Before we get right down to it:
-Jaylon Smith will not be included due to the unknown extent of his injury
-No projected trades
-31 picks due to New England's lost draft pick in the tom Brady Scandal (cheaters)
1.)LA Rams via Tennessee Titans: Jared Goff QB Cal
The Rams traded up to get a franchise QB and they get him right here.
2.)Philadelphia Eagles via Cleveland: Carson Wentz QB NDSU
Philly moves towards a new era with one of the most intriguing prospects in the last few years.
3.)San Diego Chargers: Jalen Ramsey CB Florida State
Shut down corners are a rare commodity and when you’re going to be playing Demaryius Thomas and Amari Cooper twice a year a stalwart defender is a necessity.
4.)Dallas Cowboys: Joey Bosa DE Ohio State
The Cowboys take the best player in the draft to replace Greg Hardy and give “America’s Team” an elite pass rusher for the next 10 years.
5.)Jacksonville Jaguars: DeForest Buckner DL Oregon
Buckner has been thrown around the top 10 for a while, although I’m not one of his biggest fans I believe with the questions now surrounding Myles Jack’s knee they take Buckner now instead.
6.)Baltimore Ravens: Laremy Tunsil OT Ole Miss
Baltimore wins big arguably getting the steal of the draft with Tunsil at number 6 to protect Joe Flacco for the foreseeable future.
7.)San Francisco 49ers: Ronnie Stanley OT Notre Dame
Stanley is exactly the kind of player SF needs to build around. Can anchor the line and is considered to be a high character player as well. Just what new head coach Chip Kelly needs.
8.)Cleveland Browns: Ezekiel Elliot RB Ohio State
With Zeke available to be one of the focal points of Hue Jackson’s new offense the Browns just can’t resist the stud back from the 614.
9.)Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vernon Hargreaves III CB Florida
Tampa’s pass defense is atrocious; Hargreaves has the potential to be an All-Pro.
10.)New York Giants: Myles Jack LB UCLA
The slide ends here. Jack once considered a top 5 lock has had questions in the last week about his knee including many saying he’ll eventually need microfracture surgery. The Giants however have said they like Jack and will take him if available.
11.)Chicago Bears: Shaq Lawson DE Clemson
The Bears are in desperate need of a youthful pass rusher to build around and there have been more than just rumors about how much they like Lawson.
12.)New Orleans Saints: Sheldon Rankins DT Louisville
The saints have needed help on the interior for a long time and Rankins could be a gem for the struggling NOLA Hog Molly’s.
13.)Miami Dolphins: Eli Apple CB Ohio State
The Fins have made a concentrated effort to move toward bigger corners a la Seattle, with Brent Grimes gone the Fins take the raw but gifted long and lanky corner from New Jersey.
14.)Oakland Raiders: Leonard Floyd De/OLB Georgia
Oakland has made a habit of making smart building block picks early the last few years and Floyd should be just that again. Look for the young Raiders to be formidable sooner rather than later.
15.)Tennessee Titans via LA Rams: Jack Conklin OT Michigan State
The Titans look like geniuses moving back and still picking up a starting tackle to protect Mariota.
16.)Detroit Lions: LaQuon Treadwell WR Ole Miss
With Calvin Johnson gone and arguably the best WR available still here, this becomes a quick decision for Detroit.
17.)Atlanta Falcons: Darron Lee LB Ohio State
Dan Quinn showed that he loves rangy and fast pass rushers that can hit in Seattle with guys like Bruce Irvin, Darron Lee could be a home run pick in this defense.
18.)Indianapolis Colts: Taylor Decker OT Ohio State
They don’t make many guys who are 6’8 300+ and can run or pass block. The Colts sprint to the podium as they re-unite Decker and Mewhort.
19.)Buffalo Bills: Jarran Reed DT Alabama
Buffalo has need in the middle and Reed was one of the best in the country this season at making teams pay for going up the gut.
20.)New York Jets: Paxton Lynch QB Memphis
The QB situation for the Jets is a mess. Geno Smith is a pseudo pariah in the locker room, Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn’t seem close to coming back yet and even if he does they need a plan for the future. This is a roll of the dice pick if it does happen and I could definitely see a trade here.
21.)Washington Redskins: A’Shawn Robinson DT Alabama
Washington hasn’t had a ton to be happy about lately but with Josh Norman in the fold and the addition of a high character, high motor guy like Robinson the defense is looking up.
22.)Houston Texans: Corey Coleman WR Baylor
Call this one a coin flip. With both Coleman and Doctson still on the board it all comes down to who you think the Texans prefer. While I have many reservations about Coleman it seems the Texans do not and that’s why he goes off the board here.
23.)Minnesota Vikings: Josh Doctson WR TCU
Its no secret Minnesota wants another WR for Bridgewater opposite Stefon Diggs and many would argue that Doctson was the best one in this draft.
24.)Cincinnati Bengals: Reggie Ragland LB Alabama
The Bengals should be a candidate to make a move, if they can’t make a move and they don’t have a receiver here they like, Ragland would make a great fit.
25.)Pittsburgh Steelers: Williams Jackson III CB Houston
Jackson has been a bit of a wild card some see him top 15 some see him in round 2. I think Pittsburgh rolls the dice on the aggressive former Cougar.
26.)Seattle Seahawks: Noah Spence DE/OLB Eastern Kentucky/Ohio State
Pete Carroll is one of the toughest drafters to get a read on in the league. He prefers “his guys” when it comes to picks and they aren’t always the most logical at first. I think Spence could be a terror in Seattle and if he is still available, Seattle may just steal the best edge rusher in the draft.
27.)Green Bay Packers: Andrew Billings DT Baylor
Green Bay needs a big fella to replace BJ Raji and they do just that right here.
28.)Kansas City Chiefs: Mackensie Alexander CB Clemson
Consider by many the most football saavy CB in the draft Alexander could play day 1 in KC.
29.)Arizona Cardinals: Vonn Bell S Ohio State
I went back and forth with Bell in round 1 for a while. At first I thought teams would love his upside but then his combine was less than stellar. I think with so many teams needing safety help and so many teams checking him out, someone makes the move on Bell late in round 1.
30.)Carolina Panthers: Vernon Butler DT Louisiana Tech
Butler is an unheralded prospect but a strong draft process pushes him into round 1 with the defending NFC Champs.
31.)Denver Broncos: Robert Nkemdiche DL Ole Miss
How the mighty have fallen. Nkemdiche once called (foolishly) the best player in the draft slides to the last pick in the round with Denver. Denver takes the talented but often unpredictable big guy to help out an already fearsome defense.
