BY LIAM KEITH

Pick 1: Caleb Williams, Atlanta Falcons (Trade)

Atlanta gives up the car, the house, and more. They will give up so much for Caleb Williams because it’s much better than having a rotation of Taylor Heinicke, Desmond Ridder, and Marcus Mariota all as starting quarterback for the last few years. They’re ready to get who they think will be their guy. Atlanta will end up being the closest team who will give up the most to select Williams. They have plenty of offensive talent and new head coach Raheem Morris can hopefully calm Caleb’s seemingly diva attitude.

Pick 2: Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Washington is the worst team at this position of the draft, They have struggled quarterback wise for years. They will just keep taking shots at it hoping it will land at one point. Daniels, the Heisman winner, has a lot of talent and is a strong armed dual threat quarterback. Washington would be silly to draft a pocket passer whose ability to improvise hasn’t really been shown. Behind Washington’s poor o-line it would be in their best interest to draft a guy who is proven to move.

Pick 3: Drake Maye, New England Patriots

The Patriots are starting a new era and with rookie head coach Jerod Mayo. He will address a position that hasn’t quite recovered from losing the greatest of all time. Drake Maye is a great, accurate passer who will consistently make the right decision. What he lacks in athleticism he makes up for in his frame and accuracy 6’4 and 230 pounds. He is comparable to Ben Roethlisberger in his pocket presence and ability to shed off a blitzing linebacker or defensive back

Pick 4: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Arizona Cardinals

Most have Arizona picking Marvin Harrison Jr. here, but Arizona has one of the worst offensive lines in football. They will immediately address this by picking the highest rated lineman in the draft. This draft is rich with receivers, so they’ll draft a positional need that might not be there later in the draft

Pick 5: Marvin Harrison Jr., Los Angeles Chargers 

Los Angeles has a lot of options and could even potentially trade back from here. But it seems that the Chargers might release or trade one of their aging receivers whose salary is looming. The Chargers are one of the teams that are at the bottom of the list as they’re negative on the cap. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the consensus best receiver in the draft, and you can list all the accolades he’s earned due to it but we’d be here for hours

Pick 6: Malik Nabers, New York Giants

Honestly a toss up here, I think Odunze is definitely a great big catch guy but doesn’t quite get the separation Nabers gets in man coverage. Nabers is a route technician who provides a serious threat in the deep middle of the field; his presence will stress out a safety. Brian Daboll, a great offensive minded guy who worked with Steffon Diggs and Gabe Davis will find a way to get Nabers the ball consistently.

Pick 7: Joe Alt, Tennessee Titans

With new head coach, Brian Callahan there is no way that they don’t go with a guy who will instantly help bolster their offensive line. Alt is believed to be one of the best tackles in college football. His agility precedes him and gives him the edge in both the run and the pass. 

Pick 8: Dallas Turner, Chicago Bears (Trade)

The first defensive pick of the draft, after losing several defensive players the bears have severely lacked in pressure and creating issues for the opposing teams quarterbacks. They acquired Montez Sweat who instantly came in and became the teams sack leader and this would create a one two punch on the opportunity to create pressure. 

Pick 9: Terrion Arnold, Chicago Bears

Chicago could get an offensive guy here but will decide due to Jaylon Johnson contract negotiations that the best option may be to draft a guy of comparable stature and potential. This seems like a filler pick the Bears could potentially give this pick away

Pick 10: Brock Bowers, New York Jets

With an expected Aaron Rodgers regular season run and all the offensive lineman being a reach the Jets will use this pick to get a complete all around tight end. Bowers was the best tight end in college football and has been expected to make an easy transition to the league since week two of the FBS season. Rodgers will get a safety blanket who can stretch the field vertically and offer protection in the pass game. 

Pick 11: JC Latham, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota has a glaring issue with what they’re going to do at the quarterback position with Kirk Cousins being a free agent. Reports from Tom Peliserro have indicated that Cousins plans to ask for 45 million a year. If the Vikings can’t get him to settle for less they probably will pick up impending free agent Russell Wilson in free agency and take Latham to help the offensive line out. You’ll have a better line, and Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson with an emerging Alexander Mattison. 

Pick 12: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

Sean Payton shocked the world when they announced they weren’t going to keep Russell Wilson especially after the run they were on towards the end of the season. Payton reportedly wants one of the top three quarterbacks but unfortunately will not have the ammunition to get up to a top pick. Bo Nix isn’t a bad quarterback by any means, Heisman finalist, Pac-12 runner up, and they were only one game away from the CFP.

Pick 13: Michael Penix Jr., Las Vegas Raiders 

Las Vegas is in dire need of a quarterback and bad. They won’t be able to get a large free agent and can’t afford to if they wanted to. Penix’s injuries will scare some teams away but it seems Antonio Pierce will find motivation for a guy that several teams will count out. Penix had the ability to throw the ball and put it into a keyhole.

Pick 14: Laiatu Latu, New Orleans Saints

With an impending retirement from star pass rusher, Cam Jordan, the Saints will be left with a hole in their line. Latu had 13 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions. His 6’5 frame allows him to get pressure but even if he can’t he has the ability to deflect the pass. The Bruins star will be able to help New Orleans create pressure they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.

Pick 15: Cooper Dejean, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have hopefully will spend a lot of money on pending free agent, Michael Pittman Jr. Indianapolis is trending to the bottom giving up the majority of the passing touchdowns and over 220 passing yards per game, they’ve gotten burned by the corner position and haven’t had a guy. Playing elite guys like Trevor Lawrence and CJ Stroud twice a year they will get burned many times if they don’t address the secondary.

