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As the NFL new league year kicked off on March 13th, there are new faces in new places. The NFL Combine, first wave of free agency, and a good amount of collegiate pro days are already in the past.
Justin Fields and Russell Wilson will compete for the starting job in Pittsburgh. Kirk Cousins heads to the ATL to take on presumably the final adventure of his career. Saquan Barkley leaves New York speechless by heading to Philadelphia. Christian Wilkins, Keenan Allen, Calvin Ridley, Brian Burns, Danielle Hunter and many others are headed around the NFL to play in new cities for new teams.
After all this chaos that has taken place over the last few weeks, it’s time to treat you all to yet another NFL Mock Draft.
Pick 1: Chicago Bears (via CAR) select Caleb Williams, QB, USC.
Ryan Poles solidified his plan by trading away Justin Fields to Pittsburgh. Caleb Williams walks into a great situation with weapons surrounding him.
Pick 2: Washington Commanders select Drake Maye, QB, UNC.
While many claim Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy will be this pick, I still believe Washington goes with Drake Maye. An extremely talented player who is a big project. I fully expect him to sit behind Mariota for a year.
Pick 3: New England Patriots select Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU.
Pro ready passer with experience. I expect Daniels to start day one, but New England must add weapons or expect year one struggles.
Pick 4: Arizona Cardinals select Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State.
I think it’s going to take three firsts to knock Arizona out of this selection and I don’t know if Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is willing to pay that price. Pick 11 and 23 will not be enough for Arizona to pass on the best wide receiver prospect in a long time.
Pick 5: New York Giants (via LAC) select JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan.
Jim Harbaugh wants to sit back and have his choice of tackle or wide receiver at pick five, but the phones will be ringing for this pick. Minnesota is a team I could see moving up for this pick, but with the desperation of Joe Schoen and Harbaugh’s urge to stay closer to the top of the draft board, this is how I think it goes down. Pick No. 6 and pick 70 should get this done.
Pick 6: Los Angeles Chargers (via NYG) select Joe Alt, Tackle, Notre Dame.
Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt could immediately become the best tackle duo in the NFL and that makes both Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh very happy. Combine this with a strong Harbaugh run game and the Chargers are looking strong. They can find a talented weapon later at pick 37, 69, or 70.
Pick 7: New York Jets (via TEN) select Malik Nabers, WR, LSU.
Joe Douglas puts all his chips in on Aaron Rodgers trading up for the outstanding receiver out of LSU. Garrett Wilson and Malik Nabers will be a nightmare for defenses in the AFC. Well, at least for one season depending on Aaron Rodgers battle with Father Time.
Pick 8: Atlanta Falcons select Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama.
Atlanta is ready to be in full control of the NFC South after the additions of Kirk Cousins and Darnell Mooney to pair with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson. Pass rush has always been limited in Atlanta and new head coach Raheem Morris won’t stand for that. Dallas Turner helps turn the tables.
Pick 9: Chicago Bears select Rome Odunze, WR, Washington.
Chicago has plenty of options here at nine. They could get the second swing at pass rusher or tackle. Instead, they take the third swing at receiver and draft Rome Odunze out of Washington. Keenen Allen is 32 and on a one year deal. While I believe Chicago still tries to extend him, it’s better to have a strong back up plan. Caleb Williams will have no struggle finding someone open.
Pick 10: Tennessee Titans (via NYJ) select Taliese Fuaga, Tackle, Oregon State.
If the Ran Carthon wants to make the Will Levis experiment work, he must keep him upright. Tennessee has a solid receiving core and now they bolster up the offensive line with Taliese Fuaga. Most say he can play inside in year one to learn, but I think you can throw him outside from the jump.
Pick 11: Minnesota Vikings select Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State.
Jared Verse is an athletic freak that Brian Flores will use all over the place. Him alongside Jonathan Greenard will be very scary for opposing tackles.
Pick 12: Cincinnati Bengals (via DEN) select Brock Bowers, Tight end, Georgia.
I once again have Denver trading back, not up, like some do. This team is in desperate need of valuable capital and Cincinnati will be foaming at the mouth to jump up for the best tight end prospect since Kyle Pitts. Bowers comes in and has a day one impact for Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
Pick 13: Las Vegas Raiders select Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Tackle, Penn State.
Fashanu has had a roller coaster of a draft process. He went from arguably the best prospect of this class to looking outside of the top ten. Regardless of all the noise, I think Olu still has elite potential and will be a phenomenal choice for Las vegas.
Pick 14: New Orleans Saints select JC Latham, Tackle, Alabama.
Trevor Penning busting and Terron Armstead’s departure a while back leaves the Saints desperate for protection. The Saints waste no time as the tackles start flying off the boards and take Latham.
Pick 15: Indianapolis Colts select Terrion Arnold, DB, Alabama.
Back to back players from the Crimson Tide go here at 14 and 15. Terrion slightly slips due to his low 40 yard dash, but in my eyes he’s still the best defensive back in the draft.
Pick 16: Seattle Seahawks select Troy Fautanu, Tackle, Washington.
