John Ellsworth 2024 Mock Draft – Round 1

2024 NFL Mock Draft

Updated: February 24th, 2024

Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5

Round 1:

1) Chicago Bears (from car) – Caleb Williams QB, USC 6’1″ 215 lbs
I’m calling Da Bears move on from Justin Fields. They should get a 3rd rounder for him. Best landing spot for him should be Atlanta. He went to Ohio St. But, he was born & raised in Georgia. This would bring him back home & close to his family. I don’t think he’s going to participate very much at Indy.

2) Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels QB, LSU 6’4″ 210 lbs
It’s Maye or Daniels here. OC Kingsbury likes dual option QB’s & Daniels is the best one available. In 2023 he had 3812 passing yards, 40 touchdowns & only 4 interceptions. He also produced 1134 rushing yards & 10 touchdowns. He’s going to participate in all the drills at the combine & if he hits it out of the park he could go 1 overall.

3) New England Patriots – Drake Maye QB, North Carolina 6’4″ 230 lbs
This should be a no- brainer for new HC Mayo. He’s a big strong QB who has the arm to make all the NFL throws. Has enough footwork & physical strength to escape the pocket when needed. Loves the deep ball & likes to go there often.

4) Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr. WR, Ohio St. 6’4″ 205 lbs
This should be another no-brainer for the Cards. He totally replaces WR Hopkins & gives QB Murray a true #1 WR for the next decade. He has all the tools to be a pro bowler for years to come. Arguably the best over talent available for this draft.

5) Los Angeles Chargers – Malik Nabers WR, LSU 6′ 200 lbs
It has to be Nabers or Bowers here & with Keenan Allen getting up there in years & Mike Williams always injured this is the road they should take. In 2023 he had 89 receptions for 1569 yards, 14 touchdowns for a 17.6 avg.

6) New York Giants – Joe Alt OT, Notre Dame 6’8″ 322 lbs
The G-men decide to keep re-tooling their OL & bring Alt on board. He’s the most NFL ready OT for this draft. He’s rock solid in pass pro & can open up massive holes for the ground game.

7) Tennessee Titans – Brock Bowers TE, Georgia 6’4″ 240 lbs
Bowers has been the best TE prospect for 2 years. He can run the seam & sideline for chunk gains & can move the chains. Young QB Will Levis needs a big time safety valve & they can get that here.

8) Atlanta Falcons – Laitau Latu EDGE, UCLA 6’4″ 265 lbs
This is the Falcons biggest need outside of QB & the top ER on my board. Thick & strong upper body. His projection will depend on his medical report & combine performance. In 2023 he had 49 tackles, 13 sacks, 2 passes defended, 2 interceptions & 2 forced fumbles.

9) Chicago Bears – Rome Odunze WR, Washington 6’3″ 211 lbs
Odunze was the top WR in 2023 when he had 92 receptions for 1640 yards & 13 touchdowns for a 17.8 avg. Has good speed, runs a solid route tree, Has sticky fingers & knows how to get open.

10) New York Jets – Olu Fashanu OT, Penn St. 6’6″ 323 lbs
The Jets have to get Aaron Rodgers more pass pro if they want him to make it through the season without getting broken. 3 year starter for the Nittany Lions. Fairly solid in pass pro & can open up big running lanes for the rush game. Look for the Jets to go back to the OL a little later in this draft.

11) Minnesota Vikings – Dallas Turner EDGE, Alabama 6’4″ 245 lbs
The Vikes are losing ER Hunter to FA so a replacement is needed. In comes Turner who has been the Tide’s defensive leader on the field & in the locker room. Possesses a very fast 1st step to propel him into opponents backfield where he can cause havoc, get sacks & tackles for loss. In 2023 he produced 53 tackles, 10 sacks, 1 pass defended & 2 forced fumbles.

