Monday Morning Draft – Week 13, 2024

Race for the No. 1 Pick of the 2025 NFL Draft:

Jacksonville Jaguars:

The Jaguars lost to the Texans and are 2-10 on the season. Jacksonville should not have given Trevor Lawrence a massive contract last offseason as they could have franchised him and waited another year to see if they should marry themselves with a huge second contract. But what’s done is done, and if the Jaguars land the top pick, they should move down and load up on picks for years to come. With an AC joint injury and then a concussion, Jacksonville should shutdown Lawrence for the rest of the season.

New York Giants:

Dallas got a Thanksgiving win over the Giants and dropped New York to 2-10. If New York lands the No.1 pick, they should take Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders to be their franchise quarterback.

Las Vegas Raiders:

The Raiders are 2-10 after losing to Kansas City, and they are dealing with the ramifications of many terrible decisions by Mark Davis. Allowing the NFL league office to force him to fire Jon Gruden was a crucial mistake. Davis then followed it up by not keeping Rich Bisaccia after the Raiders went to the playoffs, and then Davis made the terrible move of hiring Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler and getting rid of Derek Carr. Las Vegas has a bad roster after the McDaniels-Ziegler years and needs a massive rebuild, including a true replacement for Carr.

Top General Manager Candidates:

• Detroit Lions director of scouting development Mike Martin
• Detroit Lions assitant general manager Ray Agnew
• Atlanta Falcons vice president of player personnel Kyle Smith
• Indianapolis Colts chief personnel executive Morocco Brown
• Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray
• Tennessee Titans director of pro scouting Brian Gardner
• Philadelphia Eagles director of scouting Brandon Hunt
• Miami Dolphins assistant general manager Marvin Allen
• Washington director of pro scouting Eric Stokes
• New England Patriots executive Alonzo Highsmith

Top Head Coach Candidates:

• Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden
• Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick
• Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
• Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
• Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik
• Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley
• Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia
• Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen
• Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson
• Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel

Head Coach Hot-Seat Tracker:

• Jacksonville Jaguars: Doug Pederson
• Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy
• New York Giants: Brian Daboll

Let’s Play Matchmaker:

Houston Texans: Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas

The Texans go a road win in Jacksonville with C.J. Stroud hitting some big passes downfield and Joe Mixon running well in the second half. Houston had issues in the first half maintaining and finishing drives in large part because the Jaguars pass rush was harrassing Stroud. The lack of pass protection has been a real weakness for Houston this season. They could use more offensive line talent with a versatile blocker that could help them at guard or tackle.

Banks played well as the starting left tackle for the Longhorns over the past few seasons. At 6-foot-4, 324 pounds, Banks has adequate size, but some might view him as having more of a guard-type body – depending on how long his arms are. Banks moves well for his size with quickness and athleticism. He would make sense as a first-round pick for Houston with his ability to be a plug-and-play starter at tackle or guard.

Philadelphia Eagles: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

The Eagles got a huge road win in Baltimore to improve to 10-2. Philadelphia caught some breaks, with Justin Tucker missing two field goals and an extra point. Even though the Ravens’ pass defense has been terrible this season, Philadelphia struggled to pass the ball with Jalen Hurts. Dallas Goedert caught a touchdown, but the Eagles could consider adding another tight end receiver for Hurts, who also helps to run block for Saquon Barkley.

In 2024, Loveland has 56 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns. Michigan had more experienced tight ends, but Loveland was so good that he forced his way onto the field. In 2023, he caught 45 passes for 649 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder would be capable of producing more if he played in a passing offense. Loveland could be a good pro and would make a lot of sense for the Eagles second-round pick.

Los Angeles Rams: Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma

The Rams got a road win to improve to 6-6 and stay in the NFC West divisional race. Last week Saquon Barkley ran all over Los Angeles, and the Rams defense has had problems defending rushing attacks in other games this season. Alvin Kamara had some success on Los Angeles on Sunday, and improving the run defense is necessary this offseason.

Stutsman (6-4, 241) is a tough linebacker for the Sooners, making a lot of tackles and some splash plays for his defense. Thus far in 2024, Stutsman has 110 tackles with one sack. In 2023, he totaled 104 tackles, three sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, and three passes defended. In 2022, he recorded 124 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and five passes broken up. Team sources said Stutsman is athletic, quick, and instinctive. They said he has good size and length but lacks ideal strength and physicality. He also has some limitations in coverage. They called Stutsman a less strong, more finesse version of Pete Werner. Stutsman could be a nice second-round pick for the Rams.

Los Angeles Chargers: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

The Chargers got a tough road win in Atlanta, taking advantage of Kirk Cousins’ four interceptions, including a Tarheeb Still pick-six. J.K. Dobbins was out, and the Los Angeles ground offense struggled with only 56 yards on 17 carries. Jim Harbaugh wants to feature an offense that is dedicated to be ground-based, and Los Angeles could use a long-term starter and difference-maker. Dobbins has been a good player when on the field, but injuries have plagued him throughout his career.

In 2024, Jeanty has averaged 7.3 yards per carry for 2,288 yards with 28 touchdowns and 18 receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown. Jeanty (5-8, 217) has a strong build with impressive speed and athleticism. In 2023, Jeanty averaged 6.1 yards per carry for 1,347 yards with 14 touchdowns. He also was a tremendous receiving back with 43 receptions for 569 yards and five scores. Jeanty could be a dangerous weapon to lead an NFL rushing attack, and he could really elevate the Chargers’ offense.

