I’ve been trying for a while to write this mock draft but every time I did there was another coaching hire and it changes things when that happens. With 10 head coaching changes there has been massive staff turnover. There will be over twenty new offensive play callers and somewhere in the mid-teens on the defensive side. The Shanahan/McVay offensive style continues to dominate on offense as Mike LaFleur and Klink Kubiak got head coaching jobs in Arizona and Las Vegas. The Mike Macdonald Seahawks/Ravens defense becomes more sought after watching the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Macdonald was hired in Seattle to counter the Shanahan/McVay duo in the NFC West and he did it all the way to a Super Bowl title.
The Raiders have the number one pick and while they had to wait until after the Super Bowl to name their coach, it didn’t change a thing at #1 overall. This team could have hired a triple option coach, and they still would be taking Fernando Mendoza first. He might be the least “Raider-like” player in history (he’s so clean he squeaks when he walks) but they need a little less crazy in their lives.
After that this draft gets weird. The best players are S Caleb Downs, RB Jeremiah Love, and LB Arvell Reese, by most accounts. The Jets pick second and desperately need a QB but there isn’t one to take here, you can thank Oregon and their NIL for Dante Moore deciding to skip being a Jet (literally no one blames him). There are also not a lot of guys teams are going to be willing to trade up for. I’ve been racking my brain trying to find a trade partner for Arizona at three and it’s nearly impossible (I said nearly).
Teams are going to have to decide if positional value is going to matter at the top of the draft or not. Do they want an elite RB (Love) or a good by not great OT (Spencer Fano), an awesome safety (Downs) or a solid CB (Mansoor Delane or Jermod McCoy). McCoy and WR Jordan Tyson have elite skills, but they are both injury risk players. I have the guys I like better than others as always and some guys I like less than others. It’s going to be an interesting draft and if you pick somewhere outside of the top 20, good luck, it gets a bit bleak after that. The NFL combine is this next week and that’s probably going to make a difference considering there is so little consensus about this draft. Let’s get to it.
1. Las Vegas Raiders (3-14): Fernando Mendoza QB Indiana
The Pete Carroll experiment was a disaster, and the Raiders are starting over once again with a new coaching staff. Klint Kubiak is the exact opposite of Carroll, a first-time head coach, he’s under 40, he’s an offensive mind and he’s from the Shanahan coaching tree. He was fantastic in Seattle and helped Sam Darnold win a Super Bowl. The Shanahan offense is built for a guy like Mendoza and Kubiak did wonders with an underachieving offensive line in Seattle, he needs to work the same magic on the line in Las Vegas.
The team needs a new QB and a new leader and luckily for them Mendoza is a great fit for both. He isn’t a prospect like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye but he’s a good QB. His comp is somewhere around Jared Goff (hey, he was the 1st pick too). Goff isn’t an overwhelming talent but give him good talent like he has in Detroit and he wins. Contrary to popular belief, the Raiders do have some very talented offensive players. RB Ashton Jeanty had a rough rookie year, but anyone would behind that line. TE Brock Bowers was injured most of the season but that’s the only thing that slows him down. Give Jeanty some blocking and get Bowers healthy, and you have two high-level playmakers to start with. Mendoza is the kind of player who will distribute the ball to his best guys. If the Raiders upgrade the line and get a WR or two, Kubiak could have this offense upgraded in a hurry.
2. New York Jets (3-14): Arvell Reese LB/Edge Ohio St.
Dante Moore really screws this up for the Jets, they need a QB but there just isn’t one here. Reese is a very good prospect, and he would help this defense tremendously. The team is looking to pivot on defense, they traded DT Quinnen Williams and CB Sauce Gardner, their two best defensive players and more than likely they will let LB Quincy Williams (Quinnen’s brother) walk in free agency. That will leave a hole at LB and Quincy was their best blitzer. Reese is a bit thin to be a full-time edge rusher, but he would fill in as the LB/Edge rusher spot quite well. The team kept Aaron Glenn after a terrible first year as head coach, but he fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks during the season and then fired most of the rest of the staff a few weeks after the season. It’s a bad sign when the guy you hired as head coach a year ago has to fire almost the entire staff he built after one year. The fact he hired Frank Reich as the offensive coordinator is not a great sign. The good news is that Reese is so versatile that whomever they replace Glenn with after next season (it feels inevitable) will be able to use Reese on their defense.
