ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has released his first mock draft of the 2024 NFL Draft and he’s got four teams using their top picks on a quarterback.
In his new mock draft, Kiper has three quarterbacks going with the first three picks. He has the No. 1 pick-holding Chicago Bears taking USC quarterback Caleb Williams first and believes that they’ll trade incumbent quarterback Justin Fields at some point.
With the second overall pick he has the Washington Commanders taking LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. He believes that incumbent quarterback Sam Howell is clearly “not the guy” and that Daniels would fit their team much better.
Third overall he has the New England Patriots taking UNC quarterback Drake Maye. Kiper considers Maye an easy pick to make given his upside, the new regime in New England and the team becoming disillusioned with starter Mac Jones.
As for his fourth quarterback, Kiper believes that the Seattle Seahawks will take Michigan quarterback and national champion J.J. McCarthy No. 16 overall. But he’s also opening the door for the Atlanta Falcons to take him if they hire Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach.
New 2024 mock draft is here. My first stab at predicting the top 32 picks. https://t.co/bMrNhPhRC6
— Mel Kiper Jr. (@MelKiperESPN) January 23, 2024
It actually wasn’t that long ago that we had three quarterbacks taken with the first three picks. In 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers took Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance respectively, while Justin Fields and Mac Jones also went in the top 15.
Could we see history repeat itself with picks one through three?