Lance's Acting GM Mock Draft

This is a two round mock draft and I include trades, though I won’t go too much into detail on what was given up, and I only do trades for the first round. If you didn’t read through my Draft Board articles for this year some of the names you’ll see below will seem like they came out of left field. Go checkout my draft boards and you’ll understand where I’m coming from. THIS IS NOT HOW I THINK THE DRAFT WILL GO, this is strictly how I would draft for each team if I was in charge. I want to emphasize that, so you don’t come down on me with a fiery vengeance when you don’t like who I have your team taking. If you want to see how I think the actual draft is going to go then you should check out my Hype Mock Draft here: http://www.wetalkfootball.cc/the-hype-mock-draft/

1) Jacksonville Jaguars

Pick: QB Trevor Lawrence (Clemson)

Reason: No reason to go any other direction with this pick.

2) New York Jets

Pick: QB Zach Wilson (BYU)

Reason: Learn from Chicago’s mistakes. Wilson’s arm talent is enough for me to make him with the #2 pick.

3) San Francisco 49ers (via Miami via Houston)

Pick: QB Trey Lance (North Dakota State)

Reason: I’m sticking with Lance (he’s who I have them taking at 3 in my hype mock as well). I like his potential and since Jimmy G is still around, Lance can spend some time adjusting rather than being thrown right into the fire.

4) Atlanta Falcons

Pick: TE Kyle Pitts (Florida)

Reason: I’m in charge of Atlanta, this pick is not getting traded unless someone is willing to give up what Washington did to draft RGIII. Pitts is the second best player in this draft and his presence would make this offense lethal once again.

5) Cincinnati Bengals

Pick: WR Ja’marr Chase (LSU)

Reason: We make our franchise QB happy by giving him his go to guy when he was in his final season at LSU. Chase is an athletic freak, and his pairing with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd would give Cincy one of the best trio of Receivers in the NFL.

6) *TRADE* Denver Broncos (via Miami via Philadelphia) *TRADE*

Pick: QB Justin Fields (Ohio State)

Reason: Denver still takes Fields just like in my hype mock, but I feel like we need to trade up to get him. Since Atlanta and Cincy were unwilling to move down we get in at the 6 slot. Fields gives our playoff ready team a pro-ready youngster under Center who is a lot better at keeping the ball out of the hands of our opponents then the kid we currently have on our roster.

7) Detroit Lions

Pick: WR Devonta Smith (Alabama)

Reason: It was tempting to look at Joseph Ossai and Jamin Davis, but if we want to give Jared Goff any chance of proving the doubters wrong we need to give him targets! Devonta Smith is a machine when it comes to getting open, something we’re going to need him to do a lot this year.

8) Carolina Panthers

Pick: OT Penei Sewell (Oregon)

Reason: We are high on Taylor Moton, but a bookend Tackle to pair with him is still a big need, especially if we want to protect Sam Darnold.

9) *TRADE* Miami Dolphins (via Denver) *TRADE*

Pick: OL Rashawn Slater (Northwestern)

Reason: I know, I know, we just traded up to six a few weeks ago, but we were really hoping we’d be able to land Pitts or Chase there. Since they went before we picked, we slid back, recouped a little of what we lost by moving up from 12 to 6 and we still land a very talented Lineman in Slater. He can try out at Tackle and if that doesn’t work out he’ll move inside to Guard where he could be a top player at his position for the next decade.

10) Dallas Cowboys

Pick: Edge Joseph Ossai (Texas)

Reason: Our defense is a mess, we legitimately need help at all three levels. We’ll cling to the hope that Vander Esch gets back to his rookie form and focus on the trenches in round one. A pass rusher to pair with Demarcus Lawrence should help take some pressure off of whoever we end up starting at Corner.

11) **TRADE** Chicago Bears (via NY Giants) **TRADE**

Pick: QB Mac Jones (Alabama)

Reason: It might seem crazy for us to give up picks to once again move up and take a Quarterback that a lot of people don’t view as a sure thing. But there are reasons for making this move. The first is hope, that’s what it will inspire in the fan base, even those who didn’t like Mac Jones coming into the draft will be hoping on the inside that they’re wrong. That means butts in the seats waiting to see if this guy can finally become the franchise QB we’ve always needed. The second is that if he isn’t the answer and we’re in a position next year to draft someone else who could be, we can pull that trigger and not be flogged for it thanks to what Arizona did with Rosen and Murray. So we make the move now, give our fans something to look forward to and our franchise a chance at something that we haven’t really had since before the Super Bowl was a thing.

