This season I’ll be doing my own power rankings, hopefully every week. The inaugural list is purely speculative. Here we go:

1. Philadelphia Eagles– The defending champs remain the team to beat.
2. Baltimore Ravens– The best team in the AFC, can they finally get it done in January?
3. Kansas City Chiefs– As long as Mahomes is under center, KC is a legit Super Bowl contender.
4. Buffalo Bills– Josh Allen carried them as far as he could last year, did they add enough to get them over the hump?
5. Green Bay Packers– The acquisition of Micah Parsons pushes them into the top five, but I’m not convinced Jordan Love is a franchise QB and the NFC North is a very tough division.
6. Denver Broncos– They have an elite defense and one of the best coaches in football, if Bo Nix can improve on a pretty good rookie season, they could be the team to dethrone KC in the AFC West.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers– They own their division and their offense is a good as anyone’s, do they have the defense to truly contend?
8. Detroit Lions– This might still be one of the best teams in the NFC, but they lost a significant amount of their coaching staff. I think there may be some bumps in the road.
9. Los Angeles Rams– I’d rank them higher if I had more confidence Matthew Stafford can make it through the season.
10. Washington Commanders– The Commanders & Jayden Daniels are legit, but they won’t take anyone by surprise this year.
11. Cincinnati Bengals– If they avoid another slow start, this is a playoff team. Their nearly complete lack of defense limits their ceiling, though.
12. Chicago Bears– There will be hiccups in year one of the Ben Johnson/ Caleb Williams era, but the talent is there to take a big step forward.
13. Houston Texans– If they can protect CJ Stroud, and he proves last year was just a sophomore slump, Houston could rise in these rankings.
14. Los Angeles Chargers– Until they actually win in January, I’m hesitant to rank them higher.
15. New York Jets– I believe in Justin Fields and Aaron Glenn, not quite enough to get them into the playoffs.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars– If Liam Coen can do for Trevor Lawrence what he did for Baker Mayfield, this team could really rise.
17. Arizona Cardinals– I like a lot of the pieces Arizona has, I just don’t trust Kyler Murray.
18. Seattle Seahawks– Sam Darnold is another QB I just don’t believe in and that drags Seattle down in my rankings.
19. Minnesota Vikings– JJ McCarthy is essentially a rookie QB & the NFC North is the toughest division in the NFL, so I think the Vikings might be relegated to the basement.
20. Las Vegas Raiders– Vegas also has the misfortune of playing in a tough division. They’ll show improvement, but the AFC West is a minefield.
21. Carolina Panthers– I think Carolina could be one of the surprise teams in the NFL this year.
22. Atlanta Falcons– Until they prove otherwise, I always expect the Falcons to come up short.
23. San Francisco 49ers– There’s just been too much attrition in San Fran to think they’ll be serious contenders.
24. New York Giants– Legit defense, just not sure they’ll get enough from their QBs to actually contend.
25. New England Patriots– Vrabel will make New England better, but they still don’t have enough talent to truly contend.
26. Cleveland Browns– Another legit defense that just won’t produce enough on offense to contend.
27. Pittsburgh Steelers– I just don’t think Aaron Rodgers has it anymore and I think Pittsburgh might implode.
28. Dallas Cowboys– I feel an implosion of epic proportions coming in Jerry World.
29. Indianapolis Colts– There is little reason for optimism when Daniel Jones is your QB1, ask Giants fans.
30. Miami Dolphins– Another team that I feel like is in for an epic implosion.
31. Tennessee Titans– I think Tennessee can rise much higher in these rankings, but until I see it on the field, I’ll rank them here.
32. New Orleans Saints– Right now, I think they’re the heavy favorite to land the first overall pick in the 2026 draft.

The second fantasy football draft I participated in this week was for the Lancaster Fighting Amish league. I’ve been in this league since 2006 and I routinely change the team name, this year I’ve gone with BJ & Da’ Bears to celebrate Ben Johnson’s first season as head coach of my beloved Bears.

As I said, I’ve been in this league since 2006, and while I’ve never won the title, I’ve been runner up three times and I’ve made the playoffs more often than not.

I’ve also twice won the Toilet Bowl and I’m one of only two teams in the history of this league to complete a winless regular season (but I did win three straight to capture the Toilet Bowl that season).

This league is a more conventional fantasy football league than my other. Smaller league, smaller rosters, mostly traditional scoring and a snake draft.

Where this league may differ from others is the keeper system. We can protect up to three players at the draft position we originally took them. For example, last year I drafted Caleb Williams in the ninth round, I can now protect him every year as my ninth round selection for as long as I want, so long as he is continuously on my roster.

Here’s a quick overview of Lancaster Fighting Amish:

12 team league.

16 man roster consisting of no more than 3 QBs, 6 RBs, 6 WRs, 4 TEs, 3 Kickers & 3 Team Defenses.

Lineups consist of 1 QB, 2-3 RBs, 2-4 WRs, 1-3 TEs, 1 Kicker & 1 Team Defense.

Scoring by RT Sports.

Limited keeper league. Keep up to 3 players at the spot you originally drafted them at. (See above)

Snake draft. We go 1-12, then 12-1, 1-12 and so on through 16 rounds.

My strategy is the same here. I highly value running backs and receivers, with RB being the highest priority. I stream defenses in this league and flat out cut my kicker on his bye week, so those are nearly always my 15th and 16th picks.

Now, onto the draft. First the protected players and where they were protected:

Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (1st Round)

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (1st Round)

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (2nd Round)

Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans (2nd Round)

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions (2nd Round)

Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers (3rd Round)

Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets (3rd Round)

Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons (3rd Round)

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens (3rd Round)

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (4th Round)

Devon Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins (4th Round)

Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants (5th Round)

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders (6th Round)

Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (6th Round)

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys (8th Round)

Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (8th Round)

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (8th Round)

Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (9th Round)

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys (9th Round)

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (10th Round)

Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (11th Round)

Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11th Round)

CJ Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (12th Round)

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12th Round)

Pittsburgh Steelers Defense (12th Round)

Michael Penix Jr, QB, Atlanta Falcons (14th Round)

Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings (16th Round)

Jonnu Smith, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers (16th Round)

Now, here’s how my draft went:

Round 1– Brian Thomas Jr, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

I had the fifth pick and things did not go my way. Jahmyr Gibbs and Derrick Henry were the first two off the board. I had a glimmer of hope when Jayden Daniels went third, but that was dashed when Ashton Jeanty went the pick before me.

Perhaps I was thrown off by not catching a break here, but as good as Thomas Jr was last year and can be this year, I can’t believe I didn’t more strongly consider Kyren Williams, Omarion Hampton or Chase Brown here.

Round 2– Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals

This draft is definitely not going the way I expected it to. James Cook went the pick ahead of me and suddenly I’m looking at getting shut out of the high end running back market.

Second draft in a row that I went tight end in the second, never thought I’d ever do that. I could justify the first time because it was a bigger league and I already had my RB1. Harder to justify this one and that’s not a knock on McBride.

Round 3– TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

Okay, I got my running back. As I said in my last post, I really like Henderson and I expect big things from him. Now, I need him to be what I believe he will be, because here he’s not my number two, but my number one back.

Round 4– Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

Two Bears I had my eye on went off the board since my last pick. I’m not sure I would have taken D’Andre Swift, but I definitely would have grabbed DJ Moore but he went one pick before mine.

I like Bryce Young this year and I think McMillan will be his number one guy sooner rather than later. I have no problem getting a young wide receiver with major upside.

Round 5– Aaron Jones, RB, Minnesota Vikings

I was hoping Isaiah Pacheco would make it back to me, but he didn’t.

Have you ever watched a guy repeatedly rip the heart out of your team, over and over, even after changing teams, that you eventually come to respect him?

That’s me & Aaron Jones. I never would have taken Jones when he was a Packer, but on the Vikings I didn’t hesitate.

Round 6– David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions

Old friend alert! Okay, now I’m feeling much better about my running backs. Jones and Montgomery are solid veterans and should give me consistent production.

Round 7– Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears

After missing out on DJ Moore, landing Odunze became a priority and here was the spot to do it.

If I hadn’t added Jones & Montgomery with my previous two picks, I might have been more upset that Bill Croskey- Merrit went one pick before me.

Round 8– Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears (keeper)

This is why I wanted one of Moore or Odunze, to pair with my franchise quarterback. I fully expect Ben Johnson to tap Williams’ enormous potential and Williams to become the first 4,000 yard passer in Bears franchise history.

Round 9– Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

Not counting defense and kicker, I have my starting lineup set, including flex positions. It’s time to work on the bench.

I figured getting the handcuff for my rookie RB1 was a pretty solid plan.

Round 10– Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills

Not going to lie, I was really hoping Jordan Addison would make it back to me, but alas it wasn’t to be.

Coleman is young and talented enough to really ascend in the Bills offense.

Round 11– Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears

I am ecstatic about this pick, For this year and the future. Loveland may develop into a possible flex play this year and he should become a cheap (fantasy draft wise) TE1 for years.

Round 12– Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets

Another old friend alert! I actually started targeting Fields as my back up a couple rounds prior. I put off making the pick as I grabbed more important bench pieces, but the time came to make the move.

I am still a very big Justin Fields fan!

Round 13– Dylan Sampson, RB, Cleveland Browns

This is what I look for in back of the bench running backs. Rookies with some upside. He may be a goal line vulture this year, as well.

