That was my goal with this mock. I wanted to make it as chaotic as possible, whilst also staying realistic. I hope I accomplished that.
One month to go until Draft Night. I used Pro Football Network’s mock draft tool, as well as NFL Mock Draft Database’s mock draft tool to do this mock.
Let the chaos begin!
I could have gone with total chaos and made this pick anything other than this, but I also wanted realism. Williams to Chicago is pretty much etched in stone.This pick isn’t completely etched in stone yet, but the engraver has at least carved QUARTERBACK. I think it’ll be Daniels.TRADE WITH NEW ENGLAND
In reality, as well as fantasy, the draft truly starts here. Will New England stay put & draft a QB, or will they take a haul from another QB needy team. Minnesota has the most to offer and I don’t think they’ll settle for QB4.
TRADE WITH ARIZONA
Here we go! I can actually see the Jets doing this. Going all in to maximize the time they have with Aaron Rodgers.
Back to the boring, sorry. Seriously, though, Alt is a massive talent, pun intended, and a perfect fit for what Harbaugh wants to do.This might be a little bit of a surprise, but I think there’s some realism too. The Giants should, and probably are considering moving on from Daniel Jones. I tried to find a way for Tennessee to trade out of this spot, in keeping with my chaos theme, but I didn’t find any viable options.Turner to Atlanta is one of my more concrete projections. Unless someone makes a move in front of them, I’m fairly certain this will be the pick.Odunze is one of four players that I think Chicago will take if he’s there at nine. The other three being Alt, Turner & Malik Nabers.TRADE WITH NEW YORK JETS.
I have Arizona trading out of a chance to draft MHJ, so I don’t think they’ll target a WR here, even with Nabers available.
TRADE WITH MINNESOTA.
New England is a team in the beginning stages of a massive rebuild. They have needs everywhere, that’s why I think they may be open to trading out of number three.
This should throw the draft on its head. Denver has Jarrett Stidham as its QB1 and no draft capital to move up. They don’t have a second rounder, so barring a trade for someone like Daniel Jones, they have to pull the trigger on a pretty big reach for Nix.I thought about having Las Vegas follow Denver’s lead and overdraft a QB here, but I think this is a new Raiders regime & honestly, Gardner Minshew is a decent QB to roll the dice with.TRADE WITH NEW ORLEANS.
If Bowers falls into range, it would make perfect sense for Cincinnati to make this move.
This is one of the boring picks, but I like the fit with Mitchell and Indianapolis.TRADE WITH SEATTLE.
Miami lost a lot of talent in free agency, making a move up for a talented and versatile offensive lineman makes sense.
TRADE WITH JACKSONVILLE.
Dallas lost its starting left tackle and center in free agency, I think a move up to get the best center prospect in years makes sense.
TRADE WITH CINCINNATI.
With the top three offensive tackles off the board, I can see New Orleans adding some draft capital to move down.
Another boring pick, but Latu to the Rams makes a lot of sense. I could see them targeting a replacement for Aaron Donald here as well.Pittsburgh could use another receiver for their new look QB room, but offensive line feels more like a Steelers move.TRADE WITH MIAMI.
Seattle moves down and drafts a defensive lineman to make their defensive engine hum.
Philadelphia stands pat and lets a top notch corner prospect fall to them. Boring.TRADE WITH NEW ENGLAND.
Detroit makes a bold move up to grab a pass rusher to partner with Aiden Hutchinson.
TRADE WITH DALLAS.
Jacksonville moves down and drafts a replacement for Calvin Ridley.
Another boring pick. DeJean to Green Bay has been a very consistent projection for me.Back to back boring picks. Tampa Bay replaces Shaq Barrett.After passing on receivers with their first pick, Arizona nabs one here.Buffalo adding the speedy Worthy to replace Gabe Davis has been a consistent projection for me.TRADE WITH DETROIT.
How’s this for chaos? Six QBs in the first round. I just don’t see New England leaving this draft without one and after adding major draft capital with their trade out of three, they can afford to reach on Penix and get that fifth year option.
Baltimore adding a big bodied receiver to complement Zay Flowers makes a ton of sense.San Francisco adding talent to their offensive line is the prudent play.After trading L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City could target a corner here.
TEAMS WITHOUT A FIRST ROUND PICK:
Carolina needs to improve the supporting cast around Bryce Young.Houston can’t pass up a talent like Lassiter, who could pair with Derek Stingley to form a formidable corner duo.Honestly, Payton Wilson just sounds like a Cleveland Brown.
