1. Chicago Bears via CAR: USC QB Caleb Williams
At this point, it’s about as close to a lock as we’re going to see. Caleb Williams is coming to Chicago in an attempt to revitalize the Bears with weapons like Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, and Cole Kmet.
2. Washington Commanders: LSU QB Jayden Daniels
I still have no real idea who the Commanders are going to take. I know it’ll be a quarterback, but will it be Maye or Daniels? To me, it feels like Daniels is a better fit for the Commanders system. He’s a good athlete with a strong arm. His only downside is that he’s somewhat irresponsible when the balls in his hands and he starts to scramble. Besides that, he’s a good prospect with a lot of upside for Washington.
3. New England Patriots: North Carolina QB Drake Maye
Drake Maye’s play style fits the New England system we’re so used to seeing. It’s an offense that utilizes play action to open up the defense for big shots downfield. Maye kept a below average Tar Heel team in a lot of games over the past two seasons. Now, when he gets together with weapons like Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and DeMario Douglas, he should find more success.
4. Arizona Cardinals: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Maybe the best prospect in this year’s draft is Marvin Harrison Jr. out of Ohio State. He has a massive catch radius with his 6’4 frame and runs extremely crisp routes. Kyler Murray has been in a bit of a slump recently, so adding a weapon like Harrison could get him back to playing at his top form. Harrison makes everyone around him better.
5. Los Angeles Chargers: Notre Dame OT Joe Alt
While it may not seem like a flashy pick, adding Joe Alt opposite of Rashawn Slater in the Chargers offense will be a massive upgrade to their current options at tackle. The Chargers do need weapons, but they also need to protect Justin Herbert and Alt is the man for that job.
6. New York Giants: LSU WR Malik Nabers
The Giants offense lost a spark in their offense with the departure of Saquon Barkley and need another big play guy. While they could draft a quarterback and gut the offense, I think getting Jones a weapon with the speed and route running ability of Nabers would be huge for their offense. Nabers was a big reason for Daniels’ success in 2023 as he caught 89 passes for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns.
7. Tennessee Titans: Washington WR Rome Odunze
With how much the Texans have done this offseason to improve, the Titans need to try and keep pace. Will Levis showed promise at the end of 2023 and they signed Calvin Ridley. If they place Rome Odunze opposite of him, a guy who can play outside in the slot, then the Titans offense will have a nice dynamic of a pure deep threat and a quick underneath pass catcher.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Texas DT Bryon Murphy II
The Falcons beefed up their offense by signing Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and Rondale Moore this offseason, but with Calais Campbell’s departure, they lack a dominant presence on the defensive line. Byron Murphy does it all on the interior. In 2023 for Texas, he totaled 29 tackles and 5 sacks. A bonus is that he’ll be able to learn under Grady Jarrett.
9. Chicago Bears: Alabama DE Dallas Turner
This year’s draft class has three dominant edge rushers: Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu, and Jared Verse. Turner best fits the Bears system and will be dynamic opposite of Montez Sweat. Turner is extremely quick and bends the edge nicely to shed blocks. The NFC North is packed with dominant tackles and the Bears need guys to get after the quarterback.
10. New York Jets: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
Originally, the safe bet would’ve been the Jets drafting Olu Fashanu. They then signed Tyron Smith and traded for Morgan Moses. Now, the Jets can have fun and take a player who is an asset all over the offense with Brock Bowers. Bowers is efficient catching tunnel screens, deep posts, and can run block like some of the best tackles in this year’s class.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
If the Vikings can get McCarthy here, I’ll be happy. If they need to trade up, however, I’ll be pissed. Nevertheless, McCarthy does fit the Vikings system that thrived with Kirk Cousins. Using play action to open up deep shots to Jefferson and Addison has been successful and McCarthy did a lot of that while at Michigan. He could be the new face of the Vikings and I’m not sure how to feel about it.
