In just three days, the NFL draft will begin in Kansas City, Missouri. The top of the draft has some certainty with the Carolina Panthers likely taking Alabama quarterback Bryce Young at first overall. After that, all bets are off. Nobody really knows what’s going to happen.
This is the last of three mock drafts from us at Vikings Wire where we don’t try to predict what happens, but rather what we would do if we were each team’s general manager. This is what I would do.
1. Carolina Panthers: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
For my money, Stroud is the best quarterback in this class. He can make every throw with accuracy and can drive the ball with velocity. Stroud didn’t show much in the mobility department until the college football playoff, but he has that in droves.
2. Houston Texans: Florida QB Anthony Richardson
The player with the highest upside in this class is Richardson and it’s not close. He is a talented player that has traits you could only dream of. A true unicorn, Richardson isn’t without his flaws, but the accuracy issues can be fixed. Playing right away would be beneficial for Richardson, as experience is something that he needs to help develop.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Georgia DT Jalen Carter
The Cardinals arguably have needs everywhere but at the quarterback position. Taking talented players that can make an impact will be the focus for the next couple of seasons. There isn’t anyone on the board that will make more of an impact on defense than Carter. He is explosive in all phases of the game and was the best player on the Georgia defense.
4. Indianapolis Colts: Alabama QB Bryce Young
Young is an incredibly dynamic playmaker from the quarterback position. He gets compared to some of the best point guards in NBA history because of how good of a distributor he is. There are size concerns with Young, as his frame would make him the smallest first-round pick at quarterback ever, but the talent is certainly there.
5. Seattle Seahawks: Texas Tech EDGE Tyree Wilson
My top edge rusher goes to a place that will be able to utilize his diverse range of talents. Seattle loves having athletic freaks at the edge rusher position and Wilson could be used similarly to how they used Michael Bennett during the peak Legion of Boom days. With the ability to play anywhere on the defensive line, Wilson will be allowed to thrive in Seattle.
6. Detroit Lions: Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
The top cornerback in this class for me, Gonzalez can do a little bit of everything. He thrives playing off man and zone, but press isn’t foreign to him and he can do that as well. His best ability is to mirror and stay in-phase with the receiver with really good ball skills.
7. Las Vegas Raiders: Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr.
The Raiders needs an offensive lineman in a major way and Johnson Jr. is a player that can do multiple things. A former five-star, Johnson Jr. played right guard in 2021 and his natural position of left tackle in 2022. With the Raiders needing talent on the offensive line, drafting Johnson Jr. would give them great upside along with flexibility to play their best five.
8. Atlanta Falcons: Alabama EDGE Will Anderson
I’m lower on Anderson than others are. He’s a good player, but isn’t on the level of players like the Bosa’s and Myles Garrett. Anderson is on a tier below and that’s okay! He will give the Falcons the juice that their pass rush needs with more ability to play inside than you would expect.
9. Chicago Bears: Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski
Skoronski can do a little bit of everything. A left tackle by trade, Skoronski has been projected to the inside by multiple analysts similar to Zach Martin. His arms are smaller but his technical savvy is excellent and, while he can likely hang on the outside, guard might be where Skoronski makes an All-Pro team.
10. Philadelphia Eagles: Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
The Eagles don’t always look at the cornerback position with their first-round pick. In fact, they haven’t taken on in round one since Lito Shepard in 2002. Witherspoon is a loaded missile at the cornerback position and dominates from the outside. He is a physical maven that attacks with severe aggression. Being able to rotate in with the cornerbacks that the Eagles have would give them a lot of flexibility in the future.
11. Tennessee Titans: Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
I’m not the highest person in the world on Smith-Njigba, but I understand and see the vision. He is a talented player that knows how to get open in space and manipulates defenders. Why take him over Quentin Johnston? He complements Treylon Burks really well.
12. Houston Texans: TCU WR Quentin Johnston
My number three player in this class, Johnston has the skillset to be a true WR1. He can dominate down the field and is tremendous with the ball in his hands. Johnston has a lot to learn as a wide receiver in terms of nuance and route manipulation, but you can’t teach what he’s great at.
13. New York Jets: Georgia OT Broderick Jones
No matter who the Jets have at quarterback this year, they need to find a way to protect him. Mekhi Becton, Max Mitchell and Duane Brown all have question marks with them and Jones would help fortify that tackle room in a major way. If they answer those questions, you could move Jones inside for the time being to help build your best five.
14. New England Patriots: Clemson DT Bryan Bresee
If Bresee didn’t tear his ACL in 2021, Bresee would be a top-10 pick. It was a tough couple of years for Bresee, but the skills and athletic profile are excellent. Give him a couple of years under Bill Belichick and Bresee could be a great player in this year.
15. Green Bay Packers: Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer
The Packers fortified their wide receiver room last year with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. They still need to fortify their group of weapons and taking advantage of a great tight-end class should be a priority. Mayer didn’t test the best of this group, but he’s so good at just about everything, including beating up to quadruple coverage.
