Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
How would a Dan Morgan and Dave Canales-led draft look like? Here’s our early shot at it.
The Carolina Panthers were leader-less, at least in two key positions, the last time we checked in with a mock draft. But things have changed.
On Thursday, the organization will officially introduce new president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and new head coach Dave Canales. Both were hired last week, as the team will once again start fresh in building towards a positive future.
So, how will that future look under the new power duo?
Here’s our early Morgan-Canales mock:
The Patriots swing a blockbuster trade early to rebuild their offense the right way in this 2024 NFL mock draft
Everyone is assuming the New England Patriots take a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft. That appears to be the most likely scenario, but there’s also the possibility the team goes in the roster building direction before reaching for a new signal-caller.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. Any rookie quarterback is going to have a rough go under center for a Patriots team severely lacking in offensive talent at receiver and on the offensive line.
The Patriots might want to avoid another Mac Jones situation by simply focusing their resources at other positions, while utilizing a bridge quarterback for the time being. Whether that bridge quarterback is Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe or an experienced veteran, like Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins, is an argument for another day.
But this mock draft explores the possibility of a trade down by New England to accumulate more picks and fix other trouble spots on their roster. Here’s an updated full seven-round 2024 NFL mock draft for the Patriots:
Washington Huskies WR Ja’Lynn Polk has been overlooked with Rome Odunze on the same team. How does he look as an NFL Draft prspect?
Welcome to SKOL Search!
This series will be your guide to the 2024 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.
The focus of the draft class in this space will be on the Vikings’ major needs at quarterback, running back, defensive line and edge rusher. We will also focus on wide receiver since it’s a loaded class and an increased chance to get a Stefon Diggs-type steal in the later rounds.
The Vikings are slated to have 9 picks going into the NFL draft and they need to make the most out of them.
Here’s how the full seven-round mock played out.
Mel Kiper released his first mock draft of the 2024 season yesterday. At No. 16 overall he had the Seahawks selecting Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. We have no beef with the prospect, but didn’t like the pick. We always say if you don’t like our mock, make your own – so that’s the spirit were bringing into today. We feel that if this team is going to take a quarterback early, they should either trade up for one of the elite QB prospects or trade back down to the top of the second to poach one of the fruits that fall out of the first.
That’s exactly what we did in our latest seven-round mock draft, trading down from the No. 16 spot and getting a bonanza of picks in return to build up the roster. Here’s how the full seven-round mock played out.
The Browns land a new playmaker in this mock draft…
The Cleveland Browns have needs in the secondary and at wide receiver, which is why one 2024 NFL mock draft slotted Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk and Georgia’s Javon Bullard to them.
In DraftWire’s latest mock draft written by Curt Popejoy, the dynamic Washington receiver landed with the Browns with the 55th overall pick in the draft. They then got the Georgia safety in the third round.
Polk broke out with the Huskies this year, amassing 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns. He is a potential first round pick in a deep class of wide receivers. So there is a chance that he could slip to the Browns.
Bullard experienced a nice season with the Bulldogs as well, racking up 56 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two interceptions.
However, with all of Juan Thornhill, Grant Delpit, and Ronnie Hickman under contract for the future, a safety on Day 2 of the draft is not a likely option for the Browns to pursue.
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Polk initially projects as a Day 2 pick
It didn’t take long after the national championship game for Washington wideout Ja’Lynn Polk to announce he is declaring for the 2024 NFL draft. The 6-foot-2 speedster will give up his collegiate eligibility and start prepping for the draft.
In his final season with the Huskies, Polk developed a very tight connection with QB Michael Penix. Polk hauled in 69 passes for 1,159 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He was especially effective working out of Washington’s bunch and trips formations with Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan.
Polk began his college career at Texas Tech and progressed into a very good weapon outside and in the intermediate range for Penix. More sudden than fast, Polk can still flash the jets, too.
He initially projects as a Day 2 prospect, though this deep and talented receiving class is very much up in the air as we approach the postseason all-star game circuit.
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Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. may not have been near the top of your 2024 draft quarterback list, which means it’s time to change your draft quarterback list.
Welcome to the Michael Penix Jr. bandwagon — we’re glad to see you.
If you missed out on the Washington Huskies’ quarterback over the last two years because he plays mostly on the West Coast, or you minimized his NFL potential due to his medical history (injuries ended all four of his seasons at Indiana before he transferred to Washington, including two ACL tears), ot if he got lost in a loaded quarterback draft class for any reason in your mind? Well, Washington’s 37-31 win over Texas in the CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl should change your placement of Penix on whatever Big Board you care to carry.
Penix completed 29 of 38 passes for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, and the Huskies would not have had this win were it not for him. As it stood, Texas had a chance for the go-ahead touchdown as time expired in a gallant battle for both teams. In the end, the difference was Penix, whose yardage total in a College Football Playoff game is only eclipsed by Joe Burrow’s 493 yards for LSU against Oklahoma in the 2019 Peach Bowl.
In this game, Penix became also the first college quarterback since Patrick Mahomes for Texas Tech in 2015 and 2016 to throw for more than 4.500 yards in two consecutive seasons. Not only is Penix an underrated runner (31 yards on three carries in this win), but the deep ball placement is unmatched in the NCAA, unless you want to throw LSU’s Jayden Daniels in the discussion, which you probably should. There is no better thrower of boundary routes than Penix, especially those deep throws, and his back-shoulder fade ball would be the envy of most professional quarterbacks.
