NFL Draft Day is here.

Live from Detroit, the 2024 NFL Draft will get underway Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET with the first round.

The opening round will then be followed by rounds two and three on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET before everything gets wrapped up Saturday at noon ET with rounds four, five, six and seven.

With the Senior Bowl, the NFL Scouting Combine, pro days and Top-30 visits all firmly in the rearview mirror, it’s time to get things going.

And that means the NFL Draft starting a good 15-20 minutes after 8:00 p.m., Roger Goodell getting booed by the collection of fans in attendance, both awkward and wholesome moments with prospects and their families celebrating in their living rooms. And, of course, the incredible-to-insane fashion choices made by the players attending the NFL Draft (the same goes for some of the superfans who make the trip, too…).

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell – Photo by: USA Today

But most importantly, teams put their months and months of preparation into taking the next step toward building their rosters in a way that they hope leads to Super Bowl glory.

That’s where Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo (and to a lesser extent, Bailey Adams) comes in.

After releasing his big board on Wednesday, Queipo has tried his hand at running through the entire first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and projecting what teams will do — not necessarily what they should do.

And if you haven’t guessed it by now, Bailey Adams is me, the not-so-secret ghostwriter of this mock draft.

Queipo’s picks, my analysis.

Now, let’s get into it.

2024 NFL Draft: Josh Queipo’s FULL First-Round Mock Draft
By Josh Queipo & Bailey Adams

1. Chicago Bears (via CAR) — USC QB Caleb Williams

The Bears officially moved on from their 2021 No. 11 overall pick Justin Fields this offseason, clearing the way for USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Williams, who very likely would’ve gone No. 1 overall last year, steps into a favorable situation in Chicago. He’s set to quarterback a team that went 7-10 last year (as opposed to a 2- or 3-win team that typically owns the first pick), and he’ll have D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Cole Kmet around him. Not to mention, the Bears also have the No. 9 overall pick, which gives them a chance to add another weapon for their new franchise quarterback.

LSU QB Jayden Daniels – Photo by: USA Today

2. Washington Commanders — LSU QB Jayden Daniels

With a new regime in place, Washington takes a stab at finding its own franchise quarterback. The Commanders do that by selecting Jayden Daniels, last year’s Heisman winner, out of LSU. Daniels is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback, as evidenced by a 2023 season that saw him put up 3,812 passing yards and 1,134 rushing yards while racking up 50 total touchdowns.

3. New England Patriots — North Carolina QB Drake Maye

Drake Maye has the tools necessary to become a franchise quarterback, and he’ll get a shot at blossoming into exactly that under a new, Bill Belichick-less regime in New England. The Patriots need a signal-caller they can build around, as Mac Jones was not the successor that the team was looking for in the post-Tom Brady years. Maye has the ideal size and arm talent to be “the guy” going forward for a franchise and fan base that badly needs someone to carry them forward.

4. Arizona Cardinals — Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Following the offseason departures of Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore, the Cardinals get a new No. 1 receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr., the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison. Size, speed, strength and smarts — the former Ohio State star has all the traits to be a ready-made contributor in year one, and he’ll have a good chance of putting up big numbers with the resurgent Kyler Murray as his quarterback.

5. Minnesota Vikings (via LAC) — Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy

With the top three quarterbacks off the board and with the Giants lurking at pick No. 6. the Vikings make a move here and jump ahead to select national title-winning quarterback J.J. McCarthy. There’s a lot more projection with McCarthy than there might be with Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, and that’s just because he wasn’t always asked to do everything at Michigan the way the others were for their teams. He has good physical and mental tools, and with the weapons Minnesota has, he could benefit from stepping right into a great situation.

