Kgreene829's 2025 WTEM

[kgreene829]

The season is almost over and I am getting bored of not doing anything so that means I am going to start my rounds a bit early. Welcome to the very first Kgreene WTEM (Way Too Early Mock). This next paragraph is going to go over some information about my mocks such as what I try to talk about for each pick, how I come up with which player a team will draft, and anything else I think is worth mentioning before the start of the mock. You can skip that paragraph and you will still be able to fully understand and enjoy the mock but I wanted to include it in case anyone was curious about anything and I even talk about some things that I think could be questioned by reading one of my mocks.

In this mock I will go through and talk about the state of the team, what their biggest needs are, and who I think they should draft. In my mocks the main thing I use to determine a pick is what positions I think the team needs most and if the player would fit into the team well by having an archetype that gets them a scheme fit bonus or just that their game fits what that team is trying to do. I do want to give a warning that I do not have my own player rankings so while I will try my best to not miss players I am not looking at every single draft eligible player. Because of this I may leave out some highly touted players that just haven’t had good enough seasons to be on my radar. Another warning: my track record with my final mock of the season before the draft is really good with my highlight being correctly mocking the first 15 picks of the 2023 draft the day of the draft. With that said as far as I know I can’t tell the future so next week this draft order will be wrong and come draft day it might not even have a single draft position matched up. In the same vein I can’t tell who will or won’t declare for the draft early so for the sake of this mock early declarations do not exist. At the end of the draft I will talk about the state of the teams and the biggest needs of all the teams that don’t have a 1st round pick this year. The last thing I want to say before the start of the mock is this is a really early mock so while I think the players I have selected are the top guys in the draft we are so far out that I could only have a handful of guys who are first round caliber here. All that to say the positions and archetypes are more telling and meaningful in this than the actual names. Anything can happen between now and the draft that causes my mock of David Ross going 1st overall to the Cardinals to be completely wrong but the fact that I thought the Cardinals needed a power punter 1st overall won't change and in certain situations can be more telling than the actual player themselves.

If you have any questions about anything in my mocks from why I thought a team would want to draft a certain position to why I had a certain player fall or even get left off the mock don’t be shy to ask me. This is my first mock of the season so I am still learning all of the players. I also love drafting and the discourse that comes with it. I love hearing arguments for why you would agree or disagree with any pick or evaluation I made in the mock.

1-Arizona Cardinals: QB Travis Knebel, Baylor

I instantly regret this because I have to start off by talking about the Cardinals and their new owner Kmatt (it’s all love). The Cardinals also known as the free win have just slightly more than 0 talent on their roster and what little talent they do have is old with their best player under 28 years old being 24 year old UDFA FB Terry Jackson who is a 64 overall. The Cardinals can literally use talent no matter the position but I think the clear pick is QB. While the WR room has 2 71 overalls they are both going to die on the field if they don’t retire as they are both 34. QB is actually one of the very few bright spots on the Cardinals because despite his age 33 year old Patrick Johnson is still slinging it at an 80 overall he is the best player on the roster. Yes the Cardinals were tanking and even once put a punter at QB but even with Johnson starting they have yet to win a single game and it would take a miracle for the Cardinals to be even somewhat competitive while Johnson is still playing. I think the best move for the Cardinals is to trade Patrick Johnson to a team that could use him and start the rebuild by taking a QB with the 1st overall pick. Now the question is which QB do they pick Izaah Plawecki out of Notre Dame has been very good being arguably the most accurate QB in college football. The main problem with Plawecki is he is a field general and I have questions about his ability to truly elevate a team like the Cardinals who have little to no support around him. Georgia QB Will Outman is another great QB but for as good as he is with the 1st overall pick you are looking for someone who just has a bit more. I think this pick comes down to three options and the first is O'Koyea Landrum from Georgia Tech. Landrum has been having an insane season and is the best QB by a wide margin with over 1,100 more passing yards than the QB with the 2nd most passing yards in college and has thrown for 10 more TDs than the QB who has thrown for the 2nd most TDs in college. As far as pure passers go Landrum could be having the best season in SimCFB history but one of the main things is the GT offense is all gas and no breaks only running the ball 25 times all season you do have to ask how would he fair in an offense that doesn’t throw the ball 96% of the time and isn’t built to have the best passing attack in the league. While this one season is what propelled Landrum into the discussion for the #1 overall pick the fact that he had to have a season like this to jump up the draft board could cause teams to have reservations on picking him. That brings us to our next option and that’s USC’s Julian Longacre. Last year Julian Longacre had just won a national championship and was considered the prize of this year's draft class, so what happened? Well Longacre and USC fell off a cliff, Longacre went from 7,690 yards 64 TDs and 8 interceptions in 16 games where he was seen as the best QB in CFB last season to 3,773 yards 27 TDs and 9 interceptions in 12 games. Despite the disappointing season he still has stuff that fueled his 2023 national championship winning campaign and teams around the league are cautiously optimistic that they can get him to return to form. That brings us to our final option and what I think is the best option for the Cardinals Baylor QB Travis Knebel. While Landrum and Longacre are both pocket QBs Knebel flips that on its head by being a scrambler. Knebel is a great passer and has shown improvements going from 3,103 passing yards 28 passing TDs and 10 interceptions with his completion percentage being 69.57% in 14 games in 2023 to 2,789 passing yards 26 passing TDs and 6 interceptions with his completion percentage being 71.13% in 13 games in 2024 showing that he is becoming an even more viable option as a passer his main strength is what he can do with his legs. Knebel has 1,803 rushing yards and 17 TDs on 211 attempts which is the 12th most rushing yards in CFB. Knebel is also 5th in rushing yards per attempt minimum 100 attempts and is the only player in the top 5 to have over 200 attempts. Last year Hiram Maronde was highly touted for being a great dual threat QB but I feel like Knebel is an even better prospect and is the guy to start the Cardinals rebuild with a bang.

2-Houston Texans: WR Donatello Scott, Texas

We just mentioned him but last year the Texans drafted their franchise QB Hiram Maronde with the 7th pick in the draft and they also took CB Austin Bledsoe with the 8th pick in the 2022 draft. Both of those picks have become good players with bright futures and with the 2nd pick they look to grab another impactful player early in the draft. Looking through the Texans roster they can still use just about anything but I feel like with the 2nd overall pick they are looking to make a splash. In the 3rd round they drafted RB Jeff Holley to help ease the load for Maronde but I think the main problem is the lack of weapons for their franchise QB. The Texans took John Fernandez in the 3rd round in 2023 and even got a steal in B.J. Barrera in the 7th round last year but with their best WR being Thang Lam who is a 60 overall on an expiring contract and being 29 years old an elite WR would be a perfect fit for this team. Building around Maronde and Holley I expect the Texans to run spread option since it will give a scheme bonus to both Maronde and Holley and gives them a good balance of passing and running. This also gives John Fernandez a scheme bonus and ideally would have them looking at route runners or possession WRs but with the small amount of malus’s doesn’t limit them too much. As far as the top WRs this year go I wouldn’t take any of them with this pick but if you look back at last year you have two WRs that I think would be worth taking with this pick and one that hasn’t ever been topping the statistics pages. Both of the top junior WRs from last year had pretty underwhelming seasons because their teams starting QB got drafted the year before but despite the recent performance are still great WRs that can recover from a down year with Maronde as their new QB. These two WRs are Daniel Hester a red zone threat from Auburn and Oren Colon a route runner from TCU. I think that there is very little separating Hester and Colon so it will come down to preference but I think Oren Colon is the better fit because if I am right about the Texans scheme he would be a scheme fit. Like I said Colon isn’t getting a ton of opportunities only being targeted 86 times but he has 58 catches for 876 yards and 8 TDs through 13 games and is by far having the best season of all WRs on TCU but because of having a scrambler QB the passing game just hasn’t been the focus and instead they are a couple yards away from having 3 1,000+ yard rushers. Again despite the down season Colon is an amazing WR who was in the conversation of being a fringe 1st rounder last year if he were to declare for the draft a year early. With all that said I think the Texans would prefer a WR with a better catch rating than Colon and because of that I think the Texans keep things in their own backyard with the route runner from Texas Donatello Scott. Scott had a pretty good season in 2023 on limited touches he put up 73 catches on 101 targets for 1,123 yards and 11 TDs which was arguably the best season by anyone on that Texas offense. Well after 2023 Texas had to start a different QB so redshirt freshman Joseph Wise became the man under center and while he didn’t have the same numbers as Colon or Hester in 2023 this new QB severely tanked his numbers. While yes Scott only had 49 catches on 117 targets which is not good he caught 41.88% of his targets. When not targeting Scott Wise had 89 completions on 218 attempts which is a 40.83% completion rate. Wise is not a terrible QB but it was a downgrade and Scott took a hit from that on top of that Scott was the biggest threat on offense and because of that probably drew a good amount of double teams throughout the season. WR is a hard position to talk about because their numbers super reliant on having a good QB and because of that until we have the full list of players in the draft that we can look through and see all of their numbers it’s easy for some great WRs to get lost behind lackluster stats (defense has a similar problem especially for CBs who are not good ballhawks). I won’t say that there aren’t better WRs that I just don’t have on my radar but Donatello Scott is the best senior WR I know about. Also I resisted the urge long enough [insert teenage mutant ninja turtles joke here]. Hahaha that was a funny joke.