3. Miami Dolphins (TRADE from Arizona): David Bailey Edge Texas Tech
I’m calling a major trade here for a guy I really like to go to a team I really don’t. The Dolphins have a new GM and a new head coach and the GM has already started cleaning house on the roster. The team traded OLB Jaelen Phillips before the trade deadline (that was not the new GM’s call) and the Jon-Eric Sullivan (the new GM) already cut the oft-injured Bradley Chubb, so this team has hardly any real pass rush. Chop Robinson needs a partner on the other side of the defense and David Bailey is that guy. He’s an elite edge rusher who is a bit undersized to be a true DE, so he fits better in a 3-4 defense. New head coach Jeff Hafley won’t run a pure 3-4 because he’s more likely to mix up his fronts, but Bailey works either way. Hafley will want to get to the QB since his secondary is abysmal and he won’t have enough draft capital or cap space to fix it in one year. I’m a huge Bailey fan and he’s going to be a menace off the edge so this one hurts but it’s a swing for a true difference maker on defense and Miami could use one.
4. Tennessee Titans (3-14): Rueben Bain Jr. DE Miami
The Titans will be happy with any one of the top three edge rushers (Reese, Bailey, or Bain) and here they get the last one left. Bain has short arms, if you want to play the drinking game where you take a drink every time someone mentions Bains short arms, you’ll be dead by the end of March. Yes, he doesn’t have ideal length, but his motor never stops running. He will fight with every ounce of his being on every play, and this defense could use some more of that. Robert Saleh likes tough, hard-nosed DEs and Bain would be lucky to play for a defensive mind like Saleh. The Titans are still building up this roster, and the defense needs a playmaker who isn’t Jeffrey Simmons and Bain can be that guy. Having Bain lining up on the outside of Simmons almost feels unfair to any offensive line they are going up against. It’s going to feel like a long day playing against those guys.
5. New York Giants (4-13): Caleb Downs SS Ohio St.
The Giants made a major play to make John Harbaugh their head coach after he was let go by the Ravens. Harbaugh has already started putting his imprint on this team and one of his big coaching moves was to hire Dennard Walker as his DC. Walker was on Harbaugh’s Baltimore staff but was passed over for the DC job when Harbaugh promoted Zach Orr instead of him. Walker moved on to be Tennessee’s DC and while the defense wasn’t great, it was more his personnel than Walker. That’s where Downs comes in. The Ravens were known for using a three-safety look with Kyle Hamilton being the guy they moved around. Downs isn’t the same player as Hamilton but he’s a pretty versatile piece to the defensive puzzle himself. Downs can come up and play the run, a skill this defense desperately needs, or he can cover deep. He could really unlock this defense for Walker and with Tyler Nubin and Jevon Holland already at safety, he’s the perfect guy to complete the three-safety look.
6. Cleveland Browns (5-12): Francis Mauigoa OL Miami
The Browns finally settled on Todd Monken as head coach after freeing Kevin Stefanski from his personal Groundhog Day of hell and managed to piss off DC Jim Schwartz to the point that he quit. Leave it to the Browns to hire a solid offensive coach just to lose their incredible defensive coach. This team has two first round picks after trading with Jacksonville last year and that’s good because they need a new QB, a WR1, and at least four new offensive linemen (depending on where you stand on Dawand Jones). The problem is they will have to wait on a QB because there isn’t one worth taking here. They could take Jordan Tyson or Carnell Lake at WR but Tyson comes with injury issues and I’m not sure Lake is a true WR1. The offensive line is in need of a complete overhaul. Mauigoa played RT at Miami and while he could stick there, he might be a guard. Either way, he’s a major upgrade for a Browns team that has a lot of nothing at offensive line.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (TRADE from Washington): Jeremiah Love RB Notre Dame
This is a nightmare scenario for the rest of the league as far as I’m concerned. The Chiefs earned a top ten pick for the first time since 2013 when they drafted Eric Fisher first overall (they had to trade up to draft Patrick Mahomes). They could go in a few directions, but they are one of the few teams that could justify taking a RB this high. In this case they move a little draft capital around and move up from nine to seven to get ahead of New Orleans to get their guy. Once Mahomes recovers from his ACL surgery, they expect to be right back up at the top of the AFC. A lot of things went wrong this year, and they need to fix a few things but one thing that was bad was the running game. If they want Mahomes to age gracefully, they should get him one of the best RB prospects of the last decade. Love is excellent and he is multi-talented. He’s a fantastic runner and a great receiver out of the backfield. He would be a major upgrade over Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt (who’s a free agent). They could look at WRs Carnell Lake, Makai Lemon, or Jordan Tyson but Love is the better player. They need to upgrade at WR for sure, Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy are not great, but Love opens up so many parts of the offense. They are bringing back Eric Bieniemy as OC, and he would love to have Love as his new toy on offense.