LSU WR Malik Nabers – Photo by: USA Today

6. New York Giants — LSU WR Malik Nabers

With the top four quarterbacks gone in the first five picks, the Giants still probably won’t feel bad “settling” for a guy who has a legitimate case for being WR1 in this year’s stacked class. Malik Nabers doesn’t even turn 21 until late July, yet he’s a plug-and-play star right away. Amazingly, Daniel Jones’ future in New York is already in question, but Nabers very well could help save him by being the true WR1 he needs.

7. Tennessee Titans — Notre Dame OT Joe Alt

The top offensive tackle finally comes off the board at pick No. 7. Joe Alt could be a godsend for the Titans, whose tackle play has been awful for the better part of the last two years. Tennessee may not be sure about its quarterback of the future, but whenever they find him, that quarterback will heavily benefit from getting to play behind Alt, a three-year starter who is bound to be a long-term starter.

8. Atlanta Falcons — Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner

The Falcons have positioned themselves well to threaten for the Bucs’ NFC South crown, but they might be a few pieces away from truly getting over the line. Dallas Turner could be the pass rusher the team is currently missing, as he was Top 10 in pass rush win rate last year and posted 25 sacks over the last three years at Alabama. New Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris gets a key piece of his defense here with the No. 8 pick.

9. Chicago Bears — Washington WR Rome Odunze

The Bears already have Caleb Williams in a good spot with D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Cole Kmet, but they give him yet another electric member of his supporting cast by picking Rome Odunze with their second first-round pick. Odunze completes the top tier of wide receivers in this year’s class, as he posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023. The second of those seasons saw him catch 92 passes for 1,639 yards and 13 touchdowns, and now he’ll complete one of the most impressive receiver trios in football as Chicago looks to set up its new quarterback for the long term.

10. New York Jets — Georgia TE Brock Bowers

The Jets just miss out on the top tier of wide receivers, but they still hand Aaron Rodgers a big-time weapon in Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. Despite being on the smaller and leaner side for a tight end, there’s so much to love about his game. Lining up just about everywhere, Bowers displayed elite yards-after-catch ability on his way to becoming one of the most dominant college tight ends of all time. And now he’ll provide yet another spark to a New York offense hoping for at least one year of magic out of Rodgers before he retires or pursues some kind of career in politics or goes off on another darkness retreat.

Washington OT Troy Fautanu – Photo by: USA Today

11. Los Angeles Chargers (via MIN) — Washington OT Troy Fautanu

You know Jim Harbaugh will jump at the chance to build up his offensive line, and he and the Chargers do exactly that with the selection of Troy Fautanu. An outstanding athlete, Fautanu doesn’t have the ideal height for a tackle, but he possesses good length and can offer positional versatility to a Los Angeles offensive line that could use some help.

12. Jacksonville Jaguars (via DEN) — Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell

With the top quarterbacks off the board, the Broncos can trade down and acquire some more picks as they look to build out their roster. The Jaguars jump up and get the cornerback they need, picking Quinyon Mitchell out of Toledo. With good legnth and all the right traits, Mitchell could soon develop into a CB1 in the NFL. He only picked off one pass in 2023, but he had five interceptions in 2022 to go along with elite Pro Football Focus grades.

13. Las Vegas Raiders — UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu

Laiatu Latu knows how to win in a variety of ways off the edge, and he remains on the West Coast as the Raiders’ first-round pick. He has a versatile pass rush repertoire and certainly possesses the production to match, having tallied 27 sacks over the last two seasons at UCLA. The neck issue that caused him to medically retire at Washington a couple of years ago appears to be behind him and while there may be some lingering concern about that, his ceiling is exceptional — especially as a pick in the middle of the first round as he is here.

14. New Orleans Saints — Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga

The Saints have a variety of needs, but perhaps none of them are more significant than the one they have on their offensive line. They address that here with the selection of Taliese Fuaga, who has positional versatility and can step right in at either guard spot and help the run game from day one. He may find a home at tackle, though New Orleans still has hope for left tackle Trevor Penning, its first-round pick in 2022. For now, Fuaga steps in and fills a big need in front of an expensive quarterback in Derek Carr.

