1. Chicago Bears – Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
The sportsbooks would indicate Caleb Williams is nearly a 90% guarantee to go first overall, but I would not be shocked if Maye becomes a late riser following the combine and as questions about Williams’ character start getting carelessly thrown around.
Wiggy proposes a way for Patriots to get Justin Jefferson
2. Washington Commanders – Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Josh Harris and the new Commanders ownership group are licking their chops that Williams is available to them at two as they hit the reset button on the organization.
3. New England Patriots – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Eliot Wolf has been tossing smoke grenades into the mix to bait teams into believing the Patriots may actually consider a player other than the reigning Heisman winner. Do not be fooled by the common draft rumor mongering. The Patriots need a new face of their organization and Daniels brings an athleticism to the position the likes of which the Patriots have never had before.
4. Arizona Cardinals – Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
The Cards committed to Kyler Murray and want to do everything they can to see him succeed. Why not bring in arguably the most talented player in the entire draft?
5. Los Angeles Chargers – Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
The popular pick here is a receiver for the new-look Jim Harbaugh Chargers, but in his four years with the 49ers he selected a defensive player in the first round three out of four drafts. Harbaugh sees that the Chargers allowed the third most passing yards per game and wants to fix that immediately, so his offensive robot Justin Herbert can finally start winning games without scoring 30 points.
6. New York Giants – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
This position screams “TRADE DOWN” for the Giants, but if they stay put, they need a legitimate number one talent at receiver, and in my humble opinion Rome Odunze may end up having a better career than Marvin Harrison Jr.
7. Tennessee Titans – Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
New head coach Brian Callahan is the son of long-time offensive line coach Bill Callahan and understands the importance of building in the trenches. Some prefer Fashanu, but for me, Alt is the best all-around tackle in the draft and could end up with a Joe Thomas-esque career.
8. Atlanta Falcons – Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Simply for the memes, I wanted to select Malik Nabers here so that the Atlanta offense could have yet another first-round pick they choose not to get the ball to, but with Arthur Smith off to the Steel City, cooler heads prevail and the number one need on the roster is addressed.
9. Chicago Bears – Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
Somehow, some way, Nabers is still here at nine, and the Bears will dance the way up to the stage to submit this pick. Pairing Maye with DJ Moore and an explosive monster like Nabers is the perfect starting point for the new beginning in Chicago. If only they gave Justin Fields this kind of help.
10. New York Jets – Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
The Jets are hoping and praying Fashanu or Alt make it to 10 so they can beef up the offensive line and welcome back Aaron Rodgers next season for more than four plays.
11. Minnesota Vikings – Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
Chances are, Danielle Hunter will depart in free agency, and this is the perfect opportunity for the Vikings to bring in a young, powerful edge player that will help bolster the Brian Flores-led defensive unit.
12. Denver Broncos – Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Sean Payton hates Russell Wilson. I wouldn’t be shocked if they trade Wilson heading into the draft. With that thought in mind, it will be a cold day in hell before Payton passes this team to Jarrett Stidham, full well knowing he needs to be a playoff team within the next year or two in order to keep his job.
13. Las Vegas Raiders – Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Fuaga had an excellent week at the Senior Bowl and would fit perfectly into the new era attitude that Antonio Pierce is bringing to the Raiders. Six-foot-six and vicious is exactly the combination you want of your new franchise right tackle, and paired with Kolton Miller on the left, the Raiders line quickly rises to one of the nastiest in football.
14. New Orleans Saints – Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
At this point, it’s best available player for the Saints as they watched Bowers slide all the way to 14. Derek Carr is going to need help if they expect him to win the division next season, and with Michael Thomas likely out, Bowers can become the perfect complement to Chirs Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
15. Indianapolis Colts – Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
The Colts secondary was held together by duct tape and paper clips last season, but adding Wiggins starts to give some legitimacy to that defensive backs unit. I toyed with the idea of grabbing a receiver here, but ultimately, I expect Indy to find some way to keep Michael Pittman in the building to play alongside Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, and Josh Downs.
