Chicago could theoretically take the 2024 NFL Draft's best prospect and still land a king's ransom in a trade of the No. 2 overall selection. The Bears have promising young defensive talent, but having additional draft capital would expedite the rebuild around Caleb Williams.
In today's thought exercise, we explore where the run on positions like offensive tackle could occur. Also, how many quarterbacks could land in the first round? After five were taken in last week's mock draft, there is a bit of a different approach this week.
The draft order below was determined using Tankathon, 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. Listen to the latest episode below!
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
From
Carolina Panthers
Round 1 - Pick 1
The choice is Caleb Williams and there is no other consideration. I could understand possibly trading the No. 2 overall selection and Justin Fields, but missing out on Williams is not an option.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Caleb Williams has Marvin Harrison Jr. and D.J. Moore to begin his professional career. If the offensive line can step up, the Chicago offense would be in a position to take a big leap forward in the span of a year.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
Sean Payton's first season has hardly gone better than Nathaniel Hackett's. It could be a multi-year rebuild, and Russell Wilson is not a part of future plans.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Marcus Davenport and Danielle Hunter are on the final years of their contracts, so they could reset the deck and their salary cap with the selection of Dallas Turner. They could also get aggressive in pursuit of Drake Maye.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
The offensive line is a problem for New England this season. It needs better play from an interior offensive line in which it has heavily invested, but Olu Fashanu and Trent Brown are bookend tackles with which Bill Belichick can go into battle.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Wink Martindale plays an aggressive style of defense, so it needs cornerbacks capable of sticking in coverage. Kool-Aid McKinstry could be a special pairing with Deonte Banks.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Brock Bowers is one of the few blue-chip talents remaining in this draft. Arizona sticks to its board and adds a dynamic piece to its pass attack.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
Amarius Mims has struggled to stay on the field but, when available, has been dominant. Las Vegas is gambling on getting the best version of him, but the stakes are high.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 10
Jonathan Gannon comes from a situation in Philadelphia where he was flush with edge rusher talent. Jared Verse is a step towards building out a similar war chest in the desert.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
The jury is still out on Sam Howell. They could go in the direction of quarterback this week and not the next week. Fortunately, those decisions do not need to be made for another six months.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Tennessee has to go offense if it is going to dive headfirst into the Will Levis or Malik Willis experiment. Either player will need support from other talented prospects if he is to succeed.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Cincinnati adds a hard-working interior defender as D.J. Reader is slated to hit free agency.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Los Angeles has tried to patch its cornerback room with young late-round draft picks and undrafted free agents. It looked like it might work out for the Rams at one point, but it does not look like a viable long-term solution.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Los Angeles has admitted J.C. Jackson is a sunk cost by trading him back to New England. Cornerback remains a position of need in his absence. Cooper DeJean also provides some return ability.
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From
Cleveland Browns
Round 1 - Pick 17
C.J. Stroud has been playing fantastic to begin his career. The best way to support a young quarterback is to surround him with weapons; better yet weapons with which he has a preexisting relationship.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
J.T. Tuimoloau is a prototypical New Orleans edge defender. He is long and powerful, and his best football remains ahead of him.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Maason Smith shows up in the games where LSU needs someone to step up. He is a long prospect who is able to use quickness to get on the hips of interior offensive linemen.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
The biggest question mark with Laiatu Latu will be the medical check. If he clears, then a team could get a difference maker later than most would expect.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Shaq Lawson and A.J. Epenesa are slated to become free agents after the season. They already traded away Boogie Basham. Depth is important at edge rusher, especially with Von Miller battling injuries.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Trevon Diggs will be coming off an injury and Stephon Gilmore just turned 33 years old. Dallas needs to build out that room.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Baltimore has struggled to get reliable play from its offensive tackles, whether that was injury or otherwise. Kingsley Suamataia is a big, physical right tackle who can seal the edge.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Seattle gets back to its roots of the "Legion of Boom" with the additions of Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen and Kamren Kinchens in the span of two years.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
A year after taking Joey Porter Jr. in the second round, Pittsburgh returns to the well to take Josh Newton to play in the slot.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Jacksonville needs to re-sign Calvin Ridley, but Keon Coleman would give Trevor Lawrence a big body capable of winning contested-catch situations down the field.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Tampa Bay is trying to get the five best offensive linemen on the field. Tristan Wirfs is certainly one and Luke Goedeke is trending towards being another. Zak Zinter is thrown in there to upgrade the interior offensive line.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Jonah Jackson and Halapoulivaati Vaitai are slated to hit free agency after the season. They account for a potential departure with the selection of Graham Barton.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
When discussing Miami, everyone wants to discuss the speed, but there is also a clear intention to invest in the offensive and defensive lines. McKinnley Jackson held his own against Alabama and showed he can be a valuable piece for a team.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Philadelphia historically uses its first round selections on offensive or defensive lines. With Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham slated to hit free agency, edge rusher becomes a point of need.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
It is a quantity over quality approach at wide receiver for Kansas City thus far. The hope is that Xavier Worthy becomes one of those reliable outlets for Patrick Mahomes.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
San Francisco's scheme protects its offensive line a bit, but the interior offensive line is a concern. Jordan Morgan has played left tackle for Arizona but projects inside.
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