NFL mock drafts 2024: Compare latest from Mel Kiper, Daniel Jeremiah, more experts

Edward Sutelan

NFL mock drafts 2024: Compare latest from Mel Kiper, Daniel Jeremiah, more experts image

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 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 NEP) 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) J.C. 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 G/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.

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.