16. Seattle Seahawks – Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
After the Senior Bowl, people have been RAVING about Powers-Johnson and it just so happens he is exactly what the Seahawks need to fill out their offensive roster. It may be a reach at 16, but when you identify a guy who has All-Pro potential at a position you desperately need, just make the pick and don’t think twice about it.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Calvin Ridley will likely be headed to free agency and the Jags will need to get some help for Trevor Lawrence if they hope to return to the playoffs after missing out in 2023. Thomas serves as an electric downfield threat that could open up the field for Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, and Travis Etienne.
18. Cincinnati Bengals – JC Latham, OT, Alabama
Joe Burrow is, without question, the most important piece of the Bengals’ future. People have started to question his durability and it is imperative that Cincy do everything they can to protect their franchise quarterback.
19. Los Angeles Rams – Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
The Rams secondary room needs some love and McKinstry can bring some length and physicality to the unit. With former defensive coordinator Raheem Morris off to Atlanta, it will fall on Les Snead and Sean McVay to get more defensive talent into the building if they want to challenge the 49ers for the NFC West.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers – Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
After trading up to grab Broderick Jones in last year’s draft, it only makes sense that they would love to reunite the Bulldog teammates. Mims has insane size (6-foot-7, 340 pounds) and elite traits, but will be raw and need some time to get acclimated to NFL speed.
21. Miami Dolphins – Troy Fautanu, OG, Washington
With Austin Jackson and Terron Armstead at the tackles, beefing up the interior of the offensive line should be a priority for the Dolphins to protect Tua Tagovailoa and make their top tier rushing attack even more ferocious.
22. Philadelphia Eagles – Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Arguably the biggest riser following the senior bowl, Mitchell will help bolster an aging secondary for the Eagles that was flat-out awful in the second half of the season.
23. Houston Texans – Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Jonathan Greenard is set to hit free agency and get paid a hefty sum, so bringing in an explosive monster like Robinson to play opposite the reliable Will Anderson will set up the DeMeco Ryans defense for at least the next four seasons.
24. Dallas Cowboys – Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
Tyron Smith is approaching 34 years old and entering free agency, which may force Jerry Jones into drafting a talented, athletic offensive lineman. Luckily for the Cowboys, one of their biggest successes over the last decade is identifying talent in the trenches and maintaining one of the best offensive lines in football.
25. Green Bay Packers – Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
The Packers need secondary help and DeJean is the most versatile corner in the draft. The Iowa product has high-end athleticism with great anticipation that could help solidify the defense under new coordinator Jeff Hafley.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
As the future of Mike Evans is up in the air and Chris Godwin enters the final year of his deal, the Bucs need to start preparing the next wave of receivers, and that begins with Coleman. The 6-foot-4 receiver brings great length and ridiculous plays to the table that would be a massive asset to Baker Mayfield or whoever it is that takes over under center for Tampa.
27. Arizona Cardinals – Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
After grabbing Maserati Marv, the Cardinals need to address the other side of the ball and at this point most of the top-tier corners are off the board. I would expect they try to trade up for Cooper DeJean or Quinyon Mitchell, but if they stay put and find themselves with Lassiter, they gain an explosive corner that has great upside in the Jonathan Gannon defense.
28. Buffalo Bills – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Josh Allen needs help. Desperately. Mitchell brings smooth route running and an exceptional ability to make plays, which makes him the perfect replacement for the fading Stefon Diggs.
29. Detroit Lions – Ennis Rakestraw Jr., CB, Missouri
Rakestraw’s toughness at corner is perfect for the Dan Campbell mentality and would help ease the load on Cam Sutton, who should not be the number one cornerback on a football team.
30. Baltimore Ravens – Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
The Ravens defense was the best unit in all of football in 2023, but losing Justin Madubuike could be detrimental UNLESS they just so happen to stumble into the most technically gifted EDGE player in the draft that is going to fall due to a slew of past medical issues. Latu is a big risk that could pay off substantially.
31. Kansas City Chiefs – Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
The future of Chris Jones is in question, especially after his holdout at the beginning of the 2023 season. Newton could slide right into the Jones role and may not be able to fully replace the two-time All-Pro right away, but will do a darn good job as he grows and learns under Steve Spagnuolo.
32. San Francisco 49ers – T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State
On the run to Super Bowl LVIII, the 49ers have made it apparent that they need help on the defensive side of the football. They have already invested so much in the defensive line that secondary is the perfect position to address in order to get this defense back to being the dominant unit it had been in previous years.