Tag: mock draft

This 1st-round pick would make Bucs fans rage

If the first round of the 2024 NFL draft played out like this, Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans would be livid

At this point, Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are used to seeing Penn State edge defender Chop Robinson slotted to them at the No. 26 pick in just about every 2024 NFL mock draft.

What they’re not used to seeing is the Bucs being projected to pick Robinson over Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse, Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, and Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson.

But that’s what happens in the latest first-round projection from NFL.com’s Eric Edholm, who gave the following explanation for his selection:

There’s some buzz that Robinson could go off the board sooner than this. As for the Bucs, they don’t appear to be married to one position, but this pick would check off boxes in terms of both value and need. Adding one more athletic rusher to the mix might really make this pass-rush unit sing in time.

Yes, Robinson has rare explosiveness and athleticism for the position, which does give him tons of upside. But he’s still very much a work in progress, and the Bucs are a contending team that need instant-impact players more than developmental projects, especially in the first round.

Verse would be a much stronger fit for what Tampa Bay needs in an every-down edge defender, and either Barton or Powers-Johnson would give them an immediate upgrade at either left guard or center, both of which they desperately need.

Under the right circumstances, Bucs fans would probably be fine with Robinson being the pick. In this particular scenario, it would be a massive disappointment.

To check out the full first-round mock draft at NFL.com, click here.

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What team should draft Graham Barton, according to CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson?

CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson wrote about what he thinks each NFL team should do, and he said this playoff team should be zeroed in on Duke lineman Graham Barton.

Every NFL fan has experienced watching their team’s general manager pass up the obvious choice on the board. Quite a few fans will experience that same feeling this Thursday during the 2024 NFL draft.

CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson tried to solve this dilemma with his ‘What teams should do’ mock draft released on Tuesday. He said that, with the 20th overall pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers should have their eye on Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton.

The Steelers will begin a new era offensively during the 2024 season after acquiring both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields for the quarterback room. Pittsburgh also cut starting center Mason Cole this offseason, and while many experts have Barton as a guard in the NFL, he did start as a center during his freshman season.

In a stacked offensive line class, Barton was the fifth offensive lineman off the board and the first interior lineman, so Wilson clearly considers him one of the best in the class.

Bucs steal top edge rusher in latest mock draft

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans would be thrilled if this 2024 NFL mock draft scenario plays out on Thursday night

At this point, we’ve all seen the usual suspects connected with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in just about every mock draft, but the latest first-round projection from CBS Sports has a name that Bucs fans have only dared to dream about.

In this 2024 NFL mock draft, the Bucs steal Florida State edge defender Jared Verse at the No. 26 overall pick, landing one of this year’s top prospects at the position, and filling their biggest need on defense.

Here’s with CBS Sports’ R.J. White had to say about the pick:

Verse is not expected to be available this deep in the draft, although the betting market has been trending toward him falling further than expected, possibly due to him not having ideal traits for the position. That would benefit the Bucs and help them fill their biggest need while not having to reach for a Chop Robinson type.

While Robinson’s athleticism and upside might be enticing, Verse is a much more complete player, with the polish to make an instant impact for a Tampa Bay team looking to win a fourth straight NFC South title. They’d much prefer to land an instant-impact defender like Verse in the first round instead of a more developmental prospect like Robinson.

Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton was already off the board, and while Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson might have warranted consideration, Verse would just be too good to pass up in that scenario.

To check out the full first-round projection at CBS Sports, click here.

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Rams trade up for QB Jayden Daniels in PFF’s new mock draft

In PFF’s new mock draft, the Rams trade into the top 10 for LSU QB Jayden Daniels, who’s projected to be a top-3 pick

Crazy and unpredictable things happen in the NFL draft every year, which is what makes it such a fun event. It also leads to some wild mock drafts, particularly as we get closer to the first round.

Pro Football Focus’ Gordon McGuinness released a new mock draft of what he would do as each team’s general manager and the Los Angeles Rams make perhaps the most shocking pick of all. Rather than standing pat at No. 19, they trade all the way up to No. 8 in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

They weren’t targeting a tackle or wide receiver, though. No, no, no. the Rams landed Jayden Daniels, the LSU quarterback who’s almost unanimously expected to go in the first three picks. Suffice it to say, that would be a stunning development for Los Angeles, which is searching for its next franchise quarterback.

Mock Trade: Rams receive Pick No. 8; Falcons receive Pick Nos. 19, 52 and 99 and a 2025 first-round pick

The Rams have been aggressive about trading up for potential franchise quarterbacks over the past eight years, first trading a haul to land Jared Goff in 2016 and then trading Goff and a haul to land Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions in 2021. The latter move landed them a Super Bowl, so I don’t see them being shy about being aggressive again.

Pairing Sean McVay with a quarterback who just earned a nation-best 94.7 PFF grade and produced PFF passing and rushing grades of 92.0 or better? Sign me up.

