Trenton Corn’s NFL mock draft 5.0
Happy Easter! With the bulk of NFL free agency all but over and the draft inching closer, I decided to give you guys a mock draft in your Easter baskets this morning. Enjoy!
1. Panthers: Bryce Young, QB
Carolina had a quarterback in mind when they traded up to pick one overall, and that QB is Bryce Young in my opinion. They’re doing their due diligence and trying to throw teams off their scent, but they’re not getting past me.
2. Texans: CJ Stroud, QB
Assuming Houston runs a version of the Kyle Shanahan offense, CJ Stroud makes the most sense stylistically for the organization out of all the top quarterbacks. In fact, say Stroud really does go first overall like most mocks are projecting currently, I can see the team passing on QB pick two overall. They have a first year, defensive minded head coach with plenty of time to build this thing the right way and is rich in draft capital from the Deshaun Watson trade, including the 12th overall pick in this years draft as well. I think it’s time we consider this a reality and stop thinking that all the QB needy teams in the draft are in love with all the top prospects at the position.
3. Seahawks: Anthony Richardson, QB
Seattle has been in the thick of it when it comes to scouting each of the top four QB prospects, with Anthony Richardson stating that his meeting with Seattle was “different” in comparison to the rest. I understand they extended Geno Smith, but he’s a bridge QB who’s contract can theoretically be voided out after one season. Seattle likely won’t be picking this high again in the future and needs to take full advantage of this opportunity. They complete a rare in-conference trade with the Arizona Cardinals, who’s desperate for a trade down partner, as they trade picks 5 and 37 overall in this years draft, along with next years 2nd round pick for Arizona’s 3rd overall pick this year and their 3rd round selection in the 2024 draft.
4. Ravens: Will Anderson Jr, EDGE
Okay. A few things. First of all, in this mock draft, I have the Indianapolis Colts trading the Baltimore Ravens pick 4 overall and their 1st and 2nd round picks in the 2024 draft for Lamar Jackson, as I personally believe Jackson would fit in seamlessly in Shane Steichen’s system. For Baltimore, they’ll select the best player available and a positional need as well in pass rusher, Will Anderson.
5. Cardinals: Christian Gonzalez, CB
With Byron Murphy departing what was already a pretty leaky secondary, Cornerback is arguably priority number one for the Arizona Cardinals. Gonzalez tested off the charts at the combine and should develop into a true number one corner.
6. Lions: Jalen Carter, DT
Jalen Carters draft process has been abysmal, from off field legal issues to a pro day he couldn’t even complete fully. Due to that, the prospect many had potentially going first overall, back when the Bears were still first on the board, falls to pick six. There’s a report out there that Detroit has taken Carter completely off their board, but I think that could be a smokescreen. He’d be the best player available at a position of need for the Lions.
7. Raiders: Will Levis, QB
I understand Las Vegas signed Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, but he’s not the long term option at QB for the Raiders. Levis had experience in a pro style offense in college and has the prototypical size, mobility and arm talent to be a quality starter at the next level. Allowing him a year or two to develop behind Jimmy G makes a lot of sense to me.
8. Falcons: Devon Witherspoon, CB
If you want to connect some dots, there’s some connections to some of the members on the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff and Illinois former cornerbacks coach and now defensive coordinator, Aaron Henry. Outside of that, Atlanta addressed their defensive line with the signing of David Onyemata this offseason. He’s not an edge rusher, but in a deep class at that position and the team already bolstering up the DL in free agency, I can see Atlanta selecting Witherspoon here to solidify their secondary outside of AJ Terrell.
9. Bears: Bijan Robinson, RB
Mock drafts are here to give us an example of what could happen if certain scenarios happened, so let’s give this one a legit shot. Robinson is a top 3-5 talent in this draft that I think could wind up being a top ten overall selection, regardless of potential value. Chicago lost David Montgomery this offseason and I don’t think their signing of D’Onta Foreman should be the reason the team shy’s away from player like Robinson. Chicagos offense would be dynamic with Bijan and Justin Fields in the backfield, along with DJ Moore and Chase Claypool on the perimeter.
