Oregon • Soph • 6’5″ / 258 lbs
Edge rusher is not at the top of the list of needs for Jacksonville, but it has to take the best player available and that is Thibodeaux. In an ideal world, K’Lavon Chaisson will develop into a contributor and the Jaguars will either have a trade asset or functional depth at the position. |
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LSU • Jr • 6’1″ / 195 lbs
Houston has taken a lot of chances at cornerback: Lonnie Johnson Jr., Vernon Hargreaves, etc… They have continued to struggle filling that position. Stingley makes the short commute to Houston. |
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Notre Dame • Jr • 6’4″ / 219 lbs
Kyle Hamilton is the last of the three blue-chip defensive prospects in this class. Detroit certainly has bigger needs than at safety but, similar to Jacksonville, you are not going to take a lesser player over a bigger talent. |
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Alabama • Jr • 6’7″ / 350 lbs
Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker and now Neal: New York has totally upgraded its offensive line, and that should give Zach Wilson more than a fair chance of success. |
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Purdue • Jr • 6’4″ / 275 lbs
New York is still looking for pass rush help, and while there isn’t a freaky athlete who represents the total package, George Karlaftis is as close as it can get outside of Kayvon Thibodeaux. With any luck, Azeez Ojulari will continue to develop as well. |
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Texas A&M • Jr • 6’4″ / 290 lbs
Philadelphia is bridging the gap from its veterans to the next era of defensive line talent. Leal is a prospect who can play on the edge or condensed inside. |
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NC State • Soph • 6’4″ / 320 lbs
The Washington offensive line has actually performed better than I expected, but Ekwonu allows them to either save money towards the salary cap or give them a more sustainable level of success. |
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Iowa • Jr • 6’3″ / 290 lbs
Generally, a center would not be taken this high, but Linderbaum is a really talented player. Andrew Thomas showed improvement before the injury, but the interior offensive line has continued to be a struggle. The Giants opt to take one early and be done with it. |
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Liberty • Jr • 6’1″ / 195 lbs
Atlanta is building for the future at this point. If you have an aged quarterback and are picking within the top 10, then that points in this direction. I am still not confident in the quarterback pecking order but there is plenty of time for that to be sorted out. |
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Texas A&M • Jr • 6’4″ / 325 lbs
After upgrading the interior defensive line, Philadelphia swings back around to address the interior offensive line. Few teams can make the claim that the offensive line has been a revolving door of injuries over the past two years, but Philadelphia is one of them. |
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Mississippi State • Soph • 6’5″ / 310 lbs
Carolina has provided Sam Darnold with more skill talent than he has ever had at one time. However, the offensive line is still a work in progress. The addition of Cross gives the Panthers a viable left tackle while also improving depth. |
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Clemson • Jr • 6’0″ / 200 lbs
The Jets went Evan Neal and now Booth. Those picks solve a few of their needs. If they can get a healthy Carl Lawson back and Zach Wilson takes the next step in his development, then the Jets might be frisky next year. |
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Ohio State • Jr • 6’0″ / 192 lbs
The first wide receiver comes off the board at No. 13 overall. Bill Belichick has been shopping in the bargain bin, but Wilson is the name brand commodity across the room that catches his eye. From Terry McLaurin to Michael Thomas, Ohio State wide receivers have had a lot of success making the transition from college to NFL. |
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Washington • Soph • 5’11” / 195 lbs The makeover continues for Philadelphia. If it trudges on with Jalen Hurts, then it really provides an opportunity to upgrade the roster elsewhere. There are 22 starters between offense and defense, and the Eagles’ first-round picks represent roughly 13.6% of that figure. |
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Georgia • Soph • 6’6″ / 330 lbs
Denver has talent in the front seven, but some parts to that mechanism are aging. Jordan Davis is a dominant college player who can be a part of the Broncos’ defensive efforts for years to come. |
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Kentucky • Sr • 6’5″ / 345 lbs
Honestly, Kinnard and Cincinnati are not the best marriage right now. The Bengals are a pass happy team and the lineman’s strength is leaning on defenders and imposing his will in the run game. He is improving as a pass protector, so the hope is that he continues that trajectory to become a well-rounded prospect by draft season. |
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Ole Miss • Jr • 6’2″ / 205 lbs
