After four months and another exhilarating NFL season, the playable football calendar has come to a finish and it’s time head head into everyone’s favorite part of the year, draft season.

So to start the draft season off right, your friends over here at The Draft Blitz decided to do something interesting, I decided to take all of my morals and beliefs of positional value and put them aside for once.

This mock draft is meant to land players in spots where it would be fun to watch them play based on how said team is constructed heading into free agency and the start of the new league year.

So there’s your disclaimer, there will be players that go in spots that probably won’t happen come draft day, but then again that’s every mock draft.

Anyways buckle up, enjoy the ride, and if you have any complaints please direct them to @ThePhillyBlitz_

1. Chicago Bears

Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Ohio State

Should they select a quarterback here? Probably. Should they trade the pick? Ideally. But in this instance, adding a prospect that I would bet my entire life savings on in terms of him finishing as the number one overall prospect on my board certainly won’t hurt.

An easy addition that would put the Bears in the conversation with the league’s elite in terms of talent at skill positions.

2. Washington Commanders

Caleb Williams, QB, USC

It’s almost like it was written. The hometown kid returns to the city to play for the team that just hired his former QB coach as the offensive coordinator. The Commanders finally get their guy, starting off the Dan Quinn era with a bang.

3. New England Patriots

Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

Fine time to need a quarterback if you’re Jerod Mayo and his newly assembled Patriots staff. Drake Maye steps in and is ready to make an impact from day one in the newly hired OC Alex Van Pelt’s offense.

A seeming match made in heaven: A coach who has previously worked heavily with quarterbacks and comes with a scheme that emphasizes the usage of the play action partnered with a quarterback who is a prolific passer whose mobility allows him to extend plays.

4. Arizona Cardinals

Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA

It would probably be wise to get Kyler some help here, but this is a DEEP receiver class. If Arizona is going to commit to making Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis work they are going to need to add talent on defense and that starts with getting pressure on the quarterback.

Latu is a guy who can do just that from both an inside or outside alignment. In fact, it’s possible that Latu just may be the best pass rusher in the entire class.

5. Los Angeles Chargers

Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State

I know it’s popular to select a receiver here for the Chargers and rightfully so with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen having massive cap hits heading into the start of the new league year. But let’s take a second to think. This is Jim Harbaugh and he hired Greg Roman to be his offensive coordinator (again) do we really think this team is worried about throwing the ball?

The Chargers continue to refine the offensive line after adding Zion Johnson to play next to Rashawn Slater last season, this year they come back and solidify the other tackle (or maybe guard) position with an absolute mauler in Fuaga.

6. New York Giants

Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

Ultimately the Giants just need difference-makers at the skill positions. We’re not sure how the Saquon Barkley thing turns out but he’s been the team’s most impactful playmaker at all three levels of the field over the last few seasons.

Speaking of multi-dimensional threats the Giants landing Rome Odunze would be a heaven-sent. It’s typically hard to find guys at his size that move this well and run routes at the level this young man does. He is not really the most explosive but he does all the nuanced things very well. Odunze would not only bring consistency but also the missing element in Brian Daboll’s offensive structure.

7. Tennessee Titans

Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

Brian Callahan is quietly doing a phenomenal job of building one of the league’s better coaching staffs. Arguably the most important addition to this unit? His father Bill Callahan, who is widely regarded as one of the premier offensive line coaches across the league. So why not give him a second-generation first-round offensive lineman and arguably the best offensive tackle in the class to work with as he refines this blank canvas?

8. Atlanta Falcons

Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

I’ve spoken in volume over the last two seasons about the Falcons and what I like to refer to as ‘The Holy Trinity’. Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Bijan Robinson; all of these unicorn-type players. So why not add another unicorn type of player in the reigning Heisman Trophy winner?

Daniels excels in the quick game and in the RPO areas, while there are strides to make as a MOF passer, the element of elite mobility makes him a handful for defenses to handle. This should be especially true sharing a backfield with Bijan Robinson. With this selection, the Falcons offense has the chance to be electrifying.

9. Chicago Bears

Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State

The Bears are back for the second time in eight picks. This time they attack the defensive side of the ball. It’s no secret the Bears struggled to get after the passer early this season but following the addition of Montez Sweat at the trade deadline their fortunes began to change somewhat.