Round 14– Amari Cooper, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

I already had 4 very young receivers with upside, so I decided to add a veteran that might still have something in the tank after a change of scenery.

Round 15– Ka’imi Fairbairn, K, Houston Texans

A lesson I learned in my other draft. I googled what kicker made the most 50+ yard field goals. Fairbairn was second to Brandon Aubrey, who was already off the board.

Round 16– Washington Commanders Defense

Before leaving for the draft, I looked at the week one schedule and listed my five favorite defensive matchups. Washington was my second pick after Denver, which had already been drafted.

ANALYSIS

After some early consternation, I think I had a decent draft. I got sniped a few times early on, but I stayed patient, for the most part, and stuck to my plans. When the time was right, I pulled the trigger on some moves I had been patiently waiting on.

BJ & Da’ Bears Roster

Quarterbacks

Caleb Williams, Bears *

Justin Fields, Jets

Running Backs

TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots *

Aaron Jones, Vikings *

David Montgomery, Lions

Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots

Dylan Sampson, Browns

Wide Receivers

Brian Thomas Jr, Jaguars *

Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers *

Rome Odunze, Bears

Keon Coleman, Bills

Amari Cooper, Raiders

Tight Ends

Trey McBride, Cardinals *

Colston Loveland, Bears

Kicker

Ka’imi Fairbairn, Texans *

Team Defense

Washington Commanders *

*Starter

David Montgomery & Rome Odunze will also start as flex plays early on.

Tight end is probably my strongest position group. McBride is a high volume target machine that should score more touchdowns this year. Loveland is a major upside rookie that I think could be a flex play for me later this season. He’s also a prime keeper candidate as an 11th round pick.

My wide receivers have plenty of potential, but only Thomas Jr and Cooper have produced like a WR1. Thomas is entering his second year, and should be reliable. Cooper, however, is on the downside of his career and I’m not sure how much he’ll produce for me.

I’m quite happy with my quarterbacks. I honestly believe Ben Johnson will help Caleb Williams become an elite fantasy quarterback. I believe in Justin Fields, as well, and worst case scenario is he’s still a decent play with the chance for the occasional monster week.

My running back group actually turned out better than I feared it might. I’d be more comfortable with Henderson as my RB2, but I certainly think he’ll become a legit RB1. Jones & Montgomery aren’t elite fantasy options, but they’re solid veteran options that should offer consistency. Stevenson is merely a handcuff on Henderson, while Sampson is an upside gamble.

Fairbairn is actually a good enough kicker that I may try to protect him on his bye week.

I stream defenses in this league, so week one may be the only time I use the Commanders defense.

The keys to the season for this team are:

• I have a lot of young guys with vast potential, I need more than a few of them to realize that potential. First, and foremost, is Caleb Williams. As my only keeper, I basically rested my hopes on Williams becoming the superstar the Bears drafted him to be.
• TreVeyon Henderson needs to become the stud I think he should and quickly. I’m counting on him to be a legit RB1.
• Brian Thomas needs to be exactly what he was as a rookie. McMillan & Odunze need to prove they were worth being top ten picks in the past two NFL Drafts.
• Trey McBride needs to find the end zone more often. It would also be really nice if Loveland becomes a viable flex option as soon as possible.

I’m less confident in this squad than the one I drafted yesterday, mainly because this roster lacks any truly elite players, as of now. The potential is there, but until it materializes, I’m skeptical.

Fantasy Football time is upon us. I drafted two teams this weekend. This is the analysis of the first team I drafted, the Trash Pandas, in the Thunderdome Fantasy Football League.

This is my third season competing in Thunderdome and I’ve had mixed results the previous two years. In my inaugural campaign, I made the playoffs and had one of the stronger teams in the league. Unfortunately, there was a division rival I just couldn’t beat, going 0-3 against them, including a second round loss in the playoffs. I finished 5th for the season.

Last season, the wheels came off pretty early. Injuries mounted and I suffered through a six game losing streak en route to finishing 14th on the season.

This league presents different challenges and requires different strategy than any other leagues I’ve competed in. Most of the challenges stem from the size of the league and the scoring system, I’ll detail those shortly.

Another unique challenge arises from the fact that there are three other Chicago Bears fans in this league, besides me. I’ve never faced that problem before, I’m usually the only Bears fan in a league. Now I know how fans of the Eagles & Steelers feel. To get Bears players I want, I have to be willing to overdraft. To balance that with a desire to win, I have to weigh the actual cost of the overdraft.

I feel like I’ve managed it pretty well, thus far.

Now a bit about Thunderdome Fantasy Football:

16 team league.

18 man roster consisting of no more than 2 QBs, 4 RBs, 4 WRs, 2 TEs, 2 Kickers, 2 Team Defenses & 2 LBs.

Lineups consist of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 Kicker, 1 Team Defense, 1 LB & a Flex which can be a RB, WR or TE.

Scoring by ESPN Fantasy Sports.

Single keeper league. Keeper does NOT count as a draft pick UNLESS being kept two years in a row, then it costs your first round pick.

Ladder draft, meaning the team drafting first in the first round picks last in the second round, while the team picking second in the first picks first in the second and the team picking third in the first picks second in the second and first in the third then last in the fourth round.

As I stated earlier, the size of this league and our rosters presents a unique challenge. The draft is SUPER important because the pickings on the waiver are very slim.

Do the math, there will be 32 QBs rostered, that’s basically every starting QB in the NFL. There will also be 32 team defenses, 32 kickers, 32 tight ends & 32 linebackers rostered.

For QBs, Team Defense and kickers, we’re basically stuck with who we drafted for the entire season, there may be a little wiggle room, but not much.

For TEs and LBs, there are waiver possibilities, but the pickings are slim.

There will be 64 RBs & 64 WRs rostered. For RBs this means the only options on the waiver wire are guys that may only get 5 touches a game, if you’re lucky. WR is deeper and you may be able to find some meaningful contributors on waivers.

The ladder style draft also adds a challenge. For most of the draft each team has 16 spots between their picks, except when it’s your turn to fall down the ladder. In my case, that happened in the fourth round.

I picked third in the first round, second in the second, first in the third and then 16th in the fourth. That’s 31 spots between picks. I had to think long and hard with my third round pick. Was there any player that I really wanted that might not be the highest ranked on my board, but there was no way he’d make it back to me?

Anyway, on with the draft, first the players that were protected and unavailable to be drafted:

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders

De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Now, here’s how my draft went:

My Keeper– Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Arizona Cardinals

My team was bad last year and Jahmyr Gibbs was the only player I really wanted to keep, but he was my keeper for last year and losing my first round pick is a tough pill to swallow. Luckily, because I was so bad, I had the third pick and I thought it was a reasonable gamble that Gibbs, or someone comparable, would be available at three, so I decided to take another chance on Harrison Jr’s upside.

Round 1– Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

My strategy worked perfectly. I wanted Gibbs back, I even had him ranked higher than Bijan Robinson who went with the first pick. I think Gibbs is going to have a monster season (check out my NFL Predictions for how big). When Ja’Marr Chase went second, I was ecstatic.

Round 2– Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

This was a pivot for me. The elite receivers were gone and I didn’t think any of the running backs were worth this pick. I don’t like going quarterback this early, even though not doing so cost me any shot at Caleb Williams.

In my opinion, Bowers was easily the best player on the board, so I eagerly started the tight end run.

Round 3– TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

Henderson was one of my targets coming in. I love drafting rookie running backs with major upside. I had Henderson behind only Ashton Jeanty in this rookie class, fantasy wise.

There were no receivers I deemed worthy of this pick and I knew I couldn’t wait until my next pick to land Henderson.

Round 4– Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears

It was my turn to fall down the ladder. There were 31 players selected since my last pick. The way the board was falling, I was pretty sure this pick was going to be a receiver.

I considered Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith & Jameson Williams here, but passed on Waddle because I don’t trust Tua to stay healthy. I think Odunze has the potential to put up at least similar numbers to Smith. This was a bit of a homer pick, which is why Williams was never really an option.

Round 5– Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Travis Hunter almost made it back to me, but alas, he went two picks before me. Addison will serve a three game suspension to start the season, but he should give me three receivers with tremendous upside.

Round 6– Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

It was time to land my quarterback or else I’d be stuck with Tua again, or worse. I learned my lesson last year. Herbert isn’t the elite fantasy quarterback he was his first couple years, but he’s a solid starter that should allow me to roll the dice on a possible breakthrough guy later on.

Round 7– Philadelphia Eagles Defense

This was a last second pivot on my part because Najee Harris got sniped the pick before me. I abandoned the idea of getting my third running back and became the second team to draft a defense.

The fantasy “experts” will say I reached by making Philly the second team defense off the board, but I’m a big believer in this Eagles squad.

Round 8– Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns

I needed a third running back to cover the bye weeks of Gibbs & Henderson. My first choice has the same bye week as Gibbs, so I went with Ford.

Ford will be Cleveland’s lead back, for at least a few weeks and while he may lose some goal line touches, he does offer some receiving production and big play ability.

Round 9– Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

With my running back bye weeks covered, I went back to the guy I wanted in the previous round. I actually had Tuten rated higher than the other Jacksonville backs, Travis Etienne & Tank Bigsby.

Round 10– Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons

My plan was to take Xavier Legette here and then Bryce Young in the next round, but that was blown up when Young got picked earlier in this round.

I went back to an old friend in Mooney and turned my attention to Michael Penix Jr.