3-San Francisco 49ers: RB Vonte Knebel, Stanford

Last year the 49ers took QB Andrew Solano with the 22nd pick which is something I had thought was a perfect fit for a while leading up to the draft and a pick I loved for them. Now Solano hasn’t had anything resembling a good rookie season leading to the 49ers being one of the worst teams in football but the potential is there. I think the 49ers are a much better team than they showed last year and as Solano grows and develops they will prove that but for now they have the 4th pick in the draft. When I look at the 49ers roster I don’t see many glaring holes where they just have nothing but they do have a couple of positions that they would love to bring in a young player that could become the starter in a couple of years. I think the main positions where they could benefit from bringing in a great player are CB, DE, ILB, OLB, and RB. ILB would be fine if they decide to re-sign Samuel Bronson but for CB, DE, and RB the starters aren’t great and are on contracts that are close to expiring and for OLB while they do have a great young player in Rodney Labell they could use a 2nd player. I can see the 49ers drafting almost any position but I think the 4 (or 5 depending on what happens with Bronson since they likely are only going to use 1 ILB because of how good their DT room is) are the most likely positions. I think we can narrow the pick down to CB or RB because for DE worse case scenario they can move a DT over and for OLB with Labell being so good I can see them wanting to raise the floor of another position. Obviously if they are going to take a RB it no question will be Vonte Knebel from Stanford. I think RB is weird because they have a couple guys under contract but nobody that I think makes a great starter long term and the 49ers CB room is just in a rough spot in general. I think the best pick for the 49ers is Vonte Knebel since not only does he fill a need but he has been one of the best RBs in CFB for two years straight. With that said, if the 49ers decide not to bring Samuel Bronson back, drafting ILB Austin Rosario out of Texas or even the top CB in the draft Bobby Gonzalez out of Old Dominion would also be an amazing use of this pick. I just feel like RB is more impactful because of the burden it would take off of a young Andrew Solano if they can have an offense that can also be effective on the ground.

4-Kansas City Chiefs: DE Jalen Jones, UNC

The Chiefs are a team that can really use defense in any form. At OLB they have 29 year old Ramon Hubanks who is a 83 overall and 27 year old Alen Riley who is a 76 overall, at CB they have 28 year old Benedict Deluna who is a 84, and at SS they have 29 year old William Redman who is a 76 overall. Outside of those 4 players the only notable players on defense are 23 year old DT Tony Macura who is a 63 and if you really stretch the meaning of notable 26 year old CB Wei Bao who is a 67 (I think he’s behind the curve to be a real impact player in the future but could be a solid CB2). Outside of the players mentioned on defense the young players are not good enough to make a real impact in the long term and the older players are not good enough to make an impact now. I think offensively the Chiefs are happy with their team C Noah Prater is a 64 overall at just 23 with A+ potential and OT Brad Adams is a 59 overall at 22. These two are a great start to an O-line that can make a real impact if they can bring in 3 more guys around them which I think is important but not something the Chiefs should use the 4th overall pick on. At QB Theo Scribner is a solid option the main things are at just 23 years old they are not looking to take a QB and despite the lower than ideal overall with him just being a 58 his 72 throw power and 70 throw accuracy could lead to him being one of the league's best pure passers in the future. At RB the Chiefs have a great 2 RB system with 24 year olds Jhan Peters and Stacy Moton 67 and 66 overall respectively and TE Luis Van Slyke is a respectable TE for his age. I think this pick comes down to the best player available between any defensive position or WR. The Chiefs have a weak WR room even after drafting Ronald Cimber in the 1st round last year so while I think it would be a better idea to take a shot at WR later in the draft since it is one of the deepest positions in football picking 4th overall I see the temptation of bringing in a great WR and having what I think is around 85% of your future offense already on the roster. With that said as much as Scribner would love for the Chiefs to grab him a new weapon here it’s better to look at defense and like I said before I think this comes down to the best defensive player available. OLB is the only position the Chiefs can’t use but even if the best player is an OLB they should take him and move one of their OLBs to ILB because with how bad their defense is the most important thing should be to bring in the best players possible and figure out the fit later. Now we can go back and forth and I can explain my reasoning for one thing or the other but like I said I think the Chiefs are looking to bring in the best defensive player available outside of DT and the best defensive player I know of is Jalen Jones a DE out of UNC. I think this also makes a good amount of sense since next year unless they re-sign players that aren’t that good they will have 3 DE’s on their roster with 2 of them being 23 and he could be a good compliment next to Tony Macura but at the end of the day expect them to grab the defensive player that they think is the best in the draft and even if my opinion on who that is changes my opinion on that being their plan won't.

5-New Orleans Saints: ILB Austin Rosario, Texas

The Saints are another team that has a good amount of holes but have been doing a good job of filling them in the draft. The Saints could use some help in the secondary but after investing pretty heavily in it last season I expect them to look elsewhere with this pick but to come back and take a CB later in the draft. Maybe the Saints will look to bring in a new QB, but I feel like they might stick with Rivera a little longer to see if he can pan out but I wouldn't be too surprised if they decide that with a pick this early they can’t pass up on grabbing one of the top QBs. I think this pick comes down to either RB with Kenneth Williams being on an expiring contract at 33 years old or LB because the options they have at both ILB and OLB are pretty weak. I took a look at both RB and LB and I think it would come down to either Vontae Knebel out of Stanford if they went RB(this was written the prior week when the Saints were set to pick before the 49ers) and Austin Rosario out of Texas if they went LB. I think the Saints would love to have either of these players as they are the best at their respective positions in the draft but I think that the right move is ILB Austin Rosario. I think Knebel is a great RB but after drafting Devante Fuentes in the 5th next year, LB is the better and more impactful pick. I don’t think Fuentes is a player that should stop you from drafting a RB but with how bad the Saints current LB room is and their top 2 ILBs being on expiring contracts I don’t think you can justify the Saints drafting a RB over a LB here. Rosario is one of the top LBs in CFB and is someone that can do a bit of everything. I think Rosario is a player who can come in and vastly improve this Saints defense for years and should go a long way in helping the Saints claw their way out of the basement. 

6-Atlanta Falcons: TE Taylor Allen, UCLA

I think the Falcons are in a bit of a bad spot they are having a bad season and only have $14.9 million in cap space next year but have a couple real good players expiring like 77 overall DE Paul Munford, 77 overall DT Reyes Dzul, 77 overall TE Jin Zhong, 76 overall OG Morris Tye, and 74 overall RB Wayne Ricketts. Now the Falcons could make some moves to free up some cap space like trading 76 overall DE Ray Jackson who has a 15 mil cap hit. Trading Ray Jackson would give them enough cap to bring back 1 player they couldn’t on his own. With that said 2 big problems come up with trying to trade Jackson first his cap hit is so large the list of teams willing to take him is not big and the Falcons would have to give up something to get rid of him. The other big problem is at 35 years old they would have to hope Jackson doesn’t retire so that they can actually trade him. Now I think the biggest problem the Falcons made was trading for QB Jose Padilla at 32 years old he is close to retirement and his cap hit of 17 mil is also enough to bring back a player that they can’t with that cap hit on the books. The Falcons have a team that is ready to win now and because of that I see why they would have wanted to bring in Padilla but it didn’t work out. The Falcons are about to lose at least 4 of those 5 players I mentioned above for nothing (unless they can trade guys through the re-signing phase as they are bringing them back) and I think for them you can make an argument for them going with the best player available regardless of position. WR is the only position I think would be a good unit in 3 years with no addition (DT also is set if they plan on running a scheme that doesn’t ever use 2 DT’s because while Logan Lopez is amazing they don’t have a great 2nd option if they want to run a 2 DT set). With that being said the Falcons have 4 wins and at the time of writing this have the Dolphins and the Commanders on their schedule (99% chance those are both losses) and then the Saints so they have a pretty good chance at moving even further up in the draft. We all know the Commanders had a lot of trouble trading Padilla because of his cap hit and with the WR room improving the Falcons might not get a chance to pick this high for a while. I really don’t know what the Falcons are going to do, this is a team that is really hard to read because of the position they are in. I have them taking TE Taylor Allen out of UCLA.