15. Indianapolis Colts — Alabama CB Terrion Arnold

The Colts need more takeaways from their secondary, and they’ll hope that Terrion Arnold translates what he did at Alabama to his pro career in Indianapolis. He had five interceptions in 2023, coming largely from his elite man coverage ability. It helps that he was also exceptional against the run during his time with the Crimson Tide. The Colts had up-and-down cornerback play last year and Arnold could be the guy to come in and steady the ship.

Florida State EDGE Jared Verse Photo by: USA Today

16. Seattle Seahawks — Florida State EDGE Jared Verse

The Seahawks have some good pieces off the edge in Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu, but the addition of Jared Verse with the 16th pick only raises the ceiling for the defense. With a good build, impressive play strength and big sack production between Albany and Florida State (27 sacks in the last three years), Verse has major upside to bring to the Seattle defense.

17. Denver Broncos (via JAX) — Oregon QB Bo Nix

After trading down, the Broncos are in a comfortable enough spot to select the next quarterback on the board in Oregon’s Bo Nix. Head coach Sean Payton and some of Denver’s personnel reportedly had a private workout with Nix in the lead-up to the NFL Draft and while he has some developing to do, there’s a lot to like about Nix as an experienced passer with good processing ability and a penchant for protecting the ball.

18. Cincinnati Bengals — Alabama OT JC Latham

Protecting franchise quarterback Joe Burrow remains a big priority for the Bengals, even as things begin to fall apart with the franchise-tagged Tee Higgins and talented pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who both have reportedly requested trades. Drafting JC Latham is a huge help for the Cincinnati offensive line and while he’ll need to cut down on the penalties, his size and refined skill set make him an instant-impact tackle.

19. Los Angeles Rams — Texas DL Byron Murphy II

The Rams actually make a first-round pick in the NFL Draft? The Rams actually make a first-round pick in the NFL Draft! Los Angeles just lost future first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Donald to retirement, so they make their first first-round selection since 2016 and pick Byron Murphy II to soften the blow. Strength, speed and versatility make Murphy an exceptional three-down defensive lineman with the chops to contribute both as a pass rusher and against the run.

Duke OL Graham Barton – Photo courtesy of Duke

20. Pittsburgh Steelers — Duke OT Graham Barton

The Steelers need help up front for whoever ends up playing quarterback in 2024 and beyond, and they get it with the selection of Graham Barton. A tackle at Duke, Barton is likely to kick inside at the next level. Whether that’s at guard or center remains to be seen, but his reliable hands, good movement and finishing ability in the run game will serve him well wherever he plays.

21. Miami Dolphins — Georgia OT Amarius Mims

Amarius Mims is a raw prospect, but at 6-foot-7, 340 pounds, he obviously has insane size. He’s a good pass blocker, having allowed just one pressure on 168 pass blocking snaps a year ago. That’s something the Dolphins will love as they look to protect Tua Tagovailoa. He’ll need some developing, but the ceiling is clearly there for Mims.

22. Philadelphia Eagles — Iowa CB Cooper DeJean

The Eagles defense truly fell apart down the stretch in 2023 and they look to rectify that with their first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Cooper DeJean can truly play anywhere, whether that’s outside cornerback, slot corner or safety. He’s an explosive athlete with good footwork and outstanding ball skills. He may turn out to be the type of impact player who makes people question for years how he fell all the way to pick No. 22.

23. Los Angeles Chargers (via MIN) — LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr.

After trading back and opting to beef up their offensive line earlier in the first round, the Chargers now add an impact receiver in LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. The country’s leader in receiving touchdowns with 17 last year becomes a big-time weapon for Justin Herbert after the team traded Keenan Allen to the Bears this offseason. An impressive vertical threat with good size and speed, Thomas is perhaps a tier below the top three receivers but certainly still has the potential to make an impact from day one in Los Angeles.