Pick 16: Byron Murphy II, Seattle Seahawks

Seattle struggles to stop runs up the middle and haven’t been able to get a decent pass rush with their young defense. They’ve sent six consistently and Murphy II will be able to pick up the load on both the run and the pass. He can be a disruptor at times and has a great ability to shed the run blocks consistently. Also he will be able to stay in on multiple snaps which has been a serious issue. 

Pick 17: Rome Odunze, Jacksonville Jaguars

Many don’t have Odunze falling this far. I believe many teams will fall for the “This draft is deep with receivers” mentality so they’ll pass guys like this up. The Jaguars will strengthen their receiver room by selecting a guy like Odunze. This will put pressure on Lawrence to make a serious run in the playoffs and give the Jags zero opportunity to excuse poor performance. 

Pick 18: Taliese Fuaga, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati has struggled with consistent O-lines since they drafted Burrow. If they don’t bolster that o-line you might see another Andrew Luck early retirement, Burrow has suffered two season ending injuries including his season. Fuaga has impressed a lot of scouts at the senior bowl and they’re considering him to be the best interior offensive linemen in the draft. 

Pick 19: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Los Angeles Rams

A slam dunk pick for Los Angeles and they will be able to address a secondary that hasn’t recovered from Jalen Ramsey’s departure. They’re still recovering from the Super Bowl hangover from 2021. With their cap situation not favoring any major free agents they’ll address a position that has long since needed a rebuild.

Pick 20: Troy Fautanau, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers have hired Arthur Smith, who is a guy that led the league in team rushing yards when he was in Tennessee and brought a run first offense to Atlanta that didn’t work the way they should’ve. He often runs two to one in every game and Pittsburgh has had trouble with run blocking. Their quarterback position doesn’t need to be addressed in the 20th pick. 

Pick 21: Jared Verse, Miami Dolphins

This pick is kind of an awkward one, but I think him and Bradley Chubb will provide a great pressure from the opposite side. He was one of the best teams and might have a fire considering how his college football season ended last year. You could see the next Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt. 

Pick 22: Chop Robinson, Philadelphia Eagles

This is like if the Eagles could name their own player. Brandon Graham is 35 years old and he might be left to walk with the money that they’ll spend on Fletcher Cox. This will help fill the void Graham will leave or maybe he’ll play opposite of Graham

Pick 23: Jer’Zhan Newton, Houston Texans

Houston has had an issue with interior defensive linemen not being able to stuff the run, The Ravens highlighted that in their beatdown of Houston in the divisional round. Newton is an instant upgrade to an otherwise good defensive line. 

Pick 24: Brian Thomas Jr., Dallas Cowboys

This will look like a steal in the future as the Cowboys will take Brian Thomas Jr. a big catch guy, helping Heisman winner Jayden Daniels grab 68 receptions for 1000 yards and 17 of them were touchdowns. Thomas Jr is a cheat code when it comes to big time catches, he provides a more physical upside to Dallas’s receiving core that has depended on Ceedee Lamb for the last two years.

Pick 25: Nate Wiggins, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay will get a guy who can play opposite of star, Jaire Alexander. With great mentorship Wiggins can use his 6’2 frame to put a seatbelt on the elite wide receiver twos. He has immense lateral quickness especially when it comes to moving off the line. Wiggins also provides great vision and awareness in zone coverage and rarely misses a play. 

Pick 26: Amarius Mims, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tristan Wirfs helped the Bucs win their superbowl with Tom Brady but since Donovan Smith left there has been a gaping hole on the left side of the line. Assuming they retain Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield they will want to reinforce their offensive line and take pressure off of Mayfield. Mims is huge and has been great in the run and his lateral quickness is crazy for a guy of his stature.

Pick 27: Keon Coleman, Arizona Cardinals 

This is kind of an easy pick if they pass on Marvin Harrison Jr. Coleman has struggled with separation but not with the contested catch. He absolutely demoralized corners by catching over them despite their great coverage of him. 

Pick 28: Adonai Mitchell, Buffalo Bills

With all of the noise and off the field issues with Steffon Diggs, they might consider trading him or letting him walk and getting a guy who is similar in play style. Mitchell has elite speed and can burn a secondary, the Longhorn star was beating people deep all year. 

Pick 29: T.J Tampa, Detroit Lions

Tampa has elite speed at corner and they have needed to get their guy on the outside when it comes to corner. He has a few minor mechanical issues and predictability issues that can all be tightened up on a team with proper development. Aaron Glenn will be able to add Tampa in his defense and provide a solution to Detroit’s secondary

Pick 30: Graham Barton, Baltimore Ravens

This could go to a receiver or something else more responsible, they will lose Kevin Zeitler and will need to fill his hole in the offensive line and their depth for guard is terrible. It is simply the cheapest solution

Pick 31: Tyler Guyton, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City losing Orlando Brown and their offensive line has hurt and hurt badly, Chiefs have the most penalized player in the league at the tackle position. Guyton has great running upside and helped Oklahoma rush and he would lock down several of the defensive linemen he went up against in college.

Pick 32: Kamari Lassiter, San Francisco Forty-Niners

He isn’t the greatest corner in the draft and has his issues in coverage, but he has a high motor. He isn’t going to give up when he loses 1on1’s and provides an energy to support the culture into the bay.