Jayden Daniels to Patriots, J.J. McCarthy to Broncos in ESPN's 2024 NFL Mock Draft

With the draft order set for non-playoff teams, ESPN NFL draft expert Jordan Reid released an updated mock draft on Wednesday, and it was heavy on quarterbacks with four going inside the top 12 picks.

Reid projected that quarterbacks will go 1-2-3 in the 2024 draft, as he mocked USC's Caleb Williams to the Chicago Bears at No. 1, North Carolina's Drake Maye to the Washington Commanders at No. 2 and LSU's Jayden Daniels to the New England Patriots at No. 3. Reid also has the Denver Broncos taking Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy 12th overall.

If quarterbacks are taken with the first three picks, it will mark the first time that has happened since 2021 when Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance were the top three selections.

Reid's projected top 12 picks in his latest 2024 NFL mock draft are as follows:

1. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB, USC

2. Washington Commanders: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

3. New England Patriots: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

5. Los Angeles Chargers: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

6. New York Giants: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

7. Tennessee Titans: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

8. Atlanta Falcons: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA

9. Chicago Bears: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama

10. New York Jets: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State

11. Minnesota Vikings: Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois

12. Denver Broncos: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

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Williams and Maye have long been considered the likely top two picks in the draft, so the drama may not really start until No. 3 overall.

The Patriots have a clear and obvious need at quarterback after Mac Jones' struggles this season, so even if Williams and Maye are off the board, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that they will go for Daniels.

At 23, Daniels is a bit on the older side when compared to the other likely first-round quarterbacks, but he is coming off one of the best seasons ever by a collegiate quarterback.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and just four interceptions, while also rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Having a dual-threat quarterback like Daniels could cover up a lot of the other issues New England has on offense and give a new head coach an ideal building block should the Pats choose to move on from Bill Belichick.

Like Daniels, McCarthy has a ton of momentum on his side entering the pre-draft process.

While the 20-year-old signal-caller's numbers paled in comparison to Daniels in 2023 with 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and four picks on 72.3 percent passing, plus 202 yards and three scores on the ground, McCarthy steered the ship for a championship-winning team.

The Wolverines went a perfect 15-0 and took care of the Washington Huskies 34-13 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday.

Much of the team's success in that game and throughout the season was due to the running back duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, but McCarthy made big-time throws when he had to.

If anything, McCarthy may have far more untapped potential than any other quarterback in the draft since Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh never fully unleashed him.

The Broncos benched veteran quarterback Russell Wilson for the final two games of the season to avoid an injury that would have triggered a $37 million injury guarantee during the offseason.

That is a sign the Broncos likely intend to move on from Wilson if they can, so they will very much be in the market for a quarterback at No. 12 if they can't move up further in the draft.