Round 11– Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Curses! Foiled again. Penix Jr didn’t make it back to me. I had to get a quarterback here, or I’d be left with a terrible choice between Sam Darnold or Joe Flacco (because there is no way in hell I’m drafting Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones sucks & Russell Wilson is blacklisted.)

In hindsight, this pick worked out well for me. Lawrence has tremendous potential in this offense & he could supplant Herbert as my number one by season’s end.

Round 12– Ernest Jones IV, LB, Seattle Seahawks

I have my roster spots filled at quarterback, running back & wide receiver at this point. With Bowers at tight end, a backup isn’t a priority (and they were pretty picked over at this point).

My aversion to kickers made me go LB here. I just looked at ESPN’s linebacker rankings and took the top one still available.

Round 13– Cairo Santos, K, Chicago Bears

Okay, screw it, let’s get a kicker. Might as well make it a homer pick. Bear Down!

Round 14– Arizona Cardinals Defense

In a league where I can stream defenses, I’d never roster a second, but in this league I need to. Arizona has the best matchup, of the available defenses, the week Philly is on bye, so I went with them.

Round 15– Daniel Carlson, K, Las Vegas Raiders

Again, in a smaller league, I’d never roster a second kicker, but it’s a must here. Carlson was the highest ranked one left on ESPN’s board.

Round 16– Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers

I was actually targeting Elijah Arroyo here, until I realized Seattle & Vegas have the same bye week. Sanders showed flashes last year and I only need him for one week.

ANALYSIS

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the team I ended up with. I got sniped a few times on players I was targeting, but I was able to pivot and find decent alternatives. The pivot I made at backup quarterback, I think, could end up paying huge dividends.

Trash Pandas Roster

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert, Chargers *

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

Running Backs

Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions *

TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots *

Jerome Ford, Browns

Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars

Wide Receivers

Marvin Harrison Jr, Cardinals *

Rome Odunze, Bears *

Jordan Addison, Vikings

Darnell Mooney, Falcons

Tight Ends

Brock Bowers, Raiders *

Ja’Tavion Sanders, Panthers

Kickers

Cairo Santos, Bears *

Daniel Carlson, Raiders

Team Defense

Philadelphia Eagles *

Arizona Cardinals

Linebacker

Ernest Jones IV, Seahawks *

*Starter

My flex position will be rather fluid early on, though I expect Addison to fill that role once his suspension is over.

I think wide receiver is my strongest position group. There is no elite talent there, though Harrison Jr does have the potential. All four are solid fantasy football contributors. Barring injuries, I can see all four remaining on my roster the whole season.

My running backs have potential, but on paper, it is a weak and unproven group. Gibbs is elite, though, and I certainly believe Henderson can get there. Tuten is an upside gamble and possibly one of the first players I look to replace.

My starting tight end, Bowers, is also elite, which is why I won’t pay much attention to his back up or the waiver wire unless someone bursts onto the scene.

I am quite pleased with the quarterbacks I ended up with. Herbert is solid and I’ll have no issue starting him every week, but the upside of Lawrence is tantalizing. If Liam Coen can do for him what he did for Baker Mayfield, the sky is the limit for my team.

I don’t strategize in regard to kickers, but in this league I might have to start doing so. Scoring for kickers is heavily skewed towards long fields goals. A kicker getting a couple 50+ yarders in a game could win the week for you. I didn’t take that into account, really.

I didn’t really have a plan to take a team defense when I did, the board just kind of presented itself that way. No fantasy football cheat sheet had the Eagles as the second defense, but I really like them and went with my gut.

The keys to my season with this team are:

• Marvin Harrison Jr needs to approach the elite level of wide receivers & Rome Odunze needs to become that high end #2 type receiver.
• TreVeyon Henderson needs to become breakout running back I believe he can be as quickly as possible.
• If Liam Coen can unlock Trevor Lawrence the way he did Mayfield, I really think this could potentially be a championship squad.

AFC EAST

1. Buffalo Bills (12-5)- The Bills still rule the division, and as long as Josh Allen is healthy, nobody will challenge them.
2. New York Jets (8-9)- I’m a Justin Fields believer and I think Aaron Glenn will help the Jets make strides, but the AFC is just too stacked for them to make a breakthrough.
3. New England Patriots (6-11)- The Patriots will be better, and Mike Vrabel will make them competitive, but the talent deficit is just too great.
4. Miami Dolphins (5-12)- I hate to predict injuries, but Tua Tagovailoa just can’t stay healthy and the Dolphins will implode without him.

AFC NORTH

1. Baltimore Ravens (13-4)- The Ravens are the most loaded team in the AFC & Lamar Jackson is a perennial MVP candidate.
2. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)- If they can avoid the slow starts they’ve had the past couple years, Joe Burrow should lead the Bengals back into contention, but the defense (or lack thereof) will keep them from the peak.
3. Cleveland Browns (7-10)- The Browns are the opposite of Cincy, they have a playoff caliber defense, but how much can a Joe Flacco led offense produce.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-12)– The streak of winning seasons comes to a crashing halt. Aaron Rodgers is a first ballot Hall of Famer, but he’s been washed for a couple years. Will this catastrophe cost Mike Tomlin his job?

AFC SOUTH

1. Houston Texans (10-7)- CJ Stroud should rebound from uneven sophomore campaign, enough for the Texans to carry the weakest division.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-9)- Will Trevor Lawrence finally reach his full potential? If he does, the Jaguars could dominate this division.
3. Indianapolis Colts (5-12)- The Colts will realize quickly that Daniel Jones is not the answer at quarterback.
4. Tennessee Titans (4-13)- If Cam Ward can prove worthy of the number one pick, the Titans could surge out of the division basement.

AFC WEST

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)- This division still belongs to Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs until someone takes it from them.
2. Denver Broncos (10-7)- Bo Nix & the Broncos could give KC their first serious challenge for division supremacy in years.
3. Los Angeles Chargers (9-8)- Justin Herbert & Jim Harbaugh will keep the Chargers in contention until the very end.
4. Las Vegas Raiders (7-10)- The Raiders will be better under Pete Carroll, but it won’t be enough to get them out of the basement in a tough division.

AFC PLAYOFFS

#2 Buffalo over #7 Chargers

Allen & the Bills are just too much for LA.

#3 Kansas City over #6 Broncos

Mahomes isn’t going out in the first round against upstart Denver.

#5 Cincinnati over #4 Texans

The Bengals offense will overwhelm Houston.

#3 Kansas City over #2 Bills

Buffalo still can’t beat the Chiefs when it matters.

#1 Baltimore over #5 Bengals

Cincy’s lack of defense will be their Achilles heel against the Ravens.

#1 Baltimore over #3 Chiefs

The Ravens are the team to finally dethrone KC.

NFC EAST

1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-4)- The defending champs are still the most complete team in the NFL, in my opinion.
2. Washington Commanders (10-7)- Washington went all in behind Jayden Daniels, but they’re no closer to Philly.
3. New York Giants (7-10)- The Giants have a ferocious defense, but the Jaxson Dart era won’t start soon enough to save them this season.
4. Dallas Cowboys (5-12)- I just feel an implosion coming in Dallas this year.

NFC NORTH

1. Green Bay Packers (11-6)- I’m not convinced that Jordan Love is an elite QB, but the Pack has enough talent to win this division.
2. Detroit Lions (10-7)- Detroit will have an uneven season after losing both their coordinators.
3. Chicago Bears (9-8)- There will be hiccups in Ben Johnson’s first season at the helm, but the improvement in Chicago will be evident.
4. Minnesota Vikings (8-9)- JJ McCarthy being essentially a rookie will relegate the Vikings to the basement in the toughest division in football.

NFC SOUTH

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)- This is the Bucs division until someone takes it from them.
2. Carolina Panthers (8-9)- Bryce Young continues to ascend but the Panthers fall short of the playoffs.
3. Atlanta Falcons (7-10)- The Falcons are perennially one of the most underachieving teams in the NFL.
4. New Orleans Saints (3-14)- The number one pick in the 2026 draft will belong to New Orleans. Arch Manning, anyone?

NFC WEST

1. Los Angeles Rams (11-6)- As long as Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, the Rams are legit contenders.
2. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)- The Cards will show flashes, but I don’t trust Kyler Murray enough to put them in the playoffs.
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-10)- I think Sam Darnold comes back down to earth and takes the Seahawks with him.
4. San Francisco 49ers (6-11)- The Niners lost too many key pieces for Brock Purdy to carry them into contention.

NFC PLAYOFFS

#7 Chicago over #2 Packers

Start building the statues of Caleb Williams & Ben Johnson after they oust their bitter rivals.

#3 Los Angeles over #6 Commanders

The Rams end Washington’s Super Bowl dreams.

#5 Detroit over #4 Buccaneers

The Lions will start cooking at the right time of the season.

#5 Detroit over #3 Rams

The Lions oust LA & their old friend, Matthew Stafford.

#1 Philadelphia over #7 Bears

The Birds steamroll Chicago, who is still giddy over their victory in Lambeau the week before.

#1 Philadelphia over #5 Lions

As I said earlier, Philly is the most complete team in the NFL.

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION

Philadelphia Eagles over Baltimore Ravens

On paper, this could be one of the best Super Bowl matchups ever.

Some Awards Predictions

MVP- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore

Some might argue that he should be going for a three peat here.

