Round 1
*TRADE: Patriots trade with Bears
With Jerod Mayo now the new head coach, the Patriots will make a big splash and push for a mini-rebuild. Caleb Williams is electric with the football and these skills will be needed to battle the Dolphins and Bills for the foreseeable future.
This is where the head coach may matter. It was rumored the Commanders leadership was a big fan of the Ravens' model. If they love it so much to hire Mike Macdonald, they may try to find their own Lamar Jackson in Jayden Daniels. Daniels has improved over the years and I expect another leap in the NFL, similarly to Jackson. Daniels' ability to move will help make up for a porous offensive line.
*TRADE: Falcons trade with the Bears
If Ben Johnson is hired, he will be able to take full advantage of the offensive firepower on the roster. Now they need to find their QB. If Drake Maye is still on the board at 3, they will absolutely make a phone call and move up. Maye can operate from within the pocket and still scramble and make plays outside of structure when the pocket breaks down. Maye, with Ben Johnson at the helm, will get the most out of Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson.
My first boring selection. I think this selection comes down to the tantalizing upside of Kyler Murray throwing to quartet of Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Rondale Moore, and Trey McBride versus adding a blindside protector in either Joe Alt or Olu Fashanu.
*TRADE: Jets trade with Chargers
The New York Jets see the OL-needy teams in front of them and move heaven and earth to get their guy. Joe Alt is a high floor left tackle who is still relatively new to the position. The Jets move the chips to the middle of the table to make a Super Bowl run with Aaron Rodgers.
With the top 3 QBs off the board, the Giants select Nabers who instantly becomes WR1, allowing Wan'Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and Darius Slayton play more complementary roles. Look for Brian Daboll to use Nabers in a Stefon Diggs type of role when he was with the Bills.
It doesn't really matter who is head coach of the Titans as Left Tackle is a screaming need. With Brian Callahan as the new head coach, the Titans will give Will Levis the best chance to prove he is THE guy of the future.
*TRADE: Bears trade with Falcons
After accumulating New England's 2024 2nd and 2025 1st, Chicago trades back again to receive Atlanta's 2024 2nd and 2025 1st. The Bears ride with Justin Fields in 2024 with a contingency plan to get the "generational" QB of 2025.
Chicago selects Rome Odunze to bring size and skill to the position. Odunze will be a great WR2 to DJ Moore, allowing Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet to operate from the slot.
The Bears add to their defensive line with Jer'Zhan Newton to compete as the starting 3-Technique. He can rotate with Gervon Dexter or move him to the Nose.
*TRADE: Chargers trade with Jets
New head coach Jim Harbaugh will want to instill toughness into the Chargers. With Rashawn Slater manning the blindside, they trade back a few spots, accumulate a 2024 3rd and 2025 1st and draft a mauling right tackle who can dominate the run game while still having smooth enough feet to hold his own in pass protection.
*TRADE: Raiders trade with Vikings
With the Broncos ahead of them and also needing a QB, the Raiders jump ahead to grab Michael Penix Jr. Penix throws a beautiful deep ball which will make Davante Adams a happy man.
*TRADE: Rams trade with Broncos
The Rams need to continue adding athletic pass rushers and Dallas Turner is the best of the bunch. They add Turner to keep their defense athletic and multiple.
*TRADE: Vikings trade with Raiders
The Vikings move back a couple of spots and select a CB who can hold his own in Brian Flores' blitz-heavy defense. Kool-Aid McKinstry has the size and skill to immediately push for the CB1 spot.
The Saints still need to cement the OL unit and the hulking JC Latham can play Guard or Right Tackle.
*TRADE: Steelers trade with Colts
With too many OL-needy teams in front of them, the Steelers follow last year's blueprint of trading up for a Georgia tackle. Amarius Mims will need time to crack into the starting lineup but he will allow Broderick Jones move back to LT with Mims manning RT.
I originally pegged Mike Vrabel as taking over the Raiders. Since they just hired Antonio Pierce, I believe the Seahawks will move to Vrabel since he has proven he is one of the few coaches who makes the saying "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" true. The Seahawks add Troy Fautanu to play LG where he can kick out to Tackle if needed which allows Damien Lewis slide back to his more natural RG position.