By Scott Salomon
Today we explore picks 22-32 of the first round and complete our first round mock draft. You can find parts 1 and 2 here:
22. Denver Broncos (Trade with Philadelphia) – Brian Thomas, WR, LSU
The Broncos trade with Philadelphia to step up and grab a wide receiver for their new quarterback. Thomas is the best wide receiver on the board and this is a pick out of necessity with the Jerry Jeudy trade. Thomas starts opposite Marvin Mims, Jr. and they have something going on in Sean Payton’s training camp.
23. Minnesota Vikings – Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
Vikings go for help in the secondary and Wiggins is selected over Cooper DeJean from Iowa. Wiggins comes out as a junior and finds himself starting in the Vikings defensive backfield.
24. Dallas Cowboys – Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
The last time the Cowboys drafted a center in the first round, it was Travis Frederick who had a great career for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. JPJ comes in and starts at center from day one and shows that his skills for the NFL are top-notch. Bo Nix only got sacked 10 times in two years behind JPJ and that is a very telling statistic.
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25. Green Bay Packers – Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
The Packers threw the bag at safety Xavier McKinney in free agency and add DeJean here to bring speed to the secondary as he can lineup outside or in the slot. He will start at nickel or dime and play a whole lot of football for Matt LeFleur’s defense.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Robinson almost went to the Dolphins at 24, but with the signing of Shaq Barrett, the Dolphins could wait on another EDGE rusher. The Bucs, on the other hand, need Robinson as they lost Barrett in free agency, a move that Todd Bowles still regrets.
27. Arizona Cardinals – Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
This is a “best player available” pick as the Cards add the best inside pass rusher on the board to go along with the outside pressure that they already possess. The Cards finish their picks in the first round very well taking the big guy from the Longhorns.
28. Buffalo Bills – Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
The Bills tried to trade up in the top 10 for a replacement for Stefon Diggs, but they did not have enough capital to make a move to try to get one of the first receivers off the board. Mitchell will do just fine in Buffalo and will become Josh Allen’s favorite target before long. Brendan Beane needed to go wide receiver to appease the fan base who are still upset over losing Diggs to Houston.
29. Detroit Lions – Kool Aid McKinstry , CB, Alabama
Dan Campbell goes with the best defensive back still on the board as he tries to find a corner for his already stout defense. CB is a position of need for Detroit and they needed someone who can play in the nickel and dime packages. Kool Aid had surgery after his pro day for an ankle injury that was raised at the combine, but is ready for training camp.
30. Baltimore Ravens – Keon Coleman, WR, FSU
Eric DeCosta has a long history of drafting offensive playmakers in the first round, especially wide receivers, and this year is no different. The Ravens select Coleman who can also add versatility as a return man and give Lamar Jackson another weapon who will start as WR3 and take over for Odell Beckham, Jr. who left via free agency.
31. San Francisco 49ers – Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
Latu is the best available player on the board at the time the 49ers pick and he lines up at outside linebacker for Kyle Shanahan and the NFC Champion 49ers. Latu should have gone earlier but reported bad workouts saw his draft stock plummet, but he still goes in the first round. Latu did not have a good combine and he stumbled at his Pro Day.
32. Kansas City Chiefs – Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
Legette takes over for Rashee Rice who will be suspended by the NFL for his alleged drag racing incident last month. The Chiefs need to find a playmaker for Patrick Mahomes who can inherit the WR2 role and Leggette fits the bill. Legette had a second-round grade, but the Chiefs go with the best available WR who will be catching passes on the perimeter for a long time.
This is how I see the first-round shaping out. Time will tell how many of these I get right. I think that there might be some additional trades in the middle of the round as some teams have needs that just aren’t there when they are looking to select. Tweet me your thoughts on the Mock Draft Series @scottsalomonNFL.
I will issue mock draft updates with potential trade rumors as we get closer to Chicago being on the clock with the first pick in the first round which is scheduled to take place on April 25 from Detroit.
