2024 NFL Draft Team Needs vs. Draft Predictions

With the NFL draft less than a month away, T2T’s Justin Stephens decided to sit down with one of the more distinguished gentlemen on the T2T Draft team, Joe Knows, to discuss all 32 NFL Team needs for the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit Michigan. Justin has laid out those draft needs before Joe, and Joe has laid out his plan for a player that could help fill one of those needs for each team. Some people may call this a 32 team mock, but I refrain from calling it that because Joe is all 32 teams in this one. Sadly for the NFL, they may be better off to just let Joe draft for them all anyway.  Links have been added to the draft profiles the Toilets to Titles draft crew has written up on players.

[Joe’s note to the reader – when Justin and I did the video (a week or so before this article), we only went over around 16 – 20 picks, and mostly in reverse order starting from pick 1.32.  So, I did the complete 1st round mock below now and the results are somewhat different than the 16 -20 picks I discussed in the video.  Still, I had a fun time with this article and the video and I hope you at least understand my reasoning behind these picks]

Pick 1.01 – BEARS (Via Panthers): The Chicago Bears currently hold two first round picks. First, Justin would like to plug the next article he will be working on where he reflects on the trade between the Bears and the Panthers last season that allowed the Bears to acquire this pick. Please stay tuned for that… It’s still a mind blowing thought!!! With this pick however, the Bears do have some glaring needs. The biggest hole to fill and the one that most are expecting them to fill with the 1.01 is Quarterback (QB) after moving on from Justin Fields and trading him to the Steelers. Other key weaknesses on the team that will likely be addressed later in the draft are Guard (G), Center (C), Cornerback (CB), and maybe some more depth at Wide Receiver (WR) behind DJ Moore and newly acquired Keenan Allen.

• What does Joe Know? – With pick 1.01, the Bears take QB Caleb Williams (USC).  Period, end of story (unless they surprise and take Jayden Daniels). 

Pick 1.02 – COMMANDERS: The Washington Commanders are in a very similar situation as the Bears considering the Taylor Heinicke Project, the Jacoby Brissett Tryout, and the Sam Howell Experiment have all fizzled out over the last couple years before they ever really had a chance to take off. The Commanders are very likely to go the route of QB as well, but other holes they need to fill are WR, Linebacker (LB), and G. I would’ve said the Edge/Defensive End (DE) was a big hole to fill for this team a couple of months ago, but since the official start of the 2024 NFL season, the Commanders have acquired Dorance Armstrong, Clelin Ferrell, and Dante Fowler, meaning this is a position they can now avoid if they choose to do so.

• What does Joe Know? – With pick 1.02, the Commanders take QB Jayden Daniels (LSU).  Period, end of story (unless they take Drake Maye).

Pick 1.03 – PATRIOTS: The New England Patriots are also very likely to select a QB with their first round pick. They currently have career journeyman backup QB Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe in their QB room. Surprisingly, outside of the QB position, there aren’t a lot of huge glaring holes that need to be filled on this roster that they haven’t already addressed in free agency this offseason. With that being said, the Patriots aren’t in great shape at any position, they just have adequate talent at every position now. Personally, I feel this leaves them in a great situation to simply draft the next best player on their board for every pick and not have to worry about filling holes and positional needs.

• What does Joe Know? – With pick 1.03, the Patriots select QB Drake Maye (UNC).  With three QBs all worthy of going in the top picks and the Patriots in need of a potential franchise QB this pick is idiot proof (unless the insane rumors that they’re open to trading back is true then it’s all bets are off and just pray for the Patriots well being and that of their fans.

Pick 1.04 – CARDINALS: It appears as though the Cardinals are prepared to head into the 2024 NFL season with Kyler Murray as their QB again. They gave up a promising young WR in Rondale Moore to get Desmond Ridder. This locks up a clear pecking order with enough invested to give credibility to this assumption. With the trade of Rondale Moore and the loss of Hollywood Brown makes it very clear that this will likely be the landing spot for the first WR off the board. After signing CB Sean Murphy-Bunting and Defensive Tackle (DT) Justin Jones, other holes that the Cardinals could fill in later rounds are Interior Offensive Linemen (IOL) and maybe more depth at that weak and shallow WR position. 

