32. The Play Action Podcast's 2024 NFL Mock Draft!

The host of the Play Action Podcast is excited about the upcoming NFL Mock Draft. There were technical difficulties in the previous episode, but they still recommend it. The first round of the draft is discussed, with predictions for each pick. The Chicago Bears are expected to choose Caleb Williams as the first pick. Other teams, including the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, and Arizona Cardinals, are also discussed. The Los Angeles Chargers are predicted to trade their pick to the Minnesota Vikings, who will select J.J. McCarthy. The New York Giants are expected to choose Malik Nabors, and the Tennessee Titans are predicted to select Olu Fashanu. The Atlanta Falcons are predicted to choose Dallas Turner, and the Chicago Bears are expected to choose Roma Dunze. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Play Action Podcast. I am your host, Ryan, and today I am here to break down one of the most fun episodes of the entire year for me on this podcast, and that is the NFL Mock Draft Show. I'm so excited to bring this one to you. It's one of my favorite episodes to do every year, as I said, and the draft is in two days. The first round of the NFL draft begins in about 48 hours, a little over, for when this podcast will be released. So it is time to do the Play Action Podcast Mock Draft. As you noticed, Robbie is not here today. He is taking the week off, but we expect him back next week. Everything is fine. He's just taking the week off due to a prior commitment. But the other bit of news is last episode we noticed we were having some technical difficulties involving the mic to where the audio was fluctuating a lot because it kept switching between the computer and microphone recording systems. So sometimes it was really loud, sometimes it was really quiet, nothing we could really do about it. So I apologize for the poor audio quality in our last episode, but we released a lot of great NFL draft content for wide receivers in that episode, so I still highly suggest you check it out if you're an NFL draft junkie like Robbie and I. Without further ado, let's get into the mock draft. It will be just the first round, all 32 teams projecting who they will pick. It will be with trades. There will be a couple trades in this mock draft. So it's going to be a lot of fun, so let's get right into it here. Obviously the Chicago Bears hold the first pick in the draft. So obviously I don't even need to talk about it. The first selection will be Caleb Williams out of USC. This is really without debate at this point. He's an unbelievable prospect. He was number one on both Robbie and I's boards in our Top 10 QB Prospects rankings. He's just going to be the number one, and it's going to be an exciting time for our Bears fans, which they have not had in a long time. So it will be very interesting to see how he pans out there. That's all I really have to say about it. It feels pretty locked in at this point. At number two, I have flipped around a little bit. In a lot of previous mock drafts, I had Drake May being a Washington commander. I flipped back and forth between him and Jaden Daniels a little bit more recently. And now I'm thinking that it will indeed be Jaden Daniels going to Washington. I think he's a great deep ball thrower. I had him as my number two quarterback prospect, so it fits. And I think Jaden Daniels is just a really, really good prospect in general. Obviously, very athletic, has had the Lamar Jackson comps. I don't necessarily know if he's that. But the arm talent is definitely there. I would even argue that the arm talent might be there similar or even more than Lamar Jackson. So Lamar Jackson is my favorite player in the NFL, I've made my bias there towards the Ravens very clear. Yeah, I love Jaden Daniels, I think he's going to be a great NFL quarterback. Number three here is where the trade-down scenarios start to become popular in a lot of mock drafts, starting at number three here with New England Patriots. But I think they stay put. I don't think they're going to get enough of a crazy offer to move down. So I think they stay put and they draft who they hope is their quarterback of the future, Drake May, the quarterback out of UNC. I have made it also very clear in the quarterback prospects ranking episode that I'm very down on Drake May. I don't like him as a prospect. I understand the upside, I do agree that that is there. There are too many risks, too many issues in his game that are going to be very hard for an NFL coach to fix. I see a lot of people say he could be Justin Herbert, he could be Josh Allen. I don't see it. Their tape in college looked a lot more refined and their accuracy looked a lot more precise than Drake May's is right now. So I just don't think that type of stuff is going to be fixed and I