Even after one of his stronger performances of the season against the Buffalo Bills, Tom Brady has to know the New England Patriots are going to draft his heir apparent soon.
And that's precisely what happens in this mock draft.
The order of selections below is based on teams' records through the first 16 weeks of the season. Position rankings are based on our composite prospect rankings.
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Now, to the picks.
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
Congrats to the Bengals fans waiting for a new quarterback to be under center. Burrow is coming to Cincinnati.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Outside of Dwayne Haskins getting hurt, Week 16's loss to the New York Giants worked out well for Washington. Their young quarterback looked good, and they lost, which moves them one step closer to landing Young at No. 2 overall.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
The Lions clearly needs loads of work personnel-wise (and maybe coach-wise?), but the biggest issues are on the defensive side. Okudah is a pretty easy pick here for Detroit, as he's a long, twitchy, ball-hawking outside corner.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
The Nate Solder experiment has been a gigantic flop for the Giants, so they go Thomas here, the consensus top left tackle in the class.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
At one point, I thought Tagovailoa could plummet in Round 1 due to his injury, but with the board falling like this, the Dolphins would likely scoop him up in a heartbeat.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
I can envision a scenario in which the Jaguars try to rebuild their defensive line with Brown, a bull-rushing nose tackle.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
The Chargers have watched Patrick Mahomes in the division the past two years and get a project-y version of him here at No. 7 overall to ultimately replace Philip Rivers, even if that doesn't happen until 2021.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
The Panthers move ahead with Cam Newton as the quarterback in this scenario and turn their attention to the woefully bad run defense with Kinlaw, a heavy-handed, versatile defensive lineman. He can really get after the passer too.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
In the eyes of many, Lamb had a better season than Jerry Jeudy, and his time spent in an Air Raid system is the reason he's the choice over the Alabama star here for Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
The Jets are thrilled to land Wirfs at No. 10. He's an NFL strong left tackle with a wide body and plus athleticism for his size.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
The Broncos love what they've seen from Drew Lock down the stretch, and they get him another fun young wideout in Jeudy to pair with Courtland Sutton.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
Wills has made a meteoric rise up boards this season after putting loads of clean pass sets on film and bulldozing in the run game for Alabama. The right side of the Browns offensive line was brutal this season.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
The Falcons add Fulton, a scheme-versatile corner who can lock down in man or strike to make the big play in zone.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
There should be no hesitation with this pick. Simmons was made to play linebacker in today's NFL and that is the most glaring need on the Raiders defense right now.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
The Cowboys have recently invested rather heavily in their secondary, but Delpit is rare breed who just needs to shore up his tackling reliability to be a star in the NFL.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Ruggs is an ideal West Coast Offense receiver because of his explosive yards-after-the-catch skills. The Colts desperately need more receiver help.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Even if the Buccaneers re-sign Shaq Barrett, they could use another edge rusher on their front. Epenesa can play anywhere in the trenches and will be a three-down player instantly in Tampa.
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From
Chicago Bears
Round 1 - Pick 18
With this selection, the Raiders will have the starting cornerback group that upended Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide in last year's national title game. Terrell is a stickier version of Trayvon Mullen.
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From
Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 1 - Pick 19
When Shenault is healthy, he can be a scary downfield threat with awesome YAC skills due to his size, twitch, and contact balance. He'll formulate a fun pairing with DeVante Parker.
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From
Los Angeles Rams
Round 1 - Pick 20
The Jaguars would love to add Murray to the linebacker group with Myles Jack, as it'd instantly be one of the most athletic groups in the NFL.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Higgins would be a boon for Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense as he's a legitimate deep threat with otherworldly ball skills at 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
The Titans must add more edge-rushing talent to keep the defense moving forward after Cam Wake retires. Chassion is a hybrid linebacker/edge rusher with bend, acceleration, and a non-stop motor.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
With most of the top receivers gone, the Bills are perfectly content going Weaver here, a super-productive, bendy edge rusher with refined hand use.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
The Vikings have to continue to build the offensive line while the defense is clearly of Super Bowl caliber. Leatherwood has the athleticism to work well in Minnesota's zone-blocking scheme.
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From
Houston Texans
Round 1 - Pick 25
Jones could use the tutelage of NFL offensive line coach when it comes to his kick slide. But he's a naturally gifted, long, athletic left tackle with All-Pro potential.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
The run on offensive tackles ends here, with the Chiefs getting the young but ultra-talented Jackson, who needs to add weight and strength before he rounds into form.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Seattle, please give Russell Wilson more offensive help, especially on the interior. Simpson is a dynamic mover with long arms and a powerful punch.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Hopkins is a twitchy, smooth athlete ready to contribute in the passing game immediately. Look out for him and 2019 third-round pick Jace Sternberger as favorite targets for Aaron Rodgers in 2020.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
This is the draft where the Patriots prioritize getting Tom Brady's eventual replacement. Herbert is going to be one of the most polarizing prospects in the entire class and has the ability to connect on throws no other quarterbacks could make.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
This would be a fantastic value selection for the Saints, as Hall probably would've been a first or second round pick in 2019.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Davis is one of the cleaner prospects in the draft, as an experienced, ball-hawking safety with strong tackling abilities.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Davis can line up anywhere on the defensive line and wreak havoc. He's your classic Baltimore Ravens defensive trench player.
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