Julian MacKool, Sports Department Member
1- Tennessee Titans, QB Cam Ward, Miami
It’s time to reset with a new face for the franchise in Tennessee. Ward is coming into the draft with 57 starts in college, similar to both rookie QB standouts last year in Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix. He makes plays in and outside the pocket and can throw at all three levels.
2- Cleveland Browns, WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
The Browns are stuck in a weird spot. Besides Ward, no other quarterback is worth taking this high. The Browns will likely take the best player available. Hunter is that, being able to play both sides of the ball at an elite level. Coming off his Heisman Trophy-winning season, Hunter looks to bring that super-stardom to Cleveland, which Cleveland Sports hasn’t seen since NBA superstar LeBron James.
3- New York Giants, OT Will Campbell, LSU
The Giants need offensive line help. Last season, their offensive line ranked 28th in the NFL and allowed 48 sacks. Campbell is firm and agile with his feet, not letting anyone get by him once he has a hand on you. Giants need to win the line of scrimmage, and Campbell gives them that start.
4- New England Patriots, RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Similar to Cleveland, the Patriots take the best player available. New head coach Mike Vrabel is big on running the ball due to his time in Tennessee and having Derrick Henry take his team on deep playoff runs. Jeanty brings that speed, agility, and offensive firepower that the Patriots haven’t seen since Tom Brady was at the helm.
5- Jacksonville Jaguars, DT Mason Graham, Michigan
The Jaguar’s number one priority is the defensive line. Graham’s biggest strength is his speed. He has an ongoing motor, always playing relentlessly and never stopping the gas, which is very needed. Jacksonville was ranked 31st in total defense and last in pass defense. Graham adds more consistency and strength to the defense. You have to have a great defense to win championships.
6- Las Vegas Raiders, WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
The Raiders are looking to continue to build the offense after signing Pro Bowl Quarterback Geno Smith to a two-year deal. Already having rising star tight end Brock Bowers, now it is time to look for a playmaker on the outside. McMillian brings size to the receiver position, standing at 6’4. He makes great contested catches, beats press coverage due to his size and speed, and knows how to adjust on routes to defensive coverages.
7- New York Jets, OT Armand Membou, Missouri
This offseason, the Jets lost both of their starting offensive tackles in free agency. Drafting Membou not only fills in the missing position but also helps it. Membou is very quick for his size, has fast hands, and has excellent body control, which is rare in a young tackle. Drafting Membou is a steal for the Jets, and it fills a position in need now and soon.
8- Carolina Panthers, OLB Abdul Carter, Penn State
Last season, the Panthers had the lowest QB pressure rate at 25.5%. Carter makes them better, and he is very versatile. Carter is coming into the draft with an injured shoulder and stress reaction to his foot that he suffered during Penn State’s playoff run . However, it’s not a big concern. Carter is also a projected top 3 talent in the draft. He can play both defensive end and outside linebacker. Abdul is very athletic, sets the edge, is very powerful out of his stance, and doesn’t allow anyone to go around him due to his speed and versatility.
9- New Orleans Saints, QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
New Orleans has gone through a QB carousel since Drew Brees’ retirement in 2021. Sanders brings not only college experience, but he knows how to not put the ball in harm’s way, and this past season, he set the record for single-season completion percentage (74.0%) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (9:1) at Colorado. Sanders is more than his last name, he is very similar to Pro Bowl quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff, who aren’t physically gifted but know how to make efficient throws.
10- Chicago Bears, OT Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas
Last season, Chicago allowed 68 sacks, which was the most in the NFL. The Bears need to protect their franchise QB, and Banks helps them. Banks has size, standing at 6’5, 315 lbs. He is firm and defenders don’t get around him once he has a hold of them. Banks’ feet are swift and are always looking to continue downfield on run plays. Banks doesn’t let a lot get around him and, hopefully, will reduce the Bears’ sack number from last season.
11- San Francisco 49ers, CB Will Johnson, Michigan
The 49ers lost All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward in free agency, and Johnson fills the missing spot. Johnson brings elite ball awareness and uses his hands to reroute receivers. He is aware of the play before the ball is snapped. The 49ers would make a mistake if they passed on him.
12- Dallas Cowboys, WR Matthew Golden, Texas
Dallas’ addition of Golden adds more playmakers to the offense and complements All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Golden brings elite speed and excellent body control and can stop and go when he wants to. He’s undersized, but Dallas needs more playmakers, and Golden brings more of that to the Cowboys’ offense.
