Henry McKenna
NFL Reporter
He’s just too good for him to fall any further. The Chargers land a CB1 to go with Donte Jackson, an offseason signing, and Cam Hart, their returner.
Let’s get a Tee Higgins for Jordan Love. But because Tee Higgins went back to the Bengals, we’ll look to the draft, where Jayden Higgins is waiting. He’s 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds with check-every-box speed and agility. Then there’s his production: 2,166 yards and 15 touchdowns in his two seasons at Iowa State. Green Bay takes another swing at receiver for the love of Love.
With all the crazy picks happening at the back end of the first round, Grant falls directly into the Vikings’ lap. They need a guy to hold down their defensive interior. They couldn’t ask for a better fit here at 24th overall than Grant, a nose tackle who moves in ways a nose tackle shouldn’t.
The Browns need a quarterback right now. And Sanders is one of the few QBs available who can lead an NFL franchise right now. So coach Kevin Stefanski bangs the table for the Browns to move up (and ensure that the Rams don’t draft and groom Sanders). The Stefanski system is going to be great for Sanders, who should enjoy throwing to David Njoku and Jerry Jeudy, particularly on play-action.
Expect the unexpected, remember?
Dart’s skill set as a horizontal passer, attacking the crossers and outs, could suit Sean McVay’s system, but only if the young QB gets a little time to transition from his college system. Dart might be the hardest-working quarterback in this class. He has an underrated football IQ. All that will be necessary as he learns from Matthew Stafford and prepares to replace him.
Now here’s a freak athlete. He ran a 4.28 40-yard dash and jumped 39.5 inches. He’s tall enough at 5-foot-11. Best of all, you can plainly see all of that athleticism on his film. He should step right into Baltimore’s lineup and improve its 31st-ranked pass defense.
Williams is huge. He’s feisty. He’s tenacious. He’d probably bite the kneecaps off a guy if Dan Campbell asked him to. Which is why the Lions are drafting him.
This is probably lower than the mock-draft-obsessed are accustomed to seeing Williams. That’s the fun of this exercise. But his ankle injury led to a lack of production in his final year. And like so many other edge players in this class, Williams’ unique athleticism didn’t amount to big numbers on the field. He’s enough of a specimen for the Commanders to risk it. But he’s still a risk.
If not for his position, Jackson might be a top-10 player in this draft. But because he’s a guard (who dabbled at tackle), he’s only occasionally projected to go in Round 1. But I think Jackson would be an interesting selection for the Bills. Do they need a cornerback more? Yes, but GM Brandon Beane doesn’t always draft for need. He seems to prefer not to. Jackson would compete with David Edwards for starting guard, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he started on the bench.
This would be fun, wouldn’t it?
Travis Kelce has been begging for a reduced workload, but the Chiefs couldn’t give him one last year. Loveland would help enormously in preserving Kelce for the postseason. And the Michigan tight end is, by far, the best offensive weapon available in this slot for a team that desperately needed playmakers last season.
Here’s some love for a guy who The Ringer’s Todd McShay thinks will beone of the best tackles in the class. At 6-foot-6, 300 pounds with a 5.01-second 40-yard dash, Ersery has a combination of size, speed and athleticism that compares only to Orlando Brown, Trent Brown and Daniel Faalele. And it’s not like the questions with Ersery (limited knee bend and hip tightness) are bigger than those with others. But give him a year to develop? He could be a Pro Bowler.
Now, would Howie Roseman do this to Lane Johnson, who is 34 and on a one-year deal? I don’t know. But we do know Roseman likes to think about the future at premium positions. That’s what he’d be doing here.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at@henrycmckenna.
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