2024 SimNFL Mock Draft

[kgreene829]

I thought with the draft around the corner it would be fun to do a little mock draft to get ready and help evaluate the prospects. I have brought in Krich Eisen to do a mock draft so let's get right into it. (I didn't want to talk about the same QBs because I feel like so much discussion will be had about them. I am going to only mock QBs that are less than an A- overall that I like because its my media and if I want to hype up 2nd round or later QBs then I can so keep in mind when a team takes a QB that means I think they will take a QB but the QB they take will obviously be a better one. Also since in other mock drafts they were more focused on bringing in the best players to help a team's worst positions I tried to make a conscious effort to give younger players the benefit of the doubt and not have teams take players that play the same position as another player that was just drafted.)

This first pick was mocked and written up by sports media personality Kgreene Cowturd

 

1-NYJ: QB Andrew Solano, TCU

With the 1st pick in the 2024 SimNFL Draft the New York Jets need to go QB they traded up and it's the only move that makes sense. Now some of my colleagues foolishly think that UCLA QB Hiram Maronde is the obvious choice he has the accuracy and is mobile all the new age guys love mobile QBs and you keep saying oh Cowturd Cowturd look at Miguel Aguilera with the Chargers, look at Gary Freitag with the Patriots and while they have shown their flashes along with Aaron Poole of the Eagles and Robert Morris of the Steelers we here on the Turd like to look at results and not get caught up in flashy stats and when you look at results 3 of those 4 teams finished .500 or worse with 2 finishing 3rd in their division and another finishing last. The Steelers were the only team to start a scrambling guy and find success but where did that get them a 4 point loss in the conference championship game where he put up 198 yards 0 TDs and an interception and oh BY THE WAY what did he do with those precious legs of his 10 yards on 8 attempts and a pity TD. I don't know about you guys but when it matters most I expect my QB to put up more points than Jose Gomezrodriguez but maybe that's just me. I am sure Maronde is a great guy, but he's a loser. He got to the CFB semifinals twice and got outplayed twice, these are just the facts, the moment was too big, the lights were too bright, he let his team down, he doesn't have what it takes.  So I am going to say it I think Maronde will be a bust but hey, at least it will be fun to watch him run around for 1 or 2 years before people start go "wait a minute, this guy isn't what we thought he would be'' and I will be here with a smug look on my face telling you I saw the signs.

Now if Maronde is going to be a bust, who do I think is the right move, well let's look at some numbers 10th most yards last season 4th most TDs this is a guy who went to the National Championship game and what did he do oh just a casual 488 yards and 6 TDs. No big deal. Andrew Solano and TCU would lose that game by 1 point but he fought hard and showed everything you want to see in your franchise guy. This guy is one of the best pure passers we have seen in a long time. In the combine he had the 2nd best score in the distance drill and the 3rd best score in the accuracy drill. This guy is the guy that you take with the 1st pick in the draft and you say, that was a steal. He has 2 inches on Maronde which is a big deal, I don't want my QB to need a step stool to see over the O-line so he can read the defense. This is a man's game and a 5' 11'' child like Maronde can't compete at this next level.

 

2-MIA: ILB Kenny Daniel, Wake Forrest

Ok now let's get into the actual difficult picks, the 2nd pick is tricky Miami is not in a great spot and really needs a lot. Experts have been saying they should take Logan Lopez DT out of Houston. I like Lopez, he's a great player with great speed and agility, he's not the strongest but he is great at tackling and while better in the passing game he is one of the top players in this draft both in pass rush and run stopping. I think he would be a great pick for Miami and if that's who they end up going I think that's a good selection but I think other players would fit them more.

Miami needs some serious help in the secondary so they could go one of the top 3 CBs but with a good 1st option a solid young 2nd option I think addressing safety would be a better choice but with only 1 top safety in the class and with Garrett Smith being a SS which Miami has one of even though he's older I don't think thats the move either. To address a need now they could go O-line as that's another need for them but  I think they go ILB. Their top guy is 33 on an expiring deal and since they are far from competing they have no reason to resign him and despite trying to address the issue last year they still don't have a great option for the future. Drafting ILB Kenny Daniel would fix that he had the best run stop drill score in the entire combine, he has some great strength which he showed at the combine by being 1 of only 2 LBs who were able to bench 40+ reps, he is a great tackler and while not amazing in coverage he can hold his own posting the 11th best LB coverage drill score at the combine. Miami really can't go wrong with any of the options but when you have so many needs grabbing a guy that can help you improve in every way on defense is huge drafting Daniel helps you in the run game with his elite run stopping ability and in the pass game with his solid coverage ability or his good pass rush ability.