don't think he'll be great. I do think New England will select him here at number three. At number four, we have, this is another Arizona Cardinals pick. A lot of people also think there is a chance that they will move down in this draft. I beg to differ. I think this is a spot that they hold and select Marvin Harrison Jr., wide receiver out of Ohio State, top receiver in the draft. Kyler Murray needs a weapon, Hollywood Brown just left, they traded away Rondell Moore. All he's got there is Trey McBride and maybe James Conner out of the backfield. They need a true alpha number one receiver and Marvin Harrison Jr. just presents that for them. He was an absolute monster at Ohio State, just a generational prospect and a great receiver class. So I think he will be an Arizona Cardinal at number four. At number five, I didn't have a trade happening at number three, I didn't have it happening at number four. I do think the Los Angeles Chargers move out of the number five pick and I think they make the move with the Minnesota Vikings. I'm not getting into trade details, that is very difficult to predict, especially since that does not really affect this first round mock draft, other than to say I think the Vikings will be giving the Chargers both the 11th and 23rd selection, so two first round picks to move up to this fifth pick and take, who they hope is their quarterback of the future, J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan. J.J. McCarthy has gone from a second round pick, maybe even third round pick, to skyrocketing up here in the draft. I've said it's a lot like the Will Levis rides from last year and then it was all a smoke screen, he went in the second round to the Titans. I do think this J.J. McCarthy rise is real, I don't think it will go to the proportions that people are saying where he will be like the number two pick to Washington, I don't think that's happening. But I do believe that he could very well be a top five pick, in fact, I am projecting it here, as I believe the Vikings will move up in this draft to jump the Giants, who might try to take him and lock up J.J. McCarthy. Speaking of the Giants, they have the number six pick in this spot and they missed out on the quarterbacks. You got Bo Nix, you got Michael Penick still there, I don't think the Giants will take them here. I think those guys are more late first or second round type players. So I think that the Giants will take Malik Nabors, the wide receiver, out of LSU. I'm a huge fan of Malik Nabors, I think a lot of people are. Some people have gone as far as to put him ahead of Marvin Harrison Jr., the number one wide receiver in the class, I don't agree with that. Some people have put Roma Dunzey out of Washington ahead of him and put Nabors as the number three receiver in the class, I don't agree with that either. I think Malik Nabors is a great player, I think in any other draft class he would be the number one type receiver. I see a lot of Jamar Chase in him, I think that is his ceiling, being a Jamar Chase type player. Well I see Marvin Harrison Jr.'s ceiling being like a Julio Jones type player. Or if you want to compare it to somebody modern day, I do see a little bit of Justin Jefferson as a ceiling. I do think Julio Jones is a better ceiling comp though. Meanwhile Nabors ceiling, I think the best ceiling comp is Jamar Chase. I see a lot of that in Nabors, and I think he is an elite wide receiver prospect and would be a great selection by the Giants here. Whether it's Daniel Jones, Drew Locke, somebody else, maybe they take a Bo Nix or a Michael Penix or a Spencer Rattler in the second or third round, I don't care. Malik Nabors will definitely help whoever that guy is throwing the football. So I think that should be the pick here to the Giants. At number seven, this is a bit of a bold prediction. A lot of people have Joe Alt, the tackle out of Notre Dame, being the first tackle off the board, and I see why. I really do think Joe Alt is a very, very good prospect. But at the same time, I think Olu Fashanu out of Penn State will be the selection. He's a true pass protecting tackle. Not saying Joe Alt isn't, but Olu Fashanu really just fits the mold of a Titan better, and I really like Olu Fashanu. I think he can be a really good pass protecting tackle in this league, and I really think that the Titans would be getting a great prospect here. Obviously, this is a bit of a bold prediction. As I said, a lot of people have Joe Alt, in fact, most people have Joe Alt as the first tackle off the board. I beg to differ. I think Olu Fashanu is a better fit for what the Titans want to do and will be the first tackle off the board here at pick number seven. Now here at number eight, the Atlanta Falcons are on the clock, and I really think that this is going to be the first defensive player off the board. I think Dallas