Free Agency/Trades Mock Draft

Indiana

Barring something unforeseen between now and April 23rd, Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Fernando Mendoza will be saying 'Viva Las Vegas!'

Texas Tech

Certainly wouldn't surprise me to see the Jets look at potentially trading out, but they might not have such an easy time finding a trade partner. If they stay at 2, an EDGE rusher feels like the best bet. Aaron Glenn will need to show some progress in his second year as head coach, so I could see him preferring the more polished David Bailey over the more hybrid EDGE/LB in Arvell Reese.

Ohio State

Like the Jets in front of them, I think the Cardinals could also be open for business at 3 if the right offer comes. Just not sure that offer will come this year like it did in 2023 when the Texans wanted to trade up from 12 to 3 to select Alabama EDGE rusher Will Anderson after they took C.J. Stroud at 2. If forced to stay at 3, Reese feels like a good bet in the scenario where the Jets take David Bailey at 2.

Notre Dame

Options at middle linebacker are more plentiful after the first round than the running back options will be, which tilts the scales in the direction of Jeremiyah Love here over Sonny Styles even though Styles would be such a great fit in a Robert Saleh defense. Gotta help Cam Ward out, and with no receiver worth the selection, Ward feels an endless love with the selection of the running back named Love. Lame pun, I know…

Ohio State

Two Ohio State guys stand out here for new coach John Harbaugh. I'll go with Sonny Styles here over Caleb Downs as I think he'd be an excellent fit next to Tremaine Edmunds in the middle of that Giants defense.

Georgia

By all accounts I'm seeing, Freeling seems like a guy who's gaining helium and will go in at least the top 15 and possibly in the top 10. Ideally, the Browns could find a trade partner here. But with none calling, they stick here and grab Freeling to be their left tackle.

Ohio State

Jeremiyah Love might be the dream selection here to pair with Jayden Daniels, but I feel it's more likely that one of the two standout Ohio State defensive players will still be available. And either one would be a nice, needed selection here to help out the defense. In this instance, Downs is the one left standing.

USC

Despite reports that Makai Lemon gave off some weird vibes at the combine and may not have interviewed particularly well, he's a guy I'm still all in on. His route running is terrific, and he'll catch anything in his vicinity. He also ran a bit better than expected at his pro day. Remember last year when the Carolina Panthers took Tetairoa McMillan at 8 to help out Bryce Young in last year's draft? Well, in a copycat league, the Saints decide to take a page out of that playbook.

LSU

Cowboys get: Picks 9, 29 and 109 (R4)
Chiefs get: Picks 12, 20 and 92 (R3)

Dallas moves up three spots to get Mansoor Delane, the likely to be top corner to be selected in this year's draft. It's certainly possible the Chiefs themselves could draft Delane given that they've lost Trent McDuffie via trade and Jaylen Watson in free agency, but they have another prospect in mind and allow Dallas to move ahead of Cincinnati for the LSU corner, whose stock might be rising further after running a blazing 4.35 40 time at LSU's pro day.

Miami

Although the Bengals did add Boye Mafe in free agency, they did (predictably) lose Trey Hendrickson in free agency to the Baltimore Ravens. Teams can never have too many quality guys who can get after the QB, especially after Shemar Stewart struggled mightily as a rookie last season. Bain doesn't have the ideal length, and he may not test out of the gym the way Stewart did, but he's a much more polished and ready-made EDGE rusher coming out than Stewart ever was.

Miami

Mauigoa has the look of a long-time quality starter at either right tackle or inside at guard. The Dolphins would not be unwise to add him and ensure he continues playing his home games at Hard Rock Stadium.

Oregon

I'm fully aware that Travis Kelce signed a three year deal just recently, but it's really only a one year contract disguised as a three year deal. Sadiq would be a perfect understudy for Kelce to mentor and eventually take Kelce's spot as the TE1 in Kansas City.

Ohio State

Should the draft board play out like it does from picks 1 through 11, the Rams really couldn't lose. Kansas City made their decision easier by selecting Sadiq, leaving them Carnell Tate. He's the latest great WR talent to churn out of Brian Hartline's factory, and what a great replacement he'd be for Davante Adams long-term.

Penn State

Baltimore was thought to have a deal in place for EDGE rusher Maxx Crosboy, sending this pick and a 2027 first round pick to the Raiders in return. Depending upon whether you believe the deal fell through due to legitimate medical concerns or the Ravens getting cold feet, the Ravens got their picks back. Penn State's Vega Ioane just feels like a great fit for what they like to do, pounding the rock with Derrick Henry and mixing in some runs with Lamar Jackson.

Oregon

Chiefs get: Picks 15 and 46 (R2)
Buccaneers get: Picks 20, 40 (R2) and 92 (R3)

Kansas City moves up and addresses their secondary with the versatile Dillon Thieneman, who I just love as a prospect. He's a guy who excels in all aspects of the game and is capable of wearing multiple different hats, something I'm sure defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would covet.

Arizona State

Geno Smith definitely isn't the long-term answer at QB for the Jets, but whoever that is will need some legitimate receivers to throw to. Jordyn Tyson is the best one left on the board, and he's gotten some great tutelage from former Steelers WR Hines Ward the last couple of years.

