MOCK NFL DRAFTS
| Pick | Team | Pos | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 |
|
QB |
||
| The Panthers made a big move this week by trading a monster package for the first-overall pick, and I think that they’re going for Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. They just saw him have a monster combine in Indianapolis last week, and he fits the typical mold for a Frank Reich quarterback. His accuracy and high football IQ are both exceptional and would certainly be appealing to a QB-needy team like the Panthers with the first pick in the draft. | ||||
#2 |
|
QB |
||
| There were some concerns that Houston may have lost out on getting “their guy” in the draft when they won their final game of the season to lose the first-overall pick, but everything will end up okay in the end. They’ll get Bryce Young to fall to them at the second pick, and I think that has been their guy throughout this entire process. He has the most pro-ready skill set of any quarterback in this class, and the team seems to be gearing up to draft a rookie quarterback by acquiring Robert Woods to be a reliable safety blanket at receiver. | ||||
#3 |
|
QB |
||
| The Panthers trading up to the first pick will leave all other QB-needy teams in desperation. The top two guys in this class will almost certainly be off the board at picks one and two, and that will leave Arizona with a good opportunity to trade their pick to a team who doesn’t want to miss their chance on a top rookie QB. In this case, that’s the Raiders. They cut Derek Carr and will be looking for a long-term solution at the quarterback position, and they may be willing to trade a lot for a high-upside guy like Richardson, who had a historic combine performance last week. They’d be smart to grab a veteran like Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency to start for a year or two while they work on developing the talented, but raw Richardson. | ||||
#4 |
|
QB |
||
| Is this class of quarterbacks actually good enough to warrant a sweep of the top four? I personally don’t think so. But the need is definitely there. The Colts need a quarterback as bad as any other team, and they’re in a rough position with the fourth pick. They can get a good player, but the top 2-3 options will be off the board, leaving Indy with whoever’s left. In this case, that’s Will Levis. He has sky-high potential and could become an elite NFL player, but he also still struggles in many areas of the game and may take a few years to reach his full potential. | ||||
#5 |
|
LB |
||
| With a run on quarterbacks expected to happen in the top 3-4 picks in this year’s draft, Seattle is in prime position to benefit off of that. They don’t need a rookie QB after recently signing Geno Smith to a contract extension, and they’ll get the luxury of taking their pick of the litter for non-quarterbacks in this draft. Here, it’s Will Anderson from Alabama. He was an absolute dominator all throughout his collegiate career, and he’s the type of player that can come in and transform a defense on day one of his rookie year. | ||||
#6 |
|
CB |
||
| Porter doesn’t get a lot of attention in the draft community, but he is silently one of the best players in this class. He has an ideal build for the position at 6’2"/195 lbs, and he also measured in at the combine with 34" arms, which would be among some of the longest in the NFL. He was a lock-down corner in his time at Penn State and played well against some of the top receivers in the nation, and there’s little doubt in my mind that he’d succeed on a high-intensity team like the Lions. | ||||
#7 |
|
DL |
||
| This scenario would be almost perfect for the Arizona Cardinals. They have an impending rebuild, so trading back to accumulate more draft capital and still getting a blue-chip prospect in the trenches in Jalen Carter would be ideal. They still have a lot of work to do before they can be considered real contenders again, but this would be a great start in getting Kyler Murray and Co. back in the playoffs. | ||||
#8 |
|
LB |
||
| Falcons fans probably want Atlanta to grab a quarterback in this year’s draft, but that will be a tall task for them with the eighth-overall pick. The top four guys are gone in this scenario, so they will instead look to invest in the defense. Tyree Wilson is garnering hype as one of the top defensive players in this class thanks to his elite length and play strength, and he would add some real energy to an otherwise uninspiring Falcons’ defense. | ||||
|
|
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#9 |
|
OT |
||
| The Bears no longer have a need at the wide receiver position after acquiring D.J. Moore as part of the package for the first-overall pick, so they’ll instead look to help Justin Fields by drafting someone to protect him. Paris Johnson, Fields' former teammate at Ohio State, would be perfect for that. He has a high athletic ceiling and the ability to play all over the line, and he may be the answer to one of Chicago’s biggest needs. | ||||
#10 |
|
CB |
||
| James Bradberry seems set to leave in free agency, C.J. Gardner-Johnson is also presumably leaving in free agency, and the front office has given Darius Slay permission to seek a trade. Simply put, Philadelphia’s secondary is in shambles. They will need to bring in cheap help to fill some of these voids, and they will do just that with Witherspoon. He was one of the hardest-hitting cornerbacks in college football and also excelled as a coverage guy last year, and there’s little doubt that he will be a quality starter at the NFL level. | ||||
