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| Team | Selection | Position | School | Reason | Previous Pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jameis Winston | QB | Florida State | Shocker. Not a whole lot is going to surprise me this Thursday night, but if the Buccaneers opt to go with someone other than Jameis with the No. 1 overall pick, I will likely spit out my beer. Winston is the No. 1 quarterback prospect by a mile. The Bucs need a QB. It's simple. | Jameis Winston |
| 2 | Tennessee Titans | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon | I think this pick is 50/50 between Mariota and Leonard Williams. There's also a pretty decent chance that a different team -- such as the Chargers or Eagles -- trades up to the No. 2 spot and snags Mariota themselves. The Titans reportedly believe Zach Mettenberger is their QB of the future. I think they're crazy to believe that. Mariota has plenty of upside and should be the pick here. | Leonard Williams |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Dante Fowler | OLB/DE | Florida | Consensus tells us that the Jaguars are likely going to select a pass rusher with the third overall pick. I'd have to agree, and I believe that Dante Fowler is the right pick here. Fowler is the most well-rounded edge rusher and is at the top of his class. | Dante Fowler |
| 4 | Oakland Raiders | Kevin White | WR | West Virginia | White is my No. 1 wide receiver and would be a great pick-up for the Raiders. He'll be the perfect target for Derek Carr. White is a master at high-pointing the ball and a wizard at creating yards after the catch. This pick is a no-brainer. | Kevin White |
| 5 | Washington Redskins | Leonard Williams | DT | USC | Here's a bit of a surprise pick. Most mocks will slot Beasley or another edge rusher here, but are we sure the Redskins would pass up on arguably the top player in the draft? They already signed Stephen Paea, but Williams could still come in and command a lot of snaps as a rookie 2-gap specialist. | Vic Beasley |
| 6 | New York Jets | Vic Beasley | OLB | Clemson | In a perfect world, the Jets would love to have Mariota fall right into their laps, but Vic Beasley is a pretty nice consolation prize. Todd Bowles needs a talented edge rusher in his 3-4 scheme, and Beasley would be a good fit here. | Marcus Mariota |
| 7 | Chicago Bears | Amari Cooper | WR | Alabama | The Bears truly need help everywhere. I have a feeling they will go with the best player available at No. 7 overall and Cooper will be on the top of their board. With Brandon Marshall gone, the Bears pick up Cooper and continue to have a top-tiered receiving corps in the NFL. | Danny Shelton |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Alvin Dupree | OLB/DE | Kentucky | I've seen a ton of reports suggesting the Falcons are almost a lock to take Dupree if he's available. I often ignore these rumors and consider them smokescreens, but it just makes too much sense. The Falcons are in desperate need of an edge rusher and Dupree is an explosive athlete with plenty of upside. It also helps that he doesn't have any weed allegations surrounding him, unlike a couple of his peers. | Brandon Scherff |
| 9 | New York Giants | Brandon Scherff | OT/OG | Iowa | Here is another no-brainer. The Giants' O-line is a complete disaster and allowed Eli Manning to get murdered last year. Scherff is extremely athletic and by far the most complete O-lineman in the draft. | T.J. Clemmings |
| 10 | St. Louis Rams | La'el Collins | OT/OG | LSU | Once again, I find it hard to slot anyone but La'el Collins to the Rams here. Not a single player on that O-line received a positive grade via Pro Football Focus last year, and Collins has the ability to play multiple positions. He'll be an immediate upgrade wherever they decide to plug him in. | La'el Collins |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | Kevin Johnson | CB | Wake Forest | This is normally where Trae Waynes is slotted to go. However, I believe that Kevin Johnson is the best cornerback in the draft not named Marcus Peters. Johnson can fit any scheme and is the most polished and arguably the safest pick in the draft. | Amari Cooper |
| 12 | Cleveland Browns | Danny Shelton | NT | Washington | The Browns would sprint to the podium with the card in their hand if Danny Shelton were still on the board here. He's really the only nose tackle who is worth a first-round selection, and they need a NT badly. This would be a first-round selection that should actually work out for them. | Randy Gregory |
| 13 | New Orleans Saints | DeVante Parker | WR | Louisville | In almost any other draft class, DeVante Parker would be the consensus No. 1 receiver. He's that good. I love the idea of an offense with Drew Brees, Brandin Cooks and Parker. This pick meets the BPA philosophy and also covers a major need for the Saints. Without Jimmy Graham, they need another weapon for Brees, and Parker fits the bill. | Trae Waynes |
| 14 | Miami Dolphins | Andrus Peat | OT | Stanford | The Dolphins could use some help all across their O-line, and while Branden Albert has been solid, he also hasn't played a full year since 2011. Peat is my No. 3 offensive tackle, and I've heard quite often that a lot of NFL GMs are even higher on him. This is a good fit and a good spot for him. | Andrus Peat |
| 15 | San Francisco 49ers | Trae Waynes | CB | Michigan State | Waynes is a bit of an overrated talent to me, but there is no question that teams value speed with CBs (look at Justin Gilbert last year). The 49ers lost both Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox in free agency, and I'm convinced they'll take a long, hard look at a CB here. | Eric Kendricks |
| 16 | Houston Texans | Randy Gregory | OLB | Nebraska | Gregory could take a bit of a slide due to failing a drug test during the NFL Combine, but he remains the best player available and my No. 3 edge rusher in this class. It all depends on how serious teams believe the issue to be, but if he can get his act together, he can be a steal for someone in the mid-to-late first round. | DeVante Parker |
