2024 NFL MOCK DRAFT. 1st Round

1. Chicago Bears- Caleb Williams. This is obviously the pick, it’s not even worth explaining why. But I will say this: Caleb is probably the only QB prospect you could compare to Patrick Mahomes where you don’t sound like a jackass making the comparison. Their playing style, the way they move, is actually similar. This isn’t some Zach Wilson bs, this is the real deal.
2. Washington Commanders- Jayden Daniels. Toss up between him and Drake Maye so I will differ to what’s more heavily speculated to happen. The Heisman winner has drastically improved throughout his college career, showing his ability to adapt and learn, an important skill in the nfl. His rushing ability is also a huge plus in today’s game, but Washington knows from experience that such a skillset can backfire, especially with Jayden’s smaller frame and inability to qb slide when necessary. Washington is hoping they are drafting the next Lamar Jackson and not the next RG3 or Justin Fields. It’s risky, but you can’t blame them for betting on such elite traits. Jayden wants to be a Raider or Viking, but I’m sure he’d rather throw to Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson than Patriot’s Pop Douglas and Kendrick Bourne.
3. New England Patriots- Drake Maye. The Pats are lucky to land Drake here and would be wise to avoid JJ McCarthy, but it is a possibility. Still, right now I’d have to think this is the move. Drake Maye carried his offense and boasts a powerful arm, all his problems are fixable, he’ll just need to work on his footwork and throwing motion, common issues for an nfl rookie. His scouting report is eerily reminiscent of studs like Justin Herbert and Josh Allen, he’s got all the traits you want to take a chance on. The Pats need many positions, but they might as well get the qb first since a good one falls to them here.
4. Arizona Cardinals- Malik Nabers. Lots of possibilities here, and we know Monti Ossenfort is never afraid to trade down (and then back up again). Still, Arizona needs a receiver, and it’s possible the JJ speculation is overblown and Minnesota (or whoever) can wait to take him or at least not have to trade up so far. Arizona just lost Hollywood Brown, and Nabers would serve as not only a replacement but maybe an improvement. His ability as a deep threat would pair well with Kyler Murray, who likes to improvise and show off his arm.
5. Los Angeles Chargers- Joe Alt. The pick should be a WR here, but new coach Jim Harbaugh can’t seem to shut the hell up about improving the offensive line. I’ll bite, as the Chargers could use a new RT, Alt could move (it worked for the Lions and Penei Sewell) or they could slide Rashawn Slater over, either way it would represent the overhaul of the oline that Harbaugh seems dead set on. Slater seems to be hurt often anyway, and Alt seems like a special prospect, with a unique blend of size, speed, and iq that you want to see from top 10 picks. He has only allowed 4 sacks in his career, three of which were in his freshman year.
6. New York Giants- Marvin Harrison Jr. Any WR or even a QB is likely the move here, but the Giants would be lucky to get Marvin Jr. Marvin too blends size speed and iq, and he has shown improvement every year, learning to push off less and improving his yac-ability. His route running ability is already NFL tier, he feels like an extremely safe pick with a high floor and ceiling as well. He should be the next great receiver to come out of Ohio St, following former teammates Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. The Giants are desperate for a true #1 receiver like this, and they will be praying that the Chargers go with Alt or trade down for a team that wants JJ. I believe they would be happy with Nabers as well though, and maybe Rome Odunze too.
7. Tennessee Titans- Rome Odunze. I have no idea what Tennessee does here. They need a new RT, but just drafted one in the first last year. They also just gave Calvin Ridley a bag, but between him, an aging DeAndre Hopkins, and a slacking Treylon Burks, the WR feels just questionable (and injury-prone) enough where this pick is warranted, considering they will want to surround Will Levis with as many weapons as possible. Taliese Fuaga, JC Lathan, or even Amarius Mims is possible here, or they could even trade down, but Odunze seems like the safest pick here, he is a sharp route runner with good speed and the size and body control to win 1 on 1s. He is like a faster, more shifty Kenny Golladay.
8. TRADE- Minnesota Vikings- JJ McCarthy. I think this is a good spot for Minnesota to make their move for the QB they desperately need. They called the Giants bluff, and now move up three spots. The next three teams likely won’t be drafting a qb, but they don’t want Denver or Vegas jumping them. They could get a better deal by waiting too; here I have them trading 11 and 23 for Atlanta’s 8 and 79, so they keep their 1st for next year and actually walk away with an extra 3rd this year. JJ is a difficult prospect to judge, but he is a proven winner with a good arm and mobility, and Minnesota is the perfect landing spot for him, with an excellent offensive head coach in Kevin O’Connell and amazing weapons in Justin Jefferson (JJ to JJ), sophomore Jordan Addison, and beast tight end TJ Hockenson (when he returns from injury). JJ is also very young, so he has lots of room to grow.
9. TRADE- Indianapolis Colts- Brock Bowers. This might seem crazy, as Chicago could easily make this pick themselves, but Cole Kmet is solid and Chicago needs a DT and only has 4 picks in this whole draft, here they snag Indie’s 2nd (46), only losing this pick and next year’s 6th. Indie needs a weapon for Anthony Richardson, and their current tight end is Kylen Granson. Good te2, not a te1. Bowers is on the smaller side and needs to sharpen his route running, but other than that he is a dream prospect, with an incredible combo of speed and size. He can also block decently for his size and will improve in that regard I think. TE’s are tough to pick top 10 for their salary hit alone, but Indie is desperate for such a weapon and knows they may have to leapfrog the Jets to get who could be the next Rob Gronkowski or George Kittle.
