Edit: These are great! Thanks to all contributors,past and future.
From a couple posts in today “Free talk Friday” post, I had an idea. It may be fun...
Following the format from this comment from u/elliewinks30, what are your thoughts?
*Law of Rare Items* - rare items will inevitably appear on the board with 2 seconds left and no hope of collecting before the round ends *Corollary* - itemt drops fine, but then stops on the second to the bottom row and then there are no more matches right there for the rest of the game and so it remains uncollectable. *Law of Rare items addendum* - should also include 2x items in events. Seems like I can play the last 25 seconds of a game with nary an item in sight, then boom, a 2x item with 2 seconds to go. *Another corollary to the law of rare items* - After a long and arduous effort to get the last of a rare item, within seconds of collecting it one or two more will pop up on the screen. Doubly so if you're not using a lucky emoji.
*Law of common items* - when you only need one more common item you will receive 50 of the ones you have completed first
*Law of Bonus time* - when finishing up bonus time after the round ends, the power ups remaining on the board will automatically swipe in the opposite direction of where you need them to.
*Law of Creating Stars* - Just as you trigger an emoji's power that removes emojis from the board, you notice where you could have made a star. You get to watch as the emoji's power blasts off the emojis, thus removing the possibility of a star.
*Law of Rainbow Falls* - Getting a Level 5 score at Level 1 and a Level 1 score at Level 5.
*Law of ‘Just one more game’* - When you can barely keep your eyes open any more, and suddenly win a 5 lives prize.
*Law of Missions* - Only after clearly the Daily Challenges or spinning the Prize Wheel will missions appear requiring these
*Law of “that one character”* - regardless of the type of mission, rest assured when the rng comes up it will be your worse emoji for that type of thing and all in one game to boot exaggerated example “score 70 million in one game with level one Jack Sparrow” or “use 9 stars+suns in one game with Mickey Mouse”
*Law of the Prize Wheel* - You will spin the wheel four times. Of those four times, you will land on 300 coins three.
*Law of star combinations* - When you need to make a staother, you will get 4 stars on the board, and you will not be able to get an item or other power-up next to said star, without destroying said star from maneuvering the board to get them next to each other in the first place.
*Law of unforeseeable cascades* - if you need an item/star, you will get 4 stars on the board. You will carefully make swaps so that if an item falls, it will be in the same column as one of your star. You will make a swap which sets off a cascade from new emoji drops, and an item will fall at least a column away from all four stars.
*Law of Item Sandwiches* - When you need a stastar combo, an item will inevitable sandwich itself between them.
*Law of Balloons* - you will never, ever remember to pop balloons on the screen the first time that mission comes up. You're lucky if you remember the 10th.
*Law of “House always wins”* - Las Vegas style slot machine. Where the odds are so greatly locked against you.
*Law of Spectacular Repeat* - every time you do something spectacular out of pure luck that you have no chance of repeating in this lifetime, the same feat will spawn as a mission immediately after.
*Law of multi-map events* - you struggle to get items or clears all the way up to the last box when you finally need only 2 to end the map. And you get 17.
*Laws of arbitrary color emoji* - Example: Score 10000000 with a yellow emoji. Okay, I just happened to use Gonzo for another mission and he counted, but I use King Candy, who has significantly MORE yellow and he doesn't count?
*Law of Missions* - You will instantly forget which mission you are trying to clear as soon as you hit play. Was it horizontal or vertical swaps? What were the combo items? Was it blitz mode or regular? Who knows??
*Second Law of Missions, corollary to law of balloons* - Despite specifically checking what the missions are before starting, you will often forget the details during the game. Was is just matching suns or only during blitz, horizontal or vertical, etc.? Every time this happens, you wish you could see the mission details if you pause and get annoyed that you can't.
*Law of the 3 Live Spin* - you will rack up 6-9 more lives when you don’t have time to keep playing but when you have zero lives and nothing to do you you’ll spin no lives
*Law of Lowering Proficiency* - on your 25th game a continuous cascade resulting in 3 rainbow stars, a sun and a score of 300,000 happens
*Law of frozen screen or glitch* - this only happens when you are having the game of your life. You’ll finish the combo mission, get the 3 items you’ve been needing and the game will freeze or never end, forcing you to quit, lose a life and have to start over.
*Law of being one short* - most commonly happens on a daily challenge. You’ll have under 5 to go, usually only 1 in order to complete a mission
*Law of conflicting emojis* - 1 to 3 of your missions will require different emojis, not allowing any multitasking. Most commonly happens during an event adding another element of conflict
*Law of spending diamonds* - You spend diamonds on a box hoping for a specific character and fail. Then you get the character you wanted for free when you complete an event map.
*Law of Villain Events* - You will collect an item before the Villain’s power triggers, but it won’t be credited in time and the villain will attack anyways.
*Law of Event Switching* - when you switch to a non-event emoji to complete a mission, when you switch back to an event emoji you will forget to turn the event back on and you will waste a life.