8. New Orleans Saints (6-11): Caleb Banks DT Florida
The Saints defensive line is Bryan Bresee and a bunch of old guys. Bresee is long and lean for a DT and Caleb Banks would be an excellent partner inside for him. He’s 6’6 334 lbs. and while he’s coming off a mostly lost year due to an injury, he looked healthy and dominant at the Senior Bowl. The Saints have to start restocking this team with young players, especially on defense, and Banks has as high of an upside as anyone in this draft. It seems like Tyler Shough will be the QB moving forward and they need to get him some help, so WR Carnell Tate is a possibility here, as is RB Jeremiah Love if the Chiefs don’t snake them, but GM Mickey Loomis likes to take linemen early and Banks is a great upside pick.
9. Washington Commanders (TRADE from Kansas City): Carnell Tate WR Ohio St.
The Commanders have Von Miller, Jacob Martin, Deatrich Wise, Drake Jackson, and Preston Smith all set to be free agent edge rushers for them. That leaves Dorace Armstrong feeling pretty lonely on a defensive line that didn’t get a lot of pressure even with these guys. They may have to consider bringing back some of these guys unless they really like TJ Parker or Keldric Faulk. While Carnell Tate isn’t my favorite WR in this draft, he’s a better overall prospect than Parker or Faulk and he would do wonders for Jayden Daniels. Deebo Samual and Noah Brown are both free agents, so this team is very thin at WR after Terry McLaurin, and he was hurt most of last season. This calculus changes if the Commanders are the team that ends up with Brandon Aiyuk from San Francisco.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-11): Jermod McCoy CB Tennessee
I could give the Bengals TJ Parker, the DE out of Clemson, but this team has drafted Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai, and Shemar Stewart over the last several years and drafting another athletic pass rusher without great college production just seems mean. Trey Hendrickson should move on, and they should re-sign Ossai (he wasn’t bad last season) and then role with those three up front. The secondary could use some new blood. Cam Taylor-Britt is a free agent and while Dax Hill and DJ Turner held up at CB this team needs some depth. McCoy missed the 2025 season, but he was excellent in 2024. He’s a bit of a gamble but he has CB1 skills and could really improve this defense overall. If he could be an outside CB, it would allow Dax Hill to move around the secondary more. The Bengals have to address their defense, and McCoy is the biggest upside pick they could make here.
11. Arizona Cardinals (TRADE from Miami): Spencer Fano OT Utah
This would be the perfect way for this to fall for the Cardinals. If they can pick up some draft capital from a team like Miami, drop down in the draft, and still get a guy like Fano, that’s the best-case scenario. Mike LaFluer is coming in as the new head coach and while this team has no idea who their QB is going to be (it’s highly likely Kyler Murray is out the door) they do know a new QB will need some help up front. Jonah Willliams has been the starting RT for the past two seasons when healthy and he wasn’t healthy often enough and he wasn’t good even when he was. Fano played RT at Utah and did so quite well. He may not have ideal length for an OT but he’s plenty good and he’s a day-one starter. Arizona can find a stop-gap QB for a year, build out this offense for LaFluer and then look to find their QB in 2027 when the QB class looks a lot stronger.
