It is time boys and girls. The NFL Draft is this Thursday at Cleveland. Therefore, this will be my last mock draft on the website (don’t even think that this will be my last one till it happens lol). Obviously so many other things can happen with the order and with what happens with players. So without further ado, here is my final Monday Mock with the explanations at the end as always!
| 1.) Jacksonville Jaguars | Trevor Lawrence (QB/Clemson) |
| 2.) New York Jets | Zach Wilson (QB/BYU) |
| 3.) San Francisco 49ers | Trey Lance (QB/North Dakota State) |
| 4.) Atlanta Falcons | Kyle Pitts (TE/Florida) |
| 5.) Cincinnati Bengals | Penei Sewell (OT/Oregon) |
| 6.) Miami Dolphins | Ja’Marr Chase (WR/LSU) |
| 7.) Detroit Lions | DeVonta Smith (WR/Alabama) |
| 8.) Carolina Panthers | Rashawn Slater (G/Northwestern) |
| 9.) Denver Broncos | Mac Jones (QB/Alabama) |
| 10.) Dallas Cowboys | Patrick Surtain II (CB/Alabama) |
| 11.) New York Giants | Christian Darrisaw (OT/Virginia Tech) |
| 12.) Philadelphia Eagles | Justin Fields (QB/Ohio State) |
| 13.) Los Angeles Chargers | Jaycee Horn (CB/South Carolina) |
| 14.) Minnesota Vikings | Jaelan Phillips (EDGE/Miami) |
| 15.) New England Patriots | Jaylen Waddle (WR/Alabama) |
| 16.) Arizona Cardinals | Micah Parsons (LB/Penn State) |
| 17.) Las Vegas Raiders | Teven Jenkins (OT/Oklahoma State) |
| 18.) Miami Dolphins | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB/Notre Dame) |
| 19.) Washington Football Team | Greg Newsome II (CB/Northwestern) |
| 20.) Chicago Bears | Alijah Vera-Tucker (OT/USC) |
| 21.) Indianapolis Colts | Kwity Paye (EDGE/Michigan) |
| 22.) Tennessee Titans | Caleb Farley (CB/Virginia Tech) |
| 23.) New York Jets | Azeez Ojulari (EDGE/Georgia) |
| 24.) Pittsburgh Steelers | Najee Harris (RB/Alabama) |
| 25.) Jacksonville Jaguars | Christian Barmore (DT/Alabama) |
| 26.) Cleveland Browns | Joe Tryon (EDGE/Washington) |
| 27.) Baltimore Ravens | Jayson Oweh (EDGE/Penn State) |
| 28.) New Orleans Saints | Rashod Bateman (WR/Minnesota) |
| 29.) Green Bay Packers | Zaven Collins (LB/Tulsa) |
| 30.) Buffalo Bills | Travis Etienne (RB/Clemson) |
| 31.) Baltimore Ravens | Alex Leatherwood (OT/Alabama) |
| 32.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Gregory Rousseau (EDGE/Miami) |
Who Picked Who and Why?
1.) Jacksonville – Why Trevor Lawrence?
He’s donating to Jacksonville charities at this point. It’s no question. Trevor Lawrence will be the pick here.
2.) New York (J) – Why Zach Wilson?
No secret here either. As soon as Wilson had his pro-day, Sam Darnold was traded away to the Panthers days later. Kid is sharp and a bright spot hopefully for a Jets team that wants to be taken seriously again.
3.) San Francisco – Why Trey Lance?
Last night, it was confirmed that the 49ers are between Trey Lance and Mac Jones. In my mind then, Lance is the guy to go here considering how big of an upside he has. He can sit right away behind Garoppolo and develop for the future. Big pick here for them at number three.
4.) Atlanta – Why Kyle Pitts?
Originally, it seemed like Atlanta was in the position to draft a quarterback, but it seems that the need has shifted based on the hire and determination of coach Arthur Smith to make Matt Ryan and the Falcons bound to win now. How do you do that? By drafting the best tight end prospect in college since Vernon Davis; Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. He’s a huge help with Hayden Hurst taking a back seat. Though they could trade back as an option as well.
5.) Cincinnati – Why Penei Sewell?
I know I joke about how easy this pick is, but some people want Chase here to help out Burrow. If he gets hurt again, good luck having a backup throw Chase the numbers they want out of him. Draft the best tackle in the draft and hopefully pick up Terrace Marshall Jr. in the second round who Burrow still has a relationship with.
