Steven Cheah's Final 2024 NFL Mock Draft
Richard Schultz. Getty Images.It's Draft Day! Let's get right to it:
And for reference here is: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, & 4.0
*This Mock Draft has been reviewed and approved by Senior Draft Analyst, Liam Blutman.
1) Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers) - QB Caleb Williams (USC)
The player Bears fans have waited a lifetime for. Futility and Bears Quarterbacks go hand in hand. Jay Cutler and Jim McMahon are probably the best signal callers in Bears history, so you can say Williams is a giant step up. He's a little shorter than desired at 6'1" but he's a solid weight at 214 lbs. He's got a strong, loose arm that can throw from a variety of platforms and mobility to buy time in the pocket or run. On the field, he's everything you'd want in a #1 overall pick.
Off the field, he can rub people the wrong way with his painted nails, pink phone cases, crying after a game, and more. But if he stays on the right track, there is no reason why he won't be the best Quarterback in Bears history by a country mile.
2) Washington Commanders - QB Jayden Daniels (LSU)
Daniels started his career at Arizona State where he had some success with Brandon Aiyuk and others. But after transferring to LSU he took his game to another level. This past season was one of the most prolific seasons in NCAA history and Daniels not only dazzled throwing the ball, but he is a lethal runner rushing for 63+ yards in 9 of 12 games this season including a whopping 613 yards on the ground in his final four games.
I have two concerns with Daniels and they're both minor and correctable. One is he takes way too many big hits. He needs to slide better. He's 6'3.5" 210 lbs. which is a little below average, but nothing worrisome, but you can't be taking too many bit shots in the NFL. Secondly, he was 2-7 in his career when he's had to throw the ball 35+ times. That's a bit of a cherrypicked stat, but I'd like to see more a sample size of shootouts where he came out on top through a patient, down the field gameplan. That's not to say he can't do it, but we just haven't seen it yet.
3) New England Patriots - QB Drake Maye (North Carolina)
The Patriots need a Quarterback and Drake Maye is the final one of the top cluster. It stinks to get the 3rd best guy at a position, but I am much higher on Maye. He's 6'4" 223 lbs. with a cannon for an arm and is a great athlete, so he can move. He's got to be better and hitting the easy throws, but if he can be patient and harness his ability, he has the potential to be the best Quarterback in this class. He's very similar to Justin Herbert coming out. The only two potential knocks on him could be smaller than ideal hands at 9 1/8", which in cold weather New England, could play a factor. He's had 10 fumbles the past two seasons, so it's not nothing. And that he hasn't performed as well in the 2nd half of games as 1st half. So will he rise to the occasion when things tighten up? I'm betting on this kid to succeed so I love the pick.
4) Arizona Cardinals - WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State)
The Cardinals don't really have many threatening weapons on the outside outside of the diminutive in stature Rondale Moore. They are sitting at #4 with the chance to get arguably the best player in the Draft at a great position of need. Cardinals GM masterfully navigated the Draft last year trading down before trading back up and picking up an extra future 1st Round pick. But this marriage makes too much sense. Book it.
5) LA Chargers - WR Malik Nabers (LSU)
There is a lot of smoke around this pick. A lot of the industry's best analysts are saying a surprise pick with Alabama's JC Latham here. But not me. It's lying szn and I'm sticking to what I've heard is true. The Chargers are taking a Wide Receiver with their first selection. And maybe that's via trade down, but this is another one that makes a ton of sense. Nabers is a big play machine with 34 catches of 20+ yards this past season including at least one in every game. With no more Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Nabers makes a lot of sense to give Justin Herbert a dangerous deep threat and more room to throw the football underneath.
6) NY Giants - WR Rome Odunze (Washington)
The Giants are also in need of a Wide Receiver and in this situation we go QB-QB-QB-WR-WR-WR. Odunze isn't quite the athlete Nabers is, but he's no slouch running a 4.45 and he's got much better size at 6'3" 212 lbs. Right now the Giants Receiving room doesn't have many worthy headliners. Darren Waller is a nice option at Tight End, but they paid Daniel Jones his money. Now give him a legit dude to throw to.
7) Tennessee Titans - OT Joe Alt (Notre Dame)
This pick is very chalky but makes a ton of sense. Will Levis had some brilliant flashes last year and they need to invest in him. They signed Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard this off-season. And with Derrick Henry now in Baltimore, this is Levis' team. They've got to protect him and Alt is the perfect guy to do so. Standing a giant 6'8.5" 321 lbs. he'll be Levis' blindside protector for the next decade.