12. Dallas Cowboys (7-9-1): Keldric Faulk DE Auburn
The Cowboys lose almost as many edge rushers as the Commanders with Dante Fowler Jr., Sam Williams, Jadaveon Clowney, and Payton Turner are all scheduled to be free agents. That leaves Donovan Ezeiruaku on one side and no one on the other. Ezeiruaku showed some flashes but he’s a very undersized pass rusher and they need bodies. Faulk is the exact opposite of Ezeiruaku, he’s a mammoth DE who shuts down the run like a brick wall but isn’t the most explosive edge rusher. He’s exactly what they need as a run stopper and the likelihood is the Cowboys will try to bring back at least one of their edge guys (I’m guessing Williams) and Faulk would complement him nicely so Ezeiruaku can be the designated pass rusher. It’s not a flashy pick but the Cowboys have been pretty consistent attacking the trenches with their first-round picks and they have done well with it. Faulk would be a solid addition.
13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta): Kenyon Sadiq TE Oregon
The Rams like to run three TE sets and there’s a running joke that they will take Sadiq and run four TE sets. Well, here’s the truth, Tyler Higbee is a free agent this off season and is 33 years old and Nick Vannett will also be a 33-year-old free agent. Vannett is just depth and the Rams still have three TEs with Tyler Ferguson, Davis Allen, and Colby Parkinson, but Parkinson is only signed through 2026. Sadiq is a talented player who’s still young and may need some time to adjust. Taking a shot on an athlete like Sadiq who could do some fun things as a rookie while he adjusts to the NFL; that’s a worthwhile choice. You could say the Rams should take a RT to replace Rob Havenstein, but Warren McClendon III filled in for the injured Havenstein at the end of this season and looked fine. They also could use help at CB, but this team rarely invests heavily at the position, it’s been a while since they traded for Jalen Ramsey and that was the last big move they made there.
14. Baltimore Ravens (8-9): Olaivavega Ioane OG Penn St.
The Ravens are traditionally a team that looks for the best value in round one and Ioane is arguably the best player available and just so happens to fill a need for this team. RG Daniel Faalele is a free agent as is C Tyler Linderbaum. They absolutely want to bring Linderbaum back and there’s no reason to spend money to keep Faalele. He wasn’t all that good last season and Ioane would be an upgrade. They need to upgrade at the guard spots if they want to get their offensive back on track, Faalele and Andrew Voorhies were the starters last season and they struggled. The Ravens will certainly entertain defensive linemen, edge rushers, and corners because they usually do, but Ioane is a better value here than the guys left at those spots.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9): Sonny Styles LB Ohio St.
The Buccaneers went 8-9 but couldn’t pull off winning the terrible NFC South, losing the three-way tiebreaker to the Panthers. Somehow, Todd Bowles survives as the head coach but he’s replacing some staff, including his OC. The offense should be better if they just get healthy and if they can re-sign Mike Evans to a reasonable contract. The defense needs more help. Lavonte David is 36 and is a free agent, it feels like retirement is coming for him. That would leave a gaping hole in the middle of the defense and Sonny Styles is the perfect guy to fill it. Styles was a safety to begin with at Ohio St. but eventually grew into a LB body. He still has elite speed and athleticism for the position and he’s a great replacement for the future Hall of Famer David.
16. New York Jets (from Indianapolis): Kayden McDonald DT Ohio St.
This could be the spot for QB Ty Simpson, but I don’t think GM Darren Mougey is going to take a QB in the middle of round one for his lame duck coach. The Jets have three first-round picks in 2027 and it’s a better QB draft. Here they take Kayden McDonald to replace Quinnen Williams who they traded to Dallas mid-season. McDonald is a force in the run game, and he’s used to eating up blocks to free up Arvell Reese, the Jets earlier pick in this mock draft. McDonald is going to climb draft boards a bit because he brings an elite skill every team needs at DT, he stuffs the run. The Jets defense needs an overhaul, and this first round gives them two big pieces to get it started.
17. Detroit Lions (9-8): Mansoor Delane CB LSU
The Lions have a few areas they have to worry about, the interior of the offensive line had some issues this season, LT Taylor Decker had injury issues and he’s aging (they can also save a lot of money cutting him), and their edge rushers after Aidan Hutchinson are all free agents (Marcus Davenport, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Josh Pascal). Given all that, Mansoor Delane is the best prospect here and fills a need too. CB Terrion Arnold is coming off an injury and was struggling before the injury, Ennis Rakestraw has missed both his seasons with injury, and Amik Robertson and Avonte Maddux are both free agents. DJ Reed needs some help at CB and Delane is the guy. He’s not big and he’s not an elite athlete but he’s an excellent coverage player and fits the defense quite well. If Delane goes to the combine and puts on a great athletic performance he will move up the draft boards but I suspect he’s going to test like an average athlete and that is going to leave him right in the middle of the first round. If there was a LT worth taking I would but I’m not a believer in Kadyn Proctor and the rest of the position is just a bunch of guys you have to hope become legit NFL LTs.