10. Eagles: Nolan Smith, EDGE
Howie Roseman uses the draft to select player replacements a year or two down the road. In this instance, he selects one of the draft’s absolute best athletes in Nolan Smith, who should be groomed into being Hassan Reddick’s successor.
11. Patriots: Jaxson Smith-Njigba, WR
The team that doesn’t draft wideouts and trades down in the first round, does the opposite? Am I crazy? Perhaps I am, but I think New England would move up for an elite talent like JSN. The move would be similar to the Saints move up for Olave in last years draft, as they’d trade picks 14, 76 and 117 to the Titans for pick 11 overall.
12. Texans: Myles Murphy, EDGE
With a head coach like DeMeco Ryan’s, you best believe Houston will spend one of their two first round picks on a foundational defensive building block. Murphy recently just put on an elite performance at his pro day, solidifying himself as a top 15 selection.
13. Jets: Broderick Jones, OT
I think Aaron Rodgers will be a New York Jet next season, but not at the expense of their 13th overall selection. Jones makes a lot of sense here at 13, as New York needs to shore up their O-Line for Rodgers moving forward.
14. Titans: Hendon Hooker, QB
I understand Tennessee drafted Malik Willis in the third round last year but he looked rough in his limited action last season. I personally believe the Titans will look to address the future of their QB position here in the draft and won’t let a player like Willis prevent them in doing so. Trading down, collecting a few assets and selecting Hooker, who’s starting to garner some first round buzz makes all the sense in the world in my opinion. You can let him heal completely from his ACL injury and let Tannehill be the teams bridge QB.
15. Packers: Tyree Wilson, EDGE
Many May see Wilson “falling” to pick 15 to Green Bay and turn their nose up at the idea, but I think he’s a more polarizing prospect than mock drafters think, with Todd McShay saying on ESPN’s first draft podcast that there’s various opinions on him. I love Wilson as a prospect, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he was still here at 15. For the Packers, who realized they needed more pass rush depth this past season after the injury to Rashan Gary, they’ll love the opportunity to grab Wilson here.
16. Commanders: Dalton Kincaid, TE
There’s rumblings on Kincaid being a top ten overall prospect in this years class, with the consensus growing that he’s the top TE prospect out of the talented bunch. With the success that Eric Bieniemy had in Kansas City with Travis Kelce and the thought process of surrounding the young Sam Howell with more weapons and a security blanket in the middle of the field, this pick just felt like a home run.
17. Steelers: Darnell Wright, OT
Darnell Wright has done nothing but turn heads during the pre-draft process, from his play on the field last season at Tennessee, to his performances at Senior Bowl and the draft combine. Due to this, he has recently erupted up draft boards. Dating back to my very first mock draft of the year, I mentioned that offensive tackle could be the direction the Steelers go, to protect their investment of Kenny Pickett more and ease his development process.
18. Lions: Quentin Johnston, WR
I mocked Johnston to the Lions in my last mock draft and liked it so much I decided to do it again here. He replaces DJ Chark as the teams big body field stretcher and was a sneaky under the radar draft combine visit for Detroit that nobody is really talking about.
19. Buccaneers: Dawand Jones, OT
If Will Levis or Anthony Richardson was to drop farther than I have mocked, I can see the Bucs trading up for a QB. However, with that not happening, I have the team selecting their Donovan Smith replacement to beef up their offensive line. Dating back to my mock draft 3.0 on February 4th, I had a bold prediction that Dawand Jones would hear his name before his teammate, Paris Johnson and I’m sticking to that prediction here. With Tristan Wirfs probably sliding over to Left Tackle next year, Jones makes a lot of sense as a plug and play guy on the right side.
20. Seahawks: Calijah Kancey, DT
After grabbing a QB with their first pick, Seattle now needs to address their defensive line and grabs one of the best pure pass rushers at the defensive tackle position in Calijah Kancey. Kancey’s draft combine performance and measurements has people making the loose comparison to another former Pitt Panther, in Aaron Donald.
21. Chargers: Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL
Like I mentioned in my last mock, LA should carefully consider grabbing a pass rusher like Adebawore with their first round selection. Not only would it help their pass rush depth next season, but Khalil Mack is about to be owed 27.75 million dollars in 2024. Needless to say, I don’t see the Chargers bringing him back. Adebawore has seen a meteoric rise up draft boards after his impressive combine performance.
