NFL mock drafts are like opinions: everyone has one.
That’s certainly the case in 2024. From the time one draft ends until the next one begins, mock drafts pop out from just about everywhere across the internet. With the NFL Combine starting on Thursday, “Mock Draft Season” is really going to start heating up.
While everyone has mock drafts, not everyone has the expertise to back up their projected picks. Fortunately, some experts across the NFL media landscape add to their impressive track records year after year.
Though most people have Caleb Williams going first overall to the Bears, there’s plenty of uncertainty from there in a draft loaded with top-tier offensive tackles and wide receivers and lacking the same type of top-tier defensive talent as past drafts.
Sporting News is taking a look at several of the top mock drafts before the start of the combine. Here’s how several experts see the first round taking shape:
MORE: NFL Draft big board of top 125 players
Vinnie Iyer’s mock draft (The Sporting News)
Iyer’s latest mock draft was released on Feb. 28:
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Chicago Bears (from CAR) | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
| 2 | Washington Commanders | Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina |
| 3 | New England Patriots | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 4 | Arizona Cardinals | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | Brock Powers | TE | Georgia |
| 6 | New York Giants | Malik Nabers | WR | LSU |
| 7 | Tennessee Titans | Joe Alt | OT | Notre Dame |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Dallas Turner | EDGE | Alabama |
| 9 | Chicago Bears | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington |
| 10 | New York Jets | Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | Laiatu Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Bo Nix | QB | Oregon |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
| 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Jer’Zhan Newton | DT | Illinois |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | J.C. Latham | OT | Alabama |
| 19 | Los Angeles Rams | Cooper DeJean | CB | Iowa |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
| 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | Chop Robinson | EDGE | Penn State |
| 23 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | Byron Murphy II | DT | Texas |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | Alabama |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals (from HOU) | Jackson Powers-Johnson | G | Oregon |
| 28 | Buffalo Bills | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 29 | Detroit Lions | Ennis Rakestraw Jr. | CB | Missouri |
| 30 | Baltimore Ravens | Jordan Morgan | OT | Arizona |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Troy Fautanu | G | Washington |
| 32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Keon Coleman | WR | Florida State |
Noteworthy:
— Three wide receivers go in the first 10 picks, then it takes until the final five picks of the first round until any others are off the board.
— It’s a loaded offensive tackle class, as seven OTs — the most of any position — are off the board by the end of the first round.
— There are only two defensive players in the first 14 picks of the draft, but there’s a bit of a run on that side of the ball to wrap up the first round. The final 18 picks feature 10 defensive players.
Mel Kiper’s mock draft (ESPN)
Kiper’s latest mock draft was released on Feb. 28:
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Chicago Bears (from CAR) | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
| 2 | Washington Commanders | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 3 | New England Patriots | Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina |
| 4 | Arizona Cardinals | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | J.C. Latham | OT | Alabama |
| 6 | New York Giants | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington |
| 7 | Tennessee Titans | Joe Alt | OT | Notre Dame |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Dallas Turner | EDGE | Alabama |
| 9 | Chicago Bears | Malik Nabers | WR | LSU |
| 10 | New York Jets | Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Byron Murphy II | DT | Texas |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | Troy Fautanu | G | Washington |
| 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
| 19 | Los Angeles Rams | Cooper DeJean | CB | Iowa |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins | Graham Barton | C | Duke |
| 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | Laiatu Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
| 23 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | Jordan Morgan | OT | Arizona |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Keon Coleman | WR | Florida State |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals (from HOU) | Darius Robinson | DL | Missouri |
| 28 | Buffalo Bills | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 29 | Detroit Lions | T.J. Tampa | CB | Iowa State |
| 30 | Baltimore Ravens | Kamari Lassiter | CB | Georgia |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Chop Robinson | EDGE | Penn State |
| 32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Xavier Worthy | WR | Texas |
Noteworthy:
— Only four quarterbacks get drafted in the first round of Kiper’s mock draft — no Bo Nix and no Michael Penix Jr.