 

Spoiler

6-Atlanta Falcons: QB O'Koyea Landrum, Georgia Tech

Or do I? I think after looking at all the factors we could see the Falcons take a page out of their IRL counterparts book. the Falcons can’t bring themselves to pass up on the local kid that just fell into their laps, the Atlanta Falcons draft O’Koyea Landrum and fully commit themselves to a rebuild. Jose Padilla and his $99 million cap hit for the next 4 years essentially becomes a coach to develop the rookie, and the team cries as they admit that their push to win was a failure that only set the team back. I think Landrum is the 2nd best QB in this draft and is the type of player that can really elevate a team not just now but going forward. I like to go into detail about why I choose some guys over other guys and I would love to go into why I have Landrum as the 2nd best QB in this class. The problem is I don’t really know why this is going to be my 3rd year doing mocks and while I like to think I have solid logic and reasoning for how I rank players most of the time sometimes I just have a gut feeling and right now (this could change as we get more information) I am confident that Landrum is the 2nd best QB in this class.

 

7-Seattle Seahawks: TE Taylor Allen, UCLA

I talked about it a lot last year but the Seahawks are a team that I think will be very scary in a couple years and it will be led by a really strong defense. Since it will take less time let’s not talk about who they have on defense that makes them so scary let’s instead talk about the only weaknesses on this defense. SS Daryl Dillon is a 66 overall at 27 he is not a long term solution but is someone that can fill that hole until they bring in a more long term solution. At DE the Seahawks just drafted Meyers Wilson in the 3rd round in the 2024 draft and while I think he will be a good DE long term they don’t have a good option to play on the other side of the line. The Seahawks have a couple other positions on defense that if you are looking 2 years down the road or longer should be addressed but in this draft I think it makes more sense to look at the offense especially if they are picking this early. Before I get into the Seahawks offense and what they need I have to shout out the GOAT, FB Chunky Nuno who will not be replaced in the draft. My first thought is that it would make sense to add to the O-line. I feel like the Seahawks have a pretty good O-line but could still use 1 more guy (2 if they don’t bring back Jacob Kerns who is on an expiring contract). WR is another position that makes a lot of sense, the Seahawks have needed WR for a bit as their top two WRs are 30 and 35 respectively. While the Seahawks did upgrade at WR last year grabbing Joe Edmunds in the 2nd round I wouldn’t be too surprised to see them take a WR again. The final position that I think this comes down to is TE since Kevin Black is 32 and they have absolutely nothing behind him. I think this pick is very dependent on a couple of factors and based on how the talent in the draft looks could even lead to them taking a guy like SS James Wilson or another top defensive player. I think TE is the most likely pick since not only do they play the role of both pass catcher and blocker which are the two things I feel like they could use most but also because that's the position that they need the most if you are looking towards the future. Obviously if they don’t like any of the top TE’s I think they go O-line because in the past 2 drafts they have found solid WRs outside of the 1st round and because of that they might not feel the need to take one this early. I think the way the Seahawks offense is built they are going to be running the pistol formation on offense so while no TE’s would get a malus they would prefer a vertical threat TE for a scheme fit bonus. I think the obvious pick here is TE Taylor Allen out of UCLA and this time he is the pick for real. Allen is a vertical threat which fits the Seahawks scheme but for me it comes down to the fact that I think he is the best TE in the draft. Allen is a great TE that I think would be a perfect addition to the Seahawk offense. Also expect them to take a WR at some point later in the draft because even getting a guy similar to Austin Duvernay-Tardif who they took in the 4th round in the 2023 around that same spot would be valuable even if it is just a depth guy since the Seahawks WR room isn’t that deep and 3 of their 7 WRs are on expiring contracts.

8-Minnesota Vikings: SS James Wilson, Old Dominion

The Vikings are a team that I think underperformed this past year and should have been better but picking so high gives them a chance to be set up even better for the future. The Vikings have a great WR room and while having a lot of QBs (like come on do they really need 6 QBs Bundy is looking like a Sub alt) the starter is Christian Sinnock without a question. While I usually wouldn’t recommend a team that had this bad of a season to do this I think the Vikings should re-sign all of their top guys that are on expiring contracts. As of now the Vikings have offered contract extensions to both starting DT Neil Henry which was a no-brainer and WR1 George Boone. I think they need to bring back starting ILB Gordon Wilburn as he is their best player and losing him would open a big hole in the middle of their defense. While I don’t think they need to do this I also think it could be a good idea to bring back CB2 Marcos Maldonado. The Vikings have a good amount of cap space and I think as the team develops more along with an impactful 5th overall pick they could be a team that makes the playoffs next year. Looking through their roster they do have two holes that if they want to bounce back and be competitive they have to improve those being FS and OT. Before I get into what they need, let me talk about some positions that I think they don’t need. ILB Gordon Wilburn is an amazing player on an expiring contract but outside of him they don’t have a good ILB room but since they have such a strong DT room as long as they can grab a semi decent backup in FA they should be fine. I say this a lot but if you want to compete you need to get a good kicker and that’s just what the Vikings need since the last thing you want is to be held back by a bad kicker. The Vikings could really use a good 2nd OLB but I think 2nd round pick last year Rasheed Downs is the guy and with development will be a good player for them not just next year but in the long run. I don’t think the Vikings have an amazing RB room but I think a committee of Aldrick Ynoa and Bene' Humber led by Milton Evans will be good enough for them. Lastly WR could use a little work but I expect the progression from that group to be enough for now. This is a team that I can see being competitive next year so I think bringing those top guys back along with spending a little bit of money in FA to secure depth and upgrade at K should be the plan for the offseason. Ok now let's get to what they do need at FS I just don’t think Marcell Cain or Auden Busenitz can cut it and with the 5th overall pick they have a chance to really grab a monster to make a very good secondary that much better. The Vikings have a very good O-line but I think grabbing one last O-lineman would be huge for them because I think Kenneth Beguhl is the kind of guy that if you can replace and don’t have other holes to fill you should. I think grabbing another OT is a luxury and I think the focus should be grabbing a FS and maybe you can grab one last O-lineman in FA or with one of your two picks early in the 2nd round. Now I am going to be honest the best senior FS I know of is Kyle Are from Tulane. As much as I love Kyle he is not a 1st round talent let alone someone that makes sense for the 5th overall pick. Now without a list of top players in front of me I instead found SS James Wilson from Old Dominion. The Vikings while not a hole could use a better SS as well and because Wilson is the best safety in the draft they take him. I have Wilson rated above fellow SS Darius Marby because of how much better he is at tackling and limiting plays that get through the middle of the field. With that said if the Vikings would rather have someone who is a bit worse in zone coverage but is better in man coverage and can make plays on the ball then Marby would be the choice here. I think at the end of the day the best SS in this class could come down to what you value more in a SS and if SS is the choice then the Vikings should either sign a journeyman to fill in for a short time or move current starting SS Kenneth Hankins across the field to FS. I am a believer that if you are moving positions around to allow a rookie to play without having to bench a better player it’s much better to have an older player move out of position. I would rather have a great SS be good next to a good SS than a good SS be a liability at FS next to a great SS and that goes for all talent levels where the rookie is worse than the vet.

9-Buffalo Bills: OT Nathan Hungalu, Alabama

The Bills are a better team than their record shows but even outside of a strong conference they didn’t live up to what I think they should have been this season. Compared to 7 of the 8 teams picking ahead of them (I already shared my thoughts on the Vikings) the Bills have a much higher floor so it gets a little harder to identify what they might be looking at. Last year I liked the idea of the Bills taking 2 O-linemen as their top 2 O-linemen are getting older and while they have a couple decent young guys I think they could still use at least 1 more guy for the future. I think OLB is a position of need but not something that makes sense. I really like Jourdan Conner and I do think that they can get a better player than Kyle Banjo to play the other side but I feel drafting an OLB would only make sense if they feel that they don’t have any other holes on their roster. I can also see the Bills wanting an ILB, DE, or RB all because their number one option is getting older and they could be looking for a long term replacement now. Personally I feel like O-line is the position they need most so that’s what I am going to have them pick. I don’t value position at O-line too much, I think if you can get it to line up that's great but if not I am perfectly fine with moving people around. I think the best O-lineman in the draft is OT Nathan Hungalu out of Alabama so that’s who the Bills pick at 9. Hungalu is an OT that can just play and that’s the only real notes I have about him. The Bills have a pretty balanced offense that leans a bit pass heavy so a balanced O-lineman like Hungalu works out very well for them. I think one of the bigger problems this pick has is the fact that the I think OT is the one position on the O-line that doesn’t need to be upgraded but not only do I think Hungalu is a better player long term than Marquez Allen (the Bills current 2nd OT) but they could shift veteran OT Ron Cubbage to OG and can even then shift veteran OG Louis Perez over to C if they want to upgrade at C more than OG. I would love to talk more but O-linemen are a hard position group to talk about because of the lack of information we have. Also big shoutout to Sweezy for answering my question of who he thought were the top two O-linemen entering the draft.

