Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye at No. 1?
Two first-round picks from 2024 NFL Draft were unexpected additions to the normally calm June news cycle. To open the month, the Rams sent edge rusher Jared Verse — the No. 19 overall pick — to the Browns as part of the massive haul that brought Myles Garrett to Los Angeles.
“It was upsetting at first, but you got two choices,” Verse said at his introductory press conference. “You can either work or you can give up, and I ain’t never been a quitter.”
Then, as June neared its close, cornerback Terrion Arnold — selected 24th overall by the Lions — was arrested on several felony charges. Detroit released Arnold last week shortly after he had his bond set at $1 million.
They are obviously two very different situations. Verse is still expected to be a defensive cornerstone for an NFL franchise, albeit not the one he was drafted by. Arnold is facing life in prison and may never play football again.
Today, we’re revisiting the 2024 draft, which was a historic one for the game’s most important position: Six quarterbacks went in the top 12 picks, the most ever. That includes signal callers at No. 1 (Caleb Williams), No. 2 (Jayden Daniels), No. 3 (Drake Maye) and No. 12 (Bo Nix) who have led their respective teams to the playoffs. It also includes the No. 8 pick, Michael Penix Jr., and the No. 10 pick, J.J. McCarthy, who have struggled.
Such is life in such an unpredictable profession. Today, we’re redrafting the 2024 draft, using the following guidelines.
It is April 2024 again. All we’re doing is drafting using the knowledge we’ve magically obtained about how the players in this class — and players in this class only — look two years into the future. That includes injuries.
Otherwise, though, it’s 2024. That means teams have the same positions of need that they did on April 25, 2024. For example, the Cardinals, drafting No. 4 overall, still believe they have a franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray. Obviously, today, we know they no longer feel that way; Murray isn’t even on the team. But back then, quarterback wasn’t a need. This also plays a big role into one of the draft’s biggest names falling.
We are using the same draft order as the 2024 first round.
- Chicago Bears: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
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Drake Maye
NE • QB • #10
Drafted: No. 3 overall by Patriots
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Actual pick: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
This is a brutally close call between Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, both of whom took massive leaps in 2025. Maye, though, was truly special, leading the NFL in completion percentage and yards per attempt en route to an MVP runner-up finish. There are still questions, as his up-and-down playoff showing revealed, but the physical tools combined with the accuracy and playmaking is a tremendous combination. - Washington Commanders: Caleb Williams, QB, USC
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Caleb Williams
CHI • QB • #18
Drafted: No. 1 overall by Bears
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Actual pick: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
The Commanders would gladly “settle” for Williams here. He took his game to another level last year by cutting way down on negative plays — especially sacks — and improving massively as a pocket navigator and scrambler. This is his biggest advantage over Maye, who still must improve his pressure mitigation. Williams has always taken excellent care of the ball as a passer, even during his difficult rookie year, and his out-of-structure creation is jaw-dropping. - New England Patriots: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
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Jayden Daniels
WAS • QB • #5
Drafted: No. 2 overall by Commanders
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Actual pick: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
If this article had come at this time out last year, Daniels would likely be No. 1. Instead, he falls all the way to No. 3! (Please note extreme sarcasm here; all three of these guys are great.) Daniels’ electrifying rookie season can’t be forgotten, but his second-year struggles — with injuries, a fall off in accuracy and less-than-ideal surroundings — can’t be completely overlooked, either. - Arizona Cardinals: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
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Jared Verse
CLE • LB • #8
Drafted: No. 19 overall by Rams
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Actual pick: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
The Cardinals’ depth chart entering the 2024 NFL Draft featured Michael Wilson coming off a decent but unspectacular rookie season and veterans Greg Dortch and Chris Moore as its top three receivers. Basically, it’s easy to see why Arizona went with Harrison, who had starred at Ohio State and was expected to be a star in the NFL right away.
But it’s not like the Cardinals were loaded at edge rusher, either, and Verse has proved to be the best at that position — and arguably at any non-quarterback position — in the class. Since entering the league, Verse has the NFL’s second-most quarterback hurries, third-most pressures and sixth-highest pressure rate. He’s a star.
