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There’s nothing like draft day, when projections go out the window. This mock draft functions under the unlikely assumption there will be no more trades. Denver Post NFL reporter Cameron Wolfe analyzes each team’s needs and predicts the first round of the
The Denver Post’s Cameron Wolfe analyzes the NFL draft, which begins Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN, NFL). Here are his top five projections: 1. Rams — QB Jared Goff, California 2. Eagles — QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State 3. Chargers — CB Jalen Ramsey, Florida State 4. Cowboys — RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State 5. Jaguars — DE Joey Bosa, Ohio State
Pick. Team — Projected selection, position, college, description, team needs: 1. Rams — Jared Goff, QB, California. Los Angeles gets the home-state kid to be its franchise quarterback. The most recent first-round Cal quarterback — Aaron Rodgers — turned out to be pretty good. Top needs: QB, WR, S 2. Eagles — Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State. Philly has two potential starting quarterbacks on its roster, but the move to No. 2 shows it isn’t satisfied with mediocrity. Top needs: RB, OG, OT 3. Chargers — Jalen Ramsey, CB, Florida State. If San Diego stays at No. 3, it should get the best player (who is not a quarterback) on the board. Ramsey is a defense-changing player. Top needs: DE, S, OLB 4. Cowboys — Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State. This might be too high for a running back in the modern NFL, but the Cowboys have missed DeMarco Murray. Now, they get a better back to replace him. Top needs: CB, RB, DE 5. Jaguars — Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State. Add Bosa to former Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson and Jacksonville will have one of the AFC’s best defensive lines. Top needs: S, DL, OLB 6. Ravens — Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss. Baltimore fills its biggest need in protection of Joe Flacco and gets the best player available on the board. Top needs: OT, CB, OG 7. 49ers — DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon. Chip Kelly gets a former Duck, and the 49ers get a key cog in rebuilding their defense. Top needs: OT, QB, LB 8. Browns — Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame. Stanley is a replacement for Mitchell Schwartz at right tackle and an eventual replacement for Joe Thomas at left tackle. Top needs: QB, WR, LB 9. Buccaneers — Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida. Tampa Bay lands the best pure cover corner in this draft. If the Bucs strike gold, Hargreaves is the next Chris Harris. Top needs: CB, S, OT 10. Giants — Myles Jack, LB, UCLA. Best player on the board in terms of talent falls to No. 10 because of long-term knee-injury concerns. Top needs: LB, S, RB 11. Bears — Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson. Coach John Fox gets a pass rusher to play with as he tries to build a dominant defense in Chicago. Top needs: DE, OLB, OT 12. Saints — Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State. New Orleans is in need of a quick infusion of talent and speed for its porous defense. It would get both in Lee, who will be an immediate starter. Top needs: CB, LB, DL 13. Dolphins — Jack Conklin, OT, Michigan State. Conklin might be the best run-blocking offensive tackle in the draft and has a mean streak. Top needs: CB, OT, RB 14. Raiders — Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama. Oakland continues to build its defense with an anchor in the middle. Top needs: OT, CB, ILB 15. Titans — Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss. Tennessee misses out on one of the top three offensive tackles in the draft but lands another big receiving weapon for QB Marcus Mariota. Top needs: OT, CB, WR 16. Lions — William Jackson, CB, Houston. Tenacious cornerback with solid technique and good, man-to-man coverage skills needed to beat Rodgers and the Packers. Top needs: CB, OT, LB 17. Falcons — Leonard Floyd, LB, Georgia. Edge rusher stays home. Atlanta hopes Floyd lives up to his potential. Top needs: DE, LB, S 18. Colts — Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State. Andrew Luck isn’t going to survive in this league if he doesn’t get more help up front. Top needs: OT, OG, OLB 19. Bills — Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis. The Bills might not be sold on Tyrod Taylor for the long run. Lynch provides the future. Top needs: DL, OT, LB 20. Jets — Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State. This hard-to-evaluate quarterback lands in New York, where he’ll be asked to perform quickly. Top needs: OLB, QB, OT 21. Redskins — Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville. Value pick for Washington, which finally gets a pass-rushing defensive tackle. Top needs: C, DT, WR 22. Texans — Jarran Reed, DE, Alabama. Reed is a dominant run stuffer who allows J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney to rush the edge. Top needs: WR, DE, DT 23. Vikings — Josh Doctson, WR, TCU. Teddy Bridgewater gets a big weapon to improve Minnesota’s passing game. Top needs: WR, OT, CB 24. Bengals — Sterling Shepard, WR, Oklahoma. One of the most underrated receivers in the draft because of his size (5foot-10, 194 pounds), Shepard will be an immediate force out of the slot. Top needs: WR, DT, C 25. Steelers — Karl Joseph, S, West Virginia. Pittsburgh acquires in its best safety since Troy Polamalu, and this one has a similar, hard-hitting mentality. Top needs: CB, S, OLB 26. Seahawks — Robert Nkemdiche, DE, Ole Miss. It’s a gamble, but Seattle has made a routine of rolling the dice in the draft. If Nkemdiche bounces back from off-the-field and motor concerns, he could be the best player in this class. Top needs: OT, OG, DL 27. Packers — Noah Spence, OLB, Eastern Kentucky. An exciting talent who has dealt with off-the-field issues throughout college lands in a locker room that can support him. Top needs: ILB, OLB, OT 28. Chiefs — Kevin Dodd, DE/OLB, Clemson. The Chiefs land another edge rusher and an eventual replacement for Tamba Hali. Top needs: OLB, WR, QB 29. Cardinals — Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama. Arizona learned from its playoff loss against Carolina that its offensive line needs to get better. The Cardinals get an instant starter at center. Top needs: C, S, OLB 30. Panthers — Le’Raven Clark, OT, Texas Tech. Von Miller probably still shows up in some of the Carolina offensive linemen’s nightmares. The Panthers have to protect Cam Newton better. Top needs: T, CB, DE 31. Broncos — A’Shawn Robinson, DE, Alabama. The depth of this defensive line draft class allows Denver to have a top-15 talent fall into its lap. Top needs: QB, DE, ILB