With under 24 hours until the first round of the NFL Draft, here’s how I see tonight going:
1. Tennessee selects Cam Ward, QB, Miami
The Titans hope Ward will bring them into the club of AFC elites with young, physically gifted QBs.
2. Cleveland selects Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
Cleveland addresses two needs at once with who many consider to be the best prospect in the class.
3. NY Giants selects Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
Carter is simply too good to pass up no matter the current EDGE roster.
4. New England selects Will Campbell, OL, LSU
Their need for offensive line help unfortunately backs them into a corner - luckily many think Campbell will be a great leader and player for a long time.
5. Jacksonville selects Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Now the draft really begins!
For me, this pick comes down to whether you think they’ll stay and pick (Jeanty?) or trade out (McMillan, Grant). I don’t want to bet on teams moving up this year so Jeanty is who I’m (reluctantly) going with.
6. Las Vegas selects Jalon Walker, OLB, Georgia
Spytek comes from a TB front office which invested heavily, over and over again in front 7 players early in the draft. Logic says Membou but my gut says they have Banks over him. Walker is a culture-setter and has the upside to be an elite EDGE.
7. NY Jets selects Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
A very hard pick to project but at the end of the day, this is more about the Jets being Warren’s mostly likely landing spot than the other way around.
8. Las Vegas trades for the pick and selects Kelvin Banks, OL, Texas
I’m so convinced Banks is over Membou that I think the Raiders could orchestrate a 2023-Texans and get both him and Walker.
9. New Orleans selects Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
Membou slips through the cracks and NO is the first team I’m confident has him over Banks.
10. Chicago selects Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
Graham’s “fall” ends here - I’d like to think Chicago knows there’s a good chance someone ends up in their lap (Warren, Membou, Graham, etc) and don’t feel the need to trade up for Jeanty.
11. San Francisco selects Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
The Niners are a hard team to project but history would say they don’t shy away from addressing DL when required. Nolan is most reminiscent of their type but its very hard with this time.
12. Dallas selects Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
The Cowboys take a playmaker to pair with Lamb - this pick just makes a lot of sense.
13. Miami selects Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Miami is being linked to other DL prospects, but I think Grant is going early and I don’t see why not here. This team has needs all over though and I think they’d love Banks if he falls, or could trade back for a Barron, Emmanwori or Starks.
14. Indianapolis selects Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
The Colts’ prayers are answered as a premier TE falls to a team in desperate need of one.
15. Atlanta selects Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
Stewart could go much earlier but Atlanta feels likely to take the best EDGE available.
16. Arizona selects Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
Trenches are also firmly in play but Barron is a great prospect who apparently is going earlier than we think.
17. Cincinnati selects Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
Emmanwori feels like a Bengal or a Packer - nothing to base that off, just my feel of the type of guys they like. Here, I have the Bengals taking him.
18. Seattle selects Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
Honestly, I don’t think this will happen because Schneider doesn’t like taking guard early but predicting Seattle is always a mess, and this is one of Zabel’s more logical spots.
19. Tampa Bay selects Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
If he makes it here, it would seem silly for TB to pass on a LB as good as Campbell.
20. Denver selects Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
I think Hampton is going round 1 and Denver makes sense as a landing spot given their RB room currently.
21. Pittsburgh selects Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
This guy has Steeler written all over him, the only concern is this new injury scare with Harmon. Also risking they don’t just take Shadeur here.
22. LA Chargers selects Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
There is a very real chance Johnson slips out of the first but here, I have his former coach overlooking his lack of speed and injury concerns.
23. Green Bay selects Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
Hairston could go many places in the 20s but he exactly matches what the Packers look for in corners.
24-32 is a combination of landing spots that make sense and teams who I think could trade back into the first to take their guys:
24. New Orleans trades for the pick and selects Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
25. Houston selects Tyler Booker, OL, Alabama
26. Dallas trades for the pick and selects Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
27. Baltimore selects Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
28. Tampa Bay trades for the pick and selects Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
29. Washington selects Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
30. Cincinnati trades for the pick and selects Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
31. Arizona trades for the pick and selects Josh Simmons, OL, Ohio State
32. Atlanta trades for the pick and selects James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
Just missed the cut: Josh Conerly, Shadeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Donovan Jackson, JT Tuimoloau, Shavon Revel, Trey Amos.