16. Washington Commanders: Kentucky QB Will Levis
The Commanders love Sam Howell, but with a quarterback like Levis available here, they can’t pass him up. Having played in a pro-style offense at Kentucky, Levis won’t have a huge learning curve in terms of the playbook, but he needs time with manipulating the pocket and dealing with pressure.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
Not only great from a public relations perspective since his dad was a star linebacker for the Steelers, but Joey Porter Jr. is worth the selection with his talent. A physical monster in press coverage, Porter Jr. has the length, size and mentality to be great on the outside for years.
18. Detroit Lions: Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith
The Lions got the best cornerback in the draft in Gonzalez at sixth overall and fortify their pass rush with Smith. A prospect that is getting a little overlooked, Smith can set the edge better than his size would suggest and he has incredible movement skills to help him win on the edge.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy
Murphy’s size and athletic profile say that he shouldn’t be available at 19th overall, but he slides to the Buccaneers and they take full advantage of it. Murphy projects as a 5T who can dominate with power and win with quickness and speed. He doesn’t bend the best, but he can wreak havoc from the edge.
20. Seattle Seahawks: Tennessee OL Darnell Wright
The Seahawks continue to build through the trenches with the selection of Wright. Having played both tackle spots, he will provide depth behind Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, but putting him at right guard next to Lucas would give the Seahawks a road grader to pave the way for Kenneth Walker II.
21. Los Angeles Chargers: Boston College WR Zay Flowers
The Chargers have two good wide receivers in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, but they don’t have a shifty player who can win with speed and quickness. Flowers is the perfect player to do so. Compared by some to Antonio Brown, he can win with finesse and explosiveness in all three levels of the field.
22. Baltimore Ravens: USC WR Jordan Addison
The Ravens did bring in Odell Beckham Jr. but getting Lamar Jackson one more weapon on the outside is a smart idea. Addison is a crafty technician that just understands how to win and win often. He would be slid to the inside with Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman on the outside, giving Jackson his best group of weapons ever.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Alabama S Brian Branch
The board doesn’t fall great for the Vikings and they need talented football players to continue building around. Branch is a excellent football player who can do a little bit of everything in the back seven for Brian Flores. This is exactly what the Vikings should be doing if they strike out at the top of this wide receiver and quarterback class.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars: Florida OG O'Cyrus Torrence
Branch has felt like a Jacksonville Jaguar for a long time, but they have to pivot with him coming off the board one pick earlier. Protecting Trevor Lawrence is a priority and Torrence only allowed one quarterback hit and 25 pressures in 1,501 pass blocking reps in college per Pro Football Focus. That will be a massive impact for the Jaguars.
25. New York Giants: North Carolina WR Josh Downs
The New York Giants brought in Darren Waller via trade this offseason to fortify their receiving group and they need to continue building that room out. Downs is a quick twitched receiver who runs routes with explosiveness in and out of breaks and has a much bigger catch radius than his small frame would suggest.
26. Dallas Cowboys: Michigan DT Mazi Smith
The Cowboys need an athletic monster on the interior of the defensive line and you won’t find a better one than Smith. The top player on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List going into 2022, Smith moves incredibly well for a player that is over 330 lbs. Give him some coaching to keep his leverage lower and you could have a star nose tackle.
27. Buffalo Bills: Texas RB Bijan Robinson
The Bills have put so many assets into running back over the past four years without any success and they finally get it right wth Robinson. My fourth-ranked player in this class, Robinson is truly special. He is elite at evading tacklers in the open field and uses great vision to exploit defenders. He is also similar to Christian McCaffrey in that he is a true wide receiver as well as a running back. Robinsonfis worth the pick here and should go higher.
28. Cincinnati Bengals: Maryland CB Deonte Banks
The Bengals were just three points away from making Super Bowl for a second-consecutive season. They would have loved to get Robinson, but they got sniped by the Bills. Banks is an aggressive cornerback with elite testing to match the excellent movement skills you see on tape. This is a great value for a team that has prioritized cornerback to be a weak link system.
29. New Orleans Saints: Northwestern Adetomiwa Adebawore
Every team has a type and the New Orleans Saints are no exception. Their type is bigger edge rushers. Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner and Cam Jordan all fit the profile and that’s what they get here in Adebawore. He tested incredibly at the combine, including a 4.49 40-yard dash at over 280 lbs.
30. Philadelphia Eagles: Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison
The Eagles need to plan for life after Lane Johnson. He is returning for one more season, but with his injury history, you can’t count on him to always be there. Harrison is a really nice value at 31st overall and fits the motif of the Eagles drafting. I think you can have him play right guard until you have him take over for Johnson.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Wisconsin DT Keeanu Benton
The Chiefs need to bolster their defensive line. They didn’t get an edge rusher to fall to them that fits what they want to do on defense so they go a different direction by getting some beef. Benton is a really good athlete on the interior with an excellent element of power and surprising quickness.