The first week of free agency frenzy did not disappoint. There was some major moves, some big surprises and, finally, some clarity about what will happen at the top of the draft.
Barring any trades involving first round picks, this should be my last mock draft of wave three. I’ll do wave four in April, including a full seven round mock.
I used Pro Football Network’s mock draft tool to do this mock:
The Chicago Bears traded Justin Fields to Pittsburgh, locking them into a QB with this pick. Williams HAS to be that QB.When the Washington Commanders traded Sam Howell to Seattle, it signaled their intent to draft a QB. The only question remaining is which QB? My money is on the Heisman Trophy winner.
*TRADE*
Minnesota acquires the 3rd pick from New England in exchange for a package including the 11th and 23rd overall selections.
The Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins in free agency and added Sam Darnold. By deftly acquiring Houston’s first rounder, they’ve given themselves the ammo to move up for a QB.The Arizona Cardinals gladly watch QBs go 1-2-3, knowing they can draft a generational WR twenty years after drafting another in Larry Fitzgerald.The Los Angeles Chargers lost Keenan Allen, Mike Williams & Gerald Everett this week. There’s a severe shortage of pass catchers in LA for Justin Herbert.The New York Giants filled a lot of holes this week, except at wide receiver.
*TRADE*
Denver acquires the 7th overall pick from Tennessee in exchange for a package including the 12th overall selection.
The Denver Broncos released Russell Wilson and did nothing to replace him. With their division rival, Las Vegas, lurking, they have to pull the trigger on a move up the board.The Atlanta Falcons landed the big prize of free agency, QB Kirk Cousins, and they also acquired WRs Darnell Mooney & Rondale Moore. The offense is set, time to address their defense.
*TRADE*
Cincinnati acquires the 9th overall pick from Chicago in exchange for a package including the 18th overall selection.
The Cincinnati Bengals seize the opportunity to move up and grab the top OT in the draft to fill the void left by Jonah Williams.The New York Jets added tackles Tyron Smith & Morgan Moses this week, but that shouldn’t preclude them from adding Fuaga, who they can kick inside to guard to strengthen the protection for Aaron Rodgers even more.The New England Patriots have many needs, so they’ll take the extra first rounder to move out of the three spot, even if it means missing out on a QB.The Tennessee Titans gladly take some extra draft capital to move down five spots where they still land a franchise OT.
*TRADE*
Philadelphia acquires the 13th overall pick from Las Vegas in exchange for a package including the 22nd overall selection.
The Philadelphia Eagles have draft capital to burn and a need to get younger and more physical in their secondary.The New Orleans Saints have needs on both their offensive & defensive lines, offense holds more value here.The Indianapolis Colts stop the slide of the best TE prospect since Kyle Pitts.The Seattle Seahawks add another productive piece to their defensive line after re-signing Leonard Williams.
*TRADE*
Jacksonville trades the 17th overall selection to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a package including the 19th overall pick.
The Los Angeles Rams jump ahead of Chicago to keep a premium edge rusher in LA.The Chicago Bears only have four picks in this draft, so they’ll easily slide down from ninth to add more and still land an edge rusher to pair with Montez Sweat.The Jacksonville Jaguars move down a couple spots, adding draft capital and still landing the CB they likely would have taken at #17.The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long tradition of great centers, they add another for Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields.The Miami Dolphins draft a replacement for Robert Hunt.The Las Vegas Raiders move down the board, adding draft capital, and select the best OT still on the board.The New England Patriots added this pick in an earlier trade. They use it on offense after spending their first pick on defense.The Dallas Cowboys find a replacement for Tyron Smith.The Green Bay Packers add a versatile defensive back to their secondary.The Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft a replacement for Shaq Barrett.The Arizona Cardinals go defense after using their first pick on offense.The Buffalo Bills replace Gabe Davis with the fastest receiver in the class.The Detroit Lions have few weaknesses, secondary is one, even after acquiring Carlton Davis.The Baltimore Ravens add a big bodied receiver to pair with the smaller & shiftier Zay Flowers.The San Francisco 49ers need to upgrade their offensive line, especially the interior.
*TRADE*
New England acquires the 32nd overall pick from Kansas City in exchange for a package including the 34th overall selection.
The New England Patriots move back into the first round to pick for the third time and get that all important fifth year option on a rookie QB.
