There are runs on positions in the draft every year. Carolina and Houston are near locks to take quarterbacks with the first two picks and that creates urgency among teams a little further down in the draft order. If those teams in the quarterback market are motivated to selecting a signal-caller, then they will have to be aggressive in trading up to ensure that option is available to them. In today's thought exercise, Arizona trades out of the No. 3 overall selection, which clears the path for quarterbacks to be taken with the first four picks for the first time in league history.
The draft order below is now the official order based on team records and tiebreakers. There are only 31 picks as a result of the Dolphins' pick being forfeited due to tampering violations.
Without further ado, let's kick this off!
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NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
From
Chicago Bears
Round 1 - Pick 1
C.J. Stroud
QB
Ohio State
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 218 lbs
Carolina stays put at No. 1 overall and selects its quarterback of the future: C.J. Stroud. Stroud is the crossover point of a Venn diagram when comparing a number of qualities, including height, weight, production, and many others.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Bryce Young
QB
Alabama
• Soph
• 5'10"
/ 204 lbs
Houston restarts its franchise with an exceptional leader and a precision distributor in that San Francisco-style offense.
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Mock Trade from
Arizona Cardinals
Round 1 - Pick 3
Will Levis
QB
Kentucky
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 229 lbs
Head coach Mike Vrabel and Tennessee make the move up the board for a quarterback to replace Ryan Tannehill. Vrabel met privately with Will Levis around the Kentucky Pro Day.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Florida
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 244 lbs
Indianapolis had to know that the decision could be taken out of their hands if they were not aggressive and that is exactly what has happened in this scenario. The Colts are left with the fourth quarterback but I do believe it is a good fit for Anthony Richardson.
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From
Denver Broncos
Round 1 - Pick 5
Will Anderson Jr.
EDGE
Alabama
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 243 lbs
The first non-quarterback finally comes off the board at No. 5 overall. Seattle remains patient and upgrades its pass rush with Will Anderson Jr.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Jalen Carter
DL
Georgia
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 314 lbs
Detroit adds to its defensive front for the consecutive year as Jalen Carter joins Aidan Hutchinson, James Houston, Josh Paschal, Alim McNeil and others along that Lions defensive line.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Illinois
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 185 lbs
Las Vegas takes the first player at his position as cornerback Devon Witherspoon joins the Raiders to fill a big need. Witherspoon is an aggressive, intelligent cornerback willing to attack the flat.
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Round 1 - Pick 8
Oregon
• Soph
• 6'1"
/ 205 lbs
Atlanta pairs A.J. Terrell with one of the most physical prospects in the entire draft class. Gonzalez has size and track speed to play on the boundary.
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From
Carolina Panthers
Round 1 - Pick 9
Tyree Wilson
EDGE
Texas Tech
• Soph
• 6'6"
/ 275 lbs
By trading back from No. 1 overall, Chicago missed on the opportunity to select either Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter. Instead, the Bears take an incredibly long edge rusher with immense potential. The Bears had the worst pass-rush production in the league last season and address it in the first round.
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From
New Orleans Saints
Round 1 - Pick 10
Nolan Smith
EDGE
Georgia
• Soph
• 6'2"
/ 238 lbs
Philadelphia takes its third Georgia defender in two years as Nolan Smith joins Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean.
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Mock Trade from
Tennessee Titans
Round 1 - Pick 11
Lukas Van Ness
EDGE
Iowa
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 272 lbs
Arizona traded back from No. 3 overall and still lands one of the best edge rushers in the class. Lukas Van Ness is a player who wins with power now but tested like an athlete capable of more in the NFL.
