- The Pick: Myles Garrett, DE Texas A&M
- I’m doing this entire mock with the idea that the Browns will not draft a quarterback, and will in fact trade for Jimmy Garappolo. With that being said, they start off by taking the best talent in this draft in Garrett, who they will look to build their defense around for years to come.
2. San Francisco 49ers
- The Pick: Deshone Kizer, QB Notre Dame
- Unlike the Browns, the 49ers will be desperate and reach on a QB. UNC’s Tubisky is the hot name right now, but Kizer has the most upside of any QB in this class.
- The Pick: Jonathan Allen, DL Alabama
- The Jaguars are a mess on both sides of the ball, but the defense is getting better. So they’ll take the best talent with the 3rd pick in Allen, an absolute monster who will be a pro bowler for years.
4. Chicago Bears
- The Pick: Mitch Trubisky, QB North Carolina
- Jay Cutler’s time in Chicago is over. Brian Hoyer isn’t reliable, and Matt Barkley isn’t a long term answer. Trubisky has risen up draft boards all season. He can make all the throws, he’s accurate, and he’s mobile. The only thing he doesn’t have going for him? Experience. He’s a 1 year starter who couldn’t beat out a guy who couldn’t make an NFL roster for 2 straight years. It’s a risky pick but the upside is there and the Bears need a QB to build around.
5. New York Jets
- The Pick: Rueben Foster, LB Alabama
- If Trubisky falls here, he’s likely the pick. If not, Foster would provide a spark to a defense that has struggled and would be great to pair with their first round pick from last year, the young, hybrid linebacker Darron Lee.
6. Tennessee Titans (Via Los Angeles Rams)
- The Pick: Jamal Adams, S LSU
- Seen by many as the safest pick in the draft, Adams provides an upgrade to a terrible Titans secondary. His playing style is extremely similar to another former LSU safety and current NFL star, Tyann Mathieu.
7. Carolina Panthers
- The Pick: Quincy Wilson, CB Florida
- With Josh Norman, Super Bowl appearance. Without Josh Norman, picking in the top 10. The secondary needs to be addressed in Carolina. Wilson has been as good, if not better, then his more well-known corner counterpart at Florida, Teez Tabor.
8. New Orleans Saints
- The Pick: Derek Barnett, DE Tennessee
- Grabbing the best pass rusher is the best thing the Saints can do to help improve its, for lack of a better term, garbage defense.
9. Cleveland Browns (Via Philadelphia Eagles)
- The Pick: Leonard Fournette, RB LSU
- Bit of a surprise, but Fournette is too much of a talent to let slip past this spot. Had he been in the same draft class as Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliot, he likely would have been rated higher than the both of them.
10. San Diego Chargers
- The Pick: Mike Williams, WR Clemson
- Phillip Rivers only has so much time left, and with Keenan Allen dealing with so many injuries the last few years, Williams is the logical choice to replace him as the Chargers deep threat.
11. Arizona Cardinals
- The Pick: Deshaun Watson, QB Clemson
- Carson Palmer has 1 season left in him, so the Cardinals will be proactive and take their QB of the future in Watson. The Clemson star has had his struggles this season, but has a great arm, great running ability, and is a proven winner.
12. Cincinnati Bengals
- The Pick: Zach Cunningham, LB Vanderbilt
- The Bengals linebacking core is aging and slow. Cunningham is the perfect combo of speed and athleticism and should be a plug-in starter for Marvin Lewis’s defense.
13. Indianapolis Colts
- The Pick: Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State
- While I consider offensive line to be the Colts top priority, there isn’t a lineman in this draft who is ranked higher than Cook, who will fit in perfectly in Indianapolis and will take a lot of pressure off Andrew Luck. Cook’s mixture of speed and strength should put him in position to be one of the top backs in the AFC South right off the bat.
14. Buffalo Bills
- The Pick: Cam Robinson, OT Alabama
- Robinson has been plagued by some subpar play on the field and serious off field issues. That being said, he is the most talented tackle in this class (which doesn’t mean much), and the Bills need a young tackle to upgrade their offensive line. Whether they decide to keep Tyrod Taylor or decide that Cardale Jones is their future, Robinson could develop into a franchise left tackle. Worth the risk.