22. Ravens: Zay Flowers, WR
Lamar Jackson or not, Baltimore needs added weapons to ensure whoever is in at quarterback, success. Flowers has gained a lot of momentum in recent weeks, as I wouldn’t be shocked if he was the first wideout taken off the board.
23. Steelers: Joey Porter Jr, CB
Minnesota has very little draft capital, so trading down would be an ideal scenario for the Vikings. With two second round picks, including the 32nd overall pick, Pittsburgh would be a prime trade partner. The Steelers trade pick 32 and their third round pick (80) for pick 23 overall to select much needed cornerback depth in Joey Porter Jr, the son of former Steeler Linebacker, Joey Porter.
24. Jaguars: Darnell Washington, TE
Evan Engram is returning on the franchise tag, but Jacksonville will use their first round selection to draft his replacement after this year is up. Darnell Washington dropped jaws at the combine and proved he was one of the top tier athletes in the draft.
25. Cardinals: Paris Johnson, OL
As I did in my past two mock drafts, I have the New York Giants trading their 25th overall and third round pick (89) to the Cardinals for Deandre Hopkins. A deal similar to the Eagles move for AJ Brown in last year’s draft that saw them move pick 18 and 101 overall to Tennessee. Arizona uses their second first round selection with the future of Kyler Murray in mind, as they invest in their offensive line. Paris Johnson can play Right Tackle opposite of DJ Humphries, but also has the versatility to kick inside at guard.
26. Cowboys: Steve Avila, IOL
If you ask those plugged into the Cowboys, they’ll tell you that if they had to choose a prospect the Cowboys were to select with their first round selection today, it would be Steve Avila. Avila has experience all along the line, most notably in the interior at Guard and Center, as the Cowboys will undoubtedly value his versatility. With Tyron Smith having one or two more years left with the team, Avila will be groomed to be the teams starting Left Guard moving forward, with Tyler Smith sliding to Left Tackle.
27. Bills: Jack Campbell, LB
For those of you questioning linebacker being selected in the first round, I would refer to the 2022 (Quay Walker), 2021 (Zaven Collins), 2020 (Kenneth Murray), 2019 (Devin White) and 2018 (Roquan Smith) drafts. Multiple linebackers were drafted in those respective years and you’d see more off the board the farther back in history you look. Needless to say, with Tremaine Edmunds out of town, Buffalo should pounce on the chance at selecting the drafts top Linebacker. Iowa’s Jack Campbell tested like a FREAK at the combine, posting a RAS score of 9.98 out of 10.00, which ranked 6th out of 2600 Linebackers from 1987 to 2023. With the team not aggressively targeting an Edmunds replacement in free agency, I think the team is targeting his successor in the draft.
28. Bengals: Michael Mayer, TE
May I introduce you to Hayden Hurst’s replacement at Tight End? There’s been multiple reports out there that there’s a strong likelihood that there’s THREE selected in the first round, and Mayer just might be the safest prospect of them all.
29. Saints: Lukas Van Ness, EDGE
With the loss of David Onyemata and Marcus Davenport this offseason, it’s evident that the Saints need to beef up their defensive line, and will start with the one they call “Hercules”. Van Ness is a a versatile, yet raw pass rusher who’s barley scratching the surface as far as what he can be. He’s one of my favorite prospects in this years draft class.
30. Eagles: Peter Skoronski, OL
Again, this is a Howie Roseman selection if I ever saw one, as he selects a player in the trenches & grabs a player that will be of great value not just next season (Isaac Seumalo departing), but also in the future, with Jason Kelce getting up there in age. His versatility will be of great value to whoever selects him in this years draft.
31. Chiefs: Anton Harrison, OT
A prospect who’s recently been in Kansas City for a pre draft visit, and a former college teammate of Creed Humphrey, I have Anton Harrison being a Chiefs target on draft night. Although the team signed Jawaan Taylor to be the odds on favorite to start at Left Tackle, the team still needs to find a replacement for Right Tackle, Andrew Wylie. Although Harrison played on the left side in college, he does have minor experience on the right side of the line, as he had to start the season opener at RT for the Sooners and looked comfortable doing it.
Luke 24: 6-7
“6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee,7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”