12) Philadelphia Eagles (via Miami via San Francisco)

Pick: WR Rashod Bateman (Minnesota)

Reason: Elijah Moore is higher on my board, but he’s a similar build as last year’s first-round pick Jalen Reagor. Bateman is a different type of Receiver, he’s not that much bigger, but he plays bigger and stronger. He’d give Hurts a physical Receiver to throw to.

13) Los Angeles Chargers

Pick: OG Alijah Vera-Tucker (USC)

Reason: We need to protect Herbert, which makes our O-Line the top priority on our board. Tackle is probably the bigger need, but I feel Vera-Tucker is more of a sure thing than Jenkins and Darrisaw. Given our recent history when drafting along the Offensive Line, I’m going to play it safe.

14) ***TRADE*** Miami Dolphins (via Minnesota) ***TRADE***

Pick: WR Elijah Moore (Ole Miss)

Reason: With all the moving around we’ve already done, why stop now? Elijah Moore is the number three Receiver on our board and we desperately need to surround Tagovailoa with more firepower. Moore can play Jerry Jeudy’s role, but with more speed. It’s worth giving up a little to ensure nobody can leapfrog us.

15) New England Patriots

Pick: LB Jamin Davis (Kentucky)

Reason: With all the Quarterbacks off the board we’re going to focus on rebuilding that Belichick defense back up. Linebacker may not be the biggest need on that front, but Davis’ talent is too much for us to pass him by.

16) Arizona Cardinals

Pick: OT Teven Jenkins (Oklahoma State)

Reason: Our offense is predicated on our ability to give Murray enough time to make the highlight reel plays. We also saw what can happen to our team as a whole when Murray is dinged up. Jenkins allows us to shore up some of the problems in front of Murray.

17) Las Vegas Raiders

Pick: OT Christian Darrisaw (Virginia Tech)

Reason: With the Offensive Line shake-up the Raiders could use a boost. Darrisaw could plug into Right Tackle and help keep Carr’s jersey clean.

18) ***TRADE*** Minnesota Vikings (via Miami) ***TRADE***

Pick: Edge Jayson Oweh (Penn State)

Reason: We are a piece or two on the Offensive Line away from having a pretty solid blocking unit. But defensively we are hurting. We need a guy opposite Danielle Hunter, we need to add to the rotation with Dalvin Tomlinson and Michael Pierce, and we once again need to address our secondary. Seeing all the talent left at each of those positions allowed us to trade back a little and add picks. Oweh may not have had a lot of production in college but he’s an athletic freak (kind of like Hunter when he came out).

19) Washington Football Team

Pick: OT Dillon Radunz (North Dakota State)

Reason: After trading away Trent Williams last year we decided to use a mid-round pick on a player who probably needs to be moved inside to Guard (Saahdiq Charles), which means our Left Tackle spot still needs to be addressed! Radunz is an athletic blocker that has some issues in the technique department, but those can be coached up.

20) **TRADE** New York Giants (via Chicago) **TRADE**

Pick: Edge Jaelan Phillips (Miami)

Reason: This trade down allowed us to add some draft capital and still get one of our guys. Phillips has the talent to be the top Edge Rusher from this draft, but he also has durability concerns which could turn him into a flop. We are alright with taking that risk here to help improve an area that hasn’t been very good for us over the last few years.

21) Indianapolis Colts

Pick: CB Eric Stokes (Georgia)

Reason: With three Edge Rushers coming off the board in front of us we are electing to address our other big need. Stokes offers good production while playing at one of the top schools in college football. He also offers good size (6’, 195) and great athleticism.

22) Tennessee Titans

Pick: CB Greg Newsome II (Northwestern)

Reason: Malcolm Butler and Adoree’ Jackson are out the door. We did sign Janoris Jenkins, but he’s hit and miss, we need someone who can develop into a reliable starter for us. Newsome is number two on our Corner board, making him the easy pick.

23) NY Jets (via Seattle)

Pick: CB Patrick Surtain II (Alabama)

Reason: Offensive Line is deep this year, so why not address our defense, the apple of our new Head Coach’s eye. Surtain gives us the lockdown Corner we’ve been missing since Darrelle Revis.

