Alabama

Indianapolis trades up from pick #4 to grab a starting QB. Trading up three spots wouldn’t cost a whole lot in other parts of the draft, but Indianapolis will overpay a bit to secure the top pick. Jim Irsay seems incredibly on-edge lately, and probably wants some stability for his franchise. He did make an informed decision by not bringing back Jeff Saturday as HC. Bryce Young and Jonathan Taylor would prove to be a potent 1-2 punch on a budding Colts offense. If the Bears stay here, they’ll pick Will Anderson.

Georgia

Chicago does not need a new QB right now. I surmise that the recent QB rumors are smoke. They need pieces to build around Justin Fields. Jalen Carter is the next elite defensive player to come off the board. This pick gets them a defensive lineman that can start right away, and extra picks from trading down with the Colts. Personally, I would trade out of this pick again as the Bears. There is more value to be had for their specific roster needs elsewhere in the first round. Generally, I would not draft a DT in the top five picks unless I knew that they were Aaron Donald.

Ohio State

Houston ownership must want to castrate Lovie Smith. They pulled a Jets and lost the top pick after a meaningless late-season win. They’ll land Stroud here, a pocket QB who has not been fully unleashed by his college coaches. Stroud is not as mobile as Bryce Young, but has a bigger frame that can absorb hits better than Young can. If the Bears stay at the #1 pick, the Texans will select Bryce Young here.

Alabama

Will Anderson falls into the lap of the Arizona Cardinals. I really don’t think this pick will win them a Super Bowl anytime soon. This is because Kyler Murray is such a waste of cap space. He is a terrible leader with a small frame, and will be oft-injured. Anyways, Will Anderson is a beast. He has 48 tackles for loss over the past two seasons, including 31 in his 2021 season alone. That is an insane and transferable statistic. Dark horse pick here is Bijan Robinson, or the Cardinals could trade out for more picks.

Texas Tech

Tyree Wilson is a physical freak of nature. He is 6’6”, 275 lbs, and has giant reach. He had 61 tackles last season as defensive lineman - not too shabby. This pick stacks to the young crop of Seattle defensemen like Jordyn Brooks and Tariq Woolen. The Seahawks should tag Geno Smith this year; he is not worth a long contract, but the team has cap space to pay him well this and maybe next season.

Texas

The Lions subjectively reach for Bijan Robinson; best running back prospect in a very long time. I do not think it is a reach to grab a highly valued skill player in the top 10 picks. You can say running backs are short-lived, but wouldn’t you pick someone like Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, or Jonathan Taylor with a top-10 pick? As a result, the Lions will trade Swift and re-sign Jamaal WIlliams. They’ll stick with Goff for the time being and the young, but talented, receiver and offensive line groups. The Lions could get a decent haul if they trade with someone like Tennessee, who needs a QB, for pick #6.

Kentucky

Tom Brady is not coming back. If the Raiders opt for a veteran like Rodgers or Garoppolo, this pick could be Peter Skoronski at left tackle - or Las Vegas could trade out. If not, the Raiders need a new QB. Derek Carr is not great and is not that mentally strong. This pick gives them a new quarterback. McDaniels has proven to work well with young quarterbacks. His ego contends with the egos of veterans at times. A fresh QB could help McDaniels’ tenure in Las Vegas, and keep him locked into coaching for a couple more years. My gut says that McDaniels will opt for a vet QB, so the Raiders could select Skoronski or trade out of here as well.

Clemson

The Falcons will wait another year to draft a QB, after missing out on the first crop in this draft. I do not think Anthony Richardson will be picked here. The Falcons need a bit of everything, and get the best player available to them. On this offense, you could plug in a veteran QB like Garropolo. It’s not worth taking a risk on Ridder right now - that division in WIDE open. Then you’d have a decent offensive line led by Chris Lindstrom, Kyle Pitts at tight end, Drake London at receiver, and a couple decent backs.

Florida

I’m having a tough time with this mocked pick. Anthony Richardson is supposedly similar to Cam Newton, a former Panther, at the play caller position. His accuracy, especially under pressure, is very bad. If Carolina opts for a QB with this pick, they’re betting on Frank Reich to coach him up. I think that Richardson smells like a bust, but what else can the Panthers do? Play Sam Darnold? Trade for or sign a veteran? Trade for Zach Wilson?? This pick could also be Myles Murphy if he’s still on the board.

Illinois

This kid is legit. He had 14 pass deflections, allowed 206 yards on 22 receptions, quarterbacks had a 24.6 rating when targeting him, and he runs a sub-4.40 40 yard dash. The Illinois cornerback unit allowed eight touchdowns (tied fewest), had 22 interceptions (most), a 49.5% completion rate (first), and 5.4 yards per pass attempt (fewest). The entire defense ran man coverage on roughly 75% of their snaps, by far the highest rate in the nation. The result was 12.3 points (first) and 263.8 yards (second) allowed per game. This points back to their stud CB Witherspoon. The reigning NFC champs get a free Top 10 pick from the floundering New Orleans franchise. If Bijan is still available here, the Eagles will poach him and create an unstoppable offense.

Northwestern

The Titans need a new tackle if they want to win in the next few years. Taylor Lewan hurt his knee, is in his 30s, and has a big cap hit - and will possibly be a casualty next year. Skoronski gives the Titans the best offensive lineman prospect in the draft. He only let up one sack last season, but has undersized arms for a tackle. Either way, he should be a decent starter for Tennessee, who is also in need of a QB. If the Raiders don’t select Levis, I could see the Titans trading up to grab him.

TCU

A blunder by the Cleveland front office enables Houston to select the supposed best receiver in the draft to develop with their new quarterback. Quentin Johnston looks to be the most NFL-ready receiver in this class, with good size and skill. The Texans need new management. I like Caserio there, but geriatric ownership isn’t the best in today’s fast paced business environment.

Ohio State

Like Quinnen Williams said, the Jets need offense. Here, we’ll go with an offensive tackle to attempt to protect whoever is playing QB for the Jets next season. I think Aaron Rodgers has a good chance to land here, it’s out of the NFC and has a team that’s ready to roll if it can get some leadership and experience.

Alabama

My Patriots are hurting. Wallowing in lower-mediocrity for the past three seasons after our beloved Tommy left us. The Patriots need a skill player (WR) and another tackle if they are to develop Mac any further, but the value is not here at pick #14. I don’t think Mac is truly the answer, but could definitely get us to the playoffs. I love Brian Branch’s stats and think he’d be a great Patriot to take over for Devin McCourty. He missed four tackles during his entire college career! If the Patriots do trade back, they could select Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State or an offensive tackle. I feel like they’ll wait until Day 2 to grab an offensive lineman.

Alabama

It’s unlikely that Aaron Rodgers will be back. Unless he and Packers management have an intimate psychedelic trip together, Rodgers will finish out his career elsewhere. Either way, the Packers will need someone to help block for Jordan Love if they want to still compete. Honestly though, the Packers should blow it up. I know it’s hard to hear as a historic winning franchise, but Green Bay is headed to the gutters for a few seasons. They’ll get Alabama’s starting left tackle to start across from Bakhtiari, possibly taking the left tackle spot in the future.

Oregon

The Commies are in desperate need of some secondary talent. They miss out on Witherspoon and Branch, but get the speedy product out of Oregon. Bezos may be a better business manager than Snyder, but I doubt he knows much about football at the highest level. He can pay all the money he wants to coaches and staff, but will never be a great owner that pours his soul into the franchise like Bob Kraft. Therefore, I believe that the Commanders will still be mid for a while. They also need a new coach, Rivera is a bit too outdated for the modern game and its players - but could still be a great coordinator.