MOCK NFL DRAFTS
| Pick | Team | Pos | Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 |
|
QB |
||
| There’s a good chance that Chicago will look to trade this pick, and I think the Colts are perfect suitors. They’re in desperate need of a promising young quarterback, and they have plenty of capital to trade to make that happen. Bryce Young has everything going for him except for his sub-par size, but Indianapolis will be more than willing to look past that and take him with the first pick in the draft. | ||||
#2 |
|
QB |
||
| It’s not a flashy move, but it’s the pick to make if you’re the Texans. They’re one of a handful of teams in the league that are desperate for a quarterback, but they shouldn’t have any issues addressing that with the second-overall pick. Stroud is perhaps the safest quarterback prospect in this entire class, and his mere presence would prove to benefit Houston’s offense tremendously. | ||||
#3 |
|
DL |
||
| The Cardinals would ideally like to trade out of this pick, but they won’t get the kind of package they want with the top two quarterbacks off the board. They have needs all over the field, so they can’t really go wrong with whoever they take at this pick. In this case, they will just go for their top-ranked player left on the board in Jalen Carter. He’s one of the best defensive tackle prospects we’ve seen in years and would be an instant contributor on a lackluster Arizona defense. | ||||
#4 |
|
OT |
||
| Skoronski is a guy that hasn’t been getting a lot of attention in the media in the draft process so far, but he’s certainly worthy of a top-ten pick. He was an absolute dominator in his collegiate career at Northwestern University. He allowed just six pressures and one sack over the course of the season in 2022, and he’s been solid as a run blocker as well. The Bears would make a wise decision investing in someone like Skoronski to protect Justin Fields’ blind side. | ||||
#5 |
|
LB |
||
| Will Anderson Jr. falling to the fifth pick would be a layup for the Seahawks. They’ve been missing a premier edge defender for multiple years on end now, and he’s arguably a top-three player overall in this class. The impact he would have on day one would be sizable, and Anderson would just add to the pile of young talent that Seattle has accumulated on both sides of the ball over the past couple of seasons. | ||||
#6 |
|
CB |
||
| Witherspoon is one of the hottest risers of the off-season so far, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go this high. He was an absolute lock-down cornerback in his time at Illinois, and there’s no reason to think that he won’t do the same in the NFL. Head coach Dan Campbell is in the process of building a new culture in Detroit, and Witherspoon’s high intensity and active motor would be a perfect fit for the Lions’ young defense. | ||||
#7 |
|
LB |
||
| The Packers seem to desperately want to move on from Aaron Rodgers, and in this scenario, they do just that. They trade him to the Raiders, who seem very interested in reuniting him with Davante Adams in Las Vegas. The Packers will score this pick for Rodgers straight-up, and they will opt to take Tyree Wilson with it, whose big frame and sky-high potential would be enough to shore up this defensive front for years to come. | ||||
#8 |
|
DE |
||
| Atlanta could take a quarterback here, but none of the options left on the board will be that appealing to them. Instead, they will choose to take Clemson’s Myles Murphy instead. Murphy is a big-time playmaker with a high athletic ceiling, and his mix of safety and upside at an important position will be appealing to a rebuilding team like the Falcons. | ||||
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#9 |
|
QB |
||
| This pick would be a little weird, but it’s something the Panthers would do. Will Levis seems very similar to Sam Darnold in a lot of ways, but the team will take him with hopes that he can develop better than Darnold ever did. Carolina has been stuck as a below-average team for multiple consecutive years at this point, so they need to make a big move like this to try to break free from this cycle of mediocrity they’ve found themselves in. | ||||
#10 |
|
CB |
||
| There’s a good chance that James Bradberry ends up leaving the team in free agency this year, and that will leave them with an obvious depth problem in their secondary. They don’t have anybody on the roster currently who will be good enough to step up as the CB2 behind Darius Slay, so they will need to draft somebody to help fill that void. Joey Porter Jr. would be perfect for that. He has the ideal frame and arm length for the position, and his lock-down ability is up there with anyone else in this class. | ||||
#11 |
|
OT |
||
| The Titans could choose to take Paris Johnson Jr. over Broderick Jones here, but they may not thanks to the latter’s aptitude in run blocking. The team has built their identity as a run-first offense for the better part of a decade, and they will need to bring in somebody to block for Derrick Henry, especially with longtime left tackle Taylor Lewan being a cap casualty for the Titans this off-season. | ||||
#12 |
|
WR |
||