10-Indianapolis Colts: RB Nick Suarez, Washington

The Colts can use a lot here and obviously with a 34 year old at QB in Gary Freitag QB is always going to be part of the conversation and while I think with QB if you want or need someone you should go and grab them I don’t think that’s the best option for the Colts. I do think the Colts should take a QB but with Will Outman, Isaiah Lewis, Mike Hu, and Julian Longacre all available I think the best option may be to take a QB in the 2nd round and grab a different need here. I may be wrong but I don’t think all 4 of those QBs will be gone by the time the Colts pick again in the 2nd round and they can grab one of them there. I think that while the 4 QBs I mentioned are all great you can get a better player with the 10th pick and the Colts are a team that need to be smart with their value if they want to turn this team around quickly. If the Colts were to take a QB here I think it would be between Will Outman who I have ranked as the 3rd best QB in the draft and Isaiah Lewis who I have ranked as the 5th best QB in the draft but as a scrambler which looks to be the Colts preferred QB archetype would fit into the offense they have already been trying to build. I think the value combined with the fact that Lewis maybe isn’t their preferred QB but is a QB that I think would fit into the offense well and the Colts would be happy with makes getting a QB in the 2nd round a good idea. I can see the Colts going in pretty much any direction here because I can make arguments for and against drafting pretty much any position here and I think on draft day it might just come down to the best player available. I am going to have them take a RB because the offense is shaping up nicely and by adding a RB (and a QB later if they want to) it would really make their offense a unit that can win them some games next year and going forward can be a strong unit that the team relies on to be competitive. Vonte Knebel is the best RB in CFB but Nick Suarez gives him a bit of a run for his money. Suarez is a super balanced RB out of Washington that is great at finding holes and picking up yards consistently. Suarez had a really good season in 2023 where he wasn’t someone that was in the spotlight but 1,632 yards on 324 attempts (5.04 yards per carry) and 17 TDs with 59 catches on 76 targets 502 yards and 2 TDs as a receiver. In 2024 Suarez had a better season but his touches were cut in half with 826 yards on 146 attempts (5.66 yards per carry) and 10 TDs and 40 catches on 61 targets for 348 yards and 2 TDs as a receiver. Both of those season stats come after 12 games. I think that Suarez is someone that can really make a difference because throughout his career he will make teams respect the Colts run game which will make things so much easier on Elswick and like I keep saying if they can grab one of the top 6 QBs in the 2nd round I like how the Colts offense looks for the future.

11-New England Patriots: ILB Quadree Weatherly, Virginia Tech

The Patriots have a good amount of improvement to do but a look to the past shows that they have also already made a good amount of improvement, the Patriots are young but between picking WRs Matthew Cunningham and Danny Marond in the 2nd and 4th round in 2022 and Logan Njoku in the first round last year the Patriots have the groundwork for a good passing game in the near future. I think this pick ultimately comes down to what the FO thinks about QB Rashaan Lyons. Lyons is getting a little better each year but I think he is toeing the line of being a viable long term starter and a QB that will just never be good enough to get the job done. If the Patriots don’t think Lyons is the man for the job then they will take QB Julian Longacre out of USC as he is a pocket QB which is what the offense is currently being built around and start discussing players they might want to take with their next pick which is in the 3rd round. Now I think it’s close but I think Lyons can be the guy for the Patriots so let's look at what else they need. I think while the Patriots have a couple different needs this year nothing comes close to their need for LBs so I think it just comes down to who they think is the best LB still available. Now we have some pretty talented LBs entering the draft but I think the best LB available comes down to pass rush OLB Benardrick Goodwin out of LSU and field general ILB Quadree Weatherly out of Virginia Tech. I feel like Quadree is a better fit for the Patriots than Goodwin. The Patriots have established themselves as a team that isn’t going to bring a lot of pressure. The Patriots defense ranks 5th worst in both TFLs and sacks this season while still being a slightly below average defense ranking 11th worst in points allowed and 15th worst in yards allowed. The Patriots game plan seems to be to rush 3, have 3 LBs sit back, and have 5 guys in the secondary. Maybe this changes if the Patriots don’t re-sign CB Huey Ashe which I don’t think will happen but based on what I am seeing from their defense I don’t think a pass rush OLB would fit in as well as a field general ILB. The Patriots would have loved to get Austin Rosario but with him off the board they grab Weatherly who in my opinion is just a little bit worse than Rosario in almost every way. While that might not sound that exciting I think Rosario is an amazing player and the fact that Weatherly is right behind him in pretty much everything is a compliment. Weatherly is someone that can do anything you would want an ILB to do and that kind of gadget LB seems to be what the Patriots want most at that position. I also think the Patriots can elevate Weatherly’s game. With the Patriot’s strong secondary Weatherly, who already showed that he can rack up tackles having the 2nd most in the nation this season, could be someone we see really put up some big numbers. While Weatherly isn’t anything special when rushing the QB he is someone that will require some attention if he were to blitz which could help open things up for Miguel Peterson and the rest of the D-line if needed. Like I said earlier the Patriots have to be a bit bummed to miss out on Rosario but Weatherly is an amazing consolation prize that will be a perfect fit with the Patriots.

12-Tampa Bay Buccaneers: OG Frank Valdes-Scantling, Kansas State

At first I thought that the Buccaneers may have wanted to grab Weatherly as I thought they may have wanted to replace Patrick Cannady who at 34 is starting to get close to retirement but when I saw ILB David Stowell I felt like that was not going to be the case anymore. I think that makes OT the most likely position here as it feels like they just are 1 starter level/young promising O-lineman away from a complete O-line. I can also see the Bucs going with a variety of other positions to replace aging vets but I think that will only happen if a top player of that position falls here because OT is a position that would be upgraded both for next season and the future and not a position where the guy you draft is going to have to sit for at least 1 year first. I have the Buccaneers taking OG Frank Valdes-Scantling out of Kansas State. Valdes-Scantling is a balanced O-lineman that is better at run blocking and looking at the Bucs roster they seem to value run blockers more. This makes sense with Max Smith in the backfield but if for whatever reason the Bucs don’t re-sign Smith who is on an expiring contract his pass blocking while not as good is still great and can help out Gregory Taphorn and the passing game by giving them more time to operate. I will admit I am not super confident with this pick for the Bucs because they aren’t having any of their young O-linemen they drafted recently starting but I feel like this is the position that makes the most sense to address.

13-Baltimore Ravens: ILB Weston Shackelford, Alabama

Now we get to the Ravens who have such a smart and handsome and cool guy that everyone loves as the lead scout and now GM. I have never met the guy but this is all stuff I have heard from other people who have interacted with him in the sim. The Ravens are trying to compete now but have also built a very nice framework for the future. After working really hard on improving the offense in the past 3 drafts it’s clear that the focus with this pick and the draft as a whole is to get some promising young defenders. The Ravens main needs on defense are SS, OLB, ILB, CB with CB being a bit more of a depth need so it’s more likely they will target CB with their 2nd pick of the draft in the 3rd round. Now SS and LB are positions the Ravens had tried to improve on in the 2024 draft but they ended up going in different directions. Because of that this pick for the Ravens will probably come down to the best SS or LB available. I have the Ravens taking ILB Weston Shackelford out of Alabama due to his ability to stop the run and the fact that he can cover a large area of the field with his speed. The Ravens have a good young FS and a great CB1 which combined with the strong run game of the rest of their division makes it a good idea to build a defense that can stop the run. The Ravens have been using a revolving door of ILBs to fill that hole and by taking Shackelford here they get a guy who can add some stability to the position. Shackelford is a player that can really elevate a defense and is someone the Ravens would love to bring in to help deal with the previously mentioned strong run game of their division rivals. Now 3 years after the Raiders moved up to the 22nd pick of the draft to take ILB Brett Zunino while the Ravens were in talks to do the same, the Ravens finally get their ILB of the future.

14-Jacksonville Jaguars: DT Denver Litton, Wisconsin

Last year everyone was in agreement that the Jaguars needed CB help in the draft and after drafting a CB at pick 11, 31, and 56 I am happy to report the Jaguars don’t need to draft another CB for at least 1 full season. Despite drafting 3 CBs in the first 2 rounds last year the Jaguars did a great job of filling other holes on their team like ILB Kenny Daniel who was drafted 30th overall and even WR Trevor Wood who was drafted 43rd overall. With that said they still have a couple holes left and with 2 2nd’s and 3 3rd’s on top of their own 1st round pick I expect them to bring in some great players to fill these holes. I think the position the Jaguars will be looking at most is DT with Richard Smith being 33 and no great options ready behind him. Man I hate the Jaguars so much, this is now back to back years with clear directions in the draft and that isn’t fun. Because of this let’s look at what else they need and what positions they may look at drafting later in the 2nd and 3rd round. Despite drafting WRs Trevor Wood and Jordan Hicks last year with Christopher Richardson getting older and just because you can never go wrong with adding more weapons I wouldn’t be surprised to see them draft a WR with one of their 5 picks between the 2nd and 3rd round. TE is another option with an aging Michael Katz and I expect them to take one of or both a RB and a FS in the 3rd with the hope that they can bring in someone to eventually replace Michael Wade and Anthony Daniels who are both 28 and will be on the decline soon. The Jaguars have shown us that they can use an excess of picks to make some great additions and I expect the same this year even if it will almost certainly be to a lesser degree. Now on to their 1st round pick I have the Jaguars taking DT Denver Litton out of Wisconsin. Wisconsin had a very strong D-line this year with 2 A overall DTs and an A- overall DE and because of that none of them had a season that would really stand out to anyone but Denver Litton is the best DT in this draft. I doubt Litton falls this low in the draft but nobody really had a need for DT. No matter how or why it happened Litton fell to the Jaguars at 14 in this mock. Litton has an A+ in every attribute except for his B injury and his F stamina but when those are the only knocks on your game that is amazing. With F stamina Litton could be a very similar player to 8th overall pick in the 2024 draft Falcons DT Logan Lopez but hopefully Litton will have a better potential grade. I think Litton is a player you can’t go wrong with and even in this mock the Jaguars continue to draft extremely well.