With Yannick Ngakoue scheduled to head into free agency, the Bears could use some more help along the edge. Adding an already proficient pass rusher like Jared Verse to pair with Sweat gives the Bears a pair of havoc wreckers on the outside. This is a headache for opposing teams given Chicago already had the best rushing defense in the league.

10. New York Jets

Olu Fashonu, OT, Penn State

The first priority of business for the New York Jets has to be keeping Aaron Rodgers upright. The Mekhi Becton experiment hasn’t turned out the way they’d like and they are now presented with an opportunity to right their wrongs so we shall say.

That starts with the 6-foot-8, 325-pound mammoth of a man in Olu Fashonu. The Jets love to find ways to get the ball to Breece Hall in space, imagine how that would look with Fashonu paving the way.

11. Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

This is perhaps my favorite of all the selections up to this point. The conversation surrounding J.J. McCarthy has been an interesting one to say the least. Yet despite how you (or I?) may feel about the two-year signal caller from Ann Arbor, there are two things we can’t deny.

The first being, this kid is just a winner. The second according to NFL Network’s Lance Zeirlein, NFL evaluators have described McCarthy’s processing as ‘elite’. I don’t believe this young man is a finished product by any means but I can see him having a ‘Brock Purdy-esque’ impact operating within the parameters of Kevin O’Connell’s scheme.

12. Denver Broncos

Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

I think it’s safe to assume the Russell Wilson-Sean Payton thing didn’t work for many reasons. So once again the Broncos are in the hunt for a quarterback. Insert the man with the most starts in college football history.

This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a quarterback who had to overcome adversity, that is viewed to have some ‘shortcomings’ at the position fall into the hands of Payton for perfection. While this may be a bit more work, Payton is more than enough of a competent playcaller to take advantage of the skill set; quick game, vertical passing, RPOs — that Nix has to work with.

13. Las Vegas Raiders

Jer’Zhan Newton, IDL, Illinois

To be quite frank, newly hired HC Antonio Pierce said it best; “To be honest with you, not everybody is a Raider player — Case in point there’s what, about 500 guys getting ready for this draft? Well, I promise you there’s only about five of them that are really Raiders, guys that we really want. The real ones, the Raider dudes, they got mental toughness.”

Well, Raiders fans I introduce to you a young man whose motor runs hotter than 3p.m. in Arizona. Newton is a seamless pairing along the interior next to Max Crosby and second-year pro Tyree Wilson. In a division where you’re chasing Mahomes, Herbert, and now Bo Nix??? — you have to be able to create pressure from everywhere.

14. New Orleans Saints

Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama

There’s a lot to be excited about with Dallas Turner. This young man comes with a tremendous amount of upside; his natural athletic ability allows him to wreak havoc along the edge but his repertoire isn’t as advanced as his athleticism.

Allowing him the opportunity to learn from a guy like Cam Jordan would work wonders for his continued development as a pass rusher. The Saints have been swinging and missing at guys to fill this role before could Turner be the problem solver?

15. Indianapolis Colts

Bryon Murphy II, IDL, Texas

The Indianapolis Colts are in search of a running mate to partner with DeForest Buckner along the interior of the DL. Standout, Grover Stewart is expected to make top dollar in free agency and this draft class has just the man to help sure up that spot.

As a run stopper, Murphy has the explosiveness to win the POA resulting in disruptive activity in the backfield, and as a pass rusher, Murphy does a phenomenal job staying active and should fit in seamlessly on a Colts DL that was the only team that had four players with seven or more sacks.

16. Seattle Seahawks

Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington

The Geno Smith ‘I Didn’t Write Back’ Tour has been pretty admirable up to this point; but with all of his ‘believers’ now out of the building and him only having one season remaining on his contract, it’s fair to assume the new regime may want to look towards the future.

A future that includes former Washington (and Alabama, I guess) offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who accepted a job in the same role with the Seahawks. Obviously, that’s important because Grubb and Michael Penix Jr have clearly created a great relationship both on and off the field over the past two seasons they’ve spent together.

