CSR Weekly Mock Draft 5.0

A weekly projection of what all 32 teams will do with their picks at the 2024 NFL Draft

CSR Mock Draft 5.0 is now upon us. This is the final one before the real deal, the big kahuna, the actual real-life NFL Draft. As such, I decided to try to make this my most realistic mock so far. We’ll see how accurate it is after the fact.

For this mock draft, I once again used the NFL Mock Draft Database simulator and took control of all 32 teams for two rounds. I had fun with some interesting trades, using Drafttek’s draft pick trade value chart to make the trades as even as possible.

Without further ado, here it is, this week’s CSR Mock Draft:

First Round

1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB, USC

If the Bears don’t select Caleb Williams, I’ll go vegan for the rest of my life. That’s how certain I am that this will happen.

2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

Jayden Daniels was reportedly upset that he and the other quarterback prospects had a group date with the Commanders. Still, I doubt he pulls an Eli Manning and forces his way out of Washington.

3. Minnesota Vikings (via NE): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

The Patriots are officially “open for business” at the third overall pick. McCarthy would be a surprise to go over Maye, but O’Connell comes from the McVay tree where the quarterback just needs to not mess things up. Here are the details of the trade:

Vikings Receive: Pick 3

Patriots Receive: Picks 11, 23, and a 2025 first round pick

4. Arizona Cardinals: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

There is way too much smoke about Malik Nabers being the first wide receiver off the board. His explosive potential makes the Cardinals decide to add fire to that smoke.

5. Denver Broncos (via LAC): Drake Maye, QB, UNC

WIth the surprise slipping of Drake Maye, Denver pounces to grab the talented but inconsistent signal caller. The Broncos are apparently just as desperate as the Vikings to grab a quarterback, and this is the ideal spot. Here are the details of the trade:

Broncos Receive: Pick 5

Chargers Receive: Picks 12, 76, and a 2025 second round pick

6. New York Giants: Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio St

The Giants need offensive weapons, and four of the first five picks being quarterbacks allows them to take one of the top tier receivers. Though Harrison doesn’t have the explosive acceleration Malik Nabers does, he has exceptional polish and will be a productive receiver right out of the gate.

7. Chicago Bears (via ATL): Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama

The Bears have apparently been fans of what the Texans did in last year’s Draft in grabbing their quarterback and edge rusher of the future. They know the Falcons would likely jump on Dallas Turner, so they jump them in the order. Here are the details of the trade:

Bears Receive: Picks 7 and 146

Titans Receive: Picks 9 and 75

8. Atlanta Falcons: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

The Falcons are pretty upset that the Bears took their preferred pass rusher, but they’re pretty excited about adding the big bodied Odunze to an already stacked offense.

9. Tennessee Titans (via CHI): Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

The Titans pick up some draft capital and still land the top tackle in the Draft.

10. New York Jets: Brock Bowers, TE, UGA

The Jets should probably go tackle here, especially for their future, but GM Aaron Rodgers wants to win now and gets the team to add one of the best pass catchers in the Draft. They added some older tackles in free agency, so they put all their eggs in those particular baskets.

11. New England Patriots (via MIN): Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU

The Patriots know they’re more than a quarterback away, and they like the late first round tackles more than the late first round receivers. With that in mind, they jump on the vertical threat for their future quarterback.

12. Los Angeles Chargers (via DEN): Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

The Chargers need a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball, especially at corner. After trading down, they grab the speedster from Toledo.

13. Las Vegas Raiders: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

The Raiders feel this is a little too rich for the next tier of quarterbacks, and there are too many top corners and offensive tackles for them to find a trade back partner. They decide to go corner here.

14. New Orleans Saints: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn St

The Saints have to be concerned that Ryan Ramzcyk won’t be able to play this season, so they will definitely go tackle here.

15. Los Angeles Rams (via IND): Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA

With the top corners off the board, Indy trades back and lets the Rams take the most polished pass rusher in the Draft. Latu stays in LA and helps fill the massive void left by Aaron Donald retiring.

16. Seattle Seahawks: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon St

The Seahawks decide to help protect Geno Smith and open holes for Kenneth Walker IV.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida St

The Jaguars need many things, and Verse is the best player available on their board.

18. Cincinnati Bengals: Johnny Newton, DL, Illinois

The Bengals need some defensive playmakers to help get them back to the Super Bowl, so they take the interior disruptor.

