Here are the players I believe each team should draft in the upcoming NFL Draft, Round 1.
1. Tennessee Titans: Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado: Travis Hunter is the consensus top prospect because of his potential impact on both sides of the ball. It’s hard to imagine Tennessee passes on a generational talent at 1.
2. Cleveland Browns: Sheduer Sanders, QB, Colorado: Sanders has the highest potential of any quarterback in the draft, and his persona can help Cleveland rewrite its identity.
3. New York Giants: Cam Ward, QB, Miami: Back-to-back quarterback selections early in the draft mean high expectations for both of them.
4. New England Patriots: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona: The best receiver in the draft gets scooped up by New England.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State: The first defensive-focused player falls to Jacksonville.
Where will Jeanty go? (photo courtesy CBS Sports)
6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: Following a historic season, Jeanty becomes the highest running back drafted since Saquon Barkley was taken second overall in 2018.
7. New York Jets: Will Campbell, OT, LSU: The post-Rodgers era in New York begins with reloading the offensive line.
8. Carolina Panthers: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia: Carolina is a relatively young team, and Starks will be able to develop into a young superstar for the Panthers.
9. New Orleans Saints: Mason Graham, DL, Michigan: Bryan Bresee has proved to be a solid player for the Saints, and now adding Graham to the defensive line instantly makes running the ball against New Orleans very difficult.
10. Chicago Bears: Kelvin Banks Jr, OT, Texas: The Bears have proven that they want to build around Williams by adding offensive weapons like Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen, but now they focus on the offensive line.
11. San Francisco 49ers: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan: Before his injury, Will Johnson was the second-highest-ranked prospect in this draft. If Johnson can recover successfully, San Francisco will have landed a gem.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia: If Dallas decides to move on from Micah Parsons, Williams can fill that role.
13. Miami Dolphins: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State: The Dolphins’ offense regressed more than almost any other team this season. Adding help on the offensive line will improve the overall performance of the Miami offense.
Tyler Warren (photo, Penn State Athletics)
14. Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State: Warren follows in the footsteps of the legendary Dallas Clark into Indianapolis in what should be an elite career.
15. Atlanta Falcons: James Pearce Jr, EDGE, Tennessee: Reports of character issues have caused Pearce to fall in multiple spots. The skill is there for Pearce. Now the Falcons have to keep him in check.
16. Arizona Cardinals: Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia: The consensus is that the best linebacker in the draft ends up in Arizona.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Kenneth Grant, DL, Michigan: The Bengals have a slight reach here, but it is filling a position of need.
18. Seattle Seahawks: Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M: The EDGE position is ridiculously deep in this class. Had Scourton entered the 2024 draft, he would have been the first or second in his position taken. Instead, he fell to Seattle at 18 and is the fourth EDGE taken.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State: With Chris Godwin potentially leaving in free agency and Mike Evans getting older, it’s time for the Buccaneers to reload the receiving core.
20. Denver Broncos: Luther Burden, WR, Missouri: Bo Nix and Luther Burden immediately threaten NFL secondaries.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame: Assuming Pittsburgh’s quarterback problem is solved by draft time, the Steelers will look to improve the rest of the roster.
Colston Loveland (photo, Michigan Daily)
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan: Loveland is a do-it-all tight end with excellent blocking skills, soft hands, and good speed for a tight end.
23. Green Bay Packers: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M: The youngest team in the league adds another young defensive player.
24. Minnesota Vikings: Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama: No matter whether Sam Darnold or JJ McCarthy is the QB for the Vikings in the future, Minnesota desperately needs help on the offensive line.
25. Houston Texans: Matthew Golden, WR, Texas: Golden jumped up draft boards drastically following his performance for Texas in the CFP. Houston already has Tank Dell, but now they have another receiver capable of great things.
26. Los Angeles Rams: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri: Another player who has rapidly climbed draft boards is the Mizzou Tiger Armand Membou. Following an All-SEC Second Team selection, Membou went from a solid day-three pick to a potential first-round pick.
27. Baltimore Ravens: Shavon Revel, CB, East Carolina: Had Revel not missed half the season with an injury, he could have been a top-20 pick.
28. Detroit Lions: Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State: Aiden Hutchinson is already a top-five edge rusher in the league, and now Detroit adds another promising prospect in the same position.
Josh Conerly (photo courtesy On3.com)
29. Washington Commanders: Josh Conerly Jr, OT, Oregon: The Commanders hit their first-round pick with quarterback Jayden Daniels out of the park last year. Now, Washington has to build around him. Terry McLaurin is already an elite option to throw to, so adding another top receiver is unnecessary; however, building the offensive line is necessary.
30. Buffalo Bills: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas: One of the best defensive backs in college immediately jumps onto a Super Bowl-contending team.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Walter Nolen, DL, Ole Miss: Besides the offensive line, one of the Chiefs’ biggest issues in the Super Bowl was the lack of pressure on Jalen Hurts. Walter Nolen is an absolute unit that can disrupt opposing teams’ run-and-pass games.
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota: The Eagles don’t have any holes in their roster, but they must prepare for the future. Lane Johnson is aging, so it’s wise to draft his replacement a year or two before he retires.
