There is a lot of talent in this year’s NFL draft including many elite offensive players such as quarterbacks Caleb Willams and Jayden Daniels and wide receivers Rome Odunze and Marvin Harrison, Jr. On the defensive side, there are also some great players like Kool-Aid McKinstry, Quinyon Mitchell and Dallas Turner.
Let’s take look at how the first ten picks should play out:
With pick 1, the Chicago Bears should take Caleb Willams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback out of USC. One reason they should take Williams is because they need a quarterback now that they’ve traded away 2021 first round pick Justin Fields.
For pick 2, the Washington Commanders should take Drake Maye, the ACC 2022 player-of-the-year. Maye is 6 ‘4, 229 pounds and can make big plays out of the pocket. Ever since RG3 (Robert Griffin III) left Washington, they haven’t had a franchise quarterback they can depend on to win. I think they will find that with Maye.
With pick 3, Even with rumors that the New England Patriots will trade down, it is clear that they too need a quarterback. This is why they should take LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner. Daniels stands 6’4, 210 pounds. After transferring from Arizona State to LSU his career – and statistics – took off. In just two seasons at LSU he threw for 6725 yards and 57 touchdown passes with just 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 1989 yards and 21 touchdowns.
With pick 4, The Arizona Cardinals should take Marvin Harrison, Jr. a stud receiver out of Ohio State. There is no doubt that he will be the first receiver taken in this year’s draft. Despite refusing to talk to NFL reporters about skipping the combine and missing his pro day, he still had an amazing junior season with 14 receiving touchdowns, 1,211 receiving yards and, according to Chad Reuter of NFL.com, Harrison Jr is the first Ohio State player to have two 1,000 yard seasons. The Cardinals have struggled the past two seasons, winning just eight games total so they really need a player likeHarrison, Jr. to turn their franchise around.
With pick 5, The Los Angeles Chargers should select Rome Odunze, a 6’3, 212 pound receiver from Washington. This past season, Odunze was first-team All-Pac-12 Conference, first-team Associated Press All-American, and he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, an award that goes to the nation’s best collegiate receiver. He also led the FBS with 1,640 receiving yards. The Chargers need a true WR1 for Justin Herbert. After losing Keenan Allen the Chargers receiver room isn’t looking good.
With pick 6, The New York Giants should take JJ McCarthy, the quarterback for the National Champion Michigan Wolverines. It’s not a sure bet that the Giants will get the 2022 version of Daniel Jones back this year, so drafting a QB is a good idea. McCarthy is coming off an amazing season at Michigan where he threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. In 2023 he was First-team All-Big Ten Conference and a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is given to the nation’s top quarterback. He also bested fellow Unitas finalist Michael Penix, Jr. and the Washington Huskies for the title.
With pick 7, The Tennessee Titans should take Joe Alt. Alt stands at 6 ‘7 and weighs 322 lbs, which is something the Titans need on their offensive line to help protect quarterback Will Levis. This past season, according to profootballnetwork.com, the Titans’ O-line was rated dead last amongst all NFL teams. Although offensive lineman don’t get talked about the way that skill players do, superstars like Lamar Jackson, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes can’t really shine without a decent offensive line to protect them.
With pick 8, The Atlanta Falcons should take Malik Nabers, a wide receiver out of LSU, who was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation’s best receiver. He finished second in FBS receiving yards with 1,569 and tied for third with 14 receiving touchdowns. He also led the FBS in receptions with 89, which means he would be a great addition for the Falcons. Picking up Nabers would add depth to a wide receiver room that already has second year player Drake London and the recently signed Darnell Mooney.
With pick 9, their second pick of the first round, the Chicago Bears should select Byron Murphy II, a defensive lineman out of Texas. Murphy stands at 6 ‘0 and weighs 300 pounds, which is similar to Aaron Donald, the most dominant defensive lineman of the last ten years. Although Murphy doesn’t have the longest arms, he is quick off the line and explosive. This past season he was named Big 12 Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year and also made first team all Big 12 Conference. He finished this season with 29 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss (TFL), 5 sacks and scored two touchdowns on offense, which shows his versatility.
With pick 10, the New York Jets should take Dallas Turner, an edge rusher out of Alabama. Turner stands 6 ‘3 and weighs 247 pounds. Adding Turner to their defense would be a good move for the Jets as they already have strong defensive players including “Sauce” Gardner, C.J Mosley, DJ Reed and Quinnen Williams. This past season Turner won SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a result of his 14.5 TFL, 10 sacks, 53 tackles, a pass break up and 2 forced fumbles.