Oregon

Arguably the top speed threat at receiver in the draft class, Troy Franklin is also a solid route runner with good height at 6’3.” Bryce Young was a disappointment in 2023. It wasn’t entirely his fault though, and a weapon like Franklin could be a huge help to get him on track.

Florida State

No doubt Keon Coleman is a big, strong receiver who high points throws very well. That should help him thrive as a red zone weapon and allow him to box out opposing DBs. His hands are generally reliable as well. The biggest question is whether he’ll be able to get enough separation from NFL DBs. It’s something that could make or break him. If he hits, he’d compliment Demario Douglas very well in New England.

Texas

Jaguars get: Pick 37
Chargers get: Picks 44 and 117 (R4)

Armed with an embarrassment of 4th round riches, the Jaguars deal one of those to move up for Texas’ Adonai Mitchell. The 6’4” receiver is a bit lanky, but he’s got nice speed for his size, is a solid route runner and has strong hands. He’s also an excellent big game performer, catching TD passes in the CFP for Georgia and Texas.

Illinois

Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton is a bit of a polarizing prospect. Nobody doubts his quickness and athleticism will aid him as a strong interior pass rusher. It’s his undersized frame that has some worried as to whether he’ll hold up as a run defender. He’d be a solid early R2 pick for Arizona as a guy who fits a similar profile to Calijah Kancey from a year ago.

Alabama

Alabama defensive linemen and the Commanders have been a common pairing in recent years. Chris Braswell is a guy with good bend and power, and he surprisingly handles coverage duties way better than you’d expect. Having dealt Montez Sweat to the Bears, Washington needs a reset on pass rushers.

Georgia

Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken gets a familiar face to work with in Ladd McConkey. Few are as good at manipulating coverage with their hips and feet to get open than McConkey, and he’s also very fast. Zay Flowers is caught up in a domestic violence dispute. I don’t know the details there, but even if Flowers is cleared, getting Lamar Jackson another dynamic weapon is a good idea, especially with no offensive tackles worthy of this pick on the board. A pass rusher is another solid possibility for the Ravens with their first pick as well, someone like Bralen Trice.

South Carolina

One more boom or bust prospect could be Xavier Legette, who is likely going to inevitably draw some comparisons to DK Metcalf for his huge size, tremendous athleticism and rawness as a route runner. If Brian Callahan is unable to lure Tee Higgins to Nashville with him from Cincinnati, Legette could eventually get there, but Higgins was more polished coming out of Clemson as a prospect.

Duke

Multiple options is always a good thing for a team, and the Giants would have options by drafting Graham Barton here. Barton played largely at left tackle for Duke, but is expected to transition inside to guard or center in the NFL. He could compete with John Michael Schmitz for the center spot and maybe the loser of that competition moves to guard.

Missouri

A few mock drafts have Missouri’s Ennius Rakestraw going in the first round. That’s possible, but instead he goes 40th to Washington here as they get a much needed secondary upgrade. Rakestraw, Jartavius Martin and Emmanuel Forbes (hopefully his second year goes much better) gives the Commanders some talented young pieces in the secondary.

Miami

Help at safety is also needed in Green Bay, and Kam Kinchens could be a Day 1 plug and play free safety. It’s close for me between Kinchens, Tyler Nubin and Javon Bullard here, but I’ll stick with Kinchens since he was my pick here for Green Bay last time.

Michigan

A big winner at the Senior Bowl, Roman Wilson was lighting up opposing DBs all week long in practice. He wasn’t utilized as much as he could’ve been in Michigan’s run heavy offense, but I have a feeling that his speed and big play ability would be utilized more by the Falcons, who already have an enviable variety of weapons and add to it here.

Iowa State

Despite being listed as a receiver, T.J. Tampa is a cornerback. The Chargers badly need outside corner help, and Tampa has the size, length and physicality that should appeal to a lot of NFL teams.

Houston

Ravens get: Picks 51 and 111 (R4)
Saints get: Picks 62, 93 (R3) and 134 (R4)

Talk around Baltimore is the Ravens could cut ties with one of Ronnie Stanley or Morgan Moses. Even if both are around, Moses is a free agent following next season while Stanley has struggled to stay on the field and is not living up to his paycheck. That’s why the Ravens make the move up here for Patrick Paul. Paul is a bit rawer than one might expect for a multi-year starter, but he could provide swing tackle depth as a rookie before stepping into a starting role.

West Virginia

The center spot was problematic for Jacksonville in 2023. In a scenario like this where they miss out on Graham Barton and Jackson Powers-Johnson, they can circle back to West Virginia’s Zach Frazier here.

Minnesota

Not long after Kamren Kinchens goes off the board, Tyler Nubin is taken here by the Giants. He’s a big, physical safety with excellent ball skills. If the Giants don’t want to pay Xavier McKinney the bag, they have options like Nubin to go cheaper and younger at the free safety spot.

Oregon

Like the Rams, the Eagles also continue adding to their secondary. Khyree Jackson has an excellent combination of size and length. His ball skills are solid as well and he’s a willing run defender. One of my favorite things about him is when watching him, he turns his head to locate the ball. I see too many college cornerbacks who don’t do that. For some reason, it feels like this guy is flying a bit under the draft radar thus far.

