What's better than doing your own NFL mock draft? Sitting around a table with three of your colleagues and hashing out the 32 first-round picks together. You get competing viewpoints, the occasional pat on the back for a popular pick, some unexpected developments and, for some reason in this case, diversions into such topics as donut holes, cheese walls and Katy Perry lyrics.
That's what happened when Team Reporter Casey Phillips and Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix joined Jeff Ryan and I on a Salty Dogs podcast. With the real draft just days away, we got together to hash out our annual collaborative mock draft and recorded the whole thing. We'd love it if you gave it a listen.
You can also read the results below. Jeff and I picked for all the odd teams and Brianna and Casey took the even picks. If a pick was traded, we stayed with the teams in their new spots even if they changed from odd to even or vice versa. Each pick is followed by an excerpt from the podcast.
Here are links to our first 10 mock drafts here on Buccaneers.com:
We predicted two new trades during this mock draft. They are:
- The Vikings trade with the Chargers, moving up six spots from 11 to five. Along with that 11th pick, they send the Chargers the 23rd overall pick, picked up in a trade with Houston last month, and a second-round pick in 2025. According to the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, picks 11 and 23 are more than enough to warrant the fifth pick, but precedence on trades of this type, especially when there is likely competition from other teams wanting to move up for a quarterback, suggests the Vikings will have to overpay.
- After getting the 11th and 23rd picks, the Chargers make a move back up the board, jumping seven spots in a swap with Seattle to move up to number 16. The cost is a 2024 third-rounder (number 69 overall) and a 2025 third-rounder.
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina): QB Caleb Williams, USC
Casey: "He has been under pressure for so long. He's had this singular focus. So when you talk about that number-one overall pick, maybe that sets him up for more success at that spot."
2. Washington Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
Brianna: "Best dual threat in the class, kind of a magician on the move. For me, I just like the marriage with Kliff Kingsbury – he's worked with several high-level mobile quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray. And even though, obviously, Daniels is his own player, I just like that combination and the dimension he will add to Washington's offense."
3. New England Patriots: QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
Scott: "I think New England got lucky to get Drake May at three. I think had Drake Maye gone second, the Patriots probably would have listened to some phone calls about trading down, to maybe somebody like the Raiders, who apparently love Jayden Daniels."
4. Arizona Cardinals: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Casey: "You've got to help Kyler Murray out if you're going to continue to try this, and I loved how one of the descriptions I saw about Marvin Harrison Jr. said, 'It is difficult to discuss him without sounding hyperbolic.' When you talk about him, it just sounds like you're being overzealous."
5. Minnesota Vikings (from L.A. Chargers): QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Scott: "I think he's falling into a perfect situation. Kevin O'Connell is great with quarterbacks. He starts right away with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. He's got a decent offensive line in front of him. It's a great situation. Not every quarterback falls into such a great situation. It looks awesome for J.J. McCarthy. I think this is a win-win for everybody."
6. New York Giants: WR Malik Nabers, LSU
Brianna: "I just love what he potentially could do in the Giants' offense. He's a menace on jet sweeps and reverses and he's electric after the catch, with that gliding agility. I'm a big Nabers fan."
7. Tennessee Titans: T Joe Alt, Notre Dame
Jeff: "I'm kind of like John Lynch in this particular thing – I like bloodlines. His dad played 13 seasons for the [Chiefs]. His dad's name is John. This kid's from Notre Dame so you know he's a smart guy."
8. Atlanta Falcons: EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
Brianna: "He has that quickness off the ball, [he's] physical at the point of attack…the speed-to-power conversion. He's just kind of a guy that has those explosive traits and the high upside that teams covet."
9. Chicago Bears: WR Rome Odunze, Washington
Scott: "Just a couple years ago, the Bears had one of the worst wide receiver rooms in the league. Now they have Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze. That's nice."
10. New York Jets: TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
Casey: "It's tight end Brock Bowers from Georgia to further the 'All-In Aaron Rodgers Experience.' When his comparison is George Kittle, how do you not want that for a guy like Aaron Rodgers? He could really be a star if he lands with the right type of quarterback and play-caller and all that. The whole point is that they're trying to go all-in with Rodgers."
11. Los Angeles Chargers (from Minnesota): DL Byron Murphy
Jeff: "Hopefully he'll be there, because there have been reports that the Chicago Bears really like this kid. They like him a lot. If he's available, that's who they're going to take, but that's an if."
12. Denver Broncos: T Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
Brianna: "There is kind of the notion of a potential trade up for a quarterback like Bo Nix or Michael Penix, but I'm not really convinced that after McCarthy you're going to have another quarterback go in the first round."
13. Las Vegas Raiders: CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Scott: "Because this is such an offensive top-heavy draft, they get the first cornerback off the board at 13, which rarely happens. The first cornerback almost always goes in the top 10. That's a position of need for them. This one was easy."
14. New Orleans Saints: T Olu Fashanu, Penn State
Casey: "I think he's going to be a little bit of a work in progress as a run blocker, but pass protection – phenomenal. And look: poor Derek Carr. Far be it for me to have sympathy for anything related to the Saints, obviously, but poor Derek Carr got absolutely destroyed last year, just got pounded into the turf many a time. They've got to give him some more protection."
15. Indianapolis Colts: CB Terrion Arnold
Casey: "They surrendered way too many big plays last year – twenty-third in both yards per pass attempt allowed and pass break-ups. So they need a playmaking guy, and he's got the ball skills, has got some cover athleticism. And I think he can work inside or outside, which is always nice if you're going to spend a high draft pick on a corner, to know you could use him wherever."
