Andrew Aziz’ NFL Mock Draft 1.0 (1 Round)

Please note that there are no trades in this version of the mock draft but there will be in future version(s).

1st Round

1st Overall Pick — Chicago Bears (from Carolina Panthers)
Caleb Williams — Quarterback — USC

The Bears traded Fields so they can go get Caleb Williams, who they hope can be their franchise altering quarterback.

2nd Overall Pick — Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels — Quarterback — LSU

Daniels is the 2nd best quarterback in this class and a lot closer to Williams than people think. The Commanders get a serious player and hopefully they build a team around him to not mess him up.

3rd Overall Pick — New England Patriots
JJ McCarthy — Quarterback — Michigan

The Patriots replace their old Michigan quarterback with a new one. Momentum has been building in recent weeks for McCarthy and seems he has a lot of suitors.

4th Overall Pick — Arizona Cardinals
Marvin Harrison Jr — Wide Receiver — Ohio State

Harrison is the best player in the draft and the Cards get a superstar to pair with Kyler Murray.

5th Overall Pick — Los Angeles Chargers
Joe Alt — Offensive Tackle — Notre Dame

Jim Harbaugh spoke recently on the importance of the offensive line, so I expect him to take Alt to shore up the right side of the line. They can afford to pass on a receiver in such a deep draft.

6th Overall Pick — New York Giants
Drake Maye — Quarterback — North Carolina

Drake Maye drops to the Giants in a dream scenario. Maye is a good quarterback, but needs time to develop so he can sit behind Daniel Jones for a season before taking over the starting job.

7th Overall Pick — Tennessee Titans
Laiatu Latu — Edge Defender — UCLA

Titans made a lot of big moves this year, but their front 7 could still use some work and getting Latu gives them a proper complimentary piece to Harold Landry.

8th Overall Pick — Atlanta Falcons
Cooper Dejean — Cornerback

Falcons get one of the hot prospects of the draft and get themselves a legit #1 cornerback who can have a strong impact on day 1.

9th Overall Pick — Chicago Bears
Malik Nabers — Wide Receiver — LSU

Nabers drops a bit and the Bears get a perfect player to add to their offense. Nabers would settle in right away as the #3 option on the offense and eventually take over Keenan Allen when he retires.

10th Overall Pick — New York Jets
Olu Fashanu — Offensive Tackle — Penn State

Jets have a lot of great pieces at the skill spots, but they need to fix their offensive line. Fashanu is a bit more raw than Alt, but has the same upside.

11th Overall Pick — Minnesota Vikings
Dallas Turner — Edge Defender — Alabama

The Vikings might trade up to take a quarterback, but if they don’t, they’ll be stuck with a lot of good defensive players, which isn’t a bad thing. Turner helps replace Danielle Hunter.

12th Overall Pick — Denver Broncos
Rome Odunze — Wide Receiver — Washington

Odunze gives the Broncos offense a big jolt and a proper complimentary piece to Courtland Sutton.

13th Overall Pick — Las Vegas Raiders
JC Latham — Offensive Tackle — Alabama

The Raiders have taken a ton of Alabama players in the first round over the year and I can see them going after Latham to help out their weak offensive line, especially on the right side.

14th Overall Pick — New Orleans Saints
Byron Murphy II — Defensive Tackle — Texas

The Saints should go in a bunch of other directions, but no matter what they always end up with a defensive linemen early. Expect the same this year as Murphy is one of the best players on the board.

15th Overall Pick — Indianapolis Colts
Quinyon Mitchell — Cornerback — Toledo

The Colts will likely trade out of this pick, but since there are no trades in the draft, they’ll go with a player who fits their mold perfectly: Quinyon Mitchell. Mitchell is one of the most athletic cornerbacks in the draft and has the size to back it up. The Colts have a pressing need at cornerback so I expect them to address it early. Mitchell at 15 is good value, fits a big need and has a very high RAS score so it’s a Ballard fit.

16th Overall Pick — Seattle Seahawks
Jared Verse — Edge Defender — Florida State

The Seahawks hired a defensive head coach, so expect them to start fixing that defense. To fix a defense, you need to start with the defensive line and Verse gives them a potential star on the edge.

17th Overall Pick — Jacksonville Jaguars
Terrion Arnold — Cornerback — Alabama

In a division that’s getting stronger in the pass game, the Jags will need to take cornerbacks to be able to keep up; Arnold is a strong player who fits their defensive style well.

18th Overall Pick — Cincinnati Bengals
Brock Bowers — Tight End — Georgia

Burrow to Bowers is a cheat code and this is tremendous value for the Bengals as they get one of the 8 best players in the draft at the 18 spot.

