NFL draft could set record in first round
The NFL draft will be offensive.
We’re not talking about hurt feelings. This draft has the potential to set a record for most offensive players selected in the first round.
No draft has seen more than 19 players on offence chosen in the first round. That happened three times, most recently in 2009.
Many draft experts are predicting more than 20 offensive players will go in the first round and some have up to 25.
The AP’s final mock draft had 22 going in the first round, including 10 offensive linemen, six wide receivers, five quarterbacks and one tight end.
Quarterbacks get the most attention, of course. Caleb Williams is ticketed for the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 pick. Beyond him, there are plenty of questions. The Washington Commanders need a franchise QB and will choose from Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, and Drake Maye at No. 2. J.J. McCarthy’s stock has soared since leading Michigan to a national championship and he could end up in the top five, with some analysts even putting him ahead of Daniels and Maye.
Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix are in the second tier, but could end up drafted in the latter part of the opening round.
Las Vegas own the 13th pick, so they’d have to move up to secure one of the top four guys. They enter the draft with veteran Gardner Minshew and second-year pro Aidan O’Connell and could stay put to take the best player available and still end up with Penix or Nix later.
Wide receivers are a hot commodity with Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze not only considered among the top five potential picks but the best players in the entire draft. “I think you could make a case the three highest-graded players in this draft are the three receivers,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said.
Brian Thomas Jr., Adonai Mitchell and Troy Franklin round out the six wideouts in the AP’s mock first round. Other potential first-round picks include Ladd McConkey and Xavier Legette. It’s such a deep class of receivers that teams could wait to snag an eventual starter on Day 2 or even Day 3.
Protecting the quarterback is critical to a team’s success, so there’s always an emphasis on offensive linemen, especially tackles.
Joe Alt is the consensus top lineman and is expected to be a top-10 pick. J.C. Latham, Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Taliese Fuaga and Troy Fautanu could go in the top 20. Amarius Mims, Graham Barton, Tyler Guyton and Jordan Morgan are also in the mix. Jackson Powers Johnson is the top interior lineman in the draft.
For teams looking at defence, the draft has several talented edge rushers and cornerbacks. The AP’s mock draft has four players at each of those positions going in the first round, along with two interior defensive linemen. Edge rushers Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse and Chop Robinson, cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell, Terrion Arnold, Nate Wiggins and Kool-Aid McKinstry, and defensive tackles Byron Murphy and Jer’Zhan Newton are among the best defensive players.