Breaking: Saints Make Surprise Move To Sign $95.2 Million QB…..

This is my last crack at projecting the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and I want to get it as (close to) right as possible.

The problem? There’s a giant game of quarterback musical chairs that’s set to unfold, and at least one team is going to be left without a place to sit — or at least one of the fancy chairs.

I’ve typically resisted projecting trades in my final mock, knowing a lot of it was unlikely to ever come to fruition, but I am forgoing tradition and just throwing it all out there. In this version, I have three first-round trades projected because, well, all three just make sense to me, and there might even be a little smoke behind those fires.

So, let’s have at it one final time. This first round has a chance to be a whole lot of fun.

I got a little cute in my last mock draft, trying to jump the snap count by bumping J.J. McCarthy up to the No. 2 slot as a way to get ahead of the curve. I sensed he was going to rise to this general area eventually. But it feels like Daniels is the Commanders’ man. His age and experience make sense for a team with Marcus Mariota as the presumed other starting option.

Some of the negativity hurled toward Maye in the pre-draft process has felt like overkill to me. The Patriots can take their time grooming him, but it might not be long before Maye could unseat Jacoby Brissett once we get a feel for what this Patriots offense has to work with.

After Joshua Dobbs was traded from Arizona to Minnesota last season, the Cards and Vikes swap again in this mock projection. Arizona can’t turn down two firsts this year (plus, a 2025 middle-round pick sweetener), even with some enticing receivers on the board. The Vikings make the bold move up and would provide McCarthy with a very QB-friendly landing spot.

I feel like I keep hearing people say Jim Harbaugh is going to build the team “his way” and would never take a receiver this high. I get it, but I also don’t really know what other direction they’d head in other than trading down or taking Joe Alt and possibly moving Rashawn Slater to right tackle. Or Harrison can just be a big-play, play-action target for Justin Herbert. That works, too.

The Giants’ QB interest feels real, and they’d have the shortest trip up to pick one if they want. It likely depends on how big their offer is and how much they appreciate Drake Maye, who has been talking to Eli Manning and Daniel Jones, interestingly, during the pre-draft journey. But if a QB isn’t in the cards in Round 1, they could take arguably the most explosive playmaking receiver in the draft in Nabers.

Every year, there’s a pick that just feels almost too easy to slot, and this year, it’s Alt to Tennessee. Now, that’s no guarantee it’ll happen — and I’d be curious to see what might go down if Alt is off the board by this point. If he is there, Alt is an easy plug-and-play choice at left tackle, giving the Titans a highly promising duo along with Peter Skoronski on that left side.