- Los Angeles Chargers: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
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Joe Alt
LAC • OT • #76
Drafted: No. 5 overall by Chargers
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Actual pick: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
Nothing changes here for the Chargers. They desperately needed a tackle to bookend Rashawn Slater, and Alt, when healthy, has been just that. We saw first-hand last year what happened when Slater and Alt went down: It was an unmitigated disaster in front of Justin Herbert. The need was there, and the talent was there, plain and simple. - New York Giants: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
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Brock Bowers
LV • TE • #89
Drafted: No. 13 overall by Raiders
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Actual pick: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Bowers’ rookie year — 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns — was the best we’ve seen from a rookie tight end. He moves like a wide receiver. And even in an injury-derailed second year, he reminded everyone what he can do with a 12-catch, 127-yard, three-touchdown day against the Jaguars. Bowers is the rare tight end around which you can build an entire passing game, and as the NFL leans more heavily into tight ends, the Giants go tight end in this do-over. - Tennessee Titans: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
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Malik Nabers
NYG • WR • #1
Drafted: No. 6 overall by Giants
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Actual pick: JC Latham, OT, Alabama
Will Levis had been OK in a short run as the Titans’ quarterback near the end of 2023, and the Titans had made several moves to hopefully improve his surroundings. Adding Latham was supposed to be another step in that direction. Instead, he hasn’t lived up to his billing, and Levis completely fell apart in 2024. But remember, we don’t know what happens with Levis in 2024; we only know the future for the 2024 rookies. Levis, entering the 2024 draft, probably deserved a chance to be the starter, and giving him a premier wide receiver in Nabers would have certainly helped both him and, eventually, Cam Ward. - Atlanta Falcons: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
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Quinyon Mitchell
PHI • CB • #27
Drafted: No. 22 overall by Eagles
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Actual pick: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
The Falcons’ stunning decision to draft Penix just weeks after signing Kirk Cousins in free agency doesn’t look any better in this redraft. Penix hasn’t been on the field much, suffered yet another major knee injury last year and hasn’t been very good when on the field. Now he’s battling Tua Tagovailoa for the starting job. Instead, the Falcons land an absolute stud in Mitchell, who was an All Pro last year. - Chicago Bears: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
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Ladd McConkey
LAC • WR • #15
Drafted: No. 34 overall by Chargers
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Actual pick: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Pairing Williams with a highly regarded wide receiver made sense. But instead of going with Odunze, in this redraft, the Bears land on McConkey, whose versatility and overall skill set have impressed through two seasons. McConkey’s 13 touchdown catches are the most of anyone in this class so far, and his 1,938 receiving yards are second. - Minnesota Vikings: Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
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Cooper DeJean
PHI • CB • #33
Drafted: No. 40 overall by Eagles
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Actual pick: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
The Vikings made an aggressive move up to land McCarthy, but it simply hasn’t worked so far. He missed all of his rookie year with a knee injury and most of his second season with a laundry list of ailments. When he was on the field, he was among the worst quarterbacks in the sport. Instead, the Vikings land DeJean, arguably the best slot defender in the entire NFL. He fits the modern game perfectly and would be an absolute weapon in Brian Flores’ defense. - New York Jets: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
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Olumuyiwa Fashanu
NYJ • OT • #74
Drafted: No. 11 overall by Jets
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Actual pick: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
With aging players at both tackle spots, the Jets made the right choice here taking Fashanu, who has looked the part through two seasons. After starting his rookie year as a backup, he became a regular down the stretch of the season, and last year, he really started to put it together, especially as a pass blocker. He should only continue to improve. - Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
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Bo Nix
DEN • QB • #10
Drafted: No. 12 overall by Broncos
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Actual pick: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
No notes here. The Broncos needed a quarterback after the Russell Wilson debacle, and Nix was a strong fit for Sean Payton’s offense. Does he sometimes get a little too adventurous with the ball downfield? Yes. Does he sometimes play it too safe? Yes. But overall, Nix is the type of quarterback who can lead a team with a strong defense to the Super Bowl, and we might have seen it last year had he not gotten hurt. - Las Vegas Raiders: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
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Byron Murphy II
SEA • DT • #91
Drafted: No. 16 overall by Seahawks
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Actual pick: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
What an absolutely abysmal season this was for the Raiders. Las Vegas went into the year with Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew as their quarterbacks, but absent a better option here, we have to look elsewhere. Bowers is also off the board. It’d be easy to go with a different pass catcher, but instead, I’d argue Murphy is the best player still available in this redraft. He has developed into one of the best, most disruptive and underappreciated interior defenders in the game. - New Orleans Saints: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
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Brian Thomas Jr.
JAC • WR • #7
Drafted: No. 23 overall by Jaguars
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Actual pick: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Fuaga has been largely fine for the Saints and is part of what should be one of the league’s better units headed into 2026, but capable interior offensive linemen can be found later in the draft, too. Instead, the Saints pair Chris Olave with Thomas, who starred just down the road at LSU. Yes, Thomas had a down second season, but he was absolutely electric in 2024, and he should bounce back in 2026. - Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
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Laiatu Latu
IND • DE • #97
Drafted: No. 15 overall by Colts
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Actual pick: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
Latu quietly made a nice jump in 2025, his first season as a full-time starter. He more than doubled his sacks (4.0 to 8.5) from his rookie year, posted a solid 14.7% pressure rate and somehow nabbed three(!) interceptions, two of which were outstanding individual plays. He’s one of just two defensive linemen to post a three-interception season this century.