 

3-CAR: RB Clayton McGee, FSU

Now Carolina is pretty upset with that last pick because they could use some LB help but with him gone I think it's pretty clear what their move is you got your franchise QB in Dekoda Link and you have promising young players all over that offense but they can make a huge improvement in one of those positions by drafting a RB. Clayton McGee is the obvious choice, he's the top RB and a dynamic young offense gets even more dynamic by bringing in the runner up to the rushing title from last season. McGee is a bit slow and his hands aren’t the best compared to the other RBs in the class but other than that you're getting a player that is one of the best at everything you want out of a RB. On top of being an asset in the run game McGee was also a really good receiving option so on top of having a good run game to relieve pressure on their young QB Dekoda Link having another good option in the passing game will make things easier on Link while also opening things up for last years 1st round selections Don Scott and Marco Thompson by giving defenses another threat to worry about. Also I realize that the Panthers are currently trying to sign RB Joseph Cale which would change my opinion. The Jets currently have a significantly better offer than them and he is not on the team as of now.

 

4-NYG: DT Logan Lopez, Houston

With the 4th pick in the draft it only makes sense for the Giants to draft Logan Lopez they need a bit of everything so I have them going BPA here, Lopez is the top DT and with no DT's on their roster it's a big need for them. Grabbing Lopez would be huge for the Giants as it adds an elite presence to their D-line. I can also see them going with RB Richard Bianchi as he is a great RB it would actually give their pair of promising young OTs and pair of top OGs something other than Lamar Johnson worth blocking for and while I think drafting Bianchi makes the team better this year because the offense be much more complete than the defense would be with Lopez but I think starting the process of building up the defense is more important than making the offense function at an NFL level. Also I think with a solid offense they have a better chance of winning games than with 1 good defensive player so this helps them to acquire better players through the draft in future years. Also I should specify this isn't tanking and I am not saying that they should tank I think Lopez is the better player and the better choice but I do think that Bianchi would help them win more next season so while that should not be the only reason to pick Lopez over Bianchi it is another motivating factor.

 

5-CAR: SS Garrett Smith, Baylor

Now with the 5th pick in the draft the Carolina Panthers are up again. In other mock drafts the Panthers take Paul Canha and while I like the fit the Panthers drafted WR Marco Thompson last year with the 32nd overall pick and he looks to be promising combine that with Marco Thompson being the 4th best WR on the team even though Thompson is the only young guy I think it would be better for them to address a different position. Like I said before they really need to get some LBs but drafting a LB with this pick would be a reach and when I look at their roster it would be nice to replace a guy that's on an expiring contract I think it comes down to 3 players and the choice comes down to which position Carolina values more at this stage of their rebuild. Those 3 players are Garrett Smith a generational SS, Whit Wilson a great DE, or Paul Canha an amazing WR. All 3 players are good options and while I don't think you can go wrong with any of them I rule out Paul Canha because while they do have their top WR expiring this year the Panthers have a lot of cap space and I expect them to use it to keep a WR of his level. While Whit Wilson is a great player I think the same goes thing I said about Carolina resigning their top WR goes for them and their top DE and at the end of the day you can't pass up the chance to draft a generational talent at a position that you could lose this offseason. I also think pairing Garrett Smith with last year's 31st pick FS Zack Trawick is a great move having two great young safeties is huge and will ensure that teams think twice before throwing deep.

 

6-NO: CB Sam Voth, Illinois

Now while many analysts have DE Whit Wilson would be a great option for the New Orleans Saints at pick 6 I think that the best move for the Saints is to try to improve at a different position. While I can see why DE would be a need as their two starting DE’s are aging Wilson wouldn’t be better than either of them for at the very least 3 years and with the less appealing of the two on a 2 year contract it just doesn’t make sense to grab one in the 1st round when you can grab a great player that can make an impact for you on day 1. I think they should grab a CB, yes Arthur Medrano is a very good player but they don't have a great room behind him. The Saints get a great CB in Sam Voth to be CB2 instead of the young UDFAs they have behind their top CB now.

 

7-HOU: QB Andrew Moncrief, Auburn

Houston needs weapons so at pick 7 I think Logan Njoku is the best player for them at this point regardless of positional value but they need a QB bad and that takes priority. The Texans aren’t targeting a QB in FA so that means they are going to try and get their guy in the draft. I think Andrew Moncrief is a great QB, he has the arm talent, and is coming off a year where he had the 3rd most passing yards in the nation. In the combine he had the highest score in the pass accuracy drill and had the 7th highest score in the distance drill. Standing at 6' 5" Moncrief is huge and if you're looking for a QB that can make accurate throws then he is your guy. Moncrief is not an amazing QB prospect if you need your franchise guy right now but in the later rounds  if you have someone and are looking for a guy that could start in 3-4 years but you can afford to have him be a backup for a couple of seasons he is a great option.