24) Pittsburgh Steelers

Pick: OT Alex Leatherwood (Alabama)

Reason: Big Ben is in what will likely be his final season and if we want to give him any sort of chance of making a run we need to replenish the hole left behind by Alejandro Villanueva (bringing him back is still an option). Leatherwood is the most pro ready option left on the board and therefore would have the better impact as a rookie.

25) Jacksonville Jaguars (via LA Rams)

Pick: OL Samuel Cosmi (Texas)

Reason: As I mentioned in the hype mock draft for the Trevor Lawrence pick, we need to fix our O-Line before the hits cut Lawrence’s career short. Cosmi will likely have to kick inside to Guard, but we could try and use him to light a fire under our current starting duo at Tackle, before we switch him over.

26) Cleveland Browns

Pick: LB Baron Browning (Ohio State)

Reason: Given the consistent draft output of at least serviceable starters at Linebacker, you’d think that we would have a good starting group by now, but we don’t. Browning is the best available. He’s got good size to stay near the line of scrimmage and play the run, and good athleticism to be able to drop back and hang with players in coverage.

27) Baltimore Ravens

Pick: Edge Shaka Toney (Penn State)

Reason: He’s not the biggest guy, but he definitely has the athleticism down and halfway decent production. We have multiple holes in the Edge Rushing department, Toney is a good start toward filling them in.

28) New Orleans Saints

Pick: DT Daviyon Nixon (Iowa)

Reason: Just like in my hype mock draft I’m focusing on the interior of the D-Line for the Saints. Nixon is coming off one huge year of production and a very impressive showing at his pro day. He offers exactly what we were looking for when we drafted Sheldon Rankins five years ago.

29) Green Bay Packers

Pick: WR Dyami Brown (North Carolina)

Reason: We’ve got needs at a lot of different positions, but we ignored our Receiving corps last year, so we should probably start there. Brown is a deep threat who would work well opposite Adams.

30) Buffalo Bills

Pick: CB Jaycee Horn (South Carolina)

Reason: Our defense took a step back last year and a lot of that has to do with us focusing on fixing up our offense for Josh Allen, now it’s time for us to put our attention back on our defense. A Defensive End would probably have the bigger impact, but I don’t like Azeez Ojulari in our base defense, and I don’t feel comfortable going after one of the other Ends here, especially when Jaycee Horn is still on the board. We’ve gotten decent play out of the CB spot opposite Tre’Davious White, but Horn would give us a chance to have the top young Corner duo in the league.

31) Baltimore Ravens (via Kansas City)

Pick: OT Spencer Brown (Northern Iowa)

Reason: Since we traded Orlando Brown away we bring in another Brown to replace him. Spencer Brown played mostly Right Tackle too, so he should be ready mindset-wise to step into that role immediately.

32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pick: Edge Azeez Ojulari (Georgia)

Reason: Provided Brady picks up where he left off there really isn’t a whole lot that we need to address at this juncture. Our best option could potentially be trading out of this spot to let someone come back in and snag a player they would like to have the fifth year option on. Those types of deals are usually reserved for teams targeting a tumbling Quarterback, or a star player who is sliding for a reason that they’re willing to overlook. Per my draft board, I don’t really see a player that is worth sacrificing a move up from another team, so Tampa stands pat and adds a pass rusher to their rotation.

ROUND 2

1) Jacksonville Jaguars

Pick: WR Terrace Marshall Jr. (LSU)

Reason: It’s important we provide Lawrence with more weapons on the offense and Marshall is a great start.

2) New York Jets

Pick: RB Travis Etienne (Clemson)

Reason: A great run game can take a ton of pressure off a young Quarterback. We signed Tevin Coleman this offseason, but Coleman is not a bell-cow back and he’s had issues with staying on the field. An explosive weapon like Etienne, who also has great hands, would be a much needed improvement at the position.

3) Atlanta Falcons

Pick: C Creed Humphrey (Oklahoma)

Reason: With Alex Mack gone we need to address the interior of our line. Getting Humphrey here would be a steal.

4) Miami Dolphins (via Houston)

Pick: RB Najee Harris (Alabama)

Reason: Tua said that he’d love to play with Harris again during an interview earlier this year, we make sure he gets his wish.