Penix has worked within the parameters of the Kalen DeBoer scheme for each of his college seasons both at Indiana and Washington; Grubb had been the offensive coordinator for DeBoer at every HC stop he’s had except Indiana. Strength in familiarity.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars

Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon

The Jaguars took a swing at Calvin Ridley hoping he would be the team’s answer at the wide receiver position to pair with Christian Kirk and Evan Engram. At this point, it is unclear if both sides would pursue a reunion but what is clear is Jacksonville’s need to give Trevor Lawrence a reliable top target. The 6-foot-3 receiver thrives attacking defenses vertically in Franklin could be just what the doctor ordered in DuVal for the Jaguars offense.

18. Cincinnati Bengals

Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

The Bengals have a pass-catching conundrum on their hands — both Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins are currently scheduled to head into free agency. JaMarr Chase has let his feelings be known in terms of his aspirations for a wealthy (and long-term) contract. To make matters worse every single tight end on the roster is also scheduled to hit free agency. Simply put, Joe Burrow needs pass catchers and how lucky would he be to have what many consider to be the most accomplished tight end in college football history to fall right in his lap.

19. Los Angeles Rams

Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

The Rams have been blessed to garner high-level production from multiple young players at all three levels on the defense. Byron Young and Kobie Turner are presumed building blocks along the front seven, and now the Rams turn their attention to solidifying their secondary. This happens with perhaps the best cornerback in the entire class, Wiggins, a lengthy and instinctive player would give the team their best player at the position since the days of Jalen Ramsey.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

The Steelers continue to refine an offensive line group that was inconsistent at best this past season. Last year, the team took athletic tackle Broderick Jones from Georgia and moved him over to the right side. In this instance, he makes the transition back to the left side to make way for the newly acquired Tyler Guyton, an athletic freak in his own right. This gives the Steelers two bookend tackles and solidifies the certified protectors of the quarterback.

21. Miami Dolphins

Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon

This is what I like to call a match made in heaven. It’s no secret that the Dolphins have some questions along the interior OL with Robert Hunt and Conor Williams headed into free agency; the latter coming off an ACL tear. Christmas comes right on time for Chris Grier as he lands the ‘perfect’ prospect to help lead this Miami OL. Powers-Johnson has the size, moves well enough, and has the IQ to thrive under Mike McDaniel in this scheme.

22. Philadelphia Eagles

Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

This selection was personal. Besides the fact that James Bradberry regressed beyond reasonable belief — when you watched both of the Eagles recent Super Bowl runs, there was a swagger that the defense carried itself with.

A swagger that was noticeably absent as we watched the Eagles defense this past season. With this selection, we’ll insert a young man who would not only inject a level of intensity into this defense, but could very well end up being the best cornerback in this entire class when it’s all said and done. Arnold is an elite-level athlete and is desperate to make an impact on the game in any way he can. Philly lands a heir apparent to Slay and a certified dawg to help lead into the next great defensive era.

23. Houston Texans

Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

Speaking of certified dawgs, how could I truly miss the opportunity to pair Derek Stingley Jr alongside Quinyon Mitchell as DeMeco Ryans continues to build a monster on defense in Houston. The Texans addressed offense in a big way last year with Tank Dell and C.J. Stroud, now they continue to refine the marriage between pass rush and coverage. The confident and instinctual cornerback has quickly risen to prominence, allowing under 300 yards receiving in each of the last two seasons.

24. Dallas Cowboys

Kamren Kitchens, S, Miami

Chefs kiss is this selection. The Mike Zimmer hire for Dallas means there will be A LOT of simulated pressures and Double-A Gap looks — meaning we’ll see a lot of safety and nickel up close near the LOS and when they aren’t pressuring they’ll have more than their fair share of duties in coverage. Well for Kamren Kitchens, Zimmer will be able to utilize him in a multitude of ways; when I first considered this selection I thought about what a look of Bland/Diggs on the outside and Kitchens in the nickel would look like especially with Jourdan Lewis headed to free agency. However, Jayron Kearse is also expected to hit the market so having an interchangeable player helps, something Kitchens did often at Miami.

25. Green Bay Packers

Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota

The Green Bay Packers currently have (*checks notes*) no one slated to play safety. With Johnathan Owens and Darnell Savage scheduled to hit free agency, I expect GM Brian Gutekunst to make it his business to upgrade the safety position.

