Here we are. The week of the Draft is upon us, and that means it’s time for my final mock draft (along with a list of my favorite players in the draft).
To say this offseason has been wild would be a dramatic understatement. From the QB carousel, to a busy free agency period (which still has a few big names left on the market), to no one having any idea as to what is going to happen after the first 2 picks of the draft. And on that note, let’s see how accurate this edition can be!
- Jacksonville Jaguars- Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback, Clemson Tigers, 21 Years old
Trevor Lawrence should already have his Jaguars jersey ready for Thursday night. This guy will be the most marketable player the Jags have ever had.
- New York Jets- Zach Wilson, Quarterback, BYU Cougars, 21 Years old
Although I’m not a fan of Wilson, the Jets certainly are and believe in his skillset and potential, hence the trade of Sam Darnold for pennies.
- San Francisco 49ers (from Miami & Houston)- Justin Fields, Quarterback, Ohio St. Buckeyes, 21 Years old
The football world is ablaze right now with 49ers rumours. It’s been “leaked” that the Niners prefer Mac Jones or Trey Lance over Fields, but I’m sticking with my gut here and trusting that Kyle Shanahan sees too much in Fields’ game to go elsewhere in his pursuit to stabilize the QB position.
- Atlanta Falcons- Kyle Pitts, Tight End, Florida Gators, 20 Years old
Atlanta will field trade offers on this pick right up until the last minute, but ultimately won’t get enough of a return to pull the trigger. With rumours of Julio Jones on the trade block, look for the Falcons to replace one physical specimen with another.
- Cincinnati Bengals- Penei Sewell, Offensive Tackle, Oregon Ducks, 20 Years old
Well, this is the worst case scenario for Bengal fans. Ja’Marr Chase is still on the board, so you know the Cincinnati front office has that card ready to go….BUT!!!! I think conventional wisdom has to kick in here and understand that Sewell is a better fit for their teams (and especially their Franchise QB’s) development.
- TRADE! Denver Broncos (from Miami & Philadelphia)- Mac Jones, Quarterback, Alabama Crimson Tide, 22 Years old
Knowing that teams are calling Miami and Detroit to jump ahead of them to take a QB, Denver doesn’t wait and pulls the trigger to get their guy. The reason they take Jones here us because he’s ready to play right now, whereas Lance may take a few years.
- TRADE! Philadelphia Eagles (from Detroit)- Ja’Marr Chase, Wide Receiver, LSU Tigers, 20 Years old
SURPRISE!!!! Just when you thought Philadelphia traded themselves out of the running for a top pass catcher, they see their top target unexpectedly falling and make sure they don’t let him slip through their fingers. They move up with Detroit and make up for passing on Justin Jefferson last year by taking a superior Receiver in Ja’Marr Chase.
- Carolina Panthers- 20 Years old Micah Parsons, Inside Linebacker, Penn St. Nittany Lions, 21 Years old
Carolina had the difficult decision last year between Derrick Brown and Isaiah Simmons. They ultimately went with the Defensive Tackle, but can plug in their new field general with the selection of Micah Parsons and replace the giant hole Luke Kuechly left when he retired.
- Traded to Miami Dolphins (from Denver)- Jaylen Waddle, Wide Receiver, Alabama Crimson Tide, 22 Years old
The Dolphins are playing this draft perfectly and can plug a need right away by selecting Jaylen Waddle here. Waddle can play outside, in the slot, run jet sweeps and return punts/kicks.
- Dallas Cowboys- Patrick Surtain Jr, Cornerback, Alabama Crimson Tide, 20 Years old
Dallas is doing cartwheels here, as the best player on the board also fills a giant need. Surtain will be a day 1 starter and help Dallas turn their defense around.
- TRADE! New England Patriots (from New York Giants- Trey Lance, Quarterback, North Dakota St, 20 Years old
Knowing that the Giants and Lions are open for business, QB needy teams are scrambling to trade up and select the top guy left on the board in Trey Lance. Ultimately, the Patriots have already been on the phones in case Fields falls, but end up with the next best guy on their board by moving up with the Giants.
- Traded to Detroit Lions (from Philadelphia & Miami & San Francisco)- Devonta Smith, Wide Receiver, Alabama Crimson Tide, 22 Years old
No one seems to want to pick at number 12, but Detroit has to be thrilled with their selection. Not only have they secured a ton of extra capital with the trade of Stafford, and now with this move, but they are also able to fill a massive gap on their offense by taking the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
- Los Angeles Chargers- Rashawn Slater, Offensive Tackle, Northwestern Wildcats, 22 Years old
The Chargers have already stated they wanted to select a LT with this pick, and low and behold, they land the one they hoped to get all along.
- Minnesota Vikings- Christian Darrisaw, Offensive Tackle, Virginia Tech Hokies, 20 Years old
The Vikings fans call for an offensive lineman every year, and finally the front office listens. Darrisaw has all world potential and could transform their line in a hurry.
- Traded to New York Giants (from New England)- Kwity Paye, Defensive End, Michigan Wolverines, 22 Years old
The Giants got what they wanted by moving out of the 11th pick, which gives them time to regroup and let the board come to them. The Giants are always at their best when they have a good pass rush, and Paye could be an absolute force next to Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence.
