To quote the band Staind, “it’s been a while…” but here we are back in ther thick of it in draft season with my first mock draft of the season. After the Senior Bowl there is always a lot of shuffling due to on field workouts and interviews so we always see some players rise up and fall. Sometimes the move is permanent and sometimes the move is temporary but it is always interesting to see big boards and mocks after the event.
Speaking of mock drafts, with this being the first one of the draft cycle consider this the warm up, we always have one or two picks that make you rage and then of course we get fan bases who are overjoyed by what could be for their team. It is the best and worst part of the draft process so there is no point in delaying, lets rip off the bandaid.
1). Jacksonville Jaguars – Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke know the importance of an offensive line and what Trevor Lawrence had last year was not it. Evan Neal or Ikem Ekwonu need to be the pick here because in order to find success as a franchise Trevor Lawrence will be needing a clean pocket, those guys help him with that and for me the pick is Neal.
2). Detroit Lions – Aidan Hutchison, Edge, Michigan
Born in Michigan, plays high school football and college football in Michigan and now the homegrown talent stays in state with the Lions. The Dan Campbell Lions love aggression and tenacity and that is all the things that made up Aidan Hutchison outside of the scientific approach his parents took.
3). Houston Texans – Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
The best player to the draft goes to the team in desperate need of him. Kyle Hamilton has the range of a safety, coverage skills of a corner, and the sound tackling technique of a linebacker. The ultimate swiss army knife pick for the team with a ton of holes on defense, scheme away and have fun with Hamilton on your team.
4). New York Jets – Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
An absolute mauler of a tackle, Ikem Ekwonu may be the pick at number one for the Jaguars so for the Jets to pair him with Mekhi Becton,with whom they are still hopeful with after his rookie season, you could have as lethal a tackle group as any in the NFL.
5). New York Giants – Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
Another tackle off the board for the New Hope Giants, not the New York Giants, as the new head coach Brian Daboll and the staff he is building is looking to give Daniel Jones his best supporting cast ever. Charles Cross is the start of giving Daniel Jones the support he has lacked his entire career to date.
6). Carolina Panthers – Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
The Senior Bowl always has some secrets leave it and circulate and one of the two mentioned in this mock will be the Panthers fascination with Kenny Pickett. While Pickett may not be a popular pick it may be one that David Tepper and Matt Rhule want and thus far what they want they get, for better or worse.
7). New York Giants – Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
Remember how I mentioned that the new Giants staff wants to give Daniel Jones all the support he hasn’t had? Why not throw in the best receiver in this class to sweeten the pot to go along with a cornerstone tackle.
8). Atlanta Falcons – Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Oregon
An absolute steal for the Falcons here, last year they got Kyle Pitts who may be the best tight end in the league in the near future and now they get the highly profiled Oregon edge rusher with all the tools to make an impact in the wide open NFC south.
*Trade* The Pittsburgh Steelers trade up with the Denver Broncos from 20 to 9
9). Pittsburgh Steelers – Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
The absolute worst kept secret on social media and on the ground in Mobile is the Steelers, specifically Mike Tomlin’s, interest in Malik Willis. The biggest winner arguably of Senior Bowl week cracks the top ten as the Steelers trade up for their future quarterback.
10). New York Jets – Derek Stingley, CB, LSU
The Jets have been searching for a stable number one corner for years now it seems. Whether it is free agency or in the draft they just haven’t been able to lock the position down, drafting Stingley is a solid attempt at solving that problem.
11). Washington Commanders – Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
The quarterback position has been a problem since Alex Smiths horrific injury and while they have some fun alternatives, Matt Corral with Scott Turner the offensive coordinator could be FUN and I am not talking about the band.
12). Minnesota Vikings – Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia
A space eater and an absolute bull, Jordan Davis is built like a Viking and in this mock he becomes one. The Vikings had a big space eater back in the day with Kevin Williams, he could give Vikings fans a flashback feel with him on the defensive front.
13). Cleveland Browns – Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
In what could be a top ten talent, Jameson Williams is going to give the ultimate test to Baker Mayfield as the Browns evaluate him. Williams could be in the mix for the top receiver position with Jarvis Landry possibly a cap casualty, see what he can do in that lead role after thriving at Alabama.
14). Baltimore Ravens – Jermaine Johnson, Edge, Florida State
Another big winner from the Senior Bowl this week, Jermaine Johnson was a top fifty talent but after dominating one on ones he has the full attention of the NFL and he could be a very fun Raven on that defensive rotation.
15). Philadelphia Eagles – George Karlaftis, Edge, Purdue
Potentially the steal of this mock, Karlaftis is getting some top edge hype by some around the NFL media landscape but with the rise of Jermaine Johnson someone had to fall. The Eagles benefit big time from the fall and end it at 15 as they revamp this defense that was the cornerstone to their previous Super Bowl run.
