Pre-Super Bowl Mock Draft

Faulk feels a little like Mykel Williams from the 2025 Draft class. Great size, should hold their own against the run right away, young for the class, strong potential and not yet finished products. Given that he is a strong run defender, he feels like someone who could fit what the Lions may want in a D-End. This was a tight call for me between Faulk and Caleb Lomu, the Utah offensive tackle given the need for a possible Taylor Decker replacement in the immediate or very near future.

Senior Bowl standout Caleb Banks cracks the top 20 after he was unblockable down in Mobile. He flashed the skill set there that he showed in 2024 before missing most of the 2025 season.

Bills get: Pick 19
Panthers get: Picks 26, 91 (R3), 166 (R5) and a 2027 4th round pick

Much of the 2025 draft for the Bills was focused on improving defensively. Josh Allen lacked reliable receivers to throw to this past season, so here they move up for Denzel Boston. Perhaps he could be the reliable bigger target at receiver they were hoping Keon Coleman would be when they drafted him a couple of years ago.

If not for a torn ACL, Jermod McCoy would likely not be on the board at this point of this mock. In the real draft, he could still certainly go higher than this. Obviously a lot will depend on how teams feel about how his recovery process is going. Dallas is a team that could certainly use his skill set on the outside. If the medicals check out, I imagine they'll take a long look at him with their picks.

Pittsburgh obviously needs a long-term answer at QB. If they could have a redo, perhaps they'd draft Jaxson Dart a year ago. Ty Simpson started out the season well at Alabama, but he faltered down the stretch, and like many, I'm not really sure what to do with him in terms of placing him in a mock draft. I'm keeping him in Round 1 just because it's a weak QB class after Mendoza and having that fifth year option is nice, but it wouldn't be a total shocker to me if he fell to the second round given how poorly his season ended.

Browns get: Pick 22
Chargers get: Picks 24 and 139 (R5 via Raiders)

Cleveland wants 'their guy' at offensive tackle, so they jump ahead of the Eagles to get him. He's a bit like teammate Spencer Fano in that he's not the biggest guy in the world, but is an excellent athlete for the position.

Proctor is a mountain of a man at 6'7" and over 360 pounds. The idea here is O-Line coach Jeff Stoutland working his magic with him and turning him into the successor for Lane Johnson at right tackle. But if for some reason that doesn't work out, it's certainly possible the big man could find a home inside at guard.

When Jim Harbaugh can beef up those trenches, you know he's very likely to do so. Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon could get a look here as well given the major need at the position, but Kayden McDonald would add another great run stuffer on the D-Line to team up with 2025 3rd round pick Jamaree Caldwell as long as Michigan man Harbaugh doesn't mind drafting an Ohio State guy in the first round. EDGE rusher would also garner serious consideration if the Chargers go defense here.

Reading around online, I notice there are some people who feel like Peter Woods is a guy who should be long gone before this selection while others don't think he should go in the first round. So yeah, I don't really know what to do with him. That said, the Bears could use help on the interior of their offensive line, and this is a happy medium between the supporters and detractors of this player.

Miami's 'other' EDGE rusher, Akheem Mesidor, is a very talented prospect in his own right who feels like he's square in that late Round 1/early Round 2 draft range. Even with drafting Nic Scourton and Princeley Umanmielen (sorry if I misspelled it) on Day 2 last year, adding more pass rushing help should be on the agenda for the Panthers at some point.

Although they lost by five touchdowns in the divisional round, being one win away from the #1 overall seed in the NFC and winning a playoff game showed just how gritty the 49ers were in 2025 given all the injuries they suffered. San Francisco has seen some talented receivers walk out the door, and it sounds like another one (Brandon Aiyuk) won't play for the team again. Plus, Ricky Pearsall hasn't lived up to the first round billing yet. With all that in mind, this feels like an excellent spot for Concepcion. Have Kyle Shannahan scheme this guy some looks and watch out!

An offensive line winner at the Senior Bowl, Max Iheanschor could be a sight for sore eyes for embattled QB C.J. Stroud, who would undoubtedly love some better protection up front.

Corner is a position the Rams could definitely consider addressing at the 13th pick, so a guy like Colton Hood at this point in the draft makes sense if they go another direction at 13 and he's still available. Hood at a strong week at the Senior Bowl, which helped solidify his draft stock.

Cardinals get: Picks 30 and 130 (R4)
Broncos get: Picks 34 (R2), 104 (R4) and 181 (R6)

Hunter was another big winner at the Senior Bowl. I like pairing him with Walter Nolen on the interior for Arizona, so I had them move up four spots with the Broncos to make that happen. Similar to the Chargers, the Cardinals could also look for an EDGE rusher early.

Howell is a guy I could've easily mocked earlier than this, and he could certainly go higher come April, but teams that had EDGE rushing needs before this spot went in different directions. So he lands here in New England with the Patriots, who add some pass rush juice to an already strong defense.

Josh Jobe, Riq Woolen and Coby Bryant are all members of the Seahawks secondary set to hit free agency in March. Perhaps they'll bring back one or two of those guys, but I doubt all three are back. The younger brother of Falcons corner A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell should be ready to play a sizable role in a team's secondary early in his career. Like Cashius Howell, he could certainly go higher, but I wasn't able to find a spot for him earlier in this mock draft.