The moment has arrived: My 2024 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 is officially here, and the excitement is through the roof.
As we dive deep into the pre-draft frenzy, I felt compelled to share my inaugural mock draft predictions before the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine shakes up the scene. The combine is notorious for sending prospects soaring or tumbling on draft boards based on their performance, and we can anticipate a flurry of draft trades in its aftermath.
Lucas Oil Stadium is set to be the epicenter of networking for the league’s top decision-makers and coaching staff.
Here is my first full 2024 NFL Mock Draft. Below we dive into a few notable picks.
2024 NFL Mock Draft
Please note that this mock draft reflects my predictions of the draft outcomes, rather than my personal choices for each team. Because who cares “what I would do” as we want to project what happens to take advantage in our fantasy football leagues and NFL Draft Betting Props.
1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams (QB – USC)
Currently listed at -900 odds to be the No. 1 overall pick, USC’s Caleb Williams looks like the next coming of Patrick Mahomes. The off-script playmaking ability is so apparent with Williams, and that makes him deadly when paired with his elite production from a clean pocket. This past season, Williams posted PFF’s highest grade without pressure.
If the Bears stay at No.1, they will draft Williams and trade Justin Fields.
Check out our full 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Caleb Williams
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Brock Bowers (TE – Georgia)
It’s a brand-new era in LA. New head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz (from Baltimore) are IN, as the decision-makers when it comes to personnel and shaping the roster heading into 2024. It’s hard to ignore a tight end of Brock Bowers‘ caliber slipping through Harbaugh’s grasp. Per PFF, only Iowa has targeted its tight ends more than Harbaugh’s Michigan teams among the entire FBS. Ergo, it’s an important position to Harbaugh’s offensive philosophy, and there’s no better prospect than Bowers in this class. Or perhaps ever as Bowers is regarded as the greatest college football tight end of all time.
The former Bulldog tight end broke out immediately in 2021, posting a 28% dominator rating in his first season as a true freshman with 13 TDs and 882 receiving yards. He is the betting favorite (+250) to be selected by the Chargers.
Check out our full 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Brock Bowers
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Troy Franklin (WR – Oregon)
I have to imagine that the Chiefs invest heavily in surrounding Patrick Mahomes with more weapons. With Rashee Rice entrenched as the possession receiver, they add the speedy Troy Franklin to add another (and reliable) big-play threat to Mahomes’ arsenal. Franklin’s strengths lie in his elite speed, with a 40-yard dash time of 4.35 seconds, making him a formidable deep threat with 14 catches of 20-plus air yards and the third-highest yards per route run (3.32) in the 2024 draft class. Former speed receivers that remind me of Franklin include Jalin Hyatt, Tyquan Thornton, and DJ Chark Jr. on the lower end. Admittedly, I was more impressed with his game AFTER watching him. I went in thinking I’d get a one-trick pony, but I felt he offered more than that. And maybe it was the green 11 he was wearing, but I felt like I was watching just a lighter, faster version of A.J. Brown. I’ve also seen comparisons to a faster, more explosive Calvin Ridley.
Check out our full 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Troy Franklin
More 2024 NFL Mock Drafts
Here are a few more early predictions for the 2024 NFL Draft. We’ll continue to add our 2024 NFL Mock Drafts leading up to the start of Round 1.
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Matthew Jones (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Russell Brown (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: PJ Moran’s First & Second Round Picks (1.0 | 2.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft With Trades: Mike Fanelli (1.0)
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Two-Round Writer Collaborative
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: First Round Picks & Predictions
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Top 20 Picks & Predictions
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Top 10 Picks & Predictions
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Early Picks & Predictions
- Early 2024 NFL Mock Draft with Trades: Picks & Predictions
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