Charlie Campbell 2024 NFL Mock Draft, Feb. 26 – A Three-Round Mock Draft with Three Quarterbacks at the Top

Justin Fields has not developed as a pocket passer enough to warrant passing on one of the good quarterbacks at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft. Now, Chicago has its choice among Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. Coming from the Chiefs organization, I could see general manager Ryan Poles being comfortable taking Williams. It will be interesting to see if the Bears staff meshes well with Williams during pre-draft meetings.

In 2023, Williams completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also notched 11 rushing touchdowns. Williams (6-1, 218) possesses an excellent skill set to become a pro starter because he is an accurate passer with a strong arm. On the ground, Williams is a slippery and dangerous runner who possesses surprising speed and toughness. His greatest strength is his ability to ad lib his team into a big play. Williams is tremendous at scrambling and throwing on the run to make something out of nothing. However, Williams has a huge problem with holding the ball too long. He puts a lot of pressure on his offensive line, leading to him taking a lot of hits. Williams has a lot of talent, but he needs development for the NFL.

Williams started out the 2021 season as the backup quarterback to Spencer Rattler at Oklahoma, but after Rattler struggled, Williams replaced him as the starter and put together an excellent year, completing 65 percent of his passes for 1,912 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also hurt defenses on the ground with six rushing touchdowns and lots of yardage. After the 2021 season, Williams transferred to USC to follow former Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley. Williams played well for the Trojans in 2022, completing 67 percent of his passes for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions.

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The new Washington regime can start fresh with its own quarterback. Considering Kliff Kingsbury has been hired as the offensive coordinator, I could see the Commanders preferring Jayden Daniels over Drake Maye.

Daniels completed 72 percent of his passes in 2023 for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and four interceptions. He notched 10 rushing touchdowns as well. Daniels is a dual-threat quarterback who showed improvement as a passer throughout the 2022 season with LSU. He has a quality arm and is a dangerous runner with shocking speed. While he has plenty of room for growth, he became more consistent with pocket-passing accuracy and reading the field as he gained experience. Team sources said they feel Brian Kelly did a nice job of developing Daniels.

Daniels completed 69 percent of his passes in 2022 for 2,913 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also went for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. While playing for Arizona State in 2021, Daniels completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,380 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was impressive in 2019, showing playmaking ability as a passer and runner while producing points for the Sun Devils, but he did not look as good in the short 2020 season.

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Mac Jones can be added to the expansive list of poor picks made by Bill Belichick. Without Tom Brady there to cover up the stink, Belichick’s drafting failures were exposed. The Patriots need to find an upgrade at quarterback and move on from Jones. If New England does not add a veteran starter in free agency, a quarterback will be in play at pick No. 3.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Maye has good size and is very accurate, especially working the middle of the field. He lofts balls well, showing touch and throwing his receivers open. On top of his passing ability, he can make some things happen with his feet and has some mobility. Maye could be a lethal pocket passer in the NFL. Some sources have said Maye could be a more athletic version of Jared Goff.

In 2023, Maye completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also notched nine rushing touchdowns. Maye exploded onto the college-football scene as a redshirt freshman, showing serious arm talent. In 2022, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

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The Cardinals take a true No. 1 receiver for Kyler Murray. Having a big outside receiver like Harrison would make Hollywood Brown even more dangerous.

In 2023, Harrison turned 67 catches into 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns. He broke out in 2022, recording 77 receptions for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. The sophomore was a dynamic mismatch weapon for C.J. Stroud. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Harrison has excellent height and length with speed to get downfield. He runs routes like a smaller receiver, and he obviously learned a lot from his Hall of Fame father. However, the younger Harrison is much bigger than his father and is more like a A.J. Green- or CeeDee Lamb-type receiver for the next level.

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The Chargers need help on defense aside from defensive end, but the value isn’t great for taking a defensive prospect here. Mike Williams and Keenan Allen could both be nearing the end of their runs with the Chargers. Jim Harbaugh’s offense uses tight ends a lot, and pairing Bowers with Quentin Johnston will give Justin Herbert some young weapons.