10. New York Jets- Taliese Fuaga. An offseason spending spree gives the Jets some flexibility here, but one would have to think they go offense. They’d love to get a top three WR or Brock Bowers here, but lose out. I could really see Brian Thomas here, but Fuaga is the better player. He is a mauler in the ground game and improved his pass pro too. His versatility is really key here though, he can be a swing tackle, or play guard (maybe even over newly acquired John Simpson), he can do anything, and this Jets OLine is filled with injury-prone players. Keeping Aaron Rodgers upright has to be the biggest goal here. The Jets will see how the board falls though, as they could basically use any offensive position, even a QB technically.
11. TRADE- Atlanta Falcons- Laitu Latu, Originally Minnesota’s pick. Unless a top 3 WR is available at 8, I think Atlanta is the first team to pick a defender, and word is they love Latu, who was recently medically cleared, which is a big deal to these teams. While Latu may need to gain size for running plays, he is the best pure pass rusher in this class, with by far the most refined moves. I think Atlanta would like to move down like this too, as they still get the player I was going to mock to them at 8, and have pick 23 as well to address one of their many other concerns.
12. TRADE- Philadelphia Eagles- Quinyon Mitchell. I have no idea what Denver should do here and got this trade idea from a Tony Pauline rumor. Eagles trade up from 22, giving up their 2nd (53) and next year’s 2nd and getting Denver’s 4th next year. Denver missed out on the best QBs and don’t have a 2nd rounder, and their team needs help in multiple positions, so trading down makes sense. Trading up for Philly makes sense too as they are in win now mode and need a cb badly. Word is they like Mitchell and why not, the guy is an athletic gem and an incompletion machine. I think he will be the first CB off the board and could even go earlier than this. Word is also that the Raiders like him, so the Eagles would be smart to jump them.
13. Las Vegas Raiders- Terrion Arnold. The Raiders could trade back after missing out on the QBs and Mitchell, but I think Arnold is basically just as good, and they need a better secondary so Max Crosby and newly signed Christian Wilkins can have some time to get to the qb. Arnold needs some refinement, but this isn’t a win-now team anyway, and besides, his athletic traits are elite and worth betting on, and he was also a bit of a ball hawk. Not super confident in this pick to be honest, but only because Vegas has so many options. They could even pick Michael Penix here, but I think they will wait and trade up later in the first or in the early 2nd.
14. New Orleans Saints- Troy Fautanu. There is a good chance Ryan Ramczyk will medically retire, and even if he doesn’t he likely will soon, and the Saints need a guard too. Fautanu has the versatility to play either. While he needs to add weight in his lower half, he still has a lot of talent and played well against a studly Michigan team in the championship.
15. TRADE- Chicago Bears- Byron Murphy II. Originally Indianapolis’ pick. Chicago would love another weapon for Caleb, but they really need somebody to stuff the trenches on defense too. Byron is a member of Bruce Feldman’s “freak list” for good reason, he is a violent monster. Just above 300 lbs, he boasts incredible strength so fatter linemen shouldn’t size him down too much, and his speed is deadly as well. Just look at videos of the guy, he’s scary. DT is becoming a more important position too, I could even see them just sticking at 9 and picking him.
16. Seattle Seahwaks- JC Latham. Seattle’s line is a mess. They could go with Graham Barton or another tackle better suited for guard, but Abraham Lucas is a bit of a liability right now, he did not look the same after his knee injury.. Latham is young and perfectly sized to be a tackle, and moves well too. New coach Mike MacDonald cares a lot about the running game, so beefing up the trenches, and drafting a premium position, makes sense.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars- Brian Thomas. The Jags can’t seriously be entering the year with Marvin Jones as a starter, right? Even if they are, losing Calvin Ridley means this team needs another weapon, even if they did sign Gabe Davis. I could see them trading for Brandon Aiyuk or Tee Higgins, or even trading up for Malik Nabers (who they apparently love), but the simple answer is they draft Thomas, who should be going around this range anyway. Thomas would immediately become Trevor Lawrence’s tallest target, at 6’4, while also boasting very good speed. I keep saying it, teams love the size/speed combo. Can’t teach that!
18. Cincinnati Bengals- Jer'Zahan Newton. The Bengals surrendered 4.7 ypc against the run last year, tied for 2nd worst in the league with the Giants and Cardinals, only trailing the Broncos 5. These are not playoff teams, but the Bengals should be, they need to start clogging the trenches. Newton has some size concerns and can be easily double-teamed, but he shoots the gap well and can pass rush well too. If he booms, he could completely change this Cincinnati defense.
