NFL Draft 2024: Final mock draft with Vikings and Commanders making big trades

The 2024 NFL Draft is finally starting.

What better way to celebrate this occasion than with another mock draft?

This mock draft falls under the “prediction” category. As we rack our brains to come up with some plausible scenarios for tonight. And also to come up with the teams that we’re predicting based on some of the trades, and which teams we’re not predicting or not. — Has a first-round pick. Will anything work? We certainly hope so. Did I do something wrong? absolutely. Will people be angry? probably.

But the great thing about the final mock draft is that we’ll know the actual picks a few hours from now.

Viking trade is a necessary evil

As expected, Minnesota will give up two first-round picks in 2024 and a first-round pick in 2025 in order to move up and acquire JJ McCarthy. This is a franchise-defining move that will take years to truly appreciate, but the natural reaction is that it’s a considerable risk, but a risk that had to be taken.

The Vikings are being forced to pay too much for their mistake in rebuilding. This team kept preaching the concept of a “competitive rebuild,” which is great on paper if it’s actually competitive. Instead, they found themselves in draft purgatory, where they needed to get back on track.

Minnesota cannot move forward slowly at the QB position and the 2025 class will be BAD. So they have no choice but to pull the trigger to keep Justin Jefferson happy and hope McCarthy’s lack of reps is a symptom of Michigan’s run-heavy offense rather than the cause.

Bears trade up wouldn’t be shocking

As for Roman Odunze, Chicago is doing a very bad job of hiding their intentions during periods of subterfuge. The organization and Caleb Williams have made no secret of their desire to handcuff one of the draft’s best receivers to their new franchise QB.

Odunze would be a perfect fit here. Not only does he balance out the receiving corps across from DJ Moore long-term, but now we have Keenan Allen, who has similar characteristics to Odunze, putting him in a position to be a veteran leader. .

There’s no reason the Bears can’t (or won’t) move up from No. 9 to make sure they land a receiver.

QB photos can get pretty wild

At this point, we can safely say that four quarterbacks will be in the top 10 of the draft. That leaves only outsiders Bo Nix and Michael Penix. I don’t know yet where they are looking.

As it stands, it’s tough to get them into the first round, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see one (or both) of their quarterbacks jump on opening day. It’s also an interesting takeaway to note regarding the Panthers. The No. 33 pick seems willing to step back and acquire more draft assets, especially if no WR is on the roster.

We saw the Titans move up to No. 33 to take Will Revis last year, and it was more of a case of the QB sliding, but when it comes to the matchup, either Knicks or Penix With that No. 33 spot on the table, the same thing could happen again. A team missing a top QB was trying to find one.

Washington returns to first round via trade

One of the best-kept secrets across the league right now is that managers are looking to trade back into the first round. It was an idea that Adam Epstein first came up with. 910 The Fan In Richmond, others also discussed; very recently Daniel Jeremiah.

New general manager Adam Peters has a lot of draft capital at his disposal, with nine overall picks and six top-100 picks. While Washington has many needs, this scenario would require adding a new tackle to help protect the rookie quarterback. Jaden Daniels — Probably a smart investment. With two picks early in the second round, it might not be too difficult to find someone to trade him a few spots down.

What teams can they trade to, like they’re doing here?of detroit lions. The draft is being held in Detroit, but general manager Brad Holmes said Thursday night that the organization could disappoint local fans.

“We have to do what’s right for the organization,” he said of the trade down during the team’s pre-draft press conference. “And when the fans have been waiting all night for this nomination because if it makes sense and it matches and it’s the right thing to do, we have to do the right thing. I would say that’s what happens when we get an offer.” You can’t really say no, that’s a given. We have to do the right thing and hopefully the fans will forgive us and hopefully they will forgive us too. Now, we can’t expect forgiveness right then and there, but hopefully the season starts and that player we picked says, “Okay, okay, we can get through this somehow.” I wish I could say that, but I completely understand that. “

JC Latham as OT2. Los Angeles Chargers

In this scenario, the Vikings move up to QB No. 5 and the Chargers move back, receiving two first-round picks this season and a future first-round pick.

But would the Chargers draft an OT instead of a WR with those first picks?

We’ve gone back and forth on it, but the bottom line is that coach Jim Harbaugh wants to do two things next year. It’s about protecting Justin Herbert and running the football as best we can. It seems like a vintage Harbaugh move with Rashawn Slater at left tackle and JC Latham at right tackle for the next few seasons.