16. Los Angeles Chargers (from Seattle): T Amarius Mims, Georgia
Scott: "They probably should have taken a wide receiver, in retrospect, but I knew they needed a right tackle. They're set at left tackle because they have one of Northwestern's finest in Rashawn Slater on that side, but they really need a right tackle and I love Amarius Mims. He's huge, and he moves like he's not huge."
17. Jacksonville Jaguars: CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
Casey: "He allowed only one catch of 15-plus yards in 2023. Also the fact that he's got the special teams potential, and it seems like he could play corner, safety, nickel, which again, you love a high pick having versatility."
18. Cincinnati Bengals: T J.C. Latham, Alabama
Brianna: "They don't necessarily need a tackle with their bookends in place, but Trent Brown has only played a full season once in the last five years. Latham's a guy [who is] stout in pass protection [with a] unique blend of mass and power. He's smooth in transition. He's a guy that I think will really bolster their line."
19. Los Angeles Rams: DL Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois
Jeff: "He's 6-1 and 300 pounds, which isn't exactly the biggest guy but he's got great quickness. He gets off the block really quick. He likes to win with his hands on the blocker, with a push-and-pull method. And they need to do something, because you-know-who retired."
20. Pittsburgh Steelers: G Graham Barton, Duke
Casey: "He played left tackle and center in college. He seems to be valued a little bit more at center but could play all the interior positions. They've got some veteran guards they've added recently but no center since they cut their former starter, so this is just a big old need pick."
21. Miami Dolphins: WR Brian Thomas, LSU
Scott: "I don't feel like [this is] something you commonly see [in mock drafts]. Miami commonly takes an interior defensive lineman, but both of those guys were gone. They could use offensive line help, but what else does Miami like? They love speed. Now you have Brian Thomas, who was almost as fast as the record-setting Xavier Worthy and he's like 40 pounds heavier than Worthy. Maybe it was a luxury pick, but I just couldn't pass it up."
22. Philadelphia Eagles: CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
Brianna: "I love this guy, and he's kind of randomly been linked to the Bucs in recent mocks as well. The Eagles have not taken a corner in the first round since Lito Sheppard in 2002. He only allowed one catch of 20-plus yards on 41 targets last season. [He's] smooth in and out of breaks."
23. Seattle Seahawks (from Cleveland through Houston, Minnesota and L.A. Chargers): T Troy Fautanu, Washington
Casey: "They lost multiple starters on the line in free agency, and I love this: [Fautanu] played for their offensive coordinator and O-Line coach in college. Talk about some nice consistency there. This feels like such a perfect fit for all parties involved."
24. Dallas Cowboys: C Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
Brianna: "I'm not going to lie – I was pained to take Jackson Powers-Johnson for Dallas because that takes him off the board potentially, because I also love him for [the Bucs]. I think he plays with the kind of demeanor and tenacity that Jason Licht obviously loves in his offensive linemen. But the Cowboys have a hole at center…Tyler Biadasz, who manned that post for majority of the last three seasons is now gone. He plays with that same fiery disposition as Ryan Jensen."
25. Green Bay Packers: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
Scott: "This was one of the picks we struggled with the most when we got here. There just wasn't an obvious pick for us. We eventually just decided cornerback was an area of need for them and went with Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry. It was one of our least sure picks. I just didn't know what to do here."
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: EDGE Jared Verse, Florida State
Brianna: "I think he's a guy that with his demeanor, the way that he plays, the power, the technique, he's a really good fit for Todd Bowles [and] his penetrating attack style of system. But also, he has experience lining up inside as well to kind of shoot gaps against the guard, which I think would be great in our complex system, because you know Todd Bowles is going to have him doing a variety of things. Well-timed first step – he had 62 pressures in 2023, the fifth most among edge players for PFF. Hellacious bull rush, the speed-to-power conversion, driving offensive tackles back."
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston): EDGE Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Scott: "So the Cardinals walk out of this draft with Marvin Harrison and Laiatu Latu. I know we said at the beginning that you can't grade draft picks until three years later, but everybody does it anyway. They'll be walking out with an A for those two guys."
28. Buffalo Bills: WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Casey: "Obviously, the Bills need a wide receiver. This is their biggest roster shakeup since 2019. There are only 33 players who were either on their 53-man roster at the end of the year or on in-season injured reserve. You trade away Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis left in free agency…they need a lot of guys. He won back-to-back national championships at Georgia and then transferred to Texas before this season. He caught four touchdowns in four college football playoff games. To me, all of that shows that he knows how to play in the big moments."
29. Detroit Lions: EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn State
Scott: "He's one of the most athletic guys out there. Again, the production maybe didn't blow anybody away, but it's kind of like Javon Walker for the Jaguars a couple years ago; some of that was just about the way he was used. The Lions think they can get more out of him and have a bookend for their other great edge rusher (Aidan Hutchinson)."
30. Baltimore Ravens: T Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
Brianna: "He's kind of a freak athlete for a 320-pound man. He has nimble feet, is quick, excellent on lead blocks. He's one of the quickest at the position in the class – nimble mover, fluid hips, rare first step. I think his movement skills would be a big upside."
31. San Francisco 49ers: T Jordan Morgan, Arizona
Scott: "Some people think he might play guard, but that's okay because they have a little bit of a need at both spots. Get him in the building and see where he fits best."
32. Kansas City Chiefs: WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia
Brianna: "This could be a little bit high, but my thing with him that I think was really impressive was just his route-running precision. The injuries, the back and ankle that he had in 2023, kind of caused him to drop a little bit, but he has the vertical speed to keep guys honest. This guy, you can see the amount of film study he does in how he attacks corners. He has a plan, and just the nuances to his route-running, and I think he could end up being a really, really big steal for the Chiefs."