15-New York Giants: RB Richaun Alsadek, Nebraska

I thought the Giants were going to be bad this year but despite only being 1-4 in their division at 7-7 they have really held their own. The Giants are in the NFC East which is an absolute powerhouse and while they don’t have many picks, with 2 picks in the 1st round (even if one is going to be at the very end of the round) they have a chance to get some impact players that can help them climb. I think this pick very clearly comes down to OLB where the only player they have over a 60 overall is 33 year old Robert Hoffman and RB where a 34 year old John Knighten is the only viable player in that room. The Giants are in a weird spot because even though they are a middle of the pack team they are still a good bit behind the other teams in their conference and with the amount of old players contributing it doesn’t feel sustainable. The Giants also have a good amount of expiring contracts with not enough cap space to pay everyone. I think the move for the Giants is to draft a RB here because Knighten for a number of reasons might not be with the Giants next year and Hoffman is much more likely to be on the team because if he doesn’t retire he is under contract. I also can see them wanting to draft a CB because even though they have 3 70+ overall CBs two of them are at the end of their contract. I think the offseason plan for the Giants should be to draft the best RB available with their 1st pick, the best OLB available with their 2nd pick which will be a late 1st rounder, and then draft the best CB available in the 2nd round to be your CB3/4 in the draft. They should spend the money to extend QB Lamar Johnson, WR Mathew Madden and let CB Charles Kling and RB John Knighten walk in FA. After that they can sit around until they pick again in the 5th round talking about how even though he doesn’t exist in this universe they aren’t going to pay Saquon. Now back to this pick unluckily for the Giants 2 RBs are already off the board so I have them taking Richaun Alsadek out of Nebraska. Alsadek is a RB that I think can fit into the Giants offense nicely because he is a do it all back just like Knighten is despite his archetype being power. Alsadek can go inside or outside and is able to hit holes consistently which is the reason he is so good. Alsadek dislocated his ankle around the end of the season and has missed a little bit of time but the team doctors reported that this injury should heal quickly and won’t affect his career at all.

16-Chicago Bears: DE Lyndon Hart, Texas State

Before we get to the Bears I just feel like more people need to know they have an OLB named Douglas Bingaman which is a name I love so much. With the Bears we start really getting into teams that are built to compete now and the holes become fewer and further between. Looking through the Bears I feel like they could draft a FS or a OLB to replace some important veterans like 32 year old FS Jerzy Redding and 33 year old OLB Douglas Bingaman but those are players that as of now are on the roster. I think the Bears will instead try to upgrade a position that doesn’t already have an obvious starter for next season on the roster and that is DE. The Bears are weak at DE and drafting one at 16 will give them at the absolute worst their 3rd best DE (barring any FA additions). I have the Bears taking DE Lyndon Hart out of Texas State and he should instantly be a starter because I don’t respect Andres Garcia. Hart is not the best DE available that would be Omarius Beasley out of Oklahoma but it looks like the Bears are running the 2-Gap formation on defense which uses run stoppers and with 3 of the 4 DEs on the Bears being run stoppers it’s fair to assume that’s the type of DE they want. Lyndon Hart is far from a slouch which he has shown by having both 2nd most sacks and the 2nd most TFLs in CFB which has really shown his dominance. Hart, as good as he is, just doesn’t measure up to some of the top DEs in the class in a couple key pass rush attributes. With that said he has them beat when it comes to stopping the run, bringing him pretty even with the other top DEs and making Hart the best DE in the draft for the Bears.

17-Las Vegas Raiders: DT Terry Kalis, FAU

The Raiders don’t really need to plug a hole at any position and have one or more replacements at almost every position that they have an aging vet so this narrows their likely targets down a bit. First of course QB James Hixon is 31 and they don’t have any kind of young replacement lined up for him. Maybe with only 2 QBs off the board the Raiders decide to grab someone to be their next franchise QB and have him sit for a couple of seasons but I don’t think that is the move especially with how close the Raiders are to a wild card spot I think they would be looking to make moves that get them closer to winning now. Next is SS with Jeffrey Cullum being 30 years old but his contract is expiring at the end of this year and the Raiders are already working to bring him back so as of now it doesn’t look like they are thinking of bringing in a young SS in the 1st round. Last is DT, Daniel Garrison is 34 and the DT’s behind him aren’t great so bringing in a DT can protect them from Garrison retiring and improve their depth a lot. I don’t see any position that the Raiders can bring in a new starter from the draft so bringing in a player who can make the team better when Garrison isn’t on the field is what I have them doing. DT Terry Kalis out of FAU is someone that will make the Raiders significantly better when Daniel Garrison has to go do any old person things in the middle of a game and is the biggest improvement they can make to their team in the draft. Kalis’ time at FAU with coach Herbert Kuykendall has damaged him a bit as he doesn’t have the strength or the run stopping ability that scouts were expecting him to develop but despite that Kalis is still the player scouts have been keeping their eyes on for the past 4 seasons ever since the young 5 star committed to FAU. 

18-Pittsburgh Steelers: ILB Wilton Pankey, USC

The Steelers are the last team in the lottery and I think for them this pick is pretty simple with it coming down to either ILB or O-line. I think you can make an argument either way but with the Steelers fighting for I think they would take an ILB over an O-lineman since they can be more impactful and they have their top 2 ILBs on expiring contracts. I am not super in love with this fit but I am giving the Steelers Wilton Pankey out of USC. Pankey is a speed ILB which will probably mean he will have a malus on the Steelers as the defense is built around DT Robert Berry who is a nose tackle. Every defensive scheme with a nose tackle bonus has a malus for speed ILBs and while they could not mind or even run a scheme that doesn’t give nose tackles a bonus I just feel like he doesn’t fit the team as much as I would like. With that being said I think Pankey is the best ILB available by a good margin and I think that ILB is the position that makes the most sense for them. Pankey is a great ILB that can do a lot and will be a good player in the NFL but like I said I feel like his skills just don’t fit what the Steelers need. With that said I don’t know of any other ILB that would make sense here. However I do think that even if he isn’t a perfect fit Pankey is a player that can make a big impact for the Steelers. Pankey’s best trait is his speed but on top of that he can really shut down the run and excel in coverage and while he lacks the sure tackling and strength that the Steelers expect of their ILBs I think he is good enough to still be a great player even if the fit is a bit awkward.

19-Los Angeles Chargers: OLB Benardrick Goodwin, LSU

The Chargers have an amazing young O-line group that along with veteran OG Ramon Diaz it may already be the best O-line in the league which is really scary when you think about what that O-line could look like in the future. The most fun pick possible for the Chargers would be to grab a RB that can really make the most of the aforementioned O-line. Two big problems prevent this from happening since with 3 RBs off the board already I don’t think any of the RBs still available would be worth drafting at 19 and the Chargers can use help at other positions a bit more. Maybe if the Chargers really bottomed out and had the chance they would ignore their bigger needs and take Vonte Knebel or to a lesser extent Nick Suarez or Richaun Alsadek which is fun to think about but with them being right in the battle for a wild card spot those all seem pretty unlikely. The Chargers made 16 picks in the 2024 draft so while they can still use a bit of help at a couple of positions I don’t think they will be running to draft a DE even if it is still a bit of a need because they drafted James McKinnon 12th overall last year. So if we look at the Chargers biggest needs and take away positions that they have just recently invested highly in improving we are left with FS and OLB as the two options. I could be wrong here but to me it looks like they want to run the Old School Front 7 scheme because they lack a good CB3 and 4, they just drafted a DT in the 2nd round last year despite having an 80 overall DT in his prime already on the roster in Jesus Gonzalez, and they have 2 ILBs that I think are worth starting in Nathan Burke and Christopher Pratt. With the old school front 7 being a defense that is effective at stopping the run I can understand why you might want to bring in a FS since the secondary needs to be top tier to stop good passing attacks but for that exact reason I think they should draft an OLB instead of a FS. I have said it a couple of times but I could be unaware of some top players and that could be the case at FS but as far as I know of there is not a FS in this draft I would be comfortable starting in this defense and because of that I think drafting an OLB who can make the run defense even stronger is the better move for the Chargers. I think the Chargers are best off signing or even trading for a FS that is experienced that they know they can trust to play at the high level they need him to. Now getting to who they take is another reason I feel that OLB is the right move because OLB Benardrick Goodwin out of LSU is not only an amazing player but a fit that I love. Goodwin isn’t a top tier run stopper but he is still very good, he has the flexibility to rush off the edge, and while far from elite in coverage he can hold his own. Goodwin probably won’t be someone you love to lean on to cover but the point is he is versatile which is something you want from your LBs if you want to run the old school front 7.