19. Indianapolis Colts (via LAR): Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

The Colts move down and still get a good cover corner.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: JC Latham, OT, Alabama

The Steelers need to protect whichever temporary quarterback ends up starting for them, so they get a plug and play tackle.

21. Miami Dolphins: Amarius Mims, OT, UGA

The Dolphins like to run the football, and Mims loves to run block. He is a little raw in pass protection, but Miami’s quick passing game should mitigate that.

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

The Eagles are getting very old on the back end of their defense, so they decide to get McKinstry, who might be the better of the two Alabama corners.

23. New England Patriots (via MIN): Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa

The Patriots already improved their offense with the first of the two Vikings picks, so this time around they improve on defense and special teams. The new kickoff rules also make DeJean an intriguing kickoff return option on top of his already dynamic punt return ability.

24. Dallas Cowboys: Graham Barton, IOL, Duke

The Cowboys have been lackluster on the offensive line. Barton’s versatility gives them a lot of options for plugging up whatever holes on the line they see.

25. Green Bay Packers: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington

One of the few weaknesses on the Packers roster is the offensive line. Fautanu could start out on the outside or move to guard. Either way, he’ll help out the Packers’ line.

26. Detroit Lions (via TB): Byron Murphy, DL, Texas

The Lions fell short in the NFC Championship game largely due to the fact that Aiden Hutchinson was a one man army on the defensive line. Murphy slides a little, and Dan Campbell jumps up to grab him. Here are the details of the trade:

Lions Receive: Pick 26

Bucs Receive: Pick 29 and a 2025 3rd round pick

27. Arizona Cardinals: Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri

The Cardinals desperately need help getting to the quarterback. Darius Robinson has quietly been rising up Draft boards lately, so I could see the Cardinals pouncing here.

28. Buffalo Bills: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas

The Bills traded away Stephon Diggs, so they will absolutely be taking a wide receiver in the first round. AD Mitchell provides an athletic target for Josh Allen in the intermediate and deep zones of the field.

29. Tampa Bay Bucs (via DET): Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn St

The Bucs drop a few spots and end up taking the guy they might have taken anyway at 26. They need pass rush and Chop has the skills to be a solid one in the NFL. His production in college is worrisome, but the Bucs take the chance.

30. Baltimore Ravens: Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona

Originally projected in the second round because of an injury, Morgan is another player who has been quietly rising lately. He’ll be two years removed from his knee injury, and he looked better as the year went on.

31. San Francisco 49ers: Ennis Rakestraw, CB, Missouri

Kyle Shannahan will get the most out of his offensive talent, so the team decides to help out the defense in the first round.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon

The Chiefs will definitely be taking a wide receiver at some point in the first two days of the Draft. Here they grab a potentially better version of MVS.

Second Round

33. Carolina Panthers: Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

Legette has said he has visited the Panthers dozens of times and was told the team would be selecting him at 33 if he is still available. This could be a smokescreen, it could be Legette trying to get a team to take him in the first. I’m of the opinion that there is fire to this situation. The Panthers have not been super secretive in their pre-Draft process lately. The hope is that Legette can become a DK Metcalf type of player. Dave Canales knows Legette won’t win in one on one situations very often, so he should try to scheme him open on drives and overs. Plus, the new kickoff rules make Legette an interesting option as a return man.

34. New England Patriots: Michael Penix, QB, Washington

The Patriots added to their offense and now feel comfortable taking a quarterback. Penix has a great deep ball, especially outside the numbers, and Brian Thomas is a great deep receiver.

35. Arizona Cardinals: Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon

JPJ has been slipping a bit because of a supposed bad attitude. Still, the talent and ferocious playstyle are too much for Arizona to pass up.

36. Washington Commanders: Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU

The Commanders need to protect their new thinly-framed quarterback. Suamataia is raw, but has the tools to be elite with proper coaching.

37. Los Angeles Chargers: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

The Chargers will want to run the ball and throw off play action. Guyton fits in well on the right side of the line for that type of offense.

38. Tennessee Titans: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

The Titans add a speed demon to Will Levis’s offensive weapons. Even that howitzer of an arm would find it tough to overthrow 4.21 speed like Worthy’s.

39. Carolina Panthers: Mike Sainristill, CB, Michigan

Josh Norris hinted at Sainristill being in play at 33 or 39 for the Panthers. Despite only playing corner for a couple years (after moving from wide receiver), Sainristill has done nothing but get better and better. With Jaycee Horn’s injury history, Dane Jackson’s inconsistency, and Troy Hill’s age, taking a versatile corner wouldn’t be the worst idea.

