past three seasons. He should be a top-20 lock; the question is: how high?

19. GREEN BAY PACKERS: CB TERRION ARNOLD, ALABAMA

Packers fans have been honing in on DeJean, but I’m not sure he will make it to pick No. 19. But allow me to introduce you to another starting-caliber cornerback: Terrion Arnold.

Kool-Aid McKinstry was the top star in Alabama’s secondary to begin the season, but Arnold has emerged as a potential first-rounder, as well. He is a very impressive athlete who has the long speed, quickness and body control to mirror receivers of all shapes and sizes. He recorded five interceptions with 14 forced incompletions this season.

20. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: ED LAIATU LATU, UCLA

The most productive pass rusher in the country over the past two seasons, Latu earned a 94.5 pass-rush grade and recorded a 22.3% pass-rush win rate from 2022 to 2023. So, why would he not be picked until No. 22? Well, he likely won’t test like an elite or even great athlete, and he has just an adequate build when it comes to length for NFL edge rushers. But he remains adept at getting into the backfield, which is why he is a first-round pick.

21. ARIZONA CARDINALS (VIA HOU): CB KOOL-AID MCKINSTRY, ALABAMA

The Cardinals grab one stud player at a premium position on each side of the ball in this mock draft. The Alabama outside cornerback played more than 1,000 coverage snaps (including 550-plus in press coverage) over the past two seasons, earning coverage grades above 80.0 in both years.

22. LOS ANGELES RAMS: OT AMARIUS MIMS, GEORGIA

The 6-foot-7, 340-pound Mims is light on experience but overflowing in talent. He moves so smoothly for a player with his measurables. Unfortunately, he was waiting behind upperclassmen for most of 2022 and missed six games due to injury in 2023. His hand placement and footwork need some cleaning up, which will help him consistently hold onto blocks and stay in front of pass rushers, but that can be fixed with more snaps at the next level. He featured at right tackle for Georgia over the past two seasons but could potentially play left tackle, as well.

23. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: CB ENNIS RAKESTRAW JR., MISSOURI

The Steelers still have plenty of needs in the secondary, even after drafting Joey Porter Jr. at the top of the second round last year. Rakestraw brings some of the best coverage instincts of any player in this class. He is patient and fundamentally sound against the run and is a good pre-snap communicator.

24. MIAMI DOLPHINS: OT TYLER GUYTON, OKLAHOMA

Guyton has been lower on the PFF big board because of his raw ability, but in a class full of great athletes along the offensive line, he is the best athlete of the bunch. At 6-foot-7 and nearly 330 pounds, he is athletic enough to play tight end, but he is underdeveloped in a lot of areas. His strike placement and timing are inconsistent, he can be late to identify stunts and delayed rushes, and he pushes people more than he really locks them up and blocks them. But an NFL team can help him fix all of that, and you can’t teach how well he moves in pass protection or as a run-blocker.

25. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: CB QUINYON MITCHELL, TOLEDO

Mitchell earned elite PFF coverage grades in each of the past two seasons. In fact, no FBS cornerback forced more incompletions over that span (36) than the Toledo cornerback. He was primarily an off-coverage defender with the Rockets but possesses the quickness to also play press coverage.

26. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: WR BRIAN THOMAS JR., LSU

The Chiefs have received a good return on investment with Rashee Rice as an after-the-catch weapon in their passing attack. But they are missing a reliable deep threat. Keyword: reliable.

Thomas was one of the top vertical threats in college football this season, with a 12.3-yard average depth of target across more than 1,000 receiving snaps. He is quick enough to defeat press coverage and has the long speed to separate on vertical routes.

27. HOUSTON TEXANS (VIA CLV): OL TROY FAUTANU, WASHINGTON 

The Texans' offensive line held up better than expected this season. Laremy Tunsil is a cornerstone piece, and Tytus Howard‘s first season in a three-year deal is done. Houston drafted Kenyon Green in the first round in 2022 to man an interior spot, and they drafted Juice Scruggs in the second round last year to man another. Their offensive line investment plan is almost complete.

Fautanu has played at left tackle for the Huskies over the past two seasons, but his shorter length might force him inside to guard at the pro level. Length feels like one of the only deficiencies for him, though, and he should thrive at any interior offensive line spot.

28. DETROIT LIONS: ED BRALEN TRICE, WASHINGTON

Some prospects perfectly fit a team’s personality, and that is the case here with Trice on a Dan Campbell squad. At 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds, Trice possesses a motor that runs hot at all times. He gives everything he has (usually with power) on every snap, and it earned him 76 quarterback pressures this season. Him on one side and Hutchinson on the other would be a long day at the office for opposing offensive tackles.

29. BUFFALO BILLS: WR TROY FRANKLIN, OREGON

Franklin would be the perfect complement to Stefon Diggs if the Bills are looking to prioritize their WR2 spot this draft. Franklin was one of the top deep-threat players in the country this season, with 37 explosive plays of 15 yards or more, and he showed off his quick feet with 14 missed tackles forced.

30. DALLAS COWBOYS: OL JORDAN MORGAN, ARIZONA

The Cowboys could focus on their offensive line depth at the backend of the first round. Left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz are both free agents at the end of this season, so the team grabbing a player like Morgan would be ideal to give them a swing player for interior or tackle.

Morgan played left tackle for the Wildcats over the past two seasons, but I believe he could be a tackle or guard. He has the quick feet to play both but doesn’t have as much redirect strength as needed to be on an island at tackle. Still, he is a fantastic offensive line prospect with great footwork, good hands and an understanding of how to hand fight and counter pass-rushers.

31. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: OL GRAHAM BARTON, DUKE

The 49ers don't have many “needs,” given they are one of the most talented teams in the NFL. But an area where they could stand to improve this offseason is on the interior of their offensive line. Barton has started at left tackle for the Duke Blue Devils the last two seasons, but his home in the pros will likely be at center or guard due to lack of arm length. Outside of that, though, there is a ton to like about his game. His balance, his grip strength and his mentality are all NFL caliber. 

32. BALTIMORE RAVENS: IDL, LEONARD TAYLOR III, MIAMI

The Ravens are one of the top rosters in the league this year, but with Jadeveon Clowney and Justin Madubuike set to be free agents this spring, a big swing of the bat on the defensive line could be warranted. Taylor is a bit high-variance and isn’t as reliable as you’d like in the run game, but his explosiveness at 6-foot-3, 305 pounds as a 3-tech pass rusher is pretty rare. 

SECOND ROUND

33. CAROLINA PANTHERS: WR KEON COLEMAN, FLORIDA STATE

You all know the drill at this point. Pick your favorite receiver prospect on the board when Carolina gets on the clock, and that’s who makes sense for them. Though Coleman does struggle with separation, he is a true alpha receiver who has the body type, athletic ability and contested catch strength of a starting “X” receiver and go-to red zone threat.

59. CLEVELAND BROWNS: WR TEZ WALKER, NORTH CAROLINA

I am higher on Walker than the NFL might be — hence the higher average draft position in PFF's Mock Draft Simulator — but I’m fine with that. He is listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and his profile includes an elite 94.5 receiving grade against single coverage and a 64.7% separation rate that ranks in the 80th percentile. He’s explosive and possesses great speed. All he needs is some route-running refinement.

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