South Carolina

The Bengals are my team. Have been since 1990. Now that Higgins, Chase, and Gesicki are re-signed, the Bengals can address that horrid defense from last year.

The main issue was the poor play of Geno Stone and Jordan Battle last year. Injuries at CB didn't help (Dax Hill and DJ Turner) and Taylor-Britt regressed significantly but could bounce back to rookie form. All 3 were 1st or 2nd round picks recently.

The Bengals were a shell in the back-end by poor safety play and it seems they are going to give Geno Stone another chance at FS. The same cannot be said about Jordan Battle. He has not performed well and needs to be upgraded. Enter Nick Emmanwori.

A physical freak at SS with immense upside would help the young secondary and allow the Bengals to move on from Battle and upgrade the position. He jumped Malaki Starks in my rankings and would bring the unit forward.

The other areas were plagued by injuries. Logan Wilson being out hurt more than most would admit and Pratt is too inconsistent to make an impact. He is poor man's Foyesade Oluokun with tons of stats but a ton of missed tackles, he will most likely be cut or traded for a low pick. Re-signing BJ Hill next to Jenkins with Henderson (re-signed) and Ossai/Murphy could allow the unit to get back into middle tier, which combined with the offense, could be enough to get the Bengals back in Super Bowl contention.

North Dakota State

This pick could be anything WR, G, back up Franchise QB, etc. Seattle's pick will show where Mike McDonald wants to go with this franchise.

The Seahawks have their top 3 WRs in Cupp, JSN, and MVS. A 1st round pick here wouldn't have the impact it should. A 1st round QB would be a reach and a copy of the Falcons mistake last year.

Instead, I believe the Seahawks will trade down but if making the pick, they have to address to OL for new QB Sam Darnold.

With both guard spots in flux and center needing an upgrade, I think Seattle will look hard at Grey Zabel. He performed well in the Senior bowl and can play all 5 spots along the OL. He would be a starter immediately, which is what Seattle needs.

Alabama

The Bucs have always done well addressing MLB and that trend continues here with Campbell. The Bucs are rumored to be smitten with Campbell and he immediately fills a need next to Lavonte David in the same mold as him and Deion Jones.

Watch out for CB as well but if Campbell is on the board, the Bucs should grab him.

North Carolina

Who knows what Sean Payton is going to do. I had TE for months but the Evan Ingram signing takes that off the table. Instead the offense needs to support Bo Nix and with the emergence of the WR core and strong defense, the best route is take a RB and stop the committee nonsense.

Hampton can do it all and is the #2 RB in this class. He would bring stability to an offense that needs to continue to grow under Nix.

Oregon

The Steelers took a step forward in trading for DK Metcalf. While they like Egbuka and he would be in contention, the more pressing need is to keep their defense strong. With Harmon, they can grab their successor for Cam Heyward and play him now over Loudermilk while they figure out their QB position with Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins.

Harmon should be a higher pick than 21. When he is on, he can blow up plays in the backfield and reek havoc on an offensive line. Motivation won't be an issue in Pittsburgh with the culture established and Harmon could have a big rookie year.

Michigan

The Chargers are looking to replicate Harbaugh football.

I think the signing of Tyler Conklin is being overlooked. He can be a decent TE for the Chargers along with Will Dissly for Justin Herbert. While I do think they are high on Loveland, they will have a hard time passing on Kenneth Grant, who could go as high as 11th to San Francisco and is the best NT in this class.

The Chargers currently have Teair Tart and Otito Ogbonnia as their starting DT's and Grant would have instant impact day one and is also a Michgan man like his HC.

Loveland most likely would be plan B in this scenario.

Texas

The Packers have been looking at DE's and CB's throughout this process. With the uncertainly of Jaire Alexander's future and another open spot at CB, the Packers will take a falling prospect in Jahdae Barron.

A consistent CB at Texas, Barron would immediately impact the Packers in a division that continues to get stronger with the Lions, Bears, and Vikings. He could be a top 15 pick this year.

If Barron is gone, keep an eye on Shavon Revel from ECU, who has taken a Top 30 visit here and been consistently in contact with.

Georgia

Harrison Smith can't play forever. He is back on a 1 year deal and the Vikings must consider his successor with most holes on the roster already filled this year.

Starks started the process as the draft's #1 safety but has been leapfrogged by Emmanwori due to inconsistent tape from last year. Starks has great instincts for the ball in the air but must get better at open field tackling and reaction time for the NFL.

Ohio State

The Texans need to continue to protect CJ Stroud. After trading away Laremy Tunsil and signing journey man Cam Robinson, the Texans still need competition at RG and RT.

Simmons would have been a Top 20 pick, if he hadn't suffered a torn patellar tendon in October. He should be good by training camp and would be good value at 25 to protect the franchise QB.

Ole Miss

Matt Stafford ultimately decided to stay in LA but this should serve as a wake up call to the Rams that their relationship does not have much longer.

Dart has a lot of Stafford traits in him and would be best served as a back up to learn McVay's system under Stafford before taking over in 26' or 27'. An incredible accurate passer, Dart just needs more NFL style reps and coaching than his last 8 years (college and HS) solely in the gun. I'd bet that Dart goes in round 1 via trade or draft since those 5th year options are so crucial in the NFL..