It’s a Saturday night in lockdown London and I have nothing better to do other than research some tea on our Bravo housewives and rewatch classic reruns of the Real Housewives of Atlanta (season 3 is HISTORY).
Kim Zolciak became the subject of my research (well, more like digging) and I noticed she was consistently linked to rumours of having a gambling addiction. Unfortunately, the Daily Mail seemed to be the only other source which obtained a detailed amount of information, primarily from Don’t Be Tardy S08E03 ‘Nirvana, Nevada’ (I can’t believe this show has 8 seasons?). I was curious, so I streamed the episode.
When the Biermann family first arrived on an RV road trip to Las Vegas, their suite was luxurious and spacious. Kim quickly went on to mention she’d barely be in the room because she knew she wouldn’t sleep and instead, spend all night long in the casino. Well, she was right.
Long story short, Kim shows all signs of having a severe gambling addiction. She sacrificed 11 hours of sleep (and it didn’t seem like a sufficient amount of time for her) choosing to stay up all night (from an RV road trip with her family to Las Vegas) switching from the gaming machines, poker, cards — anything that was gambling. Brielle didn’t get any sleep either and kept Kim company all night. In the show, Kim was seen throwing $100 in the machines repeatedly.
Kroy had a strict curfew of their RV to departure LV at 08:00 to visit the Grand Canyon. It was 07:58 and Kim’s eyes were hypnotised by the slot machines and she was snappy to anyone (Kroy) that reminded her that they’d have to leave soon. Understandably, he was getting frustrated. She referred to gambling as her ‘therapy’ and a ‘slice of heaven’. Kroy said he doesn’t know any therapist that would recommend 11 hours spent on an activity. Sources are saying she has spent about $250,000 on gambling and is therefore likely to be crippling in debt. Kim reportedly then went onto purchase thousand dollar scratch cards.
The producers asked Kim’s younger children (sorry, I don’t know their names but they seemed maybe age 5 and 8?) if they knew what Kim was doing. Her child responded ‘yes, it’s where she goes to get money.’
At the end of the episode, the producers also asked if Kim managed to win big — or leave empty handed. She hesitated and then said neither, she’s more or less the same in terms of her financial status. Kroy snorted and then Kim looked away from the camera and drank from a red cup.
Side note: Brielle questioned if a rock formation within the canyon was a volcano, to which her mother responded, “Just be pretty, honey.”
TL:DR: Kim a history of a gambling addiction and this is evident on S08E03 Don’t Be Tardy. I watched, so you don’t have to. She’s fixated on gambling and spent 11 hours with Brielle doing it, it’s her main focus of the trip to Las Vegas. Her husband is finding difficulty controlling her habits and she cannot balance her family time and her gambling time. It seems as if she lost more than she won and reportedly has a debt of $250,000.
EDIT: thank you so much for the award! 🤗❤️

mods please lmk if this violates the rules. i’m posting here because I write about the mob/casino and many relevant themes that are important elements of the Sopranos, in my opinion. I think they’re of the same medium and genre so wanted to post here. Hope that’s alright. Cheers! (11 min read) ————————————————————————
EDIT 2: TL;DR -
Casino is a story of sexual and financial intrigue, mob violence, union pension fund embezzlement, a “love” story, and the protagonist's masochist addiction to the pain and chaos his lover inflicts on him. It turns out that the sharp-minded genius who meticulously runs the casino, is no more rational than the gamblers who routinely frequent the casino, coming back to lose their money and hoping that the odds will magically shift in their favor.
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Every good filmmaker makes the same movie over and over again—Martin Scorsese is no different
Scorsese's Casino is a phenomenal story of the condoned chaos and "legalized robbery" that happens on a daily basis to gamblers who bett away thousands of dollars and return each day for more “FinDom,” but without any of the sexual sadism. The whole scam only persists because the house always wins: the odds are stacked 3 million to one on the slot machines, but the same shmucks return wide-eyed each day hoping for a different outcome, devoid of any rational re-evaluation required to maintain their grasp on reality, and the liquidity of their bank accounts.
Casino is a story of sexual and financial intrigue, mob violence, union pension fund embezzlement, a “love” story, and the protagonist's masochist addiction to the pain and chaos his lover inflicts on him. It turns out that the sharp-minded genius who meticulously runs the casino, is no more rational than the gamblers who routinely frequent the casino, coming back to lose their money and hoping that the odds will magically shift in their favor.