40. Washington Commanders: Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri

The Titans were comfortable with their wide receiver room, so they dropped a couple spots and still took the player they would have at 38.

41. Green Bay Packers: Cole Bishop, S, Utah

The Packers need to address their defensive secondary, so they take the Draft’s first safety off the board.

42. Houston Texans: Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M

The Texans did not have a first round pick because of the Will Anderson trade last year, so this is their first pick of the Draft. Demeco Ryans will love adding a player of Cooper’s caliber into the off-ball linebacker slot of his defense.

43. Atlanta Falcons: Braden Fiske, DL, Florida St

The Falcons have not had a major disruptive force on the defensive line since Grady Jarrett, so they take a chance on a high motor interior lineman.

44. Las Vegas Raiders: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

The Raiders luck out by not taking Nix in the first round. They’re able to grab the very experienced signal caller here in the second to compete with Aiden O’Connell.

45. Philadelphia Eagles (via NO): Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington

The Eagles have missed out on most of the top tackles so far, so they decide to pounce on one of the few remaining they like.

Eagles Receive: Pick 45

Saints Receive: Picks 50 and 120

46. Indianapolis Colts: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida St

The Colts need some offensive weapons for Anthony Richardson to throw to, and they pick up a big, strong receiver here in the second round.

47. New York Giants: Kamari Lassiter, CB, UGA

Lassiter fell down some draft boards after a less than stellar 40 yard dash at the combine. Still, he’s a talented cover guy who the Giants like in this spot.

48. Jacksonville Jaguars: Javon Baker, WR, UCF

Calvin Ridley left in free agency, so the Jags need to get Trevor Lawrence some weapons. Some might be surprised by the name here, but when have the Jags ever gone with the consensus on anything other than Trevor Lawrence?

49. Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington

Tee Higgins is on his way out, Tyler Boyd already left. The Bengals need to refill the coffers at wide receiver.

50. New Orleans Saints (via PHI): Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan

The Saints continue the run on wide receivers, adding a slot weapon to help fill in for the aging Michael Thomas.

51. Pittsburgh Steelers: Zach Frazier, IOL, West Virginia

The Steelers decide to double up on offensive linemen, adding a possible center of the future.

52. Los Angeles Rams: Michael Hall, DL, Ohio St

The Rams also double up, but they do so on the defensive line. Adding Latu and Hall would definitely ease the pain of losing Aaron Donald.

53. Philadelphia Eagles: Marshawn Kneeland, EDGE, Western Michigan

The Eagles traded away Haason Reddick, so they need some edge rush in the worst way.

54. Cleveland Browns : Junior Colson, LB, Michigan

The Deshaun Watson trade made it so this was Cleveland’s first pick in this Draft, and they use it to beef up their defense.

55. Miami Dolphins: Kris Jenkins, DL, Michigan

The Dolphins need to fill the hole left by Christian Wilkins. Jenkins is a toolsy player who could develop into the type of disruptor Wilkins was for that defense.

56. Dallas Cowboys: Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida

The Cowboys ngo all-in on offense in (potentially) Dak’s final season with the team. If he fails this season, they can point to all the talent on offense and put the blame on Dak.

57. Tamba Bay Bucs: Payton Wilson, LB, NC State

Lavonte David is on a one year deal, so the Bucs need to add to the linebacker room. Wilson’s medicals are a concern, but he’s a damn good player when healthy.

58. Green Bay Packers: Christian Haynes, IOL, UConn

The Packers continue adding to the depth on their offensive line.

59. Houston Texans: Max Melton, CB, Rutgers

With former top picks Derek Stingly Jr and Jeff Okudah on the outside, the Texans add a third corner to the group.

60. Buffalo Bills: Jaden Hicks, S, Washington St

The Bills gave Josh Allen some help in round one, now they help the back end of their defense.

61. Detroit Lions: TJ Tampa, CB, Iowa St

The Lions continue to add to their defense, which was one of the main shortcomings last year.

62. Baltimore Ravens: Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn St

After losing Jadeveon Clowney in free agency, the Ravens have to try to fill that production from the edge.

63. San Francisco 49ers: Dominic Puni, IOL, Kansas

The 49ers’ offensive line was a very clear weakness last season, so they pour some resources into it.

64. Kansas City Chiefs: Cooper Beebe, IOL, Kansas St

With all of the top corners off the board, the Chiefs elect to beef up their interior offensive line.

There you have it. What do you think, Panthers fans? Sound off in the comments!