Happy draft day, y’all. For the sixth straight year, the FTRS staff (sort of) came together to complete a mock draft in honor of tonight’s festivities at Lambeau Field.
Traditionally we’ve done a two-round mock to let us flesh out our designated teams a bit more… but due to a combination of factors, including only a couple of us actually being available to do the mock this time, this year’s edition will only cover the first round. Fortunately, this is the rare year when all 32 teams have their own first-round pick, so all NFL teams are accounted for.
Rules
Since it was only Kieffer and Nishant handling things this year, the rules were a bit streamlined:
- If there is a trade between two teams that are being run by the same person, it must be approved by both participants.
- Picks are being drafted as if we have total control over the team; we are not making predictions.
We also split the teams basically evenly, so rather than list out which teams each of us had, we’ll just go straight to the results.
Draft Results
1) Tennessee Titans (Kieffer) – Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
It’s been popular to slot Cam Ward here, but he lost to Georgia Tech, so he’s a bum. Tennessee desperately needs many things, here they stick and take the best pass rusher in the draft instead of drafting a likely bust.
2) Cleveland Browns (Nishant) – Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
This is a split between three things: 1) I don’t think any of the top QB prospects really warrant being picked in the top 10, 2) Cleveland doesn’t deserve good things, and 3) I am legally obligated to pick whoever I think would be a good fit here. That ends up being Hunter, one of the best athletes to come through the draft in a long time. He’ll help to make the Browns a contender as he lines up at WR and catches passes from their new star QB, Kenny Pick—oh dear this might not go well for them even with the Heisman Trophy winner in tow.
3) New York Giants (Nishant) – Cam Ward, QB, Miami
The counterpoint to the top QB prospects not being worthy of the top 10 is that a lot of teams in the top 10 could really, really use a quarterback. The Giants are currently counting on a mix of pixie dust, spare parts, and duct tape at the QB position, so they decide to throw their fortunes behind Ward, a guy who might be the next Jameis Winston but also might be the next Jameis Winston. (Minus, of course, the national title, Heisman, and ACC title… despite Ward’s team being a front-runner for at least two of those halfway through this past season.)
4) New England Patriots (Kieffer) – Will Campbell, OT, LSU
The New England Patriots have invested heavily in Drake Maye, who also lost to Georgia Tech (TWICE!). He will be a bust. But he will be a mega bust if they don’t protect him, and so will the next QB they draft.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (Kieffer) – Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
This pick has been chalk for months. It just makes too much sense. The need is there for arguably the best player in the draft. Jacksonville should sprint to the podium here.
6) Las Vegas Raiders (Nishant) – Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Vegas filled a long-running hole by getting Geno Smith to play QB, and they’ll pair him with the best player in the draft at hitting the hole by scooping up Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up and maybe the most fun player in the country last year. In some ways, this pick is also a reflection of the running back renaissance in 2024 reasserting the value that a true three-down back can bring to a team.
7) New York Jets (Nishant) – Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
McMillan had an incredibly productive career at Arizona but made waves in the pre-draft process when he said he didn’t watch film on his own outside of team film sessions. One could be forgiven for assuming the Jets don’t watch film in general based on their past several decades of on-field results. They’ll forgive this ostensible character flaw to grab a very talented wideout to help their new franchise savior, Justin Fields.
8) TRADE -> Pittsburgh Steelers (Kieffer) – Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
Pittsburgh is so desperate for a QB that they are courting Aaron Rodgers to try to get him to come out of his ayahuasca yurt to play for them this year. Because that worked so well for the Jets. Here reason prevails and they trade up to get in front of the Aints to get a QB in the draft. Is Sanders a can’t miss prospect? No, but Pittsburgh has too good a roster and coaching staff overall to let QB ruin it all.
9) New Orleans Saints (Kieffer) – Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
Derek Carr is hurt. Spencer Rattler may not be it. The Aints lost their star RT Ryan Ramczyk last year due to a knee injury, and then Ramczyk retire due to said knee injury. With the main QBs off the board in this class the Saints punt and shore up their RT spot for whoever plays QB this year and into next year.
10) Chicago Bears (Nishant) – Jalon Walker, EDGE, U[sic]GA
Ideally, Da Bears would have liked to have an offensive lineman to protect Caleb Williams, but there’s a bit of a drop-off at OT after the two guys who have been taken. So instead they grab a pass rusher, going with Walker’s high ceiling as the top option among edge rushers not named Abdul Carter.
11) San Francisco 49ers (Nishant) – Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
San Francisco needs guys all over the defense, and they decide to fix their front from the inside out by plugging Nolen into the middle.
12) Dallas Cowboys (Kieffer) – Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
This is a very Jerruh pick. Dallas has struggled to staff the RB positions since Ezekiel Elliott began to decline, with many players moving on to other teams. It was known that Dallas wanted Texas RB Jonathan Brooks last year, but the Panthers traded up in front of them and got him (and probably did Dallas a favor in the process). Here they get their RB. Hampton was one of the better RBs in college football in his career. Yes, he lost to Georgia Tech. Frequently. But he was still a good player. Unlike that fraud Drake Maye.
13) Miami Dolphins (Nishant) – Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Miami has needs at every level on defense, and while the line is a priority, their BPA instincts kick in when they see Johnson still on the board. He’s excellent value at this spot in the draft while still filling a need on the Dolphins’ defense.
14) Indianapolis Colts (Kieffer) – Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
The Colts need a TE. The draft falls in such a way that they get the best one in the draft and a top 10 talent. This is an absolute steal here. The Colts should be sprinting to the podium. Warren will be a staple for years for… whoever ends up being the QB down the line.