 

8-ATL: OG Alex Hitchens, Arkansas

The Falcons at pick 8 are in a weird spot in this mock. They were bad but not bad enough. Their biggest needs are ILB, FS, and DT and at this point in my mock the top linebacker, safety, and defensive tackle are all off the board. I think the best move is to grab an OG. The Falcons have 2 young QBs. One sucks and should be a RB the other doesn't, they have a good RB, TE and a solid and decently young WR group. Beefing up the O-line is the best thing they can do to improve this offense and the best thing they can do for the team after missing out on the defensive players that they probably wanted. Alex Hitchens is the best OG in the draft and fills the biggest hole they have on offense. The Falcons are currently targeting 2 OGs in FA along with all their other top needs but the 2nd OG isn’t great and is aging and feels more like a stopgap for if they don’t get a replacement in this draft rather than someone they are looking to invest in long term.

 

9-SEA: RB Richard Bianchi, Hawaii

With the 9th pick in the draft the Seattle Seahawks could look to grab a CB but with the room being so young I think they will let them develop which means the best options are to improve at WR because of the talent they could possibly lose to regression and expiring contracts. I think it's better to wait and grab a WR in the 2nd round for them because you can also make an argument for them addressing RB with John Woodward being 32. I think grabbing RB Richard Bianchi would be the best move you’re getting a great young RB to help take the load off 2nd year QB Kemoko Allard and with what is in my mind a strong WR class you can still get a good WR with your next pick which would be better than the RB you could get. On top of that while one of them is expiring you have 2 really good WRs on the roster. Worst case scenario you could resign him and regression won’t hit them too bad.

 

10-LAC: DE Whit Wilson, Oklahoma State

 

With the 10th pick the Chargers feel like a good spot for J'mon Wolters to land but after drafting a great young OT in the 1st round last year and having a slightly worse but still good young OT I just don't think it makes sense. I think the ideal positions for the Chargers are one of RB, WR, OLB, and DE. You can also make an argument they need CBs but they have a young group with good potential so I don't think they would do that. I think the best option is for the Chargers to take the best DE in the class Whit Wilson. A WR would be another good option but like I said with a deeper class we could see their stock take a hit and with 2 good WRs already they should look at a player who could make an instant impact. Whit Wilson is a great player who can do everything you want a top DE to do and with a weak DE room and their best option on an expiring deal it makes sense to grab a player of Whits caliber at that position.

 

11-JAX: CB Rashard Hilliard, Georgia State

With the 11th pick the Jacksonville Jaguars have a couple options and while I think the biggest need is DT but taking one now would be a reach. I have them taking CB Rashard Hilliard he's a great man coverage guy which fits right in and with them only having 3 CBs as of now and none of them being great I think it makes sense for them to grab one of the top CBs in this draft and try to upgrade at RB and DT later when the value makes more sense. Hilliard had the 7th best man coverage grade in the combine so you know he will be a great piece to add to the secondary. While the Jags are going to sign 2 CBs in FA that will be their CB1 and 2 I still feel this is the best option for them because Hilliard is a much better player than who they can grab for their other needs which they can address later in the 1st and in the 2nd.

 

12-DET: WR Logan Njoku, Kentucky

The Lions at pick 12 are another team that would have loved to get a RB but the value isn't great with McGee and Bianchi off the board so they have to look elsewhere. I think you can make an argument for going CB and SS could make sense but I am not sure if they would want a run stopper. I also think OT could work but they just signed a great OT in his prime to a 5 year extension and drafted a good looking OT last year in the 1st. I think the best thing the Lions can do is trade down but since I don't want to deal with that in this mock they would either have to reach for a need or go BPA at a position that makes sense but isn’t a huge need. I am having them take WR Logan Njoku. While I know they drafted a young promising WR last year in the 3rd and another WR in the year before I think it makes sense for them to continue resetting at WR. I think it would be best for them to try and grab a WR in the 3rd round like they did last year, they aren’t in a great spot here so this is the best move. This move makes it so they get another great young WR and can save money by letting the other WRs on their roster with expiring deals walk and maybe even trading some to contenders.

 

13-MIN: ILB Davis Covey, Charlotte

With the 13th pick the Minnesota Vikings NEED punting badly but they aren't taking it here. I think the best options for the Vikings is either ILB, a huge need or O-line. I think ILB is a bigger need for them and while OT J'mon Wolters is the best player they are targeting, one of the best O-linemen in FA. I think grabbing Davis Covey who can do a little bit of everything is the move. Covey is best used as a coverage linebacker but is a good run defender and can hold his own in pass rush on top of that he is strong, agile, and decently fast with a good mind for the game. Covey while not being an elite prospect is someone that you can grab and feel comfortable using however you want or need him to which while not a flashy playstyle or pick is the kind of guy you need if you want to make a jump to the next tier of teams.

 

14-GB: CB Jonathan Parks, Ohio

With the 14th pick the Packers don't have a ton of holes so to try and raise their floor I think it would be best to grab CB Jonathan Parks. Parks is one of the top players still available in the draft and with a good well rounded team BPA makes sense and with CB being one of their worse positions it just is a good fit all around. While the Packers safeties specialized in non coverage areas being a ball hawk and run stopped which makes the Packers prefer a CB who can defend the zone over the ballhawk that Parks is I think going BPA here over scheme fit is just the better decision because with them being as good as they are getting good players to elevate the rest of the team is never bad.

