Horse Tracks: NFL Mock Draft 1.0 (Picks 1-10)

It’s officially mock draft season

Mock Draft 1.0

1^st Pick: Panthers – C.J. Stroud (QB, Ohio State)

There’s only one reason you trade up in this fashion to the number one overall pick in the draft and it’s to get your franchise QB.

2^nd Pick: Texans – Bryce Young (QB, Alabama)

Davis Mills is not the future of the Houston Texans under center and rookie head coach, DeMeco Ryans, wants to start with a clean slate in year one with a young, talented quarterback like Young.

Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

3^rd Pick: Seahawks (trade with Cardinals) – Anthony Richardson (QB, Florida)

Seattle will trade up with the Arizona Cardinals to get their franchise guy. Anthony Richardson is the perfect fit in Seattle due to the fact he’s a raw quarterback that will need a season or two to adapt to NFL defenses. The Seahawks have a great temporary solution at quarterback in Geno Smith, but know he is not the future of the franchise at the position and will develop Richardson to take over the spot once Smith’s time in Seattle is done.

4^th Pick: Falcons (trade with Colts) – Henry Anderson Jr. (Edge, Alabama)

With the Colts getting leap frogged by the Seahawks to get Richardson, the Colts will trade down as the Cardinals and Lions do not pose that much of a threat to draft a quarterback before them. The Falcons defense has needed an elite pass rusher for many years and will solve that issue with the fourth pick in the draft by selecting the explosive edge from Alabama.

5^th Pick: Cardinals (trade with Seahawks) – Jalen Carter (DT, Georgia)

The Cardinals are in an interesting position to acquire more picks by trading down because they are not in the market for a quarterback right now. Carter would probably have been the guy they took at three originally, but instead I have them trading down for more picks later in the draft and still getting their defensive anchor. Carter is arguably the best defensive player in this draft and the Cardinals have the opportunity to solidify their defensive tackle position for the foreseeable future.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

6^th Pick: Lions – Devon Witherspoon (CB, Illinois)

Last time the Lions took a corner this high it was Jeff Okudah from Ohio State. Okudah is a solid player in the Lions secondary, but definitely did not pan out the way the Lions had hoped after being selected third overall in 2020. The Lions secondary lost them a lot of games last season so I have them addressing that need with a corner.

7^th Pick: Raiders – Christian Gonzalez (CB, Oregon)

Once again the Raiders are another team with a secondary that needs help in a big way by selecting the former Colorado Buffalo, which is where he played originally before transferring to Oregon. The Raiders have missed on their last couple defensive picks when they drafted Damon Arnette in 2020 and Clelin Ferrell in 2019, so we’ll see if they’re able to make Gonzalez pan out.

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8^th Pick: Colts (trade with Falcons) – Will Levis (QB, Kentucky)

The Colts trade down gamble paid off and the Cardinals, Lions, and Falcons did not take a quarterback off the board that the Colts so desperately need. The Colts and Richardson have had a lot of pre-draft interest in one another, but Richardson is now a Seahawk and it’s time to commence plan B for the Colts franchise, Levis.

9^th Pick: Bears – Peter Skoronski (G/T, Northwestern)

How can the offseason get any better for Justin Fields with the Bears fully committing to him by trading down from the first overall pick, acquiring D.J. Moore in the process, and then drafting the number one ranked offensive lineman in this year’s draft. This selection also keeps Skoronski in the Chicago area since he went to college at Northwestern.

10^th Pick: Eagles – Tyree Wilson (Edge, Texas Tech)

After getting to the Super Bowl last season, the Eagles can go a lot of ways here to help get them back to the big game. Drafting Bijan Robinson is a serious possibility after losing their starting running back Miles Sanders to the Panthers or going offensive line after losing Isaac Seumalo to a bid from the Steelers. However, I have the Eagles trying to continue their dominance rushing the quarterback for years to come by taking the athletic beast from Texas Tech.

Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images

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