Final Mock, Version 5.0

This had already been my pick in my previous mock, but I feel even more emboldened now. When Schrager mocked Proctor here, Jeremiah noted that he was told that Proctor will not get past the Lions with this pick. The big man is what the Lions love in their tackles, big masses of powerful humanity, ha. And this one is agile, too.

This is the chalk pick, at this point, but if Harrison Smith is retiring, well, yeah, here's another highly-athletic white safety to replace him. I know, I know. Boring.

A pass-catcher is very much in play here, especially if Sadiq is available. But with Sadiq gone and with Cooper also gone, the team would have to love Concepcion to take him in this spot. And hey, maybe they do. But I could see Freeling as a player difficult to pass on. His O/U is 19.5, with juice to the under. In addition, not only is LT Ikem Ekwonu recovering from a serious patellar injury, but his 5th year option would be next year, and the team may not pick that up. Yes, Rasheed Walker was signed, but I wouldn't consider him a long-term solution. Furthermore, RT Taylor Moton is in a contract year. Every indication is that the team is going to pay Bryce Young, so Moton may not be re-signed. This is all to say that Freeling would almost certainly start at a tackle spot in 2027 and beyond.

TRADE! (See #6 for original details.)

This will actually be the Browns' second of three 1st rounders after the deal with Dallas. Although there's the report that McCoy's knee might be an issue, I could see the team having interest in him at this spot because of the positional value of a potential top CB. I will also note that I could see the team trading Denzel Ward if it goes into total teardown mode, thus creating a need for another starter along with Tyson Campbell.

There was already a gaping hole at LG heading into the draft, and now it's been reported that LT Broderick Jones has a neck issue that could hamper or even ruin the prospect of his playing in 2026. So now the OL need is particularly dire, and when I think of the next group of tackles (likely Miller, Lomu, and Iheanaschor in some order), Miller has the most length and is the most experienced. The win-now Steelers may appreciate that, and Miller is much more of a bet to go in the 1st Round, according to the odds, than the other two are. If Miller were the pick, I could see the team keeping him at RT and switching Troy Fautanu back over to LT, where he played in college.

Lomu would offer two things: an upgrade on Trevor Penning at a guard spot, and tackle insurance if something happens again to Slater or Alt. The team has met with him on a Top 30 as well.

If a receiver were to be the pick, I feel like a bigger receiver would be more likely to essentially replace AJ Brown. Denzel Boston could be a possibility for sure, but the team didn't meet with him. In addition, after the trade for Dontayvion Wicks, the team does have a bigger perimeter receiver in the fold for this year, at least. Instead, how about the next uber-athletic Eagles OT? The team did meet with him on a Top 30, and I could see Howie Roseman going for his upside over someone like Blake Miller. This would also be a run on tackles, three of them in a row.

Here's where the Browns could be likely to add a WR, and it could come down to Concepcion or Boston. While Concepcion is a little higher in consensus rankings and for 1st Round odds (-450 compared to -250 for Boston), I'm swayed to go in Boston's direction. This is because Todd Monken has specifically stated that he favors bigger, more physical receivers.

McNeil-Warren gets back into the 1st Round of my mock here, as Chicago still has a need at safety. This is another one that's probably the most commonly-mocked pick in terms of a player-team fit, like Thieneman and the Vikings.

Nick Guarisco makes the smart point that, although the team's run defense was terrible, Jim Leonhard loves to flood the field with pass rushers as often as he can. As such, I could see another edge player here, so the productive Mesidor, though he's older, lands with a serious AFC contender.

If Lawrence is there in this spot, to me he would fit what John Lynch looks for in his DL's. Lawrence has the length he covets, and with a higher RAS than usual. Edge rushing depth might be the biggest need among a slew of them for this team.

There are very little holes on this roster, but if the top 9 OL's are all gone, as has happened in this mock, perhaps the team just pivots to a player who is the best run-stuffer in the draft.

Hood or Johnson would make sense here if KC is looking at corners.

Many analysts comp Concepcion to Jaylen Waddle, even if he isn't quite as blazing fast with the 40 time. With the gaping hole on the roster at the position, this would make sense if Concepcion is available.

Faulk is still listed at -650 to be a 1st Round pick, and the team could use some extra depth there after losing Chiasson in free agency.

With CB the biggest need, Johnson's experience and incredible RAS (highest among CB's this year and 57th-best since the late 1980's) could make him the pick.