 

15-CLE: DE Ty Bogdanovic, Indiana

With the 15th pick the Browns are a pretty well balanced team so it's a weird situation for them. They could raise their floor by going WR but as I have said it’s a deep class they could wait for later in the draft. Another option is going DE but drafting one in the 3rd last year and drafting one the year before that so they might not want to move on just yet. At the end of the day I think the best move is DE they can go WR in the 2nd round and if they have 3 good young DEs they can flip one. Whit Wilson would have been the best option for them but with him off the board they have to go with the 2nd best DE in the draft. You can make an argument for who that is between Ty Bogdanovic and James McKinnon and I think it's a toss up but with almost all of their D-linemen and ILB being better in the run game I think it makes sense to get someone who can put pressure on the QB. Ty Bogdanovic being the better of the two at rushing the QB is my pick here and while I don’t know how they will line up defensively I think having Ty coming off the edge with OLB Michael Malone being a great pass rusher being the other edge rusher it will disrupt the passing game while the rest of the team can focus on stopping the run.

 

16-BAL: OT J’Mon Wolters, Utah

With the 16th pick the Ravens have a couple different options between grabbing a DE to prepare for Robert Jackson's decline, getting some OL help which is their biggest and last hole on offense or grabbing an ILB to develop so they don't have to keep using rentals. In the Acewolf and Alex mock Baltimore took a DE and in the Pierce mock draft Baltimore took an OT. To add a new perspective I would love to give Baltimore an ILB but OT J’Mon Wolters has fallen and to them and to be honest he probably fell more than he should. While I don’t think Wolters has any chance of falling this far in the draft with how my mock went, teams prioritized other positions. The Ravens grab the top OT in the class to continue building the O-line they started building in the 2nd and 3rd round last year. Perfect fit on the Ravens side of things and give the veteran Chop some more protection while also allowing the run game of Stanley Piper, James Taylor, and Dietrich Smith to have some great blocking on the outside.

17-NE: DE Vince Gresham, Oregon State

With the 17th pick the Patriots can go a couple different directions. The Pierce and the Ace and Alex mock have them going QB to get someone to develop behind Freitag while his contract runs out. The Jiret mock has them going DE with 2 aging DEs and only one solid option behind them it makes sense for them to look for a replacement. I think another option for them is to draft an OLB, with a young project guy and a solid 5th year man with 3 years on his contract. I think it could be worth looking to grab a good OLB in case Matthew Odor doesn't pan out. Unfortunately the OLB class is very weak this year and I think drafting one would be a reach so I think the best option is to go DE and Jiret agreed and mocked them Vince Gresham. While I think James McKinnon is the more consensus DE2 I think Gresham would be a better fit. All across the Patriots defense they have guys who are good at stopping the run and while I can see them wanting to stick with that to build a dominant run stopping defense I think that grabbing a speed rusher who is better in the pass rush would be great. The Patriots secondary isn't amazing but it's not bad and while I don't think it makes sense for them to draft any DBs with this pick, drafting a DE that can get to the QB will be a big help for them.

 

18-BUF: OG Corey Cabrera, San Jose State

With the 18th pick once again I find myself agreeing with Jirets mock draft(he's a really smart man) this time for the Buffalo Bills. While I can see the logic in them picking an OLB they have a ton of young guys none of them looking that promising they are filling a hole either way and if I am them I am going to grab the best player that fills a hole in terms of overall the 2 A OGs will be better on day one than either of the A- OLBs. I think if they feel like Rasheed Downs is a can't miss prospect go for him he is impressive with A+ zone and man coverage and run defense and maybe I would have mocked him to them but after drafting Ola Cunningham in the 2nd last year and Downs skillset being more like a traditional offball LB and not an OLB/edge player. On top of that I think that in a relatively weaker draft class for OLB they should wait a year I don't think any picks they make will make them a Super Bowl contender and with only 3 or 4 guys at a point where they might have a good amount of regression and not being in a terrible spot cap wise they can afford to wait another year to address that and try to push for a Super Bowl.

 I can also see why they would want to address DE but after taking Matt McCants in the 3rd last year and Stephen Dinardo at worst still being around a 70+ next year I think that's another position they have time to replace.

OG fills a hole now and I doubt they are super hesitant to bring someone in to start over last year's 5th round selection Mike Wynn. Now I said I agree with Jiret but only on position while he has Buffalo taking Felix Rodriguez I think they should take Corey Cabrera. Last year Cabrera recorded 6 more pancakes and 5 less sacks allowed than Rodriguez. They have almost identical attribute grades with Rodriguez having A+ instead of A speed and Cabreara having B+ instead of B pass block. On top of that Cabrera's run block drill score was only 0.46 points less than Rodriguez's but his pass block score was 0.74 points higher. While this isn't a 100% effective way to rank them, Cabrera scored 0.28 points better in the blocking drills than Rodriguez did and with a better pass game than run game I think the Bills will prioritize giving Yusei more time to throw over getting better blocking for Torgler. The Bills are signing 32 year old 80 overall Louis Perez which would give them a good option but with him being 32 he isn’t a long term solution. I think this makes them going with Rasheed Downs more likely as they aren’t targeting any OLB but this move is a bandaid and with regression coming and potentially retirement I think it's still something they need to address. I think it comes down to who they think is better between Downs and Cabreara.