Utah

Drafting Fano could push the Lions to move Penei Sewell over to left tackle and insert Fano at right tackle, which is where he played at Utah. He's also stated a willingness to move inside to guard if the team needs that, or if his shorter arms (32 1/8ths inches) necessitates it. That's the kind of team first mentality I'm sure a guy like Dan Campbell would appreciate.

Alabama

Steelers get: Pick 18
Vikings get: Picks 21 and 99 (R3)

Broderick Jones hasn't worked out as hoped for the Steelers as their left tackle, and he's coming back from a neck injury as is. With his size and physicality, Proctor seems like a great fit for the Steelers. I feel like he could also play guard, so the added versatility also feels like a win.

Clemson

Stealing this pick from a Carolina Panthers site as they feel like slot corner is still a need on the team's roster. Avieon Terrell is the younger brother of Falcons corner A.J. Terrell, so this would add a little spice to the two divisional games between the teams every year.

Miami

Rueben Bain is not the only Miami EDGE rusher who will be a highly sought after draft prospect next month. Ahkeem Mesidor will be as well. After trading down and adding an extra third round pick to their stash, the Bucs hope Mesidor will aid what was a middling pass rush in 2025.

Toledo

Minnesota was undoubtedly disappointed to see Thieneman snagged by the Chiefs via trade up, so they moved down and got the next safety on their board in Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. He's not the best pure cover safety, but he's a nasty, physical hitter capable of forcing turnovers (9 forced fumbles in his career).

Arizona State

49ers get: Pick 22
Chargers get: Picks 27, 127 (R4), 139 (R4) and a 2027 5th round pick

San Francisco feels a need to get ahead of the Eagles to get an understudy for Trent Williams, striking a deal with the Chargers to trade up for Max Iheanachor. The Arizona State product is still very raw being so new to football, but the athleticism and talent could be molded into something great once he's a finished product.

Clemson

Had T.J. Parker been eligible for the 2025 Draft, he likely would've been a much higher draft pick. As a true sophomore, he posted 19.5 TFL and 11 total sacks. His production dropped off in 2025, but Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is undoubtedly someone who could get the most out of this guy.

Indiana

Cleveland got themselves a new left tackle at 6, so now they get a receiver here with Omar Cooper out of Indiana. He's got a nice size/speed combination and should be capable of playing out on the perimeter or in the slot.

Auburn

Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen usually prefers his defensive ends to have long arms, and Keldric Faulk certainly qualifies as such. Like T.J. Parker, his 2024 statistical production was far superior to the 2025 production.

Tennessee

Dolphins get: Picks 26 and 91 (R3)
Bills get: Picks 30 and 75 (R3)

Coming off a torn ACL in 2025, I'm not entirely sure what to do with Jermod McCoy in a mock draft yet. With that said, the 2024 tape was tremendous. He was likely trending towards being a top 10 or 15 pick had he not torn his ACL. Perhaps he still does end up going around that range, so getting him at 26 could be a nice bargain for a Dolphins team that needs talent all over the roster after they let go of so many players.

Ohio State

It's a pretty nice draft class for nose tackles who can stuff the run, and Ohio State's Kayden McDonald might be the best one of the bunch. Between 2025 3rd round pick Jamaree Caldwell and McDonald, the Chargers could become extremely tough to run against.

Utah

Houston added Braden Smith in free agency, and depending upon how the rest of free agency and the draft plays out, it's possible they could move him inside to guard. Caleb Lomu could give them the option to do that. He and Spencer Fano were quite the tackle duo for the Utes.

Texas

Dallas added Rashan Gary in free agency. While I wouldn't expect that to preclude them from taking a pass rusher with either of their first round picks, it does give them flexibility to fill holes elsewhere. One of those holes is at middle linebacker, and Anthony Hill is a modern day type of linebacker capable of going sideline-to-sideline.

Texas A&M

Dolphins get: Picks 30 and 168 (R5)
Bills get: Picks 43, 91 (R3) and 151 (R5)

Miami and Buffalo aren't done dealing, as the division rivals once again strike a deal. The Dolphins moved Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos which got them this pick to begin with, and they move back into this spot to draft another speedster in Concepcion.

Alabama

Cardinals get: Picks 31 and 191 (R6)
Patriots get: Picks 34 (R2), 143 (R5) and 183 (R6)

After Alabama's season opening loss to Florida State, Ty Simpson was on fire for the next two months. Then he cooled off considerably after that, and that took a lot of shine off his draft luster. Still, in a weak class for QBs, I think it's more likely than not that he's taken in the first round. If you're Arizona, why not at this juncture? The risk is quite minuscule as it's just their 5th round pick and a swap of 6th rounders. If it doesn't work out, they can just look at the crop of QBs in 2027, which is expected to be much stronger.

Central Florida

Pick is actually Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, Central Florida

With only four picks in this draft, a trade down by the Seahawks wouldn't be a surprise. But if there's someone on the board at 32 they really like, there's no reason they wouldn't stick and pick. They lost Boye Mafe in free agency, and DeMarcus Lawrence hinted at possibly retiring. Even in the event that he returns for 2026, it sounds like the end is close for him. They get ahead of the game here in taking Malachi Lawrence, the UCF EDGE rusher who is generating some first round buzz of late. He could step right into a rotational role as a rookie before growing into a bigger role down the road.