20-Philadelphia Eagles: OG Casey Hatcher, Western Kentucky

The Eagles are always the easiest and hardest team to mock because they have a very strict philosophy for the players they bring in. The Eagles value scheme fit a lot and are not shy to take a less talented player if it means bringing in someone that fits into their plan and what they are trying to do and this makes it really easy to see which players they would even bringing onto the team and which players they wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole. They are also pretty difficult to mock because not only are they ok with taking players that are flying under the radar that I or others may miss, they then turn them into really good players. So before we get into what positions they may need it’s important to identify what schemes are the Eagles running. On offense starting QB Aaron Pool is the starter but both backup QBs are pocket QBs including Andrew Moncrief who they just picked in the 4th round of the 2024 draft and that tells me the offensive scheme the Eagles run has a bonus for pocket QBs (this is because they would want their backups to get as much of a boost as possible when they play) and does not have a malus for scrambling QBs. We have now narrowed the Eagles offensive scheme down from 12 to 1 and that scheme is pistol (this 100% is not a secret and has probably been mentioned multiple times but I don’t pay attention). You can tell that is right because only 2 of their 8 WRs don’t match the route runner or possession archetype that gives them a bonus and none of their players would have a malus. Defense will be a bit harder 4 of their 5 DEs are run stoppers and 3 of their 4 DTs are nose tackles with the last one in both positions being balanced meaning that the scheme they run won’t have a malus for run stopper DEs or nose tackles DTs. 4 of the Eagles 5 OLBs are pass rushers so we know the scheme won’t have a pass rush OLB malus either and with only 1 DT being starting caliber we can assume that the scheme for the most part only uses 1 DT. Lastly 2 of the Eagles 4 ILBs are coverage guys with them being the two newest additions of the group and one of them being 1st round pick in the 2023 draft Christian Palardy. Now on top of the fact that players who were just recently brought in are more likely to fit the scheme they are trying to use than players that have been with the team the Eagles would not use a 1st round pick on a player that doesn’t fit the scheme. I realized I have talked about this for way too long and at this point I am not deleting it so long story short on defense they are running the 3-man Front Spread Stopper. Looking through the Eagles roster while the CB room needs improvement the Eagles have drafted a CB in the 2nd round 2 years in a row so I think they are just going to let them develop. This pick would almost 100% be to bring in an O-lineman with OT Kenneth Draper being 34 and only being under contract for 1 more year once this season ends Western Kentucky OG Casey Hatcher makes a ton of sense. 

 

Spoiler

20-Philadelphia Eagles: QB Julian Longacre, USC

With that being said Aaron Poole is 32 years old and he has not been able to truly lead this Eagles offense which is why they drafted Andrew Moncrief in the 4th round last year, but in this draft with Julian Longacre being on the board combined with the fear of being good enough to make the playoffs but always being behind the divisions top teams in Dallas and Washington the Eagles take the QB out of USC. Longacre is a scheme fit and while it may be unrealistic for him to fall this far I just don’t see any teams before this pick drafting a QB that I don’t have already. I think the logic for this is very sound with the Eagles being a wild card team that will only get better each year as the young players they have develop more it’s almost 100% certain they won’t be in a position to take a QB of this caliber for a while. Because of that they bring in Longacre because they feel that Poole can’t take them over the hump and Moncrief is too far away from being able to lead the team where they want to go. I know rookie QBs don’t have a great track record but if any team can make one work it’s the Eagles since their team is built to drop a pocket QB into it. If the Eagles draft Longacre it will be the best situation a rookie QB has come into in sim history and probably will be for a long long time.

 

21-Detroit Lions: ILB Travis Cravens, TCU

The Lions are a team that has impressed and I can beat around the bush but you just need to look at their roster for 3 seconds to tell that they are going to take a LB. The Lions have 4 ILBs and the best long term player is 58 overall Ryan Hicks because he is 24 and not 26 or 29 like the 3 other ILBs on the team who are 60 overall. At OLB the Lions have 76 overall William Edwards who is 32, 67 overall Alan Thompson who is 35, and 65 overall Darryl Gregory who is 27. The Lions need to think of the future at OLB but more so than that the Lions desperately need pretty much anyone with a pulse to play ILB making that the position they look to draft here. I think Ryan Hicks can be a solid ILB but they need more than what he can offer right now but with 4 ILBs off the board already in this mock the talent at ILB is thinning out. I think in most cases I would look to draft a different position but the Lions need ILB so badly and since I am not having trades in this mock the Lions have to reach further down the board. So I have the Lions drafting to take ILB Travis Cravens out of TCU. If I am right about the Lions running 3-man front spread stopper then Cravens will get a malus for bad scheme fit in the Lions scheme I just don’t think I can have them reach even more for a LB so they take Cravens and live with the malus they will have while using him. Cravens is an old school ILB he’s great at stopping the run and gives the Lions something they don’t have on their roster and that’s a bruiser. The Lions have allowed the 4th fewest rushing yards in the NFL but that is from the strength of their D-line but with Cravens the Lions defense could change their identity a bit and with OLB William Edwards contract expiring this is the perfect time to do it. Darryl Gregory is the only pass rush OLB on the Lions roster going into next season so they might be willing to bring in OLBs that can play a more well rounded game and a CB to give them a better CB3 so that they can improve their pass defense which was average allowing the 15th most passing yards. At the same time I can see the Lions hating that idea because their defense this year has allowed the 9th least yards and the 12th least points in the NFL showing that what they are doing now is working out pretty well for them. I think at the end of the day this pick might not be worth making if the draft shakes out this way but since I am not doing trades that is a way that they might be able to move forward if they were forced to make a pick here.

22-Carolina Panthers via New York Jets: SS Darius Mabry, Coastal Carolina

The Carolina Panthers are a team I always look forward to talking about because in the inaugural season they decided that they just couldn’t compete and sold off all the valuable players on their team for picks. Fast forward a couple years and for the first time they don’t have a ton of picks in the draft but instead have a ton of young talent on their roster and look to be a team that will be competitive for the foreseeable future. In 2023 the Panthers made 4 first round picks and then made another 3 first round picks last year in 2024 this year the Panthers have 2 1st round picks and then will go back to being a normal team with a normal amount of first round picks for good. Now getting to what the Panthers might want to do with 6 picks in this draft I would be surprised if 2 or more of them are for the offense as they have built that side of the ball up really well and they will not draft an offensive player in the first round. Now on defense the Panthers drafted a stud D-lineman with the 5th overall pick in both 2023 and 2024 and since this is pick 22 and not pick 5 they will not draft a D-lineman. The Panthers CB room has some nice depth but they don’t really have a go to CB2 and taking the first CB of the draft could really get them an impact player and while I think that’s a possibility I think with them having a good amount of replacement level guys at CB and 2 young CBs that is a bit unlikely. With that said I would not be surprised to see them take a CB in the 2nd round as they should still be able to get an impactful player at a position of relative need which is not something I think they can do at any other position. I think the biggest need for the Panthers is ILB with Mark Keesey being 33 and OLB because they just don’t have any good OLBs. SS is a position I would expect them to have their eye on next season as it’s not really a huge need but is a position they could improve. The best OLB available is Chi Chi Colome out of UNC but he would not be a good fit with the Panthers because they seem to prefer OLBs who can be effective at stopping the run and Colome just doesn’t have the size to do that and none of the other OLBs that are worth taking with this pick fit the Panthers defense. Now the Panthers could take an ILB but I am not in love with the options available so I have them take SS Darius Mabry out of Coastal Carolina. Mabry hasn’t really impressed on the stat sheet but the stats don’t show the full story with Mabry and joining a talented Panthers roster he may finally be able to put up the numbers to match the talent he has. Mabry is the prototypical ball hawk safety, he is quick and agile and can match up in either man or zone with elite hands. I think the Panthers bringing in Mabry to pair up with Zack Trawick and Andrzej Harris is something that should scare QBs all over the league especially with how good the Panthers D-line is. Mabry’s ball hawk abilities give the Panthers a big play threat on defense and is a great addition to the Panthers who have allowed the 7th most passing yards in the league.