 

19-TB: C Ruben Shazier, Alabama

At pick 19 for the first time since I have seen his mock I disagree with Jiret, while I 100% understand the fit for the Buccaneers only having 3 CBs I can see the logic but Luis Wong and Adam Iljalana are great young CBs with Jason Green being older but still a solid player with the 2 young guys having 2 years and Green with 3 years left on their contracts I don't think it makes sense to move on so I think going a CB later in the draft with high potential will be more worth it you just pass up too much value using a 1st round pick for a depth guy who for the first 2 seasons baring a trade will be CB4 at best.

I don't see them going OT here like Pierce mocked them because they just drafted Damien Kneble in the 1st round last year. I agree that the O-line can use some work but I think in a different position. I think Ace and Alex had a good idea with Ruben Shazier. They don't have a center and he's a great player to improve the O-line. I don't have much more to say about this great player at a position of need.

 

20-PHI: WR Trevor Wood, USC

At pick 20 we have the Eagles. The Eagles in my opinion have been one of the best teams when it comes to drafting WR Denzel Green in the 3rd last year was a solid pick he should be a good WR3/4 for them for a while, SS Ryan Reininger was an amazing selection in 2022 good coverage and amazing at stopping the run and to get him in the 2nd round is insane value, Mark Soto in the 1st round of 2022 was another great pick but enough about that. Now this isn't going to be some long thought out explanation after Jiret released his mock draft the Eagles said they are just going to take BPA and it just so happens that one of the 15 A+ rated players has fallen to them in this mock.

BPA is WR Trevor Wood and he is a great player that we will get into more when he is drafted but the Eagles have 8 WRs on their roster right now 4 of them going into year 3 and 2 going into year 2 with a 77 and 84 on top of that both going into year 7 I can see them making room but it just makes more sense to grab a different position.

I think the best fit for the Eagles is ILB or OG. I know they drafted Christian Palardy in the 1st round last year and I don't think they replace him but he is their best ILB and he is only a 60 overall so I can see them grabbing another guy if they run a 2 LB set but if not then they can grab one later and pick an OG with this pick. That is what I am going with 2 years ago they drafted OG David Thompson in the 3rd round and he is looking solid but they don't have another player good enough to start at OG so I think Felix Rodriguez is a perfect fit.

So Rogriguez is the player I would have mocked but then I remembered Eagles coach and half of the mock draft god squad Acewolf who I believe is the mastermind behind their drafting success, no offense to Sagebow, did a mock where he had the Eagles take WR Trevor Wood and they also have Wood as the 3rd WR off the board which tells me they are fine taking a WR. The Eagles take WR Trevor Wood and have a stacked WR room and a lot of young talent that would be good as depth if they decide to re-sign 6 of the 8 WRs they have on the roster with expiring contracts.
 

21-CHI: FS Kyle Reimold, Central Michigan

 

With the 21st pick every mock has the Bears going DB 2 times its CB and one mock has them go FS. Again I find myself agreeing with Jiret I can see the financial reason other people have them picking a CB but in a class that I think has a lot of good CBs if your willing to choose between having a great man coverage or zone coverage CB who is lackluster in the other with the Bears looking like they want to play man coverage they have 3 good options outside of the top CB remaining in Alvarez to try and grab in the 2nd round the same doesn't exist for FS and with 32 year old Jerzy Redding looking to secure one final bag at the end of this season I think the Bears would be happy to let him look for it elsewhere with the top FS in the class as his replacement. Kyle Reimold is a great run stopper who is also a good option in coverage. He gives you everything you want and more and is the perfect option to replace one of the 3 players that have been anchoring that secondary.

 

