McShay’s early 2024 NFL mock draft: Where might top potential customers,
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Todd McShay, ESPN Senior WriterMay 4, 2023, 07:00 AM ET
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- ESPN College Football and NFL Draft Expert
- Signed Up With ESPN in 2006
- Played quarterback in high school and was a backup QB for the University of Richmond.Yes, we’re currently taking a look at the 2024
NFL draft class. The top prospects of the 2023 class haven’t even stepped on an NFL field yet, but let’s go ahead and do a method, way-too-early forecast of every first-round pick for next year.We watched 3 quarterbacks get picked in the top four spots in Kansas City, Missouri, recently, and we could see QBs high up on the board once again next April in Detroit. The class is presently headlined by Caleb Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner out of USC, and a handful of other signal-callers have a possibility to be Day 1 selections. I also see some really great pass-catcher, edge rusher, cornerback and offensive deal with prospects.Now, this is an exceptionally early prediction. I’ve just enjoyed restricted tape on next year’s potential customers, and the majority of this is based on early talk around the league and what I have actually seen from the 2024-eligble players while digging in on 2023 tape. There’s a factor I call it the” way-too-early” mock. My 2023 edition had 14 players in it who wound up being first-rounders, including 3 properly pegged to the top five– however I also had Eli Ricks and Emil Ekiyor Jr., who went undrafted, and 3 guys who went back to school therein. Take it for what it is; we still have an entire college season and a long pre-draft process ahead. A lot will change.There is likewise the matter of the draft order. Let’s get this out of the way: I didn’t make it. We opted to predict the order utilizing the inverse of Super Bowl chances from Caesars Sportsbook, though we broke some ties and fine-tuned the end of it to make sure seven groups from each conference make the playoffs. It eventually put Arizona at the top of the board with pick Nos. 1 and 2. But would the Cardinals hang onto both selections?Note: Underclassmen are noted with an asterisk. Traded picks(Houston, Carolina, Cleveland and conditionally the N.Y. Jets)are shown below too.