Mock Draft Final 4.0
Kade Nix’s 2024 Final Mock Draft 4.0: Nix to Denver
Published 4/24/2024 at 9:01am Updated 4/24/2024 at 9:45pm
The fourth and final edition of my mock drafts, with quite a few picks significantly shaken up. Head over to the Podcast “Kade’s Draft Room” for a deeper analysis of the picks.
NOTES:
As of this writing, the picks 1-32 are all locked in. This mock draft will not include trades.
(via CAR)
Caleb Williams
PICK
Chicago Bears
1
USC | QB
No surprise here, the Bears land their hopeful future with Caleb Williams. There’s no other discussion needed for this specific pick. It’s just about as locked in as it can get. It shoudn’t take Poles long to send the card in.
PICK
Washington Commanders
2
Jayden Daniels
LSU | QB
I’ve tussled with this pick back and forth, but I’ve just heard more around the league linking Daniels to Washington than I have Maye. While I may think Maye is the better player for the pick, Daniels feels like the better fit for the offense.
PICK
New England Patriots
3
Drake Maye
UNC | QB
It’s either 2 or 3 for Maye and I don’t see a scenerio where Maye falls beyond this pick. Don’t overthink it, Maye is the best quarterback on the board and will win New England some games. Now they need to use the rest of the draft to gather some weapons for him.
PICK
Arizona Cardinals
4
Marvin Harrison Jr.
OHIO ST. | WR
This could be a potential trade spot, but unless the Cardinals get an offer that’s too good to pass up, I would expect them to be just fine sitting and picking Harrison at 4. Fittingly enough, my comparison for Harrison was Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald.
PICK
Los Angeles Chargers
5
Malik Nabers
LSU | WR
Don’t overthink this one Los Angeles. Your biggest need is a wideout with the departure of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and you have the chance to select an elite talent 5th overall. If Nabers does land in LA, he’s my easy pick for OROY
PICK
6
WASHINGTON | WR
New York Giants
Rome Odunze
The Giants are a tough team to predict. They could go Alt here but Alt isn’t going to win them any games. There’s some connection between New York and JJ McCarthy here, but I just don’t see it.
PICK
Tennessee Titans
7
Joe Alt
NOTRE DAME | OT
This is an easy pick for Tennessee. They have a glaring need for a left tackle staring them straight in the face and Joe Alt is available. If he gets past LA and New York, expect the Titans to be off the clock soon.
PICK
Atlanta Falcons
8
Dallas Turner
ALABAMA | EDGE
The first defensive player comes off the board and lands in Atlanta. Turner's versatility and speed will give the Falcons a threat off the edge. Another name I would watch for that may surprise some people would be Texas DL Byron Murphy
PICK
Chicago Bears
9
Olu Fashanu
PENN ST. | OT
The Bears are going to want to give Caleb Williams some help. They recently bought him some new weapons so now they need to protect him. Fashanu and Williams were high school teammates so the Bears opt for some already present chemistry.
PICK
New York Jets
10
Brock Bowers
GEORGIA | TE
The Jets have the set roster to be able to select the best player available. A few month ago this pick would have been offensive tackle, and still very well could, but with the addition of Morgan Moses and Tyron Smith it makes sense for the Jets to seek some more firepower.
PICK
11
MICHIGAN | QB
Minnesota Vikings
JJ McCarthy
I don’t think the Minnesota Vikings leave day 1 of the draft without a quarterback. I believe they really want Drake Maye and will make the nessecary calls to try and get up in the top 3 to grab him, but not in this mock. With the tools McCarthy will have day 1, it’ll be hard for him not to succeed.
PICK
Denver Broncos
12
Bo Nix
OREGON | QB
This could be a potential spot where the Broncos look to trade back and gather some more capital. They could probably even trade back and still be able to grab Nix. Nonetheless, Nix is a great fit for a rebuilding Broncos team and should mesh well with Sean Payton.
PICK
Las Vegas Raiders
13
Taliese Fuaga
OREGON ST | OT
The Raiders have been linked to Michael Penix Jr multiple times here, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger, even though it may very well be the pick. Unfortunately for Penix, if he makes it past the Raiders here, I don’t see a team that fits him within the first round. Fuaga brings that Raiders aggressiveness that they love in Las Vegas. He’ll be a great fit and give the Raiders some juice on that offensive line.
PICK
New Orleans Saints
14
Troy Fautanu
WASHINGTON | OT
The Saints are in dire need of an offensive tackle, so much so that a trade up for one is not out of the question here. Fautanu falls right in their lap and they don’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity.
PICK
15
ALABAMA | CB
Indianapolis Colts
Terrion Arnold
I do believe this pick is either one of the top corners, but Arnold feels like the better fit and pick here. Mitchell is a close runner up for the Colts selection. The Colts will add to a young roster of playmakers in Arnold, and he should be ready to go by day 1.