12. Denver Broncos: Iowa CB Cooper DeJean
We’re looking at one of the best corner classes of the past few drafts and at the center of it is Cooper DeJean. He’s an elite shutdown corner as he tallied 41 tackles and 2 interceptions in 2023 for the Hawkeyes. On top of that, DeJean is an electric punt returner. Denver needs all the help they can get right now and DeJean is a step in the right direction.
13. Las Vegas Raiders: Penn State OT Olu Fashanu
Olu Fashanu is one of this years most sure-fire prospects. He has a monstrous frame with quick feet and powerful hands. AKA, he’s the total package. Kolton Miller has improved immensely over the past few seasons and Fashanu is pro ready. Those two opposite each other makes for one of the best tackle duos in the NFL.
14. New Orleans Saints: Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga
The Saints once had the best tackle duo in the NFL. Then, Armstead signed with Miami and Ramczyk ran into injuries. They need consistency right now at tackle and Taliese Fuaga could be that constant they yearn for. He’s a mauler in the run game with long arms and excels in pass protection with great quickness, even at his massive size of 6’6, 334 pounds.
15. Indianapolis Colts: Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell
The Colts are a team that’s close to taking the next step. With Anthony Richardson coming back, their offense will hit the ground running. With this year’s corner class being as deep as it is, there’s a lot of options, but I think Quinyon Mitchell is the best fit for the Colts. He’s a lanky corner with elite speed and ball skills which is why he broke up 18 passes in 2023.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Oregon IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson
One of my favorite players in the draft is Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson. He’s a perfect interior offensive lineman that can play center and both guard spots. His lateral quickness and hand placement when he strikes is on the level of some of the best centers currently in the NFL. Seattle has a vacant hole in the middle of their offensive line and Powers-Johnson is the answer.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: UCLA OLB Laiatu Latu
The only reason I see Latu dropping this far is because of his injury history. Other than that, he’s a dynamic pass rusher who does it all. He can transition an upfield speed rush to a powerful long arm quickly or go from a bullrush into a dip and rip to shed pass blockers. I love everything about Latu’s game and he’ll be an awesome fit in Jacksonville’s 3-4 front.
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Alabama OT JC Latham
Cincinnati hasn’t had much luck in free agency when it comes to signing tackles. They need to look into this years stacked tackle draft pool and find their premiere pass protector. I think JC Latham is the third best tackle in the draft, just behind Alt and Fashanu who are surefire prospects. He’s a great athlete with immense lower body strength. That’s what makes him a great run blocker and a pass protector with a solid basis.
19. Los Angeles Rams: Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton
Losing Aaron Donald hurts and is impossible to be replaced, but Los Angeles needs to find someone to play defensive tackle for them. Newton’s stout frame at 6’2, 295 pounds almost masks his playmaking ability. This past season for Illinois, he notched 52 tackles and 7.5 sacks. He can play everywhere from nose tackle to 3-tech and would most likely play 2i in the Rams 4-3 scheme.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Washington OT Troy Fautanu
Troy Fautanu is an in-betweener. He’s not exactly a tackle due to his smaller frame, but isn’t quite heavy enough to play guard. But all of that doesn’t matter when you play like Fautanu. He’s a decent pass blocker, but in the run game is where Fautanu shines. He pulls like a mad man and when he finds the center of a defenders’ chest, he’s going to drive him to the sideline. His play style is one that makes me smile.
21. Miami Dolphins: Duke OT Graham Barton
Having Terron Armstead is nice, but his age and injury history don’t keep him on the field often. Graham Barton is extremely versatile where no matter where he plays, he’s going to excel. Being able to play both tackle and both guard positions is impressive, and he does this due to his physical attributes as a 6’5, 315 pound blocker. No matter where Miami lines Barton up, he’s going to be an asset in keeping Tua upright.