13- Miami Dolphins, CB Jahdae Barron, Texas
The Dolphins will let go of All-Pro Corner Jalen Ramsey, who opens a hole in their secondary. Barron adds youth and has an excellent intuition for the ball and breaking passes. He uses his speed to redirect routes, plays great zone, and can play nickel defense exceptionally. His man coverage and lateral speed could improve, but he brings youth to this Miami defense and the potential to replace Ramsey.
14-Indianapolis Colts, TE Tyler Warren, Penn State
The Colts need more production on the outside to build up their ground game. Warren is a physical down-the-field threat. He runs great routes for his size, has strong hands and catches any ball coming his way. The only negative- he doesn’t create enough separation from speed, but his big body will complement the run game.
15- Atlanta Falcons, LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
Campbell adds more burst to this young defense. He adds explosiveness from his speed, which adds power. He reads the run lanes and is excellent at getting from sideline to sideline. He sometimes doesn’t set the edge and gets caught in blocks, but Campbell adds more youth and explosiveness to this young Falcons defense.
16- Arizona Cardinals, OLB Jalon Walker, Georgia
Arizona’s defense was below average in many defensive line categories. Walker brings elite speed, sets the edge, and causes runners to change directions. At 6’1, Walker is a little undersized as an edge rusher, but his quickness could make it difficult for bigger offensive linemen to catch him.
17- Cincinnati Bengals, DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
The Bengals’ defense was in the bottom five in most defensive categories. Williams is a giant, standing at 6’5, and when he is out of instance stance, he causes havoc. He uses his strength and length to make plays behind the line of scrimmage and always finishes plays when attacking the quarterback. The Bengals have a high-powered offense, but Williams adds the defense to complement them.
18- Seattle Seahawks, WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
The Seahawks traded Metcalf this offseason after the emergence of Jaxon Smith-Njigba last season. The Seahawks look to add another weapon for new QB Sam Darnold. Egbuka, similar to Smith-Njigiba, played at Ohio State. Coming off a National Championship, Egbuka is a great route runner, faking his defenders, making significant adjustments to the ball, and knowing how to create space anytime on the field. He’s average when it comes to separation in and out of break routes, however, Egbuka brings something similar to Smith-Njigiba; great hands and adjustments to the ball, and both would create great chemistry with one another and Darnold at QB.
19- Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
Stewart looks to complement Pro Bowler DT Vita Vea on this defensive line. Stewart has great chase-down speed once he gets a few steps and is hard to stop. He also can play inside and outside, which makes it difficult for guards to block him due to his quickness. Sometimes, he lets his body get caught where he can’t use his length, however.
20- Denver Broncos, RB Omarion Hampton, UNC
Is Denver drafting another North Carolina running back? Hampton looks to replace the loss of Javontae Williams in free agency. Hampton is a bigger back, standing at 6’0. He uses his body to knock down defenders, is a hard downhill runner once he has burst, and can catch short passes to create more yardage. Hampton could improve on his elusiveness and outside-the-numbers running, but he’s a hard-nosed runner and hard to tackle due to his physicality.
21- Pittsburgh Steelers, QB Jaxon Dart, Ole Miss
The Steelers lost both starting QBs to both New York teams, and they are looking to fill their hole and find the franchise’s new face. Dart is very athletic for a quarterback, knows how to draw defensive penalties pre-snap, makes good intermediate throws, and has good legs to make the defense respect his mobility. Dart’s big negatives are being able to throw deep passes consistently, better footwork to make more accurate passes, and better throws when plays break down. Steelers may find their guy here, or it could be another Kenny Pickett scenario.
22- Los Angeles Chargers, TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
Chargers are looking to continue building their offense through physicality. Loveland has ties to Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, who coached him in 2023 when Michigan won the National Championship. Loveland brings size, standing at 6’6, he runs any route on any part of the field, is faster than many linebackers and knows how to off-balance defenders to create space. The biggest thing that needs improvement is better footwork. If he can work on his feet to break into routes, he can be similar to Sam LaPorta and do better at catching over-the-shoulder throws. Loveland adds to what Coach Harbaugh is looking for, which is physicality and playmaking to help his franchise QB.
23- Green Bay Packers, WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
Green Bay is looking for more consistency out of their wide receivers. Burden adds more speed and run-after-catch abilities that the Packers are missing in their receiver room. Burden also can catch almost any throw his way. Last season, the Packers dropped the most passes in the NFL. A significant improvement that can be made is the finishing of routes, and he tends not to finish plays once off-track routes. Green Bay looks to bring more offensive firepower if they pick Burden.