8) *TRADE* Minnesota Vikings (via Atlanta Falcons) - QB JJ McCarthy (Michigan)
Trade Details: Vikings trade pick #11 and a 2025 2nd round pick to Falcons for the 8th overall pick
Minnesota did all that work to get ammo and Quarterback is clearly a position of need. They've also been linked to JJ McCarthy. So how does this not happen? McCarthy is polarizing. On one hand, he seems to be wired correctly and have all the tools. On the other hand, we didn't really see him do it. He threw the ball 31+ times in a game just twice in his career. His final game against a bunch of future pros in the Washington Huskies defense, he was 10/18 for 140 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs. But it only takes one and Minnesota makes too much sense to not be that team. In this deal, they move up a little bit to ensure they get their guy while giving up a 2nd rounder next year.
9) Chicago Bears - OT Olu Fashanu (Penn State)
This is all about Caleb Williams and making him comfortable. Yes, the Bears could use better protection around him. But keep in mind, Justin Fields was also endeared to that locker room. Fashanu is a guy who could not only protect Williams, but vouch for him having played with him in High School.
10) NY Jets - TE Brock Bowers (Georgia)
It's no secret the Jets need more weapons on Offense. This could be an Offensive Tackle spot, but having signed Tyron Smith and going the veteran route there, I think they address their other pressing need as they try and thread the needle next season with Aaron Rodgers. Bowers can line up all over the field and is a demon after the catch. This dude is an ATHLETE.
He'd go great with Rodgers and provide a huge upgrade over Tyler Conklin.
11) TRADE Atlanta Falcons (via Minnesota Vikings) - EDGE Dallas Turner (Alabama)
With Raheem Morris in town they'll need to address the pass rush. He likes to get after the Quarterback and the Falcons didn't have a single player with seven sacks last season. Turner is the top EDGE in the class and gives them a building block on the outside. And after running a 4.47 40-yard dash in Indy he is poised to be the top Defensive player taken.
12) Denver Broncos - OT Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State)
Fuaga offers a bit of position flexibility as he can step in Day 1 and start at Right Tackle OR he can start at Guard and be dominant. The Broncos need help all over and LT Garrett Bolles is in the final year of his deal. This pick gives the Broncos more protection and some leverage with Bolles.
13) Las Vegas Raiders - CB Terrion Arnold (Alabama)
The Raiders need a lot of help at Cornerback as they're gonna need to cover some Receivers to beat the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert regularly. Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo could go here, but I'm hearing Arnold will be the first CB off the board.
14) New Orleans Saints - OT/OG JC Latham (Alabama)
The Saints need to protect Derek Carr and trotting out Trevor Penning at Left Tackle isn't helping that. At 6'6" 335 lbs. with 35 1/8" inch arms, Latham has the size to play Tackle but can also slide inside to bolster the interior and be a force in the run game. I'm not buying the buzz for him at #5. He makes a ton of sense for the Saints.
15) Indianapolis Colts - CB Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo)
With Stefon Diggs being traded to the Texans and Calvin Ridley now with the Titans, the AFC South teams are in need of better Corner play and Mitchell could start right away for the Colts.
16) TRADE Cincinnati Bengals (via Seattle Seahawks) - WR Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU)
Trade Details: Bengals send pick #18 and their 4th rounder (#115 overall) in exchange for pick #16
Who loves to trade down more than the Seahawks?! They also net a 4th rounder which is the exact kind of stuff they LOVE. The Bengals now have two of their star players that have requested a trade. EDGE Trey Hendrickson requested one yesterday and WR Tee Higgins a few weeks ago shortly after being Franchised. Ironically Brian Thomas Jr.'s comp is Tee Higgins and I know some other teams in this neighborhood fancy him, so this seems like the logical place to have to jump to with the Jags potentially looking for a replacement for Calvin Ridley.
17) Jacksonville Jaguars - OT Troy Fautanu (Washington)
Jacksonville needs to give Trevor Lawrence more protection and who better at this point than this giant dancing bear? He kept Michael Penix Jr. safe the past two seasons and while they've got Cam Robinson and just invested a 1st last year in Anton Harrison, Fautanu can kick inside to Guard early opposite Brandon Scherff. Once ready he's definitely got the footwork to thrive as an OT.
18) TRADE Seattle Seahawks (via Cincinnati Bengals) - EDGE Jared Verse (Florida State)
The Seahawks got a solid year out of Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe has flashed, but you can never have enough pass rushers and one of these guys could kick inside on 3rd downs next to Leonard Williams to form an intimidating NASCAR package.
19) TRADE Philadelphia Eagles (via LA Rams) - EDGE Laiatu Latu (UCLA)
Trade Details: Eagles send pick #22, and a 4th and a 5th round pick this season to the Rams for #19
This is the Rams first 1st Round pick in the Sean McVay era and they're trading down. Laiatu Latu is an interesting one because of his injury history. He was medically retired at Washington due to a neck injury. He then went to UCLA where they let him play and he was terrific. The concern here is he may not make it to his second contract, but for the first one, he could ball out, especially early. The Eagles are in win-now mode and with Brandon Graham starting on one side you can rotate Latu in with Graham to give him rests and eventually take over that spot when his play declines or he retires.
