We made it; the long national nightmare is over. It is draft day. For a primer on the draft, Christian Williams put together a great article to get you started.
This is my final cut at mocking the draft. It is four rounds, and unfortunately, you will need to use your Ctrl + F function to navigate the team selections in total. You can find my previous version here.
First Round
1. Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Bryce Young is going number one in Thursday night's NFL draft. Unless he does not, then we are all surprised. Anyway, here's the Footballguys Rookie Guide.
2. Houston Texans: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
Will Levis has skyrocketed to the betting favorite to go number two this weekend. Does it mean anything? There is simply no way of knowing. As much as the idea of merely losing every game for Caleb Williams holds appeal, it means everyone is likely fired. Levis has tools to fit what Houston is building, playing a punishing style of football with the ability to strike deep off-play action.
3. Atlanta Falcons: Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama
Trade: Picks 3 and 105 for Picks 8 and 44
Atlanta has been one of the most active teams in free agency, working to rebuild their defense at all levels. Anderson represents the crown jewel of that effort. Their play style is clear, hammering the ball physically, lulling the opponent to death, and frustrating fantasy managers for the lack of Kyle Pitts targets. This pick is one step closer to putting in the defense to make it happen.
4. Indianapolis Colts: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio St
The AFC South has held a staring contest the entire predraft process for quarterbacks who, apparently, no one else wants. Do not buy it. Stroud is a prototype NFL quarterback with the accuracy to make every throw. There are concerns about his game, but teams want to avoid making it a habit of drafting the top five. They want to grab their quarterback and move on.
5. Seattle Seahawks: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
The Seahawks have been vocal about rebuilding the Legion of Boom era. They have defensive pieces in place but still need the offensive focal point. This pick would be an ideal situation to allow Richardson developmental time behind Geno Smith, leaning on a solid run game with potent weapons outside—a perfect landing spot.
6. Detroit Lions: Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
I am also skeptical that the Lions want to completely sit out the quarterback and lay their entire future on Jared Goff. But they land on the wrong side of a run on the position. At the beginning of the process, Carter was the top position player by a margin. He has had a rough run, but the conversation has emerged lately. His character concerns may be more closely related to immaturity than an incurable issue. With the Lions, he can pair with 2022 2nd overall pick Aidan Hutchinson for a lethal inside/outside combination.
7. Las Vegas Raiders: Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
The Raiders ranked 29th in pass defense, playing in a division with Patrick Mahomes II, Justin Herbert, and Russell Wilson. They must improve. Witherspoon has a tone-setting attitude at the corner position and the confidence to not get rattled playing in a shootout atmosphere.
8. Arizona Cardinals: Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio St.
The Cardinals' offensive line has been a persistent issue through the years. Jonathan Gannon and Drew Petzing have worked for organizations that placed value in building through the trenches. Expect the team to create a more physical attitude than previous iterations and focus on increasing protection for Kyler Murray.
9. Chicago Bears: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder with this group of offensive tackles. Skoronksi's measurables put him in an uphill battle to play left tackle long-term. That said, he's the type of polished technician that teams can set and forget. He will settle into his best position, solidifying part of the offensive line for the Bears.
10. Philadelphia Eagles: Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
Wilson is the mystery box of this class. A foot injury has prevented him from testing in the predraft process, and he could go anywhere from second overall to this spot. As much upside is involved with the package, it still contains uncertainty. Positional needs from teams drafting seven to nine push him here.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers: Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
Trade: Picks 11 & 147 for Picks 17 & 80
The Steelers do not usually get aggressive to move in the draft, but at 17, they sit in a position to watch the top tackles leave the board just in front of their pick. This position is a huge need, and it marries value.
12. Houston Texans: Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
After taking Levis at two, the Texans swing back around to grab an edge to anchor their line. Van Ness had limited reps at Iowa, but he has all the physical traits Ryans looks for in his defensive scheme.
13. Green Bay Packers: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio St.
In the irony of all irony, the team grabs a wide receiver as Aaron Rodgers has departed. It is hard not to put a defender from the University of Georgia in this spot, as the Packers have made that selection with three consecutive first-round picks. Smith-Njigba will immediately emerge as the focal point of the wide receiver room, and he compliments Christian Watson well.
14. New England Patriots: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Flowers over Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a shock, but he has more flexibility in his game and matches well with the Patriots' needs. The team needs a receiver who can win on all levels and move throughout the formation, as the rest of their room is highly situational. Flowers is the best package of those skills in the class.