6.) Miami – Why Ja’Marr Chase?
Tua is their guy, and in order for him to succeed, he needs more weapons around him. Getting Fuller in free agency was smart, but now take the best wideout in the draft giving them a great threesome receiving unit with Chase, Fuller, and Parker.
7.) Detroit – Why DeVonta Smith?
The Lions need a lot of help, and honestly if we could trade back this would be a team to do so, but we can’t. So a big goal now is to get new quarterback Jared Goff some weapons to work with. They lost Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones in free agency which obviously hurts the offense. Drafting Smith is the best choice as Goff gets a number one target to throw the ball to, and being the Heisman Trophy winner sure helps too.
8.) Carolina – Why Rashawn Slater?
Getting Sam Darnold from the Jets is just what the Panthers needed, but now they need to do the right thing the Jets had a hard time doing, and that is to protect him. Give them Rashawn Slater here to virtually play any offensive tackle position. Doing this is a must for this Carolina Panthers team.
9.) Denver – Why Mac Jones?
It is a shame to not see another name taken, but honestly Denver has an unhealthy habit of taking the wrong guy. It’s nothing against Mac Jones, but he seems like the John Elway type of guy that Denver has wanted so bad. Drafting him definitely brings the heat on one Drew Lock, but my hunch is that they’ll compete to see who the starter is.
10.) Dallas – Why Patrick Surtain II?
Honestly, this pick seems almost set in stone as Lawrence and Wilson. Surtain has been linked to the Cowboys ever since mocks started, and it is not hard to see why? Their secondary was trash last year. So why not pair up Surtain and Diggs to give the Cowboys a chance here in an awful division.
11.) New York (G) – Why Christian Darrisaw?
Call it what you want, but a lot of people have a wide receiver going here. Getting rid of Golden Tate was a must, but they have a good receiving core of a newly required Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton. They also signed Kyle Rudolph as a back up to Evan Engram. Getting the best tackle available in Darrisaw is the move to give Jones time to think and throw for his last stand as the Giant’s quarterback.
12.) Philadelphia – Why Justin Fields?
Oh it’s the shock of the draft people. It might not be the right decision, but it is one that is very possible. Coach Nick Sirianni said in an interview that he declined to make Hurts the starting quarterback. Only one to compete with him so far is Joe Flacco. That isn’t happening which might mean he plans on drafting one, and Fields fits the book. It’s a shame, but a coach wants their guy, and Fields might just be it.
13.) Los Angeles (C) – Why Jaycee Horn?
While the Chargers could go offensive line here, a great deal of them have been taken. So let’s improve the defense here with a much needed position at corner. Jaycee Horn is the best option to go with here to add some depth in the secondary.
14.) Minnesota – Why Jaelan Phillips?
The Miami product has been showing some upside in draft boards here. The Vikings have a desperate need to add an EDGE rusher. So let’s give them one. Phillips is the perfect fit to a defense that is in need of improvement after such a terrible season last year. Mike Zimmer will be very happy.
15.) New England – Why Jaylen Waddle?
Waddle is the best receiver on the board, and at this point, there is no reason New England shouldn’t take him here. Cam Newton needs some help at receivers. Bill did a great job landing Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, and Kendrick Bourne, but now let’s give them a number one weapon in Jaylen Waddle.
16.) Arizona – Why Micah Parsons?
This is too good to be true man. The Simmons experiment did not pan out to well, but now they get a true linebacker to command the defense in Penn State’s Micah Parsons. His dominance will bring a power to a team that is clearly in win now mode with all the free agency signings they made.
17.) Las Vegas – Why Teven Jenkins?
Jenkins literally screams Raider to me. His attitude, his raw power, his big body, and his ability are literally what Jon Gruden craves for his team. They got rid of their whole offensive line. So this is the perfect fit for Jenkins and the Raiders.
18.) Miami – Why Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah?
This is a good move on the Dolphins part. They already added depth at wideout with Ja’Marr Chase, so now let us look at the defense. This combo of linebacking and safety work is a great angle for the Dolphins to select the Notre Dame product to give some much needed pressure after they released Kyle Van Noy.
19.) Washington – Why Greg Newsome II?
Washington has a quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick, and a great defensive front. Now let’s improve the secondary. They gained William Jackson, but lost Ronald Darby. So adding a shut-down corner like Greg Newsome II would be the way to go here. Caleb Farley is certainly an option, but the injury scare is real for a team that relies heavily on the defense.