• What does Joe Know? – The Cardinals get the best WR in this draft and a legit potential generational talent in Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State) for their QB Kyler Murray.

Pick 1.05 – CHARGERS: With the new coaching staff in town for the L.A. Chargers, specifically new Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman and his run first mentality, along with the loss of WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, I expect the Chargers to draft a much needed C and Running Back (RB) at some point in this draft. However, these are positions that are typically drafted later in the draft. I fully expect the Chargers to take their new QB of the future to play alongside Quentin Johnston in the first round. There are still big holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball as well. The Chargers could easily draft just about any position with every pick and it will likely help their team.

• What does Joe Know? – The Chargers actually have quite a few serious needs.  However, regardless of how much new HC Jim Harbaugh was talking about the need for a competent OL for the offense to properly operate (and he’s not wrong), the Chargers have a chance to replace their old WR corp with a potential superstar in Malik Nabers (LSU).  You’re welcome and go have some fun with your new toy, Justin Herbert.

Pick 1.06 – GIANTS: Now this is where the fun really begins. With Daniel Jones’ contract being what it is, do the Giants dare still use the 6th overall pick in this draft on a QB to sit behind Jones? That seems like a lot of wasted potential talent and draft capital to sit. Or do they draft a QB and let him start early on and leave over $145 million worth of cap hits over the next 3 years on the bench? Or do the Giants just recognize that they have put themselves in a position where they have to trust in Jones and get him some more tools to help him succeed? Aside from QB, some other big holes that the Giants need to fill are some RB depth with the loss of Saquan Barkley and the signing of Devin Singletary, C, WR, and Depth on both the offensive and defensive lines. But, this is Joe’s team, so let’s see what he has to say!

• What does Joe Know? – QB JJ McCarthy or WR Rome Odunze.  McCarthy is an elite passer in the short and intermediate parts of the field (not so much at 20+ yards).  Very good athleticism and pocket maneuverability.  I predict the Giants go QB JJ McCarthy (Michigan) because their GM and HC’s jobs rely at this point on developing a young QB, in my opinion.  And no, I can’t give them an elite talent on the OL because they spent oodles of money in FA shoring up the line this offseason, plus the team has been unable to develop 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round talent they drafted for the OL the past two seasons so what’s the point in wasting high end draft picks in that area when the organization has proven they simply have no idea how to develop that type of talent.  They would ruin the careers of a Joe Alt or Olu Fashanu.

Pick 1.07 – TITANS: The Titans have made a lot of strong moves this offseason. They have acquired and or signed RB Tony Pollard, WR Calvin Ridley, C Lloyd Cushenberry, CBs L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie, and LB Kenneth Murray. These signings have really helped to give the Titans an opportunity to fill other roles, draft their best available player on the board regardless of position, or what I personally think is a real possibility, trade back in the draft for more picks. If they do decide to keep this pick, here are some positions they should still target. OT, DE, and maybe a late round RB that doesn’t have the same skill set as all the other RBs in their current RB room.

• What does Joe Know? – Titans could very easily go OT with great ones in Alt and Fashanu for the taking, but I believe they help out young QB Will Levis with a weapon and that is WR Rome Odunze (Washington).  Quick notes: Odunze – 6’2” 212 lbs. – is an excellent WR at all areas of the field.  Good hands, boxes out CBs, size, speed — everything you could ask for in a WR. 

Pick 1.08 – FALCONS: The Atlanta Falcons addressed two of their biggest needs in free agency and via trade by locking in a couple of key WRs in Rondale Moore and Darnell Mooney and locking in their QB of the foreseeable future in Kirk Cousins with a 4 year deal worth $180 million, with $100 million of that guaranteed. Edge, CB, and DT are still 3 positions that the Falcons could address in the draft to help continue to put them (at least on paper) at the top of a poor NFC South Division.