- Arizona Cardinals- Jaycee Horn, Cornerback, South Carolina Gamecocks, 21 Years old
The Cardinals transformation comes full circle as they’re able to replace Patrick Peterson with Horn. This could be the steal of the draft if Jaycee fulfills his potential in that rebuilt Arizona defense.
- Las Vegas Raiders- Christian Barmore, Defensive Tackle, Alabama Crimson Tide, 20 Years old
Third times a charm! The Raiders have never wavered on this pick as Barmore fills their biggest need and is sitting there for them when they turn in their card.
- Miami Dolphins- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Linebacker, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 21 Years old
Miami will give Running Back a massive look at this pick, but Coach Flores will see some special abilities with Owusu-Koramoah and can really mould his defense with this playmaker.
- Washington Football Team- Teven Jenkins, Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma St. Cowboys, 22 Years old
By missing out on the top 5 Quarterbacks in this first round, the WFT can take the top player on their board and look at filling the QB slot later on in the draft. Teven Jenkins can come in and play guard right away, and eventually kick out to tackle once Morgan Moses moves on.
- Chicago Bears- Alijah Vera-Tucker, Offensive Lineman, USC Trojans, 21 Years old
The one thing that Chicago has going for them is their run game potential. By selecting Vera-Tucker, they can make the run game their bread and butter and let Andy Dalton manage the game instead of taking it over.
- Indianapolis Colts- Samuel Cosmi, Offensive Tackle, Texas Longhorns, 22 Years old
Best player on their board at a position of need. Cosmi can start right away for the Colts and shore up their offensive line and protect Carson Wentz.
- Tennessee Titans- Rondale Moore, Wide Receiver, Purdue Boilermakers, 20 Years old
Moore holds his place as the Titans pick here. His versatility allows the Titans offense to build themselves into a nightmare for opponents to prepare for.
- New York Jets (from Seattle)- Najee Harris, Running Back, Alabama Crimson Tide, 22 Years old
Robert Saleh will probably push to select a defensive player here, but knowing that Harris can help Wilson become the Quarterback they eventually want him to become, this selection makes too much sense and they push their defensive selections to the 2nd round
- Pittsburgh Steelers- Liam Eichenberg, Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 23 Years old
Whether it’s Eichenberg, Leatherwood, or Landon Dickerson, the Steelers will be taking an offensive lineman in the first round. Etienne will be a tempting pick, but these top tackles won’t be there in the 2nd round.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (From LA Rams)- Alex Leatherwood, Offensive Tackle, Alabama Crimson Tide, 22 Years old
The Jaguars need to keep Trevor Lawrence upright, so picking a big body like Leatherwood makes a lot of sense for this pick.
- Cleveland Browns- Azeez Ojulari, Defensive End, Georgia Bulldogs, 20 Years old
The signing of Clowney shouldn’t stop the Browns from selecting a top pass rusher with this pick. Ojulari oozes potential, who can be a great rotational rusher and give Cleveland a frightening “Ferrari Rush” package with Clowney and Myles Garrett.
- Baltimore Ravens- Zaven Collins, Linebacker, Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, 21 Years old
The Ravens will look heavily at Bateman, Toney, Marshall and Elijah Moore here at receiver, but Collins is a unicorn at Linebacker who can tackle, cover and rush. Collins seems to have the look of a Raven already.
- TRADE! Buffalo Bills (from New Orleans)- Travis Etienne, Running Back, Clemson Tigers, 22 Years old
Buffalo doesn’t have a lot of needs, so why not have some fun and put this speedster next to Josh Allen and really open up the Bills offense for years to come. They can’t be happy with their RB performance in the 2020 playoffs.
- Green Bay Packers- Rashod Bateman, Wide Receiver, Minnesota Gophers, 21 Years old
Can you hear Aaron Rodgers cheering from wherever you are? So can I. Bateman is a super productive Receiver who’s fallen a bit, but you can’t ignore a big bodied wideout who runs in the 4.3s and has caught everything thrown at him for 3 years at Minnesota.
- Traded to New Orleans Saints (from Buffalo)- Kadarius Toney, Wide Receiver, Florida Gators, 22 Years old
New Orleans had to cut their roster down significantly due to cap issues, and an area of need has come up at the Receiver position behind Michael Thomas. Toney has gamebreaker ability and can compliment as a #2 right away and help the Winston/Hill QB combo evolve into a productive pair.
- Baltimore Ravens (from Kansas City Chiefs)- Terrance Marshall Jr, Wide Receiver, LSU Tigers, 20 Years old
Even though they made their top competitor better with this trade, the Ravens have to be happy to be able to snag a big bodied Receiver like Marshall here. This selection could make the Ravens offense almost impossible to stop.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Gregory Rousseau, Defensive End, Miami Hurricanes, 20 Years old
Tampa Bay is playing with house money here, and Rousseau has the potential to be a double digit sack guy for years. Getting to learn from JPP and Shaq Barrett will increase his potential as well, so this is a win-win selection
MY GUYS (excludes the top guy at every position)
QB- Justin Fields
RB- Travis Etienne
RB- Chuba Hubbard
WR- Rondale Moore
WR- Terrance Marshall Jr.
OL- Christian Darrisaw
OL- Landon Dickerson
DL- Azeez Ojulari
LB- Zaven Collins
SEC- Jevon Holland
-Kyle Kirkwood
Twitter: @realFOpodcast