By: Lucas Kochevar
Holy smokes, it actually happened! The trade that I've already made in my head has FINALLY been announced during the week of the NFL Draft. Way to steal the headlines, Aaron Rodgers. On Monday, the Jets and Packers finally came to the agreement that was all-but-confirmed. The two teams swapped first round picks and put some late to mid round draft selections in the deal. It's quite funny now that Favre and Rodgers both ended up on the Jets at age 39. It's a deal that'll surely be the talk of the league until Thursday when all eyes descend upon Kansas City for the 2023 NFL Draft. With that being said, here's my final mock draft prior to Thursday and I want to note that I don't do any trades in mock drafts as it's such an unknown what the value of these picks are. In this volume of LK League Notes, I'm just going to run through the notable selections I predict to happen. Notable Picks The first two picks in my eyes should happen in this order. Anderson and Young are the two best players in this draft and they should go this way. The Texans are the team that could throw a wrench in this, however. They seem to be unsure about anyone since it's been widely speculated that Young was going first. The tone will be set at the second pick and, as of right now, I think going with the best edge rusher is a smart decision for Demeco Ryans and co. Anthony Richardson -> Colts, C.J. Stroud -> Raiders The quarterbacks outside of Young could go anywhere in the top ten. In my eyes, the fit between the Colts coaching staff and Richardson is too good to pass up in my eyes. Jalen Hurts with a rocket arm is the easy comparison for me and I wouldn't be mad if my team rolled the dice on his potential. The news of Stroud falling has spread like wildfire and I can see him sliding, but not far. I've maintained my thoughts that he's the best quarterback when the system is clear and concise. I think Josh McDaniels and the Raiders are a great fit for this. Stroud can come in and learn the system while Jimmy Garoppolo runs the show. Will Levis -> Titans The last quarterback in the first round for me falls to 11 with the Titans. Tennessee has made it known they are ready to move on from veteran Ryan Tannehill. They also didn't like what they saw in their third round selection last season, Malik Willis. Here, I think they take another swing on a rookie with Levis. The Kentucky signal caller has been linked to the second pick, but in reality, I think he falls to around the 11-15 range. Jordan Addison -> Packers, Darnell Wright -> Jets With a trade this big, both teams will have a microscope on them. The Packers selecting a receiver here would be very funny given the fact that they never drafted a receiver while Rodgers was on the Packers. Addison to Green Bay seems like a natural fit to me and I think he can set up Love for success in his first year as a starter. He's also a good compliment to speedy second-year receiver Christian Watson. Meanwhile, the Jets go after a pass protector in Darnell Wright. The people seem to be split on Wright, but I can see him going at the end of the top half here as the Jets have questions about Mekhi Becton at left tackle. Bijan Robinson -> Buccaneers, Jahmyr Gibbs -> Chiefs The only two running backs in the first round find two very different homes. I truly don't know where Robinson will go. It's a very hard projection because his talent is off the charts, but the positional value isn't there. Tampa Bay enters the equation here because they need to find a new identity after Tom Brady retired. An offense that passed the ball relentlessly the past couple of years could take a different approach and build their attack behind Robinson. The quarterback will need help and the best way to take pressure off of him is using the running back as a catalyst. They have a ton of holes, but Robinson is a boost to their offense, no doubt. If Gibbs makes it out of the first round, it won't be long until he's drafted. i don't see him leaving the first round. The Chiefs have maneuvered around a subpar running back for a couple of seasons, but the potential to grab a pass-catching back here is too tempting for the Chiefs to pass up. Myles Murphy -> Seahawks The Clemson defensive end was a highly rated guy heading into the draft process, but a lack of hype has him slipping to 20th to the Seahawks. After getting Jalen Carter at five, adding Murphy revamps the defensive line for Seattle. The Seahawks haven't had a threatening defense since the Legion of Boom broke up. Along with their draft last year, this defense has a chance to be great at all three levels and young. Zay Flowers -> Chargers This is my favorite fit and situation for Flowers as he heads to Los Angeles to pair with Justin Herbert. Mike Williams is great, but doesn't have lightning speed and Keenan Allen isn't getting any younger. A real weapon and playmaker could be the boost the Chargers need on offense. Flowers is my favorite receiver and it wouldn't shock me if he was selected earlier than 21. Emmanuel Forbes -> Bills, Brian Branch -> Bengals In the AFC its vital to have a strong secondary. Both of these contenders address that area by trying to find some late first round talent. The Bills have felt off on defense for a couple years now under head coach Sean McDermott. Forbes slots in and provides a unique level of awareness for finding the football. He totaled 14 interceptions in college and scored on six of those plays. It's rare that a player at the best of position falls this far in the draft, but here's where I have Brian Branch getting selected. The Bengals lost their two starting safeties and need another guy in the back end. They drafted Daxton Hill last year, but Branch provides another playmaker for Cincy. Tight end is a popular pick for the Bengals here, but I think moving to the defensive side of the ball in the first round could be extremely beneficial. The NFL Draft is one of my favorite events of the sports calendar and I'm looking forward to seeing where these young players are drafted to. Good luck to everyone's team!
1 Comment
BK Style
4/26/2023 05:49:44 pm
Hey LKSPORTS.... can’t wait to see if your picks go the way you have them..... great article!!!!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Lucas KochevarI love sports and I'm a local fan of the Falcons, Hawks, and Braves. You can find my quick thoughts and more on my twitter @lucaswkochevar |