You will see one mock draft from me before next Thursday's NFL Draft begins in Kansas City, Mo.
This is it. My 1.0 of 1.0. No trades. No him-hawing over a mock draft (that I didn't make anyway) in March.
Here it is:
1. PANTHERS (from Bears)
Bryce Young, quarterback, Alabama
The Panthers got aggressive and traded up for Young. Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer compared Young to Russell Wilson. You don't make that comparison if you don't believe in Young as a prospect, especially knowing Fitterer used to be a scout for the Seahawks and spent a number of years around Wilson.
2. TEXANS
C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
This is simple: The Texans need a quarterback like I need oxygen. It's Stroud or Young, whoever Carolina leaves on the board. I'd be shocked otherwise.
3. CARDINALS
Will Anderson Jr., defensive end, Alabama
Arizona needs help on the defense. Anderson is the best defensive player in the draft. 1 + 1 = 2.
4. COLTS
Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
Richardson is almost defaulted here, though new Colts head coach Shane Steichen is probably one of a select few coaches in the NFL who has the ability to develop a guy like Richardson. Is he a project quarterback? Probably, but the former Eagles offensive coordinator has his former Eagles quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles in tow in Indianapolis to help usher the uber-athletic Richardson into the league.
5. SEAHAWKS (from Broncos)
Jalen Carter, defensive tackle, Georgia
Seattle shouldn't overthink this, even after Carter's troubled offseason and subsequent disappointing pro day.
All reports from his top 30 visits indicate Carter has gotten his act together. Seattle would benefit from many positions here, but Carter would work just as well as any other player in this spot.
6. LIONS (from Rams)
Devon Witherspoon, cornerback, Illinois
Honestly, flip a coin between Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez as the top cornerback in the draft, although my favorite of the two is Gonzalez.
Regardless of preference, the Lions need one of the two. General manager Brad Holmes went and got C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Cam Sutton for his secondary in the offseason, and he completes it here with Witherspoon.
7. RAIDERS
Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
The Raiders shafted Derek Carr, and now the franchise is about to subject its fanbase to the guy who puts mayonnaise in his coffee and eats bananas without peeling them. They need a quarterback -- Jimmy Garoppolo isn't it -- and they'll take this menace to society with this pick, and we'll have to deal with it.
8. FALCONS
Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech
Atlanta provides us with the appropriate palate cleanser.
Wilson is not far off from Anderson as an edge rusher, but he would be worth Atlanta's while here. Is it the sexiest pick? No. But, it is a smart pick.
9. BEARS (from Panthers)
Peter Skoronski, offensive tackle, Northwestern
The Bears sent the whole city to scout the Illinois native Skoronski's pro day.
A smart trade by the Bears (after making a really dumb one, as of now, for Chase Claypool) pays off, as Justin Fields gets his left tackle.
10. EAGLES (from Saints)
Bijan Robinson, running back, Texas
This is where the draft becomes less vanilla.
Running backs in the first round, to me, are luxury picks. That said, the Eagles have a luxury of picking twice in the first round. Howie Roseman backed up the Brinks truck for Jalen Hurts, and with Miles Sanders now in Carolina, Roseman gets Hurts his right-hand man with the beast that is Robinson, forming one hell of a long-term duo for the reigning NFC Champion. The Eagles' running backs, as of now, are Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and Trey Sermon. Let's change that.
Is this a reach? Probably. Do I care? In this case, no.
11. TITANS
Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
The Titans have a million different directions they could go here, but the safest route with the top four quarterbacks off the board is to add some beef to their offensive front. Johnson is a solid prospect.
12. TEXANS (from Browns)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Ohio State
It almost feels right, especially if Stroud is the pick at No. 2. Houston benefits from Cleveland's overpay of Deshaun Watson and transports the dynamic hookup from Columbus to Houston, and they become the Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase 2.0.
13. JETS
Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
Holy bleep. The bleeping Jets do it again. They won the first round last year with the selections of Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson, the respective Defensive and Offensive Rookies of the Year, and they do it again by grabbing an anchor to block for Aaron Rodgers. (What's the hold-up on this trade, anyway? Let's get it done, Joe Douglas.)
14. PATRIOTS
Quinten Johnston, WR, TCU
The Patriots' top-four options at wide receiver, as of this moment, are JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Tyquan Thornton.
Ew.
15. PACKERS
Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
Gonzalez won't slip this far. At least, he shouldn't.
I won't go 32-for-32 in this mock draft. But, if I somehow do, the Packers get a steal with my favorite cornerback in this class to line up across the field from Jaire Alexander. Gonzalez will trade in his green and yellow as a Duck for different shades of those colors in Green Bay.
16. COMMANDERS
Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
They need a cornerback. They also need a cleansing overall as a franchise. Sorry, Penn State fans.
17. STEELERS
Brian Branch, safety, Alabama
Branch is my favorite player in the draft which the Steelers could end up with. That said, there are a ton of options on the table here at 17.
Going with Anton Harrison or Darnell Wright at offensive tackle or Lukas Van Ness or Myles Murphy at defensive end or Bryan Bresee (or maybe Pitt's Calijah Kancey?) at defensive tackle or Deonte Banks at cornerback are all feasible, rock-solid choices for the Steelers here. I'd be happy with either of those players, and by the look of my mock draft, all of these guys would be here and 100% would be worth the pick at No. 17.