TEAMS WITHOUT A FIRST ROUND PICK:
The Carolina Panthers added WR Diontae Johnson but they still need to give Bryce Young more help.The Kansas City Chiefs added Marquise Brown but that shouldn’t preclude them from drafting another WR after trading out of the first round.The Houston Texans have a fearsome edge rushing tandem in Will Anderson & Danielle Hunter, now they add the best run stuffer in the draft.The Cleveland Browns give Deshaun Watson another target to go with Amari Cooper & David Njoku.
On the eve of free agency frenzy, I’m putting out a 3 round mock. To do this I made a couple assumptions, vis-a-vis the QB situation for some teams. Here’s how I see it shaking out, for now:
1. Minnesota will re-sign Kirk Cousins
2. Tampa Bay will re-sign Baker Mayfield
3. Denver has announced that they will release Russell Wilson, who will ultimately sign with Atlanta
4. Pittsburgh will trade for Justin Fields
With these moves, I look at the following teams as QB needy:
New England
Denver
Las Vegas
Washington
Chicago
There are other teams that could look to draft a future successor, but these are the ones that I don’t think make it past day two of the draft without adding a QB.
With that being said, let’s start the mock draft. I didn’t do any hypothetical trades, except having Pittsburgh swap their second rounder for Justin Fields.
I used Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator for this:
ROUND ONE
1. CHICAGO BEARS- Caleb Williams, QB, USC: Bears seem destined to reset the QB clock with the most highly touted prospect in years.2. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS- Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU: Commanders opt for the Heisman Trophy winner as the new face of the franchise.3. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS- Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina: Patriots are moving on from Mac Jones.4. ARIZONA CARDINALS- Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State: Perfect scenario for the Cardinals as the best overall player in the draft falls to them.5. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS- Rome Odunze, WR, Washington: Chargers get younger at receiver with a player that shines at the combine.6. NEW YORK GIANTS- Malik Nabers, WR, LSU: Giants nab the latest in a long line of great LSU receivers.7. TENNESSEE TITANS- Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame: Titans make the massive Alt the first tackle off the board.8. ATLANTA FALCONS- Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo: Mitchell has been shooting up draft boards and the Falcons make him the first corner taken.9. CHICAGO BEARS- Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama: Bears miss out on the big three receivers, so they take the top edge rusher to pair with Montez Sweat.10. NEW YORK JETS- Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State: Jets need to shore up their pass protection and Fuaga has impressed at the Senior Bowl and the combine.11. MINNESOTA VIKINGS- Jer’Zhan Newton, IDL, Illinois: If Cousins is back in the fold, the Vikings can focus on their defense.12. DENVER BRONCOS- JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan: With the Broncos moving on from the disastrous Russell Wilson era, a new franchise QB is a must. 13. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS- Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State: Raiders take advantage of Fashanu slipping down the board a bit.14. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS- JC Latham, OT, Alabama: Saints and Latham have been one of my more consistent mock pairings.15. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS- Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia: Colts stop Bowers’ slide, a top ten talent but positional value pushes him down the board.16. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS- Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon State: Seattle makes Powers-Johnson the highest drafted center since 1993.17. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS- Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama: Jaguars need help at all three levels of their defense, Arnold has lock down corner capabilities.18. CINCINNATI BENGALS- Byron Murphy II, IDL, Texas: Bengals add the super athletic, if a bit undersized, Murphy to their defensive line.19. LOS ANGELES RAMS- Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA: Rams stay in LA to add to their pass rush.20. PITTSBURGH STEELERS- Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson: Wiggins to the Steelers has been a very consistent mock for me.21. MIAMI DOLPHINS- Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State: Dolphins probably won’t have either of their top two pass rushers when the season starts, Verse will help fill that void.22. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES- Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa: DeJean projects as either a corner or safety, the Eagles need both.23. HOUSTON TEXANS- Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State: Pairing Robinson with last year’s first rounder, Will Anderson, will give any QB facing the Texans nightmares.24. DALLAS COWBOYS- Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma: Cowboys find a successor to Tyron Smith.25. GREEN BAY PACKERS- Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia: Packers need an infusion of youth on their offensive line.26. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS- Graham Barton, IOL, Duke: Buccaneers opt to upgrade their offensive line.27. ARIZONA CARDINALS- Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama: Cardinals go to the defensive side of the ball with their second first rounder.28. BUFFALO BILLS- Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU: Bills find a running mate for Stefon Diggs.29. DETROIT LIONS- Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia: Pass coverage is one of the few weak spots on this Lions roster.30. BALTIMORE RAVENS- Leonard Taylor, IDL, Miami-Fl: Ravens add their defensive front.31. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS- Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington: Niners need upgrades all along their offensive line.32. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS- Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas: The Chiefs biggest need is obviously wide receiver.
