Oregon

Carolina doesn’t have much speed at the wide receiver spot on the roster, so they go for a speed injection with Troy Franklin, who is one of this draft’s very best pure deep speed threats.

Florida State

Keon Coleman will be an interesting prospect to monitor throughout the draft process. No one doubts he’s strong and can win with regularity in jump ball situations. The question is whether he’s got enough speed to separate from NFL corners. New England desperately needs talent at receiver, and Coleman provides good value here atop Round 2.

Illinois

There’s a little bit of Calijah Kancey here with Newton, another undersized and athletic 3-tech who will make his money rushing the passer. He’s another nice get for the Cardinals at this juncture.

Alabama

Washington dealt Montez Sweat to Chicago, so now they need some EDGE help. Chris Braswell can do a little bit of everything. He’s a capable pass rusher, run defender and can even help out some in coverage. The Commanders have heavily invested in Alabama defensive linemen over the years and it’s largely worked out, so they go back to the well.

Washington

With both Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack aging and expensive and the Chargers up against it cap-wise, they may want to add some youth to their EDGE rush. Bralen Trice is a big, physical bully who I think would mesh well in a Jim Harbaugh system as he reminds me some of Frank Clark.

Miami

Packers get: Pick 38
Titans get: Picks 41 and 167 (R5)

Remember how I said the Packers have a lot of extra draft ammo? Well, they use a bit more of it to move up for Kam Kinchens, a superb ballhawk at safety who has a real chance to be taken in the first round. With Kinchens and Mitchell, a weakness is turning into a relative strength for the Packers.

Missouri

Baltimore has the awesome Kyle Hamilton at safety, but they’re lacking a little bit at the cornerback spot. Rake straw is a fluid mover with very good footwork. He should be able to play both inside and out, and he’s willing to stick his nose in there against the run.

Georgia

Adam Peters is the new Commanders GM after many years in the 49ers organization, so he may want to bring in some 49ers type of players. Kamari Lassiter would qualify as such. Lassiter is very instinctive, and as a Georgia corner, will be more than willing to be physical and contribute against the run.

Texas

Worthy is a very similar type of prospect to Troy Franklin, who went to the Panthers at the very top of the second round in this mock draft. He is a blur at the receiver spot, able to work his way up to top speed quickly. New Titans head coach Brian Callahan comes from Cincinnati, and I imagine he will want to surround Will Levis with talented wideouts the way Joe Burrow is surrounded by them in Cincinnati.

Iowa State

Apologies for two things here. Most importantly, T.J. Tampa is a cornerback and not a receiver as listed above. Second, he’s not going to Tampa. At least not in this mock. A long, sticky corner with quality coverage skills, he’s a good fit for the Niners and I think he’ll fit about in this range after the higher ranked corners are off the board.

Michigan

When it comes to the wide receiver position, arguably nobody was a bigger Senior Bowl than Roman Wilson, who was consistently getting open against opposing DBs. The Falcons have a lot of explosive offensive weapons. Wilson could be that perfect complimentary piece.

Duke

Giants get: Pick 44
Bears get: Pick 47 and a 2025 5th round pick

New York continues their offensive makeover, trading up for Graham Barton out of Duke. The former Blue Devil played left tackle for Duke, but he’ll be transitioning inside to guard or center in the NFL.

Georgia

Bengals get: Pick 45
Saints get: Picks 49 and 147 (R5)

This scenario assumes the Bengals at least place the franchise tag on Tee Higgins as Ladd McConkey would be more of a Tyler Boyd replacement. McConkey is extremely intelligent, quick, has terrific feet and just knows how to get open. Joe Burrow would love him.

West Virginia

Steelers get: Pick 46
Colts get: Picks 51 and 120 (R4)

There is a long history of excellent play at the center position in Pittsburgh, and it’s possible Zach Frazier could be next in line. He’s a smart, experienced lunch pail type of player who may not be a top flight center, but will make a team happy for the next 6 plus years. I’ve seen Ben Jones and Tyler Biadasz comparisons. Yeah, those work.

Minnesota

Common thinking is Eddie Jackson won’t be with the Bears in 2024 for salary cap purposes. Here’s a young replacement in Tyler Nubin. He’s got terrific size, ball skills and physicality.

South Carolina

Jacksonville got Trevor Lawrence a center in Round 1, and now get him a giant receiver to throw to in Round 2. Xavier Legette could draw some comparisons to DK Metcalf for his great size and explosiveness.

Houston

Rams get: Pick 49
Saints get: Picks 52 and 153 (R5)

Should the Rams miss out and/or pass on the many talented first round tackle options, someone like Patrick Paul could be someone to target here. He has a lot of experience, great length, moves well and brings physicality to the field that teams like.