But, this is my mock draft, and Branch is my guy in this draft. I don't use the my guy moniker unless I mean it. Branch can play safety and cornerback, he can hit with the best of them, and he would make for a wonderful pairing alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick. He stood out as the "Star" position in the Alabama defense under Nick Saban for years after being a top high school recruit. Branch is a baller.
Do you know who else once played the Star position for Saban?
I'm not Omar Khan, but I would sharpie his name onto the card here if I was. Nonetheless, if the draft shakes out in any shade of how I have it going, Khan and Co. will have their pick of the litter just by holding pat at No. 17.
18. LIONS
Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt
Let's bite some kneecaps with the man who has earned comparisons to fellow former Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Do you know who was a member of the Rams' front office when they drafted Donald in 2014? The Lions' general manager Holmes, who was the Rams' Director of College Scouting at the time. Kancey and Aidan Hutchinson side-by-side in Detroit? Sign me up.
19. BUCCANEERS
Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
The post-Tom Brady era (so we think) begins with ... Baker Mayfield?
Anyway, here is a right tackle to go across from Tristan Wirfs and help Mayfield out. Wright is the best pure right tackle in the draft, and the Buccaneers get some tremendous value.
20. SEAHAWKS
Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa
This would bring some "wow" factor into the equation, as Seattle would shore up the defensive line in the span of 15 picks with Carter and Van Ness. That's a dangerous 1-2 punch up front for the team in the Pacific Northwest.
21. CHARGERS
Jordan Addison, WR, USC (formerly Pitt)
Getting Addison in the mix with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams for Justin Herbert is a dreamy scenario, especially if the Chargers don't go full bonehead by trading away running back Austin Ekeler.
(Edge rusher would make sense here, too.)
22. RAVENS
Nolan Smith, DE, Georgia
Let me introduce you to my friend, Shruggie: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That's how I feel about the Ravens and what they could do here. A big shoulder shrug. They overpaid for Odell Beckham, Jr. Is Lamar Jackson even going to be there? Is this team good? Is it in purgatory?
Anyway, Smith is a fast and athletic pass rusher. He'll work fine here. He almost feels like a Raven just by watching his film.
23. VIKINGS
Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
I'll give an up-cup in the comments to the person who, without looking it up, can correctly name Minnesota's projected starting cornerbacks as of today. I looked it up. I've never heard of them.
24. JAGUARS
Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
Jacksonville is in desperation territory for a left tackle and for someone to protect Trevor Lawrence's blindside. At this point it would be between Harrison and Ohio State's Dawand Jones, if left tackle is the pick. I like Harrison better.
25. GIANTS
Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Joe Schoen just paid Daniel Jones a lot of money to remain the Giants' quarterback. His options at wide receiver, as of now, are Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton, an ailing Sterling Shepard, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Jamison Crowder.
The Pirates weren't the "hodgepodge of nothingness;" this receiving corps is. Flowers is somebody.
26. COWBOYS
Michael Mayer, tight end, Notre Dame
This is so Jerry Jones that it hurts. That said, the Cowboys 100% are in need of a tight end, and Mayer or Dalton Kincaid would make sense here. It's just funny how things work out.
27. BILLS
Jack Campbell, linebacker, Iowa
Hey-ey-ey-ey! The Bills have many options here. Running back, wide receiver, offensive tackle, defensive tackle, and linebacker could all use upgrades. If Bijan Robinson slips to this point Brandon Beane should pull the trigger, but that's not the case here. Campbell or Arkansas' Drew Sanders would look great alongside Matt Milano in Western New York.
28. BENGALS
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Sorry, AFC North fans. I just made the Bengals' offense even more unfair. I prefer Kincaid over Michael Mayer. He is a true pass catcher in every sense of the phrase.
29. SAINTS (from 49ers)
Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
Bresee's slide ends here. New Orleans needs a defensive tackle, and I prefer Bresee in a 4-3 defense over a 3-4. The former top-rated high school recruit in the country could thrive in Joe Woods' system from Day 1.
30. EAGLES
Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson
Murphy's slide ends here, too, as the Eagles take Brandon Graham's future protégé. Robinson at 10 and Murphy at 30 would be a home run for Roseman.
31. CHIEFS
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State
A solid pass rusher to go opposite 2022 first-rounder George Karlaftis for the defending champs. I did this solely for the pairing of the names.
Why? Because I can. And because the defending Super Bowl champion can.
32. STEELERS
Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State
Provided a tackle is not the pick at No. 17, Jones would make a fine fit to protect Kenny Pickett's blindside with the first pick on Day 2. I like the value for Jones, despite the pundits' big boards.
If an offensive tackle is the pick at No. 17, then I'd pick up a cornerback at No. 32. Mississippi State's Emmanuel Forbes, Georgia's Kelee Ringo, or South Carolina's Cam Smith -- not necessarily in that order -- would work fine here.
There you have it. Agree with it, disagree with it, praise it, and/or roast it how you please in the comments.