There’s no question Daniels in the Rams’ offense would be fun. It’d be a perfect pairing, as PFF mentioned, and would solidify the position for years and years to come.

It’s just that there’s almost no chance this actually happens. The odds are certainly below 0.5%, if we’re to believe Daniels will go in the first three picks. The reason it happens in this mock is the Commanders take Drake Maye at No. 2, the Patriots take Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 3 and the Vikings trade up for J.J. McCarthy at No. 4. That causes Daniels to slide past the Chargers, Giants and Titans, falling all the way to No. 8 where the Rams move up to.

The cost would obviously be high, but that’s the price you pay for a franchise quarterback. And we know Les Snead wouldn’t be afraid to give up an extra first-rounder for a player he loves.

It’s not going to happen, but it sure is fun to think about the Rams going up 11 spots for Daniels.

UCLA’s Laiatu Latu slides to Buccaneers in latest NBC Sports mock

Latu to the Bucs in this mock draft.

The NFL Draft is officially one week away. As a result, everyone is getting in on the mock draft action. 

In one of the more unconventional mock drafts in recent days, NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers has UCLA’s Laiatu Latu falling to the back half of the first round.

Selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at #26 overall, Latu lands with a Bucs team looking to add some juice to their defense. 

Here’s what Rogers wrote: 

“Latu’s pass-rushing tool box is the deepest of the edge rushers in this draft. He’ll come into the NFL with a full arsenal of moves and the ability to counter, which is impressive for a rookie.”

With such a deep offensive tackle, wide receiver, and quarterback draft in the first round, there is a chance that a team like the Bucs is lucky enough for Latu to fall to them.

Given his size, experience, and ability, Latu could cement himself as one of the best players on Tampa’s defense as they look to dominate a rather weak NFC South in 2024. 

Does Daniel Jeremiah still think Drake Maye is going to the Commanders?

Has Daniel Jeremiah changed his pick?

Throughout the lead-up to the 2024 NFL draft, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has projected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye to the Washington Commanders at No. 2 overall. Whether it is mock drafts or speaking in general, Jeremiah has a tough time seeing Commanders general manager Adam Peters passing on Maye.

Over the past several weeks, momentum has favored LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels going No. 2 overall. Much of that momentum came from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter’s repeated insistence that all signs pointed to Daniels going to Washington.

Yet, Jeremiah stuck with his belief that the Commanders would choose Maye.

On Monday, three days before the 2024 NFL draft, Jeremiah was a guest on the “Pat McAfee Show” and acknowledged the momentum surrounding Daniels’s potential move to Washington.

“Everything in my gut was kinda saying, nah, this feels like Washington, Drake Maye, kind of a bigger, more physical guy, it kinda fits them a little better,” Jeremiah said. “I’ve been talking to people that had been discussing this with Dan Quinn and his buddies around the league and they said he kept talking about, ‘I need to find my Matt Ryan. I went to the Super Bowl with Matt Ryan.’ So that’s why I was kind of hung up on, and I was sitting there going, ‘OK, that feels like Drake Maye would be more of that type of player.’ So, that’s why I’ve been thinking this whole process: Drake Maye fits better with Washington.

Jeremiah’s final mock draft will come out this week, and it sounds like he’ll be making a change.

“Then, now, as you’re coming down the home stretch, it’s like, OK, there’s too much like I can’t inject my own personal opinion here; this is just overwhelming that everybody I’ve talked to is telling me it’s gonna be Jayden, so that’s why I have it there now.”

As Jeremiah has pointed out more than anyone, no one knows what Peters is thinking. We’ll all find out on Thursday night.

Cardinals expected to stand firm and select Marvin Harrison Jr. 4th overall

The Cardinals have received numerous serious inquiries from teams looking to move up in the draft, but they will almost certainly pick

The Arizona Cardinals have been subject to rampant draft rumors the last few weeks leading up to Thursday’s 2024 NFL draft. At first, they were certain to stick and pick the best player with the 4th overall selection — which was a miracle (or was it) granted by Matt Prater in the team’s finale against the Seattle Seahawks.

Then, reports circled about them being a lock to move down with the Minnesota Vikings. When those rumors dwindled, talks about trades with the New York Giants and even the Chicago Bears became popular.

Despite all of the speculation, the Cardinals held firm on the fourth overall selection. The rumor mill even ran into Monday, where reports came out how the Cardinals won’t move down until they are on the clock, heightening the pre-draft excitement and nerves of all Cardinals fans.

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General manager Monti Ossenfort has undoubedtly done his due diligence into what his highly-coveted 4th overall pick could return, but there has always been a player atop their draft boards, one they’ve had keen eyes on for two years now.

Barring a late offer the team cannot refuse, the Arizona Cardinals likely will select Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick.

Harrison Jr. is the best wide receiver prospect in years and many believe him to be the top player in the last two draft classes. He’s a near-perfect prospect for his abilities, but also his off-the-field character and maturity, traits Ossenfort highly covets.

