Even before the 2023 college football season began, there was a pretty clear hierarchy among quarterback candidates.
Southern California's Caleb Williams is the presumptive QB1 and likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and North Carolina's Drake Maye was considered the most likely challenger for Williams.
From the QB class, LSU's Jaden Daniels has made huge improvements. He went from second-day selection to Heisman Trophy winner to second overall pick.
Looking ahead to the 2024 college football season and the 2025 NFL Draft, the talent pool appears to be deep (thanks, NIL), and unlike this season, there are plenty of defensive players in the first round. It should be.
The quarterback pecking order is not so clear-cut. Colorado's Shedule Sanders, Georgia's Carson Beck and Texas' Quinn Ewers will enter the season with the most buzz.
That makes it even harder to predict early mock drafts. Because it's all about the quarterback on draft day, as last week showed with a record six quarterbacks selected in the first 12 picks.
However, the draft order is taken from BET MGM's projected NFL wins.
1. Tennessee Titans (via trade with Carolina) — Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: Teams are taking first-round quarterbacks faster than ever before, but Bryce Young is given the benefit of the doubt to the Panthers, and Beck steps up as QB1 in his second season as a starter at Georgia. Throw a pencil at the Titans for. .
2. New England Patriots — Mikel Williams, Georgia Edge: The last time teammates went 1-2 in the draft was in 2000, when Penn State did it (Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington). Williams is the breakout star of another dominant Georgia defense.
3. Denver Broncos — Will Campbell, OT, LSU: It's been three seasons since he went from a rookie starter to a first-round draft pick.
4. Washington Commander — Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame: The competition for CB1 should be fierce, with Morrison, Michigan's Will Johnson and Colorado's Travis Hunter vying for a top-10 pick.
5. Carolina Panthers (via trade with Tennessee) — James Pierce, Tennessee Edge: A long and explosive pass rusher.
6. New York Giants — Shedur Sanders, QB, Colorado: Coach Deion Sanders' son will need a little better protection this season, but he will replace Daniel Jones in New York.
7. Minnesota Vikings — Walter Nolen, DT, Mississippi State: This should be one of the best among defensive tackles, and the former five-star could be the best of them all.
8. Las Vegas Raiders — Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: In his third season as a starter, Ewers has a chance to reach his recruiting pitch ceiling.
9. Arizona Cardinals — Will Johnson, CB, Michigan: Johnson was named Defensive MVP of the Wolverines' national title game.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado: He's a great athlete and a two-way player for the Buffaloes, but corner is probably his professional home.
11. Seattle Seahawks — JT Tuimorow, Ohio State Edge: One of several Buckeyes to qualify for the 2024 draft with a shot at a national title.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers — Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas: Another freshman starter at tackle, a first-round draft pick.
13. New Orleans Saints — Cameron Ward, QB, Miami: The Saints will finally draft Drew Brees' replacement.
14. Los Angeles Rams — Tyler Booker, OT, Alabama: Will there be no Crimson Tide offensive tackle in the first round of the NFL Draft?
15. Los Angeles Chargers — Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan: Although not quite as big as Brock Bowers, Loveland is a 6-foot-5, fluid athlete who is one of Jim Harbaugh's Michigan players.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars — Harold Perkins, OLB, LSU: Perkins showed superstar qualities as a freshman, but although he stagnated last season, he has the potential to be a top-10 player with consistency.
17. Indianapolis Colts — Luther Baden III, WR, Missouri: Burden is a yards-after-catch machine and could probably get a steal this low.
18. Cleveland Browns — Abdul Carter, OLB, Penn State: Although he's not as good as Micah Parsons, Carter will draw comparisons to the former Nittany Lion and current Cowboys linebacker.
19. Chicago Bears — Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan State: At 339 pounds, Grant has a high ceiling and exceptional quickness.
20. New York Jets — Drew Aller, QB, Penn State: Aller has a lot of work to do to get here, but he has all the attributes and the Jets are once again looking for their quarterback of the future.
21. Miami Dolphins — Mason Graham, DT, Michigan State: Graham is the steady of the two monsters in Michigan State's middle.
22. Houston Texans — Dontae Corleone, DT, Cincinnati: Did I mention this draft could include a defensive tackle?
23. Green Bay Packers — Jordan Hancock, CB, Ohio State: One of two Buckeyes cornerbacks available in the first round.
24. Atlanta Falcons — Tyreke Williams, DT, Ohio State: Yes, Ohio State's defense is fully loaded.
25. Philadelphia Eagles — Tetailoa McMillan, WR, Arizona: Last season, he was the second-leading receiver in the Pac-12 as a sophomore (90 catches, 1,402 yards).
26. Detroit Lions — Nick Skorton, DL, Texas A&M: A move to Purdue has the potential to be a force in the SEC.
27. Dallas Cowboys — Ollie Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State University: The cowboy captures the cowboy to satisfy his desire to run back.
28. Cincinnati Bengals — Patrick Payton, Edge, Florida: The Seminoles' next opponent after recent first-round pass rushers Jermaine Johnson and Jarden Barth.
29. Buffalo Bills — Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State: He's also a 6-foot-1 cornerback from Ohio State.
30. Kansas City Chiefs — Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky: Large run staff.
31. San Francisco 49ers — Josh Connally Jr., OT, Oregon State: Trent Williams won't be playing forever. probably.
32. Baltimore Ravens — Evan Stewart, WR, Oregon State: Transfer to Texas A&M breaks down with Ducks.
Click here for more Cowboys coverage from the Dallas Morning News.
Learn more about college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News.
