The college football regular season is complete and now the NFL waits to learn who will be declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. The college football transfer portal has certainly thrown an entertaining wrinkle into pre-draft decision-making as many now stand to benefit from returning to school. Most of the top-tier talent will make themselves available to be selected next April, however.
In today's thought exercise, we explore how depth at the wide receiver spot could create a run later in the first round. Plus, four franchises explore the idea of starting fresh at the game's most important position.
The draft order below was determined using Tankathon ahead of Week 14 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.
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
From
Carolina Panthers
Round 1 - Pick 1
Justin Fields has been trending in the right direction but, is it too little, too late? Will Matt Eberflus be out after the season and will new leadership want their own QB? There is a lot to work through in the Windy City.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Congratulations, New England, you have finally done it. You lost enough games to be in a position to select one of the perceived top quarterback prospects. The worst place a bad team can find itself is in the middle of the draft order so while it sounds sarcastic, it is a genuine sentiment.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
Arizona and Kyler Murray seem to be on a healthy page as the regular season winds down, which is great because they may miss on the top quarterback prospects. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a welcomed addition for an Arizona offense that lacks size.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Washington made a great decision to sign Charles Leno Jr. when Chicago threw him out of the building like Uncle Phil did Will but Leno turns 33 in 2024 and the franchise may need to turn the page.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Chicago can quickly turn a weakness into a strength. After trading for Montez Sweat, the franchise uses a top-5 selection on Dallas Turner. Opposing teams will no longer be able to isolate Sweat without worrying about what is happening on the other side.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
New York could conceivably move on from Darren Waller this offseason and save money toward the salary cap, while adding Brock Bowers in the process.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
Michael Thomas is entering his final season with New Orleans. There is an out in his contract after the 2024 season and it is difficult seeing the two parties continue.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
Tampa Bay may move on from Todd Bowles after the season so new leadership may have a different vision for quarterback than Baker Mayfield. Jayden Daniels brings more dual-threat ability to the position.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
Las Vegas has tried to fill its need at cornerback but has done it with the wrong players honestly. Nate Wiggins is worthy of this consideration and may be the best man-coverage cornerback in the class.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
The Chargers feel like another franchise about to go under the hood and make some changes to the car. Kool-Aid McKinstry, teaming with Asante Samuel Jr., would be a solid start to rebuilding the secondary.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Leonard Floyd, A.J. Epenesa and Shaq Lawson are all free agents. Von Miller is dealing with his own situation. Boogie Basham was traded away last offseason. The Bills may need to retool on the edge.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Jared Verse is a heavy-handed rusher who can set the edge in that defense. Sean Payton is rebuilding the accountable line he had created in New Orleans.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Geno Smith has probably reached his ceiling in Seattle but J.J. McCarthy offers more upside at the position.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Los Angeles valued and maximized the versatility of Jalen Ramsey when he was on the roster. Cooper DeJean is capable of fulfilling multiple roles as well.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
D.J. Reader will be a free agent at season's end and Jer'Zhan Newton would be a great complement to B.J. Hill. Newton is a high-motor player who would give Cincinnati a bit more juice rushing from the interior.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 18
First-year head coach Jonathan Gannon gets a foundational piece to his pass rush.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Rome Odunze fills out Atlanta's skill positions but the Falcons could use a quarterback capable of distributing the football to their wealth of talent.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Amarius Mims has dealt with injuries all season but there is no question he is one of the top tackle prospects in the country when available. David Bakhtiari's tenure in Green Bay is likely drawing to a close.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Danielle Hunter and Marcus Davenport are slated to be free agents. JT Tuimoloau gives them a youthful infusion in an impact role.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Indianapolis has gotten good value out of its cornerback selections but the presence of an emerging Terrion Arnold creates functional depth at a valuable position.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Broderick Jones can flip back to the left side, which opens the door for Taliese Fuaga to slide in at right tackle. If Pittsburgh wants to be a run-heavy team with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, it now has the blockers to make that happen.
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From
Cleveland Browns
Round 1 - Pick 24
Houston brings in Denzel Burke to start opposite Derek Stingley Jr.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
Kansas City has struggled with drops this season. Keon Coleman is a ball winner down the field but, more importantly, he has just a 1.1% drop rate on 87 targets this season.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Brian Thomas Jr. has size and speed. He is a little rough around the edges, but if he wasn't, he would be taken much earlier. Trevor Lawrence has a new weapon alongside Calvin Ridley.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland are building blocks in that Dallas secondary. Tyler Nubin is a similar ballhawk. The Cowboys are becoming a no-fly zone.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Jonah Jackson and Halapoulivaati Vaitai are scheduled to be free agents after the season. Troy Fautanu has played left tackle but could be a guard at the next level. His competitive spirit will fit in well with that team.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
San Francisco's offensive line is a point of weakness. Graham Barton has positional flexibility but projects to the interior at the next level.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Quinyon Mitchell is like a late first-round version of Devon Witherspoon. He is aggressive and plays the ball well. Baltimore adds a key piece to its secondary.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Robert Hunt, Connor Williams and Isaiah Wynn are free agents. Robert Jones is a restricted free agent. Big changes are potentially ahead for Miami's interior offensive line. Jordan Morgan accounts for some of that loss.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Kingsley Suamataia played right tackle for the Cougars last season and is playing left tackle in 2023. Philadelphia will value that versatility and could have a potential replacement for Lane Johnson.
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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.