Last season, the Cardinals were motivated to move down, as Ossenfort knew he was staring a multi-year rebuild in the face and needed as many picks as possible to expedite the process. He also had two top prospects — those being Paris Johnson Jr. and Will Anderson, who he thought highly of.

This year, however, Ossenfort will not budge from the rights to draft Harrison Jr. unless the offer is akin to what the San Francisco 49ers once mortgaged to select Trey Lance back in 2021. Teams aren’t overly jumping at the thought to give up that haul for the consensus fourth-best quarterback prospect in the draft.

The Cardinals have actively scouted and had heavy interest in Harrison Jr. for two years now. The dominos leading to their incoming selection of Harrison began with the release of All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins a year and a half ago. Even current-Cardinal Paris Johnson Jr. has spoken to reporters about his conversations about Harrison to the desert dating back to 2022.

The Cardinals also were not aggressive in their negotiations with Hollywood Brown and traded Rondale Moore to the Falcons. They’ve been preparing to build the roster with Harrison headlining their receiving corps since January.

Could Ossenfort look to move down and right back up for Harrison this year? Some have speculated he could look to replicate this move from last year, and while that is certainly possible, the team is certainly not going to do anything without knowing they can still get their guy.

While most of the draft speculation has been surrounding the fourth overall pick, the Cardinals also have No. 27 from the Houston Texans. They may look to move up from that spot for one of the top three edge rushers, should one fall into striking distance. Those three are Alabama’s Dallas Turner, Florida’s Jared Verse and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu.

It makes sense, given the Cardinals have the most draft capital this year and have a glaring hole at edge rusher. Should they walk away with the top receiver prospect and one of the best three edge rushers, the Cardinals will be in much better shape to make a playoff push in 2024.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Graham Barton goes inside top 20 in The Ringer’s latest mock draft

The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak released an updated mock draft on Monday morning, and he had Duke lineman Graham Barton within the first 20 names off the board.

The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak, a popular podcast host and analyst, released an updated mock draft on Monday morning to start NFL draft week.

In this edition of his projections, Solak selected former Duke offensive tackle Graham Barton as the 20th overall pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Barton, who played both left tackle and center in Durham, routinely draws praise for his ability to play multiple positions. Sure enough, that flexibility was Solak’s major selling point for Steelers fans.

“The Steelers need a tackle, and they need a center, ” Solak wrote. “Why not take a college tackle who might be an NFL center?”

Solak wrote that the former Blue Devil contains both a high floor and a high ceiling as a prospect due to his fundamentals and athleticism.

The Steelers are one of the earliest possible contenders for Barton’s services, at least according to the current draft order. He’s frequently been connected to the Miami Dolphins (21st overall) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26th overall).

Graham Barton teams with Joe Burrow in latest Draft Wire mock draft

If Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon were in charge of all 32 teams, he’d have Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton protecting star quarterback Joe Burrow in Cincinnati.

Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon did his NFL mock draft over the weekend a little bit differently.

Instead of predicting what each general manager would do with their pick, Risdon showed what he would do in their spot. It led to some crazy hypotheticals, like the Bears taking LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels with the first pick.

For Duke fans, however, the most interesting result was offensive lineman Graham Barton headed to Cincinnati with the 18th pick.

Star quarterback Joe Burrow, another LSU quarterback with a Heisman Trophy on his shelf, led the Bengals to back-to-back AFC Championship games, but he’s also suffered two season-ending injuries in four seasons. With a prospect like Barton, who played both tackle and center in Durham, the Bengals could solve whatever problem they want.

“I think his best NFL spot will be guard,” Risdon wrote. “The perennially OL-needy Bengals would have a happy problem sorting out Barton’s addition.”

The Bengals, by all reports, would be an unlikely suitor for Barton. Few mock drafts have had the Duke lineman end up in Ohio, more commonly pairing him with Miami or Tampa Bay. If the Cincinnati front office makes amends with star wideout Tee Higgins, however, you never know.

Graham Barton headed to AFC contender in Touchdown Wire’s latest mock draft

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon teamed up for a mock draft on Monday morning, but which playoff team took Graham Barton?

With the NFL draft just days away, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon teamed up for a one-round mock draft on Monday morning.

In their projection, the duo had Graham Barton go to the Miami Dolphins with the 21st pick.

“Barton is the best center in the draft even though he played left tackle pretty darn well at Duke, but I think his best NFL fit might be at left guard,” Risdon wrote. “You’re welcome, Tua.”

Miami emerged as a popular prediction for Barton after the Dolphins lost two interior starters during free agency. USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis forecasted that Barton would go in the same spot on his Monday morning mock.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could certainly use the extra assistance as he’s battled issues with injuries and concussions since entering the league.

The NFL draft kicks off with the opening round on Thursday night.