Tag: 2024 nfl mock draft

Vikings get much-needed secondary help in latest mock draft

The Vikings secure much-needed help in the defensive secondary in the latest mock draft.

Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy released his latest 2024 NFL mock draft just before the postseason. At pick 11, Popejoy had the Minnesota Vikings taking defensive back Cooper DeJean out of Iowa to help bolster the secondary. Popejoy explained that the Vikings are “another team that needs a quarterback but just goes for value instead” with the DeJean pick.

Since week 15, the Vikings were second-to-last in both EPA/dropback allowed and defensive success rate. They allowed the best completion percentage, the second-most yards and the second-worst quarterback rating.

While Flores’ defense was still miles better than years past, there was a limit to its effectiveness due to the lack of talent in the secondary. DeJean would be another piece that Flores could utilize alongside Bynum and Metellus, especially if Sunday was Harrison Smith’s final game as a Viking. Whether at safety, in the slot or outside, DeJean is a versatile weapon that can cover number-one receivers and tight ends while also being a reliable tackler. If Flores stays, expect DeJean to be on Minnesota’s radar for the 2024 NFL draft.

2024 NFL draft: Vikings mock draft roundup 1.0

The first week of 2024 has 16 different NFL mock drafts that have the Minnesota Vikings selecting 8 different players

Mock draft season is upon us and that means our mock draft roundup is back!

What we do every week is track the mainstream outlets mock drafts and aggregate how many times a player gets selected. Last season, we tallied up 545 mock drafts and that included a whopping 54 different players. With the Minnesota Vikings set to pick 11th overall, there will be a lot of discussions surrounding the quarterbacks in this draft along with trading up.

We will track them and try to determine trends and patterns, along with giving my own analysis on how they could fit with the Vikings.

2024 NFL Mock Draft: End-of-season quarterback decisions lead to surprising picks

How many NFL teams will stick with their current quarterbacks? A high number could make for an interesting first round of the 2024 draft.

Now that the 2023 NFL regular season is over, every team turns its attention to the draft — even those teams that are part of the postseason. Area scouts will start to move to the home facility to interact with scouting directors and general managers, and with the scouting combine less than two months away, it’s time to start putting your big boards together.

This applies especially to those teams with crucial quarterback decisions to make. For the purposes of this mock draft, we’ll assume that the Chicago Bears are sticking with Justin Fields, the Arizona Cardinals are committed to Kyler Murray, the Tennessee Titans think they have a future franchise quarterback in Will Levis, and the New York Jets think that eventually, Aaron Rodgers will stop shooting his mouth off long enough to play quarterback in 2024.

Conversely, the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons will avail themselves of the best draftable quarterbacks possible in the interest of turning things around.

So, four quarterbacks go in the first round here, with more teams looking to build around the guys they’ve already got. That makes for one notable omission (Oregon’s Bo Nix), and a whole bunch of talented prospects at other positions pushing themselves up the boards.

Titans mock draft round-up for Week 18: Who experts are picking for Tennessee

Who experts are mocking to the Titans going into the final week of the season.

While the Tennessee Titans won’t be making the playoffs this year, the Week 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars still has significance for them, as it will determine where they finish in the 2024 NFL draft order.

According to Tankathon, The Titans are sitting in the No. 7 spot going into the regular-season finale, but they can climb to as high as No. 4 or fall to as low as No. 8. You can check out all the scenarios with our draft pick rooting guide for Week 18.

The Titans’ biggest needs going into the offseason are left tackle and wide receiver, two positions that will be paramount in helping quarterback Will Levis develop and thrive.

Cornerback is also worth mentioning since the Titans don’t have a true No. 1 and were awful in coverage this season, but it’s not as vital as the other two positions.

Even before the draft order is finalized, experts from different media outlets have begun putting out mock drafts. Here’s who they have Tennessee taking from the No. 7 spot and what our grade is for each.

Just a note: any mock that passes on one or both of top left tackles will be graded harshly, as there’s simply no excuse for the Titans to do such a thing.

Vikings add to the defense in latest mock draft

Minnesota adds some pass rush help in the latest mock draft.

The Draft Network’s Damian Parson released his first mock draft of the season. At pick 12, the Minnesota Vikings selected Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse, making him only the second defensive player selected in the first 12 picks.

Three of the Vikings’ edge defenders are heading into free agency, including Danielle Hunter. Jared Verse would provide an outstanding replacement or partner if Hunter is re-signed. Verse’s first step and speed-to-power conversion make him a candidate for the EDGE1 crown of this draft class.

Mock draft season is in full swing, and it is becoming clear that most draft pundits are looking to the defensive side of the ball when discussing Minnesota’s first pick. Part of that is due to the top quarterbacks in this draft getting snatched up in the first five to seven picks. It also leads to wonder if Minnesota will be in the quarterback conversation this early in the draft, or will they wait on a possible project quarterback and re-sign Kirk Cousins?

Regardless, the defense will need some help as most of their pass-rush will be looking to get paid this upcoming off-season. At pick 12, Minnesota will almost have their pick of who they want to add to their pass rush.

