National Football League

2024 NFL mock draft: Don't buy the hype on Jayden Daniels over Drake Maye

Published Mar. 29, 2024 8:00 a.m. ET

Co-Host of THE HERD and FOX Sports Betting Analyst

We're now less than a month away from the 2024 NFL Draft. With that in mind, I put together my third mock draft. This class is very strong at quarterback, receiver and offensive tackle — as you'll see based on these selections.

1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina): Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Williams goes to a seven-win team that has improved at RB (D'Andre Swift) and WR (Keenan Allen). There's no reason Williams can't have a CJ Stroud-type rookie season and help the Bears contend for a playoff spot.

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2. Washington Commanders: Drake Maye, QB, UNC

Don't fall for the "Jayden Daniels is a better fit for Kliff Kingsbury's offense" takes. Maye's wheels are better than many know — he has six games of 70+ rushing yards in the last two seasons — and he's going to make Washington dangerous quickly.

3. New England Patriots: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

Can he be RG3? Will his spindly frame hold up? The Patriots are in the early stages of a rebuild, and I'm not sure they roll the dice with JJ McCarthy here.

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

Kyler Murray's going to be in line for a bounce-back season with the trio of Harrison, Michael Wilson, and TE Trey McBride. Sure, they want to trade down.

5. Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

They'd love to trade back. But if they can't, it doesn't make sense to move off your top two receivers without a game plan at the position. OL makes sense as Harbaugh will want a power game and Herbert in play-action.

6. New York Giants: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

The Giants fortified the defensive line with Brian Burns and don't need a left tackle. My guess here is they don't go QB. They get a weapon for Daniel Jones.

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

We'll probably know by Thanksgiving if Will Levis is the man. The Titans have quietly had a strong offseason, but it's not like they could get any worse.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama

The Falcons have drafted nine defensive linemen in the last seven years. And the defensive line still feels average, despite Grady Jarrett. Turner is in a dogfight with Jared Verse to become the first edge rusher off the board.

9. Chicago Bears: Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State

This is probably too rich for Brian Thomas of LSU, so maybe they trade down and snag him. But you saw the impact Montez Sweat had on the Bears pass rush late last season; they need to swing for a big-time edge rusher opposite him.

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

I'm not buying the Brock Bowers hype here despite what betting markets say, and I don't see them drafting a WR this high. The Jets invested in tackle Tyron Smith in free agency, and they could double down here.

11. Minnesota Vikings: JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan

They probably need to trade up to get him, but if they don't, this is a very good fit with Kevin O'Connell.

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12. Denver Broncos: Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA

I think Sean Payton has his eyes on a QB, but not here. Does he move up for McCarthy? Trade into the second round to take Bo Nix or Michael Pennix? Best on board for the Broncos.

13. Las Vegas Raiders: JC Latham, OT, Alabama

They might just roll with the two QBs who are in-house and wait for next year's group. There's uncertainty at RT, and Latham could start Week 1.

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

It's been a rough go for Trevor Penning, who keeps grading out as one of the weaker LTs in the NFL.

15. Indianapolis Colts: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

One of the most talented overall players in the draft, I've had Bowers in my top 10 for a year but this is a great fit in Shane Steichen's offense.

16. Seattle Seahawks: Zach Frazier, G/C, West Virginia

The Seahawks have done some strange things in the draft, and with a new coach and perhaps a new identity, they plug a hole on the interior OL and beef up the run game.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

Tyson Campbell is promising, and they are hoping Ronald Darby can help. But Arnold, the best corner in the draft, can certainly help.

18. Cincinnati Bengals: Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State

Cincinnati might address the secondary, given the needs there, but when in doubt, bolster the pass rush. They're thin behind Trey Hendrickson.

19. Los Angeles Rams: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State

There was a time he was considered a Top 10 pick, but the process has seen some impressive tackles emerge. Matt Stafford needs improved offensive line play. There isn't a replacement here (or anywhere) for Aaron Donald.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Brian Thomas, WR, LSU

The Steelers generally grab undervalued wide receivers after the first round, but the 6-foot-3 Thomas is too impressive to pass up here after trading away Diontae Johnson.

21. Miami Dolphins: Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington

I've been trying to speak this into existence for months, and I guess it's still alive … until Tua gets his big-money extension.

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22. Philadelphia Eagles: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa

The Eagles secondary was a disaster last season, and they were shredded for big plays. DeJean was fantastic at Iowa, and is one of the best athletes among all the DBs.

23. Minnesota Vikings (via Cleveland through Houston): Jer'Zhan Newton, DL, Illinois

As I wrote earlier, the Vikings would likely need to trade up to land a QB. But since this mock is chalk, we give them arguably the draft's best defensive tackle.

24. Dallas Cowboys: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia

They released WR Michael Gallup and you could make an argument for an interior offensive lineman, and even the secondary. But the Tyron Smith loss is massive, even with young Tyler Smith potentialy sliding over to LT. Projected RT Terence Steele had a rough season, allowing eight snacks. Mims has sky-high potential.

25. Green Bay Packers: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

The Packers lost two startling offensive linemn, including longtime fixture David Bakhtiari. Guyton is 6-foot-8 and 322 pounds and has mostly played RT.

26. Tampa Bay Bucs: Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri

After a dominant Senior Bowl week, Robinson has risen dramatically, and he could be a perfect fit in the Todd Bowles scheme.

27. Arizona Cardinals (via Houston): Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas

Jonathan Gannon's defense in Arizona was not very good last year, and to recreate what he had in Philly, they must bolster the DL. They'll need to draft two or three defensive linemen.

28. Buffalo Bills: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

There are needs on the offensive line, but the secondary really struggled last year and they moved on from Tre'Davious White.

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29. Detroit Lions: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

They grabbed Carlton Davis in free agency, but his play over the last two seasons has been down a bit from when they won the Super Bowl.

30. Baltimore Ravens: Graham Barton, OL, Duke

He can play multiple positions on the OL, and the Ravens lost two starting linemen.

31. San Francisco 49ers: Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan

After losing Armstead, the 49ers did sign two DTs, but Jenkins has a higher upside than both.

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

The diminutive burner — similar in build to Tyreek Hill — stretches the field for Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce underneath.

Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports gambling analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, "Coming Up Winners," in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.