Turner, the edge out of Alabama, will be the selection here. They need a better defense, they need a better pass rush, they've selected offensive players in the first three rounds, or not in the first three rounds, the first round the last three years with Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. I think they need to add some young defensive help, and I think Dallas Turner provides that here. Kirk Cousins has all the help he needs on offense, time to give him a defense that can help them win games. Dallas Turner assists in that. Pick number nine here, Chicago Bears on the clock. I think that they will select Roma Dunze, the wide receiver out of Washington. Some people have him as the second wide receiver in this class, ahead of Malik Nabors. I don't agree with that necessarily. I do think that Dunze is probably the wide receiver three in this class, but don't get me wrong, he is really an elite wide receiver in my opinion. I love Roma Dunze, and I think that he is going to be a special player in the NFL, and has that elite upside. But I think Nabors and Harrison are in a tier of their own in this class. Dunze, though, would be an awesome weapon for the Bears, especially because he would not have to be the receiver one right away, like Harrison and Nabors will have to be in these landing spots. Dunze would be the wide receiver three to start his career, with Keenan Allen and DJ Moore ahead of him. With Cole Kmet at tight end, they signed DeAndre Swift to run the ball. They've got a great offensive line after a hit in, oh my gosh, what's the guy they drafted at Tennessee? Chicago Bears, first round, 2023. Oh my god. I forget his name. He was the tackle out of Tennessee. Selected number 10 overall. Please hold. I need to look this up. This is annoying me now. Let's see. Darnell Wright. He was the tackle out of Tennessee that they selected. He's been a massive hit. He's been great as a rookie in the NFL. So you want a player like that on your team, obviously. Because now they don't have to go O-line to assist Caleb Williams. They can go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. They don't have to go O-line. At number 10 here, we have the New York Jets, and this pick is a weird one because a lot of people think it will be O-line, a lot think receiver, a lot think Brock Bowers, a lot think maybe a quarterback as kind of what they did with Jordan Love to Aaron Rodgers just here with the Jets. I don't think that will happen here with the quarterback situation, but I think it's just best player available. You have Joe Walt. You have Brock Bowers. There's been a lot of talk about Brock Bowers being a New York Jet. I think that they just take the best player available and go with Joe Walt who just fell perfectly into their lap here at pick number 10, jumping the charger or picking him right ahead of the chargers who I think probably would have taken him if he was there. This is a great pick for them, get an O-lineman. You got Tyron Smith. You got Morgan Moses. Those guys are older and injury-prone, so you have a young guy that can maybe learn. Maybe he starts week one. I don't think so. I think Morgan Moses would still start in this situation. Certainly Tyron Smith would, but he can learn and he can go right in in case one of those guys gets injured and he can be that left tackle of the future because Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses are only really a rental for a year or two here. At number 11, the chargers just go best player available and take Brock Bowers, the tight end out of Georgia. Look, they moved on this offseason from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and Gerald Everett. So they really need...and Austin Eckler out of the backfield. So the chargers really have no weapons outside of Quinton Johnson who had a horrible rookie year after being a first-round pick last year. So they need somebody and I think Brock Bowers is who they will go with to help their team. He's obviously a generational tight end type prospect and would be an awesome addition in the...not only as a pass catcher for Herbert, but also as a blocker. So they get the best of both worlds here with Brock Bowers. At number 12, this is a very weird pick because there is the potential for a quarterback like maybe...I've heard Bo Nix's name around the Broncos a lot. I don't necessarily envision that happening here at number 12. I think it will be Quinion Mitchell, the cornerback out of Toledo. Obviously there's a lot of talk on if he played high enough level competition. That's a big concern in his resume. But other than that, it's just incredible stuff. He lit up the combine, was lightning fast, plus played awesome at the Senior Bowl, was locked down in college. I think Quinion Mitchell will be an excellent NFL corner and would be great for the Broncos here to pair with Pat