2024 NFL Mock Draft: Early trade shakes up the QB carousel

How will the run on quarterbacks impact the Steelers at pick 20?

As the great Beetlejuice once vocalized, it’s showtime. After months of nitpicking, reading tea leaves, and turning this exercise into an absurd math equation – it’s time to put my money where my mouth is.

My most recent two-round mock draft came abruptly after the first wave of free agency had ended. Now that more of the dust has settled, it’s time for the final version. Let’s go to work.

1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB, USC

No drama or nonsense here. The USC signal-caller Williams has been the pick for about seven months now.

2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

There is uncertainty with the Commanders in this spot, but the Heisman Trophy winner Daniels gets the slight edge over Maye due to his unmatched athleticism.

3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

New England is said to be entertaining trade offers for this pick – but I don’t understand why that would be the case considering that Jacoby Brissett is currently at the top of their depth chart. Will they be bad enough to draft in the top five next year? Probably not. So take the quarterback.

4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

For a few weeks I’ve thought that Arizona could be a trade-down spot for a team looking to come up and snag Michigan QB JJ McCarthy, but the Cardinals already have a boatload of picks, so they shouldn’t overthink it — just take the best player in the class.

5. Minnesota Vikings – JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan

Projected Trade with Los Angeles Chargers

The Vikings’ pursuit of McCarthy is probably the worst-kept secret in the league. They acquired the 23rd pick from the Houston Texans earlier this offseason to use as ammunition to trade up. They will need to leap ahead of the QB-needy Giants here – and the Chargers gladly accept the package, with more moving and shaking on their horizon.

6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

Nabers is not a bad consolation prize for the Giants, as they hope to replicate the success of the last LSU wideout they drafted – Odell Beckham Jr.

7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

I hope the Titans do something different here, simply because they’ve had Alt mocked to them for months, but for good reason. He’s the cleanest tackle prospect in the class, at the biggest positional need in Nashville.

8. Los Angeles Chargers: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

Projected Trade with Atlanta Falcons

In this scenario, the Chargers traded out of pick five and then used the added draft capital to move BACK up ahead of the Bears and take one of the top three receivers in the draft. Jim Harbaugh saw how great Odunze was up close while scouting him before the National Championship.

9. Chicago Bears: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

After being snaked by the Chargers, the Bears zag instead of zig, and pair a rare blend of size and speed at tight end with their new QB Caleb Williams. Bowers can line up all over the field and be the perfect safety blanket for a first-year signal-caller.

10. New York Jets: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon

The Jets would have likely drafted Bowers here, but Fuaga will improve an offensive line that needs as many reinforcements as they can get if they want to keep Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers upright.

11. Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama

Projected Trade with Los Angeles Chargers

Those savvy Falcons bump back three spots, acquire draft equity, and still draft the player they would have selected if they stayed at eight.

12. Denver Broncos: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA

I searched far and wide for a trade-down opportunity here, as the Broncos would love to get out of this spot, however after the top-tier quarterbacks were drafted, they couldn’t find a partner. Latu is a game-wrecker, but there are concerns about his medicals.

13. Las Vegas Raiders: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State

This is another potential spot for a quarterback, but Fashanu represents great value for a team desperately seeking upgrades upfront.

14. New Orleans Saints: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington

A popular name around Steelers circles, Fautanu’s stock is currently skyrocketing up boards due to a fantastic combine. He was pigeonholed as an interior lineman just a few months ago, but now folks are realizing that he can more than hold his own at tackle as well.

15. Indianapolis Colts: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

Mitchell, a small-school cornerback out of Toledo, has a big-school game. He has all the tools to become one of the top defensive backs in the NFL.

16. Seattle Seahawks: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State

On paper, Edge might not be the biggest need for the Seahawks, but they find themselves in “best player available” territory here and take the freakish athlete in Verse.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

The aggressive, experienced cornerback will attempt to limit the juggernaut that is CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans.

