2024 NFL Draft: CBS Sports shakes up predictions in two-round mock draft

Next week, NFL Draft hopefuls will converge on Indianapolis for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. It’s another chance for prospects to increase their stock, and CBS Sports shook up its two-round mock draft ahead of the event.

One year after trading the No. 1 overall pick, all signs point toward the Chicago Bears holding onto the selection and taking Caleb Williams atop the board. The former USC star is widely viewed as the top prospect in this year’s draft, and he’s one of five quarterbacks to go in the first round of CBS Sports’ two-round mock draft.

Here’s how the full projections shook out, with plenty of offensive firepower in the top 10 picks.

1. Chicago Bears – Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Caleb Williams remains the consensus top prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Chicago Bears still have the first chance to select him. The sense is Chicago will move on from Justin Fields to select the former USC star, meaning it will be a new era in the Windy City.

Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 as he totaled nearly 5,000 yards – 4,537 passing and 382 rushing – and 52 touchdowns. His 2023 season was still strong as well with 3,633 yards and 30 touchdowns with 142 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, although USC finished the year 8-5 thanks in large part to struggles on defense.

2. Washington Commanders – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

Last year, Jayden Daniels was likely a second-pick in some projections. He ultimately chose to return to LSU, and that decision paid off as he’s now considered a potential top-five pick in the draft.

Daniels won the Heisman Trophy this past season as he put together massive numbers, leading the nation in 412.2 yards of offense per game and totaling 50 touchdowns. With Kliff Kingsbury now calling the plays in Washington, the Commanders have an intriguing choice ahead if they want to put Daniels in his system.

3. New England Patriots – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

In CBS Sports’ projections, the New England Patriots would opt not to select a quarterback at No. 3 and instead sign Kirk Cousins. That, in turn, opens the door for them to take one of the top playmakers on the board in Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State.

Harrison won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wide receiver after a special season, totaling 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. He would be a centerpiece in New England’s new-look scheme with Jerod Mayo in as head coach and Alex Van Pelt running the offense.

4. Arizona Cardinals – Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama

With Harrison off the board, CBS Sports projects the Arizona Cardinals to go for defense at No. 4 overall. Former Alabama star Dallas Turner would be the selection to help bolster the pass rush.

Turner put together an impressive career in Tuscaloosa and is coming off the best year of his career with 14.5 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks to his name. Arizona’s 33 sacks in 2023 ranked as the third-worst in the NFL, and adding Turner’s skillset would be an instant impact on the defense.

5. Los Angeles Chargers – Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

A crucial piece on Georgia’s back-to-back national championship teams, Brock Bowers is sure to make an impact wherever he winds up at the next level. CBS Sports projects him to go to the Los Angeles Chargers, giving Justin Herbert an exciting weapon under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman’s new system.

Bowers made history as the only back-to-back Mackey Award winner as the nation’s top tight end, totaling 2,538 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns. He also got involved in the running game in the red zone, which could make things fun in Roman’s scheme.

6. New York Giants – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

Behind Williams and Daniels, Drake Maye comes in as the No. 3 quarterback in CBS Sports’ 2024 NFL mock draft. The former North Carolina star remains a highly touted prospect, and he could find himself going as a top-five pick depending on how the board shakes out.

Maye had a breakout season in 2022 with 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns, although his numbers fell a bit in 2023 – largely due to a scheme change. By going to New York, he’d be able to presumably sit behind Daniel Jones before taking over the starting job.

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

One of the top offensive linemen available in the 2024 NFL Draft, Joe Alt was a force at Notre Dame protecting the quarterback. CBS Sports projects him to go to the Tennessee Titans to help fix an offensive line that allowed 64 sacks last season – the third-most in the league.

Notre Dame ranked No. 13 in the nation in sacks allowed last year as Alt became a Unanimous All-American Selection. He could be an intriguing option at left tackle in Tennessee to address the offensive line issues from last season.

8. Atlanta Falcons – Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

In a class filled with wide receiver talent, Malik Nabers came in as the No. 8 pick in CBS Sports’ latest mock draft. The former LSU star would be yet another playmaker in the Atlanta Falcons’ arsenal as new head coach Raheem Morris takes the reins.

