2024 NFL Draft: Offensive players dominate this two-round new mock draft
By Daulton Drew
43. Atlanta Falcons - Kamari Lassiter
The Falcons keep Lassiter in Georgia and fill a need in the process. The Falcons are light at the corner, and who knows what the future holds for AJ Terrell with the team long term. Lassiter was great in coverage forcing 10 incompletions last season. He is fairly good against the run and only allowed a 38.5% completion percentage against him.
44. Las Vegas Raiders - Michael Penix Jr.
Well, he's here, and it is perfect for Vegas who had to give nothing up to get him. Penix, to me, should go higher than this, and he is teetering on being my QB3 ahead of Daniels at times. He has some boneheaded throws and admittedly struggled more toward the business end of the season (aside from the Texas game which was great), but he has the arm strength, pocket awareness, and athleticism to be a great player. Yes, he's old, and he has an injury history, but I like Penix and think he will be a solid QB in this league. The stat that stands out the most is his pressure-to-sack conversion rate. How often does he get sacked when he is pressured? Penix is at 7.6%, Daniels is at 20.2% and Caleb Williams is at 23.2%.
45. New Orleans Saints - Chop Robinson
Let's give Dennis Allen a fun player. Chop has all of the athletic tools to be a success in this league. He has a quick first step and good power in his first step. He needs to hone in on some skills in his hand fighting and pass rush moves, and his arms are fairly short, but this is a fun player to coach up and in the second round, is a good fit in New Orleans.
46. Indianapolis Colts - Payton Wilson
This was a tough pick for me. I thought about TJ Tampa or Mike Sainristil, but I don't want to pigeonhole DeJean as safety, and I feel like another CB may do that. The Colts were near the bottom of the league in tackling and run defense. Additionally, EJ Speed and Zaire Franklin are not good coverage linebackers, or at least they weren't last season. Payton Wilson is. He finished first in the country in coverage stops, and 14th in run stops. He had a missed tackle rate of 4.7% which is very good. He is great in coverage and great against the run. Big addition for Indy.