Every spring we football fans sit and twiddle our thumbs waiting with bated anticipation for late April, when we welcome the new class of professional players to join the new ranks wearing our favorite team's colors. In the meantime mock drafts and prospect rankings are all we have to cull the pent up impatience accumulating since the Super Bowl. While the draft experts do their best to weed out the fact from the fiction, the rumors from reality, matching the mock drafts to the real deal are never an exact science.
Trades, surprise picks and new information always seem to skew the results. As of this week, some minor adjustments and changes aside, almost all mock drafts look the same -- not mine. Including some trades and some surprises, here is my one and only first-round mock draft. I have only included draft picks in the trade scenarios because player evaluations in trades can get messy. It's fun, it's different and it might be a lot closer to what we'll see on Thursday than you think.
Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
1) Arizona Cardinals | DT Quinnen Williams - Alabama
Don't believe the smoke screen. Williams has long been thought of as the most dominant player in the draft, with a short reprise for Nick Bosa. The Cardinals make no mistake and take the most NFL ready player on the board. Rosen fits the new system and Kyler Murray doesn't play defense.
2) Oakland Raiders | QB Kyler Murray - Oklahoma
Trade: Raiders send the 4th, 27th and 140th pick to the 49ers.
Just like two years ago, John Lynch pulls another fast one and moves down a few spots to add to his haul of picks. They have a ton of needs but only six selections. The Raiders get their man for the future and avoid having to battle other teams for the Jets' pick. Carr to Miami or New York makes sense, but that's for another article.
3) New York Giants | QB Dwayne Haskins - Ohio State
Trade: Giants send the 6th, 37th, 142nd pick and a 2020 2nd Round selection to the Jets.
The pick stays in state, but switches hands. Gettleman is able to swing a trade to move up for a QB while holding on to the team's second first-round selection. The Jets, needing to add to their bag of picks get four. Haskins can sit and learn behind Manning for some time before eventually usurping him. I simply do not buy Eli as the man for the job.
4) San Francisco 49ers | Edge Nick Bosa - Ohio State
From Oakland.
The 49ers trade back and still get their man. Bosa will make a great addition to an already talented young defensive line.
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | DL Rashan Gary - Michigan
The Bucs are moving to a 3-4 and while Josh Allen is the obvious pick, Gary is a much better fit for the defense. His size and versatility would make him a tantalizing addition to a line that added Vita Vea last year. The Bucs could go with Devin White, but I have a feeling Gary has just the type of promise to blind their vision.
6) New York Jets | Edge Josh Allen - Kentucky
From New York Giants.
Another happy ending for a team that traded down. The Jets are thrilled to see Allen still on the board. He'll fill the role that the team had hoped Anthony Barr would.
7) Cincinnati Bengals | QB Drew Lock - Missouri
Trade: Bengals send the 11th and 42nd pick to Jacksonville.
The premise of Lock's arm talent along with a healthy AJ Green and a combination of Tyler Boyd and John Ross eases the team into future life without Andy Dalton. The Bengals have the young talent to compete in the short term and can't afford to wait much longer for a face of the franchise. Jacksonville adds a second rounder and should still be able to grab a great player at number 11.
8) Detroit Lions | TE T.J. Hockenson - Iowa
The Lions would like to move down, but with the top three QBs off the board, they struggle to find suitors. Instead, they snag the top TE off the board, who may also be the number one offensive chess piece in the draft. Stafford rejoices as this is a move to win now.
9) Buffalo Bills | OT Jawaan Taylor - Florida
The Bills make a decision to keep Josh Allen upright. They could make a move for a receiver, but they do the safe thing and look to protect their young signal caller. Expect them to field calls in an attempt to move back, but with ten selections already, they do the smart thing and get better immediately.
10) Atlanta Falcons | DL Ed Oliver - Houston
Trade: Atlanta sends the 14th, 79th and 186th pick to Denver.
Fearing Jacksonville or Green Bay may look to steal away Oliver, Atlanta makes a move for the man at the top of their draft board. They have the picks to do it and after seeing three quarterbacks fly off the list already, Denver is happy to oblige.
11) Jacksonville Jaguars | Edge Montez Sweat - Mississippi State
From Cincinnati.
Jacksonville was hoping Taylor would fall to them, but instead take a chance on Sweat despite his health concerns. The team has had success plucking tumbling defensive talent off the table and this year is no exception.
12) Green Bay Packers | TE Noah Fant - Iowa
The NFL Network's draft table was very enlightening. Both Iowa TEs flew right off the board and it made me think teams are higher on the position this year than in years past. The Packers need to make Rodgers happy and a new offensive minded head coach and versatile receiving threat do just that. Fant can move around the formation and will thrive with the future Hall of Famer tossing him the pigskin.
13) Miami Dolphins | LB Devin White - LSU
White's tumble stops here. The new head coach of the Dolphins knows just how much a sideline to sideline linebacker can mean to a defense. While the position is not an outright need, the team can't feel that comfortable with Kiko Alonso. With all the QBs and DL talent being snatched up White is the forgotten man.
14) Denver Broncos | G Jonah Williams - Alabama
From Atlanta.
The Broncos just miss out on White, who would have been a perfect fit for their defense. It's been a rough draft so far for Denver, who missed out on both Lock and Hockenson the first go around. Williams is a day one starter at guard who moves very well for a man his size. This is a sneaky good pickup for the Broncos.