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba has quietly been getting more hype as the potential WR1 in this draft over the past few weeks, and the Texans will buy into that narrative. He’s a pro-ready guy with the route running and football IQ of a seasoned NFL veteran, and he would probably be the best receiver on the team in his rookie season if Brandin Cooks ends up leaving in the off-season. Plus, getting him back together with his former college quarterback C.J. Stroud, who they picked earlier in this mock, would be huge for the development of both players. | ||||
#13 |
|
WR |
||
| The Ravens NEED to get a couple of good wide receivers before next season starts, and I think they’ll be willing to make an aggressive move for one. That’s what they do here, trading up with the Jets to grab Quentin Johnston out of TCU. There’s some concerns with his refinement in certain areas of his game, but his 6’4"/215 lbs frame with his 4.4 speed gives him the highest ceiling of any wideout in this draft class. | ||||
#14 |
|
OT |
||
| This scenario would be a dream come true for the Patriots. Left tackle is perhaps their biggest position of need right now, and Paris Johnson Jr. falling right into their laps would be the best-case scenario for them. He was dominant as a pass blocker and a run blocker last season for the Buckeyes, and he has experience playing at multiple positions on the line. He moves great for a 6’6"/315 lbs player, and he could develop into one of the league’s best tackles in the not-so-distant future. | ||||
#15 |
|
WR |
||
| The Packers haven’t taken a receiver in the first round since all the way back in 2002, but they will break that streak in this mock. They’re rolling with Jordan Love as their QB1 in this scenario after shipping Aaron Rodgers off to Las Vegas, and they’ll need to surround him with weapons if they want to give him the best possible chance to succeed. Jordan Addison brings elite speed and RAC ability that would perfectly compliment Christian Watson’s game and give the Packers an elite young WR duo. | ||||
#16 |
|
CB |
||
| I’ve been mocking cornerbacks to the Commanders all off-season so far, and I’m going to stick with it. I think it’s one of their biggest positions of need, outside of finding a franchise quarterback. Their draft pick is also simply in the perfect spot to address it. The depth in this class allows them to get a high-tier prospect at the position at pick 16, and in this case, that’s Christian Gonzalez from Oregon, who has some of the cleanest tape of any defensive back in the draft. | ||||
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|
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#17 |
|
CB |
||
| Ringo is definitely a gamble of a draft pick, but I think Mike Tomlin has enough confidence in himself and the rest of the coaching staff for the front office to go through with this one. They’ve maintained a dominant defense for much of the last decade, and they will look to continue doing so by taking a supreme athlete in Kelee Ringo. He gets beat more than you’d like for a first-round prospect, but he has an ideal frame for the position and projects to run a sub-4.4 40 yard dash at the combine. | ||||
#18 |
|
DT |
||
| Detroit will double-up on defense here, using their second first-round pick on DT Bryan Bresee. He had a bit of a down year in 2022, which may possibly come as a result of the torn ACL he suffered in 2021. There’s a bit of concern there when it comes to his health, but if he’s 100%, he’s going to be a dominator in the NFL. He’s super fast and fluid for a 300+ pound lineman, and he has the versatility to play all over the line. Detroit addressed the edge in the draft last year by grabbing Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston IV, and now they would be well suited grabbing some help for the interior. | ||||
#19 |
|
QB |
||
| Tampa Bay has perhaps the most bleak future of any team in the NFL after the retirement of Tom Brady. They are in cap debt, have an injured and aging roster, and don’t have a ton of draft capital, but everything could change if they take Richardson. Don’t get me wrong; he’s still very raw. But if he hits and develops correctly, he could become one of the best players in all of football. This would be a gutsy move from the Bucs’ front office, but it may be necessary if they don’t want to undergo a major multi-year rebuild. | ||||
#20 |
|
OG |
||
| Seattle needs work in the trenches on both sides of the ball. They took Jalen Carter for the defensive line earlier in this scenario, so they will now go for the best interior prospect left on the board in O’Cyrus Torrence. He’s a big guy that has gotten better every year that he’s played, and featuring him on the same line as Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas would give the Seahawks arguably the best young offensive line in football. | ||||
#22 |
|
WR |
||
| Mike Williams is a good jump-ball receiver. Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler are both good for a few dump-offs a game. But this receiving core that Los Angeles has created is missing one key element: speed. They don’t have anybody who can create real separation down the field, and none of their wideouts are really much of RAC threats. Zay Flowers is the missing piece to the puzzle. He’s as fast as lightning and can create separation on all three levels of the football field, and the skills he brings to the table is exactly what Justin Herbert and the Chargers have been missing. | ||||