• What does Joe Know? – Too bad the Falcons don’t have a glaring need at OT because there are still great ones available.  Don’t be surprised if the Falcons add to their OL just given top quality OTs available here (can’t have enough quality OL-men), but given they spent 1st round talent on the Offense the past few years and have now have QB Kirk Cousins AND new HC Raheem Morris’s history as a secondary coach, it’s possible they go with CB Terrion Arnold (Alabama).  Edges like Turner, Verse, and Latu are serious candidates here, but I’ll go with Arnold who appears to be solidifying as consensus CB1.

Pick 1.09 – BEARS: I’ve already explained the team needs for the Bears up at pick 1.01, but now that they have likely taken the obvious QB pick, I’m curious to see what Joe has in store for the Bears now!

• What does Joe Know? – Bears probably trade back in this situation if another team is looking to move up for Penix, but I’m treating this as a no-trade mock.  I’m going to give the Bears my favorite DE in this class – Jared Verse (Florida State).  Here are my short notes on Verse: 6’3”; 254 lbs. My favorite DE/Edge in this class. High-motor, blasted out of a cannon off LOS.  Powerful, strong and quick – can bull rush OT and/or blow by them inside.  Refined EDGE coming out of college.  Athletic – combine results: 4.58 40-yard dash with a 1.6 10-yard split, a 35″ vertical, a 10’7″ broad jump, and 31 bench reps (not many players – if any – had more reps).

Pick 1.10 – JETS: So, Zach Wilson is still on the New York Jets’ roster, even with the addition of arguably an even better backup for aging starting QB Aaron Rodgers in Tyrod Taylor. Now, with Rodgers’ age and most recent injury, it could be expected that the Jets might at least entertain possibly drafting a QB here depending on what is available, but if Rodgers can play even just two more seasons, then that buys the Jets a little more time to maybe build around Aaron now. With some amazing and young talent at a lot of positions, the Jets do have some flexibility with this pick. Here are some more prominent holes that may need filled before they consider their next QB of the future. Safety (S) for sure is a big issue, maybe some depth at WR behind Garrett Wilson and newly acquired Mike Williams, and an athletic TE.

• What does Joe Know? – The possibilities are endless here for the Jets – maybe a young QB to groom behind Rodgers, or a plethora of potential franchise OTs to choose from.  However, I got a feeling here that the Jets won’t be able to resist taking probable generational TE talent Brock Bowers (Georgia), to go along with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall and continue to add high-ceiling young weapons for AR.  Also, given the depth of the OL talent in this draft, they can still get a good one in the 2nd round (and don’t be shocked if they trade back into the 1st for OL talent to help give AR the protection he needs).  Plus, AR always liked passing to TEs.

Pick 1.11 – VIKINGS: With the Vikings somewhat surprise move of letting Kirk Cousins go in free agency and signing Sam Darnold to a contract that will likely fall between $8.75 million to $10 million for one season, it would appear that Darnold is in line to start for the 2024 season. However, with only Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall behind him, the Vikings seem to have no plan at this time for a real franchise level QB. Maybe that is what is in store for them in this draft if the right guy falls to them, or maybe they go a different route altogether. Here are some other big needs for the team to address in this draft. They still need more depth (and maybe even a new starter) in at least 3 of their OL positions, with rumors of a Justin Jefferson trade popping up every 3 hours, more WRs in the WR room could be needed, and even with the signing of Jonathan Bullard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Greenard and Jonah Williams, that Defensive Line (DL) still does not seem optimal.

• What does Joe Know? – If QB Michael Penix (Washington) is still here, I’d take him if I’m the Vikings or maybe even Bo Nix.  They could go another direction at this point and take QB Joe Milton (he of the easy 80-yard passes out of the University of Tennessee) in the mid-to-late rounds, but I’ll stick with Penix here. (FYI, don’t be shocked if a lot of teams are targeting Milton in the 2nd round if they can’t land a QB in the 1st).