#11 |
|
OT |
||
| Tennessee released their long-time starting left tackle Taylor Lewan this off-season, and they’ll be looking to start fresh with somebody in free agency or the draft. Skoronski was among college football’s best pass protectors last season despite playing for a dismal Northwestern team, and he could come in and be a difference maker on this offense on day one. Some are concerned with his arm length and believe he will be limited to the interior of the line at the NFL level, but even if that’s the case, his presence would still be a big boost for the Titans’ offensive line. | ||||
#12 |
|
WR |
||
| After an outstanding combine where he logged exceptional numbers in the 3-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is finally getting some of the respect he deserves in this year’s class of receivers. He’s not the consensus top guy by any means, but he’s getting more recognition and is jumping up draft boards everywhere. The Texans won’t be shy to take him. They still need help at the receiver position even after signing Robert Woods, and JSN paired with Bryce Young could create one of the best young QB-WR tandems in football. | ||||
#13 |
|
TE |
||
| It’s New York or bust for Aaron Rodgers, and in this scenario, Green Bay gets a deal done with the Jets to send them Aaron Rodgers in exchange for their first-round pick. With that pick, the Packers will take the top tight end in the class, Michael Mayer. He is one of the safest picks in this year’s draft, and he would be an immediate difference maker at a position of need for the Packers, who will be undergoing a partial rebuild with Jordan Love at the helm. | ||||
#14 |
|
CB |
||
| In typical Bill Belichick fashion, the Patriots will trade back in the first round. The Steelers are in need of a cornerback in this year’s draft, and they won’t be shy to trade up for Christian Gonzalez, who is the last of the tier-one cornerbacks left on the board. He has extremely fluid hips and tested very well at the combine, and he could fix up some minor errors in his game and become a great player with a bit of coaching from Mike Tomlin and the Steelers’ coaching staff up in Pittsburgh. | ||||
#15 |
|
DE |
||
| Murphy will fall down draft boards a bit after measuring in smaller at the combine than many expected, but he’s still a great player and will almost certainly be taken in the first round. The Packers will be the team to do it in this mock. They lacked the ability to consistently put pressure on the quarterback last year even when everyone was healthy, and it only got worse when Rashan Gary went down with a torn ACL. Murphy would help to fix some of their woes on the edge and shore up this defensive line for years to come. | ||||
#16 |
|
RB |
||
| It’s clear that the Bills really want Bijan Robinson, and they’ll probably do whatever they need to to get him. I mean, they took him out for dinner before his pro-day; they obviously think he’d be a difference maker for their offense. And they’d probably be right. They’ve been lacking a solid rushing attack for basically as long as Josh Allen has been in town, and a blue-chip talent like Robinson would probably be enough to instantly change that. They will likely need to trade up to actually make that happen, but I think that’s something they’d be willing to do. | ||||
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|
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#17 |
|
OT |
||
| It’s not a flashy pick, but it is a New England pick. They need help at left tackle after the failed Isaiah Wynn experiment, and Broderick Jones from Georgia seems like a player they would get enamored with. He is very capable of moving players in the running game and is mobile enough to pull well, and he was also very productive as a pass blocker in college. The Patriots will take him in hopes that they’ve finally found their long-term solution at left tackle. | ||||
#18 |
|
LB |
||
| The Lions are all about speed, youth, and energy. That’s the culture that Dan Campbell is building in Detroit, and Trenton Simpson would fit that perfectly. He tested extremely well at the NFL combine, and he got experience as both a pass rusher and a coverage guy in his time at Clemson. He’s a swiss-army knife type of player that can be used in multiple positions on the defense, and Detroit would be wise to double-up on defense in this year’s draft to avoid being a bottom-five defense again in 2023. | ||||
#19 |
|
DT |
||
| Tampa Bay is doomed to undergo a multi-year rebuild after losing Tom Brady and being stuck with a deteriorating roster, so they better just embrace it. No flashy picks from them here in the first round, but they'll instead do the smart thing and start building through the trenches. Bresee addressed many of the concerns about his health and mobility with a great combine, and the Buccaneers should feel comfortable taking a great defensive line prospect to start their rebuild. | ||||
#20 |
|
WR |
||
| I don’t think Seattle will go into the draft looking to grab another wide receiver, but they won’t be able to pass up the opportunity to pair DK Metcalf and Quentin Johnston at pick 20. They just signed veteran Geno Smith to a contract extension, and it would be smart for them to continue to surround him with weapons to optimize his chances for success. An offense featuring Ken Walker, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Quentin Johnston would arguably boast the league’s most dangerous skill-position players. | ||||
#22 |
|
WR |
||