22-SF: C Ryan Wiggins, California

After drafting stud WR Fernando Thomas out of Tulane at 13 last year and also drafting to date maybe the best player in draft history Rubby Stewart at 3 last year the 49ers are ready to make another 1st round pick this time at 22. Dr_Novella and ObliviousLAX are obviously hoping to make another huge splash. A good fit would be going OG as UDFA from last year Deion Meisinger a 55 overall kinda sucks but only if you take away the kinda from that statement. However Rubby Stewart has volunteered to take on the responsibilities of playing both OT and OG. While I think that will work out fine for the 9ers, Andrey Levkulich is not on the same level as Stewart and with Joseph Land starting at C they need to bring in at least one other person on that line. They can take their pick of the 2 C's and 1 OG with A- or higher overall still available but I am giving them C Ryan Wiggins with this pick. Wiggins has the best pass block grade of the 3 I think make sense here and while the 49ers have a good committee of RBs other people have suggested they go QB and move on from Russell Latimer who has not yet broken out. This pick gives Latimer some more protection and an extra year or 2 for them to figure out if it's time to move on from Latimer. With a promising young WR room I think the 49ers try to see if the young QB can get it done before they move on. This also gives them the privilege of drafting a QB next year or in 2 years if the choose with names like Julian Longacre, Travis Knebel, Will Outman, and Trevon Cothran available next year and Brandon Savage, Quenton Ogbah, Travis Kingery, Kelly Jarwin, and Michael Oliveros just to name a few coming out in 2 years the future looks really bright at QB and with a pretty young team with not many expiring contracts and a lot of cap space they are in no rush to be a contender today so they can take their time and make sure if they are moving on from Latimer they are going to get an elite talent to replace him. While the 49ers are targeting and will probably get 2 OGs from FA with one of them being a 68 overall at 27 years old I don’t think that would stop them from drafting a young player that could be better in 2-3 years.

 

23-NYG: OLB Rasheed Downs, Notre Dame
 

The Giants are up at 23 and they need a LB badly, their best LB is a 58 OLB and I have them going OLB Rasheed Downs. Downs is a great LB with good coverage skills and run defense and since the Giants could also use help on the D-line while Downs only has a C+ pass rush grade OLBs are better at pass rushing than ILBs so there is a good chance his pass rush is better than ILB Carlos Blacknall. Downs can fit anything the Giants want if they are going up against a strong passing he can sit in a flat and play zone coverage or he can match up with a TE or RB and play man. If you think you need more pressure on the QB, Downs can line up and be a good edge rusher for you. If your playing a team with a good run game Downs has the ability to fill run gaps and while he doesn't have great speed his football IQ makes up for it so while he doesn't have the speed some other guys do you know that when he makes his move its the correct one which makes up for him being a step or two slower.

 

24-ATL: ILB Joe Yanda, Utah State
 

With the 24th pick in the draft the Falcons are up again with the same needs as before ILB, DT, and FS with probably the best option around this point in the draft being FS Kyle Reimold who went just 3 picks earlier they probably have to reach if they want to fill a need. I think this pick will come down to BPA that plays either ILB, DT, or FS. If they want to get a great coverage guy for the secondary then the move would be to draft Maikel Infante a great coverage FS but I think his struggles with stopping the run and tackling bumps him down a bit. 

I think a DT would be a great fit Phillip Bell and Dante Gates are both promising players who are great at stopping the run and while I think Gates is better thanks to being stronger and being a better tackler I don’t think either would be the right move. Atlanta has great run stoppers all around their front 7 so I think if they want to make a pick on the D-line they would want to grab a pass rusher to help out their weak secondary by putting pressure on the QB. Gates and Bell are both average pass rushers and because of that I just can’t see them being the right choices.

This brings us to ILB and I think they draft Joe Yanda to add an impact player to that defense. Yanda can do whatever you want him to do whether that be coverage, rushing the passer, or stopping the run. While he won’t be as good in coverage as a DB and he won’t be as good a pass rusher as IDL or Edge having a player that at the very least is able to do these things is valuable. The main draw to Yanda other than his versatility is his speed putting up the 58th best 40 time in the combine and 6th best among any front 7 player. The biggest knock on Yanda’s game is his intelligence, don't get me wrong he’s not dumb he scored a 31 on the wonderlic which was 50th best in the combine but when you have a player that can play so many roles on the defense he may struggle to process everything and make the right decisions or at the very least struggle to get going and adapt to the NFL game when everything is moving faster.

 

25-DAL: ILB Carlos Blacknall, North Carolina
 

At pick 25 the Cowgirls biggest need is ILB and while some have them going OT I they might have some faith in Jon Pinto and at the very least give him another year to develop. That may not be the case but at the same time I don’t know if they would like any of the options but if they did would probably go with Tony Varvaro. Varvaro is one of the best run blockers in the draft putting up the 4th best run block drill score at the combine, his pass blocking isn’t great. Before I get to who I think they should go I want to address their CB situation while Zac McCutchen is a great player and would fit well the Cowgirls have a lot of young CBs Amara Rodriguez and Jason Smothers are both great young CBs who are going to be really good when they hit their prime but after drafting Stephen Mahtook in the 2nd last year and having 4 other CBs in their 2nd year with 3 of them having B- or better potential I don’t think they need to address that at least not in the 1st round. I think they are more inclined to go ILB despite drafting an absolute stud in the 6th round last year with Khalid Bolt out of Tulane they may be looking for a better option to pair with him than Steven Othon. I think the best option for them is to get a good physical run stopping LB and who better than the guy who scored 3rd best on the run stop drill at the combine 2nd best among LBs. Carlos Blacknall is the guy you see when you look up run stopping LB in the dictionary 6’ 2” a good day or two away from 240 pounds benching 36 reps at the combine only 3 ILBs were able to do more. Blacknall is the type of guy you pick if you want to give opposing RBs nightmares and is a perfect fit.

