This will be the first NFL draft held in the Motor City.

Fittingly, the first few teams will be looking for offensive engines.

Quarterbacks were selected No. 1 overall in seven of the last 10 drafts, and that figures to be the case again Thursday with the Chicago Bears likely to take former USC standout Caleb Williams.

And as was the case in 2021, quarterbacks could go 1-2-3.

This mock draft contemplates a trade near the top, with conjecture that the New England Patriots could swap the No. 3 pick for Minnesota’s two first-round selections at 11 and 23. Both teams are in the market for quarterbacks, so it’s perfectly reasonable that the Patriots might stay put.

Regardless, there is intrigue at the top of this year’s draft.

There’s also legacy. This field of prospects features several whose fathers played in the NFL, among them Marvin Harrison Jr. and Frank Gore Jr., Kris Jenkins, who likewise shares has father’s name, along with Brenden Rice (son of Jerry Rice), Joe Alt (John Alt), Luke McCaffrey (Ed McCaffrey) and Jonah Elliss (Luther Elliss).

Harrison is likely to be a top-five pick and the first non-quarterback off the board.

One way the first round could unfold:

1. CHICAGO: QB Caleb Williams, USC — The Bears are taking a quarterback. Barring a surprising head fake, they’re taking this Trojans star.

2. WASHINGTON: QB Jayden Daniels, Louisiana State — Heisman winner and dual-threat QB gives the Commanders a weapon with Lamar Jackson tendencies.

3. MINNESOTA (proposed trade with New England): QB Drake Maye, North Carolina — The Vikings might have to package their two first-round picks to get their QB.

4. ARIZONA: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State — Cardinals want to find their next Larry Fitzgerald, so they grab a gift for Kyler Murray.

5. CHARGERS: T Joe Alt, Notre Dame — If Harrison were to slide to them, the Chargers would love it. Alt could move from left tackle in college to right tackle in the pros.

6. N.Y. GIANTS: QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan — McCarthy could go earlier. Giants are looking to move on from Daniel Jones, who is coming off an ACL tear.

7. TENNESSEE: WR Malik Nabers, Louisiana State — DeAndre Hopkins is old, and Treylon Burks has trouble staying healthy. Quarterback Will Levis needs more help.

8. ATLANTA: OLB Dallas Turner, Alabama — Turner fits the Falcons’ change to a 3-4 defense and can both rush the passer and drop in coverage.

9. CHICAGO: T J.C. Latham, Alabama — The Bears need more help in the interior of their OL, but taking a tackle here affords them some flexibility.

10. N.Y. JETS: T Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State — Receiver is tempting here, but a reliable tackle probably would be even more helpful for the aging Aaron Rodgers.

11. NEW ENGLAND (proposed trade from Minnesota): DT Byron Murphy II, Texas — If the Patriots bail out of the No. 3 pick, they might decide to wait a bit on a QB.

Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze could end up in Denver.

(Mark Ylen / Associated Press)

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12. DENVER: WR Rome Odunze, Washington — Jerry Jeudy is gone and Courtland Sutton might not be around much longer. Time to restock at receiver.

13. LAS VEGAS: QB Michael Penix, Washington — A second wave of QBs is going to go, and the Raiders might need to start that wave instead of risking Penix being gone in second round.

14. NEW ORLEANS: TE Brock Bowers, Georgia — Bowers would be a good fit in Denver, too. He should go in this range and surely would make Derek Carr happy.

15. INDIANAPOLIS: CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo — Colts gave up a lot of explosive plays last season. Mitchell could help them cut down on those.

16. SEATTLE: OLB Chop Robinson, Penn State — Can never have too many talented edge rushers, and Robinson would be a good fit for new defensive coordinator Aden Durde.

17. JACKSONVILLE: CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama — Jaguars lost Darious Williams back to the Rams, so there’s a spot for Arnold to step into right away.

18. CINCINNATI: T Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State — The Bengals are OK on the left side, but they are in need of an upgrade on the right. Fashanu can play either side.

19. RAMS: DE Jared Verse, Florida State — No one is going to step in and strike fear the way Aaron Donald did, but the Rams can still beef up their pass rush. Verse was a sack machine in college.

Jared Verse (5) was a great pass rusher for Florida State and the Rams need help on the defensive line.

(Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)

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20. PITTSBURGH: T Troy Fatanu, Washington — Fatanu is capable of playing all over the offensive line, so maybe he starts at center and eventually moves to right tackle.

21. MIAMI: CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson — The Dolphins might take a defensive tackle here, but Wiggins is excellent value at a coveted spot if he slips this far.

22. PHILADELPHIA: OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma — Eagles select eventual replacement for five-time Pro Bowler Lane Johnson, who has been a rock at right tackle but is 33.

23. NEW ENGLAND (proposed trade from Minnesota): CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama — Foot injury might give teams a little trepidation, but McKinstry has the tools to be a shutdown corner in NFL.

24. DALLAS: T Amarius Mims, Georgia — The Cowboys need a center, too, but Mims will be the left tackle of the future for somebody. Why not Dallas?

25. GREEN BAY: T Jordan Morgan, Arizona — Packers have released David Bakhtiari, and they need to address their offensive line. Good place to start.

26. TAMPA BAY: C Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon — GM Jason Licht likes drafting offensive linemen, and the Buccaneers need to find a solid center once and for all.

27. ARIZONA: DE Laiatu Latu, UCLA — Cardinals need help all along their defensive front, and Latu could slide a bit because of his medical history.

28. BUFFALO: WR Brian Thomas Jr., Louisiana State — With no more Stefon Diggs, the Bills need another top-shelf target for Josh Allen. Thomas fills those requirements.

29. DETROIT: CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa — The Lions have had lots of injuries at corner. The versatile DeJean could help them there, and in the return game.

30. BALTIMORE: WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia — If they don’t take a corner, the Ravens might look for a receiver to pair with Zay Flowers.

31. SAN FRANCISCO: WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina — Tempting to pick up help on the defensive line, but the 49ers might look for an eventual Brandon Aiyuk replacement.

32. KANSAS CITY: WR Xavier Worthy, Texas — Could Worthy be the next Tyreek Hill? It didn’t hurt the prospect that he broke the combine record with a 4.21-second 40.

Earlier this year at the Senior Bowl, Jerry Jones declared the Cowboys front office would go “all-in” this offseason. But so far, the offseason has been largely uneventful. Dallas has also not been particularly active in the free agent market.

The Cowboys roster already features a fair number of players on the roster who already carry sizable salary cap hits. The franchise is also weighing lucrative contract extensions for some of their key players. But, Jones, the longtime Cowboys owner and general manager, shouldered the blame for the lack of progress on the contracts.

“If you’ve got trouble with when the timing is around here,” Jones said, “it’s because I’m not ready to go.”

Quarterback Dak Prescott, star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons are among the star players who are in line to land big pay days. Prescott has handled the starting quarterback duties for the past eight seasons.

The 30-year-old’s contract expires after the 2024 season. He recently hinted that negotiations with the Cowboys have yet to kick off, but he added that he and Jones were “aligned” about where things stood.

COWBOYS’ DAK PRESCOTT HAS NO ‘FEAR’ ABOUT FUTURE AS HE ENTERS FINAL YEAR OF CONTRACT

“Honestly, I’m focused on the moment, on the now,” Prescott said. “If the talks begin and real talks get to happen, sure, we can talk about getting that done, but in this case right now I’m worried about getting better, being better than I am at this moment. So leaving that up to my agent and Jerry at this point.”

Meanwhile, Lamb is set to play in the upcoming season under his fifth-year option. He could receive the franchise tag designation next year. Parsons, a three-time All-Pro, remains under his rookie contract, but he is eligible for the franchise tag after the 2025 season. 

Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys scrambles out of the pocket during an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on January 14, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

Jones expressed interest in seeing “some more action” as it relates to the contracts.

“You may be working on [contracts] and not moving anything but your eyebrows,” Jones said. “Who in the world would think that we’re not working on it? I work on it. It pops up at 2 in the morning sometimes. What you’re actually questioning is why don’t you have something done and negotiated and put in the drawer? Well, we’d like to see some more leaves fall. We’d like to see some more action.”

Lamb and his agent could be waiting to see the terms of a contract Justin Jefferson potentially ends up getting from the Minnesota Vikings.

CeeDee Lamb #88 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates with Dak Prescott #4 after scoring a 92 yard touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

“You don’t think the representatives of Jefferson and CeeDee and [Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase] aren’t talking? You don’t think they got their eye on something really big? Please,” Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president, said. 

“They’re not ready to come in here. Same thing with Micah. Same thing with Dak. It’s a little cat and mouse. And total respect for them.”

The Cowboys watched star offensive lineman Tyron Smith, running Tony Pollard and Tyler Biadasz sign with other teams this offseason.

Jerry cited the salary cap restraints that exist within the NFL when he discussed the inevitable departures of star players over the years.

“Dak has enjoyed, in his career that we’re proud of, some of the best supporting casts that you could put around him,” Jerry Jones said. “To move forward, we will have to diminish that. That’s a fact. That’s the rules. That’s our challenge and to make it work out: Dak as the quarterback of the Cowboys. I don’t even have a blink on that one.”

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After weeks of worrisome late-game blunders, there finally was redemption for the Dodgers bullpen Tuesday night.

On a night their starting pitcher failed to complete five innings, and their lineup managed only one run before the final couple of frames, it was five other numbers that keyed a 4-1 Dodgers win over Washington at Nationals Park.

0. 0. 0. 0. 0.

As in, the five goose eggs the Dodgers’ once-struggling bullpen put on the scoreboard.

“The bullpen,” manager Dave Roberts said, “was really good tonight.”

Entering the night, the unit had been anything but lately, emerging as one of the biggest concerns during the Dodgers’ underwhelming 13-11 start to the season.

The group was without injured right-handers Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen (the latter will begin a rehab assignment this week). It had compiled a 4.35 ERA through the opening month, the 10th-worst mark in the majors. And it had been a common culprit during a 3-6 homestand last week.

But Tuesday against the rebuilding Nationals, relievers Michael Grove, Alex Vesia, Daniel Hudson and Evan Phillips helped the Dodgers overcome an early offensive lull, then hang on to a narrow lead late, combining for 4-1/3 scoreless innings in a victorious start to a nine-game trip.

“We’re always gonna be ready to go down there,” Phillips said.

While starter James Paxton surrendered just one run in his fourth start, the veteran left-hander again struggled with his command. He walked three batters (he has 17 this season) and struck out just one, forcing Roberts to replace him with one out in the fifth after 89 laborious pitches.

On the other side of the plate, the Dodgers’ lineup was kept silent by the Nationals’ own left-handed veteran, Patrick Corbin.

Last year Corbin’s 5.20 ERA was third worst in the majors among qualified starters. This season his 8.06 mark entering Tuesday ranked dead last, after he gave up five runs in 6⅓ innings at Dodger Stadium last week.

In his rematch against the Dodgers, though, the 34-year-old looked like his former All-Star self. He spun 5⅓ shutout innings. He walked three batters but gave up just three hits while collecting three strikeouts.

It was only once Corbin left the game that the Dodgers finally found life. Later in the sixth, they manufactured a two-out rally that culminated with Kiké Hernández’s tying single. In the eighth, James Outman put the Dodgers in front with an RBI double and Miguel Rojas singled him home. Then, in the ninth, Shohei Ohtani supplied an exclamation point with his sixth home run, clobbering a 450-foot, second-deck blast that exploded off his bat at 118.7 mph.

“It looks like a cruise missile,” Outman said. “That was absurd.”

Underpinning the entire performance was the bullpen.

Grove stranded the two runners he inherited from Paxton in the fifth, then got two outs — with a walk in between — in the sixth.

Vesia took over from there, stranding Grove’s runner with a deep flyout before returning to the mound for a scoreless seventh.

And once the Dodgers took the lead in the eighth — a rally that started with a single and steal from Teoscar Hernández — Roberts’ late-game decisions were easy.

Hudson, the former Nationals closer who has returned from two injury-plagued seasons to become the Dodgers’ set-up man, worked around a two-out walk in the eighth to lower his ERA to 2.45.

Phillips had a more adventurous appearance in the ninth, loading the bases on three walks and a single — the Nationals ran into one out on the bases — before ultimately surviving with his sixth save and a sub-1.00 ERA.

“Fortunately,” a relieved Phillips said, “I was able to finish it out today.”

Indeed, and as he and the Dodgers celebrated in the handshake line, it was the bullpen at last that deserved the credit — and not the blame — in a close, low-scoring contest that wasn’t decided until the final innings.