18. Minnesota Vikings (9-8): Makai Lemon WR USC
JJ McCarthy started to show some signs of life towards the end of the season and while that won’t stop the team from finding a veteran QB who can push him, they would be wise to also keep the offense stacked to give him a chance to succeed. WR Jalen Nailor is a free agent and WR Jordan Addison is going into the last year of his contract. Addison has had some off-the-field issues (he seems to get arrested in the off season a lot, this year’s charges were dropped) and drafting a WR wouldn’t be the worst idea. Lemon was a dangerous playmaker at USC this last season. He’s undersized but he plays with a speed and precision you have to love. Whoever the QB is, having a playmaker like Lemon is always helpful. He would be an easy Nailor replacement this season and give the team the option of letting Addison walk (or trading him) instead of paying him.
19. Carolina Panthers (8-9): CJ Allen LB Georgia
There is always that one team who drafts a guy higher than the consensus and while Allen is considered a fringe first-rounder, 19th overall would be a bit shocking. That is unless you consider that the Panthers’ GM is former star LB Dan Morgan. The Panthers have had some impressive LBs in their history including Sam Mills in the early years, Morgan himself, and recently elected Hall of Famer Luke Kuechley. They have been wandering in the woods at LB for a few years and really only have Trevin Wallace returning at the position. If they really want the defense to get better, they need a guy to quarterback the defense and that’s Allen. He’s a run-stuffing demon who isn’t awesome in coverage, but he’ll be fine. He could really help this defense take a step forward as a leader on the field.
20. Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay): Kadyn Proctor OT Alabama
I could certainly see the Cowboys taking another edge rusher or a DT here considering they still have needs there but they have never shied away from first round offensive linemen, they actually seem to prefer them. Proctor has some issues, he’s not technically sound and he’s not consistent with his effort but he’s 6’7 360 lbs. and he’s an excellent athlete. The Cowboys could move on from Terrace Steele at RT and Proctor gives them options. Tyler Guyton is their LT but he’s still young and unproven and he played RT in college. I’m not a fan of Proctor as a LT but he may be better than Guyton, who has struggled at times. Either way, they can work with both and figure out who is better at RT and LT. It may turn out that LG Tyler Smith is better than either at LT and Proctor ends up at OG. Like I said, Proctor gives them options.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7): KC Concepcion WR Texas A&M
You could convince me the Steelers are drafting a CB or safety if there was a good one still here. The best available ones aren’t going to help like Concepcion. WR Denzell Boston might be a higher rated WR on some boards but he’s too much like DK Metcalf and they need to diversify their WR group. Concepcion is a small speed demon who can run routes from any position and knows how to get open. He’s a playmaker with the ball in his hands and he’s instantly the WR2 here and could end up with more targets than Metcalf because of his skill set. This is also the first spot where I think Ty Simpson is a real possibility. It all comes down to what Mike McCarthy wants at QB. If Aaron Rodgers is coming back for one last ride with this aging roster, than getting him as much help at WR as possible is a smart move. If Rodgers retires, then the Simpson pick becomes a much more likely scenario. They can talk all they want about how much they like Will Howard but I’ll believe it when I see it.
22. New England Patriots (TRADE from LAC): Ahkeem Mesidor Edge Miami
This would be a move for the Patriots to come up and get a real pass rusher on the edge because Mesidor might be the last one who isn’t strictly a pass rush specialist. Most of the rest of the group are smaller guys who aren’t great against the run and if Mike Vrabel is going to bring back K’Lavon Chaisson he already has that guy. There is the issue of Mesidor’s age and injury history, he’ll be 25 on draft night and he spent seven years in college because of all of his injuries. He had a great 2025 season at Miami, but he might be a one-contract player. The Patriots have extra draft capital and moving up to get a guy who can contribute immediately seems feasible. Mesidor gives them options with an aging Harold Landry and he plays with the toughness and grit Vrabel will love. The Chargers trade out of this spot because they lack draft picks and they need to restock the interior of their offensive line, they can afford to drop down to 31 and still do that while getting an extra pick or two.
23. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6): Brandon Cisse CB South Carolina
I nearly gave the Eagles QB Ty Simpson just to give their fans something to cheer about, but I think they are keeping Jalen Hurts. They are changing offensive coordinators again and it’s an even numbered year so this one should be good (although picking 32-year-old Sean Mannion who’s been coaching two years is going to test that theory). On defense, Howie Roseman is likely to do everything he can to re-sign Jaelen Phillips on the edge because they don’t have much depth there, they had to bring Brandon Graham out of retirement to finish the season. The biggest issue for them was outside CB where they kept having to move Cooper DeJean to fill the hole because Kelee Ringo, Jakorian Bennett, and everyone else they tried just couldn’t cut it. They need someone who allows them to leave DeJean in his best spot as Vic Fangio’s favorite chess piece. Cisse isn’t the biggest name but he’s a good man cover corner, and he has more size than Aveion Terrell, who is probably the other possibility here. Cisse can start opposite Quinyon Mitchell and allow DeJean to stay at nickel where Fangio can unleash him where he needs him.
24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville): Jordan Tyson WR Arizona St.
This would be a dream scenario for the Browns, get a starting offensive lineman at six overall and still end up with Jordan Tyson in this draft. Tyson is the boom or bust pick of the WRs which is why he falls here. On the good side, he’s the one guy who has legitimate WR1 potential in the WR class. The bad side is his injury history. Three years in college and he never played a full season without an injury. No one can doubt Tyson’s talent, he’s an excellent player and a true playmaker but the best ability is availability, and he hasn’t shown that yet. The Browns won’t care at 24th overall, they would sprint this card into the Commissioner at the draft. Pairing Tyson with Jerry Jeudy and TE Harold Fannin would be a solid foundation to a passing game for the QB they draft in 2027.
25. Chicago Bears (11-6): TJ Parker DE Clemson
The Bears need to get some pass rush off the edge from someone other than Montez Sweat. Dayo Odeyingbo was a flop as a free agent, Austin Booker missed about half the season, and they have no one else at DE. Parker didn’t have a good year at Clemson but then again, no one had a good year at Clemson. He did go down to the Senior Bowl and reminded scouts why he was a popular pick for the top five of this draft before the 2025 season. Parker is a big, powerful rusher off the edge with good bend and can close. His size and power make him a good fit for what Dennis Allen wants from his edge guys and if the Bears draft Parker, I’ll take him as the starter opposite Sweat over anybody else they have.
26. Buffalo Bills (12-5): Denzel Boston WR Washington
The Bills made the second round of the playoffs but then lost and decided to fire head coach Sean McDermott and give GM Brandon Beane a promotion, a curious decision to say the least. Beane hasn’t exactly been awesome at the draft, but McDermott took the fall for multiple playoff failures. Beane promoted OC Joe Brady to head coach and now he needs to fix the roster he built. They need interior offensive line help, that can come later. They are losing a number of good defensive lineman, that’s a possibility here. However, the biggest miss has been at WR. Khalil Shakir was a nice find later in the draft a few years ago but Keon Coleman hasn’t been good enough and their free agent signings haven’t worked out.
Denzell Boston is a legitimate outside power receiver who would give Josh Allen a downfield threat to complement Shakir. Boston is the contested catch WR they were hoping Coleman would be but just hasn’t been. He has speed and power and would open up the offense in ways they have been searching for with guys like Coleman, Gabe Davis, Josh Palmer, and even Brandin Cooks.
27. San Francisco 49ers (12-5): Gennings Dunker OG Iowa
The 49ers are going to have some issues at WR if they don’t bring back some of their free agents, so WR is a distinct possibility here. However, there isn’t great value unless they love Chris Bell or Elijah Suratt or maybe Chris Brazzell. They also need help on the interior of the offensive line and Dunker is going to be a great OG. He played RT at Iowa, but he profiles as an NFL guard. At 6’5 315 lbs. he has great size and he brings elite strength and power. He’s well-versed in the zone blocking scheme San Francisco runs and he could step in at LG immediately. The 49ers drafted his former teammate Connor Colby late last year and he gave them some decent play early this season when they were banged up. Dunker is the upgraded version of Colby and could be a mainstay on this line for a decade. Everything the 49ers do is predicated on good o-line play and it’s about time they invested some higher draft capital in the interior of that line.
