And then there were two. Today's mock draft is my last one until the final one on Thursday. In an effort to shake things up before making my feet-held-to-the-fire predictions on what each of these teams are going to do in the first round, I thought I would provide my perspective on what I believe these teams SHOULD do in the first two rounds (instead of what I think they WILL do).
Without further ado, let's kick this off!
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
Jacksonville will take the entire clock to announce this selection and it will annoy everyone.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
New York made the decision to move on from Sam Darnold in favor of Zach Wilson and a more reasonable salary cap commitment.
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From
Miami Dolphins
Round 1 - Pick 3
The perception is that San Francisco will take Mac Jones but they should take Justin Fields because he offers the upside of being a top-five quarterback in the NFL. I think that should be the goal when sacrificing the amount of capital that the 49ers have to move up.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
I do not see Atlanta as a Kyle Pitts away from competing for the Super Bowl. If the Falcons play mediocre football, then they will find themselves where Washington and Chicago are this year, which is stuck in no-man's land with no reasonable path to a top quarterback prospect. Teams cannot count on being in a position to draft a quarterback early far into the future.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
The gap between Penei Sewell and an offensive tackle expected to be available at No. 38 overall is wider than the gap between Ja'Marr Chase and the wide receivers expected to be available.
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From
Philadelphia Eagles
Round 1 - Pick 6
Kyle Pitts is a unicorn. He is more unique at his position than any wide receiver or offensive lineman in this class. Although he may not have familiarity with Tua Tagovailoa like Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith do, he can be the most helpful.
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Mock Trade from
Detroit Lions
Round 1 - Pick 7
If Atlanta stays put at No. 4 overall and takes a quarterback, then Detroit and Carolina become the most likely destinations in a potential trade up. New England agrees to a deal with the former and moves up to take Mac Jones. It will cost them a first-round pick in 2022.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
Penei Sewell is best case scenario for Carolina but he was off the board. The goal should be to surround Sam Darnold with the talent that he did not have around him in New York and some of that is accomplished with the selection of Ja'Marr Chase.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
After being left out in the cold in the quarterback market, Denver stays put to take an offensive lineman with five-position flexibility. The Broncos' offensive line has been unstable for many years and this is a step to correct it.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
Dallas needs help at the cornerback position. Patrick Surtain II is the cleanest option at the position and also happens to be the best player available.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
New York could reach for a defensive lineman or a linebacker, but that is not in my plans. I am taking Alijah Vera-Tucker, who offers the versatility to play inside or on the edge, to fill out that offensive line.
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From
Miami Dolphins
Round 1 - Pick 12
Philadelphia was able to trade back, pick up more draft capital and still acquire arguably the best wide receiver in this draft class. It has been a tough year for the Eagles' fanbase but I believe this scenario qualifies as a victory.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Los Angeles adds a left tackle to protect Justin Herbert's blindside. After adding Bryan Bulaga last year and Corey Linsley this year -- along with Oday Aboushi and Matt Feiler -- the Chargers have an offensive line that they can feel comfortable will protect the second-year player.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Jaelan Phillips is a bit of a gamble but it looked as though the light turned on for him last year. If he continues clocking in every day, then the Vikings should get great value out of this pick. He is a potential difference-maker.
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Mock Trade from
New England Patriots
Round 1 - Pick 15
After sliding back to the midpoint in the first round, Detroit still lands one of the three highly regarded wide receivers.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Arizona has been aggressive this offseason so it is fitting that the Cardinals target an aggressive cornerback. Jaycee Horn brings some additional physicality to that secondary along with the talent to frustrate opposing wide receivers.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Las Vegas took a few swings at addressing linebacker in free agency last year, but it did not work as anticipated. Micah Parsons is highly talented.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Pass rush and cornerback are essential in today's NFL. Miami got a lot of production out of Emmanuel Ogbah last season but I am doubling down with Kwity Paye opposite him.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Washington has a scary defensive front and now the Football Team adds an athletic and accountable linebacker to defend the second level.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Chicago created a need at cornerback after releasing Kyle Fuller in the offseason despite drafting Jaylon Johnson in the first round last year. Greg Newsome II has battled injuries for most of his Northwestern career but he is an accountable player.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Joe Tryon offers less of a bust risk than others at the position because of how hard he works. Tryon could be the exact replacement that the Colts need for Justin Houston.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Tennessee is grounded (pun somewhat intended) in the run game so it behooves the Titans to have a solid offensive line across the board. There may be some hesitancy to draft another offensive tackle in the first round after what happened last year with Isaiah Wilson, but Jenkins could not be more different from Wilson.
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From
Seattle Seahawks
Round 1 - Pick 23
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a versatile defender who gives New York's defense a lot of flexibility.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
After losing Bud Dupree in the offseason, Pittsburgh brings in another edge rusher to compete with Alex Highsmith. Although the Charlotte product did some good things as a rookie, I don't think it would be wise to rely on him at this stage of his career.
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From
Los Angeles Rams
Round 1 - Pick 25
Urban Meyer loves speed and defensive backs. He adds depth to the secondary in the form of Trevon Moehrig.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward have struggled to stay healthy. For a team that is built to compete, it would benefit them to have some insurance at the position.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Baltimore adds length to the pass rusher room to replace Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue. The Ravens are great at developing pass rush talent and Oweh certainly possesses the traits to become special.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
New Orleans replaces the production lost with Emmanuel Sanders' release with a young prospect capable of making a big impact early.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Zaven Collins is difficult to figure out following reports that he had bulked up to 270 pounds. Was it done by design? Is he trying to become an edge rusher? I still like the talent and know that Green Bay is getting stronger up the middle.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Gregory Rousseau is trending in the wrong direction but I think he can still be a solid NFL player. Buffalo has a need for some long-term assistance at edge rusher.
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From
Kansas City Chiefs
Round 1 - Pick 31
Dillon Radunz may be a reach to some in the first round but I like the player. He can play tackle but also has the versatility to slide inside.
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Round 1 - Pick 32
Eric Stokes is trending toward the first round. I do think he is somewhat scheme dependent, but his presence would give Tampa Bay depth at an important position.
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Round 2
33. Jaguars - Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama
34. Jets - Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina
35. Falcons - Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas
36. Dolphins (via HOU) - Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama
37. Eagles - Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
38. Bengals - Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU
39. Panthers - Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia
40. Broncos - Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State
41. Lions - Richie Grant, S, UCF
42. Giants - Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
43. 49ers - Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
44. Cowboys - Jevon Holland, S, Oregon
45. Jaguars (via MIN) - Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
46. Patriots - Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
47. Chargers - Aaron Robinson, CB, UCF
48. Raiders - Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington
49. Cardinals - Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
50. Dolphins - Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
51. Football Team - Walker Little, OT, Stanford
52. Bears - Jalen Mayfield, OG/T, Michigan
53. Titans - Elijah Molden, CB, Washington
54. Colts - Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas
55. Steelers - Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
56. Seahawks - Quinn Meinerz, C, Wisconsin-Whitewater
57. Rams - Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State
58. Chiefs (via BAL) - Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky
59. Browns - Ronnie Perkins, EDGE, Oklahoma
60. Saints - Davis Mills, QB, Stanford
61. Bills - Tommy Tremble, TE, Notre Dame
62. Packers - Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
63. Chiefs - Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
64. Buccaneers - Jordan Smith, EDGE, UAB
