Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, QB, Southern California
The consensus number one pick will have a young, tweener type of roster to work with. The situation in Chicago reminds me of Houston’s going into last year’s draft. I believe Williams will plug in and immediately make Chicago a team to watch in the wild card race.
Washington Commanders: Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Maye has been the consensus number two pick for a year, draft guys are starting to shift towards Jayden Daniels in the two slot, but Maye’s youth and pure ability still lead me to lean towards the signal caller out of North Carolina. Kliff Kingsbury will have another chance to develop a high caliber QB prospect.
New England Patriots: Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State
The best receiving prospect since perhaps Calvin Johnson, Harrison will have a marquee billing to live up to. I believe he’ll do it, this player in my view is a taller Justin Jefferson. New England signed a qualified, capable bridge QB in Jacoby Brissett on Monday, giving New England the opportunity to select an elite receiver prospect at 3.
Arizona Cardinals: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Nabers is an electric prospect. His speed is striking, his routes are fluid, he’s the total package. I’m starting to see a narrative that suggests Nabers isn’t the WR2 in this class. I don’t agree with that in the slightest. Nabers will slide into the WR1 role in Arizona seamlessly and will form a dangerous duo with Kyler Murray, who in my view has become the most underrated player in football.
Los Angeles Chargers: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Odunze is a super fun prospect, with Mike Williams likely out the door in LA, Odunze would be a great fit on the outside for Justin Herbert. Odunze possesses all the skills to be an X receiver at the next level and showed off his excellent athleticism at the combine in Indianapolis.
New York Giants: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
The Giants seem to be trending towards a divorce with Daniel Jones, given the opportunity to replace him with the Heisman trophy winner, I think Joe Schoen and company jump at that chance. The Giants made a win now move to nab Brian Burns from Carolina, Daniels could come in and find some instant success in East Rutherford.
Minnesota Vikings (via Tennessee): JJ Mccarthy, QB, Michigan
With the loss of Kirk Cousins, Minnesota is now firmly in the QB conversation come draft time. I have Minnesota moving up with Tennessee to acquire national championship winning signal caller JJ McCarthy. This is a player who in my view would be an excellent fit for Kevin O’Connell’s new age offense. With the addition of Sam Darnold, McCarthy will be afforded the Luxury to sit and learn for a season before being thrust into starting action. I have Minnesota trading pick 11, 42, and a 2025 2nd round pick to Tennessee to make the deal happen.
Atlanta Falcons: Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Atlanta hasn’t used a premium selection to invest in this premium of a position in a good while. I have them making Dallas Turner, a freak athlete pass rusher the first defensive player off the board. Raheem Morris showed a knack for getting production out of rookie pass rushers this past season in Los Angeles. Turner’s talent along with Morris’ coaching will be a dangerous combination for the new favorites in the NFC South.
Chicago Bears: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Chicago isn’t afforded the luxury of one of the top three receivers here at 9, but Bowers is an exceptional tight end prospect that can elevate a passing game right off the bat. Bowers at 9 would be a win for the Bears if the third wide receiver isn’t on the board.
New York Jets: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
Alt is an ultra-safe prospect, he does everything well with few flaws. This would be a “sprint the card in” selection for the Jets at 10. Aaron Rodgers gets a blindside protector.
Tennessee Titans (Via Minnesota): Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
The board didn’t fall the way the Titans wanted, as I believe they are in on this wide receiver class. With 3 wide outs being taken before pick 7 I had Tennessee moving down and selecting Olu Fashanu. Fashanu’s potential is staggering and this prospect is firmly in play for Tennessee at 7 if they ultimately decide to stick and pick. With Bill Callahan’s tutelage, this could end up being an all pro player for the Titans.
Philadelphia Eagles (Via Denver): Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
Philly needs to be serious about improving its secondary. I have Philadelphia moving up to 12 to pick the big time corner prospect out of Clemson. Wiggins fits the profile of a Fangio style corner and has every tool in his bag despite the low weigh in number being a concern.
Las Vegas Raiders: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Mims did everything expected and more at the combine. This is an athletic freak who can man a tackle spot in the NFL for a long time. With Vegas losing Jermaine Eleumanor, I have them selecting his replacement in Amarius Mims.
New Orleans Saints: Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
Verse fits the Saints pass rush profile like a glove. I’ll continue to mock this pick until draft day as I think it’s one of the more likely destinations in the top 15. New Orleans finally gets some stability out of one of their first round pass rusher selections.
Indianapolis Colts: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Indianapolis needs to add to their CB room, I believe Arnold will be a number 1 corner in the NFL. A pairing of Arnold and Juju Brents in Indy would be formidable going forward. Arnold brings size, good speed, and elite instincts to the position. This would be an ideal fit for the Colts.
Seattle Seahawks: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Seattle’s tackles struggled last season, adding Fuaga to the OL as a guard then kicking him to tackle if struggles continue for Seattle seems like a rock solid plan. Adding this piece could solidify the room for Ryan Grubb and company.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Losing Darious Williams is a big loss for Jacksonville, adding a high level prospect like Mitchell would be a big win for the Jags. This would lock down both corner spots as Tyson Campbell continues to develop into a top young corner in the league.
Cincinnati Bengals: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
D.J. Reader seems to be on the way out, Although Murphy and Reader are completely different players, supplementing the loss of Reader with a talent like Murphy could keep that position in a good spot for Cincinnati down the road.
Los Angeles Rams: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
The Rams need to continue to build their defense as the Matt Stafford, Aaron Donald led contention window enters its final stages. Latu wins in a variety of ways off the edge. He’ll slide into a Rams defense that overachieved last season, Latu will help make it a formidable unit yet again.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Cooper Dejean, DB, Iowa
Dejean is a versatile playmaker in the defensive backfield. Having a talent like Dejean alongside another unicorn type player in the secondary like Minkah Fitzpatrick would be ideal for Pittsburgh. A core group of Fitzpatrick, Dejean, and Joey Porter Jr. would help keep that Pittsburgh defense among the top of the league.