Pick 1.12 – BRONCOS: With Russell Wilson gone and Jarrett Stidham in line to be the starter as of right now, it would be a travesty for the Denver Broncos to not take a QB in the first round of this year’s draft, unless the plan is to tank for a much higher pick in next year’s draft. Somehow, I doubt that tanking is in Sean Payton’s vocabulary. Payton has spoken out and said there is a real chance that the Broncos find a way to trade up into a higher pick this season to get their QB of the future. Should all this not happen, there are some other weak positions that the Broncos could address should the crazy and unthinkable happen. The Broncos did also lose Jerry Jeudy this offseason to the Browns and the only players at the WR position that they’ve tried to replace him with has-been Josh Reynolds from the Lions and Lil’Jordan Humphrey from the Saints. That isn’t exactly a fair trade off for the Broncos. I look for WR to be high on the Broncos priority list in the draft. They could also use another CB, and some more DL help.

• What does Joe Know? – Denver is in dire need of a lot of help all over the place, but I’m going to go with QB Bo Nix (Oregon) here.  I don’t love Nix, but I understand and think Nix is worthy of going this high as long as a team isn’t trading valuable assets to move up and get him (which Denver isn’t doing in this scenario). 

Pick 1.13 – RAIDERS: The Las Vegas Raiders really need an overhaul at just about every position. The only real playmaker on the entire offense is WR Davante Adams. One defense, they do at least have some playmakers at most positions but no real depth anywhere outside of the DL. If I were the GM, I would be tempted to sell off every part worth anything at all and start over with as many draft picks as I can possibly get. I don’t even want to list all of the positions they need to fill, but I would certainly want to start with that OL. 

• What does Joe Know? – Raiders could really use a QB here but none that I’m comfortable giving them at pick 13 (unless they want to swing for the fence with Joe Milton).  Excellent OTs are available and I’m going to give the Raiders OT Joe Alt (Notre Dame). [I can’t believe the first OT in this draft lasted until pick 13, which can’t be true, but as I go along in the this draft that’s just how I’m seeing things]

Pick 1.14 – SAINTS: As the overall disappointing career of Michael Thomas comes to an end in New Orleans, and the New Orleans Saints replace him with only Cedrick Wilson, I am tempted to lean heavily toward WR being a key position of need for the Saints. OT, DT, and CB are all also very big needs for the Saints as well. 

• What does Joe Know? – Too much quality OL talent here to pass up for a team that needs an OT so I’m giving them OT Olu Fashanu (Penn State).  Could wind up being Talese Fuaga, but I’ll stick with Fashanu.

Pick 1.15- COLTS: The Indianapolis Colts currently have four TEs on their roster, yet they somehow feel like they have nothing but backup TEs. If they have the ability to get Brock Bowers from Georgia here, they will have finally filled a need that this team has needed since they lost Dallas Clark after the 2011 season! Even the two Eric Ebron seasons were not nearly as good as some Colts fans like to remember them. However, we know that Chris Ballard likely won’t put a mid-first round value on a TE and there is also a chance that Bowers may not even still be there. With that said, there are still plenty of positions to be filled. For me, a solid Safety and some offensive line help would be nice.

• What does Joe Know? – CB Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo).  DB Cooper DeJean is a real possibility here given how versatile he is in the secondary and plays the run well, but I’m going to go with Mitchell who has been screaming up the big boards since Senior Bowl.  

Pick 1.16 – SEAHAWKS: Bobby Wagner is gone from the Seattle Seahawks… Again. Even with the one year deal for Jerome Baker, the LB depth is still a little slim, but I think the real need for the Seahawks is their Guard (G) position. They currently have 3 on the roster and none of them are a natural Left Guard. I would say DT and C would be a couple more positions to target.

• What does Joe Know? – OC Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon).  He’s a slam dunk 1st round talent, but while it’ll seem early given all the top notch OT talent still on the board, the Seahawks right now need iOL help and Powers-Johnson is probably the best in this class.  Best OC prospect in the past few years.  Polished and nasty trench player.  Plug-and-play. 