| 17 | San Diego Chargers | Todd Gurley | RB | Georgia | If the Chargers refrain from trading up to snag Mariota, then standing pat and drafting Todd Gurley is their next best bet. Even with the ACL tear, there is a chance that Gurley could be drafted even higher, which is a real testament to how great he can be when healthy. | Todd Gurley |
| 18 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ereck Flowers | OT | Miami (FL) | The Chiefs need to add talent at the OT position badly, and while Flowers isn't necessarily the pick I would make here, he's only 20 years old, and from what I hear, front offices are a lot higher on him than his talent shows. | D.J. Humphries |
| 19 | Cleveland Browns | Breshad Perriman | WR | UCF | Perriman has been widely considered a first-round pick since his pro day. I still have him as my No. 9 receiver in the draft, but for whatever reason many were surprised to see his 4.24 40-yard dash, despite displaying elite speed on tape. Perriman a bit of a project, but provides an infinite amount of upside. | Eddie Goldman |
| 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | Nelson Agholor | WR | USC | I've been married to this pairing for a while now. It just makes too much sense to me. Chip Kelly is a guy who really appreciates high-character athletes, and not only is Agholor a great kid off the field, but he would fit Kelly's system to a T. | Kevin Johnson |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | Byron Jones | CB | Connecticut | The Bengals could use some secondary help, and Byron Jones has the tools to develop into a stud outside CB down the road. Peters is probably the top CB at this point, but I'm not sure if the Bengals would be willing to take on his character concerns. | Eric Rowe |
| 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Marcus Peters | CB | Washington | Speaking of Peters, the Steelers desperately need a No. 1 CB, and Marcus Peters is by far the best shutdown corner in this draft. If the Steelers can keep his temper under control, this could be the steal of the draft. Peters is a wizard in press coverage and knows how to get in your grill and let you know that he's going to get the best of you. | Landon Collins |
| 23 | Detroit Lions | D.J. Humphries | OT | Florida | I have a gut feeling that O-line is going to be the pick for the Lions in Round 1. If that's the case, then I think their choices will be down to D.J. Humphries, T.J. Clemmings and Cedric Ogbuehi. I also have a feeling that Jim Caldwell and company are looking to draft a guy who can play the left side while moving Riley Reiff to the right. The Lions brought in Humphries for a pre-draft visit earlier this month, and I believe he would be a nice fit for them moving forward. | Cameron Erving |
| 24 | Arizona Cardinals | Melvin Gordon | RB | Wisconsin | Andre Ellington was projected to have a breakout year, but didn't really amount to anything last year. I can't really remember the last time that the Cardinals had a threatening run game. It's about time they drafted a RB who can take it to the house at any given moment. | Shane Ray |
| 25 | Carolina Panthers | T.J. Clemmings | OT | Pittsburgh | This is an absolute steal for the Panthers, as I have Clemmings ranked as my No. 1 OT in this year's class. Carolina has brought in a few free agents to compete in camp, but what they need is a young and talented player with some upside like Clemmings. | Alvin Dupree |
| 26 | Baltimore Ravens | Devin Smith | WR | Ohio State | This may be a little too high for Devin Smith, but the fit is perfect. Smith has the speed and tracking ability to replace what the Ravens will be missing with Torrey Smith's departure. Replace one Smith with another. | Dorial Green-Beckham |
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys | Malcom Brown | DT | Texas | Brown would be a great get for the Cowboys, which truly need an interior lineman who can play the 1-technique and stuff the run. This would allow him to serve as a rotational DT and develop into a better pass rusher down the road. | Malcom Brown |
| 28 | Denver Broncos | Cameron Erving | C/OG | Florida State | The Broncos' interior line is a mess. Cam Erving could come in and immediately compete for the starting center or left guard spot. Peyton Manning may be gone in a year, but if they want any chance at winning now, their best bet is to do whatever they can to protect him. | Owamagbe Odighizuwa |
| 29 | Indianapolis Colts | Cedric Ogbuehi | OT | Texas A&M | I'm beginning to think that Cedric Ogbuehi is a near-lock to be selected in the first round despite the ACL tear. He is a true LT/RT prospect who has elite movement skills and could eventually take over the right side for the Colts. | Ereck Flowers |
| 30 | Green Bay Packers | Eric Kendricks | ILB | UCLA | With Clay Matthews moving back to the outside, the Packers really need an ILB here. There have been connections between them and Denzel Perryman, but this pick makes the most sense to me, and they'd be silly to pass up on the top ILB in the draft. | Jordan Phillips |
| 31 | New Orleans Saints | Paul Dawson | ILB | TCU | The Saints would have loved to land Kendricks here, but Paul Dawson is no slouch himself. Dawson didn't have the greatest combine performance, but he is the most instinctive linebacker in this class and will be a solid addition to the mess that has been the Saints' defense. | Maxx Williams |
| 32 | New England Patriots | Arik Armstead | DE | Oregon | Once again, the rich get richer. I don't love Armstead as a prospect, but he is a true two-gapper with a heck of a lot of upside. New England's front-seven continues to be one of the best in the NFL. | Jaelen Strong |
Welp, that just about does it for our pre-NFL Draft coverage. Thank you all for putting up with me, and thank you for the kind words. I really enjoyed it all. Now it's time to put your faith into the Lions' front office and see how it all unfolds.