Offensive Player of the Year- Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit

He won’t put up Saquon Barkley numbers, but I think Gibbs will lead the league in total yards.

Defensive Player of the Year- Jalen Carter, Philadelphia

This is the year I think Carter becomes the second coming of Aaron Donald.

Offensive Rookie of the Year- Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas

The Raiders will lean on Jeanty and it will pay off.

Defensive Rookie of the Year- Abdul Carter, NY Giants

Carter will become another Penn State alum wreaking havoc in NFC East backfields.

Protector of the Year- Pennei Sewell, Detroit

I feel like this first time award will go to a tackle and I’m picking Sewell.

Comeback Player of the Year- Isaiah Pacheco, Kansas City

Tough award to pick, because what actually constitutes a comeback?

Coach of the Year- Ben Johnson, Chicago

Getting the Bears to the playoffs should be enough to get Johnson this award.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Round 1 (16)– Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss (above)

Round 2 (15)– Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

Round 3 (14)– Jordan Burch, EDGE, Oregon

Round 4 (13)– Cody Simon, LB, Ohio State

Round 5 (38)– Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State

Round 6 (35)– Hayden Conner, OG, Texas

Round 7 (9)– Kitan Crawford, S, Nevada

I like the Cardinals draft class. They went heavy on defense, but that was their biggest weakness. Nolen and Burch should have an instant impact on their pass rush. Johnson has injury concerns, but if he can overcome them he could be one of the steals of this draft. I like the double dip at cornerback, especially given Johnson’s health concerns, and Burke could develop into a starter, as could his fellow Buckeye, LB Simon. Getting Crawford in the seventh round is tremendous value.

You might have wished for Arizona to address their offensive line before the sixth round and maybe add another receiver to complement Marvin Harrison Jr, but Arizona landed some pretty good players.

ATLANTA FALCONS

Round 1 (15)– Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia (above)

Round 1 (26)– James Pearce Jr, EDGE, Tennessee

Round 3 (32)– Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame

Round 4 (16)– Billy Bowman Jr, S, Oklahoma

Round 7 (2)– Jack Nelson, OT, Wisconsin

The Falcons finally addressed their defense in the draft, after years of focusing on offensive skill positions. Having Walker fall in their laps was fortuitous. Watts is excellent value in the late third and Bowman could eventually join him as a starting safety for Atlanta. Grabbing an offensive lineman from Wisconsin with some upside in the seventh round is never a bad idea.

My feelings on Atlanta’s draft class are tempered, however, by the price they paid to move up and get Pearce. I like the player, but Atlanta gave up a 2026 first, a price usually reserved for quarterbacks.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Round 1 (27)– Malaki Starks, S, Georgia (above)

Round 2 (27)– Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall

Round 3 (27)– Emery Jones Jr, OT, LSU

Round 4 (27)– Teddye Buchanan, LB, California

Round 5 (3)– Carson Vinson, OT, Alabama A&M

Round 6 (2)– Bilhal Kone, CB, Western Michigan

Round 6 (10)– Tyler Loop, K, Arizona

Round 6 (27)– LaJohntay Wester, WR, Colorado

Round 6 (34)– Aeneas Peebles, DT, Virginia Tech

Round 6 (36)– Robert Longerbeam, CB, Rutgers

Round 7 (27)– Garrett Dellinger, OG, LSU

The Ravens are one of the better drafting teams in the NFL. Part of it is luck, like Starks still being on the board at 27, but when it consistently happens year after year, you have to believe they have a hand in making their own luck. Green had character concerns, but getting him at the end of the second is great value, he’s a first round talent.

The day three haul was vast and sprinkled with players with starter upside including Buchanan, Vinson, Peebles & Dellinger. Does the selection of a kicker signal the end of the road for Justin Tucker in Baltimore?

BUFFALO BILLS

Round 1 (30)– Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky (above)

Round 2 (9)– TJ Sanders, DT, South Carolina

Round 3 (8)– Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas

Round 4 (7)– Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky

Round 5 (34)– Jordan Hancock, CB, Ohio State

Round 5 (37)– Jackson Hawes, TE, Georgia Tech

Round 6 (1)– Dorian Strong, CB, Virginia Tech

Round 6 (30)– Chase Lundt, OT, Connecticut

Round 7 (24)– Kaden Prather, WR, Maryland

The Bills are in a Super Bowl window as long as Josh Allen is under center, but they have to get past some offensive juggernauts in the AFC, so it makes total sense to focus on defense. I think Hairston & Sanders, while good players, were slight reaches by Buffalo. However, they got good value for Jackson & Walker.

I like both of their day three corners. Buffalo hopes their defensive additions push them over the hump in the AFC.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Round 1 (8)– Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona (above)

Round 2 (19)– Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M

Round 3 (13)– Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Ole Miss

Round 4 (12)– Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia

Round 4 (20)– Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State

Round 5 (2)– Cam Jackson, DT, Florida

Round 5 (27)– Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame

Round 6 (32)– Jimmy Horn Jr, WR, Colorado

I was sure that the Panthers were going defense with their first pick, but McMillan was a good curveball. He’s the big bodied, contested catch receiver that should help Bryce Young take the next step. Carolina transformed their pass rush by adding both Scourton & Umanmielen. Ransom was a good addition to their secondary on day three.

I feel Carolina reached a bit on Etienne & Evans, but both have upside if they stay healthy.

CHICAGO BEARS

Round 1 (10)– Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan (above)

Round 2 (7)– Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri

Round 2 (24)– Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College

Round 2 (30)– Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M

Round 4 (30)– Ruben Hyppolite II, LB, Maryland

Round 5 (33)– Zah Frazier, CB, UTSA

Round 6 (19)– Luke Newman, OT, Michigan State

Round 7 (17)– Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers

The Bears surprised me in this draft because they went in directions I wasn’t expecting. Taking Loveland over Tyler Warren was a shock, but I have to trust Ben Johnson on this. Burden wasn’t on my radar because Chicago didn’t have a glaring need at wide receiver, but this is a slam dunk pick. Burden has first round talent.

Trapilo was my favorite pick because he was the one non-first round tackle that I felt had the potential to be a starter at left tackle. I thought they’d go for more of a run stuffer at defensive tackle, but Turner is a good interior pass rusher and is no slouch at run defense.

It became obvious that Chicago’s day three approach was athletic upside. All four of their picks on day three offer that, even if Hyppolite feels like a massive reach.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Round 1 (17)– Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M (above)

Round 2 (17)– Demetrius Knight Jr, LB, South Carolina

Round 3 (17)– Dylan Fairchild, OG, Georgia

Round 4 (17)– Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson

Round 5 (17)– Jalen Rivers, OG, Miami-Fl

Round 6 (17)– Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech

Defense has been the Achilles heel for the Bengals for years, so focusing there was smart. Stewart is an athletic freak, but he might have the highest bust potential of any first round pick. I like both Knight & Carter, but double dipping at linebacker and not hitting the secondary is questionable.

I like the Fairchild pick and think he could become a starter on Cincinnati’s offensive line, but I hate the Rivers pick. It was a reach and he’s a penalty machine. He’ll really need to clean up his game to see the field.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Round 1 (5)– Mason Graham, DT, Michigan (above)

Round 2 (1)– Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA

Round 2 (4)– Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State

Round 3 (3)– Harold Fannin Jr, TE, Bowling Green

Round 3 (30)– Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon

Round 4 (24)– Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee

Round 5 (6)– Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Did any team have a more interesting draft than the Browns? From giving up Travis Hunter for a massive haul to ending the unprecedented slide of Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland made this draft interesting.

Graham & Schwesinger instantly upgrade Cleveland’s defense. Judkins & Sampson should complement each other well in the backfield.

The double dip at quarterback is questionable, but it makes for the most interesting training camp competition in the NFL.

DALLAS COWBOYS

Round 1 (12)– Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama (above)

Round 2 (12)– Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College

Round 3 (12)– Shavon Revel Jr, CB, East Carolina

Round 5 (12)– Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas

Round 5 (16)– Shemar James, LB, Florida

Round 6 (28)– Ajani Cornelius, OT, Oregon

Round 7 (1)– Jay Toia, DT, UCLA

Round 7 (23)– Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson

Round 7 (31)– Tommy Akingbesote, DT, Maryland

Hard to find fault with a draft class in which the Cowboys landed three players; Booker, Ezeiruaku & Revel that I had pegged as potential first rounders. All three should have starting or rotational roles this season.

Blue could prove to be the running back Dallas has been searching for. The only real negative from this draft is not landing a wide receiver.

DENVER BRONCOS

Round 1 (20)– Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas (above)

Round 2 (28)– RJ Harvey, RB, Central Florida

Round 3 (10)– Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois

Round 3 (37)– Sai’vion Jones, EDGE, LSU

Round 4 (32)– Que Robinson, EDGE, Alabama

Round 6 (40)– Jeremy Crawshaw, P, Florida

Round 7 (25)– Caleb Lohner, TE, Utah

The Broncos already had a good defense, the addition of nickel corner Barron and edge rushers Jones & Robinson could take them to another level.

After passing on running back in the first round, Denver might have landed the perfect one for Sean Payton’s offense in Harvey. Basketball player turned tight end Lohner is the type of seventh round flier I love to see.