15. New York Jets: Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
The Jets have built a deep young offense primed to take off with the addition of Aaron Rodgers. But one major hole remains. Wright's game locks him to the right side, but that still fills the Jets' needs and gives them a young cornerstone anchor on the end of their line.
16. Washington Commanders: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
The Commanders would be thrilled with this result, as Gonzalez has been a top-ten consideration for much of the cycle. A corner is a significant need for the team, and here they have an opportunity to lock down a young piece opposite Kendall Fuller.
17. Tennessee Titans: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
Derrick Henry was in trade rumors to start the week and will likely find himself on a new roster after the draft. Robinson is an immediate plug-and-play piece in an offense that values the running back heavily. He allows the team to reset at one of their most important positions.
18. Detroit Lions: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
The Lions hit the reset button at the corner, moving on from Jeff Okudah. Banks is the type of long athlete to make plays on the ball to envision as Brad Holmes's next shot at a Jalen Ramsey-type defender.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
The Buccaneers struggled to generate pressure after Shaquille Barrett's season ended early. Smith gives them a twitchy edge to strengthen their rotation. Smith likely marks the drop-off point from players with "1st Round Grades" on most boards.
20. Seattle Seahawks: Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt
Kancey is one of the most challenging players to place in the draft. Many teams have transitioned to odd fronts, and his size limits his potential role. But the Seahawks have seen success with Poona Ford, another interior-size outlier. Kancey's athleticism is a rare package.
21. Los Angeles Chargers: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
After years of watching Travis Kelce carve them up in their division, the Chargers move to add a piece of their own. Kincaid is a natural receiver who would complement the team's established weapons and, in time, become a trusted primary option for Justin Herbert.
22. Baltimore Ravens: Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn St.
Porter was born to play in the Ravens-Steelers rivalry, and here he ends up on the opposite side of where his father made the family name. Porter Jr. is the type of physical corner the Ravens have relied on for years. He can stand to play the ball better and will see attention opposite Marlon Humphrey, but he has the mentality to stand up to it.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
The Vikings' links to the quarterback heated up later in the process. Kirk Cousins allows Hooker a year of runway to recover from an ACL injury and take over the long term.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jordan Addison, WR, USC
TRADE: Picks 24 and 185 for Picks 32, 120, and a 2024 4th-rounder.
The Steelers move up again, pairing Kenny Pickett with his college teammate in Addison. They reset their receiver room and move into Kenny Pickett's career window to take advantage of his rookie contract status. This move would put Diontae Johnson squarely on the trade block, though the team could give it another season and roll out one of the best young receiver groups in the league.
25. New York Giants: Brian Branch, S, Alabama
Branch has the talent to go earlier in the draft, but safety has seen a devaluation league-wide. Here is the Giants' gain. Joe Schoen had a front-row seat to the value safeties played in the Buffalo defense over the last couple of seasons. The branch is a flexible chess piece to strengthen the back end.
26. Dallas Cowboys: Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
Murphy is substantial value here, allowing the Cowboys to put him opposite Demarcus Lawrence and freeing up Micah Parsons to roam and attack weak areas of an offensive scheme.
27. Buffalo Bills: Jack Campbell, Iowa, LB
Campbell is a take-your-vitamins need pick for the Bills. The draft is short on Mike linebackers who can play in space and fill zones. Tremaine Edmunds was a focal point of their coverage scheme, using his length to clog the deep middle and allowing freedom for the safeties to work.
28. Cincinnati Bengals: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
Gibbs allows the Bengals to move on from the Joe Mixon situation, giving Joe Burrow a dynamic backfield complement. There is a chance the Chiefs and Bengals are jockeying for Gibbs, knowing by selecting him, they will avoid playing against him. The Bengals are the first to hit the clock in this scenario.
29. New Orleans Saints: Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
Bresee is a versatile piece that could move along the defensive line. The Saints lost Marcus Davenport in free agency and took an opportunity here to reset and rebuild pass-rushing depth.
30. Philadelphia Eagles: Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio St.
The Eagles have built their team on the offensive line, and Jones can continue that strength. His immense size likely limits him to the right tackle long-term, a spot occupied by Lane Johnson, but the team can experiment to determine the best fit. The Eagles have been one of the best in the league at molding linemen, and Jones has unteachable material to work and develop.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
The Chiefs have dabbled with 12 personnel, using Noah Gray in a pairing with Travis Kelce. Mayer lets them bring it up a level. His blocking can free Kelce from the line to move throughout the formation while he has the receiving skills to develop as the long-term answer at the position.
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