2024 NFL Mock Draft: Michael Penix Jr. to Vikings, J.J. McCarthy to AFC West

(Pick via Texans) - Arizona comes back on the clock thanks to the savvy trade they made during the draft last year with the Texans. They’ve already drafted Marvin Harrison Jr. in this mock, so let’s go to the other side of the ball and find a player who can upgrade the pass rush for the Cardinals. Bralen Trice seems the most obvious fit in that regard. 

Jonathan Gannon will be salivating getting his hands on the Washington star. Trice isn’t the most physically gifted edge player in the class, but he’s explosive nonetheless, which is devastating with his power and never-stopping motor. He could be a galvanizing force up front for the Cards. 

Someone is going to use a first-round pick on Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. I believe it will be a mistake when they do as, though Nix is more dynamic, he reminds me very much of Mac Jones in that a bulk of his college production, specifically since getting to Oregon, hinges on scheme and the talent around him more so than what he did individually. 

With that being said, I might like his fit with Sean McVay and the Rams more than any other team. It just so happens that LA might also be in the QB market with Matthew Stafford looking on the verge of hanging it up at any moment. With the weapons in scheme on this roster, Nix can be the conductor. 

Grabbing Joey Porter Jr. early in the second round last year was an obvious match for the Steelers given his father’s legacy with the franchise and the cornerback’s talent. Having said that, the secondary in Pittsburgh still needs a good bit of work and Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins could help a ton. 

Wiggins fits exactly what the Steelers secondary needs as a long, fluid athlete who is one of the most polished coverage players in the class. Though you do worry about his lack of bulk on his 6-foot-2 frame at 185 pounds, that can be remedied and he’d be a nice diversification of the cornerback group with Porter and him as the future.