12) Denver Broncos – Terrion Arnold CB, Alabama 6′ 196 lbs
Arnold has really been scootin’ up draft boards & is now the #1 CB on my board. The Broncos could pair him with Patrick Surtain Jr to form one of the best CB duos in the league. In 2023 he amassed 63 tackles, 1 sack, 12 passes defended, 5 interceptions & 1 forced fumble. Sticks to WR’s like glue & can run with them all day.

13) Las Vegas Raiders – Qyinyon Mitchell CB, Toledo 6′ 196 lbs
Another player who is motoring up draft boards since his top performance at the Senior Bowl practices & game. In 2022 & 2023 combined he had an eye popping 44 passes defended. Has plenty of speed to not allow separation & tracks the ball well.

14) New Orleans Saints – J.C. Latham OT, Alabama 6’6″ 360 lbs
QB Carr needs more pass pro if he’s going to be successful in ‘Nawlins. Latham is a mountain of a man & has the tools to play on either side & contribute right away. 2 year starter for the Tide & has been well coached by Nick Saban & his staff in Tuscaloosa.

15) Indianapolis Colts – Keon Coleman WR, Florida St. 6’4″ 215 lbs
The Colts could use a big bodied WR since their losing WR Pittman to FA. Has the speed to take it to the house on any touch for a big WR & would be awesome in the red zone on jump balls. In 2023 he had 50 receptions for 658 yards & 11 touchdowns. QB Anthony Richardson will love this selection.

16) Seattle Seahawks – Byron Murphy II DL3T, Texas 6’1″ 308 lbs
The Hawks need help on the interior of their DL & at ILB for their run defense. Murphy had a solid season for the Longhorns in 2023 as they played their way to the CFB playoff. Murphy is quick & slippery to penetrate into opponents backfield & has the strength to stuff the run.

17) Jacksonville Jaguars – Brian Thomas Jr. WR, LSU 6’4″ 205 lbs
Thomas is my “lurker”1st round pick who I think is going to have a break- out year as a rookie.
Very fast, tall & lanky with strong hands & a good route tree. If Malik Nabers wasn’t around this player’s stats would be out of sight. In 2023 he had 68 receptions, 1177 yards & a nation leading 17 touchdowns for a 17.3 avg. Watch out for this “Fircracker”.

18) Cincinnati Bengals – Taliese Fuaga OT/G, Oregon St. 6’6″ 333 lbs
It looks like the Bengals are going lose OT Jonah Williams to FA so the decide to grab his replacement. Played ROT for the Beavers & had a very good season in 2023. He’s going to show some strength at the combine in the lifts. The kicker on him is he could help out a G in a pinch & play quite admirably. The Bengals have to make protecting QB Burrow their top priority.

19) Los Angeles Rams – Amarius Mims OT, Georgia 6’7″ 330 lbs
The Rams OL is pretty solid except they could use an upgrade at LOT. Mims played ROT for the Dawgs but, shows a lot of athleticism & quickness & I think he could make the move to LOT. He’s very good at pass pro & has the frame to open large holes for the ground game. The Rams have to make sure QB Matt Stafford is upright at all times.

20) Pittsburgh Steelers – Jackson – Powers Johnson C/G, Oregon 6’3″ 320 lbs
Johnson opened all the scout’s & coaches eyes at the Senior Bowl practices & game. This is about the Steelers biggest need. He could help out at G but should surface at C & possibly be a pro bowler early in his career.

21) Miami Dolphins – Troy Fautanu G/OT, Washington 6’4″ 317 lbs
The Dolphins need big help on the interior of their offensive line & this player could come in & have an immediate impact. Played LOT for the Huskies but is projected at G for the next level.

22) Philadelphia Eagles – Jared Verse EDGE, Florida St. 6’4″ 250 lbs
The Eagles need a better performance from their ER’s. Verse has been the leader of the ‘Noles defense on the field & in the locker room the last 2 seasons. In 2023 he produced 41 tackles, had 9 sacks in each of the last 2 seasons to go with 3 passes defended & 1 forced fumble in 2023.