Sertain. The Las Vegas Raiders on the clock here at 13, I've been saying this one for a while. I think this will be J.C. Latham, the tackle out of Alabama. I think as a mauler, he fits with the Raiders' wannabe. They want to be able to run the ball and J.C. Latham provides that. He can play right tackle, Colton Miller can stick at left tackle, and you can kind of try to build that O-line around whoever the quarterback will be. I think there is a good chance. If I had to bet on it today, I think Bo Nix and Michael Penix here are both second rounders. I think Bo Nix is a Bronco and Michael Penix is a Raider, if I had to bet on it. I think those are two fantastic landing spots for them in the second round where they could go and succeed. So both those teams do not take those players in the first round, but could take them in the second round. Unfortunately, we're not mocking the second round today. At number 14, the New Orleans Saints, I have them taking Talese Fuaga, the tackle out of Oregon State. You might be noticing a trend. There's already four offensive tackles in this draft taken here in the top 14. That's just usual. There is a chance that a lot could go in the first round. We have Amarius Minns, Tyler Guyton, Jordan Morgan, Troy Fatanu, who I actually classify as a guard, but some people have as a tackle. Even Kingsley Suamatia out of BYU could sneak in there at the end. I saw a mock today that had him going at number 30 to the Baltimore Ravens. He could even sneak in. There are a lot of tackles that could go in this class, and Fuaga is one of the premier ones. The Saints need somebody with Trevor Penning not necessarily working out right now and Ryan Ramchick getting more and more injury prone as he ages. They need somebody on that O-line at the tackle spot, and I think Talese Fuaga would be an excellent addition to their team. At number 15, the Indianapolis Colts, another one I've been saying for a long, long time. This is just something that's just a fit. I have not Terrion Arnold being the next corner off the board. I have Nate Wiggins, the corner out of Clemson. Not because I necessarily think he's a better prospect than Terrion Arnold. I like Terrion Arnold a little more. I just think he's a better fit for what the Colts want to do. He's a guy that can play on the boundary or in the slot. He's got the versatility, he's got the speed, and he's just the type of prospect that molds perfectly into what the Colts want to do. So I think Nate Wiggins, the corner out of Clemson, will be the selection here at number 15. Here at number 16, we have the Seattle Seahawks, who are in a weird spot because there's a lot of ways that they could go. They need some D-line help. They could grab Byron Murphy, they could grab an edge rusher. They also could go interior offensive line. They could grab Graham Barton, Jackson Powers Johnson, Troy Fautanu, if they want to move him in. But I think with their new defensive-minded head coach, Mike McDonald, I think they take a defensive player. I think Byron Murphy, the defensive tackle out of Texas, is just in a league of his own at the defensive tackle position. There was a little talk about Jerzahn Newton, there was a little talk about Tavandre Sweat. Those guys have really fallen out of the first round, a lot of people's mocks. I don't know if that will happen here today, you'll have to stick around and see. But Byron Murphy has solidified himself as the top guy in this class, so I have him going here at number 16, the Seattle Seahawks. Here at number 17, we have the Jacksonville Jaguars. And for a while now, I've been projecting them to take Brian Thomas Jr., the wide receiver out of LSU, because they no longer have Calvin Ridley there. But I, in this final mock draft, I've changed my mind. I think they will take Terrion Arnold, the corner out of Alabama, and add him to the mix here. I really think he would just be a great player on this team. They need a corner opposite Tyson Campbell, and Terrion Arnold may be a bit of a steal here at 17 of the Jaguars. He's just a great fit for them, and I think that's who they take. At number 18, I think the Bengals' Swoop Up, wow, I did not say that right, Swoop Up, who the Bengals left behind, Brian Thomas Jr., the wide receiver out of LSU, is the selection here. I think he's a really, really good prospect, obviously led all of college football in receiving touchdowns last year with 17, and that was opposite Malik Nabors, so that's impressive. And I think he'd be a great fit for the Bengals. In fact, my comp for him is I think he's a lot like T. Higgins, who could be on the move here for the Bengals. They could just replace T. Higgins with T. Higgins, but on a rookie contract. That'd be kind of nice for them, so I think Brian Thomas Jr. would be a good pick for them here. At number 19, we have the Rams, who are in a very weird