23-Cleveland Browns: CB Bobby Gonzalez, Old Dominion 

The Browns are a team that is really fighting to be competitive and you can tell that by looking at their roster. The Browns have a good amount of young talent scattered around the roster but when you look at the roster it’s very clear that half of the starters won’t be playing for the Browns in 3 years. The Browns feel like they are so close to being one of the league's top teams but just need a little bit more but with a good portion of their starters being right around 30 years old it feels like they are in a race against the clock to compete before having to bring in a new QB and replace many other stars. One option is to sell and take a QB here but I think this team is close enough to continue pushing and because of that I am going to have them draft a CB. I think a SS would make more sense for the Browns here because with Kolton Hayes and Isaiah Williams on the roster already a SS would be more impactful past the end of this push but the top CB available Bobby Gonzalez out of Old Dominion is just a much better player than the top SS available Brandon Ioannidis out of Florida State and I feel like Gonzalez will make more of an impact. I think at the end of the day the Browns should just try and get whoever they think will be able to play the most because even a tiny bit of an improvement over the current starter at any position is better than the guy you drafted sitting on the bench when you need just a little bit more to take you over the hump.

24-Dallas Cowboys: SS Brandon Ioannidis, Florida State

The Cowboys are one of the top teams in the league but thanks to the Commanders they can’t even call themselves the best team in the NFC East. The Cowboys need to capitalize in the draft not only to try and surpass the Commanders as the best team in the NFC East but with the Giants and Eagles also being competitive a bad draft could see their standing in the division fall. The Cowboys don’t have to think too hard about this pick; they don’t have any holes on their roster but SS is the only position that the starter is below a 65 overall and we can’t have that. The Cowboys select SS Brandon Ioannidis out of Florida State. The Cowboys have one of the best defense in the league allowing the 3rd least total yards and points so adding a player like Ioannidis is a move that might seem like a bit overkill but with this pick the Cowboys get a player to potentially replace their lowest rated starter which I think is the best move they can make. The rich get richer and the Cowboys have to be happy with this pick.

25-Kansas City Chiefs via Tennessee Titans: ILB David Mejri, Missouri

With the Chiefs back on the clock and after grabbing DE Jalen Jones out of UNC with the 4th pick of the draft they look to continue building that defense. With 5 more picks coming up in the 2nd and 3rd round I would expect the Chiefs to bring in a CB at some point even if it is as late as the 7th round because despite having a great CB1 and 2 they have absolutely nothing behind them. With their first pick I said outside of DT they should take the best defensive player available and I think the mentality with the 25th pick should be the same thing except I won’t forget to mention as long as it’s not a CB either. Unfortunately for the Chiefs the next 3 top defensive players that come to mind for me are all DEs, those being in order Elfrid Putkonen from Kansas State, Malcolm Kahnle from TCU, and Freddy Gervacio from Tulsa. I think they should take the best defensive player available but I think that it would be best to try and spread the talent out more by not taking another D-lineman. I think ILB Weston Shackelford out of Alabama would have been a good fit but with the amount of teams that can use ILB I just don’t see any way he falls to this pick. It gets a bit hard to compare positions and archetypes sometimes so I came back with who I think is the best player available for the Chiefs and that is ILB David Mejri out of Missouri. First I do think ILB is the most important position to bring in if all things are equal when rebuilding a defense and that is because they do a bit of everything by defending the run, pass rush when told to blitz, and play coverage. Because of that and since this defense needs a lot I wanted to find a player that was balanced and can be impactful no matter what offenses run against him and no matter what defense he is in. This meant a guy like Chi Chi Colome who is really good wasn’t valued as much since he is not good at run stop or pass rush. Mejri could end up being really bad but I think he has a good mix of everything and that can lead to him being a great addition for the Chiefs.

26-Carolina Panthers: OLB Chi Chi Colome, UNC

At pick 22 I had the Panthers grab a stud SS in Darius Mabry because the best ILBs available were not good enough to make sense drafting and the top OLB didn’t fit their scheme. Now at pick 26 ILB and OLB are their biggest needs and I think the Panthers decide that despite not being a great fit they can’t pass up on a player as talented as OLB Chi Chi Colome at such a big position of need. The Panthers bite the bullet on a pick that I bet would leave the front office with mixed emotions because while you love to get a player of Colome’s level at such a big position of need you do have to wonder how Colome’s career will pan out if the Panthers continue to run a scheme that is opposed to the type of player he is. The Panthers like their LBs to be able to stop the run and if they can play coverage it’s a nice bonus and Colome’s run defense is only slightly above the average of all college players. Colome is fast and can cover decently well and is also a great tackler but with how bad of a run defender he is I honestly have no clue how he will perform in the Panthers defense.

27-Miami Dolphins: OLB Chandler Lamb BYU

The Dolphins have a couple positions that I think make sense to address either because they don’t have any strong starters or because of the current starter getting older. The O-line is one of the most obvious ones, the Dolphins have a strong O-line but with the two best members of the line on expiring contracts and both being 32+ they could really benefit from drafting one here. I think the Dolphins should bring in an O-lineman but because of the nature of O-linemen and that limiting what I can talk about I want to go in a different direction with this pick. Next is SS with Robert Yellowhair being 34 and in the last year of his deal this is another position that would make sense to draft but with Ioannidis off the board I don’t see any SS that I would be ok drafting in the 1st round. OLB Jacob Wiseman is starting to get older but I think the Dolphins can benefit from bringing in another OLB even if they may not use it much due to the scheme they run and while they would have loved to bring in Chi Chi Colome he comes off the board with the previous pick. Instead the Dolphins draft Chandler Lamb from BYU, a pass rush OLB who can learn and develop across from Wiseman. The Dolphins don’t use a 2nd OLB that much with their scheme but I think bringing in Chandler Lamb who can line up on the D-line from time to time can open up their defense more and allow them to have more options on how to deal with any given offense. I can see why the Dolphins wouldn’t want to go this direction in the draft because Lamb would be worse by a bit in several attributes than the current OLB2 but the with the O-line pick being the path that makes sense and is pretty clear path forward I thought it would be nice to explore a bit of an alternate approach.

28-Green Bay Packers: DE Malcolm Kahnle, TCU

The Packers are another team that had a good draft last year and they are now one of the top teams in the league with almost no holes on their roster. The first thing that jumped out at me when looking at the Packers was a massive hole on the D-line. DE Roy Cali is a monster and DT Manuel Harris is great but to finish off a powerful D-line they have nothing. The Packers need to get someone who can bookend the other side of this D-line. Other than that the Packers have a great team with no real big problems coming up with having to replace anyone. Luckily for the Packers 3 really good DE’s are still on the board who can slot into the team next season to give them a nice boost. I have the Packers drafting Malcolm Kahnle out of TCU over Omarius Beasley from Oklahoma because as a speed rusher Beasley would get a malus in the Packers defensive scheme but who knows maybe they just can’t pass up on Beasley with him being the better talent and decide to either changes schemes or just live with the malus. Either way in this mock the Packers get a monster in Kahnle that will terrorize O-lines in both the run and pass game. Kahnle and Cali would combine to give the Packers an amazing D-line even without Harris so I am sure the idea of taking a DE of Kahnle’s level is something they have been dreaming of. Kahnle has been criticized for being a bit slower and weaker than some of the other top DE’s but his technique in getting off blocks in both the run and pass game as well as his technique when tackling is amazing. Scouts have also really been impressed by how light he is on his feet and his deep understanding of the game and his role in it. Kahnle’s technique throughout all aspects of the game, his impressive football IQ, and his agility has been enough to make him one of the top DEs in this draft class despite him falling short of the other top DEs physically.

29-Washington Commanders via Cincinnati Bengals: WR Josh Gaudin, Notre Dame

The Commanders are very good. The Commanders don’t need anything. With that award winning roster analysis out of the way the Commanders kinda need WR since they only have 3 under contract for next season. Josh Gaudin out of Notre Dame is the best WR available so the Commanders draft him and he will have the privilege of never touching the field for them. I expect Gaudin to make some big contributions because his vibes above replacement (VAB) are some of the best we have ever seen and he has shown some elite dap up skills. If Gaudin really wants to make it he needs to work on his pass water game since it’s a bit shaky but the fundamentals are in place. Gaudin is a great player and he should be ready to sit on the end of the bench on day 1. All jokes aside Gaudin is a great player and even if he won’t see playing time for the Commanders to have him as a depth WR is insane and a testament to just how good the Commanders are with a talent like this being a depth WR is the most impactful player they can draft with this pick.

30-Los Angeles Rams: OG Casey Hatcher, Western Kentucky

The Rams are one of the top teams in the league but a gap still exists between them and that top spot. The biggest hole on the Rams roster is SS but with 3 of them off the board already they instead pivot to O-line which is by far the position that deserves the 2nd most attention. The Rams could benefit from getting a 5th star O-lineman but I think what makes the O-line so important is the age of the Rams starting O-line. The Rams current starting O-line by age is 30 years old 33 years old 27 years old 31 years old 32 years old. The Ram’s O-line is getting old and I think the Rams need to start getting replacements ready. Casey Hatcher out of Western Kentucky is the best O-lineman on the board and with him playing OG it will be easy for the vets to move around depending on which position needs to be filled. At the end of the day even if Hatcher doesn’t start for the Rams immediately he is a great player and is a great way to start rebuilding a position group that is not getting any younger.