19th Overall Pick — Los Angeles Rams
Amarius Mims — Offensive Tackle — Georgia

The Rams have so many great pieces on offense, but ever since they lost Andrew Whitworth, their offensive line has struggled. Picking Mims should help restore some great play to an otherwise lackluster group.

20th Overall Pick — Pittsburgh Steelers
Brian Thomas Jr — Wide Receiver — LSU

The Steelers lose Diontae Johnson, but they get Brian Thomas Jr who can come in right away and be their #2 option in the passing game.

21st Overall Pick — Miami Dolphins
Taliese Fuaga — Offensive Tackle — Oregon State

McDaniel is a run game guy at heart, so picking offensive linemen to help the run game but also to protect Tua will always be amongst his top priorities.

22nd Overall Pick — Philadelphia Eagles
Nate Wiggins — Cornerback — Clemson

The Eagles struggled mightily on the back end last year and getting Wiggins will hopefully be a big step forward to helping that problem. Their front 7 is pretty stacked, so with one or two good pieces on the backend, they could be back to being a top 8 defense in the NFL.

23rd Overall Pick — Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland Browns)
Jackson Powers-Johnson — Center — Oregon

The Vikings could use some help up front on the inside and JPJ is a mean, violent interior offensive linemen who can have a similar year 1 impact as Quinn Meinerz.

24th Overall Pick — Dallas Cowboys
Adonai Mitchell — Wide Receiver — Texas

The Cowboys might’ve had the best offense in the NFL last season, but right now they lack a consistent #2 receiver next to Lamb. Cooks is very talented, but not consistent. Mitchell, a local guy, can help keep Dallas as the best in the league.

25th Overall Pick — Green Bay Packers
Troy Fautanu — Offensive Tackle — Washington

The Packers will need to find someone to replace David Bahktiari and Rasheed Walker isn’t the long-term answer. Getting Fautanu is not only good value, but fits their biggest need.

26th Overall Pick — Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kool Aid McKinstry — Cornerback — Alabama

The Bucs have lost of a lot of stars in their secondary over the past few years, so it’s time they start getting new stars back there. Kool Aid is a smart player who could be in the DROY conversation next year.

27th Overall Pick — Arizona Cardinals (from Houston Texans)
Jer’Zahn Newton — Interior Defensive Lineman — Illinois

The Cardinals’ defense isn’t much of a defense. They need to rebuild and they’ve added some pieces up front but Newton at this spot is value and would give that front 7 a huge boost.

28th Overall Pick — Buffalo Bills
Xavier Worthy — Wide Receiver — Texas

The Bills stripped their entire team this offseason and it appears they want to start from scratch at many spots. Worthy may not be a long-term #1, but he’s faster and explosive and should be a perfect #2 that can stretch the defense and give Josh Allen a legitimate deep threat.

29th Overall Pick — Detroit Lions
Payton Wilson — Linebacker — NC State

The Lions added a lot of pieces to their defense and their offense is already pretty stacked. Where they lack a bit is at the 2nd level with their linebackers. Wilson is the best linebacker in the draft and could easily start from day 1 next to Anzalone.

30th Overall Pick — Baltimore Ravens
Braden Fiske — Interior Defensive Lineman — Florida State

The Ravens have good starters on their defensive line, but we know they love beefing up their big boys on both sides of the ball and they are relatively thin on their defensive line. Fiske had a very productive year and could be a great rotational piece early on.

31st Overall Pick — San Francisco 49ers
Ladd McConkey — Wide Receiver — Georgia

The best route runner in the draft might replace one of the best route runners in the NFL if the 49ers decide to part ways with Aiyuk. McConkey may not have an immediate impact, but he could be a perfect piece to a West Coast offense that focuses a lot of timing and good route running.

32nd Overall Pick — Kansas City Chiefs
Graham Barton — Offensive Tackle — Duke

The Chiefs have a big hole at offensive tackle and Barton could help fill that need. Barton could battle Morton for the starting left tackle spot from day 1.

Colts’ 2nd Round Pick (46th Overall)
Devontez Walker — Wide Receiver — North Carolina

Following the theme of Chris Ballard taking players with high RAS scores, Walker has one of the highest RAS scores in his group. He has great size as well and could be a better version of Alec Pierce. With the arm of Anthony Richardson, the Colts need a legitimate deep threat and Walker’s vertical speed and deep threat ability could give the Colts the perfect to stretch defenses and open up so many things undernearth for Taylor, Pittman, Downs and even Richardson.