DETROIT LIONS

Round 1 (28)– Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State (above)

Round 2 (25)– Tate Ratledge, OG, Georgia

Round 3 (6)– Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Arkansas

Round 5 (35)– Miles Frazier, OG, LSU

Round 6 (20)– Ahmed Hassanein, EDGE, Boise State

Round 7 (14)– Dan Jackson, S, Georgia

Round 7 (28)– Dominic Lovett, WR, Georgia

The Lions had a bit of an uneven draft. Williams was a bit of a surprise, but a very good player. Ratledge feels like he was made to play for Dan Campbell and Frazier adds depth to the offensive line.

I think Detroit reached on TeSlaa and they definitely overpaid to move up to pick him. Stockpiling Georgia players has worked for Philadelphia, so Detroit grabbing two Bulldogs in the seventh round is a smart move.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Round 1 (23)– Matthew Golden, WR, Texas (above)

Round 2 (22)– Anthony Belton, OT, NC State

Round 3 (23)– Savion Williams, WR, TCU

Round 4 (22)– Barryn Sorrell, EDGE, Texas

Round 5 (23)– Collin Oliver, LB, Oklahoma State

Round 6 (22)– Warren Brinson, DT, Georgia

Round 7 (21)– Micah Robinson, CB, Tulane

Round 7 (34)– John Williams, OT, Cincinnati

The Packers made their fans happy by taking a wide receiver, Golden, in the first round for the first time in 22 years. Then, they doubled down on wide receiver in the third with Savion Williams. Green Bay also had one of the feel good stories of the draft by picking Sorrell, the last player still in the green room.

With the questions surrounding Jaire Alexander, I would have thought Green Bay would’ve addressed cornerback before the seventh round.

HOUSTON TEXANS

Round 2 (2)– Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State (above)

Round 2 (16)– Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota

Round 3 (15)– Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State

Round 3 (33)– Jaylin Smith, CB, USC

Round 4 (14)– Woody Marks, RB, USC

Round 6 (11)– Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State

Round 6 (21)– Graham Mertz, QB, Florida

Round 7 (8)– Kyonte Hamilton, DT, Rutgers

Round 7 (39)– Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa

After trading out of the first round, the Texans doubled down on Iowa State receivers, Higgins & Noel, that complement each other. They were also able to land the top offensive tackle still on the board after the first round, Ersery.

Houston reached quite a bit on Marks, but they found good value in Reed & Lachey.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Round 1 (14)– Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State (above)

Round 2 (13)– JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State

Round 3 (16)– Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota

Round 4 (25)– Jalen Travis, OT, Iowa State

Round 5 (14)– DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State

Round 6 (13)– Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame

Round 6 (14)– Tim Smith, DT, Alabama

Round 7 (16)– Hunter Wohler, S, Wisconsin

Well, the Colts ended up with two players that I was targeting for the Bears, Warren & Tuimoloau, so that grades well for them.

Indianapolis was rather ho-hum the rest of the draft, but don’t be surprised if Leonard makes a little noise in Indy’s quarterback competition.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Round 1 (2)– Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado (above)

Round 3 (24)– Caleb Ransaw, CB, Tulane

Round 3 (25)– Wyatt Milum, OG, West Virginia

Round 4 (2)– Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech

Round 4 (5)– Jack Kiser, LB, Notre Dame

Round 6 (18)– Jalen McLeod, LB, Auburn

Round 6 (24)– Rayuan Lane III, S, Navy

Round 7 (5)– Jonah Monheim, C, USC

Round 7 (20)– LeQuint Allen, RB, Syracuse

I like the Jaguars being aggressive and moving up to get the guy they wanted in Hunter, but they paid a quarterback premium to do so. I wanted to trash Jacksonville for that, but the truth is I rather like their draft class.

Milum should eventually earn a starting role and he’ll reset the tone of that group. Tuten could be a home run pick, even if the Jacksonville running back room is crowded. Kiser could carve out a role and Monheim was good value in the seventh round.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Round 1 (32)– Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State (above)

Round 2 (31)– Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee

Round 3 (2)– Ashton Gillotte, EDGE, Louisville

Round 3 (21)– Nohl Williams, CB, California

Round 4 (31)– Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

Round 5 (20)– Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon

Round 7 (12)– Brashard Smith, RB, SMU

The Chiefs had a pretty nice draft. If fully healthy, Simmons may end up being the best tackle in this class. Royals & Bassa were both great value picks.

Kansas City really only reached on Williams, and that was only a slight reach.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Round 1 (22)– Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina (above)

Round 2 (23)– Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss

Round 3 (22)– Jamaree Caldwell, DT, Oregon

Round 4 (23)– Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina

Round 5 (22)– KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR, Auburn

Round 5 (29)– Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Syracuse

Round 6 (23)– Branson Taylor, OT, Pittsburgh

Round 6 (38)– RJ Mickens, S, Clemson

Round 7 (40)– Trikweze Bridges, S, Florida

I can’t find any fault in the Chargers draft. I love Hampton and he’ll make a good one-two punch with Najee Harris in the running game. Tre Harris is a good complement to Ladd McConkey at wide receiver, while Lambert-Smith gives them a speed element.

Los Angeles took Caldwell a little sooner than projected, but I am a fan of his. Gadsden is more of a big receiver type tight end than the physical blocker that you’d think Harbaugh would prefer.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Round 2 (14)– Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon (above)

Round 3 (26)– Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan

Round 4 (15)– Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn

Round 5 (10)– Ty Hamilton, DT, Ohio State

Round 5 (36)– Chris Paul Jr, LB, Ole Miss

Round 7 (26)– Konata Mumpfield, WR, Pittsburgh

The Rams get high marks from me just for fleecing Atlanta to move out of the first round. Ferguson was a bit of a reach with their first pick, but I trust McVay will make the most of him.

Los Angeles found good value with Paul in the late fifth round.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Round 1 (6)– Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State (above)

Round 2 (26)– Jack Bech, WR, TCU

Round 3 (4)– Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State

Round 3 (34)– Caleb Rogers, OT, Texas Tech

Round 3 (35)– Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary

Round 4 (6)– Dont’e Thornton Jr, WR, Tennessee

Round 4 (33)– Tonka Hemingway, DT, South Carolina

Round 6 (4)– JJ Pegues, DT, Ole Miss

Round 6 (37)– Tommy Mellott, WR, Montana State

Round 6 (39)– Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State

Round 7 (6)– Cody Lindenberg, LB, Minnesota

The Raiders had a solid if somewhat weird draft. What needs to be said about Jeanty? He’s the next great NFL running back. Vegas double dipped at three positions; wide receiver, offensive tackle & defensive tackle, in all three cases I preferred the player they took second. In this case, I preferred Thornton over Bech, Grant over Rogers & Pegues over Hemingway. This isn’t to disparage Bech, Rogers & Hemingway, just stating how I saw it.

Las Vegas gets point for going with late sixth fliers on small school receiver Mellott & quarterback Miller.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Round 1 (13)– Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan (above)

Round 2 (5)– Jonah Savaiinaea, OG, Arizona

Round 5 (5)– Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland

Round 5 (13)– Jason Marshall Jr, CB, Florida

Round 5 (19)– Dante Trader Jr, S, Maryland

Round 6 (3)– Ollie Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State

Round 7 (15)– Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

Round 7 (37)– Zeek Biggers, DT, Georgia Tech

The Dolphins had a decent draft, addressing several needs. Grant was a bit of a surprise, but Miami needed interior defensive lineman. I’m not sure they needed to triple dip on the defensive line, especially since they only added one offensive lineman.

That lineman, Savaiinaea, is a good one, though. I fully expect him to win a starting position this year. Marshall & Trader address needs and should be able to find roles as rookie. Ewers was a good seventh round flier, especially given Tua Tagovailoa’s ongoing health concerns.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Round 1 (24)– Donovan Jackson, OG, Ohio State (above)

Round 3 (38)– Tai Felton, WR, Maryland

Round 5 (1)– Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, EDGE, Georgia

Round 6 (25)– Kobe King, LB, Penn State

Round 6 (26)– Gavin Bartholomew, TE, Pittsburgh

I like Jackson, a lot, but the Vikings had more pressing needs. I think Minnesota got great value with both of their sixth round picks, King & Bartholomew.

Minnesota only had five picks, I expected them to use at least one on their secondary.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Round 1 (4)– Will Campbell, OT, LSU (above)

Round 2 (6)– TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

Round 3 (5)– Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State

Round 3 (31)– Jared Wilson, C, Georgia

Round 4 (4)– Craig Woodson, S, California

Round 4 (35)– Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State

Round 5 (8)– Bradyn Swinson, EDGE, LSU

Round 6 (6)– Andres Borregales, K, Miami-Fl

Round 7 (4)– Marcus Bryant, OT, Missouri

Round 7 (35)– Julian Ashby, LS, Vanderbilt

Round 7 (41)– Kobee Minor, CB, Memphis

The Patriots knocked this draft out of the park. The landed the best tackle in the draft, Campbell, who will fight & die for Drake Maye. They got a three down running back, Henderson, who isn’t just a home run threat with the ball in his hands, he’s also maybe the best pass blocking back in this class. They also gave Maye a new receiver and a new center, Williams & Wilson, respectively.

New England found good day three value in Woodson, Farmer & Swinson. This is such a good draft, I’m not even going to ding them for picking a kicker AND a long snapper!