31-New York Giants via Denver Broncos: ILB Rashaan Sanchez, Cincinnati

With the 15th pick the Giants took a RB and I said that with their 2nd pick of the draft they should take the best OLB. Between the Giants drafting at 15 and now all of the top 3 OLBs have been drafted, but I stand by the fact that OLB is the most important position for them with this pick. Ok I have to admit something before I can get to the pick. I spent like a good 30 minutes looking at the Giants defense trying to figure out what scheme they are trying to run and it broke me. I could be completely wrong but I think they are running the old school front 7 scheme on defense which means while they would prefer a run stopper OLB as long as it’s not a coverage one they are chilling. The best OLB I could find available is Steve Thuney who is not someone that should be taken with the 31st pick in the draft so instead I have the Giants taking ILB Rashaan Sanchez out of Cincinnati because he’s a run stop ILB who can transition to OLB for the Giants. It’s not ideal but this is the best way for them to upgrade at OLB with what is available. Sanchez will be a great run stopper especially for a OLB and while his coverage will be bad limiting him a little since the Giant’s scheme doesn’t value coverage at the LB position that much this tradeoff is worth it for them. Sanchez is not great but with limited options at the position available and really needing to just get something this is the best pick for them.

32-Arizona Cardinals via Washington Commanders: DE Omarius Beasley, Oklahoma

The Cardinals started the first round and then will also end it in what would be their first of two picks in a row but I am not doing a 2nd round in this mock. The Cardinals already took QB Travis Knebel and have secured their franchise QB. Now the Cardinals have to actually put a NFL roster around him. The Cardinals need a lot so I am only going to mention the positions I feel they need even more so than everything else. The Cardinals DE room desperately needs some more talent but they just drafted Kendall Dunn in the 2nd round last year and the Cardinals might have the worst O-line in the NFL with it being a group that desperately needs some help. I think while O-line is needed more the Cardinals need to just bring in the best young players they can get their hands on and because of that I am having them draft DE Omarius Beasley out of Oklahoma since he is the best player available. Beasley is an absolute monster and instantly makes the Cardinals D-line a lot better. Beasley is a player that you can build your defense around and I think a player like him can set the culture for the Cardinals as he is someone that can just dominate and overpower his opponents. Beasley is one of the top DEs in every skill in this class and would be DE1 in most draft classes but because of UNC’s Jalen Jones and the other two teams who need DE running schemes that punish speed rushers he falls to the end of the first round and is the 4th DE drafted. I doubt we see him fall this far in the draft as a team who needs DE who I have taking a position I feel is a bigger need will very likely take him if he is available because of his pure skill. With that said that’s not how I do my mocks especially before while attributes are still using the CFB scale so the Cardinals get the steal of the draft to end the first round.

No pick-Cincinnati Bengals: ILB Robertson Moore, Western Michigan

The Bengals are a very talented team but are being held back because of a very weak LB room. The Bengals would love to bring in an OLB who can really dominate and take them to the next level but with no picks in the first round they miss out on their chance. While he will probably be gone by the time they pick in the 2nd round out of all the players left on the board I would have the Bengals take ILB Robertson Moore out of Western Michigan. Moore is a really fast LB but other than that he doesn’t have a specialization instead being able to do a bit of everything. I think Moore can make an impact just because the skill set he can bring to the team is so diverse that if you choose to play him at OLB gives you something other than the pure pass rushers the Bengals currently have in place.

No pick-Denver Broncos: OLB Joshua Bacon, Missouri

Now the best player available for the Broncos 100% won’t be available when they pick again but we are doing it anyway. The Broncos are one of the top 3 teams in the league and while they can’t grab anyone let's pretend they could draft a player here that could solidify them as the top team in the NFL. The Broncos also need an OLB but since they seem to be ok with coverage OLBs they actually will get an OLB here. If the Broncos had a pick here I would have them take OLB Joshua Bacon out of Missouri because he is the best OLB left in the draft and of all the top coverage OLBs he has the best run defense. Bacon can cover the pass and play the run making him an effective player that I feel would really improve the Broncos roster. Side note you should 100% feel bad if your college team wasn’t mentioned in this since two players from Missouri were mentioned.

No pick-Tennessee Titans: ILB Jevon Majewski, Middle Tennessee

We finish this up with the Titans who don’t pick until the end of the 2nd round. The Titans can go a couple different directions and while the best player available is a DE even with their two starters getting close to retirement it’s not a position they really need since Tommy Marimon is developing really well. Just like half the teams in the league the Titans need help at LB and funnily enough the player who I said would have gone to the Bengals if they had a pick at the end of the first round would be the perfect fit for the Titans. Too bad they're behind them alphabetically and can’t get him in the hypothetical scenario in my fake draft. Of the remaining players I think the Titans would be best off with ILB Jevon Majewski out of Middle Tennessee. Majewski is similar to Moore who I had just mentioned except he’s better because for some reason I didn’t find this guy until after I wrote Moores. Since these aren’t even real picks I am not changing it but the Titans I think need to improve their OLB and I think a speed OLB would work best for them. With that said I have a lot of speed ILBs ranked above the speed OLBs. Majewski is someone who can have the same impact that James Ward had for the Titans this year but being 5 years younger would be a big upgrade for the Titans.

 

No pick-New York Jets: OT Rodney Ladler, New Mexico

The Jet's only have 2 picks in this year's draft with them both being in the 3rd round but don't forget about them (I give a very obvious wink to the camera) because they have actually been pretty good. After pissing me off throughout the draft process by making way too many trades ruining my mock I won't have to worry about the Jets at all this year but I do want to just congratulate the Jets front office for a very impressive turn around. This time last year the Jets had the first overall pick and seemingly had no future now they are in a wild card spot and just today clenched a winning record. What the Panthers did in year one of the sim selling everything off and banking on their ability to build a team up with draft picks and following through on that stood as the most impressive moment in SimNFL. The Jets FO took a team that had no direction coming off a terrible season and new owner Spoof comes in and in year one uses the value of that first round pick among other picks to build a team that is now one win away from clinching a playoff spot and rightfully should be talked about in the same way that we talk about what Carolina did. Now if the Jets did have a draft pick here O-line is what immediately comes to mind for what they could use. The Jet's O-line is a big part of their success but with only $21 million in cap space and 3 O-linemen on expiring contracts a cheap rookie would make sense. I also want to mention the Jet's best WR Donald Galligan is on an expiring contract and while I think they can use an upgrade at WR I think this position is strong enough that they can let Galligan walk and don't need to bring in any player to replace him. Now if the Jets can trade up to get a pick here they have options. I think the Jets can either extend 2 of the O-linemen on expiring deals and have OT Tyson Serigne step up and be a starter and draft a different position, do that but draft an O-lineman to fill the final spot instead of Serigne, or extend one O-lineman draft an O-lineman here and have Serigne become a starter. I don't think the Jets can afford to bring back all 3 O-linemen but even if they could it comes down to either them taking an O-lineman or a different position. I think if the Jet's were to draft a position other than O-line here it would be CB is missing a true number one option with only one player that could possibly develop into a CB1. The 2nd best CB in the draft is Brian Ciuffo out of Troy he is great in zone can hold his own in man and has better hands than most of the non ball hawk CBs in this draft class Ciuffo is a great CB but because the amount of CBs the Jets have and the fact that he would come in being a lower overall than the 5 of the Jets CBs even if it's not by much is why I have the Jets not taking him. I have the Jets taking OT Rodney Ladler out of New Mexico because I feel like even though he would be worse than 3 non-starters on the O-line he has more to offer as a rookie and the money saved by not extending the veteran O-linemen can be used to upgrade the team in other areas leading to more improvement then you can get by just picking a CB.

My next mock won’t come into the offseason but one thing that I will be working on to improve is taking a closer look at WR rooms and being more critical. Maybe it’s the state of the league or maybe I'm too easy on WR groups that need help but I just didn’t talk about WR a lot in this mock. I am pretty conservative on the draft position of WRs because with the amount of good WRs that come out every year I think teams can afford to wait a bit to take a WR but even with that I usually can tell which teams should look to grab a WR at some point in the draft and that’s not something I saw a lot of teams needing to do. Any other suggestions or critiques on the draft are welcome and much appreciated.

Edited August 12 by kgreene829

[Piercewise1]

Nice mock!

If Bobby Gonzalez is still there at #23 I will be hauling ass to the podium.

[kgreene829]

Thanks also I really doubt he falls that far but it's way too early for me to and we have way too little information for me to have a team pick a player just because he is falling too far.

[Sarge]

It's so wild to see only 3 quarterbacks going in the first and two theoretically being drafted behind entrenched starters. This is the year to get your franchise quarterback imo because there's 4-5 absolute studs and QB is going to either go on a run at the top of the first or there will be incredible value in the second.

[SageBow]

Awesome article. I think its likely we go offense since we went R1 Defense the last three years. Both the OL or QB pick make sense with old guys at both positions. Still lots of football to be played and extensions to be done. Great job Kgreene