“Yeah, initially pretty solid at safety as far as the draft class goes, and then the free-agency class as well. But I think again a little bit of that will be determined as we sit down with Jeff and get his vision for what we’re going to do on defense,” Gutekunst said when asked about his approach.

Nubin is a high-level prospect who while there isn’t an area where he does truly everything elite, he does everything exceptionally well. He isn’t the fastest or most explosive but is just a damn good football player who understands what he’s being asked.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State

The Bucs are expected to lose Mike Evans during free agency, and it’s no secret of the importance of the role he played in the re-emergence of Baker Mayfield. Well lose one physical specimen and insert another, in Florida State WR, Keon Coleman.

Now it’s true that Coleman is nowhere near the nuanced player Evans has displayed to be in his career, but it’s also fair to say Evans had a lot of the same criticisms Coleman has as they both entered the league. Lack of top-end speed, concern to consistently be able to create separation, thrives in contested catches situations, doesn’t portray the highest level of route tree. This is a road that Tampa has traveled before and in this instance, they try to repeat history.

27. Arizona Cardinals

Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa

There are a lot of teams Cooper DeJean would be a more than quality fit for, strictly because DeJean is as pure of a zone defender as they come. It doesn’t matter where you have him aligned or what you ask him to do, as long as he can keep his eyes on the QB and the game in front of him, he will always have a home in this league.

Now don’t get me wrong he’s comfortable with his head away from the QB because his technique and understanding of ‘his’ areas of the field are almost elite. The Cardinals are on a mission to sure up the defense.

28. Buffalo Bills

Brian Thomas Jr, WR, LSU

This wasn’t very hard; never mind whatever could be possibly going on with Stefon Diggs, it was hard not to watch the Bills and say they needed a number two receiver and someone who could CONSISTENTLY take the top off a defense. Notice the emphasis on the term consistently, if it wasn’t clear before it should be clear now that Gabe Davis is not the answer for that role in Buffalo. With Brian Thomas Jr, they’d have a player with a similar build and skillset but only this guy led the country in TD receptions this season at a rate of 17.3 yards per reception.

29. Detroit Lions

Ennis Rakestraw Jr, CB, Missouri

The Detroit Lions need secondary help. There were a multitude of cornerbacks the team trotted out into the gauntlet, with each one yielding the same result. They tried to switch things up some running more zone than what we’ve come accustomed to from an Aaron Glenn-coached unit. Well, we see Glenn get back to his roots with a feisty, ‘me against the world’ mentally kind of guy in Rakestraw Jr. The kind of player that’s meant for this city and would fit right into the culture Dan Campbell is building.

30. Baltimore Ravens

Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M

Rumor has it Patrick Queen is going to get paid a lot of money this off-season. Whether that be by the Ravens or some other team remains to be seen but it’s no understating the impact he and Roquan Smith had on the Baltimore defense this past season. Smith did a great job helping Queen come into his own, but when you have a team that drafts as well as the Ravens there aren’t many positions that are hard to replace.

It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Baltimore STEAL Edgerrin Cooper come draft day. He has the athletic profile you see the Ravens front office often look for, typical Ravens thinking.

31. San Francisco 49ers

Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry, CB, Alabama

McKinstry is such a smart, patient, and competitive player. There are flaws that should be able to be coached out of him and a place like San Francisco is a prime situation for him to fall into. He’s talented enough to serve in the nickel role in the meantime as Logan Ryan meets a potential departure, with an expectation that he becomes the top guy in that cornerback room by year three.

32. Kansas City Chiefs

Graham Barton, T/G, Duke

The Kansas City Chiefs are going to have to have a few conversations regarding the offensive line this off-season. Donovan Smith is a free agent, Joe Thuney is 31, coming off a fairly concerning injury, and very soon Creed Humphrey will reset the market at the center position. The Chiefs get ahead of any potential future OL concerns with Graham Barton, a versatile and experienced player with over 2,000 career snaps played at Duke. A player I like to call a Paul Bearer; his job isn’t finished until the defender is in the ground.

Cover Image Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images