23) Houston Texans (from cle) – Jer’Zhan Newton DL3T, Illinois 6’2″ 295 lbs
The Texans need to beef up their defensive line to stuff the run & get better pressure on opposing QB’s. Newton may be tapped out on his frame but he is quick as a cat on the interior & gets into the backfield rather easily. In 2023 he put together 52 tackles, 7.5 sacks (which is a good amount for a DT), 2 passes defended & 1 forced fumble.

24) Dallas Cowboys – Tyler Guyton OT, Oklahoma 6’7″ 327 lbs
The Cowboys are losing 2 offensive linemen to FA so they fill one of those needs here. The Cowboys have done a great job at developing offensive linemen. Guiyton has a lot of talent & a ton of upside. He’s solid in pass pro & can open up some nice running lanes for the ground
game.

25) Green Bay Packers – Cooper DeJean CB, Iowa 6’1″ 207 lbs
This would be a great selection for the Pack. He could help them out anywhere in their secondary. Plus, the Pack has shown a pretty strong preference for Hawkeye players over the years. In 2023 he had 41 tackles, 5 passes defended & 2 interceptions. In 2022 he was all over the field for the Hawkeyes with 75 tackles, 8 passes defended & 5 interceptions.

26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Chop Robinson EDGE, Penn St. 6’3″ 253 lbs
The Bucs need to get more pressure on opposing QB’s. Chop didn’t have a big statistical year for the Nittany Lions in 2023 with 15 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 pass defended & 2 forced fumbles. His stats don’t reflect the presence he had on the field. I think he’s going to be another player who has a break-out year as a rookie.

27) Arizona Cardinals (from hou) – Bralen Trice EDGE, Washington 6’4″ 267 lbs
The Cards need a new presence on the EDGE & Trice had an awesome 2023 helping lead the Huskies to the CFB Championship game. For the season he had 49 tackles, 7 sacks, 2 passes defended & 1 forced fumble. His best football should be ahead of him.

28) Buffalo Bills – Adonai Mitchell WR, Texas 6’4″ 196 lbs
QB Josh Allen needs some help outside & Mitchell is a fast WR with a quiver full of moves. Great red zone target & will be strong at 50-50 balls. Was the go to WR for the Longhorns heading down the stretch & helped them get to the CFB playoff.

29) Detroit Lions – Darius Robinson EDGE/DL3T, Missouri 6’5″ 296 lbs
Another player who really helped himself at the Senior Bowl practices & game. Scouts & coaches were drooling over him & very impressed. With a hot combine performance he could move up & go earlier.

30) Baltimore Ravens – Kingsley Suamatia OT, BYU 6’6″ 323 lbs
The Ravens could use a OT & a G from this draft so they decide to grab the OT 1st. Suamatia played ROT in 2022 & had a great year. In 2023 they moved him to LOT & he didn’t miss a beat. He didn’t allow a sack in 2023. Has a nice kick slide to get him into position for pass pro. Could move inside to G & help them out in a pinch.

31) San Francisco 49’ers – Nate Wiggins CB, Clemson 6’2″ 185 lbs
If he falls this far HC Shanahan & GM Lynch are going to be gushing. Can play cover man or zone & be just as effective. Has the speed to not allow separation & tracks the ball well. Decent tackler in the open field. For the 2023 season he produced 29 tackles, 1 sack, 6 passes defended, 2 interceptions & 2 forced fumbles.

32) Kansas City Chiefs – Troy Franklin WR/WRS, Oregon 6’3″ 178 lbs
HC Andy Reid & the Chiefs like smaller, faster WR’s & Franklin can take the top off of a defense in a blink. Also runs a good route tree, has reliable hands, shifty moves & a nose for the end zone. Mahomes will get him worked into the offense early & often.

Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5

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