Miami

Bringing Dan Moore and Kevin Zeitler aboard as free agents made the Titans taking QB a bit more likely to me at the time, and now it seems like that’s the direction they’re leaning. Cam Ward appears to be the guy, and the journey from little known Incarnate Word to #1 overall pick would be quite the inspiring journey.

Penn State

Thanks to a recent Adam Schefter report, we know the Browns may prefer to select Abdul Carter here at #2 ahead of Shedeur Sanders. If so, the Browns would be must watch on pass rush downs with Carter on defense one side and newly extended future Hall of Famer Myles Garrett on the other.

Colorado

Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson are no longer franchise caliber QBs, or a thought to be franchise QB in Winston’s case. However, like the Browns, I’m not convinced the Giants are sold on Shedeur Sanders as a top 2-3 pick. If not, best player available in Travis Hunter would be the most likely selection. Hunter is seen as mostly a corner, but he could definitely moonlight some as a receiver like his college coach Deion Sanders did.

LSU

Here’s the team most hoping Shedeur Sanders goes #2 or #3, because that would guarantee them one of Carter or Hunter. That doesn’t happen here, so the Patriots pivot to LSU’s Will Campbell. At least Drake Maye would be happy to have a much needed upgrade on the blind side.

Michigan

Drafting Tyler Warren here and then looking at a defensive tackle in Round 2 could be another option for the Jags, but with GM James Gladstone talking about building up the D-Line before the combine, so I feel like Mason Graham could make sense here. This is kind of a tough spot for the Jags with Carter and Hunter off the board as well as no one dying to trade up.

Boise State

Las Vegas stole Brock Bowers at 13 a year ago, and they choose to add another blue chip offensive prospect here with Ashton Jeanty. New QB Geno Smith will be quite pleased, and so would new coach Pete Carroll. Jeanty is a perfect fit for Carroll’s preferred offensive ram it down the throat of the opposing defense style of his.

Penn State

Aaron Glenn brought Tanner Engstrand with him from Detroit to be the Jets offensive coordinator. My thinking here is Engstrand might want his version of Sam LaPorta here with Tyler Warren, who gets a slight nod over Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou.

Georgia

Carolina could use a guy who can both cover and rush the passer. Jalon Walker provides the best of both worlds, and he’s a guy they’ve been connected to since the combine. With that said, there are multiple different ways the Panthers could go with this pick, and few of them would be a surprise to me.

Missouri

49ers get: Pick 9
Saints get: Picks 11 and 100 (R3)

Having 11 picks in their arsenal as well as a feeling they may need to get ahead of the Bears, San Francisco deals a late 3rd to get their succession plan for Trent Williams in Armand Membou. I feel like it’s possible that Membou and Campbell could switch spots, but Campbell reportedly is well liked in New England, so it’s Membou here and Campbell at 4.

Oregon

First semi-surprise of this mock draft will be Derrick Harmon here at 10. But given his success in both stopping the run and getting after the passer, as well as his versatility, maybe this isn’t such a surprise. Nor do I think this is a huge reach given that I feel like Harmon could easily be taken at 16, 17 and 21 by Arizona, Cincinnati or Pittsburgh.

Texas

Connections-based and need collide here with Jahdae Barron going to the Saints. New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley would undoubtedly love to have a versatile chess piece like this who could line up at multiple different spots, and the connection is the Saints hired Terry Joseph, who coached Barron during his time with the Longhorns.

North Carolina

Luckily for the Cowboys, the season doesn’t start until September. Their top running backs right now are Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Omarion Hampton has been getting buzz, with some teams not having him as much of a downgrade from Ashton Jeanty. He’d be a Day 1 starter for Dallas.

Georgia

Safety is such a big need for the Dolphins. This is a tough call between South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori and Georgia’s Malaki Starks. The latter would be the perfect replacement for Jevon Holland, who departed for the Giants in free agency.

Michigan

To give the winner of the Anthony Richardson/Daniel Jones QB battle a chance at success, GM Chris Ballard would do well to greatly upgrade the tight end room, something he has talked about in the offseason. Colston Loveland would provide that security blanket, as well as a guy capable of winning against linebackers down field.

Alabama

Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell is not just a coverage linebacker. He can also provide some pass rush juice. He did tear a labrum in his shoulder at the combine, where he put on a very impressive display. It doesn’t sound like it’s affecting his draft stock too much, so he should be very much in play for the Falcons here at 15.

Michigan

One could certainly debate whether cornerback is the biggest need for Arizona, but it’d be hard to argue the value of Will Johnson here at 16. The ball hawking machine out of Michigan would give the Cardinals that #1 shutdown corner at a discount, as he was a potential top 10 pick before injuries derailed his 2024 season.