Last evening, the Washington Commanders, holders of the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, reportedly orchestrated an unprecedented "group visit" -- Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Jayden Daniels at the same time -- and they all went to Top Golf together. How was your Tuesday night?
Now, I do wonder if there was a long-drive contest with the winner guaranteed to be the No. 2 overall selection and if the quarterbacks vibed like contestants on "The Bachelorette." Regardless of the million questions I have on this topic, I applaud the imagination from the new Commanders GM on the precipice of an enormous decision for the organization. Keep it light. Hit some golf balls.
John Breech is getting a well-deserved break for the time being as we've rebranded the Pick Six newsletter through the end of April. I, CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Chris Trapasso, will be with you every step of the way. Honored.
Before I begin with today's newsletter, this paragraph will be your daily reminder to tell all your buddies and that one friend who's adamant your team NEEDS to trade up in the first round to sign up for the With the First Pick newsletter. All you have to do is click here and then share this link with them.
1. Today's NFL mock draft 🔮: Bills trade up for Malik Nabers; Falcons wheel and deal
With this being my penultimate mock draft of the 2024 draft cycle, I decided to raise my hands into the air and embrace chaos.
1. Chicago Bears -- Caleb Williams, QB, USC
2. Washington Commanders -- Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
3. New England Patriots -- J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
4. Arizona Cardinals -- Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Cardinals
5. Minnesota Vikings (via mock trade with Chargers) -- Drake Maye
8. Buffalo Bills (via mock trade with Falcons) -- Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
13. Las Vegas Raiders -- Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
18. Cincinnati Bengals -- Byron Murphy, DT, Texas
24. Dallas Cowboys -- Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
30. Baltimore Ravens -- Marshawn Kneeland, EDGE, Western Michigan
I devised a litany of trades in my diabolical draft mind, including Buffalo trading up with Atlanta, which I don't believe I've seen proposed on the Internet to date. And there are some Bills-Falcons connections for this swap to not be totally out of the question. And I promise I explain those in the article. Also ... not every mock has to feature Atlanta either picking Dallas Turner or Jared Verse, right? It's not a rule or anything.
Beyond that massive Julio Jonesian trade up for the Bills, there are others, including the Broncos trading back but still landing a quarterback (!) and, as you can see above, the "chalk" trade featuring the Vikings and Chargers.
Oh, and after trading down from No. 8 to No. 28, the Falcons were not done in this mock. But I cannot spoil it all for you here. Click here to find out.
2. 'With the First Pick' podcast 🎧: TE and OL evals, rankings, pro comparisons
We can't forget about the tight ends in this class, obviously. And the offensive tackle group is ab-so-lutely loaded. I even love the interior group, too. In this episode, Rick and Ryan provide every single iota of information you need to know about the tight ends and blockers in this class. It begins with Brock Bowers and Co. before moving to the offensive tackle and then sliding inside to the guards and centers.
Fun fact: Jim Harbaugh has listened to his episode 54 times since becoming the head coach of the Chargers.
3. Prospect of the day 📈: Myles Harden, CB, South Dakota
Back into the doldrums of the prospect evaluation prospect with a cornerback from South Dakota. No, not South Dakota State. South Dakota. The Coyotes. Not the Jackrabbits.
And I'm not just featuring Harden willy-nilly. He was legitimately fun on film, but also is the only member of the highly prestigious, rarely discussed fraternity of prospects with a three-cone time under 7.00 seconds and short shuttle under 4.00 seconds. In my scouting report on Harden, I wrote he's a candidate for having the best feet of any cornerback in this class.
What I like about Harden, too: production. He had 26 pass breakups and six interceptions in his career, playing on the outside and the inside. Let me ask you -- does your team need more cornerback depth? Before you answer in your own head, the answer is yes. And late Day 2 or early Day 3 is the place to find that depth. Don't be shocked when Harden is picked in that range by the way.
- Notable combine results: 4.52 in the 40-yard dash, 36-inch vertical, 6.88 three-cone, 3.98 short shuttle
- Combine measurements: 5-foot-1 7/8 inches, 195 pounds, 29 7/8" inch arms
- Current CBS Sports prospect ranking: No. 86
4. Pete Prisco's Better-Than Team 👀
This, legitimately, is the favorite piece written by one of my colleagues for the entire year. It's the large collection of prospects Pete likes better than the scouts do.
Pete always puts in the film work and is never one to shy away from an opinion, especially after said film work is done.
This year's team features 20 prospects from all over the country. Quickly, the few I absolutely agree with -- Florida State running back Trey Benson, South Dakota State guard/center Mason McCormick, Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt and Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin. It's an awesome list from Pete, with, of course, detailed explanations as to why he made these 20 picks.
5. News & Notes 📝
- Cowboys sign a running back! OK, so it was Royce Freeman, a 2018 draftee who's been a journeyman in his career, not Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys will still firmly have running back near the top of their draft priority list.
- Bill Belichick was reportedly nowhere close to getting head-coaching job in 2024. Per the ESPN report, the future Hall of Fame coach wasn't in the Falcons' top three and a source was quoted saying "he was essentially voted off the island." Yikes.
- Sexual assault lawsuit dropped against Dak Prescott. Stemming from a 2017 incident, the accuser has dropped the lawsuit she originally filed. Vitally here, though: It will reportedly be refiled.