20.) Chicago – Why Alijah Vera Tucker?
In order to even remotely have a shot at making something out of this garbage situation the Bears find themselves in they will need to protect their “number one” quarterback; Andy Dalton. Vera Tucker is the best option for them, and the kid has the skills to hopefully do that. Some might think receiver here, but they could get one in the later rounds.
21.) Indianapolis – Why Kwity Paye?
Kwity Paye fell, but lands on a really good system for the Colts. I know that a lot of people think that offensive line is the way to go here, but Paye has fallen too far, and the Colts won’t think twice about scooping the Michigan EDGE rusher up to improve their pass rush.
22.) Tennessee – Why Caleb Farley?
The injury ridden corner finally finds a home in Tennessee. They lost Malcom Butler to the Cardinals, and they’ll need to improve their secondary. Farley carries some baggage because of the back surgery, but before that he was regarded as the first or second corner in this class. Give them Farley to earn a good shot at demanding a shut-down presence for the Titans.
23.) New York (J) – Why Azeez Ojulari?
The edge rusher from Georgia goes here to the Jets. New head coach Robert Saleh is a former defensive coordinator so adding Azeez Ojulari is a no brainer for the Jets here. His pass rushing ability will definitely help in order to make New York’s defense relevant again.
24.) Pittsburgh – Why Najee Harris?
I know. I know. Offensive lineman, corners, centers, they are all needed here. However, there is plenty to go around in this draft. Harris is currently the best running back on the board, and the Steelers were last in the league last year in the rushing department. Whether it is him or Travis Etienne, a running back is the pick here in the first round.
25.) Jacksonville – Why Christian Barmore?
There is a lot of ways Jacksonville could go here, but honestly getting the best defensive tackle off the board is a good way to end their selections in the first round. Barmore brings an intensity to shut down the run and disrupt the quarterback. This is a no brainer for them here.
26.) Cleveland – Why Joe Tryon?
A shocking pick, but yes Tryon makes it into the first round. His stats at Washington were impressive, and overall, he is a great fit to put aside from Myles Garrett to enhance the pass rush. With great quarterbacks in the AFC North, it might be an unexpected pick, but Tryon can help Garrett bring the pressure.
27.) Baltimore – Why Jayson Oweh?
Baltimore gets a much needed help for their defense in the form of Penn State’s Jayson Oweh. His crazy numbers at his pro-day make him a great pick for the Ravens to use to provide an incredible amount of pressure. They need it for dealing with quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield, and Joe Burrow.
28.) New Orleans – Why Rashod Bateman?
The Saints are in need of a second receiver now that Emmanuel Sanders was lost in free agency to the Bills. A lot of people might think corner here which is understandable, but Bateman sitting here at the 28 spot can’t be overlooked. Whether it is Hill or Winston, they’ll need another receiver to throw the ball to other than Michael Thomas.
29.) Green Bay – Why Zaven Collins?
Green Bay needs a linebacker to stop the run against some good rushing first teams. Zaven Collins is a great start to add to that feel of run-stopping. The Tulsa product has shown his ability on the field, and in my mind he is the best linebacker available. Green Bay would be stupid to pass him up.
30.) Buffalo – Why Travis Etienne?
The Bills need some defensive help, but their rushing attack was mostly led by their quarterback; Josh Allen. Zack Moss was a nice add last year, but his injuries add some effect on his playing. Singletary also hit a slump this past season leaving the rushing attack in question. Travis Etienne is the perfect add to this Bills offense. He can run, and he can catch with ease making him a favorite go to for Josh Allen and Buffalo.
31.) Baltimore – Why Alex Leatherwood?
The Ravens gain another first round draft pick from the Chiefs by sending Orlando Brown to them. Now they use this pick to gain another offensive lineman to protect Lamar Jackson. Leatherwood isn’t my favorite tackle, but he does bring some much needed relief to Jackson and the rest of the Baltimore Ravens.
32.) Tampa Bay – Why Gregory Rousseau?
His draft stock has been sliding for some reason, but Tampa Bay will be glad to add the Miami EDGE rusher to their list of defensive studs. I can’t see him moving past the first round, so if he has to go then this is where I predict he will land. He might even end up with a ring by the end of the season with Tampa Bay as they look to win yet another Super Bowl.
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