Michigan

I feel like Kris Jenkins could go higher than this, and he may prove that at the combine, but for now, he gets to be an excellent mid-second round value pick for the Colts. At the very worst, he’ll be an excellent run defender for a long time to come. If he becomes more of a factor as a pass rusher, there could be a lot more in the tank to unlock.

Washington

Bears get: Pick 51 and a 2025 4th round pick
Steelers get: QB Justin Fields

Bears get: Picks 45 and 201 (R6)
Saints get: Picks 51 and 111 (R4)

Chicago traded into this round in this mock by dealing Justin Fields to Pittsburgh, and now they move up six spots for Bralen Trice, who they hope will be the complimentary pass rusher across from Montez Sweat.

Texas

Both Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are free agents to be. Even if they keep Higgins around in 2024 via the franchise tag, I doubt he’ll be around after that. Speedster Xavier Worthy out of Texas is a lot like Tony Franklin, who went 33rd to Carolina. He’d be a nice fit with Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd (or a slot receiver similar to Boyd).

Georgia

Philadelphia and their Georgia defensive players. It’s like clockwork as they add another one in Javon Bullard. This guy is a physical presence despite not having great size, has ball skills and can also play some nickel corner.

USC

LA continues adding to their secondary, and Calen Bullock wouldn’t have to move too far away from the USC campus if drafted by the Rams. Bullock has excellent size and ball skills.

Washington

Here’s a wide receiver for the Browns, who need someone other than Amari Cooper to consistently step up. Ja’Lynn Polk is a nice, big target who catches everything and can serve as a solid #2 receiver in the NFL like he did at Washington to Rome Odunze. Good value here for Cleveland as Polk could go easily go earlier in the second round than this.

Ohio State

Dallas chose to address their offensive line long-term in the first round, now they go to the defensive tackle spot with Michael Hall Jr. Hall was a bit up and down in college, but he's got the explosive types of traits and attributes that NFL teams will think they can get the most out of.

BYU

Patriots get: Pick 61
Dolphins get: Picks 68 and 136 (R5)

New England moves up to grab a raw, but very talented offensive tackle prospect out of BYU in Kingsley Suamataia. The Pats will most certainly lose Trent Brown in free agency, and Mike Onwenu is also a free agent to be, though there's a far better chance that they bring him back. Suamataia will likely need a redshirt year, but he could serve as a functional swing tackle as a rookie.

Texas

Lions get: Pick 55
Dolphins get: Pick 61 and a 2025 4th round pick

Boring part of my mock as the Lions got Kool-Aid McKinstry and T’Vondre Sweat in my first mock and get them again this time. Sweat is just a massive human being, weighing at least in the 340 to 350 pound range. He’ll need to keep his weight down, but this guy is a space eater who can’t be handled with just one blocker.

Penn State

49ers get: Pick 57
Buccaneers get: Picks 63 and 115 (R4)

San Francisco stays in the trenches, dealing a 4th round pick to move up for Adisa Isaac, the "other" Penn State pass rusher in this draft. He's got nice size, strength, length and athleticism worth developing for the Niners as they stand to lose a few key pieces on their D-Line and need to replenish the pipeline.

Oregon

Similarly to Darius Robinson taken by the Chiefs at the end of the first round, Brandon Dorlus is the kind of player who can line up anywhere on the defensive line, but his best production at least as a pass rusher would likely come inside at defensive tackle if drafted into a 4-3 like the Texans run. He may not ever be an All-Pro, but I could see him settling into a Zach Allen type of role quite nicely.

Florida

Jets get: Picks 63 and 126 (R4)
Buccaneers get: Picks 72 (R3), 114 (R4) and a 2025 5th round pick

Not only does Aaron Rodgers need better protection up front, but he also needs better receivers to throw to. Ricky Pearsall is very similar to Ladd McConkey in that he's very smart and knows how to juke opposing DBs to get open. The difference is Pearsall is bigger and more apt to go up and get a jump ball while McConkey is a good bit faster. Pearsall should be a Day 1 ready made NFL receiver.

Texas

The drop off from Ja'Tavion Sanders to the next tight end is fairly wide. Teams interested in selecting him will be valuing his abilities as a pass catcher because he won't be much of a blocker, but he's big enough to be a tough matchup for DBs and athletic enough to get by most linebackers. He'd be a nice mismatch weapon for Derek Carr.

Western Kentucky

Looking for a potential Deebo Samuel-esque talent? Look no further than Malachi Corley. The self-proclaimed YAC King is very strong and compact, not very easy to bring down when he gets going. He could be a fun weapon for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to utilize in a number of different ways.

Connecticut

This came down to either Haynes or one of the two project offensive tackles in Kiran Amegadjie out of Yale or Kingsley Suamataia out of BYU. With the Packers looking ready to win right now, and some project tackles they can look at later on in the draft, I decided to give them Haynes here.

Clemson

Buffalo got some desperately needed wide receiver help in the first round, and here they go with some much needed help at defensive tackle in Ruke Orhorhoro. The Clemson product is big and strong. He's excellent against the run and can provide some push as a pass rusher as well.