Clemson

C’mon, this just has to happen! Jeremiah Trotter Sr. was a terrific middle linebacker for the Eagles 20 to 25 years ago, so it’d only be natural for his son to also be an Eagle and play some Extreme Dodgeball after retiring. Trotter fits the mold of a modern day NFL linebacker with his speed and coverage ability.

Penn State

Penn State has another athletic EDGE rusher in Adisa Isaac who isn’t getting quite as much attention as teammate Chop Robinson, but Isaac is a very good prospect in his own right who got some positive buzz at the Senior Bowl with a strong showing. Indianapolis needs more guys who can create pressure, and Isaac, while inconsistent, has shown flashes.

Western Kentucky

A personal favorite of mine, Malachi Corley is drawing a lot of comparisons to 49ers star Deebo Samuel with his tank like build, YAC ability and versatility to be used in multiple different ways. The Saints need some more offensive playmakers, and Corley would give them just that.

Ohio State

Cowboys get: Pick 53
Broncos get: Pick 56 and a 2025 5th round pick

Another Senior Bowl riser, Michael Hall Jr. showed off his explosiveness that offensive linemen has trouble dealing with. He’ll need development as his college production didn’t match the traits in 2023.

Oregon

Sort of a discount Darius Robinson, Brandon Dorlus is a guy who can do a bit of everything and can be lined up all over the defensive line. Like Robinson, his best spot as a pass rusher could be inside at defensive tackle. The Browns saw Michael Hall get traded up for, but are happy with Dorlus.

Washington

Texans get: Pick 55
Dolphins get: Picks 59 and 127 (R4)

The Texans appear to have a strong WR duo with Nico Collins and Tank Dell, and Ja’Lynn Polk would make an excellent WR3. He’s a big bodied guy who will bring in anything thrown in his vicinity.

Auburn

Cornerback is a popular target for the Broncos in the first round of mock drafts where they don’t select a quarterback. D.J. James is a solid second day fallback plan. He’s not the biggest corner, but he’s a fluid mover and excels in coverage.

Georgia

For a guy who has been the starting center at Georgia for the last three years, Sedrick Van Pran has sort of flown below the draft radar a bit. Physical, smart and good in both the run and pass games with a strong build, Van Pran would be a smart addition for the Buccaneers to make on Day 2 of the draft to fill their need at center.

Texas A&M

Mike Macdonald may want to bring linebacker Patrick Queen over from Baltimore with him to Seattle. If that proves unsuccessful, then perhaps looking at Edgerrin Cooper here at the bottom of Round 2 could prove fruitful.

BYU

49ers get: Pick 59
Dolphins get: Picks 64 and 132 (R4)

There’s a lot to work with here, but the Senior Bowl showed that Kingsley Suamataia is a raw prospect in need of refinement. The 49ers may be the perfect spot for him. His athleticism would fit well there, and he’d get to learn from future Hall of Famer Trent Williams while playing a swing tackle role as a rookie.

Georgia

As a Georgia fan, I’m also a really big Javon Bullard fan. This guy is just a dog. He’ll come up ready to lay opposing players out with big hits and is also capable of making plays on the ball. The Bills could use some help in the defensive backfield, and I don’t think it would take long for Bullard to become a fan favorite up in Orchard Park.

Texas

Reading around, it sounds like a lot of people feel like the massive T’Vondre Sweat would be an excellent fit in the middle of the Lions defense. They know the Lions better than me, so I won’t argue. Sweat may be a bit limited as a pass rusher, but he’ll thrive in run support and will need extra attention focused on him because one blocker alone can’t handle him. He will need to keep his weight in check.

Florida

Another receiver who thrived in Senior Bowl workouts was Ricky Pearsall, who is a bit like a bigger version of Ladd McConkey. Aside from Zay Flowers, the Ravens don’t have a lot of reliable younger receivers on the roster. Odell Beckham and Nelson Agholor are veteran placeholders while Rashod Bateman hasn’t yet panned out as a former first pick.

Texas

Commanders get: Pick 63
Chiefs get: Picks 67 (R3) and 180 (R6)

After tending to the defense in this round, the Commanders get Jayden Daniels another weapon here in a trade up, adding Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders. He fits the mold of a Darren Waller type of tight end who won’t provide much as a blocker, but can be a mismatch weapon in the passing game who is too big for most DBs to handle and too fast for most LBs.

Michigan

Defensive line help is a need in Miami regardless of whether they bring back Christian Wilkins or not. A weaker defensive draft class and a team believing in his pass rush potential could push Jenkins higher up the board than this, but he’ll thrive against the run right away.