Gennaro Filice 2024 NFL mock draft 1.0: Minnesota Vikings trade into top 10 for QB J.J. McCarthy.
Publishing a mock draft just days before the NFL Scouting Combine is kind of like buying clothes without trying them on: They seem like a fit, but you’re skipping an important step in the process.
Alas, the content machine MUST be fed, so I’m here to supply today’s meal.
The following trip down the Round 1 rabbit hole underscores this prospect pool’s strongest positions, as 21 of the 32 players listed below play wide receiver, offensive tackle or cornerback. That said, four of the first seven picks man the position that makes the football world go round: quarterback.
Alright, enough preamble: Here’s my best guess as to how the 2024 NFL Draft’s opening round will transpire, with three trades mixed in for a little extra spice.
Yup, just like nearly every other mock drafter in the known universe, I have Williams going No. 1 overall. And yup, I’m also operating under the assumption the Bears will trade Justin Fields and reset the financial clock on the game’s most important — and expensive — position.
The QB2 question is fertile ground in this pre-draft process, and I expect several twists and turns as the debate rages on over the next two months. In the moment, it feels like Jayden Daniels is gaining steam in some draftnik circles, but I still suspect this is at least partially because the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is the shiny new object to evaluate after his breakthrough season at LSU. Essentially, Maye has become old hat. Which is funny, given that he’s actually two years younger than Daniels.
Bill Belichick The Coach and Bill Belichick The GM are gone. With Jerod Mayo taking the HC reins and Eliot Wolf now heading the personnel department, it’s a brand new day in Foxborough. So how about a brand new experience in quarterbacking?
If popular opinion ultimately comes to fruition and the first three players off the board are indeed quarterbacks, this could be the easiest pick of the draft. Michael Wilson provided positive returns as a rookie wideout this past season, but Harrison is the kind of extraordinary talent who changes his NFL team’s receiver room overnight.