Kobee Minor is Mr. Irrelevant, 2025.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Round 1 (9)– Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas (above)

Round 2 (8)– Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville

Round 3 (7)– Vernon Broughton, DT, Texas

Round 3 (29)– Jonas Sanker, S, Virginia

Round 4 (10)– Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma

Round 4 (29)– Quincy Riley, CB, Louisville

Round 6 (8)– Devin Neal, RB, Kansas

Round 7 (32)– Moliki Matavao, TE, UCLA

Round 7 (38)– Fadil Diggs, EDGE, Syracuse

The Saints took Banks a little earlier than I had projected, but he’s still a great pick. New Orleans found good day three value in Stutsman, Neal & Diggs.

Ultimately, this draft will be judged on how Shough turns out and also the fate of Shedeur Sanders.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Round 1 (3)– Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State (above)

Round 1 (25)– Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

Round 3 (1)– Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo

Round 4 (3)– Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State

Round 5 (18)– Marcus Mbow, OG, Purdue

Round 7 (3)– Thomas Fidone II, TE, Nebraska

Round 7 (30)– Korie Black, CB, Oklahoma State

The Giants absolutely crushed this draft. First, they didn’t overthink it and just took one of the two best players in this draft, Carter, with the third pick. Then, they traded back into the first round for their quarterback of the future, and they didn’t sacrifice a future first round pick to do it. Alexander & Skattebo were great picks, as well, and should play major roles immediately.

New York got great day three value in Mbow & Black, both have eventual starter upside.

NEW YORK JETS

Round 1 (7)– Armand Membou, OT, Missouri (above)

Round 2 (10)– Mason Taylor, TE, LSU

Round 3 (9)– Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State

Round 4 (8)– Arian Smith, WR, Georgia

Round 4 (28)– Malachi Moore, S, Alabama

Round 5 (26)– Francisco Mauigoa, LB, Miami-Fl

Round 5 (40)– Tyler Baron, EDGE, Miami-Fl

I love what the Jets did in this draft. The addition of Membou gives Justin Fields the best offensive line he’s ever played behind. Taylor is a sure handed security blanket and Smith is a deep threat complement to Garrett Wilson.

Thomas & Moore address needs in New York’s secondary. The only pick I have any issue with is Mauigoa, who I feel was a reach.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Round 1 (31)– Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama (above)

Round 2 (32)– Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas

Round 4 (9)– Ty Robinson, DT, Nebraska

Round 5 (7)– Mac McWilliams, CB, Central Florida

Round 5 (25)– Smael Mondon Jr, LB, Georgia

Round 5 (32)– Drew Kendall, C, Boston College

Round 6 (5)– Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse

Round 6 (15)– Myles Hinton, OT, Michigan

Round 6 (31)– Cameron Williams, OT, Texas

Round 6 (33)– Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE, Virginia Tech

Howie Roseman put on another drafting master class for the Eagles. I cannot believe the rest of the NFL let Campbell fall to the Super Bowl Champions. Mukuba was a safety I had targeted for the Bears.

Philadelphia added depth to the best offensive line in the league with Kendall, Hinton & Williams. Williams was especially good value. Speaking of day three value, Mondon was a great add.

To top it off, Philly added my favorite developmental quarterback in this draft in McCord.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Round 1 (21)– Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon (above)

Round 3 (19)– Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa

Round 4 (21)– Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State

Round 5 (28)– Yahya Black, DT, Iowa

Round 6 (9)– Will Howard, QB, Ohio State

Round 7 (10)– Carson Bruener, LB, Washington

Round 7 (13)– Donte Kent, LB, Central Michigan

The Steelers had a solid draft. Harmon is a stud. Johnson & Sawyer were great additions and great value picks. Howard is the perfect developmental quarterback to learn from a certain future Hall of Famer.

Pittsburgh took a seventh round flier on a legacy pick, Bruener is the son of a former Pittsburgh draft pick.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Round 1 (18)– Grey Zabel, OG, North Dakota State (above)

Round 2 (3)– Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

Round 2 (18)– Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami-Fl

Round 3 (28)– Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

Round 5 (4)– Rylie Mills, DT, Notre Dame

Round 5 (30)– Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State

Round 5 (39)– Robbie Ouzts, TE, Alabama

Round 6 (16)– Bryce Cabeldue, OT, Kansas

Round 7 (7)– Damien Martinez, RB, Miami-Fl

Round 7 (18)– Mason Richman, OT, Iowa

Round 7 (22)– Ricky White III, WR, UNLV

The Seahawks had an excellent draft, in my opinion. Their first two picks, Zabel & Emmanwori, were two of my favorite players in this draft. Arroyo has serious upside if he can stay healthy. Seattle will have special offensive packages for Milroe immediately and hopefully he can develop like Jalen Hurts did in Philly.

Seattle got great seventh round value in Martinez & White. White will make an instant impact on special teams and he was another one of my favorite players in the draft.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Round 1 (11)– Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia (above)

Round 2 (11)– Alfred Collins, DT, Texas

Round 3 (11)– Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State

Round 3 (36)– Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky

Round 4 (11)– CJ West, DT, Indiana

Round 4 (36)– Jordan Watkins, WR, Ole Miss

Round 5 (9)– Jordan James, RB, Oregon

Round 5 (24)– Marques Sigle, S, Kansas State

Round 7 (11)– Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana

Round 7 (33)– Connor Colby, OG, Iowa

Round 7 (36)– Junior Bergen, WR, Montana

I’m just not a fan of this draft by the 49ers. It started well, Williams should be a stud pass rusher, but other than him and fourth rounder, West, all of their picks feel like reaches.

With holes on both sides of the ball, it’s odd that San Francisco went exclusively defense through two days of the draft. It’s also highly questionable not to take an offensive lineman until the late seventh round.

There should be a couple hits in here, Williams, West & Collins seem likely, but all in all I feel like the Niners missed in this draft.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Round 1 (19)– Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State (above)

Round 2 (21)– Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

Round 3 (20)– Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State

Round 4 (19)– David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas

Round 5 (21)– Elijah Roberts, EDGE, SMU

Round 7 (19)– Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon

With Chris Godwin coming off a serious injury and Mike Evans another year past thirty, the Buccaneers going with Egbuka in the first is a good move.

Tampa Bay only had six picks, so doubling up on wide receiver, cornerback & edge rusher seems a bit unwise. I do like most of their picks, though, and Johnson was particularly good value in the seventh.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Round 1 (1)– Cam Ward, QB, Miami-Fl (above)

Round 2 (20)– Oluwafemi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA

Round 3 (18)– Kevin Winston Jr, S, Penn State

Round 4 (1)– Chimere Dike, WR, Florida

Round 4 (18)– Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas

Round 4 (34)– Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford

Round 5 (31)– Jackson Slater, OG, Sacramento State

Round 6 (7)– Marcus Harris, CB, California

Round 6 (12)– Kalel Mullings, RB, Michigan

The Titans draft will ultimately be judged on the success of Ward. He was the best quarterback in this class, by far, and he is a clear upgrade on Will Levis, but turning down the haul they could have gotten, or landing one of the true blue chippers is a choice. If Ward becomes the franchise quarterback Tennessee has lacked since Steve McNair, all good. If not, well, they’ve set themselves back another 4-5 years.

Tennessee did land some players besides Ward that I like. I especially like the fourth round selections of Helm & Ayomanor.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Round 1 (29)– Josh Conerly Jr, OT, Oregon (above)

Round 2 (29)– Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss

Round 4 (26)– Jaylin Lane, WR, Virginia Tech

Round 6 (29)– Kain Medrano, LB, UCLA

Round 7 (29)– Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Arizona

Taking an offensive tackle that might not see the field much his rookie year might not have been the wisest choice, especially given the need for a pass rusher, but I love Conerly, so I won’t ding the Commanders for it. I will ding them for not getting an edge rusher in this draft.

Washington has a smaller draft class, but I do like every player they drafted. I think Amos, especially, could pay dividends his rookie season.

This year’s draft will be talked about for years as the Shedeur Sanders draft. We’ve seen draft slides before, but never like this.

Nobody has an answer. We don’t know what happened behind closed doors in team meetings with Sanders. We are all just speculating.

So, I’m going to add my two cents, since that is the motto of my blog.

This is happening because his name is Sanders and his dad is Coach Prime. No, I’m not implying that NFL franchises have colluded to stick it to the Sanders family.

What I am implying is that his value was over inflated from the start because of his bloodline. Everyone, from the media to the fans had a higher opinion of him, because his name was Sanders, than the actual decision makers in the NFL.

Read some of the media scouting reports on Shedeur Sanders, they are basically calling him average, they don’t point out any elite traits, and then they projected him as a first rounder.

Some mention that he is a winner, having a hand in turning around two programs, but that doesn’t make him worthy of being a high round pick. The two quarterbacks from the National Championship game, Will Howard & Riley Leonard haven’t been drafted and they’ve won far more than Shedeur Sanders.

To put it as simply as I can, we were all fooled by the Sanders name and we ignored the fact that Shedeur Sanders was an average athlete with an average arm and he was always seen, by NFL scouts as a back up quarterback.

Some of the former scouts and executives now working in media may have heard the talk, some even saw it with their own eyes, but no one wanted to be the first to drop Sanders down to where he actually should have been ranked.

By not being honest in their assessments, they did all of us a disservice and they especially did Shedeur Sanders a disservice.

With that being said, here’s rounds 4 through 7:

I correctly predicted 27 first rounders. The five I missed were Kenneth Grant (13 to Miami), Donovan Jackson (24 to Minnesota), Tyleik Williams (28 to Detroit), Josh Conerly Jr (29 to Washington) & Maxwell Hairston (30 to Buffalo).

