Tea college all star games are underway, which means it’s officially draft season. You know what comes with draft season: mock drafts. Here’s a brand new one for you lovely readers that will lead you into a healthy debate without name calling. Let’s face it, none of us have a crystal ball. I’m just trying to play out some scenarios and see what happens.
Tea Bears might as well trade this pick, but they’re not doing it here because this mock draft doesn’t predict trades. they keep justin fields and add a potential All-Pro defensive tackle in Georgia’s Jalen Carter. The Bears need to add some top-tier talent to their roster and Carter certainly has a chance to be that.
Houston has its head coach, now it has a quarterback to match up with Meco Ryans. Stroud is coming off his game of a lifetime against Georgia in the College Football Playoff and has the chops to become the next franchise quarterback in Houston.
The Cardinals just need to take either Jalen Carter or Will Anderson that is available in their pick. Anderson drops to 3 and heads to Arizona to try to help fix the pass rush.
Jim Irsay hasn’t made a public decision on the Colts’ coaching search, but whoever they hire will need a quarterback. Bryce Young is concerned about his size, but he checks almost every other box a quarterback needs.
Seattle takes advantage of the russell wilson trade here by taking a supremely athletic running back in Tyree Wilson who can bolster an already impressive core of young defensive talent. Wilson should gain a lot of popularity once he blows up the NFL combine.
Christian Gonzalez is a hot name right now and he fits what the Lions need: anyone who has the potential to be a positive pass defender at the net. Gonzalez and jeff okudah it would give the Lions a better chance of not having a comically bad defense at the start of next year.
Derek Carr is almost gone from the Raiders, leaving a huge void for them at quarterback. With tom brady headed into retirementthe Raiders will likely have to sign a new quarterback via the draft.
The Falcons have had an abominable pass rush for quite some time, going back to the seasons before Matt Ryan. Clemson’s Myles Murphy, or really any defensive lineman with a pulse, can set them back in the right direction.
Carolina is in a place where she can swing to the quarterback after hire Frank Reich to be their head coach. Reich has helped develop many quarterbacks during his tenure as coach, but there may not be any as physically talented as Florida’s Anthony Richardson. Richardson needs a bit of a marinade before he can reach his potential, but he has A+ traits to try and use.
Tea Eagles have a top 10 pick while playing in the super bowl. That’s not fair. They can afford to use this pick as a luxury pick, adding Brian Branch at this point to give them even more speed and versatility in the secondary.
Tennessee needs to add some youth at offensive tackle. Paris Johnson Jr. has the potential to be a long-term starter at left tackle for any team that drafts him.
The best defenses the DeMeco Ryans played on and coached had tremendous talent on the defensive line. Texans don’t. This is the opportunity to try to remedy that with a fast-rising front runner from Iowa.
A quarterback going down here would be nice, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the Jets can bolster their offensive line with Peter Skoronski, who can start at any tackle position and would give the Jets flexibility in roster decisions.
Devon Witherspoon is an aggressive, athletic cornerback who loves to play downhill and isn’t afraid to make tackles in open space. He sounds perfect for a Bill Belichick defense.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a smaller wide receiver than the Packers typically add to their team, but they just need wide receiver talent. Smith-Njigba could be the eventual Randall Cobb Green Bay replacement.
Commanders have a fair amount of needs across their team, so they can pick the highest ranked player on their board. Joey Porter Jr. would give the Commanders a cornerback who has real man-coverage potential with plenty of athleticism to match.
Kenny Pickett needs help from the start. Anton Harrison is a big, athletic offensive tackle who has a high ceiling when it comes to potential results from him.
18. Detroit Lions
More help for the defense of the Lions. Bresee has been a Clemson stalwart and would make a good pairing with Aidan Hutchinson long-term in Detroit.
Kelee Ringo has the ability to go much higher than this, but the prospects drop every year in the draft. That’s a boon for the Buccaneers, who might need to add another cornerback to their roster this offseason.
20. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have their quarterback for the next two seasons in geno smith, but they could get long-term insurance at wide receiver here. Jordan Addison makes sense as a complement to D.K. Metcalf and would form a good trio together with tyler lockett in the immediate future.
The Chargers need some more juice at wide receiver with Keenan Allen slowing down a bit towards the end of his run. Zay Flowers was a big-play machine for Boston College and would be a good fit for the role.
The Ravens still need weapons for Lamar Jackson. Yew Rashod Bateman can stay healthy next year he and Quentin Johnston would be a nice 1-2 punch that pairs well with Jackson’s skill set
The Vikings got off to a great start in their first season under Kevin O’Connell, but they need to keep adding talent if they want to repeat last season’s success. Cam Smith is a good choice at this point in the draft and has a head start for the Vikings’ next defensive coordinator.
The Jaguars do a dice roll here with Eli Ricks, but if Ricks comes out right, they’ll have an amazing 1-2 punch with Ricks and tyson campbell occupying their corner positions.
It doesn’t matter who plays quarterback for the Giants next season, they could use an upgrade at the tight end position. Mayer is the best tight end in the draft and would immediately become one of the Giants’ top targets.
26. Dallas Cowboys
Another super athletic defensive lineman for dan quinn to play in Dallas. Smith is an extraordinary athlete who weighs over 330 pounds and should be considered in the first round if he performs as well as he projects at the NFL combine.
Buffalo needs an upgrade on the right side of their offensive line and is lucky with a talented tackle prospect who falls right into their lap late in the first round.
Another year, another offensive line need for the Bengals. Dawand Jones is a massive offensive tackle with an advantage in pass blocking.
The Saints are back in the first round after traded the rights to Sean Payton to the Broncos. Here they can get a border runner to pair up with marcus davenport or replace him if he decides to leave in free agency.
30. Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes doesn’t need a first-round receiver, but it never hurts to give the best quarterback in the game more quality weapons.
31. Philadelphia Eagles
Drew Sanders might be the Eagles’ best linebacker from day one. The NFL’s strongest roster improves one of its few positions of need.
(A first-round pick was lost by the Miami Dolphins as a result of the NFL’s tampering investigation).
Teams without first round selection
37. Los Angeles Rams
Bijan Robinson has the talent to go much higher than this, but it’s hard to imagine how the NFL will value these guys come draft day. The Rams would get an absolute steal here.
43. Cleveland Browns
Boutte had an unceremonious end to his career at LSU, but in his prime he looked like a top-10 pick before things went off the rails. His talent pays off at this juncture for the Browns.
68. Denver Broncos (via Indianapolis Colts)
Juuuuuuuust just in case. Hooker is an older prospect, but he has a couple of good passing traits that Sean Payton could take advantage of.
100. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers’ first pick in the draft comes with a strong safety for their defense.