For the NFL, Bowers is a mismatch receiver who offers quickness, exceptional route-running, great hands, and phenomenal ability after the catch. He could be a dynamic receiving weapon as a pro. When it comes to blocking, Bowers fights hard and does pretty well. However, he is undersized for the NFL and could have issues as an in-line blocker against defensive linemen as a pro. In 2023, Bowers recorded 56 receptions for 714 yards and six touchdowns. He missed some time with a high ankle sprain. Bowers was a freshman sensation for the Bulldogs in 2021 and was a huge receiving weapon in helping them win their first National Championship since 1980. Immediately, Bowers (6-4, 230) was a mismatch threat with excellent speed, athleticism, and run-after-the-catch ability. In 2021, Bowers recorded 56 receptions for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. He totaled 63 receptions in 2022 for 942 yards and seven touchdowns.

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The Giants need a receiver upgrade and are in great position to land a No. 1 wideout. Between Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze, New York is in a safe spot to land an impactful weapon.

Odunze played well in 2023, making some clutch catches and using his size to be a weapon on the sideline. He finished the year having caught 87 passes for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns. With Michael Penix at quarterback in 2022, Odunze broke out for Washington, recording 75 receptions for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns. Odunze (6-3, 215) has good size, but he could have problems separating from NFL defensive backs and will have to win on a lot of contested catches. Odunze is phenomenal at winning contested catches along the sideline because he is deadly on back-shoulder throws.

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The Titans could go a variety of directions, but they need better pass protection for Will Levis. Alt is a safe pick to be a solid starter for Tennessee.

Alt (6-7, 317) broke into the starting lineup at left tackle as a freshman in 2021 and remained on the blind side for the rest of his college career. He started out his time with Notre Dame playing some tight end before settling in at left tackle. Alt is big with long arms, has good strength in the upper body, uses his hands well, and has good technique. Alt was consistent and productive. However, he has issues with his anchor because he is stiff and doesn’t bend well. That lack of bend will be challenging to fix given how tall Alt is, but he still is a very safe pick to be a good NFL starter.

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The Falcons will probably miss out on the top-three quarterbacks if they stay here at No. 8, and I am not sure they would take Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy this early. Atlanta instead could target a veteran free agent or a second-day quarterback like Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. In that case, the Falcons could use their first-round pick on a pass rusher to improve their edge rush.

Turner is a fast edge rusher who can burn tackles with speed off the edge. He has a ton of upside and potential for the NFL, but requires additional development. He needs more pass-rushing moves and has to be taught technique, rush angles, depth of rush, and finding the sweet spot. If Turner is developed well, he could be an elite quarterback hunter at the pro level. Turner recorded 53 tackles, 11 sacks, 15.5 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles in 2023. With Will Anderson commanding attention on the other side in 2021, Turner (6-4, 245) had a phenomenal freshman debut for the Crimson Tide. Turner showed serious pass-rush potential in 2021 with 8.5 sacks and 30 tackles while rotating with other defenders. In 2022, Turner collected 37 tackles and four sacks, but he was far more disruptive than the numbers indicate.

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Chicago could go with an edge rusher, a wide receiver, or offensive line help. Helping their young quarterback wins the tiebreaker, and taking a wideout would give the Bears a cheap playmaker to go across from the highly paid veteran D.J. Moore.

Nabers totaled 89 catches for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023. While Kayshon Boutte was supposed to be LSU’s No. 1 wide receiver in 2022, Nabers outplayed him and was a steady contributor for Jayden Daniels. Nabers caught 72 passes for 1,017 yards and three touchdowns that season. He has quality size at 6-foot, 195 pounds and is very fast with awesome separation skills. Nabers has special athleticism and route-running that could make him a dynamic outside and slot receiver at the pro level.

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The Jets need more protection for Aaron Rodgers. Here’s a plug-and-play starter.

For the next level, Fashanu (6-6, 321) has the size and length to make it tough for defenders to get by him. However, he is not an elite athlete on the edge with rare movement skills or quickness. He can move defenders up front in the ground game, but he is not all that nasty in his style of play. Fashanu looks like a future NFL starter at left tackle, but not an elite one. He does not look like a top-10 prospect like a Penei Sewell. As a pro, Fashanu might be more similar to an adequate starting tackle like Russell Okung rather an elite tackle like Sewell.

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The Vikings need a lot of help on their defensive line. Here’s an interior disruptor, which they badly need.