Fautanu can let his real estate agent know their services are no longer necessary staying right in his collegiate backyard of Seattle. Fautanu will move inside immediately with no clear starter at left guard.
Pick 17: Jacksonville Jaguars select Quinyon Mitchell, DB, Toledo.
The lightning fast Mitchell will have an immediate impact in Jacksonville’s secondary. The youngest quarterback division in football needs defensive backs to stir the pot, and Mitchell will do just that.
Pick 18: Denver Broncos (via CIN) select Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington.
Bam, there it is. Sean Payton finds a very experienced rookie with a limited ceiling. Penix has great tools to thrive in Payton’s system, and George Paton makes the perfect move of regaining draft capital, while potentially buying himself time by drafting a quarterback.
Pick 19: Los Angeles Rams select Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas.
Exit Aaron Donald, enter Byron Murphy. Now I’ll be the first one to tell you the odds of Murphy living up to arguably the greatest defender ever is slim to none, but he can have a real year one impact and ease the loss.
Pick 20: Pittsburgh Steelers select Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU.
The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired two of the best deep ball throwers in football by trading for Justin Fields, and signing Russell Wilson. Brian Thomas Jr. is maybe the best deep ball receiver in the draft. A match made in heaven. Just don’t expect much over the middle from either Thomas Jr. or the quarterback room.
Pick 21: Detroit Lions (via MIA) select Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA.
Detroit needs to keep its foot on the pedal with both Green Bay and Chicago improving around them. Another pass rusher to play opposite of Aiden Hutchinson is exactly something Detroit needs to keep the fire going. Latu might be the best pass rusher in the class but his injury history could scare him right into Detroit's hands.
Pick 22: Philadelphia Eagles select Nate Wiggins, DB, Clemson.
One of the better hip to hip cover guys in the draft heads to Philadelphia to improve their horrendous pass defense from last season. The scheme may have been the issue, but some youth in the mix like Nate Wiggins could never hurt.
Pick 23: Minnesota Vikings (via HOU via CLE) select Bo Nix, QB, Oregon.
Some might say this is a desperation move, but with a roster like Minnesota’s, they can afford a move like this. If they miss out on trading up for one of the top tier quarterbacks I think this is a smart move. Nix can go in and compete with Sam Darnold day one and has the weapons to keep Minnesota afloat. If all else fails, the Vikings could find themselves in a situation to draft one of the top quarterbacks in next year's class.
Pick 24: Dallas Cowboys select Jackson Powers-Johnson, Center, Oregon.
Maybe the best all around player in the draft finds his way into the hands of Jerry Jones. Dallas doesn’t have a lot of holes, but this is a huge hole filled. Whether Dak is back next year or not, someone will love taking snaps from Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Pick 25: Green Bay Packers select Amarius Mims, Tackle, Georgia.
After the legendary David Bakhtiari retires, it’s only fitting that Green Bay looks to improve the protection of breakout quarterback Jordan Love. Mims is the guy to do so.
Pick 26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State.
Robinson is another one of the modern, athletic pass rushers who has a very high ceiling. Tampa Bay needs to improve their pass rush after the loss of Shaquille Barrett, and I fully expect Todd Bowles to get the best out of Robinson.
Pick 27: Arizona Cardinals (via HOU) select Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois.
Arizona needs help all across the board. After getting Kyler Murray a brand new weapon, it’s time for Jonathan Gannon to treat himself with a defensive stud like Newton. Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols are great rotational guys, but Newton will be the true force from the middle.
Pick 28: Buffalo Bills select Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas.
Now this may come as a surprise after the Curtis Samuel signing, but Stefon Diggs is a wild card who could bounce at any given moment. Even if Diggs doesn’t leave, he’s going to be 31 midseason and Josh Allen could dominate with this three headed monster.
Pick 29: Miami Dolphins (via DET) select Graham Barton, Tackle, Duke.
The inside of Miami’s offensive line was ransacked this offseason with Robert Hunt headed to Carolina, and Connor Williams looking to cost too much for Chris Grier’s pockets. Graham Barton will be a nice quick fix. Barton is considered to be fully expendable and able to play all five offensive line positions. The swiss army knife of the offensive line prospects will be a huge help for Miami.
Pick 30: Baltimore Ravens select Tyler Guyton, Tackle, Oklahoma.
Patrick Queen and Geno Stone took off for division rivals so taking the first linebacker or safety could be in play here, but they continue to improve the offensive trenches around Lamar Jackson.
Pick 31: San Francisco 49ers select Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa.
Cooper DeJean to San Francisco just seems safe. DeJean will go into a Super Bowl defense, learn from some great minds, and have an easy transition thanks to his all-pro peers.
Pick 32: Kansas City Chiefs select Kool-Aid McKinstry, DB, Alabama.
L’Jarius Sneed had opposing wide receivers checked every single game. With the Chiefs having to trade Sneed to Tennessee, they’re going to need a confident guy to fill that role. With a name like Kool-Aid, confidence comes naturally.
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