 

26-MIA: DT Phillip Bell, Bowling Green
 

At pick 26 after going with the top ILB earlier in the draft the Dolphins are back up and this time they need to go DT. At this point I am not going to change my earlier pick but if I were to do another mock draft I might change the Dolphins earlier pick to a DT because the DTs later in the draft aren’t great but in this draft they went ILB earlier. This pick comes down to Phillip Bell and Dante Gates. Bell scored better in the pass rush and run stop drills at the combine and every other category except scoring 1 less on the wonderlic and 4 less reps on the bench press than Gates. I think either one will be a good choice and an upgrade but I think the best choice would be Bell. I can see this going either way depending on what Miami values but the combination of the better grades at the combine and having a better season than Gates combined with the versatility to play him in different schemes being a balanced DT and not a nose tackle like Gates gives Bell the edge for me.

 

27-KC: WR Matt Zavala, Oregon State
 

With the 27th pick the Chiefs really need to get a WR they are going to sign two 67 overalls in FA but even after that the room isn’t great. With both being 27 they would love to have a young WR better than the ones they have now to grow with last year's 1st round pick QB Theo Scribner. With 3 WRs off the board already I think the Chiefs reach a little bit on overall opting to take A- overall Matt Zavala over the 3 A overall WRs still available. I think this makes sense because with Scribner being a pocket QB he has great accuracy so with this pick you get the player who scored the 2nd highest score in the pass catching drill. Zavala is a solid route runner but the main appeal like I said before is if Scribner can put the ball where it needs to be which he is great at doing Zavala will almost always come down with the ball. Last year Zavala had 80 catches on 106 targets which comes out to him catching 75.47% of his targets which is higher than any other A- or better overall WR in the draft and while I am not going through every WR in the sim last year is probably one of the highest percentage of caught balls on that kind of volume. To sum that all up Zavala is a perfect fit with Scribner who I think is the future QB for the Chiefs.

 

28-ARI: ILB Tyler Bradley, Ohio State
 

At pick 28 Arizona is a weird spot, the players on their team for the most part are really good, the problem is they only have 28 of them. The positions they have guys at are solid but at the moment they have 1 LB on the roster a 2nd year 54 overall OLB, 2 CBs, no TEs, no FS, and no OTs. On top of this Arizona has had no activity in FA to this point. I think CB can wait because while only having 2 they are pretty solid. I think this comes down to the best player available that plays LB, TE, FS, or OT. I rule out OT because while having none on the team they have 3 OGs that can be ranked from solid to good so one of them can slide over. This leaves OLB, ILB, TE, or FS as the move for the Cardinals. The board has not been very kind to the Cardinals because on top of all 4 of those positions not being a strength in this class picking this late in the draft the top players for those positions(except TE because none have been good enough) have already been drafted. This comes down to 4 players being the best at each of those positions. Maikel Infante is a zone coverage FS who can also play great man coverage, he is quick and agile but is just average when it comes to stopping the run he is a solid playmaker but is less of a guy who you can build around on defense and more of a guy who you can plug in and he will do his job at a high level but won’t make the extra plays you would want a high impact player to make. Tyler Bradley is a field general ILB who while being above average in coverage and a good pass rusher compared to other ILBs is just average in the run game and his biggest strength being his football IQ he scored a 42 on the wonderlic which was the tied with 3 other players for 2nd highest at the combine only one point behind QB Dylan Gomes. His ability to understand the game and know the right plays to make is unlike anyone else in this class and should be one of the best players in this draft class when it comes to adjusting to the speed and level of play in the NFL. Like Infante he is great to plug into a system and play his role but don’t expect him to be a super high impact player and sometimes he suffers from knowing the right play to make but not being good enough to actually execute. Beau Martin a run stopping OLB who while putting up decent sack numbers in college is below average as an edge rusher but he can hold his own dropping back into coverage. Martin is one of the smarter OLBs in the class scoring a 27 on the wonderlic, he has a good understanding of the game and should be able to adjust quickly to the NFL and plug in nicely. Lastly Hakeem Judd is a receiving TE his hands are his greatest asset with a 7.39 score in the catching drill at the combine he achieved the 14th highest score but 3rd among TEs. On top of that he’s an underrated blocker while obviously not great compared to O-lineman he had the 4th best run block drill score and 9th best pass block drill score at the combine of all non-O-line participants.

I think you can make good cases for all four of these players but Tyler Bradley is the best fit in my mind. While not the most skillful and physically gifted player at this point of the draft the top players are flawed and won't have everything you want. His high intelligence pushes him to the top for me because getting to this point where he is someone that should go at the very least in the top 2 rounds depending on your evaluation of him he can do enough on the field and with him you know he’s always going to be in the right spots and if he can’t make the play himself at the very least it can make the offensive player lose a step allowing another player to come in and finish the play.

