2024 NFL Mock Draft: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye Fall Out of Top 5?

What if this year's top two QB prospects both take a tumble on draft day?

Luke Easterling | Jul 25, 2023

2024 NFL Mock Draft: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye Fall Out of Top 5? /

It's never too early to take a gander at the possibilities for next year's NFL Draft, especially when those projections give us something other than the company line.

That's what we get with the latest 2024 NFL mock draft from Draft Wire, which has both of this year's top quarterback prospects falling out of the top five picks.

USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye are nowhere to be found among the top five selections in this mock, with Williams landing at No. 7 overall (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Maye going at the very next spot (Washington Commanders).

As with most early mocks, this one has the Arizona Cardinals landing both of the top two picks in next year's draft, but opting for Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Florida State pass rusher Jared Verse over Williams.

It's hard to imagine the Cardinals being bad enough to earn the top two picks in the draft, and then not spending one of them on a new franchise quarterback in Williams.

READ: What if Caleb Williams Doesn't Go No. 1?

The rest of the top five features Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt (No. 3 overall, Indianapolis Colts), Alabama edge defender Dallas Turner (No. 4 overall, Tennessee Titans), and Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (No. 5 overall, Chicago Bears).

The Bears have their franchise quarterback in Justin Fields, while the Colts just spent this year's No. 4 overall pick on Anthony Richardson, which likely takes both of those teams out of the running for a top quarterback in next year's class. Even after taking Will Levis in the second round this year (and Malik Willis in the third round the year before), would the Titans really pass on Williams at No. 3?

Two more quarterbacks find their way into this mock, with Texas' Quinn Ewers landing with the Green Bay Packers at No. 11 overall, and Oregon's Bo Nix heading to the Detroit Lions at No. 25 overall.

Another big name that takes a tumble compared to most early projections is Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, who goes to the Houston Texans at No. 16 overall here.

To check out the full first-round projection at Draft Wire, click here.

Published Jul 25, 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