Ohio State

The Ravens most likely would have preferred Harmon to slide here as he is a logical fit for their front 7 and would bring instant impact but he was scooped by division foe Pittsburgh.

Instead the Ravens turn to the other side of the trenches. Donovan Jackson is a 1st round guard but is being overlooked since he was flexed out to LT last year for Ohio St when Josh Simmons went down. His experience there will serve him well in Baltimore since they could use competition and depth at LG (Vorhees) and RT (Rosengarten) to continue to protect Lamar Jackson.

Marshall

The Lions need a DE opposite Hutchinson. When he went down, their defense shifted dramatically and not in a good way. They have been active in looking on the trade market and in the draft for a solution.

Mike Green went viral for blowing up potential first rounder Josh Conely at the Senior Bowl, but make no mistake, the FBS sack leader has that killer mentality that will appeal to Dan Campbell's philosophy in Detroit. With Hutchinson and Green the Lions will be back to a stronger pass rush next year to continue their Super Bowl window.

Texas A&M

The Commanders have also been active looking at DE prospects to speed up their Super Bowl window. They have been interested in Trey Hendrickson but may opt to go to the draft for a cheaper route since they will have to eventually pay Jayden Daniels. With Armstrong and Ferrell as their two projected starters, the Commanders can't afford to miss on their DE draft pick.

Stewart has freakish physical numbers but that didn't always match his production at Texas A&M (1.5 sacks last year). The Commanders would bank on developing Stewart into a 10 sack guy and unleashing that potential for their gain.

Stewart is the classic case of a combine athlete wow-ing to the point of a first rounder. Although his traits are Top 10 worthy, we see these guys fail too often but when they pop, it's All-Pro level.

He is worth the risk here.

Arkansas

The Bills could take Isiah Bond here to give Josh Allen a true deep threat. They have met with him every step of the way. But there is one other prospect the Bills have been all over and that is Landon Jackson.

The 6'6' 264 lb DE ran 4.68 at the combine and has some nasty plays on his highlight tape. He is strictly a 4-3 DE, which will fit Buffalo's scheme. The Bills saw the blueprint to beating the Chiefs and that is constant pressure with 4. Adding him to the Bosa and Rousseau rotation, will achieve this goal along with Hoecht and the inconsistent Epenesa.

Michigan

The Chiefs are finally having to rebuild their roster after their 2 year signing period of FA talent. This team is going to take a step back and have already started making these cuts. They will still be competitive in the AFC but now could cede supremacy to the Ravens, Bills, and Bengals.

Kelce decided to return in 2025 but at this point he is more of a name than an impact player. His 25' season was downright awful to his standards and he could be more of a part time player as the Chiefs look for his successor. Noah Gray was re-signed but they are going to want competition for him to continue to give Mahomes that safety valve that made this offense go.

Loveland will remind the Chiefs of Kelce and would be a solid fit in their offense. I am not as high on Loveland and have a Mid-2nd round grade on him. He dropped too many balls at Michigan and isn't a great inline blocker. However, he has all the tools to grow in Kansas City much like his predecessor.

OT or OG would be another big need but they could address that in round 2 as most of the ones with first round grades could be gone in picks 10-19.

Tennessee

The Eagles are here because they draft well and catch falling prospects that make huge impacts (DeJean and Mitchell just last year), very similar to what the Ravens have done for years.

Pearce has top 10 talent but concerns in run support and motivation when not rushing from a wide 9 worry teams. The Eagles experienced this same thing with Josh Sweat, who could have won Super Bowl MVP, and is now in Arizona under a fat contract.

Pearce could take over that role and have plenty of 1v1 opportunities, where he thrives, with the strength of Philly's defensive line.



Those falling out of round 1 of note:

Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame- I think his injury is scaring a lot of teams. He has the talent of a Top 15 pick but coming off the injury will cause him to slide.

Matthew Golden, WR, Texas- He could go in Round 1 and is my WR 3 but the back end isn't very WR friendly past Pittsburgh and think he ends up going in the top 10 of round 2.

Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida St- Not as high as most on him. (Mid-2 grade). He takes bad angles and give up free releases and looks to catch WRs. He got away with it in college but that could kill him in the pros.

Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky- The size doesn't scare me but he is combine star and has durability issues. Although he has the best movement skills outside Travis Hunter, he needs more coaching.

Tre Amos, CB, Ole Miss- Great athlete just a little raw but will be gone in the top 15 of round 2.

Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College- Height and power off the edge are his negatives. Needs to be a stand up rusher.

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State- WR4 for me in the draft could go to the Steelers at 21, if Harmon is gone. I love his game but just though other teams will fill bigger needs. Should be gone in the Top 5 of round 2.

Walter Nolan, DT, Ole Miss- 1st round talent but poor consistency and discipline drops him to round 2.

Josh Conely, OT, Oregon- He is going to need to get stronger. NFL defensive ends are going to bull rush him out of the league if he doesn't. His pass pro is very solid otherwise, but he is too much of a finesse player at this stage.