Pick 1.17- JAGUARS: Many people were surprised by the backward slide the Jacksonville Jaguars took at the end of the season last year, but honestly we could view it as the Jaguars being the recipients of playing in a weak division meaning they were overachieving to start the season and what we saw at the end of the season last year was simply what the Jaguars are. They were 4-2 within their division. Outside of the division they were 2-6 against playoff teams and 3-0 against non-playoff teams. In short, the Jaguars still have a long way to go and there are some huge holes in their roster that were heavily exposed in the 2nd half of the season when they finally had to face the playoff teams on their schedule. OT, WR, and DL are the most glaring positions of need in my opinion.

• What does Joe Know? – OT Amarius Mims (Georgia).  May wind up being the best OT in this historic class of OL-men, but doesn’t have the # of games played that the other highly ranked OT’s have.  Massive – 6’7”; 340 lbs – big, but not fat.  Strength, length, athleticism.  Excellent in pass protection.  Road-grader in run game.  Experience at both LT and RT.  Plays like a lighter player out in space getting to the next level in run support.  Taliese Fuaga is probably the better player right now (and is still available in this mock), but I’m going to roll with the Jags going with more local product in Mims who could, potentially, wind up being the best OT in this draft down the road. 

Pick 1.18 – BENGALS: The Cincinnati Bengals were 26th in the league against the run last season. That poor run defense was even more prominent to see when they lost DJ Reeder at DT for the last 3 games of the season and they gave up three 100 yard rushing games to their opponents all three weeks in a row. They lost D.J. Reeder this offseason and while it’s great that they were able to sign Sheldon Rankins, he is 29 years old and it was only a one year deal. If that DL can fall apart so quickly with only one major injury on the line, then they clearly need to bolster their DL in the draft. More specifically at DT. The Bengals also need more depth at the OL and LB positions.

• What does Joe Know?– OT Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State).  Value meets need…a REAL need.  Protect Joe Burrow.  Period.  End of story.

Pick 1.19 – RAMS: The Los Angeles Rams did a great job during free agency helping to support possibly their biggest need, the secondary. They signed Kamren Curl (S), Tre’Davious White (CB), and brought back Darious Williams (CB) for his 2nd time around with the team after a 2 year stint with Jacksonville. These moves help to allow them to wait until the later rounds to get some depth and youth in the secondary. Instead, the Rams will be able to focus their earlier round attention on the DL (DT, Edge and DE are all a need), G, and maybe even some depth at the WR position.

• What does Joe Know? – Rams could easily go a few different directions but there are two guys who would make nice “replacements” for Aaron Donald.  Okay, nobody can replace Aaron Donald, but you know what I mean and this is a situation where need meets value.  It could be DT Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois) or DT Byron Murphy II (Texas).  Newton has been the consensus DT1 in this class for months, but Murphy’s been screaming up the boards the past month and I have a feeling he winds up being the first DT off the board.  Plus, I believe he can be flexed out to DE at times.  So, I’m going with Byron Murphy here.  

Pick 1.20 – STEELERS: The Pittsburgh Steelers have been missing a good QB since Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2021. Coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers front office are clearly tired of that situation, going out and signing Russell Wilson and then trading for Justin Fields. After also signing Patrick Queen and trading for Donte Jackson, it’s clear that the Steelers are trying to compete now. The Steelers were rated as one of the bottom ten offensive lines all season in 2023. This is certainly the biggest hole they need filled. The Steelers could also go for another good secondary piece for depth, and some WR help as well. 

• What does Joe Know? – Steelers need OL help but they’re an organization adept at developing OL from mid-round picks as well and this is a deep OL draft class.  Sooooo, I’m giving them CB/S Cooper DeJean (Iowa).  6’0”; 203 lbs.  Can play CB and Safety.  Excellent route recognition and reading QBs eye; good athleticism.  Well-round secondary player who can play the run.  Sure tackler.  I see him just being a perfect fit for the Steelers.

Pick 1.21 – DOLPHINS: The Miami Dolphins signed their new C Aaron Brewer to a 3 year deal worth $21 million, but the G positions are still weak and they could even use some more depth at T as well. Overall, the rest of the team is pretty solid at nearly every position. They could still really use some depth at the S position and maybe another athlete for depth at WR considering Tyreek Hill is 30 years old and has already hinted at retirement a couple of times in the past. 

