LSU

With such a large percentage of the salary cap invested in QB and WR, the Bengals should look to stay young and cheap at the other premium positions. This could easily mean that LT Orlando Brown Jr. is gone by '26.

In CIN, Will Campbell wouldn't necessarily be counted on as the heir to Brown, as RT Amarius Mims might be able to man the blindside in '26. If Campbell can cut it at LT - great. If not, his outlier wingspan may be less of a liability at RT. At worst, he's probably a tremendous upgrade from any G currently on the CIN depth chart.

Penn State

John Schneider sticks to his recent BPA philosophy and ends Tyler Warren's slide.

Warren is short-armed, not a great athlete by NFL standards and not quite the blocker he's reputed to be, so I think he probably comes off the board closer to 1.20 than 1.07. Still, he's a legit mismatch weapon and an absolute load once he gets to rumblin'. I think he'd be a particularly great fit in SEA, where his violent style jives with the Ravens-inspired culture Mike Macdonald is working to establish. Replacing soft, terminal tease Noah Fant with Warren is a statement move.

Warren may seem a luxury for SEA given their situation at IOL, but they could still address G/C on Day Two and even post-draft. I have my eye on the CLE O-line situation, as the recent signing of Teven Jenkins means Wyatt Teller and/or Joel Bitonio could be available before long. I have to think Schneider would be all over that IOL bargain hunting opportunity.

Boston College

LOLB Haason Reddick is entering his age-31 season and on a one-year deal. He's nearly washed.

Jason Licht prioritizes highly-productive prospects in the 1st RD. Ezeiruaku (first in the nation in sacks per game and TFL per game in '24) fits the profile.

Ezeiruaka posted the top short-shuttle (4.19) and 3-cone (6.94) times among this EDGE class during the pre-draft process. That elite agility along with his remarkable bend makes for a perfect complement to power-and-punch ROLB Yaya Diaby.

Ole Miss

I was very tempted to plop Omarion Hampton here and call it a day, but I think Day Two RB prospects like D.J. Giddens and Devin Neal could be highly effective starters in Sean Payton's outside ZBS.

Instead, I think we see the Eagles Influence come into play here. The Broncos defense broke the franchise record with 63 sacks last season, but DT John Franklin-Meyers is approaching 30, kinda expensive and in a contract year. DEN should look to keep the front-7 cupboards stocked and keep that pressure coming.

Walter Nolen - Lance Zierlein's 5th-highest graded '25 prospect - is only available here due to character concerns. If he hits, he's the dominant 3T capable of lifting the DEN defense to even greater heights.

Ohio State

I'm going to assume that Aaron Rodgers signs with PIT once he's done holding them hostage.

I briefly considered Omarion Hampton here, but with the re-signing of Jaylen Warren and addition of Kenneth Gainwell, burning a borderline-top-20 pick on the third member of a RBBC seems a stretch. I have to think the Steelers learned their lesson with Najee Harris.

Boundary go-route guys D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens - with nothing in between - would have been fine for Russell Wilson and his moon balls, but PIT will need to reconfigure their WR corps to suite Rodgers' skill set. That means Pickens could be traded and high-level intermediate route-runners are needed. Egbuka is a hand-in-glove fit and ready to hit the ground running at the NFL level - hugely important given Rodgers' age.

Tennessee

Khalil Mack can still bring it, but his services are a year-to-year proposition.

James Pearce is a Gumby EDGE teeming with upside, but comes with character concerns. Sounds like Aldon Smith.

Arizona

Christian Watson is terminally injured and Romeo Doubs is on the trade block. GB's need for a WR1 is a meme at this point. This might be Tet McMillan's floor.

Michigan

TRADE! MIN gets 1.32 and 2.64, PHI gets 1.24 and 3.97

With just four draft picks, MIN is all but guaranteed to trade down from this spot.

With Colston Loveland sliding due to a lingering shoulder injury, the ever vigilant Howie Roseman pounces, jumping ahead of the TE-needy Texans and Rams to nab Dallas Goedert's replacement.

Oregon

C.J Stroud has been sacked 2.81 times per game during his career. Enough is enough. HOU's quantity-over-quality offseason additions to the O-line aren't going to cut it.

Josh Conerly Jr. has sort of slipped through the cracks during the pre-draft process. Former top-10 recruit with easy LT movement skills who erased Abdul Carter in their matchup. I think he goes in the 1st RD.

Ole Miss

LA's on-the-fly defensive rebuild has been astonishingly efficient. What's missing is a play-making CB or two.

Ideally, the Rams would trade down a bit to draft Amos, but with character concerns swirling around Maxwell Hairston, Amos could easily be the (non-Travis Hunter) CB3 on many boards, and may not get past BUF at 1.30. LA sticks-n-picks to get their physical, prototype boundary corner.

Alabama

'23 3rd-rounder Trenton Simpson was relegated to ST duty by the end of last season. He's a backup. The search for Robin to Roquan Smith's Batman continues in BAL.

Jihaad Campbell's game is still rough-around-the-edges, and recent surgery for a torn labrum puts his early-season availability in question. Still, Campbell's Zack Baun-type potential is too good for the Ravens to pass up here.

Georgia

Injury, inconsistency, questionable edge-rush upside and a mediocre Pro Day conspire to drop Mykel Williams into the waiting arms of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell. I like Williams' potential fit as an edge-setting, 7 or 8-sack bookend to Aidan Hutchinson.

Georgia

The WAS defense had a measly seven INTs last season. I like Quan Martin, but he's more of a jack-of-all-trades than the Earl Thomas/Malik Hooker-type ball-hawking centerfielder needed to make Dan Quinn's system click. Malaki Starks could be that guy.

Ohio State

James Cook wants to be paid like a franchise RB. The same James Cook that was M.I.A. during the 4th quarter of the AFC Championship because he's unreliable on passing downs. I say happy trails to Cook. Trade him to the Raiders and draft TreVeyon Henderson.

Josh Allen and Henderson together in the backfield would be the most dangerous pick-your-poison rushing attack this side of Baltimore. A level-up move for a team on the doorstep of the Super Bowl.

Ohio State

You watched the Super Bowl, so no reason to bore you with reasons why the Chiefs are selecting an OT here.

The nifty little acquisition of Jaylon Moore is decent LT spackling, but his success in SF came in a small sample size. It's much more likely that KC acquired a deluxe swing tackle than the long-term protector of Mahomes' blindside. The Chiefs go boom-or-bust with Josh Simmons.

North Carolina

TRADE! MIN gets 2.41 and 3.72, CHI gets 1.32 and 3.97

MIN trades down again. They have now turned picks 1.24 and 3.97 into 2.41, 2.67 and 3.72.

D'Andre Swift ranked 47th out of 47 qualifying RBs in rushing yards over expected per attempt last season. That's not going to work for Ben Johnson.

Armed with two high-2nd round picks and fearing Omarion Hampton won't slip past the Browns at 2.33, Ryan Poles trades up to grab the workhorse, north/south runner. Hampton is ideally suited for the late-season NFC North grind.