24- Minnesota Vikings, S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
The Vikings are looking to replace starting safety Cameron Bynum. Emmanwori is big for his position, standing at 6’3″. He brings power with his hits, knocking balls out of offensive players’ hands. He knows how to track the ball like a receiver and has great pursuit angles to make open-field tackles. Emmanwori, with the presence of All-Pro Safety Harrison Smith, can make it difficult for quarterbacks to make deep throws down the field.
25- Houston Texans, OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State
Texans traded All-Pro tackle Laremy Tunsil this offseason after the offensive line gave up 52 sacks. Simmons fills the missing hole, and if the Texans want to win, they need to protect their franchise QB. Simmons is a good pass protector because of his balanced stance, knowing how to time his hands to push defenders, and playing until the whistle is blown. Simmons’ significant weakness is that he sometimes gets bullrushed by defensive linemen, which can make him back into the QB. Simmons would only be an addition to keeping CJ Stroud on his feet and continuing the success the Texans have added in the last couple of seasons.
26- Los Angeles Rams, CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
The Rams were one of the worst pass defenses last year and are looking to create a secondary to build off their young defensive line. Hairston brings great football IQ; he excels at reading QBs and anticipating the route combinations of receivers. Hairston is good at keeping inside leverage and has excellent footwork vertically and laterally. He must build muscle to compete with stronger or bigger receivers, however, Hairston brings excellent football IQ with reasonable anticipation of what the offense does.
27- Baltimore Ravens, S Malaki Starks, Georgia
The Ravens had the second-worst passing defense last year. Adding Starks would bring in someone to compliment Safety Kyle Hamilton on the back end of the defense. Starks has great ball-tracking skills, knows how to go through blocking lanes to tackle, and, like Hamilton, can play multiple positions if needed. His pursuit angles when tackling runners on the outside can improve, but he brings versatility similar to Hamilton to make the Ravens’ defense great.
28- Detroit Lions, OG Tyler Booker, Alabama
Lions are a very physical offense, having two outstanding running backs, and they look to build that more in the draft. Booker not only adds physicality but also great body control, including a great motor, always looking to get to the second level of the defense. He also knows how to create holes as a pulling guard. Booker’s lateral speed can make for some concern when a team like the Lions has an explosive offensive backfield and can sometimes get caught with penalties. Booker continues the Lions’ mindset of being physical with hustle.
29- Washington Commanders, DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
The Commanders made big strives last season after being one game away from the Super Bowl, which the team hasn’t seen in over 30 years. The Commanders’ defense however was very inconsistent in terms of stopping the run. Ezeiruaku is very good at making tackles behind the line of scrimmage due to his speed, long arms, and elite footwork to get by bigger linemen. He is a little undersized and that can be a liability. The Commanders, in order to take the next step, have to have a more consistent defense and Ezeiruaku brings speed and creates plays for them.
30- Buffalo Bills, DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
Again, The Bills were cut short from the Super Bowl due to defensive miscues, particularly rushing the QB and creating negative yardage from run plays. Nolan brings size, standing at 6’4 up the middle, and knows how to control the inside shoulder, which opens gaps for him to take over, forcing QBs to run into other defenders due to his power up the middle. The big thing for him to work on is getting inside leverage on linemen because sometimes he can be taken out of plays due to losing his inside leverage. Bills must add more power and size to their defensive line to make a solid run at the Super Bowl.
31- Kansas City Chiefs, OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota
The Chiefs lost both Super Bowls similarly through giving up too many sacks and pressures allowed on the QB. The Chiefs want to protect their franchise QB, Patrick Mahomes, and Ersery can help accomplish that goal. Ersery is very good at sliding his feet, making it hard for rushers to get by him. He is always centered at the rusher and has great jabs that off-balance them, delaying their point of attack at the QB. Ersery’s biggest weakness is not setting his leverage and playing too high, which can allow people who play lower than him to get around him. The Chiefs won two out of the last three Super Bowls, and to keep winning and competing for championships, KC needs to keep their QBs upright.
32- Philadelphia Eagles, DE Mike Green, Marshall
Eagles look to add to their elite pass rush despite losing key players. Green adds to the relentless drive the rest of Philly’s defensive line plays with. Green plays tight around the edge, has a great motor, constantly moves his legs and plays with violence. Green’s significant weakness is he can sometimes lose energy quickly due to him playing hard every play he’s in, and playing with violence that can make him lose awareness of the play and take him out of it. The Eagles look to go back to back and build on their strength, which is pressuring the other team’s QB.
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