2024 NFL Draft: CBS Sports releases updated mock draft with new No. 1 pick

We’re right around four months away until the clock will start for the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit. However, for the second time this month, CBS Sports has provided another update on how they believe things will shake out, including a shift all around their Top-10.

After North Carolina QB Drake Maye took the top spot in their last mock, USC QB Caleb Williams has come back to No. 1 for Chris Trapasso. Maye is still very much in the mix, though, as he sits in the No. 2 slot.

As far as a breakdown, 20 programs are represented with Alabama leading with four selections, Penn State in second with three, and five other schools with two selections. Wide receiver and offensive tackle have depth early on with seven selections apiece in the first round while there are also five edges, four corners, and four quarterbacks, three of which come in the Top-10.

Here’s the full layout for CBS Sports with their latest mock for the 2024 NFL Draft:

1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers): USC QB Caleb Williams

Williams has been a consensus top pick for quite some time but actually fell to No. 6 in the previous edition from Trapasso at CBS. In his analysis this time around, he still says that he “(doesn’t) think this is a lock”.

Even so, Williams’ talent alone is going to put him right in the mix at No. 1 until the very end. All that’s likely left is an official announcement between him and being a top two or three pick, if not the first player off the board, in the Motor City. From there, it becomes a quarterback question in Chicago with Justin Fields still in play.

2. New England Patriots: North Carolina QB Drake Maye

With Williams leapfrogging back to the top, that pushed Maye down just one place to No. 2. New England won’t complain a bit, though, if he’s there for them to take after Williams goes off the board.

Over the last two seasons in Chapel Hill, Maye has thrown for just under 8,000 yards and put up a total of 78 touchdowns, 62 of which came through passing. That’ll be more than enough for the Patriots to take him and restart what has become a mess of a quarterback rotation in Foxborough.

3. Arizona Cardinals: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Harrison Jr. has maintained his spot as the best non-quarterback in this draft. That opinion didn’t change for CBS either as they have the legacy prospect heading to Glendale at No. 3.

With Kyler Murray off an injury, there was a world where Arizona may have preferred a quarterback in this draft. Still, with Harrison Jr. likely there at three, the Cardinals can give their offense a legitimate WR1 instead as MHJ has caught 144 passes the last two years for over 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in each.

4. Washington Commanders: Penn State OT Olu Fashanu

You can never do enough to protect your quarterback and, as such, CBS has Washington helping Sam Howell out by taking Olu Fashanu out of University Park.

Through 14 games, the Commanders are third-worst in the NFL as they’ve allowed 59 sacks. Howell has taken a beating by taking over four per game, including nine games where he has taken four or more and one with nine overall. Washington could go a lot of ways but Fashanu would be a plus in solving that clear problem.

5. Chicago Bears: Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson

With their own pick this time in the top-five, CBS has the Bears going with a second straight Nittany Lion in Chop Robinson.

With only seven appearances this season, Robinson’s statistics won’t pop out from his latest campaign. That’s why, as Trapasso pointed out, the combine could be very important for him. Still, with four sacks in that short time, one could project that he’ll be just fine as a productive edge at the next level for a team that currently generates some of the worst pressure in the league.

6. New York Giants: LSU QB Jayden Daniels

Daniels has seen his stock skyrocket this season, especially after winning The Heisman Trophy. Now, just a week or two after winning the award in The Big Apple, Trapasso has him returning there to start his professional career with the Giants.

It would be a bit of a mess for New York considering they just inked QB Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal. Still, after putting up nearly 5,000 yards of offense and 50 total touchdowns in Baton Rouge in 2023, the franchise could take Daniels now and deal with the dynamic in their quarterback room later.

7. New York Jets: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt

If the Commanders were bad at third-worst in sacks, the Jets are one step down at second-worst with 61 allowed. That makes offensive line a priority, especially with Aaron Rodgers set to return next season at the age of 40 and off an Achilles tear.

Over three seasons in South Bend, Alt has been one of the leaders on one of the nation’s better offensive lines. His protection could make him the pick for the other franchise in New York in order to keep Rodgers, or whoever is playing quarterback next season, upright more often.

8. Los Angeles Chargers: Illinois DL Jer’Zhan Newton

Newton may be one of the less talked about prospects near the top after playing for an Illinois team that went 5-7 this season. Still, he justifies a spot on the Top-10 for CBS after posting 18 sacks over his four years in Champaign, including a career-high of 7.5 in 2023.

Los Angeles has been disappointing again, specifically on defense, which is why they pulled the plug on Brandon Staley. With a new staff set to come in, Newton could be a nice piece for the Chargers to start with along with the rest of the their present talent on both sides of the ball.

9. Tennessee Titans: LSU WR Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers was the beneficiary of much of Daniels’ success at LSU. He led the Tigers in catches (86) and receiving yards (1,546) while finishing one shy of a tie for the lead in reception scores (14). Over the last two seasons, that gives him 158 catches for over 2,500 yards and 17 scores.

Tennessee is moving into a new phase with Will Levis taking over as the quarterback in Nashville. With an up and down receiving corps, selecting Nabers would give them another young prospect to pair alongside Treylon Burks with a duo of first-round receivers from two of the last three drafts.

10. Atlanta Falcons: UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu

UCLA posted a Top-20 defense this season with Latu as the anchor of it. He tied for third in the nation with 13 sacks to go along with 49 tackles, two interceptions, and a pair of forced fumbles.

After wreaking havoc in Pasadena this season, he could be an extra playmaker for a Falcon defense that’s already holding opponents to under 20 points per game.

11. Green Bay Packers: Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
12. Las Vegas Radiers: Washington WR Rome Odunze
13. New Orleans Saints: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
14. Denver Broncos: Alabama OT JC Latham
15. Seattle Seahawks: Miami S Kamren Kinchens
16. Pittsburgh Steelers: Penn State CB Kalen King
17. Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans): Florida State EDGE Jared Verse
18. Buffalo Bills: Oregon WR Troy Franklin
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Florida State WR Keon Coleman
20. Minnesota Vikings: Oregon QB Bo Nix
21. Los Angeles Rams: Iowa CB Cooper DeJean
22. Indianapolis Colts: Miami DL Leonard Taylor III
23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Duke OT Graham Barton
24. Cincinnati Bengals: Texas WR Xavier Worthy
25. Kansas City Chiefs: Arizona OT Jordan Morgan
26. Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns): Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner
27. Detroit Lions: Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
28. Philadelphia Eagles: Washington EDGE Bralen Trice
29. Miami Dolphins: Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga
30. Dallas Cowboys: Texas A&M LB Edgerrin Cooper
31. San Francisco 49ers: South Carolina WR Xavier Legette
32. Baltimore Ravens: Georgia OT Amarius Mims

With 126 days between now and April 25th, there’s plenty of evaluation left to do on these prospects. With that said, this is how Trapasso and CBS see things going down at the moment when Roger Goodell opens the draft come Spring.