The NFL Draft is almost here, which for some franchises is the highlight of the year.
It’s a time when a team can escape the league’s basement and become a respectable and competitive organization. Of course, that’s not always guaranteed.
Nonetheless, the draft will allow fans to stop speculating who their favorite team will select. Until it happens, however, just one pick seems to be locked in: The Chicago Bears selecting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall.
The rest remain unclear despite multiple rumors flying around. Each pick is bound to draw some emotion during the NFL’s three-day, seven-round draft that begins on Thursday.
With the draft creeping up, NFL experts are releasing their final mock drafts. Some are including potential trades in their editions.
Here’s a roundup of those final mock drafts by several NFL experts around the media.
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Vinnie Iyer’s mock draft (The Sporting News)
Iyer’s latest mock draft was released on April 23:
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Chicago Bears | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
| 2 | Washington Commanders | Drake Maye | QB | UNC |
| 3 | New England Patriots | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 4 | Arizona Cardinals | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | Brock Bowers | 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 | Laiatu Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
| 10 | New York Jets | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Bo Nix | QB | Oregon |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
| 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
| 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 | Byron Murphy II | DT | Texas |
| 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | Johnny Newton | DT | Illinois |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | Jackson Powers-Johnson | OG | Oregon |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | Alabama |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals | Troy Fautanu | OG | Washington |
| 28 | Buffalo Bills | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 29 | Detroit Lions | Chop Robinson | EDGE | Penn State |
| 30 | Baltimore Ravens | Graham Barton | OG/C | Duke |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Ennis Rakestraw Jr. | CB | Missouri |
| 32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Kingsley Suamataia | OT | BYU |
Noteworthy:
— Iyer projects in his latest that it will be Drake Maye going to Washington at No. 2, not Jayden Daniels. That allows the Patriots to select the LSU QB and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner at No. 3.
Mel Kiper’s mock draft (ESPN)
Kiper’s latest mock draft was released on April 10:
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Chicago Bears | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
| 2 | Washington Commanders | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 3 | New England Patriots | Drake Maye | QB | UNC |
| 4 | Arizona Cardinals | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
| 5 | Minnesota Vikings (from LAC) | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
| 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 | Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia |
| 11 | Los Angeles Chargers (from MIN) | J.C. Lathan | OT | Alabama |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | Olu Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | Troy Fautanu | OG | Washington |
| 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Cooper DeJean | CB | Iowa |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | Byron Murphy II | DT | Texas |
| 19 | Los Angeles Rams | Laiatu Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Graham Barton | OG/C | Duke |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
| 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
| 23 | Los Angeles Chargers (from MIN) | Xavier Worthy | WR | Texas |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Chop Robinson | EDGE | Penn State |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals | Darius Robinson | DL | Missouri |
| 28 | Buffalo Bills | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 29 | Detroit Lions | Adonai Mitchell | WR | Texas |
| 30 | Baltimore Ravens | Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | Alabama |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Roger Rosengarten | OT | Washington |
| 32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Xavier Legette | WR | South Carolina |
Noteworthy:
— Kiper is projecting a trade between the Chargers and Vikings for No. 5 pick in order for Minnesota to move up and select J.J. McCarthy.
Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft (NFL Network)
Jeremiah’s latest mock draft was released on March 19:
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Chicago Bears | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
| 2 | Washington Commanders | Drake Maye | QB | UNC |
| 3 | New England Patriots | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 4 | Minnesota Vikings (from ARI) | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
| 5 | New York Jets (from LAC) | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
| 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 | Los Angeles Chargers (from NYJ) | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
| 11 | Arizona Cardinals (from MIN) | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Michael Penix Jr. | QB | Washington |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
| 16 | Seattle Seahawks | Troy Fautanu | OT | Washington |
| 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | JC Latham | OT | Alabama |
| 19 | Los Angeles Rams | Laiata Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
| 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins | Graham Barton | OG/C | Duke |
| 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
| 23 | Arizona Cardinals (from MIN) | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | Jackson Powers-Johnson | C | Oregon |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Darius Robinson | EDGE | Missouri |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals | Byron Murphy II | DT | Texas |
| 28 | Buffalo Bills | Jer’Zhan Newton | DT | Illinois |
| 29 | Detroit Lions | Kool-Aid McKinstry | CB | Alabama |
| 30 | Baltimore Ravens | Cooper DeJean | CB | Iowa |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Chop Robinson | EDGE | Penn State |
| 32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Adonai Mitchell | WR | Texas |
Noteworthy:
— Jeremiah has two trades involving teams in the top-10: the Vikings traded for the No. 4 pick from the Cardinals, and the Jets moving up to No. 5 with the Chargers. With Minnesota trading up with Arizona to take J.J. McCarthy, it opens the door for New York to make a move with Los Angeles to snag Marvin Harrison Jr.