28. Houston Texans (12-5): Monroe Freeling OT Georgia
Freeling was not on the early lists of top prospects because he’s still a young guy with only one year of starting experience and he wasn’t good to start the year. His season started off like he was a first-year starter but his last month he was much more impressive. Someone is going to take a chance on a guy who’s 6’7 315 lbs. and has the type of length and athleticism this guy shows. The Texans need offensive line help and Freeling gives them options at OT with an ability to play either side. He would also allow them to move Tytus Howard to guard permanently and that would really help them out. It’s probably a toss-up between Freeling and Caleb Lomu from Utah but I think Freeling is going to show off his athleticism at the combine and that will help him stand out.
29. Los Angeles Rams (12-5): Ty Simpson QB Alabama
The Rams have a good roster and most of their free agents are aging guys like RT Rob Havenstein and TE Tyler Higbee who they already have younger replacements for. They are going to continue to try to win as long as Matt Stafford is willing to play QB so there’s no rebuild or reset happening yet. They made a trade last year to pick up an extra first round pick in this draft, that was the earlier pick where they took TE Kenyon Sadiq. This is their pick and here they take their QB of the future Ty Simpson. Their backup Jimmy Garappolo will be a 35-year-old free agent this off season and there is no reason to believe Stetson Bennett can be their eventual replacement for Stafford. Simpson needs some time to develop since he wasn’t a long-term starter in college, so this is the perfect setup for him. McVay can develop him behind Stafford for a year or two (Stafford is 38).
30. Denver Broncos (14-3): Emmanuel McNeil-Warren S Toledo
The Broncos don’t have a lot of holes which is why they were in the AFC Championship game this last season. They do have a few free agents who could leave like DE John Franklin-Myers, LB Alex Singleton, and RB JK Dobbins but there aren’t a lot of great options here for replacing those guys. Another area that could use some reinforcements is the secondary. S PJ Locke and nickelback Ja’Quan McMillian are both free agents. Getting a guy like McNeil-Warren for the safety spot would allow them to use Jahdae Barron more freely and gives them depth behind their starters. McNeil-Warren is a big safety out of Toledo so he’s coming from a small school, but he’s got the size and athleticism to compete at the NFL level. Toledo has been putting guys in the league lately and he’s the next one.
31. Los Angeles Chargers (TRADE from New England): Caleb Lomu OT Utah
The Chargers have to fix the interior of the offensive line and while Lomu is technically an OT, they might as well try the best player available on the line and see if it works. Lomu would also be a nice insurance policy considering how often they seem to have injury issues at OT. They can give him a chance to step in at either left or right guard and see what works. He played LT at Utah so if he’s more comfortable on the left side, he can play next to Rashawn Slater and learn from an elite player, assuming Slater is healthy. Lomu is only a third-year sophomore, so he still has plenty of growing to do and he needs to get stronger. He’s a good athlete so he’ll fit right in with Slater and RT Joe Alt, that would just leave the other two inside positions to fill in. I don’t think Lomu will be the only offensive lineman drafted by the Chargers.
32. Seattle Seahawks (14-3): Colton Hood CB Tennessee
While Seattle fans might call for another first-round guard to replace Anthony Bradford, their favorite whipping boy, this team won the Super Bowl because of the defense. That defense has three guys from the secondary; CB Josh Jobe, CB Riq Woolen, and safety Coby Bryant, who are all free agents. It feels like Woolen’s time in Seattle is probably over and Jobe might get a decent contract from someone else. They need to be sure to keep the quality of the secondary up and Colton Hood would be a strong addition at CB. Hood might even go higher than this if his testing numbers at the combine are good. He had a solid week at the Senior Bowl with a few tough moments but he’s still young and has good size and good coverage skills. He could be an upgrade over Jobe from a talent standpoint and much more consistent than Woolen.
The Hott Read 