24. Dallas Cowboys — Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson

The Cowboys’ offensive line has experienced some turnover and is in need of a new spark. That’s where Jackson Powers-Johnson comes in. A nasty finisher the way Bucs center Ryan Jensen was, Powers-Johnson can be an immediate plug-and-play starter with the potential to anchor the Dallas offensive line for a long time to come. A potential top-20 talent going at No. 24 is a relative steal for the Cowboys, who will continue their ongoing test of whether Dak Prescott can win them that elusive sixth Super Bowl.

25. Green Bay Packers — Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

Kool-Aid McKinstry stepping right into the Packers defense and pairing up with Jaire Alexander is a dream come true for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. McKinstry isn’t necessarily an elite athlete, but he plays the cornerback position with high intelligence and possesses good length and fluidity that will help him in press man coverage at the next level.

Illinois DT Johnny Newton – Photo courtesy of Illinois

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Illinois DL Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton

For the third year in a row, the Bucs use their top pick in the NFL Draft on a defensive lineman. And they shouldn’t feel bad about it either, given that Johnny Newton is a Top 15-caliber player who possesses elite pass rush tools and can instantly elevate Tampa Bay’s defensive front. Playing alongside Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey while kicking Logan Hall to a rotational role, the St. Petersburg native (and cousin of Bucs linebacker SirVocea Dennis) would be right at home under Todd Bowles’ guidance.

27. Arizona Cardinals (via HOU) — Michigan CB Mike Sainristil

After playing a key role in the best defense in college football last year, Sainristil finds himself as a first-round pick in the NFL Draft. He’ll step right in and start as the Cardinals’ slot corner, and Arizona will hope that his ball skills translate as he came up with six interceptions in 2023. He also scored four touchdowns last season for Michigan and brings good special teams ability to go with the fact that he can play both in the slot and at safety.

28. Buffalo Bills — Texas WR Adonai Mitchell

After trading Stefon Diggs and letting Gabriel Davis walk this offseason, the Bills add a receiver in Adonai Mitchell who possesses great size and good quickness. He caught 11 touchdowns for Texas in 2023, and he’ll need to provide some instant production in Buffalo as the team looks to move on from Diggs and Davis while still competing during the window that is Josh Allen’s prime.

Missouri EDGE Darius Robinson – Photo by: USA Today

29. Detroit Lions — Missouri EDGE Darius Robinson

The Lions add some immense size and versatility to their defensive front with the addition of Darius Robinson out of Missouri. Robinson doesn’t have a lot of speed to work with, but he can win with power and toughness — just as Detroit head coach Dan Campbell would want him to.

30. Baltimore Ravens — Penn State OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu

The Ravens give Lamar Jackson some help up front with the selection of Olumuyiwa Fashanu, an athletic tackle out of Penn State. This late in the first round, he’s a hard player to pass on, especially given where he already is at a young age and the potential he has to grow in the coming years.

31. San Francisco 49ers — Arizona OT Jordan Morgan

Jordan Morgan can play tackle or guard in the NFL, and his athleticism will suit him well wherever he ultimately lines up. The 49ers could opt to trade out of the first round here, but instead they select a versatile lineman who can use his fast hands and quick feet to aid him in pass protection.

32. Kansas City Chiefs — Oregon WR Troy Franklin

The back-to-back Super Bowl champions amazingly won it all in 2023 without a true WR1. Rashee Rice was the de facto WR1 and No. 2 target behind Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce, but with his legal troubles this offseason, he’s bound to be suspended to some extent this season. Regardless, the Chiefs need more reliable pass-catchers, and that’s what Troy Franklin is. A good deep ball threat who is smooth and has great hands, the former Oregon wide receiver (who caught 14 touchdowns last year) would be a dangerous weapon for the all-time great Patrick Mahomes.

And there you have it. What’re your thoughts on this first-round mock, Pewter People? Let us know (as if you needed a nudge) in the comments below.