 

29-PIT: CB Giannis Wright, Air Force
 

With the 29th pick of the draft the Steelers can go a couple different directions. I think the best one would be to grab an ILB but with all the top guys gone I think taking one here would be too much of a reach. Another option is to improve the D-line by drafting a DE and while that makes sense the Steelers have 3 OLBs that can make an impact and one of them is a pass rusher so you can make the argument that he will be an edge rusher along with DE Krzysztof Leatherman giving them someone who for now fills the hole at DE. The Steelers have a lot of places they can improve on but no glaring hole which means with this pick they should consider grabbing the best player available that plays a position that the Steelers can rationalize improving on. I think if any A- or better ILBs are on the board at this pick that's who the Steelers should take. If you can’t take a top ILB I think it comes down to if they are ok playing Willy Jimenez as an edge rusher if not then grab the best DE available. If they are ok with that or are ok waiting to grab a DE in the 2nd round which is what I will be entertaining then Giannis Wright is who I would take. Wright is a top CB who put up the 3rd best zone coverage drill score in the combine and looks to be a good CB while the Steelers already have 2 promising young CBs grabbing Wright will give them a great top 3 that they can keep together and not have to worry about for a while.

 

30-JAX: OLB Beau Martin, Alabama
 

With the 30th and the 31st picks in the draft the Jaguars pick back to back and after grabbing a CB with the 11th pick their biggest needs are DT, WR, and OLB. The biggest need by far is DT but I can’t see them drafting one. Gates is the best DT available but being a nose tackle makes things a little rough because of scheme fit. The Jaguars would have to either get another ILB or would be shoehorned into running the 3-man Front Spread Stopper Zone formation. I just can’t see them liking this move because of the formation I had them take a CB earlier in the draft, they have a 64 overall CB on the roster already, and are signing a 67 and 66 overall CB that would give them the 3-4 CBs needed to run this formation but all of their LBs would get maluses from the scheme. With that being considered the Jaguars go and draft OLB Beau Martin, two picks earlier we talked about Beau Martin and what he brings but in case you skipped the longest pick evaluation of the mock Martin is a smart run stopping OLB that can drop back and play both man or zone coverage when you need him too. While not grading well in pass rush attributes Martin still was able to put up a respectable number of sacks his senior year of college with 6.5 which was 29.55% of the sacks recorded for Alabama. I think this is a great player for the Jaguars no matter what they decide to do with Kirk Ridley at the end of the season.

 

31-JAX: WR Arden Ejiofor, Louisiana
 

With the 31st pick the Jaguars should address WR. While they are signing 2 67 overall WRs in FA these look more like grabbing guys as a temporary fix than a permanent solution. If the Jaguars can have Ejiofor, Ray-Ray Thompson, and Akrum Robinson all developing together it would be a core of at the very least 3 good WRs that will be reliable options for Matt Howard when he takes over for Steven Connolly. Ejiofor is fast and runs smooth routes that combined with his high football IQ will make him a WR that can get open reliably. Ejiofor really raised his stock at the combine by outperforming the other WRs ranked around him in almost every test and has solidified himself as a mid-late first or early 2nd round talent. The Jaguars wrap up a good first round by filling 3 holes with great players.

 

32-CAR: CB Chandler McKay, Western Michigan
 

With the 32nd and final pick of the first round the Panthers are up again. After drafting RB and SS earlier their top needs are ILB, OLB, WR, and CB. At this point all of the top ILB and OLB are gone so it comes down to WR or CB. I think you can make an argument for either one and with their next pick coming just 5 picks later they will grab the other position at that spot. I have the Panthers taking a CB here because I feel like it's a bit more of a need with them drafting a WR with the 32nd pick last year and I feel like the WRs still available are more interchangeable than the CBs. I think you can go either way on this between Chandler McKay and Whitney Robinson and while Robinson is better in zone coverage I have the Panthers going with McKay. The reason for this is… I don’t have one, they are really close and I just feel like McKay will be better so that's who is getting picked.

 

Now I have a couple of notes for this mock that I will change or at least try and change for my 2nd mock. First, like I said before, while I think it makes sense for the Dolphins to go ILB Kenny Daniel 2nd overall after going through the whole mock draft I see that DT is also a big need and with less top level DTs available it makes sense for them to go DT over ILB. Another one is while I didn’t intend for it J’Mon Wolters fell more than he should but I can also see teams not going OT and prioritizing other positions. Those are two things I will try and fix in my next mock draft. I am open to and encourage all notes, comments, and critiques of this mock as I want to take those things into account for my next mock.

[Dr_Novella]

I see a Spartan mocked in the first round, I upvote.

[Kirby]

Super detailed mock and some interesting takes! Great work @kgreene829

[SageBow]

Great mock! Good work Kgreene!