The college football regular season has come to a close, which means 2024 NFL Draft declarations will be flowing freely. It is the first stage of a nearly five-month process that takes us all the way up to draft day.
There is a lot left to learn. Will USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye declare? Will Chicago and Arizona be in positions to potentially draft a quarterback and what will they decide? Trades are not being projected until the draft order crystallizes in January but, in today's thought exercise, a bit more light shines on those situations.
The draft order below was determined using Tankathon ahead of Week 13 games, which uses records and strength of schedule as a tiebreaker.
Without further ado, let's kick this off!
For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on "With the First Pick" -- our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen to the latest episode below!
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
From
Carolina Panthers
Round 1 - Pick 1
Chicago has a difficult decision ahead. While the current leadership is not tied to Justin Fields, the offense has shown growth since he returned. At this time, I still believe they would probably move on from the former Buckeye.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Will Arizona move forward with Kyler Murray or restart the clock with a rookie quarterback? In this scenario, they take Marvin Harrison Jr. to become Murray's new Larry Fitzgerald/DeAndre Hopkins.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
New England may need to trade up to No. 2 overall if they want to secure a quarterback. It is obvious that Mac Jones is not the franchise quarterback moving forward so the Patriots get lucky and a quarterback falls into their laps. Will Bill Belichick be around to coach him?
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Offensive tackle is not the biggest need for Chicago. Braxton Jones has played well at left tackle and the team selected Darnell Wright in the first round to play right tackle. In an ideal world, the Bears would probably trade back a bit and address another need but, if they stay put, they have to take one of the available blue-chip prospects.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Sam Howell is on pace to get an extended look in Washington. The best thing they can do for him is continue to surround him with playmakers. Brock Bowers is a dynamic weapon in the pass game.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Kayvon Thibodeaux has taken a step forward in his career but having a second pass rusher of Dallas Turner's caliber will support Wink Martindale's aggressive, man coverage scheme.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Nate Wiggins is a great man coverage cornerback. Tampa Bay is looking to add some new pieces to the roster and Wiggins is among the best available.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
New York needs to add at least one offensive tackle and potentially two this offseason. They probably did not dream of Olu Fashanu still being available at this point so they take the gift in stride.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
After the failure of the J.C. Jackson signing, Los Angeles continues dumping assets into the position. Kool-Aid McKinstry joins the mix with Asante Samuel Jr.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
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Round 1 - Pick 11
No one has risen more throughout the pre-draft process than Jayden Daniels. He is a dual-threat prospect who should reinvigorate the Raiders.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
Michael Thomas is injured once again and that puts New Orleans in a bit of a predicament at the position. Quarterback may still be a concern but at least the person under center will have Malik Nabers and Chris Olave.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Green Bay has invested in Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness, but Laiatu Latu steps in for Preston Smith to keep the Packers pass-rush rotation fresh.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Los Angeles' offensive tackle play has been bad this season. They are not going to find a replacement for Matthew Stafford in this spot so they bring in some new protection for him.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Tee Higgins is slated to be a free agent and Cincinnati can probably not afford to pay him and Ja'Marr Chase. Keon Coleman brings a similar skill set at a cost-controlled rate.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Cooper DeJean has seen his stock rise this season but cornerback remains a need for Buffalo. DeJean hopefully provides the stability that Kaiir Elam has not.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 17
Head coach Jonathan Gannon adds a new weapon to his arsenal as powerful edge rusher Jared Verse arrives in the desert.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Denver lacks teeth up the middle of its defense. Jer'Zhan Newton is a high-motor player who will play to the sideline. He excels in getting on the hips of blockers to move the opposing quarterback in the pocket.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Atlanta has added Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree in an effort to upgrade the pass rush but that is a Band Aid on the situation. Chop Robinson is a youthful infusion.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Kirk Cousins is not a long-term answer at quarterback in Minneapolis and the shine has worn off Joshua Dobbs a bit. J.J. McCarthy has not been fully unleashed this season but he has had some really bright moments.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Michael Pittman Jr. is scheduled to be a free agent at season's end. If he returns, then Anthony Richardson has a trio of talented pass catchers: Josh Downs, Rome Odunze and Pittman. If Pittman does not return, then Indianapolis now has his replacement.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Seattle could opt to place its faith in LSU products Anthony Bradford and Damien Lewis, but Jordan Morgan gives them a higher ceiling at guard.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Broderick Jones has been playing left tackle but he could flip back to the left side, which would allow Taliese Fuaga to start at right tackle.
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From
Cleveland Browns
Round 1 - Pick 24
San Francisco had a revolving door of edge rushers and DeMeco Ryans may very well have his own with Will Anderson Jr., Jon Greenard and JT Tuimoloau.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
Jaelan Phillips has battled injury this season, which is a concern given his past. Miami adds some insurance as Bralen Trice joins Bradley Chubb and Phillips.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Dallas should feel really good about its secondary moving forward. DaRon Bland has been sensational in the absence of Trevon Diggs. Throw in Tyler Nubin, who has great awareness and playmaking skills of his own, and the Cowboys should force more turnovers than any other franchise.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jonah Jackson are slated to hit free agency after the season. Troy Fautanu has played left tackle for the Huskies but projects inside at the next level.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Brian Thomas Jr. may not deliver the dazzling highlight-reel plays as often as other receivers preceding him but he has the traits and the size to be a difference-maker in the NFL. Calvin Ridley and Thomas can be a great pairing for Trevor Lawrence.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Emeka Egbuka is not flashy but he can be trusted to be in the right place at the right time. Patrick Mahomes can do a lot with that reliability.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
San Francisco drafts Kingsley Suamataia to replace Colton McKivitz at right tackle. Suamataia played right tackle for the Cougars after transferring in from Oregon but is playing left tackle this season.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Marlon Humphrey has battled injury of late and Marcus Peters is gone. Baltimore needs to throw some more logs on the cornerback fire.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Graham Barton has played left tackle at Duke but has positional flexibility at the next level. Philadelphia will value that as he waits for a starting role to open.
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The 2024 NFL Draft will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly updated draft order and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.
