Brady a Buc? Gronk traded there too? Rivers flow through Indy now. There’s a Hurley Gurley Man in the ATL. And no one seems to understand what the Texans are doing y’all.
Sooo, with that bein’ said, I have decided to take it upon myself to guide you through thoughts and predictions of Round 1 of the NFL Draft. With a focuses of course on Southern NFL teams and Southern players.
It’s called a “mock draft” for a reason. ‘Cause y’all probably gonna mock me after the fact. And that’s ok. We are all sharing the same armchair right now. But, I bet I get closer than Kiper.
This would be a great time for me to go into a rant of the ridiculousness of how this draft is being held. How the NFL Commissioner continues to fumble his way through his job at every turn. But, y’all I am not gonna do that..at least not today.
So, without further adieu, hold my beer while I guess at this.
Things I Know are Right
Here are all your options to catch the draft on TV or via live stream:
Thursday: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio – Draft starts at 7:00 p.m. CST
Friday: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio- Draft Starts at 6:00 p.m. CST
Saturday: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio Draft Starts at 11:00 a.m.
Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
You can also catch live coverage on CBS Sports HQ and CBSSports.com, where we’ll accompany our draft trackers with grades on each and every pick as they’re made.
Live coverage: CBS Sports HQ
Radio coverage: SiriusXM, Westwood One, ESPN Radio
Thursday, April 23: Round 1
Friday, April 24: Rounds 2-3
Saturday, April 25: Rounds 4-7
Ok, those are the facts. Now let’s do some guestimating and predictions:
Southern College Players to Watch Round 1:
Barring an absolute miscalculation by almost every dang “expert” LSU’s Joe Burrows will remain a Bengal..just in Cincy as the overall #1 pick. After that, expect Southern college players to dominate. 6-7 of the first 10 picks could possibly be SEC players. Again, Alabama and Georgia look to lead the way with first round picks.
Gimme Pick: Joe Burrows, LSU #1 Overall Cincinatti
Surprise Pick: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama, #4 to New York Giants
NFL Teams in The South Capsules
Atlanta Falcons– NFC South- The Falcons added RB Todd Gurley and shored up their Defense with Dante Fowler. They have the #11 pick in the first round. I have LSU LB K’lavon Chaisson going to the Falcons.
Miami Dolphins – AFC East- #5, 18, 26 pick overall. Offensive Line is a weakness for the Dolphins. No reason to reach for a QB if you can’t block for him. Georgia’s OL Jedrick Wills fits the bill at #5. At #18, QB Herbert could be available. But, see below for why I don’t think he or Tua will be. So, here you fill the need with the best RB in the draft in Georgia’s Deandre Swift. At the #26 spot, the Dolphins finally draft a QB: Utah State’s Jordan Love.
Carolina Panthers– NFC South- #7 pick overall. Teddy Bridgewater becomes the new QB with plenty of talent on offense. The question is defense. Especially, the secondary. Enter the Buckeyes CB 6’1″ Jeff Okudah.
Jacksonville Jaguars – AFC South- #9 and #20 overall- Many think QB here. I am not so sure . If the Jags trade Fournette before the draft, then they will not go QB. And, even if they do not, they have a more glaring need at CB with the loss of Ramsey. So, here I go with another tall corner, Georgia’s C.J. Ramsey. At #20 , I will go LSU LB Patrick Queen.
Tampa Bay– NFC South- # 14 overall- The most talked about offseason team. Now with Gronk in the fold, expect them to use OJ Howard for some trade bait. However, here, I got OL Andrew Thomas , another Georgia Bulldog.
Dallas Cowboys– NFC East- #17 overall – Dak’s last stand? – They need an edge rusher, so they could trade down here. However, it will be hard to pass up South Carolina’s DL Javon Kinlaw.
New Orleans Saints– NFC South – #24 Overall- This seemed one of the easier ones as far as positional players. Saints need big help at LB, and Zach Baum out of Wisconsin is who I have here.
Tennessee Titans– AFC South- #29 Overall- My gut feeling on my Titans is that they will trade down out of this pick, but, if there is no one willing to move up they will go CB Trevon Diggs here.
Kansas City Chiefs– AFC West- #32 Overall- With the last pick of the first round, I have the KC Chiefs taking TCU CB Jeff Gladney.
Scenarios With Only Rumors and Conjecture To Back Them:
The following scenarios are for entertainment purposes only and are only to be used for fantastical whims of making the draft more exciting:
OJ Howard and Tampa’s #45 2nd round pick are traded to the Tennessee Titans for their #29 pick. Titans find Walker’s replacement. While Jonnu showed flashes, OJ is more consistent. Bucs take another OL or RB at #29. Titans still can address CB spot at #45 with such a deep CB pool
Bill Belichek trades his first round pick and next year’s second round and a late round either this year or next for the Brown’s #10 overall to take Oregon QB Herbert .
Tua looks good in Charger’s new unis.