20) Pittsburgh Steelers - WR Ladd McConkey (Georgia)
A bit of a surprise pick here. And I'll get in front of it…He's smaller than most starting Wide Receivers in the NFL. He's 5'11.5" (I wonder if he says 6'0" on hinge?) 186 lbs. with small hands (8 5/8") and short arms. That being said, this guy just gets open. He's also got return ability which is a big Steelers trait they are looking for in WRs. And after shipping out Diontae Johnson, the Steelers need more guys that can get open and catch.
21) Miami Dolphins - DT Byron Murphy II (Texas)
Murphy has buzz all over the board. He could go be a top 10 surprise or he could fall a little bit. I'm thinking the latter here with Miami being a perfect fit at #21 after they lost Christian Wilkins in free agency.
22) TRADE LA Rams (via Philadelphia Eagles) - EDGE Chop Robinson (Penn State)
The Rams love to move back and still get an EDGE they covet in Chop Robinson. He's a one year starter with not a ton of stats but a lot of twitch. He'll need to work on refining his rush, but he's a bull in a China shop off the line of scrimmage.
23) Minnesota Vikings - CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama)
The Vikings get to hold onto this pick despite trading up for JJ McCarthy earlier in the draft. And they're taking Kool-Aid. McKinstry is a patient DB that can go toe-to-toe with the SEC's best Receivers. The Vikings have a need at CB as the cupboard is pretty bare outside of Byron Murphy Jr.
24) Dallas Cowboys - OT Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma)
Tyron Smith is gone and I'm hearing the Cowboys would prefer to keep Tyler Smith at Left Guard. That would open up the need for Left Tackle and the Cowboys go with Guyton who has a bit more experience, albeit not much more, than Amarius Mims
25) Green Bay Packers - OG/C Graham Barton (Duke)
Barton I'm struggling with as if his best position is Center, he should probably go lower than even this. But he's got position flexability to play all over the Line which is exactly where the Packers need help.
26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - CB/S Cooper DeJean (Iowa)
This is such a Bucs pick and I love it. DeJean is a DB with position versatility. He can play Boundary CB, Nickel, or Safety. The Bucs LOVE that. They have tinkered with that with Antoine Winfield Jr., but more recently with Zyon McCollum and spent a 2nd rounder on MJ Stewart a few years ago because they thought he could do it all. The Bucs traded away CB Carlton Davis to Detroit this off-season and a big reason was lack of on-ball production. Cooper DeJean has the nickname, The Playmaking Machine not only because it rhymes. He has 7 INTs 13 PBUs and 3 TDs over the past two seasons. He'll fit in beautifully in Todd Bowles system.
27) Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans) - C Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon)
The Cardinals continue to build their Offensive Line with Jackson Powers-Johnson. He's a bigger Center at around 331 lbs. but should be able to create cleaner pockets for Kyler Murray.
28) Buffalo Bills - WR Adonai Mitchell (Texas)
The Bills lost their top two Wide Receivers to the AFC South in Stefon Diggs (Texans) and Gabe Davis (Jaguars). Mitchell is a big bodied guy who has a huge catch radius and can get the ball.
29) Detroit Lions - EDGE Marshawn Kneeland (Western Michigan)
A bit of a surprise pick as the Lions had two of those in the 1st Round last year with RB Jahmyr Gibbs and LB Jack Campbell. Kneeland has visited with the team and on the field could be good insurance and a rotation piece for the typically injured Marcus Davenport.
30) Baltimore Ravens - OT Amarius Mims (Georgia)
Mims is a giant and a giant project at 6'7.5" 340 lbs. with 36 1/8" inch arms length. What better team to give him a long runway than Baltimore? With only eight collegiate starts, he'll likely need to bring him along slowly.
31) San Francisco 49ers - DT Johnny Newton (Illinois)
DeForest Buckner has been in Indy for a few years now. Arik Armstead is now a Florida resident. And Javon Kinlaw isn't with the 49ers anymore either. They've got Javon Hargreave and Maliek Collins clogging up the middle on defense now. If Newton is there at #31, he'd slide right into that Niners starting unit and cause some havoc up the middle.
32) Kansas City Chiefs - OT Kingsley Suamataia (BYU)
Super Bowl LV Champion Donovan Smith had a rough year at Left Tackle for Patrick Mahomes. Picking at the backend of the 1st round is tougher to sift, but I've heard KC is keen on the sweet feet of Suamataia.
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