Green Bay Packers: Tyler Booker, G, Alabama

The Packers cruised over the Dolphins in Green Bay, even though the Miami defense did a nice job of limiting Josh Jacobs. The star back had only 43 yards on 19 carries. While the passing game helped pick up the slack, the Packers could use more power on the inside of their line. Their line has some finesse blockers, and they could use a road grader at the point of attack.

In his second season as a starter with the Crimson Tide, Booker (6-5, 325) has turned into a dominant performer up front who consistently wins his blocks in impressive fashion. As a pass protector, Booker has no issues stonewalling bullrushes and mirroring speed rushers. Booker is a beast and extremely strong as a run blocker. He constantly generates movement at the point of attack and drives defenders out of their gap in a violent fashion. The powerful Booker can get a serious push at the line with brute physicality and power. He is a people mover in the ground game and looks like a plug-and-play starter at guard in the NFL. Booker could make a lot of sense for Green Bay late in the first round.

Detroit Lions: Mike Green, DE, Marshall

The Lions defense shutout the Bears in the first half of Thanksgiving, but Detroit allowed 20 points over the final two quarters and Chicago was in position to get more points to force overtime if it weren’t for terrible clock management. Detroit has not lost since Aidan Hutchinson went out for the season, but they have had to turn to some timely blitzes to help generate a pass rush at times. This offseason, they could use another edge rusher to rotate with Hutchinson, Za’Darius Smith, and Josh Paschal to keep them fresh and have depth to safeguard for injuries.

Green has been a monster for the Thundering Herd this season, with a ton of big plays for the Marshall defense. Thus far in 2024, Green has 15 sacks with three forced fumbles, 73 tackles, and a pass batted. The 6-foot-4, 248-pounder is very fast and explosive off the edge. In 2023, Green had 43 tackles with 4.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Green could be a dynamite edge rusher for Detroit across from Hutchinson with Alim McNeil and D.J. Reader on the inside. In the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Green could be an excellent pick for the Lions.

Kansas City Chiefs: Jonah Savaiinaea, OT, Arizona

The Chiefs clinched a playoff spot and got a win over the Raiders, but it was an underwhelming win, with Las Vegas botching a field goal snap on the game’s final play. Kansas City has had a lot of ugly wins this season, and their offense has not clicked like it has in past years. The biggest reason for that is the lack of edge protection for Pat Mahomes. Wanya Morris has been a liability at left tackle, and Kingsley Suamataia still needs development. The Chiefs could draft an offensive tackle to go with Suamataia and improve their edge protection at both right and left tackle.

Savaiinaea broke into the starting lineup at right tackle in 2022 and immediately was a solid contributor for the Wildcats. As a sophomore in 2023, Savaiinaea was even better teaming with Jordan Morgan to give Arizona an effective tackle tandem. Savaiinaea is a quick blocker with athleticism and agility on the edge. However, Savaiinaea needs to get stronger for the NFL and improve his punch at the point of attack. Savaiinaea might best fit in a zone-blocking system if he can’t add more functional power. Savaiinaea has played well in 2024 and looks like a safe pick to be a solid starter in the NFL. He would make sense as a candidate for the Chiefs in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Team Draft Report:

In this section, we take a deeper look at specific teams and where they stand in regards to the 2025 NFL Draft.

Chicago Bears:

For the first time in franchise history, the Bears fired their head coach during the regular season. Matt Eberflus earned the firing with his sixth straight loss. Ownership and the front office mistakenly did not fire Eberflus after last season. It would have made sense to bring in an offensive coach to develop Caleb Williams and provide him with some continuity going into year 2, but what’s done is done. Now the Bears have to get a new head coach and need a quarterback guru.

Bears ownership typically hires young, up-and-coming coordinators when hiring a head coach. They typically have not paid for an established, big-name coach. But now is the time to do it to give Williams the coaching he needs to become a great player. The Bears should hire Jon Gruden to be their next head coach. Gruden is a genius with quarterback development, play-calling, and scheming. He would be the perfect hire to work with Williams. Gruden would be great in Chicago and bring the Bears a presence they haven’t had since Mike Ditka. Gruden could be a legendary coach in the Windy City like Ditka, Phil Jackson, or Ozzie Guillen. However, it would be a big surprise if Bears ownership was willing to pay for a star coach like Gruden.

The coaching decision is the most important, but Chicago must also upgrade their roster to help Williams. In my latest mock 2025 NFL Draft, I have the Bears taking LSU left tackle Will Campbell, and he would be an upgrade for a blindside protector to help Williams. Chicago needs to improve their blocking and Campbell would give them a more reliable presence at left tackle. If Campbell is off the board when the Bears are on the clock, some other first-round options to consider include Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea and Texas’ Kelvin Banks.

If Chicago fixes the tackle position in free agency, they could target an edge rusher in the first round to go across from Montez Sweat. This is a talented class for edge rush talent, so there should be many good options available to the Bears in the first round. Quarterback hunters they could consider include Tennesse’s James Pearce Jr., Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton, Georgia’s Mykel Williams, Marshall’s Mike Green, and LSU’s Bradyn Swinson are all first-round candidates for Chicago.

The Bears have a strong roster capable of taking the team to the post-season and competing with the top teams in the NFC. They could use more help on the offensive and defensive line to help them win the line of scrimmage in 2025. Hiring a good head coach is the most critical decision this offseason, and it will have a massive impact on whether Caleb Williams turns into a good pro quarterback or ends up being another disappointing quarterback in Chicago like other first-rounders Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, and Cade McNown. If the Bears hire a good coach and add a strong draft, Chicago could become a legit Super Bowl contender in the NFC in the near future.