5) Philadelphia Eagles

Pick: OG Quinn Meinerz (UW Whitewater)

Reason: Some view Meinerz as more of a Center, I like him at either or. Jason Kelce is getting up there in age, so Meinerz can serve two purposes, a potential improvement at Guard for this upcoming season and an option to replace the (possible) future Hall of Famer when he calls it a career.

6) Cincinnati Bengals

Pick: OG Wyatt Davis (Ohio State)

Reason: Some might feel a little unnerved about taking another Interior Lineman from Ohio State after how poorly the Billy Price pick worked out, but Wyatt Davis is a better prospect than Price was. He’s also the best player available along the O-Line and we need help all across that unit.

7) Carolina Panthers

Pick: LB Zaven Collins (Tulsa)

Reason: Jeremy Chinn was a heck of a find and Shaq Thompson stepped it up last year, but you could still feel the lack of a Kuechly presence. Collins can be Kuechly-esque. He can make plays on the ball with surprisingly good coverage instincts. Also, with his size and skillset he could be used to rush the passer.

8) Denver Broncos

Pick: CB Robert Rochell (Central Arkansas)

Reason: I love Rochell, so much so that I considered putting him at the top of my Cornerback board. He’s got good size (6’), great athleticism, and a nose for the ball with the ability to finish when he touches it (9 interceptions total in his last two seasons).

9) Detroit Lions

Pick: Edge Elerson Smith (Northern Iowa)

Reason: Passed on taking an End in the first round and it worked out. Elerson Smith may not have played the top flight competition that some of the other top available prospects did, but he did dominate the guys he was able to line up across from. He also offers very good explosiveness.

10) New York Giants

Pick: CB Paulson Adebo (Stanford)

Reason: Love his ball production and his size. James Bradberry had a great first season with us last year, we capitalize on that and get him a talented young running mate.

11) San Francisco

Pick: S Caden Sterns (Texas)

Reason: Our defensive backfield needs help. Sterns is the BPA in that area.

12) Dallas Cowboys

Pick: C Josh Myers (Ohio State)

Reason: Defense should be our focus, but we can’t forget how our O-Line went from one of the premier units in the league to the bottom half in just a season. Some of that had to do with injuries, but the loss of Travis Frederick to retirement also had a significant impact.

13) Jacksonville Jaguars (via Minnesota)

Pick: TE Kenny Yeboah (Ole Miss)

Reason: Continue to surround Lawrence with talent. There aren’t very many good options at Tight End in this draft, so we hop on one while we can. Another option could be making a trade for Zach Ertz, but Philly’s asking price is too high.

14) New England Patriots

Pick: Edge Carlos Basham (Wake Forest)

Reason: Continuing that defensive rebuild. Basham may not offer the versatility that Belichick loves out of his defensive players, but he’s a technically sound End who put up impressive athletic testing numbers for a guy his size.

15) Los Angeles Chargers

Pick: TE Pat Freiermuth (Penn State)

Reason: Provided his medicals have checked out the second round is a great place to snag the guy who could end up top ten at his position (league-wide) as long as he stays on the field. It also gives Herbert another good option in the pass game and isn’t hindered by the Jared Cook signing.

16) Las Vegas Raiders

Pick: DT Tommy Togiai (Ohio State)

Reason: Sticking with players from well respected programs, Togiai had solid production at Ohio State and a very good pro day. He adds to a D-Line that needs more talent.

17) Arizona Cardinals

Pick: CB Marco Wilson (Florida)

Reason: Patrick Peterson is out, and Malcolm Butler is not someone you can count on long term. Wilson gives us a talented player who needs a little time to be coached up. If we play our cards right he could be the CB1 we are going to need in a year or two.

18) Miami Dolphins

Pick: Edge Gregory Rousseau (Miami)

Reason: We spent our first three picks focusing on improving Tagovailoa’s working conditions (as we should have), now it’s time to improve our defense. Rousseau is raw and not as athletic as I would have hoped, but there is a lot of potential there and I like the value we may be getting by taking him here.