Pittsburgh needs to make plans at quarterback beyond the current campaign. Matt Corral is a quick operator who has shown improved decision-making this season. |
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Ohio State • Sr • 6’1″ / 188 lbs
Chris Olave and Justin Jefferson can be the wide receiver duo moving forward after the Vikings eventually part ways with Adam Thielen. The long-term quarterback situation is still in flux but that is a dilemma for another day. |
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USC • Jr • 6’5″ / 210 lbs
Las Vegas has gotten contributions from Bryan Edwards and Henry Ruggs III, but is that sustainable? The Raiders simply need outlets beyond Darren Waller, so perhaps that comes in-house or they look outside to select this year’s dominant performer in London. |
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Cincinnati • Jr • 6’2″ / 188 lbs
The reason for the selection of Gardner will become apparent shortly, but I think Miami’s actions have illustrated a bit of doubt in former first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene. The addition of Gardner gives them depth and potentially another elite starter. |
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North Carolina • Jr • 6’1″ / 225 lbs
Jameis Winston does not seem like the ideal Sean Payton quarterback. There are some trust issues at play, and Howell would be a more consistent passer moving forward. Payton does not need a gunner as much as he needs someone who will be able to operate his offense at a high level. |
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Utah • Jr • 6’3″ / 235 lbs
Trade! Tennessee sends its first-round pick to Miami in exchange for cornerback Xavien Howard. With the return, Miami adds Utah’s Lloyd, who does a good job of getting off blocks, making plays sideline to sideline and dropping into coverage. |
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Georgia • Sr • 6’5″ / 230 lbs Anderson is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. He is a bit thin framed relative to a traditional first-round edge rusher but his movement skills are sensational. If anyone is going to be able to maximize his skillset, it is Brandon Staley. |
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Arkansas • Jr • 6’3″ / 225 lbs
The Odell Beckham Jr. experiment has not been working, and it is unlikely that he is the same player at this point anyway. Injuries have robbed him of the peak of his career. Cleveland has some young, intriguing wide receivers like Anthony Schwartz and Donovan Peoples-Jones, but it needs an ace. |
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USC • Jr • 6’4″ / 250 lbs
Dallas does not want to find itself in desperate need of pass rush help again, so it adds to that front with Drake Jackson. The Cowboys have an out from DeMarcus Lawrence’s contract next season, but it is more likely that they part ways in the offseason ahead of the 2023 season. The one year transition period from Lawrence to Jackson could be very beneficial. |
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Cincinnati • Sr • 6’5″ / 255 lbs
Green Bay could potentially save some salary cap space by moving on from Preston and/or Za’Darius Smith. If you make that move, then you better have a replacement in mind. The addition of Sanders allows them to make that change. |
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Florida • Jr • 6’2″ / 196 lbs
Arizona pairs Kaiir Elam with Byron Murphy. When looking at the Cardinals roster, it is in relatively good shape. They can improve the offensive line and replace a few veterans, but there are also some young players who should get fans excited. |
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Northern Iowa • Jr • 6’7″ / 321 lbs
Baltimore has created a weakness at offensive tackle, so Penning would be progress towards its resolution. Ronnie Stanley has battled injuries and the Ravens traded away Orlando Brown Jr., so they can ill afford not to address the position. |
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Georgia • Jr • 6’3″ / 200 lbs
Detroit bolsters the wide receiver room with the addition of Pickens, who has missed this season with an injury. The Lions added Kyle Hamilton with their first pick, so length is the buzz word of the day in the Motor City. |
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Michigan • Sr • 6’6″ / 265 lbs
Kansas City is said to be looking for more edge rusher help. Hutchinson is not the twitchy speed rusher generally associated with the position, but he is a strong player who has shown an ability to win with his hands. |
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South Carolina • Sr • 6’4″ / 260 lbs
The idea of adding Joe Tryon-Shoyinka meant that Jason Pierre-Paul’s time in Tampa was likely coming to an end soon. If the Bucs move on from him, then they are one injury away from being derailed. Enagbare gives them functional depth at the position and potentially allows them to part with Shaq Barrett down the line. |
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Michigan • Jr • 6’0″ / 192 lbs
Buffalo’s defense has been much improved this season, but it will continue adding talent to that unit to ensure that level of play is sustainable and not easily impacted by an injury. Hill is a big, versatile defensive back with a skillset that can mask what offenses are seeing pre-snap. |