• What does Joe Know? – Dolphins could go CB Nate Wiggins, a WR, DT Jer’Zhan Newton, but I think their biggest need is OL and I’m giving them OT Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma).  6’7”; 322 lbs.  Big and long, but athletic and light-footed.  Excellent in pass protection.

Pick 1.22 – EAGLES: The Philadelphia Eagles have addressed a lot of positional needs in their defense via Free Agency. They also more than covered the loss of RB D’Andre Swift by signing divisional rival RB Saquon Barkley to a 3 year $37.75 million deal. As the dust has settled from the trades and free agent period, the Eagles are still in need of some depth pieces at C, Secondary, and Edge.

• What does Joe Know? – CB Nate Wiggins (Clemson). 6’1”; 173 lbs.  Tall with elite closing speed and long speed to play with burner WRs.  Quick route diagnosing; excellent at breaking up passes with back to ball.  Could go Edge, but I see them wanting to go secondary and Wiggins is fair value here.

Pick 1.23 – VIKINGS (From Texans, Via Browns): The Vikings team needs are above (See pick 1.11), but after seeing who Joe likes for them at the 1.11, let’s see what he has in store for them here at the 1.23 as the Vikings traded away a 2nd for this year and next, along with a later round swap, to attain this second 1st round pick.

• What does Joe Know? – In the real world the Vikings are probably packaging this and their earlier 1st round pick to move up and take a QB, but this is a no-trade mock draft and I already give them Penix at pick 1.11.  I see them going Edge or DT here and I’m going to give them DT Jer’Zhan Newton (Illinois), who has been the consensus DT1 in this draft for months (although Byron Murphy II may have surpassed him at this point).

Pick 1.24 – COWBOYS: With the loss of Tony Pollard to the Titans, the Dallas Cowboys are almost assuredly going RB early in this draft. We don’t know if it will be the 1st or 2nd round, but it is the biggest and most obvious need for the team. The Cowboys could also make use of some help at all 3 OL positions along with some WR help.

• What does Joe Know? – There’s a LOT of quality Edge rushers available right now and while Edge is not showing up as a need for Dallas, Edge is a position like CB that you can never really have enough of and there is nothing wrong in stacking talent at such positions.  However, there is premium OL talent available.  I’m going to go with OL Graham Barton (Duke).  He was an excellent LT at Duke but projects better at OG in the NFL.  He’s rough, tough, polished and he’s versatile (played some games at OC earlier in his college career).  Whatever team drafts him is going to love Barton.

Pick 1.25 – PACKERS: The Green Bay Packers had an OL that ranked in the top 10 last season, but they did lose long time franchise fan favorite LT David Bakhtiari and RG Jon Runyan. Mix that with the fact that they had very little depth at the OL even before losing these two players and there becomes an immediate need to bolster the Packers OL. The Packers have done nothing in the way of free agency or trade to help at OL, so I have to believe this will be their main focal point in the draft. The Packers could also use some secondary help as well.

• What does Joe Know? – OT Troy Fautanu (Washington).  He’s a quality, safe pick for the OT position and fair value at pick 25 for an OT needy team.

Pick 1.26 – BUCCANEERS: The increased salary cap given to  the teams this season helped the Buccaneers to be able to keep both Mike Evans for 2 more years and Baker Mayfield for 3. This gives the team the flexibility to focus on other more immediate team needs like the OL. More specifically, the C and G positions. They could also use some secondary and DL help as well.

• What does Joe Know? – EDGE Chop Robinson (Penn St.) – incredible burst off line at snap.  High energy/high motor player.  Nice combo of burst, energy, speed, strength, athleticism.

Pick 1.27 – CARDINALS (Via Texans): The Arizona Cardinals’ roster needs are listed above (See pick 1.04), but let’s see what Joe would have in store for them here, late in the first round.

• What does Joe Know? – EDGE Dallas Turner (Alabama).  Absolute steal at pick 1.27.