— With the Cardinals stocking up on first-round picks instead of taking Harrison at No. 4, Jeremiah projects the team to select Jared Verse at No. 11, an edge rusher, and then take a wide receiver later at No. 23 in Brian Thomas Jr.
— Michael Penix Jr. is a player that Jeremiah has going in the first round. The Raiders use pick No. 13 on the Washington QB to add to their young quarterback room.
Todd McShay’s mock draft
McShay has not yet released his first full mock draft for 2024. McShay thanked fans for their support ahead of the NFL Draft, and said he wouldn’t appear on TV during the event due to “obvious contract limitations.” Because of that, McShay may not release a mock draft ahead of Thursday’s first round. He parted ways with ESPN in 2023.
Dane Brugler’s mock draft (The Athletic)
Brugler’s latest mock draft was released on March 5:
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | Chicago Bears (from CAR) | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
| 2 | Washington Commanders | Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina |
| 3 | Atlanta Falcons (from NE) | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 4 | Arizona Cardinals | Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
| 5 | Chicago Bears (from LAC) | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington |
| 6 | New York Giants | Malik Nabers | WR | LSU |
| 7 | Minnesota Vikings (from TEN) | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
| 8 | New England Patriots (from ATL) | Joe Alt | OT | Notre Dame |
| 9 | Los Angeles Chargers (from CHI) | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
| 10 | New York Jets | Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans (from MIN) | JC Latham | OT | Alabama |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia |
| 13 | Las Vegas Raiders | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
| 14 | New Orleans Saints | Dallas Turner | EDGE | Alabama |
| 15 | Indianapolis Colts | Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers (from SEA) | Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia |
| 17 | Philadelphia Eagles (from JAX) | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | Byron Murphy | DT | Texas |
| 19 | Los Angeles Rams | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks (from PIT) | Jackson Powers-Johnson | G/C | Oregon |
| 21 | Miami Dolphins | Troy Fautanu | G | Washington |
| 22 | Jacksonville Jaguars (from PHI) | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
| 23 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | Laiatu Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
| 24 | Buffalo Bills (from DAL) | Adonai Mitchell | WR | Texas |
| 25 | Green Bay Packers | Cooper DeJean | CB | Iowa |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Graham Barton | OG/C | Duke |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals (from HOU) | Darius Robinson | DL | Missouri |
| 28 | Dallas Cowboys (from BUF) | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
| 29 | Detroit Lions | Chop Robinson | EDGE | Penn State |
| 30 | Carolina Panthers (from BAL) | Ladd McConkey | WR | Georgia |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Jordan Morgan | OT/G | Arizona |
| 32 | Kansas City Chiefs | Xavier Worthy | WR | Texas |
Noteworthy:
— Brugler’s projecting a trade-filled first-round. There are seven trades made in the draft, including the Falcons moving up to third overall and the Panthers moving into the first round by dealing with the Ravens.
— The first defensive player in the draft doesn’t go off the board until No. 13, and it’s not a Power Five player. It’s the rapidly rising Toledo corner Quinyon Mitchell.
— McCarthy reaches his highest spot in the draft so far, landing at No. 7 to the Vikings who trade up to land the Michigan quarterback.