22. Philadelphia Eagles: North Carolina State ILB Payton Wilson
Philadelphia’s roster is fairly well-rounded. Where they do have a gaping hole is at linebacker. This year’s linebacker class is rather weak, but Payton Wilson would be a good for for Philadelphia as their front four is elite. They just need someone to back them up. Wilson had 138 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, and a forced fumble in 2023 for the Wolfpack. It’s a bit early to take him, but his impact will be immediate.
23. Minnesota Vikings via CLE: Alabama CB Terrion Arnold
And just like that, the Vikings are back on the clock. They’re okay at the corner position currently, but Terrion Arnold would make their situation much better. Arnold was the top dog in a duo of him and Kool-Aid McKinstry as he totaled 63 tackles and 5 interceptions. The Vikings get their corner of the future and then sweeten the pot by adding Arnold.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Georgia OT Amarius Mims
Dallas lost Tyron Smith in free agency and need a quick and reliable replacement at tackle. Amarius Mims is the answer. Mims is a massive tackle standing at 6’7, 340 pounds. He’s an average athlete with solid fundamentals as a pass protector, but is a great run blocker as he swallows defensive ends in his path.
25. Green Bay Packers: Minnesota S Tyler Nubin
The Packers corner duo of Stokes and Alexander gives wideouts fits on a regular basis, and the signing of McKinney adds versatility to their defense. Tyler Nubin is a player that excels in coverage as he nabbed 5 interceptions and 4 pass breakups in 2023. Along with that, Nubin made 53 tackles, proving he’s not afraid to come down to make a play.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: West Virginia IOL Zach Frazier
When you see the Bucs offense, there aren’t many holes. Baker and Mike Evans are back. Tristan Wirfs is dominant. Where there are holes, though, is on the interior of their offensive line. Zach Frazier can play center and both guard positions, and after Cody Mauch posted a terrible rookie season, the need for Frazier is imperative. Frazier is a wrestler, which is why I love him because he understands leverage so well.
27. Arizona Cardinals via HOU: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins
The Cardinals land, who I think, is the best prospect in the draft at number four and now they land a corner who was sneakily dominant at Clemson. Nate Wiggins was a jack-of-all-trades player in 2023 as he notched 28 tackles, 6 pass breakups, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. He’s going to be an immediate game changer for Arizona’s rather lackluster defense.
28. Buffalo Bills: Oregon WR Troy Franklin
The Bills are currently without a number one receiver, and while Troy Franklin might not be a number one guy yet, he’ll fit in nicely with Curtis Samuel and Dalton Kincaid. Franklin was Bo Nix’s number one guy last season as he caught 81 passes for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns. This year’s receiver class is super deep so grabbing Franklin here at 28 is huge.
29. Detroit Lions: Florida State DE Jared Verse
Detroit has been built on grit and hard-nosed defense the past few seasons. Bringing in Jared Verse to rush the passer with Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport would make life difficult for opposing offenses to game plan against. Verse uses his size nicely as a pass rusher to bullrush tackles, or transitioning speed to power. His bag of tricks is so deep that you can’t predict his next move.
30. Baltimore Ravens: Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
Baltimore beefed up their backfield signing Derrick Henry this offseason. Now, they should prioritize the outside weapons and draft a speedster like Mitchell. Mitchell runs a 4.34 yard dash and reeled in 55 passes for 845 yards and 11 scores last season. He’ll be a great fit with Flowers, Bateman, and Andrews.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
San Francisco might have the most well-rounded roster in the NFL. However, the one weak spot is at corner. McKinstry would be able to step in immediately to guard teams number one pass catchers. Along with that, McKinstry is an elite punt returner. Getting a lockdown corner who isn’t afraid to tackle and a spark plug on special teams this late in the first round is a steal for the 49ers.
32. Kansas City Chiefs: Florida State DT Braden Fiske
Kansas City over the past few years has built a solid defensive line centered around Chris Jones. Putting Fiske next to Jones makes for a combination of guys who are both stout vs the run and can rush the passer. Last season with Florida State, Fiske tallied 43 tackles and 6 sacks.
