Play Now <br> <a href="https://picks.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/bracket" class="">Men's Brackets</a> <br> Play Now <br> <a href="https://picks.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaaw-tournament/bracket" class="">Women's Brackets</a> <br> <a href="/podcasts/the-early-edge-a-daily-sportsline-betting-podcast/" class="">A Daily SportsLine Betting Podcast</a> <br> <a href="/podcasts/fantasy-football-today-podcast/" class="">NFL Draft is coming up!</a> <br>Mock drafts are predictive. My who-they-should-take-mock is not.<br>It's the players I would take if I were doing the picking for all the NFL teams. There are no trades in this mock in large part because I would be trading with myself. That's not fair.<br>Last year, I had Will Levis going first to Carolina in my who-they-should mock. I got lit up. It's obvious now C.J. Stroud should have been the pick, but I would still take Levis over Bryce Young and I think their play showed that last year as rookies.<br>This year, my first pick would be Jayden Daniels over Caleb Williams. Yeah, yeah, Williams is this and that and special and generational and every other superlative. But there are also flaws that stand out to me, one being he holds the ball too long.<br>Daniels might be slight in build, but he can run, can throw it and he's the most-improved player I've even seen from early in his career to now. I know there are some critics who say he leaves pockets too soon, but that's the curse of quarterbacks who can move. Lamar Jackson won two MVPs and he had the same flaw early in his career.<br>So I would take Daniels first and Williams second. I would not take Michigan's J.J. McCarthy in the top 10 as you will see.<br>Last year, I had Tank Dell going 32nd in my who-they-should mock to the Chiefs. I got killed for that. Was I right? This year, I have Oregon receiver Troy Franklin going 28th to the Buffalo Bills. Will you kill more for that? I love the kid. <br>One more time: This is not a predictive mock. It's my who-they-should take mock. <br>Even so, most of you won't get the message. <br>For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on <strong><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/with-the-first-pick-an-nfl-draft-podcast-from-cbs-sports/id1622026887" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">"With the First Pick"</a></strong> -- our year-round <a href="https://cbssports.com/nfl/draft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NFL Draft</a> podcast with <a href="https://cbssports.com/nfl/draft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NFL Draft</a> analyst Ryan Wilson and former <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/MIN/minnesota-vikings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vikings</a> general manager Rick Spielman. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/with-the-first-pick-an-nfl-draft-podcast-from-cbs-sports/id1622026887" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4B3tx0rmH0wjhSvXJA9SeA?si=a56fda86316348c8&nd=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZx1tBNXKj0hXL2m5zD6zTqm7KYiF9oRR" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a>, etc. <br><em>The 2024 <a href="https://cbssports.com/nfl/draft/">NFL Draft</a> will take place from April 25-27 in Detroit. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly </em><span class="link"><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>updated draft order</em></a></span><em> and a regularly available </em><a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospect-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>look at the eligible prospects</em></a><em>. </em><br>© 2004-2024 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved.<br>CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.<br>Images by Getty Images and US Presswire<br><br><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiiAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5jYnNzcG9ydHMuY29tL25mbC9kcmFmdC9uZXdzLzIwMjQtbmZsLW1vY2stZHJhZnQtamF5ZGVuLWRhbmllbHMtZ29lcy1uby0xLW92ZXJhbGwtaW4tcGV0ZS1wcmlzY29zLXdoYXQtdGVhbXMtc2hvdWxkLWRvLW1vY2sv0gEA?oc=5">source</a>