- The Pick: John Ross, WR Washington
- They addressed the defense with their first pick, now the Titans turn to the offensive side of the ball, and they snag the speedy Ross as a weapon for their young, franchise QB Marcus Mariota.
16. Baltimore Ravens
- The Pick: Tim Williams, OLB Alabama
- Alabama linebackers seem to do well in Baltimore, with the latest being CJ Mosely. Williams is a freak off the edge and should be at minimum an effective pass rusher for years to come.
- The Pick: Teez Tabor, CB Florida
- A weapon for Carson Wentz would be a good pick, but Tabor is to talented to let slide. A shutdown corner with an attitude, Teez is a pro bowler in the making.
18. Green Bay Packers
- The Pick: Takkarist McKinley, DE UCLA
- Julius Peppers is getting old, and the Packers defense is struggling. The UCLA pass rusher has burst onto the scene this year as a consistent threat to the QB and will provide depth to the Green Bay front seven and looks like a solid starter in the NFL for years to come.
19. Houston Texans
- The Pick: Jabrill Peppers, S Michigan
- I personally thing Peppers is overrated, but there’s no denying he has talent, and his slide down draft boards will end at Houston with the 19th pick. What position will he play? Most likely strong safety, a guy who can come down into the box to help stop the run.
20. Washington Redskins
- The Pick: Christian McCaffrey, RB Stanford
- Matt Jones has fumbling problems. Rob Kelly is a one game wonder. Chris Thompson is strictly a pass catching back. Christian McCaffrey can do it all, and more. He will be the perfect complement to Kirk Cousins and the pass happy Washington offense.
21. Miami Dolphins
- The Pick: O.J. Howard, TE Alabama
- With the offense starting to click, an athletic weapon like Howard would be just what Ryan Tannehill needs to take another step forward in his development. Adam Gase could do a lot of things with him.
- The Pick: Malik McDowell, DL Michigan State
- His quick step and long arms make McDowell a terror for offensive linemen. The Buccaneers defense has made major strides this season but needs another linemen next to Gerald McCoy to make plays.
23. Denver Broncos
- The Pick: Ryan Ramczyk, OT Wisconsin
- Whether the Broncos choose to continue to go forward with Trevor Seiman or Paxton Lynch, they will need to keep them upright. Russell Okung was a good pickup as a temporary solution as a tackle, but they need a young, stud to build around.
24. Atlanta Falcons
- The Pick: Marshone Lattimore, CB Ohio State
- A young corner who may be the best defender in an extremely talented Ohio State secondary, Lattimore is just the upgrade the Falcons defense needs to truly become a Super Bowl contender.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers
- The Pick: Sidney Jones, CB Washington
- Pittsburgh’s secondary is awful. No other way to put it. Sidney Jones will be tested against Calvin Ridley and the other Alabama pass catchers in the upcoming College Football Playoff, but a good showing will solidify his ranking as a first round corner.
26. Seattle Seahawks
- The Pick: Montavious Adams, DL Auburn
- The Seahawks defensive line lacks depth. The disruptive Adams will helps address this issue.
27. Detroit Lions
- The Pick: Gareon Conley, CB Ohio State
- Defense should be the priority for Detroit this postseason. Conley would be a good compliment opposite Darious Slay.
28. New York Giants
- The Pick: D’Onta Foreman, RB Texas
- The Giants have lacked a consistent running game for a long time. Foreman in
29. Kansas City Chiefs
- The Pick: Desmond King, CB Iowa
- Pair King with Marcus Peters and the Chiefs have the potential to form one of the best secondary’s in the league (which will include Eric Berry).
30. Oakland Raiders
- The Pick: Jarrad Davis, LB Florida
- The up and coming Raiders have a somewhat weak spot at middle linebacker
31. New England Patriots
- The Pick: Corey Davis, WR Western Michigan
- The Patriots have lacked a vertical threat wide receiver for years, and have managed just fine. But remember the 2007 offense featuring Randy Moss? Not to say Davis is even close to Moss, but he can be that deep threat Tom has been missing.
32. Dallas Cowboys
- The Pick: Taco Charlton, DE Michigan
- The Cowboys pass rushers keep getting suspended, so maybe they’ll get lucky this time. Charlton wreaked havoc on Big 10 QB’s all season.
Andrew Nason
@NasDaddy23