- Carolina Panther: Bryce Young QB Alabama – This pick was relatively easy. After trading with Chicago and moving up from 9, the Panthers chose their franchise guy. The early conversations looked like CJ Stroud was a lock to go 1, but the Panthers recently fell in love with Young. Size is a concern, but the Panthers see a QB who has the intangibles to be a star in the NFL.
- Houston Texans: Will Levis QB Kentucky – The Texans recently fell in love with Levis and they got him with their first first-round pick. With Ryans in his first year as Houston’s head coach, he will be able to work magic with Levis. He will have the best rookie year out of all the QB’s and his arm talent combined with his mobility will make him the best QB in this draft.
- TRADE: Las Vegas Raiders: Anthony Richardson QB Florida – Vegas trades up from 7 to grab a guy they believe fits their team very well. Yes they signed Jimmy Garoppolo, but the Raider sees something special in Richardson that can help them compete for the west in the coming years. Garoppolo still starts this year but after a year “shadowing” him, Richardson will take the throne.
- Indianapolis Colts: CJ Stroud QB Ohio State – Stroud is the perfect QB for the Colts. His great pocket awareness and deep ball should fit well here and first year head coach Shane Steichen looks to get the center of his team straight away. The Colts missed an average QB last year and with this pick they can look to make a big jump from last year’s 4-12-1.
- Seattle Seahawks: Will Anderson Jr EDGE Alabama – After the first four picks are all Quarterbacks, the Seahawks get the best edge rusher in the draft and bolster up that defensive line. Pete Carrol is very good at coaching young players and will be able to bring the best out of Anderson Jr. After a great year last year, Seattle will be looking to replicate that and this pick will certainly help them out.
- Detroit Lions: Tyree Wilson EDGE Texas Tech – After signing a lot of secondary players in free agency, the defensive line is one of Detroit’s weaknesses. There has been a lot of buzz in Allen Park that the Lions are “in love” with Wilson and rightfully so. He had a great year at Texas Tech and has been flying up draft boards. Pairing Wilson with Hutchinson will create a deadly duo of young edge rushers that can help Detroit improve for years to come.
- TRADE: Arizona Cardinals: Christian Gonzalez CB Oregon – After losing Byron Murphy in free agency and Budda Baker requesting a trade, the Cardinals can use all the secondary help they can get. First year head coach Jonathan Gannon will jump at the idea of grabbing a corner and will try to make him a key part of their rebuild.
- Atlanta Falcons: Lukas Van Ness EDGE Iowa – The Falcons acquired a lot of defensive players in the offseason signing Calais Campbell, Jessie Bates III, and Jeff Okudah, so why not add even more. Van Ness can be dominant off the edge and can help this Falcons defense become one of the best in the league. This definitely may seem like a bit of a reach but Atlanta sees something in him that can be a key part in their defense.
- Chicago Bears: Peter Skoronski T Northwestern – After trading back with Carolina and acquiring WR DJ Moore, Chicago will continue to help out Justin Fields giving him the best tackle in the draft. This will be a big year for Fields so Chicago will do everything they can to protect their franchise guy. Skoronski can be moved around between guard and tackle which will give OC Luke Getsy the freedom to put him where he will fit best on the team.
- Philadelphia Eagles: Bjian Robinson RB Texas – Philly lost Miles Sanders in free agency and though they signed Rashaad Penny, they would like to get their RB1. Bjian comes into the NFL as a top 10 running back being compared to players like Saquon Barkley. He will provide this offense with a big boost and will be able to have a great rookie season behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
- Tennessee Titans: Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR Ohio State – Tennessee needs a lot of help on offense and getting a receiver like Njigba will be huge for QB Ryan Tannehill. He can be a very shifty route runner and after going receiver last year in the first round, Tennessee will double down and do it again. Tennessee gets their WR1 and now they are back to competing for the South.
- Houston Texans: Jalen Carter DT Georgia – After walking away with CJ Stroud at number 2, Houston couldn’t be happier landing one of the best defensive players in this draft. Carter does have some character concerns but I’m confident that the Texans will look past that and be able to fix his issues. Ryans coached the best defense last year so his coaching will be a huge part of the success Carter can have in this league.
- TRADE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Hendon Hooker QB Tennessee – The Packers aren’t in love with anyone here so they trade with Tampa who looks to grab their starting QB. With the retirement of Brady, the Bucs are left with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. The Bucs aren’t a team who is in a total rebuild, but they are missing their QB. Hooker will step in as the immediate starter for a team who has got some great players on offense in a weak NFC South.
- New England Patriots: Devon Witherspoon CB Illinois – The Patriots see that Witherspoon is still available and decide to go BPA. Witherspoon has some concerns, especially playing in a run heavy Big 10, but he will have great coaching that will turn him into the Patriots eventual CB1. Belichick didn’t do a lot to this defense in free agency so drafting Witherspoon will help them to stay as one of the better defenses in the league.
- New York Jets: Paris Johnson Jr. T Ohio State – The Jets walk away with one of the best tackles and will have a great o-line behind Aaron Rodgers. Sauce was a home run pick last year and the Jets believe they’ve done it again with Johnson. He was dominant on the o-line at Ohio State and playing on a great o-line like the Jets will certainly help him transition to the NFL smoothly.
