2024 mock draft has NFC team trading up to select Caleb Williams
With the 2023 NFL Draft in the books, all eyes turn to USC’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, next year's projected No. 1 pick.
ESPN's Todd McShay has already started preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft by publishing his first mock draft. To no surprise, Williams was his first overall pick, but the team he projects to land the selection, the Arizona Cardinals (via Houston), sticks with Kyler Murray at quarterback. Therefore, McShay has Arizona sending the pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McShay didn't discuss the exact terms of his hypothetical trade other than the Buccaneers giving up the fifth overall pick he predicts they'll own. One would imagine it would cost at least three first-round picks to secure Williams.
Tom Brady's decision to retire earlier this offseason has left the Buccaneers with arguably the worst quarterback situation in the league. They only have former No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield and 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask on the roster, which is why McShay has them trading up for the first pick.
"The Bucs are going into the 2023 season with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask under center, but I don't think either is the long-term plan—especially since Mayfield is on a cheap, one-year deal. Mayfield was last in QBR in 2022 (24.6), and Trask, a second-rounder in 2021, has thrown nine passes in the NFL," McShay wrote.
Williams, who followed his Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to USC, threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions last season while rushing for 382 yards and 10 scores.
According to OddsChecker, Williams is the favorite to win the 2023-24 Heisman Trophy. Should he do so, he'll become the second two-time recipient, joining former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin.
In addition to Williams, McShay's mock draft features two other quarterbacks selected in the first round. The analyst predicts Washington will trade up to No. 3 for UNC's Drake Maye, and he has the Vikings drafting Kirk Cousins' replacement in Michigan's J.J. McCarthy at pick 20.
McShay also notes that three other quarterbacks could sneak into the first round—Michael Penix Jr. from Washington, Oregon's Bo Nix and Texas' Quinn Ewers. If all the signal-callers previously mentioned get selected within the first 32 picks, it'll tie the record for the most quarterbacks taken in the first round, set back in 1983.
While it's too early to tell if that'll be the case, Williams looks destined to be the first overall pick next year.
The 2024 NFL Draft, hosted in Detroit, is scheduled for April 25–27.
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