18. Cincinnati Bengals: JC Latham, OT, Alabama

At 6’5, 345 lbs., Latham would give the Bengals a dominant force on the opposite side of Orlando Brown Jr.

19. Los Angeles Rams: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas

Hall of Famer Aaron Donald recently announced his retirement, so the Rams have a massive hole in the middle of their defensive line. Murphy II is a three-down player who can consistently withstand double teams.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Graham Barton, OL, Duke

The most challenging internal debate I’ve battled with over the past few weeks. I think three things are true here:

1. The Steelers literally don’t have a center on their roster.
2. They have pigeon-hold themselves into drafting a plug-and-play prospect early on. Three centers in this class fit that bill – Barton, Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier. None of them will be available at pick 52.
3. Georgia OT Amarius Mims may be ranked higher on their big board, but if it’s a narrow margin, I’d bet they would prioritize the larger need.

Ultimately, the deciding factor will be Barton’s versatility. He can be an above-average guard, and I think he could be a slightly below-average tackle in this league, which is why I described him as an offensive lineman- and not just a center.

Also considered:

Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia, Cooper DeJean CB, Iowa, Brian Thomas Jr., WR LSU

21. Buffalo Bills: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU

Projected trade with Miami Dolphins

Miami needs to add more picks and the Bills need to add a true number one wideout. Thomas Jr., an incredibly productive option from LSU falls down the board here a bit further than anticipated.

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Cooper DeJean, CB/S, Iowa

The Eagles had one of the best secondaries in the NFL during their Super Bowl run in 2023, but that wasn’t even close to the case last season, as they ranked towards the bottom half of the league in most categories. DeJean is a versatile defensive back that would fix a ton of those problems.

23. Los Angeles Chargers: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia

A master-class here for Harbaugh, as he gets better in the trenches with Mims, and still leaves the first round with a top receiver in Odunze. This is the pick that was formerly Minnesota’s.

24. Dallas Cowboys: Jackson-Powers Johnson, C, Oregon

After losing C Tyler Biadasz in free agency, Dallas needs to prioritize the interior of their offensive line ahead of wide receiver – as much as that will pain Jerry Jones. It’s a deep receiver class, and the Cowboys will find one in the second or third rounds.

25. Green Bay Packers: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

Wiggins is a lengthy but slender corner, weighing just 173 lbs. He ran the second-fastest time for a cornerback at the combine with a 4.28, so his makeup speed is off the charts.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State

Robinson’s play was inconsistent last year, but there’s no denying his skill set. He stood out at the 2024 NFL Draft Combine, recording a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, a 10-foot, eight-inch broad jump and a 34.5-inch vertical. The guy is a physical freak and should be a plug-and-play, double-digit sack dude.

27. Arizona Cardinals: Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois

Newton is one of my favorite players in the draft. He’s dropping a bit due to a foot injury suffered a few months back, but when you turn on the tape, the guy is unstoppable.

28. Miami Dolphins: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

A savvy move here by the Dolphins as they gain additional draft capital after moving out and trading with divisional rival Buffalo – and still take one of the last of the top-tier linemen in the class. You could argue that their first three picks should all be on the offensive line.

29. Detroit Lions: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

Following the arrest of former Steelers CB Cameron Sutton, the Lions secondary is one of the weakest units in football. It probably held them back from a shot at the Super Bowl.

30. Baltimore Ravens: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas

Death, Taxes, and the Ravens crushing the draft every year. Mitchell is arguably the best contested-catch receiver in the class and ran a 4.34 forty-yard dash at 6’2, 205 lbs.

31. Las Vegas Raiders: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

Projected trade with the San Francisco 49ers

The Raiders make a franchise-altering move and trade up to draft the fifth and final quarterback taken in the first round, the Heisman runner up and polarizing Penix Jr.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

Worthy, the fastest man on planet Earth, finds himself in an absolutely perfect situation in Kansas City. Shades of Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill.

What player do you hope the Steelers target in Round 1 of the NFL Draft? Let us know in the comments section below!