position, but I've been taking Laitou Latou, the edge rusher out of UCLA, to shore up that defense in the post-Aaron Donald world. That defense is really lacking playmakers, so no more Jalen Ramsey, no more Aaron Donald. So I think Laitou Latou, the edge rusher out of UCLA, would be a great selection here. I actually love Laitou Latou as a prospect. There's only reason he's falling outside of maybe the top 10 is injury concerns that nearly ended his career. So outside of that, Laitou Latou would probably be a top 10 pick, so I really think that he's a great prospect, and I think will be a star on the league, so I think this is a steal here for the Rams. At number 20, we have the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are also in a weird spot. They need some help in their secondary. They also need some more O-line help. I think they go the secondary route with Cooper Dejean, the cornerback out of Iowa. I think they bring him in here to Pittsburgh to help their defensive backs shore up that unit a little more. I think he really just possesses the skill and the versatility. He can play inside, outside, upright in press coverage. He can even play at safety, so he possesses a lot of versatility to that secondary. He can play wherever head coach Mike Tomlin wants him to play, so I think Cooper Dejean would be a great pick here by the Steelers. At number 21, we have the Miami Dolphins, and I think they will take an interior offensive lineman. A lot of people think it will be Graham Barton here. I actually think Jackson Powers Johnson will be the pick out of Oregon. I think he's a better fit for this team. I think Miami will select him out of personal fit, not what the public thinks. So I think Jackson Powers Johnson is a better scheme fit for the Miami Dolphins than Graham Barton, which is why I have Jackson Powers Johnson going to the Dolphins here ahead of Graham Barton. So that's going to be an unpopular pick, but as I said, I think he's a better scheme fit. I think he fits better to the team, so I think he will be the pick. Why just go along with the public when you think they're wrong? At number 22, here we have the Philadelphia Eagles, and I think they will take Kool-Aid McKinstry out of Alabama. He's a corner, played opposite Terrion Arnold, and is really just a really great prospect here. He was projected to be a top 10, maybe even top 5 selection before this season, has fallen a little bit as Terrion Arnold has risen, but I think he would just be an absolute steal here for the Eagles. I love Kool-Aid McKinstry, and I think he will be a great player in the NFL, and I think his game, his zone coverage, his man coverage ability, especially that zone, which I love, will translate really well, so I think Kool-Aid McKinstry would be an unbelievable pick here by the Eagles. At number 23 here, the Chargers are back on the clock with the pick they acquired for Minnesota when they moved down, and I think they will take Jared Bursts, the edge out of Florida State. They brought back Kaleo Mack, they brought back Joey Bosa, but I think bringing in Jared Bursts as a possible replacement for one of those guys is a great option. I think Jared Bursts is a little raw as a prospect, but I think he has, my comp for him was actually Kayvon Thibodeau of the New York Giants. I think they have a lot of the same concerns, a lot of the same skills in this draft process, so if he can be that for the Chargers, they would be thrilled. He can learn a little bit behind Bosa and Mack, and really begin to shine maybe in the second season if they move on from one of those guys. At number 24, the Cowboys have to be thrilled that Troy Faltanu just kind of fell into their lap here at pick number 24. This is an absolute steal for them. They need an O-lineman, they get one here in Troy Faltanu out of Washington. No surprise here, they would sprint to Roger Goodell on the podium if it was able to happen, so congrats Cowboys fans if this actually happens for you. This would be a heck of a steal. At number 25, Green Bay, I think they take Chop Robinson, the edge rusher out of Penn State. He obviously ran the 4-4-4 at his size at the combine, which is just remarkable that he was able to run that fast, lit it up out there. I think that will make the Packers select him here. Just the athleticism, the pass rush ability, the swim move, it all adds up into a player that the Packers would want to add to their defense to be able to defend to assist Jordan Love there in trying to make a run, and maybe even a Super Bowl this year in Green Bay. I think Chop Robinson would greatly assist that. Here at number 26, for the Buccaneers, obviously this is actually one of the more tough picks in the drafts for me. They need some secondary help, but all the quarters are pretty much gone. So I think they maybe just take Best Player Available and