Pick 1.28 – BILLS: The loss of Gabe Davis for the Buffalo Bills is crucial as they already weren’t very deep with talent at the position. There are also a lot of talented WRs that should still be available at this point in the draft. But you know Joe. Sometimes he surprises us with some knowledge we weren’t expecting. The Bills have made several moves in trade and free agency that have filled several positional needs, but some other positions they could target that are still of need are RB and LB depth and some help at G.

• What does Joe Know? – This is insane – I know – but I’m not going to give the Bills a WR at this pick even though there are plenty of worthy candidates available.  They’ll take one in the 2nd (and maybe even another one in the 3rd) because there’s an Edge available who should not have fallen this far but here he is and it’s Laiatu Latu (UCLA).  Possibly the best Edge in the class and he’s going at pick 28 to the Bills.  Don’t worry Bills fans – you’ll get a very good WR in round 2.  Very big WR Keon Coleman was a real possibility here, but I went with Latu.

Pick 1.29 – LIONS: The Detroit Lions did a great job addressing literally all four of their largest positional needs through free agency and trades. Even with that, there is always room for improvement. DL, LB, and S are all positions I could see the Lions attacking early in the draft. 

• What does Joe Know? – The Lions have drafted BEAUTIFULLY the past few years.  I’d like to give them NT T’Vondre Sweat (Texas) who I love, but I’m going to give them a extremely athletic and talented CB in TJ Tampa (Iowa State), who I think I now have ahead of Kool-Aid McKinstry in my personal CB rankings filed away in my huge brain.  He’s been consistently mocked as a 2nd rounder, but he’s got great athleticism, speed, and ball tracking skills as a former WR that I would not be surprised at all if he breaks into the back end of the 1st round.

Pick 1.30 – RAVENS: The Baltimore Ravens have consistently been one of the heaviest rushing teams in the league for several years now. They added Derrick Henry this offseason to replace the loss of JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards. The glaring need they still have is at WR. Not only do they not have very many WRs on the roster, aside from Zay Flowers, they don’t really offer much more than any random free agent WR still available out there. The Ravens have to be focusing on a late first round WR. The team is also slim at the G position and could be looking into drafting a new T or S as well. 

• What does Joe Know? – In the video that Justin and I did together I had OG Graham Barton (Duke) as a perfect Raven, but in this mock draft I sent him to Dallas earlier at pick 1.24.  I’m tempted to give them big & strong OT JC Latham (Alabama) but, like the Steelers, the Ravens always do a good job of drafting OL-men from mid-rounds.  SO, I’m going to keep stacking WRs for Lamar Jackson and give them Keon Coleman (Florida State) to play X while last year’s outstanding rookie WR Zay Flowers keeps killin’ it in the slot and the other side of the field.  Another solid option would be Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU) who is another big body and at this point is slightly ahead on most big boards, but I’m going with Keon who is 1st round worthy.

Pick 1.31 – 49ERS: The San Francisco 49ers showed some weaknesses at times on the defensive line last season, especially in terms of depth when they had an injury or two to try and work around. They have done a great job so far this offseason addressing the defensive line by adding DT Jordan Elliott, and two Edge rushers in Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos, but they could still use some more help and depth on the DL. With rumors of Brandon Aiyuk seeking a trade and not much depth behind him and Deebo Samuel, I could see the 49ers taking a shot at WR in the draft. S and OL are a couple of other positions where the 49ers could use some extra help as well.

• What does Joe Know? – 49ers apparently need help at OT and OG and they’ll probably go that way, however I think another real possibility is Edge since SF likes to keep their D strong and deep.  Soooo, I’m going to go with a little bit of a reach here and give them DE Darius Robinson (Missouri) who is around 6’5” and 285 lbs.  He’s a solid 2nd round grade but I can see him possibly sneaking into the back end of the 1st and SF would be a good landing spot for him.

Pick 1.32 – CHIEFS: Let’s face it… The Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning world champions and they have Patrick Mahomes at QB. The Chiefs can simply draft the next best player on their board at any position and be just fine. However, every team has areas they can improve. For the Chiefs, OT and more depth at the rest of the OL would likely be the priority in my mind. They could also use some more depth at LB and more talent at RB.