- Washington Commanders: Darnell Wright T Tennessee – Washington is going into next season with Sam Howell as their starting QB and after drafting receiver help in Jahan Dotson last year, they will draft a tackle to help protect Howell. Washington wants to see what they have in Howell and Wright can be a key part on this offensive line, giving Howell all he needs to succeed.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Joey Porter Jr. CB Penn State – The Steelers lost Cam Sutton to the Lions in free agency so they will look for his replacement in Porter. With Pickett going into his second year, Pittsburgh will look to be competitive and Porter is a player who I think can be coached into one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He will already be playing on a tip tier defense and he will only improve it even more.
- Detroit Lions: Calijah Kancey DT Pitt – After going edge at pick 6, Detroit will continue to bolster up that defensive line drafting DT Calijah Kancey. After having a great combine and pro day, Kancey has been jumping up many draft boards with some even saying Detroit should grab him at 6. He has the mindset to work hard and can be one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.
- TRADE: Green Bay Packers: Zay Flowers WR Boston College – With Jordan Love starting, the Packers will look to draft a star receiver to pair with Christian Watson. There still is a lot unknown about Jordan Love but Flowers will be a good threat for this Packers offense to have to help Love out.
- Seattle Seahawks: Nolan Smith EDGE Georgia – After taking Will Anderson Jr. at 5, the Seahawks will double down and take another edge in Nolan Smith trying to turn a weakness into a strength. Smith played for one of the best defenses in college football history alongside many NFL players. Paring Smith and Anderson together can turn Seattle’s defensive line into a true strength and I think both will be able to learn and succeed from one another.
- Los Angeles Chargers: Jordan Addison WR USC – With an aging Keenan Allen, the Chargers look to draft his replacement in Jordan Addison. Addison can help stretch the field for Herbert and can likely merge into the WR1 role when Addison. With Mond as the new Chargers OC, we should see a different offense that runs very smoothly, especially in a highly competitive AFC West.
- Baltimore Ravens: Myles Murphy EDGE Clemson – After releasing Calais Campbell, the Ravens get a very talented edge rusher in Myles Murphy. He slides a bit to Baltimore but he will be able to develop into a very good edge rusher. The Ravens had one of the best defenses last year and with nothing 100% with Lamar, they picked to add to the defense.
- Minnesota Vikings: Deonte Banks CB Maryland – Minnesota’s defense looked awful last year so this pick was a no brainer. Banks was a solid corner at Maryland and will now go to play with newly acquired CB Byron Murphy. If the Vikings want to win the division again, they will need to fix their defense and drafting Banks is a step in the right direction.
- TRADE: Detroit Lions: Emmanuel Forbes CB Mississippi State – The Lions trade back into the first round to draft a corner they believe can be groomed behind their current cornerback room. The Lions signed both Emmanuel Moseley and CJ Garder-Johnson to 1-year deals so they take Forbes to be one of their replacements if they don’t re-sign them. After going defense 3 times in the first round, this team became a contender-level team.
- New York Giants: Brian Branch S Alabama – The Giants get the best safety in the draft here and this helps their defense reach the next level. After making the playoffs and beating the Vikings, the Giants will look to reach the postseason yet again and adding Branch can be a key reason they do. The safety position is overlooked a lot so when Branch falls to 25, the Giants can’t pass up.
- TRADE: Kansas City Chiefs: Quintin Johnston WR TCU – After losing Juju Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, KC sees Johnston fall and pounce on the opportunity to get Mahomes a new WR1. Johnston can stretch the field very well and will provide Mahomes great help. Over the past week there have been rumors teams do not like Johnston and that he could potentially slide to the second round, but with coaching from Andy Reid and Matt Naggy, Johnston will become a wide receiver worth a first round pick.
- Buffalo Bills: Jahmyr Gibbs HB Alabama – The Bill will grab their RB1 here and will complete their offense. Getting a back like Gibbs who can not only run well but can also catch passes out of the backfield takes a lot of pressure off Josh Allen. The Bills have lacked a great running back for the past few years and many people have said that’s what’s holding them back so this move will push Buffalo’s offense to the top.
- Cincinnati Bengals: Dalton Kincaid TE Utah – With losing Hurst to the Panthers in free agency, the Bengals see this as an opportunity to get a replacement who could be ever better. Kincaid has emerged as the best pass catching tight end in the draft and giving Joe Burrow another weapon is never a bad idea. The Bengals will look to have a top offense again and taking the best tight end will certainly be a plus.
- New Orleans Saints: Bryan Bresee DT Clemson – The Saints are in a historically bad NFC South and getting Bresee can help them potentially win the division. Bresee can be a very versatile DT and the Saints defensive line gets a lot better with this pick. Olave had a great rookie year and hopefully Bresee will do the same
- Philadelphia Eagles: Broderick Jones T Georgia – With the loss of their RG Isaac Seumalo, the Eagles look to keep their offensive line great drafting his replacement. Jones falls all the way to 30 and the Eagles couldn’t be happier. After snagging their franchise running back at 10, the Eagles offense is now arguably better than last year.
- TRADE: Dallas Cowboys: O’Cyrus Torrence G Florida – Zack Martin is getting old so the Cowboys will build that o-line with his replacement ready. Torrence will start at LG this year and when Martin retires, he will become the RG and a staple to this o-line. Zack Martin an All Pro guard and I think Torrence can follow up very well and provide the o-line with a key building block.