go with the interior offensive lineman here in Graham Barton, the guard out of Duke. He played a lot of tackle at Duke, everyone's saying he will move inside the guard. I see the tape, he played center his freshman year there. I think that Graham Barton will make a good guard for this team, and I think it's just Best Player Available mode here for Tampa Bay in taking him, and they get a heck of a player here. At number 27, the Cardinals address offense at their first pick. I think they address defense at this pick, taking Darius Robinson, the edge rusher out of Missouri, and I think this would be a heck of a pick for them, being able to bring in an edge rusher of his caliber, which would allow for them to be able to maybe play a little defense this year. They've consistently had one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and that's because they've had one of the worst pass rushers in the NFL. I think bringing in a guy like Darius Robinson could really change that philosophy there, so I'm excited to see what he would bring to the table if he became a Cardinal. At number 28, the Buffalo Bills, I have them taking Adonai Mitchell out of, or Adonai Mitchell out of Texas. He's a wide receiver for them. No surprise here that they take a pass catcher. They just straight up need one, and I think adding Adonai Mitchell would be a great selection to assist their receiver needs post-Stephon Diggs trade, post-Gabe Davis leaving in for agency. They've really got nobody there to catch the football for Josh Allen, so I think bringing in a guy like Adonai Mitchell would just be great for them. I love him. I think he will be a, I have him ranked number 4 out of all the receivers in this draft class. I think he will be a great wide receiver and a great addition to Josh Allen's team. At number 29 here, a bit of a surprise player sneaking into the first round. I think Edis Raikstra Jr., the quarter out of Missouri, will be the selection here for the Detroit Lions, and I think it would be a really, really good one for them to take Edis Raikstra here. He's always been a favorite of mine. I think, he's not one of my top corners, but I think he is a first round type player when a lot of people have graded him as a second round type guy. I beg to differ, I disagree, so that's why I have him going here at number 29. The Lions obviously have a massive hole at that position, and I think getting a player like Edis Raikstra to go in and help this secondary would be a very good move for this team. So I think Edis Raikstra goes at number 29 to the Lions. At number 30, the Baltimore Ravens, I think that they take Armarius Mims, the tackle, out of Georgia. This would be a great steal for Baltimore if they could get him here. I didn't necessarily go into this mock draft saying that they were going to go after a tackle, even though it has been projected pretty heavily. But if a guy like Armarius Mims falls here, the Ravens are famous for taking best player available, and I think that will stay consistent here in taking Armarius Mims out of Georgia. So add some great O-Line help after they lost both of their guards and their right tackle. They need all the O-Line help they could get, Armarius Mims would be a great pick here for them. So 31 here for the San Francisco 49ers. I think they take Jerzon Newton, the defensive tackle, out of Illinois. Jerzon Newton, I think, creeps into the first round here and becomes a 49er. He is a great player. Not my necessarily favorite, he's not necessarily a pass rusher, he's more of a run stopper. I don't love that, but I see what a lot of people like on tape for him. It's just the best player available case scenario for San Francisco. Add another player to that defense. And finally, the Chiefs pick last year at 32. I think they had Xavier Worthy, the speedster receiver out of Texas, to their roster. I think getting a guy like Xavier Worthy on this team would be incredible. He's been topped to like Tyreek Hill. He's got a smaller frame, and he's lightning lightning fast, set the Combine record for the fastest 40-time, ran a 4-2-1. So Xavier Worthy fits the Chiefs, Mahomes and him have talked, Mahomes said he wants him on the team, so I think if he's available, which in this mock he was, Xavier Worthy will be added to the Chiefs, especially with all the Rashe Rice stuff going on. So that's my mock draft, and that's also where we're going to end it here. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode of the podcast. Enjoy the NFL Draft on Thursday and Friday and Saturday. It's going to be a great time. We will have a Reactions plus a Winners and Losers episode coming out next week where we will be breaking down everything from the draft that you guys need to know. So stay tuned for that episode. Enjoy the draft. Have a great last week in football, and I will see you guys next time.