USC

Chicago swapped out Justin Fields to Pittsburgh, so the door is open for them do go QB here at first overall. And if anything, Caleb Williams has only further separated himself from the pack as the odds on favorite to be the selection here.

LSU

Although the draft starts at 1, the real intrigue begins here with Washington. Nobody would be surprised by any of Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy being the pick here. For now, I’m still giving Daniels a slight edge. He feels most similar to Williams and Kyler Murray, both of whom new offensive coordinator Klingon Kingsbuty has recently coached.

Michigan

New England is a serious wild card here. They could trade back if they aren’t sold on two of the remaining Maye/McCarthy/Daniels trio. But if they like one of them, they need to stay put and draft one. The arm strength, being a part of a winning Michigan team and having experience in cold weather could be a draw for the Patriots to McCarthy.

North Carolina

Vikings get: Picks 4 and 104 (R4)
Cardinals get: Picks 11, 23 and a 2025 1st round pick

Minnesota makes its move up, dealing three first round picks to Arizona to get the last of the top 4 QBs. Drake Maye is the guy in this scenario. Maye has great arm strength to make any NFL throw. With Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the Vikings have a nice situation for a rookie QB to come in and have some success.

LSU

Would the Chargers really take Nabers over Marvin Harrison Jr.? From what I’ve heard, it’s not absurd to believe some teams may prefer Nabers. He is the faster, more explosive and more versatile option than Harrison. If Arizona doesn’t trade back with Minnesota or the Giants for QB4, the Chargers could certainly do so and get extra draft capita.

Ohio State

Big Blue could look to swing a trade up for one of the top 4 QBs, but if they’re unable to pull it off, landing one of the top three wide receivers in the class is not a bad consolation prize. In this scenario, they get Marvin Harrison Jr., who many consider the very best of the top tier wideouts in the class. He’s big, fast and runs excellent routes.

Notre Dame

Should Malik Nabers or Marvin Harrison Jr. still be on the board here, the Titans would likely consider going receiver even with the signing of Calvin Ridley. No such decision to make in this scenario, and Joe Alt is the pick. Alt would give the Titans a much needed blindside protector, and form a nice left side of the O-Line alongside Peter Skoronski.

Washington

Cardinals get: Pick 8
Falcons get: Picks 11, 90 (R3) and 186 (R6)

For a second straight year, the Cardinals move down and then move back up to get their guy. Rome Odunze is a terrific route runner and as hard a worker as any player in the draft. He’ll give Kyler Murray that #1 receiver he very much needs.

Alabama

Falcons get: Pick 9
Bears get: Picks 11, 109 (R4) and 186 (R6)

Atlanta follows the Arizona playbook, and move back up for the guy they want. Dallas Turner would give a spark to a pass rush that’s currently lacking as he could give new head coach Raheem Morris his Byron Young, an athletic EDGE rusher who enjoyed a very successful rookie season with the Rams as a third round pick under Morris, who was LA’s defensive coordinator last season. Essentially, the Falcons moved up 19 spots and still got their guy. Not bad work.

Georgia

Gang Green added Tyron Smith in free agency and made a deal with the Ravens for Morgan Moses, so they could look to add a weapon for Aaron Rodgers here. Brock Bowers is perhaps the best tight end prospect to come out. He’s fast, runs good routes, doesn’t go down easily and can even be utilized as a runner.

Texas

Chicago only has four draft picks coming into the draft, so they moved back to pick up a couple extra picks. Byron Murphy would give the interior of their defensive line a different element. Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens are bigger bodied guys. Murphy is smaller, but more athletic and has more pass rushing chops.

Penn State

Cowboys get: Picks 12 and 76 (R3)
Broncos get: Picks 24, 56 (R2) and a 2025 2nd round pick

Denver could stay put and take QB5 or the best player on their board. If they want a QB, trading down would be a good plan. That’s what they do here, and the Cowboys get their replacement for Tyron Smith in Fashanu.

Toledo

Word has it that Antonio Pierce believes a #1 corner would take this defense to a whole new level. They’re hoping Quinyon Mitchell can do just that. He’s tough, long, fast and athletic. His performances at the Senior Bowl and the Combine answered a lot of questions about the lesser competition he usually faced in the MAC at Toledo.

Alabama

With the Saints badly in need of offensive tackle help and Fashanu off the board this time around, Alabama right tackle J.C. Latham is their selection this time around. Latham believes he can play left tackle, and given the current state of the Saints offensive tackle room, it’s not a stretch to think Latham could get that chance.

Alabama

Two straight Alabama players are off the board. Indianapolis gets their #1 boundary corner here in Terrion Arnold to match up with C.J. Stroud and that tough trio of receivers in Houston. LSU wideout Brian Thomas Jr. could also be under consideration in this scenario to get Anthony Richardson another weapon.

LSU

Bills get: Pick 16
Seahawks get: Picks 28, 128 (R4) and a 2025 2nd round pick (originally via Vikings)

Speaking of which, the Bills traded Stefon Diggs to Houston and lost Gabe Davis in free agency, so they move up for Thomas. Checking in at 6’3” and 209 lbs. with 4.33 40 speed, Thomas could establish himself as one of the top receivers in the league if he can live up to his sky high potential. Having Josh Allen as his QB could bring the most out of Thomas.