19. Los Angeles Rams- Dallas Turner. The Rams need to replace Aaron Donald’s impact on the QB and don’t have a premier edge rusher. Dallas was productive at Alabama and is very athletic with long arms. He’ll need to learn some more pass-rushing moves, but I think he could much earlier than this.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers- Graham Barton. Barton was a tackle who is projected to play guard or center because of his length and slower foot speed, and the Steelers need a center. There are other options here (guys more experienced at center), but word is the Steelers love Barton, and why not? He is athletic and a mauler in the ground game.
21. Miami Dolphins- Jackson Powers Johnson. Miami needs a new guard. Jackson is a barrel-chested MAN. Aside from short arms, this guy is an absolute unit.
22. TRADE- Denver Broncos- Bo Nix. Originally Philly’s pick, Denver trades back and gets the QB they wanted anyway. Nix is very experienced and has shown a ton of improvement after transferring to Oregon. He had the best adjusted completion percentage and turnover worthy play rate in all of college football. He is a straight shooter who also has the ability to run at least a bit. He relied heavily on screen (most screen yards in college football, 167th in ADoT) and needs to improve his footwork and ability to improvise, but Sean Payton would love to turn this guy into a true bonafide passer. At worst, he is the field general Sean probably wants.
23. TRADE- Atlanta Falcons- Cooper DeJean. Originally Minnesota’s pick (that they got from Cleveland), Atlanta doubles down on defense after going edge last time. They need help at corner and could use a safety to pair with FS Jessie Bates, so Dejean makes sense, plus they are getting amazing value for him. Dejean had 7 interceptions in his last two years, including two touchdowns. He has ball hawk ability and is a plus athlete. I could see him go much earlier than this.
24. Dallas Cowboys- AD Mitchell. Dallas could address the offensive line, but with CeeDee Lamb often manning the slot, their two outside receivers are Jalen Tolbert and Brandin Cooks. That’s…pretty bad. They also are yet to resign Lamb. Mitchell is a smooth moving athlete who is also 6’4. He had a great combine, and is a true endzone threat, with 11 tds for the Longhorns last year and only 1 drop. The Cowboys would be happy to keep him in Texas.
25. Green Bay Packers- Olumuyiwa Fashanu. Big drop here for a very talented player. Why? No real reason, though I feel he could be rated lower than some of the other tackles. Still, Fashanu is an incredible athlete who is great in pass protection, he never let up a single sack in college. He needs to add some weight to improve in the run game, but he is very young and will have the time. Meanwhile, Green Bay is happy to take advantage of an inexplicable fall and likely will use him at LT, replacing his former Penn St teammate Rashad Walker, who was decent but still upgradable.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Jared Verse. Another unexplained fall for a talented player. This one is an even better fit, as Tampa Bay is desperate for a pass rusher. Verse projects as a great power rusher who boasts strong hands and a great swim move. His short arms could hurt against the run, but his numbers as a pass rusher are hard to ignore, last year he had 11 sacks, 15 hits, 36 hurries, and 2 batted down passes. That’s right on par with Laitu Latu, who went 15 selections ago. This would be a steal for Tampa Bay, and I have a feeling this is another player who will go earlier than I am projecting here.
27. Arizona Cardinals- Nate Wiggins. Arizona went with a speedy skill player before, and I think they need more of that on both sides of the ball. Wiggins has a skinny frame, but otherwise he is a flawless prospect who could go much earlier, he can play in man or zone with great speed and twitchyness. The Cards have many other needs, but also have an early 2nd rounder and 3 3rd rounders.
28. Buffalo Bills- Xavier Legette. Any WR would be fine here, as there are plenty of solid ones left, though I think the Bills will try to trade up for Brian Thomas. If they can’t, I think Legette is as good an option as any. I don’t know if he fits the usual Bills mold (speed, good route running), Ladd McConkey or Troy Franklin perhaps do, but thinking about his potential with Josh Allen is so tantalizing. Legette has speed and the size/ability to go up for contested catches. His scouting profile is a lot like DK Metcalf’s, he has all the skills you can’t teach. I think the Bills will trust themselves to develop such a talent, and they need a big swing after trading Stefon Diggs.
29. Detroit Lions- Kool-Aid McKinstry. The Lions are never afraid to go against the grain on draft day, but their secondary was already lacking before losing Cam Sutton. McKinstry would be a solid replacement, he lacks long speed but has solid length and size and has proven an intelligent player. No need for Detroit to get fancy here, as the rest of their roster is very solid.
30. Baltimore Ravens- Ladd McConkey. The Ravens have more holes than I expected, but as usual WR is the biggest. Zay Flowers had a good rookie year, but they still need a compliment, as Rashod Bateman is not getting it done and is often hurt. Ladd can work from the slot (which they need) or outside, who is a very sharp route runner and is fiercely fast with the ball in his hands.
31. San Francisco 49ers- Amarius Mims. The 49ers will be happily surprised to not have to trade up for a solid new RT. Mims lacks experience but is otherwise as good a tackle prospect as almost anybody. He is a bit raw, but the 49ers can sit him at first if need be, they don’t have many holes on their roster, so if this is a luxury pick, that’s fine.
32. Kansas City Chiefs- Jordan Morgan. KC would love to get a WR like Xavier Worthy here, but they seriously need a tackle, their starters right now are Wanya Morris and Jawaan Taylor. Morgan needs to add strength, and despite Kansas City’s lack of a proper gym, I am sure Andy Ried and co can coach and size him up, he has the proper athletic frame to work with long term.