16). Philadelphia Eagles – Kenyon Green, iOL, Texas A&M
Back to back steals for the Eagles here, Kenyon Green replaces the retiring Brandon Brooks for the Eagles on a front that has been a sad display with the injuries it has faced. Green can provide flexible protection for Jalen Hurts and the running back stable as they look to continue the run game dominance.
17). Los Angeles Chargers – Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
Another guy with a strong Senior Bowl week was Trevor Penning and he does enough to be the anchor opposite Rashawn Slater. Justin Herbert could have a whole quarter to stay in the pocket while he continues his development with the best protection possible.
18). New Orleans Saints – Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
The Saints are a mess at the quarterback position, been awhile since that was said, and the best way to help out a quarterback is give him as many weapons as he can. Taysom Hill, if he is who they go with, could benefit from Garrett Wilson as they possibly get to use him in creative ways to take some pressure off Hill.
19). Philadelphia Eagles – Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
The top off the trio of talent for the Eagles why not give them a corner to help defend the emerging passing talents in New York and Washington, not to mention the gauntlet of receivers Dallas has. Possibly the best corner in the draft falling to 19 should have the entire Eagles front office excited on camera, for once.
20). Denver Broncos – David Ojabo, Edge, Michigan
After trading back with the Steelers, the Broncos get a nice value pick here in the project with high upside that is David Ojabo. He can play linebacker ot edge so the new Broncos staff should have a lot of fun scheming with him.
21). New England Patriots – Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson
Bill Belichick has lost his offensive coordinator but he still has old faithful in Matt Patricia. Giving himself and Patrica a new corner to replace Stephon Gilmore.
22). Las Vegas Raiders – Tyler Linderbaum, iOL, Iowa
Linderbaum in the black and silver is a throwback John Madden pick here. Madden always talked about the five person blocking sleds and Linderbaum is enough of an animal to do three of those on his own, don’t quote me on that. Fun pick for a new Raiders regime and Derek Carr.
23). Arizona Cardinals – Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia
The Cardinals have enough offensive weapons to fend off a small country invasion but the defense continues to struggle when a stop is needed. Walker could be a rotational guy while he develops but until then he can benefit from one on ones while Chandler Jones has the double teams.
24). Dallas Cowboys – DeMarvin Leal, IDL, Texas A&M
My boss is a Aggies fan and a Cowbots fan, this pick had to be made for job security.
25). Buffalo Bills – Zion Johnson, iOL, Boston College
A bruising tackle with an affinity for playing in hellacious weather? Sounds like a Bill to me, Johnson can sure up this offensibve line that has been apart of much the Bills success already so a young investment wouldn’t hurt here.
26). Tennessee Titans – Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
So many times the Titans have landed top end talent that falls to later in round one and again this happens witht he Devin Lloyd pick. Lloyd is a rangy linebacker with tons of upside but him falling out of the Senior Bowl may put him in the back of NFL minds to the Titans benefit.
27). Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Carson Strong, QB, Nevada
Tom Brady has retired, Bruce Arians loves big arms, Kyle Trask is not that so this pick makes as much sense as any. Not much else to say here.
28). Green Bay Packers – Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State
With Davante Adams future in doubt and with Aaron Rodgers not sure what he wants to do when not listening to the Joe Rogan Experience, the Packers have to plan for the future and getting Chris Olave here makes the most sense.
29). Miami Dolphins – Drake London, WR, USC
Seen a lot of receievers mocked here but with Drake London on the board this may be the best fit yet. London can be a number one for Tua Tagovailoa while he continues his development but the pick may change to a running back depending on the hire for head coach.
30). Kansas City Chiefs – Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
The Chiefs have had a couple dart throws at the safety position in past drafts and while the duo of Dirty Dan Sorenson and the Honey Badger they are aging quickly and need this figured out. Daxton Hill could be a project for Steve Spagnuolo while he gets what he can out of the aging vets.
31). Cincinnati Bengals – Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
The Bengals have done a tremendous job building the defense they have at their disposal but more corners never hurt. In the AFC in general their are so many talented quarterbacks and receiver groups so if they want this Super Bowl run to be a recurring thing they need to keep investing.
32). Detroit Lions – David Bell, WR, Purdue
The Lions got an absolute steal with Amon-Ra St. Brown in last years draft so lets keep building the receiving corp with steals. David Bell could be gone by this point and to be honest I like what I saw from Goff enough to hold off on investing a high pick at the quarterback position, see what he can do with more weapons and worse case the quarterback in next years draft has the tools for success.