Basically, Penix has been making NFL throw after NFL throw for a long time.
Michael Penix Jr. continues deep-ball wizardry for Washington Huskies in CFP Semifinal
And in this game, Texas’ defense had very few answers for what Penix was cooking to his ridiculous group of receivers.
“The guy was on a mission,” Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer said after the game of his quarterback. “He was on a mission. The last month, really ever since the PAC-12 Championship, realizing that it’s right there in front of us, right there in front of him, maybe even being No. 2 in the whole [Heisman Trophy] voting thing [behind Jayden Daniels] and some of that put a chip on his shoulder, too.”
After this game, I don’t know what else Penix has to prove.
Penix is that older man at the YMCA that has an automatic 3-ball (his deep accuracy), but every now and then he’ll drive past you and lay it in to remind you that he can do that too even if he doesn’t rely on it often. That’s the best way I can describe it.
Underrated mobility. pic.twitter.com/Lv2IhcQzwF
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) January 2, 2024
Frozen rope by Michael Penix pic.twitter.com/BKuLTxdccg
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) January 2, 2024
lovely flick from Michael Penix to beat the rush pic.twitter.com/T7z2PEJ2vP
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) January 2, 2024
Michael Penix Jr uncorks an “effortless” bomb to Rome Odunze! Arm talent + WR with great ball skills= Big Plays! pic.twitter.com/0mywKTvJ9h
— Full-Time Dame 💰 (@DP_NFL) January 2, 2024
Penix is just insane. Like, just throwing into the craziest windows. pic.twitter.com/c8m8RTpKat
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) January 2, 2024
Penix stil has one more collegiate game in front of him, and if he and the Huskies are able to get past the Michigan Wolverines in the CFP National Championship, it will be one more reason that Michael Penix Jr. should be right up there with Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or any other quarterback in the 2024 draft class.
As for Penix, he has his eye on the prize… as he has all along.
"We got one more to go!"
This response from Michael Penix Jr. 👀 pic.twitter.com/w4ft1XUdzJ
— ESPN (@espn) January 2, 2024
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. is the NCAA’s best deep boundary thrower this season, and he showed it off early against Texas in the CFP Semifinal.
If there’s a better thrower of fade, corner, or deep over balls in the NCAA than Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr., it would be a very tall order for whoever that may be. On those three deep coundary throws this season, per Sports Info Solutions, Penix has completed 40 of 79 passes for 917 yards, 806 air yards, 10 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 111.1.
In the CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Texas, Penix wasted no time showing off his arm on those deep throws. On the second play of the game, Penix hit receiver Ja’Lynn Polk for this 77-yard play that put the ball at the Texas two-yard line.
why go through when you can go over? pic.twitter.com/EU9bTJm2je
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) January 2, 2024
Running back Dillon Johnson took it into the end zone on the next play.
Washington strikes first!
Dillon Johnson does the job with this 2-yard run.#SugarBowl #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/NbE00DiQF0
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) January 2, 2024
A plethora of wide receiver prospects will be on display in the CFP semifinal games
It’s fitting that the four participants in the College Football Playoff have an abundance of future NFL draft picks on their rosters. This year’s final four is especially loaded at one particular position.
There will be many wide receivers who will be selected in the 2024 NFL draft on the field when Michigan faces Alabama and especially when Washington and Texas face off.
The Huskies have three draftable wide receivers. The headliner is Rome Odunze, a likely first-round pick with his blend of size, strength and downfield ability. Ja’Lynn Polk currently projects in the 75-125 overall range with his sticky hands and ability to win at any range of the field. Jalen McMillan is one of the top slot threats in the draft, if he declares, though he’s also capable of playing outside and is hyper-effective out of bunch sets.
Texas has a duo in Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy that appears capable of each being top-40 overall picks. Worthy’s incredible speed is a great trump card; he had the fastest GPS-timed speed of any player in college football at 22.7 MPH. At just 172 pounds and plagued by drop issues and injuries, Worthy won’t be for everyone, however. Mitchell offers great size and thrived down the field after transferring from Georgia. He’s also a handful as a blocker.
Michigan’s Roman Wilson quietly improved his all-around game, enough that the speedy Wolverine is in the 3rd/4th-round conversation. His ability to work with QB J.J. McCarthy on broken plays will be mighty appealing for NFL teams with improvisational-type quarterbacks. Cornelius Johnson offers good size and the ability to make tacklers miss, and he projects as a Day 3 weapon.
Alabama is young at the wideout spot, but Jermaine Burton has the potential to be a middle-round pick if he declares for the draft.
Enjoy the games!
2024 NFL draft: Early top-10 wide receivers for an epic class from Brennen Rupp
Over the past four NFL Drafts, there have been 44 wide receivers selected in the first two rounds. In both the 2020 and 2022 drafts, there were six wide receivers taken in the first round and seven selected in the second round.
The 2024 NFL Draft could exceed those numbers, with potentially 17 wide receivers that could be selected in the first two rounds. Let’s take a look at the top end of what could end up being a historic wide receiver class.