15) Pittsburgh Steelers | LB Devin Bush Jr. - Michigan
Trade: Pittsburgh sends the 20th and 66th pick to Washington.
The Steelers need an impact player at the linebacker position and Bush fits the ticket. They weren't sure he'd fall all the way to 20 and make the move up to snipe him after the Broncos pass him up.
16) Carolina Panthers | Edge Brian Burns - Florida State
Clemson's Clelin Ferrell is also an option here, but I find Burns to be the better athlete. He'll be a welcome addition to a team that is lacking speed upfront. This is a really good selection for the Panthers if I do say so myself.
17) New York Giants | OT Andre Dillard - Washington State
The Giants get a new left tackle to pair with their new QB. Sure they spent a fortune on Nate Solder last season, but he did little to shore up the porous line. They can move the veteran to the right side and slot Dillard in on the blindside. It may not be an exciting pick, but it's a win for the Giants.
18) Minnesota Vikings | G Cody Ford - Oklahoma
The Vikings need help all over the offensive line and Ford can fill about any position. This is a perfect fit for Minnesota who are lucky to see Ford fall so far.
19) Tennessee Titans | WR Marquise Brown - Oklahoma
This pick is all of a sudden a hot topic among draft pundits and I love the fit. Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins are also great options, but defense was not the biggest problem for the Titans last year. They need someone to keep the talented defenses in the AFC South honest and Brown is that man.
20) Washington Redskins | QB Daniel Jones - Duke
From Pittsburgh.
The Redskins trade down and still solve their QB problem. Jones can sit behind Keenum for a while before taking over. His mobility will be an interesting piece to the puzzle for Jay Gruden and his short game accuracy will work well with the Redskins attack. The team was rolling before Alex Smith went down. Jones is as close as this draft has to his clone.
21) New England Patriots | DL Christian Wilkins - Clemson
Trade: New England sends the 32nd, 64th and 134th pick to Seattle.
The Patriots see their opportunity and pounce. Wilkins' versatile skill set looks destined for a New England marriage. Belichick will know how to best implement the Clemson lineman and he'll make a fantastic replacement for Trey Flowers. The Seahawks missed out on most of the top end edge rushers and decide to move back to add to their small selection of picks.
22) Baltimore Ravens | WR D.K. Metcalf - Mississippi
The Ravens need some weapons for Lamar Jackson and Metcalf can do it all. A big target over the middle with speed on the outside, his massive catch radius will go a long way to helping the young QB.
23) Houston Texans | C/G Garrett Bradbury - NC State
O line help is on the way! This is simply a pick the Texans need to make. With all the true tackles off the board, Bradbury is an excellent consolation prize.
24) Oakland Raiders | Edge Clelin Ferrell - Clemson
The urge to pick Josh Jacobs is a real one, but the need for an edge rusher is greater. The Raiders do the smart thing securing a pass rusher after trading up for their QB of the future.
25) Philadelphia Eagles | DL Jeffery Simmons - Mississippi Sate
The pick you've all been waiting for. The Eagles will look to trade down, but with a lack of trade partners, they go with the most talented player left on the board. They are in a unique position where they can afford to let Simmons sit and recover. The tandem of Simmons and Cox can wait until 2020 to run rampant. Safeties and linebackers should still be on the board by the time the Eagles pick in the second round.
26) Indianapolis Colts | S Jonathan Abram - Mississippi State
The third time former teammates are taken consecutively in this mock. Abram will be a great fit beside Malik Hooker. It was only recently that Abram was tagged as the best safety in the class, but he seems to have kept that spot heading into the draft.
27) San Francisco 49ers | CB Greedy Williams - LSU
From Oakland.
It could be any of the top corners, but Williams seems like the best fit across from Richard Sherman. Both long, rangy corners will make it incredibly difficult to complete passes. When Sherman is ready to hang 'em up Williams is the perfect man to fill his shoes. The addition of both Bosa and Williams make the San Francisco defense one of the most promising in the NFC.
28) Jacksonville Jaguars | WR A.J. Brown - Mississippi
Trade: Jacksonville sends the 38th and 109th pick to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jacksonville jumps ahead of Arizona, Oakland and the Giants, who could all use receiving help. Nick Foles thrives when he has a dependable tight end and when you don't have one of those a big slot receiver is the next best thing.
29) Seattle Seahawks | S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - Florida
I can't think of a better rookie to fill the hole left by Earl Thomas. The Seahawks need to have a solid defensive draft and Gardner-Johnson is a great start. Again, the Seahawks find themselves in a bad spot to grab the edge rusher they desperately need.
30) Green Bay Packers | S Nassir Adderley - Delaware
The Packers need a safety and will have to settle for the third one off the board. They shouldn't feel down about it though. Adderly is no slouch and was long thought of as the number one player at his position.
31) Los Angeles Rams | DT Dexter Lawrence - Clemson
A duo Lawrence and Aaron Donald? Nightmarish.
32) Seattle Seahawks | Edge Chase Winovich - Michigan
One of the most underrated players in the draft, Winovich absolutely deserves to sneak into the first round. He proved as much with his pre-draft performance. He's not exactly in the Frank Clark mold but will work his tail off for the Seahawks and should be an instant fan favorite.
So there it is. Do I think it's perfect? Absolutely not. That's where you come in. Let me know how wrong I am in the comments below!
Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