#23 |
|
LB |
||
| This would be a good draft for the Jets. They trade back and accumulate some more capital, but they still get the top player on the board at a position of need for them. Simpson brings a very diverse skillset to the table. He can play as a coverage guy, as a pass rusher, or as a traditional “Mike” linebacker in the middle of the field. He will need to go somewhere with an intelligent and innovative defensive mind to maximize his talents, so the Robert Saleh-led Jets should be a great landing spot for him. | ||||
#24 |
|
S |
||
| Minnesota’s defense is a mess in more places than one, but drafting Brian Branch would be a good start in fixing it. He’s one of the best tackling defensive backs to come out of college in decades, and he should have the versatility to play either at safety or as a slot cornerback. The hard-hitting intensity and fire he brings to the table should be a welcomed addition by an aging and incomplete Vikings’ defense. | ||||
#25 |
|
CB |
||
| Cam Smith has been falling down draft boards a bit over the past couple of months, but that’s not at any fault of his own. The draft community has just caught on to other prospects and let Smith slip away, and that could lead to a great opportunity for a team like the Jaguars to capitalize and get a great value on him. He’s got a complete skill set and has a chance to be the best cornerback in this class, and he could be exactly what the Jaguars have been missing on defense since Jalen Ramsey was traded away years ago. | ||||
|
|
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#26 |
|
TE |
||
| I’m thinking that Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley will both be back on new contracts for the Giants next season, so they’ll just have to reload rather than rebuild. They were lacking both pass catchers and outside blocking on their offense last season, so picking up a tight end may be more effective than grabbing a receiver, especially with the top-four guys already gone in this mock. Mayer is the best TE prospect we’ve seen in a couple of years and is good enough to make a real impact on day one for the Giants, who hope to still be in the NFC’s playoff picture in 2023. | ||||
#27 |
|
LB |
||
| Dallas’ defense was great this year, but they were missing a leader in the middle of the field. Coming from the University of Arkansas, Sanders has the skill set that a modern defensive coordinator will love. He has experience playing on the edge as a pass rusher, but he can also play a more traditional role in the middle of the defense. The Cowboys could continue to have an elite unit for years to come if they establish a dynamic pairing of Drew Sanders and Micah Parsons as the foundation of their defense. | ||||
#28 |
|
C |
||
| It’s unclear if the Bills are going to choose to move on from veteran center Mitch Morse or not, but they will need help on the interior of the offensive line regardless. John Michael Schmitz is possibly the best center prospect we’ve seen come out of college in a few years (besides Tyler Linderbaum in 2022), and he may be the catalyst that Buffalo needs to establish an effective rushing attack and take some of the burden off of Josh Allen. | ||||
#29 |
|
OT |
||
| La’el Collins may not be in Cincinnati next year after tearing both his ACL and MCL late in the year, and that will leave the Bengals with a glaring need at right tackle. They don’t have anyone suitable on the roster to replace him, so they will draft a physical freak in Dawand Jones instead. He stands at a staggering 6’8"/375 lbs, and he also recorded the longest wingspan of any player in Senior Bowl history. He needs some work as a pass protector, but he should have no problems clearing rushing lanes for Joe Mixon. | ||||
#30 |
|
LB |
||
| It’s looking like the Saints are the frontrunners in the Derek Carr sweepstakes this off-season, so I’m going to work under the assumption that he’ll land there. New Orleans’s defense regressed last season and has many aging players, so they need to get a high-energy young stud like Nolan Smith. His frame isn’t ideal for an NFL edge rusher, but he’s very refined and should be a force in the league for a long time. | ||||
#31 |
|
RB |
||
| Philadelphia’s offense is already set up pretty well, but an elite prospect like Robinson could make them the NFL’s best. Miles Sanders is set to be a free agent this off-season, and the Eagles may not choose to pay him if he’s asking for too much money. This pick would likely be the best pick in the draft in terms of value, and Philadelphia would get to roll out an offense featuring Jalen Hurts, Bijan Robinson, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert in a loaded NFC East next season. | ||||
#32 |
|
DL |
||
| We’re living in a speed-driven era of football, and defensive tackles are no exceptions. Calijah Kancey is fast. And technically sound. And smart. The one area he’s lacking in now is size. If we hadn’t seen other small players like Aaron Donald succeed, this pick wouldn’t even be a thought. However, that’s the league we’re living in now, and the Chiefs will embrace that in this mock. Kancey is truly the most technically refined tackle prospect I’ve ever seen, and he should still make a major impact as a pass-rusher at the NFL level. | ||||