The NFL regular season is over and since my Chicago Bears aren’t in the playoffs, it’s the first day of mock draft season for me!
The top 18 picks are locked, 19-32 the order is subject to change. I will not be doing any hypothetical trades until after the Super Bowl, so all these picks are who I think these teams will take at that spot.
Here we go:
1. CHICAGO BEARS (via Carolina)- Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina: Ultimately, I think Chicago trades this pick, but if they stay it has to be a QB. I think Maye will be more to their liking than Caleb Williams.
2. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS- Caleb Williams, QB, USC: New owner, new coach & new face of the franchise in DC.
3. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State: Patriots need a QB, desperately, but they’re going to have to move up to get one worth a top 5 pick. Here they just take the best player in the draft, and another position of need.
4. ARIZONA CARDINALS- Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama: Cardinals could go many directions here, but fixing the defense has to be a top priority.
5. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS- Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia: Chargers & Bowers seem like a perfect fit. Best TE prospect since Kyle Pitts.
6. NEW YORK GIANTS- Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame: Giants may be in the QB market, they may go WR here too, but I think Alt is too good to pass up.
7. TENNESSEE TITANS- Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State: WR is a possibility & Bowers would be a perfect fit, but Fashanu is a dominant left tackle.
8. ATLANTA FALCONS- Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama: Full disclaimer here: This mock involves no speculative trades, except one. The Bears having the first pick requires a trade, either the pick or QB Justin Fields. In this exercise, Fields lands in Atlanta. So, instead of taking a QB, Atlanta goes defense.
9. CHICAGO BEARS- Malik Nabers, WR, LSU: Bears have a number one WR, but they need more for whoever is under center.
10. NEW YORK JETS- JC Latham, OT, Alabama: Aaron Rodgers will return so the Jets desperately need to improve his protection.
11. MINNESOTA VIKINGS- Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama: I believe Kirk Cousins will return to Minnesota, making defense the top priority.
12. DENVER BRONCOS- Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU: I think Denver moves on from Russell Wilson, they’ll start over with the Heisman Trophy winner.
13. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS- Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa: Raiders need a QB, but I don’t see them doing it here.
14. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- Jer’Zhan Newton, DL, Illinois: Saints take the top interior defensive lineman in the draft.
15. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS- Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State: WR is a possibility, but I think the Colts will go defense.
16. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS- Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA: Injury red flags will push him further down the board than his talent warrants.
17. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson: WR or OT are possible if Jags go offense, but I think they’ll go defense.
18. CINCINNATI BENGALS- Rome Odunze, WR, Washington: Bengals get a steal and a replacement for Tee Higgins.
19. GREEN BAY PACKERS- Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State: Packers get a long term replacement at left tackle.
20. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS- Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State: Bucs get younger on their pass rush.
21. ARIZONA CARDINALS (from Houston)- Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State: Cardinals get their WR with their second first rounder.
22. LOS ANGELES RAMS- Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State: Rams replace Jalen Ramsey.
23. PITTSBURGH STEELERS- Leonard Taylor, DL, Miami-FL: Going interior defensive line feels like a Steelers kind of pick.
24. MIAMI DOLPHINS- Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia: I feel like Miami has to go offensive line here, can never go wrong with a Georgia Bulldog.
25. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES- Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami-FL: Eagles take the best safety in the draft,
26. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS- Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU: Chiefs need for wide receivers is one of the most obvious in all of football.
27. HOUSTON TEXANS (from Cleveland)- Troy Fautanu, IOL, Washington: Texans take the top interior offensive lineman in the draft.
28. DETROIT LIONS- Kalen King, CB, Penn State: Detroit needs to vastly improve their pass defense.
29. BUFFALO BILLS- Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU: Bills opt to upgrade the offensive line.
30. DALLAS COWBOYS- Jeremiah Trotter Jr, LB, Clemson: Cowboys take the top off ball linebacker in the draft.
31. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS- Graham Barton, OT, Duke: Niners get maybe the most versatile offensive lineman in the draft.
32. BALTIMORE RAVENS- T’Vondre Sweat, DL, Texas: Ravens land the best run stuffer in the draft.