Of those five, I did have Grant & Jackson in different rough drafts of my final mock. Conerly & Williams both made appearances in earlier first round mocks. The only real surprise, to me, was Hairston.

The five players that I predicted would go in the first round but are still available are Donovan Ezeiruaku, Nick Emmanwori, Shedeur Sanders, Mike Green & Will Johnson.

I correctly predicted five player-team pairings: Cam Ward (Tennessee), Abdul Carter (NY Giants), Will Campbell (New England), Tyler Warren (Indianapolis) & Derrick Harmon (Pittsburgh).

I also correctly predicted that Travis Hunter would be the second pick, but I had the wrong team making the pick.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Pick #16– Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss

For most of mock draft season, I had the Cardinals taking a defensive tackle with their first pick. This is higher than I projected Nolen, but I was hearing that he was rising up draft boards. Solid pick by Arizona.

Day Two Mock

Pick #47– Jonah Savaiinaea, IOL, Arizona

Pick #78– Chris Paul Jr, LB, Ole Miss (photo below)

ATLANTA FALCONS

Pick #15– Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia

Pick #26– James Pearce Jr, EDGE, Tennessee

I like the fact that the Falcons finally addressed their defense in the first round, but they paid a very steep price to jump back into the first round for Pearce. Giving up a future first for anything other than a quarterback is very questionable.

Day Two Mock

Pick #101– Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State (photo below)

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Pick #27– Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

The Ravens just know how to draft. They were patient and let the best safety in the draft come to them. Starks and Kyle Hamilton give Baltimore the best safety tandem in the NFL.

Day Two Mock

Pick #59– Marcus Mbow, OT, Purdue (photo above)

Pick #91– Kyle Kennard, EDGE, South Carolina

BUFFALO BILLS

Pick #30– Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

The Bills needed to combat the high powered offenses they’ll have to face in the AFC. Hairston wasn’t on my first round radar, but I know he’s got speed.

Day Two Mock

Pick #56– Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Ole Miss (photo above)

Pick #62– Alfred Collins, DT, Texas

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Pick #8– Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

The Panthers had me convinced they were going defense in the first round, but they did need to get Bryce Young a big time receiver.

Day Two Mock

Pick #57– Jared Wilson, OC, Georgia (photo above)

Pick #74– Oluwafemi Oladejo, EDGE, UCLA

CHICAGO BEARS

Pick #10– Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

As a Bears fan, I have to admit this pick underwhelmed me. The board didn’t break our way and I thought we’d take a different tight end, but I’ve got to trust Ben Johnson on this one.

Day Two Mock

Pick #39– Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M

Pick #41– TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State (photo below)

Pick #72– Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Pick #17– Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M

Whether or not they keep Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals needed to add a pass rusher. Stewart was more disruptive than productive in college, but he’s got all the tools to be great.

Day Two Mock

Pick #49– Wyatt Milum, IOL, West Virginia (photo above)

Pick #81– Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Pick #5– Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

Some may question giving up a chance to add a blue chip talent like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, but the Browns got a haul and still landed a very good player in Graham. It seems like Cleveland is punting on this quarterback class and stocking up for next year’s.

Day Two Mock

Pick #33– Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall

Pick #36– Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

Pick #67– Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State

Pick #94– Cameron Skattebo, RB, Arizona State (photo below)

DALLAS COWBOYS

Pick #12– Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama

I thought for sure that the Cowboys would take a skill position player, but Booker is an excellent pick.

Day Two Mock

Pick #44– Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss (photo below)

Pick #76– Emery Jones, OT, LSU

DENVER BRONCOS

Pick #20– Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

I didn’t expect the Broncos to go cornerback, but Barron is tremendous value.

Day Two Mock

Pick #51– Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa (photo below)

Pick #85– Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami-Fl

DETROIT LIONS

Pick #28– Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State

Williams might not have been on my radar, but the Lions going defensive line wasn’t a surprise.

Day Two Mock

Pick #60– Tate Ratledge, IOL, Georgia (photo above)

Pick #102– David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Pick #23– Matthew Golden, WR, Texas

For the first time in 22 years the Packers took a wide receiver in the first round. Golden is fast and I had him as the number two receiver in the draft.

Day Two Mock

Pick #54– TJ Sanders, DT, South Carolina (photo above)

Pick #87– Dorian Strong, CB, Virginia Tech

HOUSTON TEXANS

The Texans traded down nine spots and out the first round. They picked up an extra third round pick this year and next. Not a bad haul, except in comparison to what LA got from Atlanta.

Day Two Mock

Pick #34– Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri

Pick #58– Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota (photo below)

Pick #79– Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee

Pick #89– Miles Frazier, IOL, LSU

Pick #99– Demetrius Knight Jr, LB, South Carolina

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Pick #14– Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

This was the first of two picks outside the top five that I correctly predicted. The Colts have to be thrilled to land Warren.

Day Two Mock

Pick #45– Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA (photo below)

Pick #80– Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Pick #2– Travis Hunter, WR/DB, Colorado

Hunter is a special talent. He’s one of one, but the Jaguars paid a quarterback premium to land him.

Day Two Mock

Pick #70– Kevin Winston Jr, S, Penn State (photo below)

Pick #88– Cameron Williams, OT, Texas

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Pick #32– Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State

If Simmons is fully healthy, the Chiefs got a steal, especially considering they added an extra fifth round pick to move back one spot.

Day Two Mock

Pick #63– Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State (photo below)

Pick #66– Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas

Pick #95– Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Pick #22– Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina

This pick was a bit of a surprise pick, considering the Chargers signed Najee Harris, but Jim Harbaugh will be able to play his style of football with Hampton.

Day Two Mock

Pick #55– Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo

Pick #86– Ashton Gillotte, EDGE, Louisville (photo below)

LOS ANGELES RAMS

The Rams moved down twenty spots and out of the first round, but they got a haul usually reserved for quarterbacks.

Day Two Mock

Pick #46– Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State (photo below)

Pick #90– Jordan Burch, EDGE, Oregon

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Pick #6– Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

Many mock drafters had the Raiders landing Jeanty, including me until my final mock. Jeanty is a special talent that will let Pete Carroll to run the offense he prefers.

Day Two Mock

Pick #37– Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss (photo below)

Pick #68– Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Pick #13– Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan

The Dolphins were the first team to take a player that wasn’t in my final first round mock. Grant is a massive run stuffer, just not sure I like the value here.

Day Two Mock

Pick #48– Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame (photo below)

Pick #98– Zy Alexander, CB, LSU

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Pick #24– Donovan Jackson, IOL, Ohio State

While I didn’t have Jackson in the first round in my final mock draft, I did consider him a possible first rounder. The Vikings just spent considerable money on their offensive line during free agency, so I’m not sure this was a necessary pick.

Day Two Mock

Pick #97– Billy Bowman, S, Oklahoma (photo below)

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Pick #4– Will Campbell, OT, LSU

Campbell to the Patriots was the chalk pick, but the absolute right pick.

Day Two Mock

Pick #38– Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College (photo below)

Pick #69– Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State

Pick #77– Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Pick #9– Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas

This was a mild surprise, but given Ryan Ramczyk’s retirement, the Saints had a need for Banks.

Day Two Mock

Pick #40– Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado (photo above)

Pick #71– Bradyn Swinson, EDGE, LSU

Pick #93– DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State

NEW YORK GIANTS

Pick #3– Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State

Pick #25– Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss

The Giants had a good first round of the draft. First they didn’t overthink it and took the best player on the board in Carter. Then they traded back in and got their quarterback, Dart, and really didn’t pay all that much to do it.

Day Two Mock

Pick #65– Harold Fannin Jr, TE, Bowling Green (photo below)

NEW YORK JETS

Pick #7– Armand Membou, OT, Missouri

Membou was one of three players I thought the Jets might take, but he wasn’t my final pick. I’m just happy that Justin Fields will finally have a competent offensive line in front of him.

Day Two Mock

Pick #42– Mason Taylor, TE, LSU (photo below)

Pick #73– Jack Bech, WR, TCU

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Pick #31– Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

I don’t know if the Eagles are the best drafting team in the NFL or just incredibly lucky. Landing Campbell at 31 feels like highway robbery.

Day Two Mock

Pick #64– Darien Porter, CB, Iowa State (photo below)

Pick #96– Charles Grant, OT, William & Mary

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Pick #21– Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon

Another pick I predicted correctly. Harmon just feels like a Steelers defensive lineman.

Day Two Mock

Pick #83– Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama (photo below)

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Pick #18– Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State

I had a feeling the Seahawks would go with a guard. With the one I projected to them off the board, Zabel makes total sense.

Day Two Mock

Pick #50– JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State (photo above)

Pick #52– Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State

Pick #82– Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon

Pick #92– Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Pick #11– Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia

I really like this pick. If Williams gets anywhere close to his ceiling, which is sky high, the 49ers will have a fierce pass rush.

Day Two Mock

Pick #43– Shavon Revel, CB, East Carolina (photo above)

Pick #75– Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford

Pick #100– Ty Robinson, DT, Nebraska

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Pick #19– Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State

Bit of a surprise pick by the Buccaneers, but Godwin is coming off a season ending injury and Evans isn’t getting any younger. Egbuka gives Tampa another weapon.

Day Two Mock

Pick #53– Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas

Pick #84– Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State (photo below)

TENNESSEE TITANS

Pick #1– Cameron Ward, QB, Miami-Fl

Was Ward the best player in this draft? No, but he is the best quarterback and the Titans had a need.

