2024 NFL Three-Round Mock Draft: History to be made as quarterbacks are taken with first four selections

By trading Justin Fields, Chicago has cleared the table for the selection of Caleb Williams. The Bears have been planning for this moment over the past 12 months acquiring offensive tackle Darnell Wright and wide receivers D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen.

To the surprise of no one, Washington stays put and takes Drake Maye. There are a lot of different voices involved in the decision-making process; some of which will prefer the dual-threat nature of Jayden Daniels and others that will prefer the prototypical Maye.

There had been rumors of New England’s interest dating back to Bill Belichick’s employment and the organization did nothing to stifle that noise when they sent a large contingent of coaches, personnel executives to Baton Rouge for Daniels’ Pro Day.

For the first time in league history, quarterbacks are taken with the first four selections as J.J. McCarthy is the latest off the board. The Vikings are giving up three first-round picks to take the fourth quarterback in the draft; that will be a tough pill to swallow in the moment, but mean nothing if it works out long-term.

Los Angeles is the beneficiary of four quarterbacks taken with the first four selections as they are left to take the best player available at any other position. In this scenario, they take Marvin Harrison Jr. to account for the departure of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

Malik Nabers tested like a freak of nature and the film is that of a player capable of positively impacting a football game in a variety of ways. He is the No. 1 wide receiver that New York has lacked since Odell Beckham Jr. fled. Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt and Nabers is an intriguing young collection of pass catchers.

Tennessee will probably consider a pass catcher as well, but it is impossible to envision them passing on a franchise left tackle. The tackle situation has been in flux for quite some time in Nashville. They opt for stability with the No. 7 overall selection.

Atlanta’s offense is in good condition with the likes of Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore catching passes from Kirk Cousins and a really good offensive line blocking for Bijan Robinson. I am setting Falcons fans up for a draft that is going to be heavy on the defense.

There is never enough that can be done to support a young quarterback. The Bears keep throwing resources on the offense as Rome Odunze pairs nicely with D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen.

Personally, I would take another offensive lineman because I do not trust two 33-year-old offensive linemen that have been unable to stay healthy recently to now do so. However, I also believe that New York has been positioning themselves all winter and spring to draft a pass catcher. The Jets are all in with Aaron Rodgers.

Arizona has a ton of picks and now they have even more as a result of the trade with the Vikings. For most teams, I would say that there is such a thing as too many draft picks for an organization, but that does not apply to the Cardinals. Jared Verse is the start of a total overhaul.

Los Angeles may not need to trade up quite this far to secure Byron Murphy II, but I love the fit next to Kobie Turner and it is an obvious need following the retirement of Aaron Donald. Denver moves back after missing out on all the quarterbacks.

Las Vegas sticks and picks Terrion Arnold to fit in that secondary with Nate Hobbs. The Raiders have a revamped front with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins.

Left tackle Trevor Penning has not solidified his role on the left side and now there are reports of doubt in the structural integrity of right tackle Ryan Ramczyk’s knee. Offensive tackle has shot to the top of the list of needs in New Orleans.

Quinyon Mitchell plays a position of need for Indianapolis, but he has also displayed the athletic profile often coveted by general manager Chris Ballard. The Colts identified some young talent last year to serve as depth but Mitchell is a lockdown capable man coverage cornerback.

Offensive guard had been a need for Seattle even before Damien Lewis signed with Carolina in free agency. Troy Fautanu played left tackle for Washington but has the body type that would allow him to move inside at the next level.

Darious Williams is gone and while the franchise did sign Ronald Darby to replace him, cornerback is still a position of need long-term. Cooper DeJean is a fluid athlete in his ability to carry routes vertically or transition across the field.

Cincinnati may find themselves in no man’s land as it relates to other positions of need (defensive tackle, cornerback and potentially wide receiver) so they make the wise choice of Taliese Fuaga, who can play guard in the short-term and move over to right tackle long-term.

The idea of taking Michael Penix Jr. may have been a little rich at No. 12 overall but, by trading back and accumulating additional draft resources, the Broncos can take a risk on the Washington quarterback here.

JC Latham is great value at this stage of the first round and his presence allows Broderick Jones to flip back to the left side. They could still use an interior offensive lineman at some point.

Green Bay is not going to be able to sit still at No. 25 overall and find their left tackle, so they get aggressive in moving up for the right to select Amarius Mims; the last left tackle prospect worthy of consideration at this stage of the draft.

Graham Barton is a Swiss Army knife that can fulfill a variety of roles along that offensive line. His long-term fit may be unknown but, for now, he gives them insurance at a variety of positions in the event of injury.

Do I realize that I have already given Jared Verse to Arizona? Yes. Was it a mistake to give them Laiatu Latu and Verse? No. The Cardinals now have some talent and juice on the defensive line.

Center Tyler Biadasz departed in free agency to sign with Washington. They are already considering moving left guard Tyler Smith to left tackle unless they find a better option. Dallas needs two starters on the offensive line but only one can be addressed in the first round. Jackson Powers-Johnson could play guard or center so Dallas has options to get their five best on the field.

Miami lost Christian Wilkins to Las Vegas, Raekwon Davis to Indianapolis in free agency. A team with title aspirations must add to that room this off-season, so they do in the first round.

Carlton Davis was traded to Detroit and Sean Bunting had been long gone by that point. Tampa Bay has seen significant turnover on defense but they alter their strategy with the selection of Kool-Aid McKinstry in the first round.

Arizona may have traded out of the opportunity to take Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers, but they still get a gifted pass catcher while also addressing other positions of need that will allow them a chance to accelerate the rebuild.

Buffalo and Stefon Diggs seem to be on more solid ground this off-season and Curtis Samuel has a specific role in the offense, but they could benefit from having another pass catcher capable of keeping the defense honest. Adonai Mitchell has the size that will prevent opponents from putting a smaller cornerback on him and the speed making it difficult for a bigger cornerback to stay in-phase.

Detroit is loaded with talent and depth along its defensive line after adding defensive tackle D.J. Reader and now Robinson to go along with Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and Josh Paschal.

Morgan Moses was traded to New York. While Patrick Mekari has the capability of fulfilling that assignment, his value is as a utility lineman that can play a variety of positions in a pinch. The addition of Kingsley Suamataia, who played both left and right tackle for BYU, allows them that flexibility.

San Francisco retained Colton McKivitz but that just means the team now has depth. Tyler Guyton moves really well, but still needs more refinement at right tackle. The 49ers have not used a first-round pick on the offensive line since Mike McGlinchey in 2018.

The trade of L’Jarius Sneed opens the door for a new talent at the position to step in. Do the Chiefs value the position in this spot? When they had Charvarius Ward, they let him walk and now Sneed is gone. There is no denying that it is a position of need, however.