PICK
16
TEXAS | DL
Seattle Seahawks
Byron Murphy II
Byron Murphy could easily slip into the top 15 picks of the draft no question, whether that’s naturally or by trade. The Seahawks get a defensive run stopper to help slow down some of the high powered offenses in their divison.
PICK
Jacksonville Jaguars
17
Quinyon Mitchell
TOLEDO | CB
In this scenerio, I think the Jaguars select between Arnold and Mitchell and get dealt whoever is available to them. Mitchell will fit the Jaguars well and give them some power on defense to help deal with the starpower at wide receiver in that division.
PICK
Cincinnati Bengals
18
JC Latham
ALABAMA | OT
I could see Latham being taken a lot higher than people may anticipate, but Latham was drafted by the Bengals in my original mock draft, and I still believe that to be a good landing spot for him.
PICK
Los Angeles Rams
19
Jared Verse
FLORIDA ST | EDGE
The Rams could definitely trade out of the first round with this pick. We all know how the Rams love trading away draft picks. However, edge is a need for the Rams so if they do stick and pick, I would expect it to be the best available.
PICK
20
GEORGIA | OT
Pittsburgh Steelers
Amarius Mims
The Steelers love to shop in Georgia and the trend doesn’t stop this year. Mims is a big physical tackle that will fill a gap in the Steelers offensive line.
PICK
Miami Dolphins
21
Graham Barton
DUKE | C
I think Graham Barton is a great fit for the Dolphins and the best overall interior lineman. Barton is athletic and fluid and he’ll help an already powerful Miami offense give Tua some extra time to get the ball out of his hands, and into the hands of his playmakers.
PICK
22
CLEMSON | CB
Philadelphia Eagles
Nate Wiggins
The Eagles are one of the toughest teams to pinpoint for me. Wiggins fills a hole in their secondary, which seems to me like their biggest need. Offensive line is a place I could see the Eagles shop as well, and more specifically, Tyler Guyton.
PICK
Minnesota Vikings
23
(via HOU/CLE)
Laiatu Latu
UCLA | EDGE
Latu’s injury worry is the thing that I believe will drop him the most come draft day. The Vikings capitalize on the drop and cash in on a successful day one of the draft. With the addition of Latu, the Vikings may be host to the most complete roster in football.
PICK
Dallas Cowboys
24
Jackson Powers-Johnson
OREGON | C
Dallas is always a hard team to predict, notably for the fact that they love to reach for players and shop at different stores. Jackson Powers-Johnson should be the pick here, as he is a highly talented player that fills their most needed role. With the Cowboys, who knows.
PICK
Green Bay Packers
25
Cooper DeJean
IOWA | CB
We could see Cooper DeJean be a very high draft pick. Higher than any of us may expect. He falls right into the laps of the Packers who desperately need some help in the secondary. They gave up far too many passing yards last year. DeJean adds versatility to the Packers defense that they love.
PICK
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
26
Chop Robinson
PENN ST | EDGE
I love Chop Robinson, and on the Buccaneers, I may like him even more. The Buccaneers would be a great fit for Robinson and he’ll bring a powerful pass rush to match up nicely with Calijah Kansey on that defensive line.
PICK
27
ILLINOIS | DL
Arizona Cardinals
Jer’Zhan Newton
The Cardinals cap off a great first day of the draft with a powerful force like Newton. He’ll bring a great level of power to the Cardinals line and Arizona will continue to build a great roster.
PICK
Buffalo Bills
28
Brian Thomas Jr
LSU | WR
This is the best case scenario for all Bills fans, I like Brian Thomas a lot, and with Josh Allen throwing him the ball, he’ll have a great first year in the league. You couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome to the first round than this if you’re Buffalo.
PICK
29
ALABAMA | CB
Detroit Lions
Kool-Aid McKinstry
Kool-Aid saved his first round pick case with a successful pro day. He fits the Lions very well and will be great in a system under Dan Campbell. Alternatives for this pick would be Darius Robinson or Zach Frazier.
PICK
Baltimore Ravens
30
Darius Robinson
MISSOURI | EDGE
Darius Robinson screams Baltimore Ravens to me. The play style, the aggressiveness, the ruggedness, it all makes too much sense. Robinson is a Day 1 player to me, so it fits perfectly here at the back of round 1.
PICK
31
OKLAHOMA | OT
San Francisco 49ers
Tyler Guyton
This could easily be a pick including a wide receiver. If Brandon Aiyuk is traded on draft day as many speculate, this should be a receiver. If not, Guyton gives the niners some extra protection for Purdy and fits the Bay well.
PICK
32
TEXAS | WR
Kansas City Chiefs
Adonai Mitchell
Kansas City needs someone to step into Rashee Rice’s shoes while he’s away. Mitchell brings a great level of technique and route running that will mesh well with newly acquired wideout Marquise Brown. Brown is, and will be extremely reminiscent of Xavier Worthy, which would make it a good fit and easy transition for Mitchell.