Murphy impressed team sources in 2023, showing the ability to defend the run and contribute to the pass rush. On the year, he totaled 29 tackles and five sacks. Murphy has good size and is tough at the point of attack. The 6-foot-1, 308-pounder is shorter and lacks some length, but he possesses some quickness and athleticism with developed strength.

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Sean Payton clearly wants his own quarterback and will move on from Russell Wilson. Given where they are picking, the Broncos could consider options like J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix. Both are nice scheme fits. Nix has better tape and is a more natural accurate pocket passer, while McCarthy has the better physical skill set. It will be interesting to see which one Payton gravitates toward.

McCarthy completed 72 percent of his passes in 2023 for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. He had three rushing touchdowns as well. McCarthy put together a strong 2022 season, leading Michigan to the college football playoff and completing 65 percent of his passes for 2,719 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also did some damage on the ground with 306 yards and five scores. The 6-foot-3, 196-pounder has the upside to improve with experience. He has a quality arm, mobility, size, and experience playing in a high-pressure environment. McCarthy lacks some passing instincts, and some NFL team sources have compared him to Will Levis and Daniel Jones.

The Raiders need a quarterback of the future and could target a signal-caller like Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Some team sources think Nix is a future starter and will go in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Others think he is more of a late first-round, or early second-round pick, but quarterbacks can rise through the draft process and Nix should interview/work out well. Nix is an instinctive quarterback who is accurate, mobile, gets the ball out fast and knows where to go with it. While he does not have special arm talent, he shows the ability to push the ball vertically. Nix also has developed field vision to go through progressions, can recognize coverage and anticipate. Sources said they feel Nix could be productive in a variety of offenses and is not just the robotic product of a college system. From a physical-talent perspective, some team sources shared they feel Nix (6-2, 217) has a better skill set than other NFL starters like Baker Mayfield, Sam Howell and Kenny Pickett.

Nix completed 77 percent of his passes in 2023 for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and three interceptions. He totaled six rushing touchdowns as well. The Auburn transfer had an ugly start to the 2022 season against Georgia, but he played better over the course of the season. In 2022, he completed 72 percent of his passes for 3,593 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Nix also ran for 14 touchdowns. His 2022 stat line was a big improvement in his passing production over his three seasons at Auburn.

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Trevor Penning has not developed as planned; Ryan Ramczyk has health concerns; and Andrus Peat is a free agent. Here’s a young building block for the Saints’ line.

The 6-foot-6, 326-pound Latham has a good skill set and a ton of upside. He did not give up a sack in 2022 and allowed very few pressures while manning right tackle. There is no doubt that Latham is a powerful athlete with the ability to generate movement at the point of attack. He makes winning blocks look easy thanks to serious strength and an ability to sustain. However, Latham is more of a right tackle than a left tackle for the NFL given his feet and movement skills.

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With having to face C.J. Stroud for many years to come, the Colts could use a No. 1 cover corner. JuJu Brents is better as a No. 2, and Kenny Moore fits in the slot, if he is even re-signed. Here’s a No. 1 outside corner for the Colts.

Arnold recorded 63 tackles, five interceptions and 12 passes broken up in 2023. He played well for Alabama in 2022, recording 45 tackles, an interception and eight passes broken up. The 6-foot, 188-pounder has quality size to go along with instincts and good technique. Arnold’s only real flaw is not being fast, and that presents some limitations for the NFL. Still, Arnold looks like a good fit for a zone team and a safe pick to be a solid pro.

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The Seahawks could use more talent on their offensive line. Fautanu could start out at guard and also has the ability to play right tackle. This would also reunite him with his collage offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, likely allowing Fautanu to make a quick transition in Seattle.

Fautanu (6-3, 317) was a very reliable and steady left tackle for Michael Penix Jr. in 2023. Fautanu became the starting left tackle in 2022 and was a consistent contributor for Washington. Multiple team sources said they like Fautanu and see him as an early-rounder for the 2024 NFL Draft. Some project him as a second-round pick with a potential move to guard because of length limitations. Others said they think Fautanu could be a first-round offensive tackle because he has 35-inch arms, similar to Rashawn Slater. Pro evaluators like Fautanu’s athleticism, but he is not real powerful and his anchor is just okay.

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