SECOND ROUND
33. CAROLINA PANTHERS- Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State: Panthers use their first pick to get Bryce Young some help.
34. PATRIOTS– Ladd McKonkey, WR, Georgia
35. CARDINALS– Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri
36. COMMANDERS– Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
37. CHARGERS– Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
38. TITANS- Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
39. GIANTS– Christian Haynes, IOL, UConn
40. COMMANDERS– TJ Tampa, CB, Iowa State
41. PACKERS- Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota
42. VIKINGS– Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
43. FALCONS- Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
44. RAIDERS- Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington
Raiders nab their QB.
45. SAINTS- T’Vondre Sweat, IDL, Texas
46. COLTS- Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
47. GIANTS- Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Giants draft competition for Daniel Jones.
48. JAGUARS– Zach Frazier, IOL, West Virginia
49. BENGALS– Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
50. EAGLES- Ennis Rakestraw Jr, CB, Missouri
51. BEARS- Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
Pick acquired from Pittsburgh for Justin Fields.
52. RAMS- Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M
53. EAGLES– Payton Wilson, LB, NC State
54. CLEVELAND BROWNS- Ruke Orhorhoro, IDL, Clemson: Browns use their first pick on their defensive line.
Eight more seven round mock drafts for individual teams. This will complete all thirty two teams.
Once again, I’ve used Pro Football Network’s mock draft tool. Phase 3 of mock draft season will begin the week of March 11, and the start of free agency frenzy.
Here we go:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
What I liked: Patriots need a new QB, but Marvin Harrison Jr is the best player in the draft, slam dunk pick.
What I didn’t like: Jaheim Bell is a very good player, but TE is not a pressing need in New England.
Synopsis: The end of the Belichick era was not entirely about the inability to replace Tom Brady, but also a track record of poor drafts. The new era is starting off right with MHJ.
NEW YORK JETS
What I liked: Jets really need to address their pass protection and Taliese Fuaga is one of my favorite tackles in the draft.
What I didn’t like: Total nitpicking, but the Jets might want to grab a new understudy for Aaron Rodgers.
Synopsis: This is a pretty strong draft for the Jets. If Rodgers returns to form, this should be a playoff team.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
What I liked: Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s son, Brenden Rice, being drafted by the Niners is just a wonderful story.
What I didn’t like: I’ve tried nitpicking to find something I don’t like about this draft for San Francisco, but I honestly can’t find one.
Synopsis: The Niners biggest hurdle for 2024 is overcoming the curse of being the loser of the Super Bowl. This draft could help, addressing their two biggest weaknesses, the offensive line and secondary.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
What I liked: Targeting an edge rusher in the first round makes total sense for Seattle, and Dallas Turner falling to #16 is a dream scenario.
What I didn’t like: I’m not sure taking another corner as early as I have them taking DJ James is necessary.
Synopsis: The Seahawks might want to consider taking a QB to replace Geno Smith, they could have a chance at #16.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
What I liked: Adding Troy Franklin in the second round is great value and a terrific asset for their new franchise QB.
What I didn’t like: Nothing against Drake Maye, but I think Washington should swing for the fences if they’re moving on from Sam Howell and try to land Caleb Williams.
Synopsis: The Commanders draft will be judged on whether or not they landed their franchise QB.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
What I liked: Jer’Zhan Newton is tremendous value at #26.
What I didn’t like: Tampa Bay should probably target an edge rusher before Jordan Strachan at #244.
Synopsis: The Buccaneers have an aging roster and a need to get younger at just about every position.
TENNESSEE TITANS
What I liked: For my money, Olumuyiwa Fashanu is the best offensive tackle in the draft.
What I didn’t like: The Titans may want to address the secondary before Dwight McGlothern at #225.
Synopsis: Tennessee is in the early stages of a rebuild, they have needs everywhere.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
What I liked: Ennis Rakestraw Jr is a great value for the Steelers in the second round.
What I didn’t like: Barring a trade or major free agency signing, Pittsburgh should target a QB before Joe Milton at #197.
Synopsis: I think the Steelers will make a move to upgrade the QB position with a high end veteran, leaving them free to fill in other holes in the draft.
Nickels and Dimes 