Nabers’ 120.7 receiving yards per game led the nation, and his 1,569 total receiving yards ranked second in the FBS. Pairing that skillset with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts would make for an offense filled with talent – even if there are questions about the quarterback position.

9. Chicago Bears – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

With two top-10 picks, the Bears have the opportunity to pair Caleb Williams with an explosive wide receiver to go opposite D.J. Moore. In CBS Sports’ projection, Rome Odunze would be there for the taking.

Odunze was the top target for Michael Penix Jr. at Washington this past year, hauling in an FBS-leading 1,640 yards to go with 13 touchdowns. His big-play ability makes him especially intriguing for NFL teams, and by joining forces with Williams, the Bears would have two young stars to build around.

10. New York Jets – Olu Fashanu, OL, Penn State

After choosing to return to Penn State last season, Olu Fashanu found a way to look even better. He didn’t allow a sack over 365 offensive snaps, and he remains a potential top-10 pick.

In fact, Fashanu went 382 snaps last year without allowing either a sack or a quarterback hit, according to Pro Football Focus. That could be enticing for the New York Jets to select if he’s there at No. 10 as they look to protect Aaron Rodgers after he returns from injury.

Rest of CBS Sports’ mock draft

11. Minnesota Vikings – J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
12. Denver Broncos – Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
13. Las Vegas Raiders – Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
14. New Orleans Saints – JC Latham, OL, Alabama
15. Indianapolis Colts – Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
16. Seattle Seahawks – Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Byron Murphy, DL, Texas
18. Cincinnati Bengals – Brian Thomas, WR, LSU
19. Los Angeles Rams – Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Taliese Fuaga, OL, Oregon State
21. Miami Dolphins – Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL, Oregon
22. Philadelphia Eagles – Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
23. Houston Texans – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
24. Dallas Cowboys – Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
25. Green Bay Packers – Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Amarius Mims, OL, Georgia
27. Arizona Cardinals – Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
28. Buffalo Bills – Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
29. Detroit Lions – Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
30. Baltimore Ravens – Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
31. San Francisco 49ers – Kingsley Suamataia, OL, BYU
32. Kansas City Chiefs – Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia

Round 2

33. Carolina Panthers – Jordan Morgan, OL, Arizona
34. New England Patriots – Tyler Guyton, OL, Oklahoma
35. Arizona Cardinals – Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
36. Washington Commanders – Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
37. Los Angeles Chargers – Kamren Kinchens, safety, Miami
38. Tennessee Titans – Jer’Zhan Newton, DL, Illinois
39. New York Giants – Graham Barton, OL, Duke
40. Washington Commanders – Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
41. Green Bay Packers – Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri
42. Minnesota Vikings – Chris Braswell, EDGE, Alabama
43. Atlanta Falcons – Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
44. Las Vegas Raiders – Zach Frazier, OL, West Virginia
45. New Orleans Saints – Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
46. Indianapolis Colts – Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
47. New York Giants – Brandon Dorlus, DL, Oregon
48. Jacksonville Jaguars – Christian Hayes, OL, UConn
49. Cincinnati Bengals – Mike Hall, DT, Ohio State
50. Philadelphia Eagles – Ennis Rakestraw, CB, Missouri
51. Pittsburgh Steelers – Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M
52. Los Angeles Rams – Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
53. Philadelphia Eagles – Tez Walker, WR, North Carolina
54. Cleveland Browns – Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
55. Miami Dolphins – Tyler Nubin, safety, Minnesota
56. Dallas Cowboys – Jeremiah Trotter, LB, Clemson
57. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan
58. Green Bay Packers – Calen Bullock, safety, USC
59. Houston Texans – T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
60. Buffalo Bills – Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
61. Detroit Lions – Jonah Elliss, EDGE, Utah
62. Baltimore Ravens – Kiran Amegadjie, OL, Yale
63. San Francisco 49ers – Kalen King, CB, Penn State
64. Kansas City Chiefs – TJ Tampa, CB, Iowa State

The 2024 NFL Draft is still two months away, meaning there’s still plenty to figure out before teams head to Detroit. Next week’s combine is when things hit a new gear, though, as prospects converge on Indianapolis to try and improve their stock.