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The NFL draft is less than a month away.
The top quarterbacks have all completed their pro days. Teams are scheduling in-person visits with their top 30 prospects. This is the home stretch. The final countdown is on.
On April 25, general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears appear poised to make USC quarterback Caleb Williams the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft. What happens after that is anybody’s guess.
Shaw Local Bears beat reporter Sean Hammond is trying to figure it all out. Below is his first mock draft.
| Team | Player, Position, College | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bears | Caleb Williams, QB, USC | No surprise here. The Bears find their franchise QB. |
| 2. Commanders | Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina | The Commanders land a quarterback who should be quite capable in Kliff Kingsbury’s air raid attack. |
| 3. Patriots | Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU | The Patriots go in a whole new direction with a mobile quarterback. |
| 4. Cardinals | Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State | The Cardinals could trade back, but having a chance to take the top receiver in this draft will be tough to pass on. |
| 5. Vikings (via trade with Chargers) | JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan | The Vikings make a big move up for a quarterback, sending No. 11 and No. 23 to the Chargers. |
| 6. Giants | Malik Nabers, WR, LSU | With four QBs off the board, the Giants land one of the top receivers in the draft. |
| 7. Titans | Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame | The Titans need help on the offensive line and land the top-rated tackle in 2024. |
| 8. Jets (via trade with Falcons) | Rome Odunze, WR, Washington | The Jets jump in front of the Bears in order to select a coveted receiver for Aaron Rodgers. |
| 9. Bears | Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama | With the top three receivers gone, the Bears become the first team to select a defensive player. Turner could make an immediate impact for Matt Eberflus’ defense. |
| 10. Falcons (via trade with Jets) | Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State | The Falcons move down two spots and still land one of the draft’s top edge rushers. |
| 11. Chargers (via trade with Vikings) | Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo | After trading back, the Chargers are the first to select a cornerback. |
| 12. Cowboys (trade via Broncos) | Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State | The Cowboys make an aggressive trade to fill a huge need. The Broncos get much-needed draft capital by moving down to No. 24. |
| 13. Raiders | JC Latham, OT, Alabama | The Raiders land one of the best tackles in the draft and target Washington QB Michael Penix in Round 2. |
| 14. Saints | Taliese Fuaga, OT/G, Oregon State | New Orleans bolsters the offensive line with a versatile lineman. |
| 15. Colts | Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama | The Colts find a new starting cornerback. |
| 16. Seahawks | Troy Fautanu, OT/G, Washington | The Seahawks don’t have to look far for their top draft pick, landing the Washington Huskies’ lineman. |
| 17. Jaguars | Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU | After losing Calvin Ridley in free agency, the Jaguars add some talent to the receiver position. |
| 18. Bengals | Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas | The Bengals find a replacement for departed free agent defensive tackle DJ Reader. |
| 19. Rams | Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia | Tight ends are rarely top 10 picks. If Bowers falls, the Rams would be happy to scoop him up. |
| 20. Steelers | Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon | The Steelers need a center, and this would be an ideal scenario for them. |
| 21. Dolphins | Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA | The Dolphins bolster their defensive line with an elite edge rusher. |
| 22. Eagles | Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson | The Eagles haven’t taken a cornerback in the first round since 2002. Might this be the year that changes? |
| 23. Chargers (via trade with Vikings) | Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois | After trading down from No. 5, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers bolster their defense – twice. |
| 24. Broncos (via trade with Cowboys) | Bo Nix, QB, Oregon | The Broncos traded down from No. 12 and land a quarterback a little bit further down. |
| 25. Packers | Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia | With David Bakhtiari on his way out, the Packers make a new plan at offensive tackle. |
| 26. Buccaneers | Graham Barton, C/G, Duke | Longtime Bucs center Ryan Jensen has retired, so the organization looks for a new center. |
| 27. Cardinals | Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State | The Cardinals could consider trading down from No. 4, but they already have two first-round picks. Here, they add a defensive talent. |
| 28. Bills | Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa | After shedding veterans in order to get under the salary cap, the Bills look to build the secondary back up. |
| 29. Lions | Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama | Injury concerns might cause McKinstry to drop. The Lions could get a top cornerback, despite being near the bottom of the first round. |
| 30. Ravens | Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma | Guyton might very well be one of the best tackles in the draft. The Ravens always find a way to land good players on draft weekend. |
| 31. 49ers | Jordan Morgan, G, Arizona | The 49ers’ offensive line could use some help at the guard position, and Morgan might just fit. |
| 32. Chiefs | Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas | Kansas City keeps adding weapons for Patrick Mahomes and the passing attack. |
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