19) Washington Football Team

Pick: WR Simi Fehoko (Stanford)

Reason: Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t a long term answer under Center, but he’s a great option for this season while we focus on fixing our offense for the next guy we bring in. We addressed our need at Left Tackle in the first round. Now we need to provide more talented Receiving options. Fehoko may seem like an odd name to bring up here, but I feel like he could be the Chase Claypool of this draft. He’s big and athletic like Claypool (6’4”, ran a 4.42 forty) and his college production wasn’t off the charts, but that was due to the system Stanford runs (just like Claypool dealt with at Notre Dame). Washington needs a big target on the outside to work with McLaurin.

20) Chicago Bears

Pick: S Trevon Moehrig (TCU)

Reason: We’ve been a little snakebit on the defensive side of our lineup over the last two years. If we can get our D-Line back on the field together, then we should be able to improve drastically this season. We could also use an answer for the loss of Adrian Amos (it’s been two seasons).

21) Tennessee Titans

Pick: TE Zach Davidson (Central Missouri)

Reason: If we want Tannehill to continue playing like he has the last two seasons we need to reload in our Receiving corps. We should start by replacing Jonnu Smith since the Tight End class this year is not very deep. Davidson is huge (6’7”) with great hands and amazing athleticism (4.6 forty, 4.19 short shuttle, 6.95 3-cone).

22) Indianapolis Colts

Pick: DT Ta’Quon Graham (Texas)

Reason: Our D-Line still needs to be addressed and Graham is the best player available, he also offers some flexibility if we want to run a multiple front.

23) Pittsburgh Steelers

Pick: RB Kenny Gainwell (Memphis)

Reason: Some think we should have gone RB in the first, but what would be the point of that? We were able to address a major need with a high-end talent, and then target one of the top backs in the draft here. Gainwell has one year of crazy good production, which means he can get the job done and there’s less tread on the tires.

24) Seattle Seahawks

Pick: OT Walker Little (Stanford)

Reason: “Make Russell Wilson happy, fix our O-Line” we’ve written it on the board a thousand times since we got in trouble. If it hadn’t been for the injury in 2019, and the opt-out this past season we would have been talking about Little as a first-round pick. At this point we’re willing to take a chance on the potential despite the risks.

25) Los Angeles Rams

Pick: LB Buddy Johnson (Texas A&M)

Reason: Johnson can fill the gap left behind by Littleton. We also considered a Receiver who can get over the top of defenses and Offensive Line help.

26) Kansas City Chiefs (via Baltimore)

Pick: WR Seth Williams (Auburn)

Reason: We need to replace Sammy Watkins in our Receiver rotation. Tylan Wallace may be higher on our list, but we could use some more size. Seth Williams (6’3”, 211) isn’t too far behind Wallace on our draft board.

27) Cleveland Browns

Pick: OG Brady Christensen (BYU)

Reason: Wyatt Teller was a pleasant surprise this past season, but we could still use help on the interior of our O-Line. Christensen was a stud for BYU at Tackle, his short arms will almost certainly force him inside but that works for us.

28) New Orleans Saints

Pick: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Notre Dame)

Reason: Two years in a row an athletic, versatile Linebacker slides to us. We will gladly take advantage once again. It’s also nice that Owusu-Koramoah’s Safety/Linebacker hybrid doesn’t conflict with Zack Baun’s Linebacker/Edge Rusher hybrid.

29) Buffalo Bills

Pick: DT Christian Barmore (Alabama)

Reason: Once again there aren’t any Ends I would want at our pick, but it’s a deep position and there are guys I have my eyes on later. Barmore offers great athletic ability for his size and helps provide us with much needed improvement on the interior of our D-Line.

30) Green Bay Packers

Pick: OG Trey Smith (Tennessee)

Reason: Losing Linsley means Elgton Jenkins will likely kick inside to Center, leaving a big hole at Guard. Smith is a mauler who would add to our much needed competition and depth along the Offensive Line.

31) Kansas City Chiefs

Pick: OT Dan Moore Jr. (Texas A&M)

Reason: Moore may not be the perfect prospect, but he was the starting Left Tackle on one of the best O-Lines in college football and he did it against SEC competition. He adds to the preseason competition we’ll be holding at Right Tackle.

32) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pick: DT Bobby Brown III (Texas A&M)

Reason: We got Ndamukong Suh back for another season, but how much longer can we continue to play the 1-year contract game? I’m not willing to chance it again next year, instead I snag the big, athletic Bobby Brown, who can start out as a rotational guy.