| This pick is just too easy for me to make. It’s a clear fit. The Chargers need somebody who plays with speed and has RAC ability on their offense, and Zay Flowers excels at both of those things. Justin Herbert is an elite young quarterback, almost everyone agrees on that. Now, Los Angeles just needs to make sure they’re doing everything they can to set him up for success. | ||||
#23 |
|
WR |
||
| I don’t like to mock Jordan Addison to the Ravens because I’m not sure he plays much of a different role than Devin Duvernay currently does, but it is their biggest position of need, so I’ll let it slide. Addison lowered his stock at the combine with an underwhelming 40 time and other sub-par measurables, but he still looked pretty awesome on tape, so he shouldn’t slide too far back in the first round. | ||||
#24 |
|
CB |
||
| Minnesota will be losing multiple key players on their defense for next season, and it was rather underwhelming last year to begin with. They simply need more talent on that side of the ball, and they should look to get Cam Smith if he falls to them at their pick. He’s a bigger cornerback who showed a lot of fire in college, and he’s somebody who could help transform Minnesota’s secondary within just a few short seasons. | ||||
#25 |
|
OG |
||
| Things are looking up for the Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence emerged as their franchise quarterback, Evan Engram proved that he can be a high-end NFL tight end, and the offense will be adding Calvin Ridley for next season as well. Their skill positions are set; now they just need to work on fixing up the offensive line a bit. Luckily for them, O’Cyrus Torrence fell to them in this scenario, and he would be one of the better starters on their line in his first year. He didn’t allow even a single sack throughout his entire collegiate career, and his presence would go a long way in keeping Lawrence upright in the pocket. | ||||
|
|
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#26 |
|
TE |
||
| Tight ends usually have a hard time finding their way into the first round, but Washington may not have much of an issue being selected in the back of the first. He’s a physical anomaly at the position, standing at 6’7"/265lbs and still running a 4.64 40-yard dash and a 4.08 short shuttle at the combine. Those numbers are unprecedented and never seen before at the tight end position, so it’s easy to see why someone would take him with a high pick. In this case it will be the Giants, who just signed Daniel Jones to an extension and will be looking to surround him with weapons. | ||||
#27 |
|
LB |
||
| Micah Parsons has been serving primarily as an edge rusher for the Cowboys over the past couple of seasons, and that has left them without a true “Mike” linebacker in the middle of the field. Jack Campbell was arguably the nation’s best linebacker at Iowa last year, and after a great showing at the combine, he projects to be a borderline first-round pick and a day-one starter for whoever drafts him. | ||||
#28 |
|
S |
||
| Branch might fall down draft boards a bit after his underwhelming combine, but he’s still a first-round pick, and the Commanders will stop his fall here. He can play as either a slot cornerback or a safety at the next level, and Washington could use help at both of those positions. He brings high energy and intensity to the field, and that’s one thing that the Commanders have been missing for the past season or two. | ||||
#29 |
|
DL |
||
| The Bengals are pretty set on offense with Joe Burrow at the helm and both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins out wide, so now they should look into investing in the defense. They weren’t great at stopping the run last year, and they especially struggled to get any sort of a push up the middle. Calijah Kancey, who’s been drawing many comparisons to Aaron Donald, would be an ideal fix to that. He showed great mobility at the combine and likely played himself into the first round, and he would be a great fit on the tackle-needy Bengals. | ||||
#30 |
|
LB |
||
| The Saints now have their quarterback for the foreseeable future in Derek Carr, and now they will just need to work on shoring up a few other positions of weakness if they want to run away with the NFC South. One of those positions is edge rusher. Cameron Jordan still has his moments, but he’s clearly aging and his time is limited in New Orleans. Nolan Smith is garnering a lot of hype after an elite performance at the combine, and he could be just what the Saints are looking for on their defensive line. | ||||
#31 |
|
RB |
||
| Miles Sanders seems set to look for new opportunities in free agency, and the Eagles won’t want to pay him what he wants anyways. They could look to grab a cheap veteran in free agency, but they would be better off using a draft pick on a talented rookie. Jahmyr Gibbs has a versatile skill set that allows him to thrive as both a rusher and a pass catcher, and he would help make this offense even more dynamic than it was in 2022. | ||||
#32 |
|
OT |
||
| The Chiefs have done well in investing in their offensive line over the past few seasons, and they may need to do it again this year. Both Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie are set to hit the open market when free agency opens, and it seems like they may end up losing both of them. They will need to bring in multiple players to help fill that vid, and a great candidate for that would be Darnell Wright. He had a great career as a Vol and played well against some of the nation’s best edge rushers, and he would be great at helping Patrick Mahomes stay clean in the pocket. | ||||