• What does Joe Know? – Some worthy OTs available here as well as WRs, but we know the Chiefs function just fine without top quality WRs so I’m going to give them a brickhouse NT in T’Vondre Sweat (Texas).  Probably my personal favorite iDL in this draft.  6 ‘4″ and 366 lbs, collapses running lanes, eats up double teams, and pushes the pocket back – what more can you ask for?  Plus, the Chiefs have really focused on improving their D the past few years and I can see them continuing to build it better and better.  Their current D I think is underrated because it’s overshadowed by the sexiness of Mahomes + Kelce + Reid calling plays, but the Chiefs D is legit.

There are also three teams that do not have a first round pick in the 2024 draft, so we will also go over their biggest draft needs and potential picks for their 1st draft picks which will be in the 2nd round. 

Pick 2.01 (33rd Overall) – PANTHERS: The Panthers lost Briann Burns to the Giants in free agency, but they were quickly able to rebound from that by signing D.J. Wonnum, Jadeveon Clowney, and K’Lavon Chaisson (All Edge rushers). The Panthers were very active in free agency to help make up for the lack of a 1st round pick. Some other keep players they added were WR Diontae Johnson, G Robert Hunt, G Damien Lewis, and DT A’Shawn Robinson. This team finished last in the NFL last season, so even with all the signings, they could still use a lot of help in the draft and they desperately need for Bryce Young to take a huge step forward from last season. The positions I could see the Panthers targeting would be TE, T, C, DT, and LB.

• What does Joe Know? – If the Panthers need an OT then I’m giving them OT JC Latham (Alabama) who is a mountain of a man at around 6’5” and 342 lbs.  Latham has a mid-1st round grade on him so he’s a steal if he falls this far.

Pick 2.10 (42nd Overall) – TEXANS: The Houston Texans made some real noise in the 1st round of the draft last season trading up to lock in the 2nd and 3rd overall picks which went on to be two big immediate difference makers for them, QB C.J. Stroud and DE/Edge Will Anderson. That helps lessen the blow of not having a 1st round pick this year, but who knows… Maybe the Texans make another move to get back into the 1st round. In the meantime, we can only assume they will be staying where they are at and while they did look like a completely different team last season, there are still a few positions that the Texans should be focusing on in this year’s draft. WR depth, OT depth, and LB, just to name a few.

• What does Joe Know? – DL Brandon Dorlus (Oregon).  I like Dorlus for Houston b/c they run a base 4-3 and Dorlus is a big DE at 6’3” and 283 lbs.  Reminds me of Karlaftis but bigger.  3-down player who plays the run well.  Advanced technician for a draft-eligible player.  

Pick 2.22 (54th Overall) – BROWNS: The Browns were fortunate enough to have The Human Predator go down with an injury early last season as the offense looked much better when backup QB Joe Flacco was given the opportunity of his couch to come in and run the offense. It is a typical kind of mistake for the Browns organization to give $230 million to a guy that isn’t even as good as a 39 year old backup that joined the team in week 12 after taking several months off from football. In short, the Cleveland Browns will find a way to Brown this pick up, one way or another, so it doesn’t really matter that the pick isn’t taking place in the 1st round, but for what it’s worth, the Browns could use a G, LB, more OL help, and some depth at the DL. 

• What does Joe Know? – DT Ruke Orhorhoro [pronounced Oh-ro-ro-ro] (Clemson) – SLEEPER ALERT.  Most athletic iDL in the draft.  Screaming up the boards.  6’4”; 294 lbs.  High-motor, powerful, long, freak athlete for his size with a 9.88 RAS (out of 10.0).  Ran a 4.89 40-yard (4th best for iDL in ‘24); 29-bench press.  Gets through gaps in the pass and seals gaps in the run.  Effectively plays all techniques, including 5-tech (setting edge).  Still kinda raw with tons of upside.

Written and completed by: Justin Stephens (@JustinFF_) & Joe Knows (@JoeJ_Clark), 04/05/24