— The Bears really take a swing at upgrading the offense, first by drafting Williams first overall then by landing Malik Nabers, who some have projected as high as the top five.
— Six cornerbacks are off the board in the first round of this mock, the most of any defensive position and trailing only offensive tackle (7) for any position overall.
Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft (NFL Network)
Jeremiah’s latest mock draft was released on Feb. 20:
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Chicago Bears (from CAR) | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
| 2 | Washington Commanders | Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina |
| 3 | New England Patriots | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
| 4 | Arizona Cardinals | Malik Nabers | WR | LSU |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | Joe Alt | OT | Notre Dame |
| 6 | New York Giants | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 7 | Tennessee Titans | Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
| 9 | Chicago Bears | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington |
| 10 | New York Jets | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | Dallas Turner | EDGE | Alabama |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | J.C. Latham | OT | Alabama |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | Byron Murphy II | DT | Texas |
| 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia |
| 19 | Los Angeles Rams | Jackson Powers-Johnson | G | Oregon |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Troy Fautanu | OT | Washington |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins | Laiatu Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
| 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | Ennis Rakestraw Jr. | CB | Missouri |
| 23 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | Cooper DeJean | CB | Iowa |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Adonai Mitchell | WR | Texas |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals (from HOU) | Darius Robinson | EDGE | Missouri |
| 28 | Buffalo Bills | Chop Robinson | EDGE | Penn State |
| 29 | Detroit Lions | Zach Frazier | G | West Virginia |
| 30 | Baltimore Ravens | Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Graham Barton | G | Duke |
| 32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Troy Franklin | WR | Oregon |
Noteworthy:
— Most mock drafts have three quarterbacks going in the top three picks, but that isn’t the case in this one. Marvin Harrison Jr. goes third overall to New England, and Jayden Daniels slides to No. 6.
— There are no defensive players in the top 10 of this mock draft, as the usual crop of elite talents just isn’t there on that side of the ball this year. In this mock, it’s all quarterbacks, wide receivers, and offensive tackles in the top 10.
— Brock Bowers has largely been mocked as a top-10 pick. Here, he slides all the way down to the Bengals at No. 18.
Todd McShay’s mock draft
McShay has not yet released his first full mock draft for 2024.
Dane Brugler’s mock draft (The Athletic)
Brugler’s latest mock draft was released on Jan. 16, before the NFL draft order was finalized:
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Chicago Bears (from CAR) | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
| 2 | Washington Commanders | Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina |
| 3 | New England Patriots | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
| 4 | Arizona Cardinals | Malik Nabers | WR | LSU |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia |
| 6 | New York Giants | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington |
| 7 | Tennessee Titans | Joe Alt | OT | Notre Dame |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 9 | Chicago Bears | Dallas Turner | EDGE | Alabama |
| 10 | New York Jets | Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | Laiatua Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | J.C. Latham | OT | Alabama |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | Byron Murphy II | DT | Texas |
| 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia |
| 19 | Los Angeles Rams | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cooper DeJean | CB | Iowa |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins | Jackson Powers-Johnson | G | Oregon |
| 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
| 23 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | Troy Fautanu | G | Washington |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | Alabama |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals (from HOU) | Kingsley Suamataia | OT | BYU |
| 28 | Kansas City Chiefs | Jer’Zhan Newton | DT | Illinois |
| 29 | Buffalo Bills | Keon Coleman | WR | Florida State |
| 30 | Detroit Lions | T’Vondre Sweat | DT | Texas |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Graham Barton | G | Duke |
| 32 | Baltimore Ravens | Jordan Morgan | OT | Arizona |
Noteworthy:
— Daniels falls all the way to No. 8 to the Falcons, who would have to be delighted at the opportunity to draft a player considered by many to be a top-three selection.
— There are as many total offensive linemen going in the first round as defensive players overall (11), as Brugler continues the trend of O-line-dominate first rounds.
— Like other mock drafts, McCarthy joins Williams, Maye, and Daniels as the only quarterbacks. Here, however, he lands with the Rams at No. 19, the lowest he’s been mocked so far.
