With draft night roughly 24 hours away, Stephen Newman and Robby Fletcher have each unveiled their second mock drafts of the season. It’s taken a lot of time and effort — including ranking our top 10 quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, as well as additional film study on players at other positions — but we think we’re as prepared as ever for the big night.
While we’ve reached a near-consensus within the top 10 selections, we still have some differences in opinion — some minor and some significant — later in the round.
Our Selections
1. Cincinnati Bengals
Newman: QB Joe Burrow (LSU)
Fletcher: QB Joe Burrow (LSU)
2. Washington Redskins
Newman: EDGE Chase Young (Ohio State)
Fletcher: EDGE Chase Young (Ohio State)
3. Detroit Lions
Newman: CB Jeffrey Okudah (Ohio State)
Fletcher: CB Jeffrey Okudah (Ohio State)
4. New York Giants
Newman: OL Tristan Wirfs (Iowa)
Fletcher: OL Tristan Wirfs (Iowa)
5. Miami Dolphins
Newman: QB Justin Herbert (Oregon)
Fletcher: QB Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)
6. Los Angeles Chargers
Newman: QB Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)
Fletcher: QB Justin Herbert (Oregon)
7. Carolina Panthers
Newman: DT Derrick Brown (Auburn)
Fletcher: LB/S Isaiah Simmons (Clemson)
8. Arizona Cardinals
Newman: OT Jedrick Wills Jr. (Alabama)
Fletcher: OT Jedrick Wills Jr. (Alabama)
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
Newman: LB/S Isaiah Simmons (Clemson)
Fletcher: DT Derrick Brown (Auburn)
10. Cleveland Browns
Newman: OT Andrew Thomas (Georgia)
Fletcher: OT Andrew Thomas (Georgia)
11. New York Jets
Newman: WR CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma)
Fletcher: OT Mekhi Becton (Louisville)
12. Las Vegas Raiders
Newman: WR Jerry Jeudy (Alabama)
Fletcher: WR CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma)
13. San Francisco 49ers
Newman: WR Henry Ruggs III (Alabama)
Fletcher: WR Jerry Jeudy (Alabama)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Newman: OT Mekhi Becton (Louisville)
Fletcher: DT Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina)
15. Denver Broncos
Newman: CB CJ Henderson (Florida)
Fletcher: WR Henry Ruggs III (Alabama)
16. Atlanta Falcons
Newman: DT Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina)
Fletcher: CB CJ Henderson (Florida)
17. Dallas Cowboys
Newman: EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson (LSU)
Fletcher: S Xavier McKinney (Alabama)
18. Miami Dolphins
Newman: OT Joshua Jones (Houston)
Fletcher: OT Joshua Jones (Houston)
19. Las Vegas Raiders
Newman: CB A.J. Terrell (Clemson)
Fletcher: CB Kristian Fulton (LSU)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars
Newman: DE A.J. Epenesa (Iowa)
Fletcher: RB Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin)
21. Philadelphia Eagles
Newman: WR Justin Jefferson (LSU)
Fletcher: WR Justin Jefferson (LSU)
22. Minnesota Vikings
Newman: WR Jalen Reagor (TCU)
Fletcher: CB Trevon Diggs (Alabama)
23. New England Patriots
Newman: LB Kenneth Murray (Oklahoma)
Fletcher: LB Patrick Queen (LSU)
24. New Orleans Saints
Newman: LB Patrick Queen (LSU)
Fletcher: EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson (LSU)
25. Minnesota Vikings
Newman: CB Kristian Fulton (LSU)
Fletcher: WR Denzel Mims (Baylor)
26. Miami Dolphins
Newman: RB D’Andre Swift (Georgia)
Fletcher: RB D’Andre Swift (Georgia)
27. Seattle Seahawks
Newman: EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos (Penn State)
Fletcher: LB Zack Baun (Wisconsin)
28. Baltimore Ravens
Newman: LB Zack Baun (Wisconsin)
Fletcher: EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos (Penn State)
29. Tennessee Titans
Newman: DT Ross Blacklock (TCU)
Fletcher: CB A.J. Terrell (Clemson)
30. Green Bay Packers
Newman: WR Denzel Mims (Baylor)
Fletcher: WR Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State)
31. San Francisco 49ers
Newman: CB Trevon Diggs (Alabama)
Fletcher: DT Ross Blacklock (TCU)
32. Kansas City Chiefs
Newman: CB Jeff Gladney (TCU)
Fletcher: LB Kenneth Murray (Oklahoma)
Where We Differ
Unlike our initial mock drafts, we have reached a consensus on both the rankings at offensive tackle and how many will be selected in the first round. We also agree for the most part at quarterback, defensive line, linebacker, and cornerback — although we have some of our top players going to different teams.
Top 10
The most eye-catching disagreements in this round of mocks are likely the second quarterback off the board and the first front-seven defender. We agree on which teams take the two competing players for each of those distinctions, but have flipped the order. Newman has Justin Herbert at No. 5, Tua Tagovailoa at No. 6, Derrick Brown at No. 7, and Isaiah Simmons at No. 9. Fletcher flips Tua and Herbert, as well as Simmons and Brown.
Cornerback
Newman — reluctantly — lists A.J. Terrell as his third cornerback of the board (No. 19) while Fletcher has Kristian Fulton in that slot, with Trevon Diggs (No. 22) also ahead of Terrell (No. 29). Newman has Fulton at No. 25 and Diggs at No. 31 based on reported interest by the teams involved, although he favors both over Terrell. Newman also sneaks Jeff Gladney into the last selection of the round.
Running Back
Unsurprisingly, we still disagree on who the top running back in this class is, although Fletcher has decided to move D’Andre Swift into the first round — No. 26, the same selection Newman has him at — for the first time.
Wide Receiver
Wide receivers late in the round have also become a point of contention. Newman places Jalen Reagor at No. 22 and Denzel Mims at No. 30, but Fletcher opts for Mims at No. 25 and Brandon Aiyuk at No. 30. This is partially due to how we think the players fit on specific teams, but it’s also safe to say we don’t entirely agree on how each of them project going forward.
The Biggest Disagreements
There are a few players that each of us include in the first round that the other person did not. In addition to Reagor and Gladney, Newman places A.J. Epenesa at No. 20. Fletcher, on the other hand, lists Xavier McKinney at No. 17 and Jonathan Taylor at No. 20, in addition to Aiyuk.
All things considered, we only have four significant differences of opinion — McKinney, Epenesa, Taylor, and Reagor — and even those are all in the second half of the round.
Closing Remarks
We hope you’ve all enjoyed our draft coverage up to this point, and hopefully we’ve helped spark some thoughts and excitement surrounding the event. And who knows? Maybe we’ve even inspired some of you to make your own mock drafts.
As a reminder, the NFL Draft is slated to begin on Thursday, April 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET, resume on Friday at 7 p.m. ET, and return on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET. It will undoubtedly be a much different experience than we’re all used to, but it shouldn’t be any less thrilling.
Make sure to follow along with us on Twitter during the draft, as well. Newman has already published his initial predictions for the second round, but those are subject to change based on what happens in the first 32 picks. Fletcher has also committed to posting second-round predictions on Twitter at the conclusion of Day 1.
