Mel Kiper Mock Draft 1.0: ESPN releases 2024 NFL Draft Round 1 predictions

ESPN’s Mel Kiper released his 2024 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 predictions now that we head into conference championship weekend.

After releasing his top 25 big board lists and consistently updating those to reflect changes, it’s time to dive into the full first round. That’s right, it’s that time of year for mock drafts.

Let’s dive into Kiper’s Mock Draft 1.0 for the 2024 edition.

1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB – USC

It looks like the Bears opt for Williams over Justin Fields this spring. The former Heisman Trophy winner comes in as a better prospect than the former Ohio State star.

Matt Eberflus is back as the head coach and this could be the pick that turns things around for him. Williams would be a day one starter and could elevate the offense with his talent.

2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB – LSU

Here’s a quarterback who vaulted up draft boards after his historic 2023 season. Daniels won this year’s Heisman after going off for the Tigers.

With a new head coach coming, it appears the Commanders will get a new quarterback as well, despite flashes from Sam Howell. The biggest news from Kiper is Daniels passing Drake Maye as QB2.

3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB – North Carolina

Speaking of Maye, the Patriots need a signal caller as well. New head coach Jerod Mayo ushers in a new era of New England football with quite the prospect.

Maye lit it up for the Tar Heels and has the prototypical size. The Mac Jones experiment appears to be over, so you might as well start over with this man.

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

The Cardinals can get an instant impact weapon with Harrison Jr. and it’ll immediately help Kyler Murray. Murray, who was brought back midseason after a torn ACL, could use some more help.

Harrison Jr. was the most dominant wide receiver during his time with the Buckeyes. He’s as pro ready as any other prospect in this draft class.

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

Speaking of pro ready prospects, Bowers is one of them. The Chargers can debate offensive weapon or protection for Justin Herbert with this pick.

Depending upon who the new head coach is, such as Jim Harbaugh, that could affect the pick. But Bowers looks like a star in the making after quite the career at Georgia.

6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR – LSU

The Giants might need a quarterback, but if the team opts for playmakers, this is one to have. There’s a debate as to who is the second best wide receiver in the class and it just might be Nabers, who helped Daniels at LSU.

He can run the entire route tree and make any catch you could want. Right now, there’s no question New York needs some explosion on offense.

7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, OT – Notre Dame

The Titans need to protect their quarterback Will Levis, or whoever it’s going to be in 2024. There’s a debate between the top tackles in the class but you can’t go wrong with Alt.

Alt was one of the best in the country over the last couple of seasons. There’s no question he was one of the team MVPs for Notre Dame in 2023.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, OLB – Alabama

If Bill Belichick becomes the new head coach, this would be a logical pick for the defensive mastermind. Turner is an elite pass rusher and can be disruptive to any opposing offensive line.

The Falcons have a lot of pieces to become a really good squad and Turner would be a plug and play next fall. If it goes the way Kiper predicts, this is a solid selection.

9. Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze, WR – Washington

The Bears can go two-for-one in the top 10 selections with Williams and quarterback and giving him a dynamite wide receiver. Odunze lit it up at Washington over the last couple of seasons.

NFL teams consistently look for great rookie QB-WR pairings and this one would be no exception. Talk about giving the Bears an immediate facelift on offense in 2024.

10. New York Jets: Olu Fashanu, OT – Penn State

So with Aaron Rodgers coming back in 2024, he needs to be protected. Fashanu is the next best available tackle if Alt is off the board.

It was pretty rare to see the Penn State offensive lineman give up a sack during his time with the Nittany Lions. If there was an Achilles heel with the Jets on offense last year without Rodgers, it was the offensive line holding up their end.

Rest of Mel Kiper’s First Round Mock Draft

11. Minnesota Vikings: Nate Wiggins, CB – Clemson
12. Denver Broncos: Laiatu Latu, OLB – UCLA
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Terrion Arnold, CB – Alabama
14. New Orleans Saints: Brian Thomas Jr., WR – LSU
15. Indianapolis Colts: Keon Coleman, WR – Florida State
16. Seattle Seahawks: JJ McCarthy, QB – Michigan
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: Cooper DeJean, CB – Iowa
18. Cincinnati Bengals: JC Latham, OT – Alabama
19. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse, DE – Florida State
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kamari Lassiter, CB – Georgia
21. Miami Dolphins: Troy Fautanu, G – Washington
22. Philadelphia Eagles: Taliese Fuaga, OT – Oregon State
23. Houston Texans: Jer’Zhan Newton, DT – Illinois
24. Dallas Cowboys: Jordan Morgan, OT – Arizona
25. Green Bay Packers: Kingsley Suamataia, OT – BYU
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chop Robinson, DE – Penn State
27. Arizona Cardinals: Tyler Guyton, OT – Oklahoma
28. Buffalo Bills: AD Mitchell, WR – Texas
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Troy Franklin, WR – Oregon
30. Detroit Lions: Quinyon Mitchell, CB – Toledo
31. Baltimore Ravens: Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB – Missouri
32. San Francisco 49ers: Amarius Mims, OT – Georgia

This is of course, subject to change from Kiper. With the NFL scouting combine on deck after the postseason, guys will rise and fall. But it certainly seems like there’s going to be at least four quarterbacks in the first round.