Day Two Mock

Pick #35– Will Johnson, CB, Michigan (photo below)

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Pick #29– Josh Conerly Jr, EDGE, Oregon

I love the player in Conerly, just not sure it was the best pick for the Commanders after the acquisition of Laremy Tunsil.

Day Two Mock

Pick #61– Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame (photo below)

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.

Here we are, it’s finally draft week. For the first time in recent memory, I have no clue what the Bears will do in the first round. Usually by this time I have a pretty good idea, maybe not the exact player but the position. This year, no idea.

That’s a credit to the work Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson have done thus far. There is no glaring hole on this roster. The Bears can go in so many different directions. For once, they are actually in a position to take the best player available.

I went into this mock with three players as locks for the Bears to take if they’re available at ten. Those players are LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham & Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

I don’t really expect any of those three to be available, and they weren’t in this mock. When the Bears went on the clock at ten, the best player on the board was Penn State tight end, Tyler Warren.

I like Warren, a lot, but the Bears have Cole Kmet. Is tight end really the best use of their first round pick, even when he’s as good as Warren?

My gut told me no, so I listened to offers. I accepted one from the Indianapolis Colts.

TRADE

Colts receiver pick #10

Bears receiver picks #14 & 80

I figured the Colts were moving up for Warren, and my focus shifted to Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr & North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton.

Imagine my surprise when Indianapolis selected Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Four picks later, when the Bears were back on the clock, it felt like fate and I didn’t fight it anymore.

Round One, Pick #14

Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

While I was reluctant to use a first round pick on a tight end, partly out of my affinity for Cole Kmet, there is no denying that Warren is one of the best players in this draft.

A creative play caller like Ben Johnson will have a lot of fun with Warren and maximize his vast potential. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Warren could be this year’s Brock Bowers.

This pick makes me a little sad because it could signal the end of Kmet’s Bears tenure. The one-two punch of Warren and Kmet will be fun this season, but Kmet could become a cap casualty next offseason. Warren is a clear upgrade and the Bears could save valuable cap space by moving on from Kmet next year.

That being said, this was the right pick, especially since I was able to add an extra third round pick and still land him.

Round Two, Pick #39

Josh Conerly Jr, OT, Oregon

The Bears caught another stroke of luck with Conerly still being on the board at thirty nine. This was my easiest pick in this mock draft.

Conerly is young and relatively raw, but his potential is immense. Review the tape of his performance against Penn State’s superstar edge, Abdul Carter, and you’ll see it.

Conerly needs to add play strength and further develop his technique, but the good news is that the Bears don’t need him to be a day one starter at left tackle.

Braxton Jones is the incumbent left tackle and he should be ready for the start of the season. The Bears also have last year’s third round pick, Kiran Amegadjie, so they can take it slow with Conerly, hopefully.

Jones will likely depart Chicago next offseason and Conerly should be ready to take over full time left tackle duties.

This is a tremendous pick that I’m very happy with.

Round Two, Pick #41

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State

While I might be unsure of what the Bears will do with their first pick of this draft, there are three things I’m certain of. I feel extremely confident that the Bears will pick an offensive tackle, a running back and a defensive tackle in this draft. In this mock, they’ve gotten two of the three in the second round.

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is the clear number one running back in this class, but I doubt he makes it to the Bears pick in the first round. North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton should also be a first rounder, but he’s a stretch at ten or even fourteen.

The Ohio State tandem of Henderson and Quinshon Judkins aren’t that far behind. I specified my preference for Judkins in earlier writings. I just think he’d complement D’Andre Swift and give the Bears a power element to their backfield that they currently lack.

The Bears, however, seem to prefer Henderson according to reports. It’s understandable. Henderson has drawn comparisons to Jahmyr Gibbs, who Ben Johnson coached in Detroit. Henderson has three down capabilities and he might well be the best pass blocking running back in this draft.

I’m very happy with this pick, even if I personally prefer Judkins.

Round Three, Pick #72

TJ Sanders, DT, South Carolina

This is a very deep defensive tackle class and I’m sure the Bears will grab one. Here, they pick Sanders, who offers potential three down value.

Though a bit undersized than a classic run stuffer, Sanders is an adept run defender and offers some juice as a pass rusher. He should find a role in the Bears defensive line rotation.

TRADE

Rams receive picks #80 & 240

Bears receive picks #90 & 127

The Bears acquired the eightieth pick from Indianapolis in their first round trade, the offer of a fourth round pick to move down ten spots is too good to pass up.

Round Three Pick #90

Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State

The Bears have an underrated, if not pressing need at safety. Kevin Byard is 32 and clearly on the downside of his career. Jaquan Brisker has a concerning history of concussions. Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks are both solid backups and special teamers but neither appears to be a long term starter.

Ransom is a smart, physical safety that excels in run support and intermediate coverage. He doesn’t possess top end speed, but his football smarts usually have him in good position.

Ransom should develop into a plus starter at safety for the Bears.

Round Four, Pick #127

Jamaree Caldwell, DT, Oregon

I have the Bears double dipping into this deep defensive tackle class because I think they might have more need there than originally thought.

I have a feeling that Gervon Dexter is going to transition to defensive end, leaving the Bears thin on the interior. New addition Grady Jarrett is still a good pass rusher and Andrew Billings is a stout run defender, but neither are three down guys at this point of their careers. The rest of the Bears defensive line room are rotational depth pieces.

While their earlier pick at defensive tackle, TJ Sanders, does profile as a three down player, he is actually better as a pass rusher. Caldwell, on the other hand, is a classic run stuffer.

With Billings in the final year of his contract, Caldwell could be positioned as his heir apparent, while playing a rotational role as a rookie.

Round Five, Pick #148

Korie Black, CB, Oklahoma State

The outside cornerback spot opposite Jaylon Johnson is a question mark. Tyrique Stevenson has flashed potential, but his game really regressed down the stretch in 2024. He became a liability.

Maybe a change in coaching staffs can resurrect his career, but having a backup plan is a good idea.

Black has good size and excellent speed and has shown good traits. There are elements of his game that need improvement, but he’s well worth a fifth round pick.

Round Seven, Pick #233

Willie Lampkin, IOL, North Carolina

Lampkin is vastly undersized to be an NFL lineman, but he’s just a damn good football player.

To put it away Bears fans will completely understand, Willie Lampkin is the exact opposite of Nate Davis. If you could fill out a roster with guys that play with the passion and determination of Lampkin, you’d win multiple Super Bowls.

His lack of size limits his prospects, but he could find a role as a backup center or he is athletic enough to convert to fullback.

The Chicago Bears hold seven picks in this year’s draft. They have the 10th overall pick, 39th, 41st, 72nd, 148, 233 & 240. Thanks to what they were able to accomplish thus far in the offseason, they are not in a position where they are drafting strictly for need. They can take a “best player available” approach with all their picks.

Over the next several weeks I’ll spotlight every position group, with the exception of quarterback (the Bears won’t draft one) and specialists (aka kickers, punters and long snappers).

I have covered the offensive & defensive lines, running backs, receivers & tight ends and the secondary in previous posts. In this final post, I’ll cover linebackers.

The Bears don’t have a pressing need at linebacker. Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards are firmly entrenched as starters. However, Edwards is in the final year of his contract and Edmunds has never lived up to his and is a likely cap casualty next offseason.

Also, the departure of Jack Sanborn in free agency has left them a little thin at linebacker. The Bears could look ahead to 2026 and draft an eventual starter or just add depth for this season.

With only seven picks, they can’t draft every position, but linebacker should be under consideration.

FIRST ROUND

Georgia’s Jalon Walker isn’t exactly a scheme fit for the Bears, as he’s more of a 3-4 outside linebacker/edge rusher, but he’s good enough to strongly consider in the first round. He has the athletic chops to be either a high end edge rusher or off ball linebacker, or a hybrid of both.

Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell as projects as more of a 3-4 outside linebacker/ edge rusher and his upside is considerably lower than Walker. Even with a trade down, I’d prefer the Bears pass since there should be equal or better players available at more important positions.

DAY TWO

Day two of the draft is the most likely time the Bears could draft an eventual starter at linebacker.

UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger is a former walk on that worked himself up to an All American. He has the instinct and traits to become a solid WILL or MIKE linebacker, and he offers value on special teams as he waits for his chance to start.

Clemson’s Barrett Carter has the athleticism to become a quality WILL linebacker in the NFL.

Ole Miss’ Chris Paul Jr is a bit undersized for an NFL linebacker, but has the athleticism and traits to become a starter at WILL.

South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight is a very intelligent and passionate player. He is an elite run defender and blitzer, but struggles a bit in man to man coverage. He does have a future as a starting MIKE linebacker.

DAY THREE PROSPECTS

There will still be quality linebacker prospects with starting upside available on day three of the draft. Here’s a few names to remember:

• Smael Mondon Jr, Georgia
• Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
• Teddye Buchanan, California
• Jack Kiser, Notre Dame
• Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Kentucky
• Jay Higgins, Iowa
• Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
• Kobe King, Penn State
• Cody Simon, Ohio State

While I like the idea of the Bears getting ahead of the need at linebacker, I don’t think they should spend a first or second round pick at the position.

The third round might be the sweet spot. Schwesinger, Carter, Paul or Knight would all be fine picks that will eventually take over at MIKE or WILL.

Day three offers some enticing depth options. I’m especially intrigued by Kobe King and Cody Simon.

This wraps up my positional breakdowns for the draft. Now we wait until the Chicago Bears go on the clock on April 24.