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From
Cleveland Browns
Round 1 - Pick 12
Myles Murphy
DL
Clemson
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 270 lbs
With extra picks from Cleveland, Houston has been able to rebuild its roster. Myles Murphy has been dinged a bit as the process has lingered but this is a pass rusher with an excellent athletic profile. Although the 2022 tape was not as good as the prior year, Murphy still has a lot of untapped potential.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Bryan Bresee
DL
Clemson
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 305 lbs
A second consecutive Clemson defender is taken as the Jets pair Quinnen Williams with Bryan Bresee. Head coach Robert Saleh comes from an environment in San Francisco that believes a team can never add too much along the defensive front.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Ohio State
• Soph
• 6'6"
/ 313 lbs
New England retained Trent Brown at right tackle but still have a gaping void on the left side. Paris Johnson Jr. comes over from the Buckeyes to fill the role most recently held by Isaiah Wynn.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Notre Dame
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 265 lbs
In hindsight, it is difficult to blame the Packers for not giving Aaron Rodgers better pass catchers when it is clear he was so set in his ways and comfortable with those they had added. The franchise wastes no time giving Jordan Love another outlet selecting Michael Mayer.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Penn State
• Soph
• 6'2"
/ 194 lbs
Joey Porter Jr. is the third cornerback to be taken and he goes one pick before the team that employed his father selects. Pittsburgh may owe Washington a basket of mini-muffins at Christmas for allowing them to address the offensive line without the fan backlash of not selecting Porter; Dan Snyder can include the basket as part of the team sale.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Georgia
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 311 lbs
Pittsburgh selects a young, powerful offensive tackle that is still developing. There is value in adding a player who should improve the team's ability to protect first-round selections in each of the past two drafts.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Deonte Banks
CB
Maryland
• Soph
• 6'2"
/ 200 lbs
After adding Jalen Carter with No. 6 overall, Detroit swings back around to address the secondary. Jeff Okudah and Emmanuel Moseley are slated to become free agents after the upcoming season so Deonte Banks give them some long-term stability at that position.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Northwestern
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 313 lbs
Tampa Bay needs another building block or two on its offensive line and Peter Skoronski has the versatility to play every position. He could even play left tackle for the Buccaneers, just as he did for the Wildcats.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Ohio State
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 197 lbs
D.K. Metcalf is a big, physical vertical threat for Seattle and Tyler Lockett realistically only has a year or two left in the pacific northwest. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a reliable pass catcher who can take advantage of Metcalf stretching defenses.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Texas
• Soph
• 5'11"
/ 215 lbs
Austin Ekeler could return for another season but it appears that the two parties are nearing an end to their relationship. It could be said that Los Angeles already needed some mass at the position to grind out games late. Bijan Robinson gives the team a long-term plan at the position while adding some of that much-needed mass without sacrificing pass-catching ability.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
TCU
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 215 lbs
Baltimore may or may not have Lamar Jackson next season. Regardless of who is at quarterback, the team needs more pass-catchers. Quentin Johnston is a tall boundary threat who has some ability to shake loose post-catch.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Tennessee
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 221 lbs
Kirk Cousins is entering the final year of his contract with some dummy years tacked onto the end. It could serve as a perfect transition period from Cousins to Hendon Hooker, who suffered a torn ACL late in the season.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Pittsburgh
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 280 lbs
Jacksonville has Josh Allen and Travon Walker working the edges and now add some pass-rush ability up the middle. The AFC is loaded with talented quarterbacks and the Jaguars now have a player who they can throw out there to heat up opposing quarterbacks.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
O'Cyrus Torrence
IOL
Florida
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 347 lbs
New York has invested heavily in the offensive tackles, quarterback and running back. The Giants now add an important piece to the interior offensive line.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Utah
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 240 lbs
After losing Dalton Schultz in free agency, Dallas responds with a fluid playmaker at the tight end position.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Zay Flowers
WR
Boston College
• Soph
• 5'9"
/ 175 lbs
Buffalo's offense is much different when it has a competent route-runner operating out of the slot. Zay Flowers checks that box and gives the team a high-level talent in that role.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Tennessee
• Soph
• 6'6"
/ 333 lbs
After signing Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency, Cincinnati is prepared to move on from Jonah Williams and La'El Collins. Darnell Wright slots in at right tackle as protection for Joe Burrow for multiple years.
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From
Denver Broncos
Round 1 - Pick 29
Keion White
DL
Georgia Tech
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 285 lbs
The Keion White to New Orleans selection is probably getting a bit repetitive for Saints fans, but White is the type of player who the franchise has gone for late in the first round.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Alabama
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 203 lbs
Philadelphia responds to losing Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in a big way. Brian Branch is an incredibly intelligent, accountable defensive back who can be trusted to line up the back half of that Eagles defense.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
Jalin Hyatt
WR
Tennessee
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 185 lbs
Kansas City does not need a dominant defense if it continues outscoring teams. Jalin Hyatt is a vertical threat who should open up all the underneath action that Andy Reid likes to utilize.
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