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Browns add speed to the offense in the second round of 2024 NFL Mock Draft

The Browns add much needed speed in 2024 mock draft

The Cleveland Browns are going back to the playoffs for the second time in the past four years under head coach Kevin Stefanski. Joe Flacco has the offense humming but with the return of Deshaun Watson next year the team could use some more speed at wide receiver. Could Texas speedster Xavier Worthy be the answer?

Hopefully, Amari Cooper is back in Cleveland and with Marquise Goodwin not working out adding speed in the second round makes the most sense to me. This is the draft to add talent to the wide receiver room as it is one of the deepest classes in recent memory.

There is some decent depth along the offensive line and the Browns could look to add there as well as injuries and age are adding up on the line. There are a ton of things that can change between now and the draft including free agency but here’s how I think the 2024 draft could go for Cleveland.

Bengals get major help in new 2024 NFL mock draft

The Bengals go big in a new mock draft.

While the Cincinnati Bengals attempt to keep the underdog playoff hopes alive, much of the NFL world has turned its attention to the offseason and — of course — mock drafts.

It never hurts to take a brief glance over in that area of things, especially with so much a question mark about how the Bengals might construct their roster in the coming months.

One notable mock draft from Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice sticks out as interesting because it has the Bengals going big with Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton:

Getting the havoc-wreaking Newton will help create pressure from the inside to give Trey Hendrickson and the other Bengals edge players some help from the interior, while also giving this defense a different flavor than it had since the days of Geno Atkins shooting gaps.

While it will go without saying for Bengals fans, but this is the type of move aimed at replacing DJ Reader over the long-term and giving the team more options than Zach Carter.

While Reader is one of the best nose tackles in football, his season-ending quad injury made it even harder to tell if the Bengals will bring him back this summer. Even if they do, the injury throws his 2024 season into doubt. Next to Reader, the likes of Carter haven’t had big enough impacts, either.

Newton’s disruptive ability and versatility would assist well, especially if paired with a free-agent signing. It’s certainly one idea for a team with big needs up front for a young defense undergoing growing pains.

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Minnesota Vikings secure secondary help in latest mock draft

The Minnesota Vikings secure some help in the secondary in the latest mock draft.

Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice gave us his latest mock draft as the 2024 NFL draft order is taking shape. The Minnesota Vikings are currently picking 15th. For Tice, this was the perfect chance for Minnesota to secure some long-term help in the secondary with Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean.

In this mock draft timeline, Brian Flores returns as Vikings defensive coordinator. DeJean, an incredibly versatile defender with outstanding athleticism, stays in Big Ten country and joins in on the blitzing and shifting coverage fun.

DeJean can be a Pro Bowl-caliber player at outside cornerback, slot or at safety, so let’s drop him in Flores’ lava lamp-like scheme and let him rip it up from everywhere. DeJean’s punt return ability is the cherry on top.

DeJean’s versatility is a perfect plug-and-play for Flores, as he can make plays from everywhere on the field. He can line up outside with the number-one receiver while having the athleticism to stay with your tight end or slot receiver on the inside. He rallies to the football and tackles well, which is necessary in Flores’ scheme. DeJean can be anywhere in the defensive secondary, and he will be able to make a play. Just to put a cherry on top, he’s an electric punt returner as well.

While the future of the edge room is also a huge question mark, bringing in talent like DeJean is not a bad route to go either.

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Full 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Patriots go offense-heavy, even after draft slip

Even after falling on the draft board, the Patriots still load up offensively in this new seven-round mock draft.

The New England Patriots are clearly one of the worst teams in the league, and there will likely be some shake-ups coming all across the board.

However, as the team continues to look over options for coaches, they will likely have a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL draft and be in prime position to take advantage of one of the best offensive draft classes in recent memory. The class is expected to have multiple elite level talents at virtually every offensive position.

It is worth noting that the Patriots will have plenty of cap space to add to key areas of improvement, but they will also turn to the draft as they look to rebuild the team from the ground up.

Let’s start looking towards the future and get into our latest seven-round mock draft for the Patriots.

2024 NFL mock draft: WR goes at No. 1, Patriots land franchise QB

A receiver shockingly goes No. 1 overall in this 2024 NFL mock draft, paving the way for the Patriots to select their franchise QB of the future.

A wide receiver hasn’t been taken No. 1 overall in an NFL draft since the New York Jets selected Keyshawn Johnson out of USC in 1996.

So you could imagine the excitement that would ensue if Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. went first overall in the 2024 NFL draft. The Chicago Bears, who currently own the Carolina Panthers’ first-round draft pick, will likely be selecting No. 1 overall, and they could be enticed to stick with quarterback Justin Fields and build the offense around him.

That would pave the way for the New England Patriots to pick whatever quarterback they want for the future. There has been enough failure with the Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe quarterback carousel that it’s clear what direction the Patriots are headed in when it’s their first time on the clock.

Will it be Drake Maye, Caleb Williams or Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels?

Here is our latest full first-round mock draft: