MOCK NFL DRAFTS
| Pick | Team | Pos | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 |
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QB |
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| This isn’t a pick I would’ve mocked a couple of weeks ago, but a scenario like this seems to be more and more likely by the day. Richardson showed out at the combine, and teams are taking notice. He set records for the longest broad and vertical jumps by quarterbacks at the combine, and he also reportedly impressed teams with his football IQ in meetings. The odds for him to go first overall seem to be increasing by the day, and I think a team like the Panthers would be willing to go all-in on his potential and upside. | ||||
#2 |
|
QB |
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| The Texans won’t have any quarrels with Richardson going first overall, as it’ll allow Bryce Young to fall to them at the second pick. He may be the top quarterback on many team’s draft boards, and his elite-processing and football IQ make him a good candidate to head the rebuild for Houston. His height and weight are a bit concerning, but he is close to the same size as Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray, so it shouldn’t cause him to fall very far. | ||||
#3 |
|
QB |
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| The Falcons will need to trade up if they want to get a quality quarterback in the draft this year, and the Cardinals’ third-overall pick would be a great spot to move up to. Arizona doesn’t want a QB, so they will get a haul by trading back a few picks and grabbing a quality prospect later. Stroud was among the best quarterbacks at the combine this year, and he projects to be a day-one starter for the Falcons, who desperately need someone to inspire hope for the future of their franchise. | ||||
#4 |
|
LB |
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| Will Anderson falls as a result of the first three picks being used on quarterbacks, and Seattle will capitalize on it. They’ll trade up just one pick to take Anderson to ensure that nobody jumps them, and he would be the perfect addition to their young defense. He’s an elite pass rusher and could develop into one of the best edge players in the league, and that’s exactly what the Seahawks have been missing for so many years. | ||||
#5 |
|
QB |
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| This mock draft has been less than ideal for the Colts so far. They don’t get their pick of the litter at the quarterback position, so they will trade back a spot and settle for the only other first-round worthy QB left on the board in Will Levis. He has a rocket of an arm and possesses sky-high potential, but he’s a boom-or-bust type of prospect who could set this franchise back years if he doesn’t pan out. | ||||
#6 |
|
DL |
||
| Carter’s legal issues are something that NFL teams will keep an eye on leading up to the draft, but I don’t think that he’ll end up dropping very far because of them. The Lions will capitalize on the value here, taking the best player left on the board who also nicely fills a major position of need for them. | ||||
#7 |
|
OT |
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| The Raiders are a team to watch in the rookie QB market, but their seventh-overall pick likely won’t be high enough to grab an elite guy. Instead, they’ll have to go with a veteran QB and instead use their draft pick on someone like Peter Skoronski. His sub-par arm length may limit him to playing guard at the NFL level rather than tackle, but he’s an elite prospect for either position and will fill a major need for the Raiders. | ||||
#8 |
|
LB |
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| This draft would end up being pretty solid for the Cardinals. They trade back from the third-overall pick and get a slew of draft picks back in return, and they can still turn around and grab one of the hottest risers in the draft in Tyree Wilson. He has elite length and plays with some crazy strength, and his high athletic potential at a very important position is exactly what Arizona will be looking for at the start of their rebuild. | ||||
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#9 |
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WR |
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| The wide receivers were probably the most disappointing position group at the combine, but there were a few exceptions. One of them was Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He didn’t run the 40-yard dash, but he did register a 6.57 second 3-Cone Drill and a 3.93 second 20-Yard Shuttle, which were by far the best times in those drills amongst receivers. He showcased his elite agility and change of direction, and his proficiency as a route runner out of the slot would perfectly complement Chase Claypool’s big-play ability and Darnell Mooney’s field-tilting speed to create a good receiving room for QB Justin Fields. | ||||
#10 |
|
CB |
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| Gonzalez is being widely regarded as one of the highest risers from the combine. He was already thought of as a first-round pick, but he may have locked himself in as the top corner for many teams after establishing himself as a high-end athlete. The Eagles look likely to lose veteran James Bradberry in free agency, and they’ll need a dynamic young player to replace him if they want to keep this defense elite for years to come. | ||||
#11 |
|
WR |
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| The Titans selected Treylon Burks with their first pick in last year’s draft, and while he showed some flashes, it’s clear that he won’t be enough to elevate this receiving core. Johnston had the third-highest broad jump and vertical among receivers at the combine, and his athleticism was on full display during the on-field workouts. He still looks a bit raw on tape, but his insane athletic potential will be appealing for a WR-needy team like the Titans in April. | ||||
#12 |
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CB |
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| The Texans need help all over the field, and since they addressed the offense earlier in the draft by taking Bryce Young, they will now choose to address the defense with Devon Witherspoon. He’s arguably the best player left on the board, but he wasn’t able to raise his stock at all because he didn’t compete at the combine. He would be an instant energizer and stabilizing force for a sub-par Texans’ defense. | ||||
#13 |
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LB |
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| Simpson was another winner from the NFL Combine. He logged a 4.43 40-yard dash, and his on-field workouts showed scouts just how fluid and natural of an athlete he is. His draft stock is bound to rise over the next few weeks, and that leaves the Jets in prime position to take him at pick 13. He’s a ‘tweener’ who can play multiple positions on the defense, and drafting him would just add another dynamic young talent to this already-loaded defense. | ||||
#14 |
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CB |
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| Bill Belichick has traditionally liked cornerbacks who can do two things well: play man coverage and play press coverage. Joey Porter Jr. excels at both. He’s a solid athlete who had a lock-down career at Penn State, and his long arms make it hard for any receiver to get off of his press. He breaks up passes with ease, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he would turn into an elite NFL player with proper development from the New England coaching staff. | ||||
#15 |
|
OT |
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| Aaron Rodgers could be leaving the team this off-season, and that would leave the Packers with some interesting decisions to make. They will have to transition off of some older players who were here as part of the “win-now” mindset, and that could leave LT David Bakhtiari as a cap casualty for Green Bay. Even if he isn’t, the team will still need help on the offensive line. Paris Johnson has the versatility to play multiple positions, and his high athletic potential should be enough for the Packers to draft him in the first round. | ||||
#16 |
|
S |
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| Washington’s secondary has been a mess for multiple years now, and they’ll need to invest some real capital into changing that. They can start with Alabama’s Brian Branch. He has the ability to play either safety or slot cornerback at the next level, and his willingness as a run defender would add another level of intensity to Washington’s defense. | ||||
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#17 |
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OT |
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| Jones was a stellar player at Georgia, only allowing a few sacks over his entire collegiate career. The Steelers saw rookie QB Kenny Pickett flash some real potential last year, and they should now invest in his offensive line to ensure his health and give him time to throw the ball. Adding Jones to this offense seems like a slam-dunk pick for Pittsburgh, who hopes to be back in contention within a few years. | ||||
#18 |
|
TE |
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| Detroit grabbed Jalen Carter earlier in this mock to help shore up the defense a bit, so at this pick, they will feel comfortable taking someone to help out the offense. They had a clear void in their offense that was left when they traded T.J. Hockenson to the Vikings before the trade deadline, and Mayer would be the perfect fix to that. He’s the most pro-ready tight end we’ve seen come out of college in several years, and his presence on the team would add another element to this already-stellar offense. | ||||
#19 |
|
DT |
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| There were some concerns that Bresee wasn’t fully healthy coming out of last season, but he had a nice combine and seems to have silenced those narratives. Some teams will likely view him as a top-15 or even top-10 player, so the Bucs will be getting value by drafting him here. He has an elite mixture of speed and size for his position, and he’s just as good of a start to the team’s impending rebuild as anyone else. | ||||
#20 |
|
DL |
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| Kancey was another player who likely played himself into the first round at the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.67-second 40-yard dash at 6’1″/281 lbs, which gives him absolutely elite speed for any interior lineman. The Seahawks were able to grab Will Anderson Jr. earlier in this scenario, so if it works out like this, they could have a new, dynamic defensive line for 2023 and beyond. | ||||
#22 |
|
WR |
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| Flowers logged a 4.42-second 40-yard dash despite reportedly putting on 15 pounds of muscle before the combine, and he’s exactly what the Chargers need on offense. They’re missing high-end speed in their receiving group, and he brings a level of explosiveness and versatility that they haven’t had since before Justin Herbert was drafted. They already have an elite quarterback; now they just need to give him adequate weapons to utilize. | ||||
#23 |
|
WR |
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| Baltimore has countless question marks surrounding their roster going into the season, but there’s one thing that almost everyone should agree on: they need help at wide receiver. Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay are solid when on the field, but they’ve struggled with injuries and have voiced concerns about how they are being utilized. Addison didn’t have a great combine, and the Ravens could try to capitalize on his falling stock and get him without having to trade up at all. | ||||
#24 |
|
DE |
||
| Murphy may drop a bit after measuring in smaller at the combine than people expected, but the Vikings will stop his fall here. They desperately need help at basically every position on the defense, and Murphy would provide an immediate impact on the defensive line. His athletic potential is among the best in the class, and Minnesota would be smart to try to develop him into a game-changing player. | ||||
#25 |
|
RB |
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| The Bengals already have an elite young offensive core with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, but they could make it the best in the league by drafting Robinson. It makes sense in a lot of ways. Joe Mixon has been solid for a few years, but he has struggled to play like the elite back they’re paying him to be. They would save money by trading him and moving on to Robinson, and chances are likely that he’d be an upgrade on day one and make this team even stronger Super-Bowl contenders. | ||||
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#26 |
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LB |
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| It remains to be seen what the team will get done with Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, so I’m just going to roll with a defensive player for them here. They’ve needed help at the MLB position since Blake Martinez left the team a few years ago, and Campbell would be a perfect player to fill that void. He was one of the best backers in the nation as a traditional “Mike” guy at Iowa, and his above-average combine testing may be enough to propel him into first-round territory in April. | ||||
#27 |
|
LB |
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| Sanders didn’t test at the NFL Combine, but there still seems to be a lot of hype surrounding him and what he can do. He has proven to be more than capable as a traditional backer and as an edge rusher, and his versatility would be big for whatever team takes him. In this case it’s the Cowboys, who already have an elite defense but need to continue to invest in it if they want to keep it elite for years to come. | ||||
#28 |
|
OG |
||
| The interior of the offensive line is probably the weakest point on Buffalo’s offense. They have no difference-makers at the guard or center positions, and they’ve struggled to establish a run game between the tackles over the past few seasons. Taking Torrence would help the Bills to fix some of those problems and keep this offense among the league’s best in 2023. | ||||
#29 |
|
LB |
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| Smith was arguably the biggest winner out of anybody at the combine. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, and he showed scouts that he’s fully healthy after dealing with injuries last season. All of this will lead the Jaguars to take him at pick 28. They need somebody who can get to the quarterback outside of Josh Allen, and he could end up being a great player at the next level with the anomalous speed and athleticism he showcased at the combine. | ||||
#30 |
|
RB |
||
| This may seem surprising to some, but I think it’s the move to make for the Saints. Alvin Kamara is dealing with some serious legal issues that could lead to him missing part or all of the season next year, and he’s also playing on a massive contract. Pair all of that with the fact that he showed some real signs of regression last year, and you have plenty of reasons for New Orleans to take Gibbs in the first round, who is essentially an Alvin Kamara mini-me. | ||||
#31 |
|
DE |
||
| The Eagles have a rough off-season ahead of them. They have multiple key players on the defense slated to hit free agency, and they have no way to pay them. They’ll need to grab somebody young and cheap to help fill that void, and McDonald would be a perfect candidate for that. He had a great showing at the combine despite having a 100+ degree fever, and the speed and athletic profile he has established should be more than enough to get him into the first round. | ||||
#32 |
|
TE |
||
| Kansas City’s biggest need isn’t tight end, but it’s hard to ignore a guy like Darnell Washington. He measured in at almost 6’7″/265 lbs, and he still managed to run a 4.64 40-yard dash with a 10'2" broad jump and a 4.08 short shuttle. Those numbers are absolutely astounding for a player of his size, and that will lead Kansas City to taking him in the bottom of the first round. They already have Travis Kelce, but his unique skill set could play alongside Kelce and could possibly create the most dangerous tight-end tandem we’ve seen in years. | ||||