Since the last mock draft , the New England Patriots have added a first-round pick, Pro Bowl guard Richie Incognito retired and there are still shifting thoughts and deceptive dances across the rest of the NFL landscape.
So here is a look at how I think the first round of the draft will play out April 26.
And it’s an ideal scenario for both of Ohio’s teams.
1. Cleveland Browns
Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
The Browns know who they are taking. Everyone else is just playing “eeny, meeny, miny, mo.”
2. New York Giants
Sam Darnold, QB, USC
If they’re willing to trade Odell Beckham Jr., they’re obviously focused more on the future than this year, which means finding Eli Manning’s replacement is a bigger priority than a 2018 impact player.
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3. New York Jets
Josh Rosen, QB UCLA
Like the Giants, the Jets have veterans in place – Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater – but they’re not good enough to warrant passing on someone with far more upside.
4. Cleveland Browns
Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
The Browns get their quarterback AND arguably the best player in the draft. There won’t be much sadness in the factory on April 26.
5. Denver Broncos
Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State
The best defensive player in the draft should give a lift to a Broncos unit that has slipped into the average range since winning Super Bowl 50.
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6. Indianapolis Colts
Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame
Hard to imagine the Colts would have traded back if they weren’t confident in Andrew Luck’s recovery. Now they need to find him some more protection.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Derwin James, S, Florida State
Tampa Bay needs an upgrade in the secondary. Lucky for them they get to choose the best safety in the draft or best corner (Ohio State’s Denzel Ward).
8. Chicago Bears
Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
The next great linebacker for the Bears on the midway is more of a freak than a monster, and he’s still only 19 years old.
9. San Francisco 49ers
Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama
Can’t remember the last time two safeties came off the board before a cornerback, but 49ers general manager and Hall of Famer John Lynch is a former safety who knows what kind of impact Fitzpatrick can have.
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10. Oakland Raiders
Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
Linebacker is a huge need for the Raiders, and Smith is a huge talent who should excel under former Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther.
11. Miami Dolphins
Vita Vea, DT, Washington
There couldn’t be a more perfect fit to offset the departure of Ndamukong Suh.
12. Buffalo Bills
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
There’s going to be one entertaining quarterback competition in camp between Mayfield and former Bengals backup AJ McCarron.
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13. Washington Redskins
Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
The Redskins ranked last in the league in run defense last year.
14. Green Bay Packers
Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
Cornerback is the biggest need the Packers have, and they’ll be thrilled if the top prospect falls all the way to them at 14.
15. Arizona Cardinals
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
The Cardinals have a situation similar to the Jets with a pair of experienced quarterbacks on the roster (Sam Bradford, Mike Glennon) but neither looks like a long-term option.
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16. Baltimore Ravens
Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
The never-ending search for a No. 1 receiver continues in Baltimore.
17. Los Angeles Chargers
Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
Adding an athletic linebacker to two elite pass rushers in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram is just what the San Diego defense needs.
18. Seattle Seahawks
Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa
After trading away their second- and third-round selections, don’t be surprised if the Seahawks trade back to get more picks. If they stay put, Jackson seems like an obvious choice after the departure of Richard Sherman.
19. Dallas Cowboys
D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland
The Cowboys probably would have targeted a receiver even before parting ways with Dez Bryant. Now it seems like a lock.
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20. Detroit Lions
Marcus Davenport, DE, Texas-San Antonio
One great edge rusher is good, two are better, so even though the Lions already have Ziggy Ansah, adding Marcus Davenport makes sense.
21. Cincinnati Bengals
Mike McGlinchey, T, Notre Dame
McGlinchey would be a plug-and-play right tackle who could instantly upgrade the offensive line. The Bengals will be thrilled if he falls to them, but for every tackle to still be available at this point, don’t rule out the possibility of a small trade back if they have first-round grades on two or more tackles.
22. Buffalo Bills
Will Hernandez, G, UTEP
Richie Incognito’s surprise retirement and the team’s investment in quarterbacks McCarron and Mayfield make this a need-based pick.
23. New England Patriots
Kolton Miller, T, UCLA
Miller often is compared to former New England first-round tackle Nate Solder, who left for the New York Giants after seven seasons with the Patriots.
24. Carolina Panthers
James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State
Wide receiver is the biggest area of a need for the Panthers.
25. Tennessee Titans
Harold Landry, DE, Boston College
Tennessee’s top two edge rushers, Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo, are heading into the final year of their contracts.
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26. Atlanta Falcons
Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia
An upgrade at right guard is one of the biggest priorities for the Falcons, who surprisingly have drafted just one UGA defensive player since 1994.
27. New Orleans Saints
Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina
If one of the above quarterbacks somehow fall to the Saints, they won’t hesitate to grab Drew Bress’ replacement, but that doesn’t realistic, so upgrading at tight end is the next priority.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers
Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
The playoff loss to Jacksonville exposed how weak the Steelers were at linebacker after losing Ryan Shazier.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
The Jaguars beefed up their offensive line by adding Cincinnati native Andrew Norwell in free agency, so adding another playermaker for quarterback Blake Bortles should be the next order of business.
30. Minnesota Vikings
Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State
Mike Zimmer can never have enough defensive linemen.
31. New England Patriots
Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
Whether its via retirement or release, it sounds like Rob Gronkowski might not be with the Patriots for long.
32. Philadelphia Eagles
Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
The Eagles have proven they can win with a “running back by committee” approach, so there’s no hurry for Guice to come in an establish himself as an every-down back.
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