• The Raiders could easily trade up for Michael Penix, but they might not have to until round 2, perhaps with one of the teams that picked a qb in round 1 like the Commanders
• I could see a lot more teams trading up for offensive tackles. Fashanu likely won’t fall this far
• It feels weird to see edges and corners going so late, neither is picked until 11. I think it’s realistic, but we will see
• The Giants passing on JJ McCarthy might surprise some, including Minnesota who may not want to give them the chance. But I have a feeling JJ could be this year’s Will Levis, the king of smoke. But I’m not sure
• I think the order in which the receivers are chosen may surprise some including me
• I have no idea what Tennessee is going to do if Alt is already gone.. Could see them trading back or picking Fuaga or somebody, maybe even Fashanu. I know that makes no sense based on where I slotted him, but as I said, the draft can be weird sometimes.

1. Bend it like Beckham - Directed and written by Gurinder Chadha. The cast includes Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Jesminder has a passion for football and joins a women's team which she tries to hide from her strict parents. A fun a charming film with a great ensemble cast, great soundtrack too.
   
2. Starter for 10 - Directed by Tom Vaughan and written by David Nicholls based on his book of the same name. The cast includes James McAvoy, Alice Eve, and Rebecca Hall. Working class Brian has loved University Challenge since childhood, at Bristol University he just misses a place on their team for the beautiful and glamorous Alice who he aids in cheating in the test. A great film about a classic British TV quiz show, with a horrifying scene in which James McAvoy breaks his skin barrier with that apricot face scrub.
   
3. About a boy - Directed by Paul and Chris Weitz and written by Peter Hedges based on Nick Hornby's book of the same name. The cast include Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Rachel Weisz. Despite the American team behind the camera, this film has enough references to British culture for me to put it on this list. Will lives a carefree lifestyle off royalties from his father's Christmas single. He joins a single parents group to meet women and falls for Suzie. Through Suzie he meets Marcus, a socially awkward boy whose mother suffers from depression. Marcus figures out Will has no children and blackmails Will into going out with his mum. The two form and unlikely and heartwarming friendship.
   
4. Sliding doors - Directed and written by Peter Howitt. The cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. After being fired from her job, Helen runs to catch the train but misses, the film the rewinds and replays except she manages to catch the train. The film continues to alternate between these two story lines, and how this event changes the course of her life. I just love John Hannah.
   
