Deke’s NFL Mock Draft 1.0

The first mock of the season is always hilarious to me because most bloggers in my situation would be lucky to name 50 potential first-round guys this early in the process, let alone the official draft order. But alas, a ton of mediocre content creators will shove their thoughts down your throat starting this week for three whole months with the hopes of somehow placing a few guys in the right spot and being able to brag about it come April…myself included.

I love the draft almost more than football itself. The potential of an NFL future off the heels of a college career is exciting for all franchises and poses a sense of hope even in the darkest places. That dark place, if you are curious, is the back of Matt Canada’s playbook which rarely sees the light of day (if it exists at all).

For this draft, there are a few things to keep in mind. Traditionally, TFTB hasn’t really dabbled in trades with our mock drafts. Trades tend to disrupt the entire draft and are too unpredictable to try and guess this far away from the NFL Draft. I do foresee trades in this draft before the actual start just because it would be insane to assume the Bears remain at the top spot with so many QB-needy teams ready to jump.

Want the full insight into every pick? Check out my YouTube video covering the entire mock live now on YouTube!

Key Takeaways

There are four quarterbacks who most likely will go in the first round depending on Richardson’s offseason.
Just because there are a lot of edge rushers doesn’t make this a “great” class. Everyone after Will Anderson is a project.
Corners will define this class. Guys like Cam Smith and Kelee RIngo are loved right now but will slide during the process.
It’s a deep draft in most positions, but still top heavy in the trenches.
Running back is deep. I like the guys I have in my first round mock to go in the first, but you can find quality value later.

1. Chicago Bears	Jalen Carter	DT	Georgia
2. Houston Texans	C.J. Stroud	QB	Ohio State
3. Arizona Cardinals	Will Anderson Jr.	DE	Alabama
4. Indianapolis Colts	Bryce Young	QB	Alabama
5. Seattle Seahawks	Tyree Wilson	DE	Texas Tech
6. Detroit Lions	Myles Murphy	DE	Clemson
7. Las Vegas Raiders	Peter Skoronski	OT	Northwestern
8. Atlanta Falcons	Devon Witherspoon	DB	Illinois
9. Carolina Panthers	Will Levis	QB	Kentucky
10. Philadelphia Eagles	Joey Porter Jr.	DB	Penn State
11. Tennessee Titans	Paris Johnson Jr.	OT	Ohio State
12. Houston Texans	Christian Gonzalez	DB	Oregon
13. New York Jets	Broderick Jones	OT	Georgia
14. New England Patriots	Quinton Johnston	WR	TCU
15. Green Bay Packers	Michael Mayer	TE	Notre Dame
16. Washington Commanders	Cam Smith	DB	South Carolina
17. Pittsburgh Steelers	O’Cyrus Torrence	OG	Florida
18. Detroit Lions	Emmanuel Forbes	DB	Mississippi State
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Lukas Van Ness	DE	Iowa
20. Seattle Seahawks	Brian Branch	DB	Alabama
21. Los Angeles Chargers	Calijah Kancey	DT	Pittsburgh
22. Baltimore Ravens	Anthony Richardson	QB	Florida
23. Minnesota Vikings	Trenton Simpson	LB	Clemson
24. Jacksonville Jaguars	Clark Phillips III	DB	Utah
25. New York Giants	Jordan Addison	WR	USC
26. Dallas Cowboys	Bijan Robinson	RB	Texas
27. Buffalo Bills	Antonio Johnson	DB	Texas A&M
28. Cincinnati Bengals	Bryan Bresee	DT	Clemson
29. Denver Broncos	B.J. Ojulari	DE	LSU
30. Kansas City Chiefs	Jaxson Smith-Njigba	WR	Ohio State
31. Philadelphia Eagles	Jahmyr Gibbs	RB	Alabama