Miami Dolphins: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
The Dolphins lost Robert Hunt to free agency which means they’ll need reinforcements on the O-line. With Terron Armstead likely hanging it up after next season, drafting Fautanu to play guard and then kick to tackle would be advantageous to Mike Mcdaniel. Fautanu showed elite movement skills at the combine and has made himself a sure fire first round selection.
Denver Broncos (via Philadelphia): Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Nix and Sean Payton seem like a perfect marriage. You know what you’re getting with Bo Nix, which was quite the contrary with Russell Wilson. Nix has a great set of skills to be a point guard and get the football out quickly to his first read. Payton is known to make the offense easy for his QB. I could definitely see Nix becoming a Brock Purdy type player. Now Denver just needs to surround him with weapons. In the trade with Philly, they gain multiple picks to do so.
Houston Texans: Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Texas
Thomas is an elite athlete who can do so much for a football team. Adding Thomas to a core of Nico Collins and Tank Dell would be a perfect mix of styles for CJ Stroud to work with. Being able to add this type of talent to an already immensely talented young squad would make the Texans an AFC Contender.
Dallas Cowboys: J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama
With the loss of Tyron Smith, the Cowboys will be looking to add to this front five. Latham is a guy who can play right tackle or slide into guard. Tyler Smith looks to be the future LT for Dallas, but if Terrence Steele continues to struggle at RT, Latham could kick out there and Dallas could have two book end players for Dak Prescott to work behind.
Green Bay Packers: Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
I’d had Green Bay penciled in to take a DB for most of the draft cycle, but with the addition of Xavier Mckinney, and the loss of Jon Runyan, why not take the most polished interior offensive lineman in the class here at 25? JPJ gives positional versatility across all 3 interior spots and will give Jordan Love an anchor to shut down the growing number of high level interior rushers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Shaq Barrett is out the door which leaves a question mark at the edge spot for Tampa. I have Todd Bowles taking a similar approach to the selection as he had last year with Calijah Kancey, which is to prioritize athleticism. Robinson may lack production, but he makes up for it with staggering athleticism that will make anyone’s head turn. Look for Tampa to add to their edge group come April.
Arizona Cardinals: Kool-Aid Mckinstry, CB, Alabama
Arizona’s secondary needs major improvement. They added Sean Murphy-Bunting, but that doesn’t solve all their problems. Bringing in a guy like Kool-Aid would add stability to a room that can be pretty up and down. I like the upside of Garrett Williams, giving him a running mate in Kool-Aid Mckinstry could help the Cardinals solidify the DB room for Jonathan Gannon’s defense. The fit would be seamless as well, as Gannon calls a quarters heavy defense, and Mckinstry comes from the king of the quarters coverage system, Nick Saban.
Buffalo Bills: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
With Gabe Davis leaving, the Bills need for receiver grows even larger. Adonai Mitchell is a draft crush of mine. His smoothness is really what sticks out when you watch him. He ran a blazing 4.34 40 time, he’s nearly 6’4, there’s a ton to like about Mitchell. I also view him as a very clutch player who’s made plays in big time championship games. The Bills will likely be playing in these types of settings, Mitchell wouldn’t be flustered, he’d be poised to help his team win.
Detroit Lions: Jer’Zhan Newton, IDL, Illinois
The pass rush in Detroit is solid, but could use a boost. Alim Mcneill broke out into the elite discussion last season, Aidan Hutchinson looks poised to become a top 10 edge player. Johnny Newton would add another finesse/speed element to Detroit’s rush. Giving the NFC championship runner up yet another young chess piece on the defensive front. Newton to Detroit is a fit I’m very fond of.
Baltimore Ravens: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Coleman’s 40 time was a big story coming out of the combine, but even though that number wasn’t where he wanted it to be, his gauntlet drill looked quite honestly, impeccable. Coleman’s ability to track the football and make plays without having a great deal of separation is impressive. This is a player I think Lamar Jackson would love to have in his core group of weapons. Coleman to Baltimore seems like a match made in heaven.
San Francisco 49ers: Graham Barton, OL, Duke
San Francisco’s offensive line cost them the chance to win the Super Bowl this February. It’s concerning how little they’ve invested in that group lately. With Trent Williams career coming to its final chapter, it’s time for the 49ers to rebuild their front five. That starts with Graham Barton, this is a player who can play all 5 positions, and has flexibility to help a team like San Fran at any position in a pinch. I think eventually he’s the team’s right tackle, but he can do whatever Kyle Shanahan needs.
Kansas City Chiefs: Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
What a fit this would be. Patrick Mahomes needs more help than what he got from his receivers last season, with the release of Marquez Valdez-Scantling it seems obvious KC is looking for wide out in the draft. Ladd McConkey is extremely fast, intelligent, and has great hands. This player would provide Mahomes with another safety blanket. The contrast in style between Rashee Rice, Travis Kelce, and Ladd McConkey would give defenses an incredibly difficult week of game planning. McConkey to KC is something nobody in the league would want to see.
Carolina Panthers: Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky
With the final pick of the mock I have Carolina selecting Malachi Corley out of Western Kentucky. The Panthers completely rebuilt the interior of their OL in free agency and now its up to them to give Bryce Young sufficient weaponry to work with in the pass game. Corley is the right type of player to go to an offense this poor. He’s able to win quickly and make things happen after the catch. Corley would fit well with Bryce Young, who struggled to make plays through the air in year 1. This would be a good pairing in my opinion.