15) Atlanta Falcons (Nishant) – James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
For once, the ball isn’t in Terry Fontenot’s court, which in practice almost certainly ends with one of the many edge rushers with freakish combine measurements and two career sacks in college. Or maybe Jaxson Dart. Instead, the Falcons hit their edge rusher need by picking up Pearce, who had 17.5 sacks over the past two years for Tennessee and offers a tantalizing mix of athleticism and production.
16) Arizona Cardinals (Kieffer) – Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
Campbell probably shouldn’t have fallen this far. Arizona gets a supremely talented linebacker at pick 16.
17) Cincinnati Bengals (Kieffer) – Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
The Bengals have had great offense and bad defense for a long time. For the health of the locker room, they need to make the playoffs this year. To that end they need talent on defense. Barron is arguably the best player available on defense at this point and fills a position of need
18) Seattle Seahawks (Kieffer) – Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama
The Seahawks made a big investment in The Darnold. The problem with Darnold has always been his tendency to see ghosts if his protections isn’t stellar. Right now the protection isn’t stellar. They need to fix that. There are other directions they could go here if they feel a different guard is a good fit, but for this mock they go Booker
19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Nishant) – Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
The Bucs need a boost to their pass rush and are all too happy to scoop up Ezeiruaku, a veteran who finished second in the country with 16.5 sacks a year ago. He’s one of the smaller edge prospects in the draft, but he’ll make an instant impact even if he isn’t ready to be a three-down lineman immediately.
20) Denver Broncos (Nishant) – Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Denver has a bunch of roster holes, and they decide to hit one that also gives their young QB a shiny new weapon. Burden might be the most athletic receiver in the draft, and his burst after the catch will pay dividends when catching short and medium passes from Bo Nix.
21) TRADE -> Carolina Panthers (Kieffer) – Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
Golden is the antithesis to what the Panthers did last year with Xavier Legette. Golden doesn’t have the physical dominance, but he was productive in college and is more of a finished product. The Panthers have missed on a lot of WR picks over the past few years, and they need to hit on this one. Golden likely will and he will be a boon to Bryce Young.
22) Los Angeles Chargers (Nishant) – Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
It’s a little jarring how often the Chargers seem to find themselves in need of receivers going into the draft, but… here we are again. This ends up being a choice between Loveland and Emeka Egbuka, and Jim Harbaugh rolls with the Michigan product here, getting good value at this spot in the draft and giving Justin Herbert a big and athletic target over the middle.
23) Green Bay Packers (Nishant) – Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
The Packers need help on the defensive front, and they can’t pass up Harmon here. He has the size of a nose tackle with the athleticism of a 3-tech, and he’ll immediately improve their interior pass rush.
24) Minnesota Vikings (Nishant) – Treveyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
As the Vikings hand the reins to J.J. McCarthy, they understand the importance of supporting a young QB and give him a backfield weapon in Henderson, one of the most exciting running backs in the draft. Henderson shared the backfield with Quinshon Judkins for the Buckeyes’ title team, and while they’ve been getting comparable draft grades, Henderson’s 7.1 yards per carry and 10.5 yards per reception made clear just how special he can be as a true feature back.
25) Houston Texans (Kieffer) – Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
There aren’t a lot of great picks that fit needs available for Houston. WR isn’t a huge need, but Egbuka comes in to make the group even better. Egbuka also has some familiarity with Stroud, though they overlapped briefly.
26) Los Angeles Rams (Kieffer) – Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
The Rams need DBs all over the place and Emmanwori is one of the best available. The Rams don’t overthink it and land a much needed upgrade to their DB room.
27) Baltimore Ravens (Nishant) – Malaki Starks, S, U[sic]GA
It’s practically tradition at this point for the Ravens to simply scoop up an excellent defensive player who really shouldn’t be available at that point. Such is the case with Starks, who can slot into the lineup immediately and would pair with Kyle Hamilton to form a genuinely formidable safety tandem.
28) Detroit Lions (Nishant) – Mykel Williams, EDGE, U[sic]GA
Detroit’s roster isn’t lacking in many areas, but their pass rush could use some extra juice. Enter Williams, one of a couple top SEC prospects in this draft with freakish athleticism that wowed combine scouts despite having absolutely no college production to show for it. The Lions are willing to roll the dice on being able to unlock his potential.
29) Washington Commanders (Nishant) – Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas
Banks slides a few spots as teams pursue other needs, and that lets the Commies scoop up the well-rounded Texas lineman, providing some much-needed help on the offensive line to protect Jayden Daniels.
30) Buffalo Bills (Kieffer) – Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Buffalo needs help on the DL, Grant is one of the best available. I’m not particularly fond of some of the Edge picks available here for various reasons, so I go with DT instead.
31) Kansas City Chiefs (Kieffer) – Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
The Chiefs have soullessly taken value at the end of the 1st round for years now. Mike Green led the country in sacks in 2024 but has some… off the field concerns. The Chiefs are now the Yankees of baseball and embrace their villain era, continuing their dominance.
32) Philadelphia Eagles (Nishant) – Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
The foundation of Philly’s powerhouse roster is the trenches, and it stems from their constant willingness to invest top draft capital into line prospects. After going defense with their first-rounders for three straight years, GM Howie Roseman (perhaps annoyed at two UGA defensive players being picked not long ago) decides to throw his offense a bone and scoops up Simmons, who had a season-ending knee injury in October but should be back in time to contribute this fall.
