The first 2024 NFL mock draft from Mel Kiper Jr. has Bears taking Caleb Williams; J.J. McCarthy taken in the first round

Mel Kiper Jr. has officially entered 2024 NFL mock draft season.

With all but four of the picks set in the current NFL draft order, the longtime ESPN NFL draft expert has dropped his first mock of the year, and although he doesn’t project trades in this one, he’s got USC’s Caleb Williams going No. 1 overall and four QBs in the first round. In our latest mock from Christian D’Andrea, there are also four QBs off the board, but not Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy as Kiper has.

Kiper has the national champ going 16th to the Seattle Seahawks, who have Geno Smith under center, but perhaps the franchise wants to roll the dice on a future QB. Here’s Kiper’s take:

OK, here’s a spot for the next quarterback. While I don’t have a first-round grade on McCarthy right now — a lot can change before Round 1 on April 25 — he does have first-round arm talent, along with the ability to beat defenses with his legs. He’s the type of quarterback teams will take a shot at in the middle of the first round, especially when you consider he just turned 21 a few days ago. He rarely turns the ball over — he threw 44 touchdown passes and had nine picks over the past two seasons — and can make every throw. McCarthy just wasn’t asked to beat teams with his arm for the Wolverines, because they so often dominated at the line of scrimmage. As of now, I’m betting on a team seeing his upside and trying to take him somewhere in the teens.

For Seattle, the contract Geno Smith signed last March made it clear the team could get out after one season. Smith had a decent season (20 TD passes, 9 INTs), but will he really be here long-term? I could see the Seahawks severing ties and starting fresh for whomever the new coach ends up being.

There you have it! Check out Christian D’Andrea’s latest NFL mock draft.