NFL Head Coach Draft: Who’s the New No. 1 After Andy Reid? You Won’t Believe the Top Picks
Another day, another mock draft. But this one has a huge twist.
Instead of drafting NFL prospects, we’re drafting head coaches. For the selection order, Yardbarker NFL writers used the 2024 NFL Draft order, but we gave Carolina, Cleveland and Houston their first-round picks back, so each team gets one selection to draft a head coach.
Along with active NFL HCs, college coaches and NFL coaches let go within the last year — Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, Bill Belichick in New England and others — were available.
So suspend reality. Enjoy this latest mock. Remember: The real NFL Draft is April 25-27 in Detroit.
Meanwhile, Carolina Panthers, you are on our clock… (2023 regular-season records are in parenthesis.)
1. CAROLINA PANTHERS (2-15) | Andy Reid | Going from a potential dynasty to the worst team in the league would be a jarring shift for Reid. But the three-time Super Bowl winner previously inherited Eagles and Chiefs teams that won a combined five games the season before his arrival and had both in the playoffs within two years. — Eric Smithling
2. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (4-13) | Sean McVay | McVay spent seven years as an assistant coach in Washington (2010-16) and returns to D.C. with a pair of conference championships and a Super Bowl ring in his pocket. Widely considered one of the brightest minds in football, he’s perfect for a young quarterback like USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye, both of whom are on the Commanders’ radar in the 2024 NFL Draft. — Bruce Ewing
— Bruce Ewing
3. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-13) | Kyle Shanahan | With New England positioned to land a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, bringing in an offensive-minded coach like Shanahan would be beneficial for the rookie’s development and for the team’s rebuilding process. In five of Shanahan’s seven seasons as San Francisco’s head coach, the offense ranked in the top 12 in yards, and by his third year in charge, the 49ers were in the Super Bowl. — Colum Dell
4. ARIZONA CARDINALS (4-13) | Mike Tomlin | Tomlin doesn’t have a playoff win with the Steelers since the 2016 season, which is a concern and warrants criticism, but he would give the Cardinals something they have lacked for years: relevance. Tomlin has kept Pittsburgh in the playoff hunt despite having some of the league’s worst quarterback play the past three years and would get a huge upgrade at the position with a healthy Kyler Murray. — Adam Gretz
5. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (5-12) | John Harbaugh | The Chargers recently hired his brother, Jim, but the Baltimore HC is an even better fit because he would absolutely solve L.A.’s defensive problems. Los Angeles finished 23rd in the league points allowed (23.4) while the Ravens finished first (16.2) in 2023. — Clark Dalton
6. NEW YORK GIANTS (6-11) | Jim Harbaugh | With 20 years of head-coaching experience in college and the pros, John’s little brother has a long list of accomplishments, including Michigan’s national championship in 2023. With a 118-46 record in college at Michigan and Stanford and a 44-19-1 regular-season record in the NFL, Harbaugh knows how to build a team and won’t be intimidated by the New York media. — Bruce Ewing
7. TENNESSEE TITANS (6-11) | Brian Callahan | This may come as a shock to many, but the Titans moved on from a proven winner in Mike Vrabel, a coach who took them to an AFC Championship Game and won two division titles in six years, because they wanted to set the bar higher. Callahan is GM Ran Carthon’s handpicked head coach, and it makes more sense to stay the course than be tempted by household names like Bill Belichick and Sean Payton. — Michael Gallagher
8. ATLANTA FALCONS (7-10) | Dan Campbell | The former NFL tight end successfully turned the Lions into a contender, and it’s easy to see his aggressive personality translating well in Atlanta. At the very least, we could expect Campbell to use the Falcons first-round running back Bijan Robinson in the red zone more often after the rookie finished the season with only 23 carries inside the 20-yard line as opposed to Lions 2023 first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs, who led the team with 37 red-zone rush attempts. — Eric Smithling