2024 NFL Mock Draft: New 2-Round Projections Full of Surprises

This early two-round projection for next year's NFL draft has some shocking picks at the top.

Luke Easterling | Aug 7, 2023

USA TODAY Sports

If you've already been looking at the early 2024 NFL mock drafts, you've already seen a consistent pattern with the No. 1 overall pick: It's always USC quarterback Caleb Williams, either to the Arizona Cardinals, or another team trading up to get him.

That's not what happens in the latest two-round mock draft from Pro Football Network, which has the Cardinals still landing the top two picks in this year's draft, but not spending either of them on Williams.

Instead, this projection as the Cards taking Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 1, and following that up with Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry at No. 2 overall.

Both Harrison and McKinstry are impressive prospects, but not using either of the top two overall picks on Williams feels like a huge stretch at the moment. If the Cardinals are bad enough to warrant their own pick being that high, it wouldn't be surprising to see their new GM replace Kyler Murray with his own hand-picked quarterback.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams — Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Williams lands with the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 overall in this mock, after the Indianapolis Colts grab Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu. Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse rounds out the top five, as the Chicago Bears use their pick from the Carolina Panthers to address their biggest need on defense.

North Carolina's Drake Maye is the only other quarterback who cracks the first round in this mock, heading to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 6 overall. Oregon's Bo Nix and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy both come off the board in the second round.

To check out the full two-round projection at Pro Football Network, click here.

Published Aug 7, 2023

LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more. Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com