2024 NFL Mock Draft: Surprise Team Lands Caleb Williams at No. 1

See who wins the Caleb Williams sweepstakes in this early projection for next year's NFL Draft.

Luke Easterling | Aug 28, 2023

2024 NFL Mock Draft: Surprise Team Lands Caleb Williams at No. 1 /

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Las Vegas Raiders

We haven't even made it to the first full week of the 2023 college football season, and USC quarterback Caleb Williams has already picked up where he left off at the end of last year's Heisman-winning campaign.

Williams carved up San Jose State in the Trojans' opener Saturday, looking the part of the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft class.

But who will land this potentially generational quarterback prospect?

In the latest 2024 NFL mock draft from Touchdown Wire's Natalie Miller, it's the Las Vegas Raiders who score the top pick, and therefore the right to select Williams to replace Jimmy Garoppolo under center.

Most early mock drafts have the Arizona Cardinals landing both of the top two picks in next year's draft, but this projection moves in a different direction, expecting the Raiders to end up with the worst record in the league.

READ | Caleb Williams Scouting Report

Williams is one of three quarterbacks to land among the top 10 picks in this projection, with North Carolina's Drake Maye (No. 3 overall, Washington Commanders) and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. (No. 5 overall, Denver Broncos) joining him. Oregon's Bo Nix (No. 13 overall, New England Patriots) is the only other quarterback to crack the first round.

Along with Williams, Maye and Penix, the top five picks is this mock are rounded out by Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (No. 2 overall) and Florida State edge defender Jared Verse (No. 4 overall), both to the Cardinals.

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

Published Aug 28, 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