This is one of the toughest final mock drafts I’ve ever done. Maybe it’s because, for the first time I can remember, every team still possesses their own first round pick. Maybe it’s the lack of high end quarterbacks. Maybe it’s just the large collection of second tier prospects.

The top four are the only picks I’m certain of, and even there there is some wiggle room. Colorado’s Travis Hunter or Penn State’s Abdul Carter will go second to Cleveland, the other will go third to the New York Giants.

After the first four, we could have chaos. I thought the Jacksonville pick at five was a lock, but there’s been a lot of buzz as we wind down the hours to the draft. The term “the draft starts here” is completely overused, but it feels apt to say that the intrigue starts at five and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Hovering over everything is the quarterback question. There’s four teams, not counting Tennessee, with a pretty serious need at quarterback and only two quarterbacks, after Miami’s Cam Ward, worth considering in the first round. Will they go early? Will some team try to move into the back end of the first for one?

Not even Mel Kiper has the answers and that is what makes mock drafting so much fun, and infuriating at the same time.

All that being said, this is it, my final mock. It’s been revised several times, thrown out and restarted, but now I’m out of time and this is what I’m going with:

Picks 1-4

• Ward to Tennessee is a lock.
• While I think Cleveland should go with Carter, the buzz for Hunter is deafening.
• The NY Giants would probably rather have Hunter, but Carter is a very good consolation prize.
• Provided picks 1-3 are Ward, Hunter & Carter in any order, Campbell to New England is a lock.

Picks 5-8

• I think the Jaguars are trying to entice someone to move up for Jeanty and they get Chicago to bite.
• Pete Carroll’s first pick in rebuilding Las Vegas will be in the trenches with Membou.
• Aaron Glenn will go defense with his first pick as NY Jets head coach with Graham.
• I’m pretty confident that Carolina is going defense here and they’ve been linked to Walker for awhile.

Picks 9-12

• The more I think about it, the more unlikely it feels that New Orleans will go quarterback here. Instead I think they’ll add Williams to their defense.
• Jacksonville might be eager to move down from five because they’ve settled on McMillan as their guy.
• San Francisco taking Johnson, while not a lock, has been a consistent pick of mine.
• I think Golden would be the pick for Dallas even if McMillan was still on the board.

Picks 13-16

• Miami has a need at corner and safety, Barron is the most versatile defensive back in this class.
• Indianapolis will be ecstatic if Warren makes it this far.
• With the two Georgia defenders, Walker and Williams, off the board, Atlanta bets on the physical attributes of Stewart.
• With Banks still on the board, I think Arizona will look to solidify their offensive line.

Picks 17-20

• Cincinnati has taken chances on players with character concerns before. The talent of Green is undeniable.
• The LA Chargers jump ahead of division rival, Denver, to ensure they land Loveland.
• Tampa Bay picks Campbell to be the next great Buccaneer linebacker.
• Hampton is the workhorse, three down running back Denver needs.

Picks 21-24

• I just don’t see Pittsburgh going quarterback with this pick. I like defensive line and Harmon is the best on the board.
• After trading down, Seattle picks Booker, the top pure guard in the draft.
• Green Bay looks to solidify their defensive line with Nolen.
• Minnesota landing Starks feels like as much of a lock as the twenty fourth pick can be.

Picks 25-28

• Houston needs offensive line help and Simmons could be a steal if he’s fully healthy.
• Cleveland has the first pick of the second round, so they’re a prime candidate to move back into the first for a quarterback. They trade with the Rams to land Sanders.
• Emmanwori feels like the type of hard hitting safety that Baltimore loves.
• Detroit can slide Zabel into the spot vacated by Kevin Zeitler.

Picks 29-32

• Pass rusher feels like one of the few needs Washington has, so Pearce is a natural fit.
• Buffalo picks Egbuka to give Josh Allen another weapon.
• New Orleans makes a deal with the Chiefs to move back into the first round and secure Dart and the all important fifth year option.
• Philadelphia adds the highly productive Ezeiruaku to replace Josh Sweat.

Bonus Picks

• After trading out of the first round, the LA Rams kick off day two of the draft by selecting Revel.
• Kansas City moves out of the first round and lands Jackson, who I think they would have considered in the first.