It’s the start of NFL Free Agency and so far we have seen multiple big time names sign with new teams – filling prior needs and creating new ones for many franchises.
With that in mind, creating an NFL mock draft this week is a tough task seeing as how analysts really won’t have a clear picture of what needs teams will look to fill come April’s NFL Draft.
Michel Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA TODAY took a shot it anyway, releasing his most recent first-round NFL mock draft on Thursday.
This mock draft comes shortly after tons of NFL movement, including Tom Brady leaving New England and likely joining the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Middlehurst-Schwartz started his mock draft with the Bengals taking LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. This means AJ Green finally gets a real passer in Cincy. The former Georgia star was franchise tagged by the Bengals this week despite making it clear he was not in favor of that move. Maybe the addition of a superstar quarterback will help the Bengals hold on to their star wideout.
In another notable pick, he has the Dolphins taking Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, which seems to be the most common prediction this offseason for Tua.
The first and only Georgia player to get taken off the board in the first round comes at pick No. 14:
14. Buccaneers — Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia: There likely are still forthcoming changes to be made for Tampa Bay to meld its offense into an outfit comfortable for Brady. A good starting point is upgrading the line, and the steady Thomas is likely the most pro-ready of his peers.
Thomas (6’5″, 315 lbs) was about as consistent of a left tackle as I’ve ever seen at the collegiate level. He anchored college football’s best offensive line as a junior last season and has received great reviews all year long pertaining to his draft rating.
If Thomas does end blocking for Brady in Tampa, he would join former Bulldog offensive linemen David Andrews and Isaiah Wynn as recent Dawgs to protect the future Hall of Famer.