5. Wimbledon - Directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Adam Brooks, Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Kevin. The cast include Paul Bettany, Kristen Dunst, John Favreau, and Sam Neill. Peter Colt is a low seeded professional tennis player. After getting a wild card place into Wimbledon, he decides to retire after this last shot and meets and falls in love with up and coming star Lizzie Bradbury. It's a frothy rom-com with great leads to carry the plot along.
   
6. Gregory's girl - Directed and written by Bill Forsyth. The cast includes John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn, and Clare Grogan. A sweet and sincere film about the awkwardness of teenage life. Gregory's becomes goalie on his school football team when Dorothy takes his spot as centre forward. Finding her very attractive, he tries to find ways to get her attention.
   
7. My beautiful laundrette - Directed by Stephen Frears and written by Hanif Kureishi. The cast includes Gordon Warnecke, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Saeed Jaffrey. Set in 1980s London, the film focuses on the reunion and romance of childhood friends Omar and Johnny. Two contrasting worlds collide in a film that has aged very well.
   
8. The decoy bride - Directed by Sheree Folkson and written by Neil Jaworski and Sally Phillips. Hollywood starlet, Lara Tyler is set to marry author James Arber. Determined to escape the paparazzi, she decides on a remote Scottish island. Hired as a decoy, Katie Nic Aodh finds herself married to James by mistake. David Tennant could have chemistry with a plank of wood and is great is this light hearted film with a pretty backdrop.
   

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has selected the former head of New Mexico’s disaster response agency to lead the federal office providing $4 billion in compensation to survivors of the state’s biggest-ever wildfire.
M. Jay Mitchell was appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez in 2014 to run the state Department of Homeland Security. He is a fifth-generation New Mexican, a former Air Force colonel and was a senior adviser to IEM, a global security consulting firm, according to biographies on the state and company’s websites.
Mitchell’s hiring comes about three months after the departure of Angela Gladwell, a longtime FEMA employee who led the creation of the newly established Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Claims Office. Congress tasked FEMA with overseeing the compensation fund for victims of the wildfire caused by two botched prescribed burns in mid-2022.
Fire survivors and their attorneys have repeatedly criticized the office for the slow release of funds, bureaucratic delays and missed legal deadlines to provide payment offers. They also called on FEMA not to replace Gladwell with another federal bureaucrat and instead hire someone from New Mexico who understands its law and culture.
In a news release about Mitchell’s hiring, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), a sponsor of the compensation bill, said he was glad that FEMA announced new leadership to steer the office and quicken compensation.
“The new Claims Office Director must prioritize working with local communities to build trust, communicate effectively to address misinformation, and get money out the door as soon as possible,” Lujan said.
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger [Fernández], in a statement, said she was “relieved FEMA heeded our calls to choose a new director… with strong New Mexico ties.”
Mitchell is expected to begin in May, FEMA spokesperson John Mills said in a news release. Mitchell did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.
He will lead the joint recovery office in New Mexico, overseeing both the claims office and local implementation of existing FEMA disaster programs, particularly the Public Assistance program that reimburses state and local public entities for disaster-related costs.
“Jay Mitchell is joining a team of dedicated public servants working to help New Mexicans recover from the wildfire through both our claims office and disaster recovery operations,” said Tony Robinson, administrator for the FEMA region that includes New Mexico, in the news release.
Mitchell’s selection comes after additional criticism about the hiring process.
The job opening was listed for seven days, which some survivors said was too short a window to draw qualified New Mexico applicants. Colt Hagmaier, a senior FEMA official, said at a forum on April 8 that the office received a significant number of applicants and that the agency was committed to “hiring someone who understands the mission in New Mexico.”
According to an archived biography on the IEM website, Mitchell served more than 26 years in the United States Air Force and went on to serve as the state’s homeland security and emergency management secretary.
After retiring from the military, he returned to Afghanistan and served in what his state biography described as a senior advisor to the deputy Minister of Defense for intelligence. He then returned to New Mexico and recently served as the village manager for Angel Fire. He is also the president of the David Westphall Veterans Foundation, based in Colfax County, according to the group’s website.
In the news release, FEMA officials said Mitchell would be joining the office at a time of “operational improvements” that have hastened compensation payments.
As of April 17, FEMA has paid more than $500 million, $247 million of which was paid since Jan. 1 of this year. That’s about 13% of the total awarded by Congress.
“Jay Mitchell will continue to build upon these improvements to meet the needs of those impacted and ensure all eligible claims are paid,” said Ben Krakauer, a senior adviser to the FEMA administrator, in the news release.