Robert De Niro plays Sam "Ace" Rothstein, recruited by his childhood friend Nick "Nicky" Santorno to help run the Tangiers casino, which is funded by an investment made with the Teamsters’ pension fund. Ace’s job is to keep the bottom line flowing so that the Mafia's skimming operation can continue seamlessly. De Niro's character felt like half-way between Travis from Taxi Driver (of course, nowhere as mentally disturbed) and half of the addictive excess, greed, and eccentric business-mind of Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Ace’s attention to detail gives him a rain-man-esque sensibility; his ability to see every scam, trick, hand signal, and maneuver happening on the casino floor make him the perfect manager of the casino, and take his managerial style to authoritarian heights in his pursuit of order and control over what is an inherently unstable and dynamic scheme; betting, hedging outcomes, and walking the line to keep the money flowing and the gamblers coming back. I’m not claiming Ace is autistic, I'm no clinician, but his managerial sensibilities over the daily operations of the casino, from the dealers to the pit bosses, to the shift managers, are to the point of disturbing precision, he has eyes everywhere, and knows how to remove belligerent customers with class and professionalism, but ultimately is short sighted in “reading” the human beings he is in relationship with. Ace is frustratingly naive and gullible in his partnership with Nicky and the threat he poses to him, and in his marriage with Ginger.
Ace has no personal aspirations to extract millions of dollars for himself out of the casino corruption venture. Ace simply wants the casino to operate as efficiently as possible, and he has no qualms about being a pawn of the bosses. While Sam, “the Golden Jew”—as he is called—is the real CEO of the whole enterprise, directing things at Tangiers for the benefit of the bosses “back home.” Ace’s compliance is juxtaposed with Nicky’s outrage upon feeling used: he gripes about how he is in “the trenches” while the bosses sit back and do nothing. Note that none of the activity Nicky engages in outside of the casino—doing the work of “taking Las Vegas over”—is authorized by the bosses. Ultimately Nicky’s inability to exert control over his crew and the street lead to his demise.
In the end, capitalism, and all that happens in the confines of the casino, is nothing but “organized violence.” Sound familiar? The mob has a capitalist structure in its organization and hierarchy: muscle men collect and send money back to the bosses who do not labor tirelessly “in the trenches.” The labor of the collectors is exploited to create the profits of their bosses. The entire business-model of the Mafia is predicated on usury and debtors defaulting on loans for which the repayment is only guaranteed by the threat of violence. But this dynamic is not without its internal contradictions and tensions, as seen in Casino.
In a comedic turn, the skimmers get skimmed! The bosses begin to notice the thinning of the envelopes and lighter and lighter suitcases being brought from the casino to Kansas City, “back home”. The situation continues to spin out of control, but a mid-tier mafioso articulates the careful balance required for the skimming operation to carry on: to keep the skimming operation functioning, the skimmers need to be kept loyal and happy. It’s a price the bosses have to pay to maintain the operation, “leakage” in their terms. Ace’s efficient management and precision in maintaining order within Tangiers is crucial for the money to keep flowing. But Ace’s control over the casino slips more and more as the movie progresses. We see this as the direct result of Nicky’s ascendance as mob kingpin in Vegas, the chaos he creates cannot be contained and disrupts the profits and delicate dynamics that keep the scam running.
Of course I can’t help myself here! We should view Scorsese’s discography, and the many portrayals of capitalist excess not as celebratory fetishization, but a critique of the greed and violence he so masterfully captures on film. See the Wolf of Wall Street for its tale of money as the most dangerous drug of them all, and the alienation—social and political—showcased in Taxi Driver. Scorsese uses the mob as a foil to the casino to attack the supposed monopoly the casino holds on legitimate, legal economic activity that rests on institutionalized theft. When juxtaposed with the logic of organized crime, we begin to see that the two—Ace and Nick—are not so different after all.
The only dividing line between the casino and organized crime is the law. Vegas is a lawless town yes, “the Wild West” as Nicky puts it, but there are laws in Vegas. The corruption of the political establishment and ruling elites is demonstrated when they pressure Ace to re-hire an incompetent employee who he fired for his complicity in a cheating scam or his stupidity in letting the slot machines get rigged; nepotism breeds mediocrity. In the end, Ace’s fall is the result of the rent-seeking behavior that the Vegas ruling class wields to influence the gaming board to not even permit Ace a fair hearing for his gaming license, which would’ve given him the lawful authority to officially run Tangiers. The elites use the political apparatus of the State to resist the new gang in town, the warring faction of mob-affiliated casino capitalists. While the mob’s only weapon to employ is that of violence. The mafia is still subservient to the powers that be within the political and economic establishment of Vegas, and they’re told “this is not your town.”
I’d like to make the most salient claim of this entire review now. Casino is a western film. The frontier of the Wild West is Vegas in this case, where the disorder of the mob wreaks havoc on, an until then, an “untapped market.” The investment scheme that the Teamsters pension fund is exploited for as seed capital, is an attempt to remain in the confines of the law while extracting as much value as possible through illegal and corrupt means for the capitalist class of the mob (and the ultimately dispensable union president). Tangiers exists in the liminal space of condoned economic activity as a legal and otherwise standard casino. While the violence required to maintain the operation, corrupts the legal legitimacy it never fully enjoyed from the beginning. This mirrors the bounty economy of the West and the out-sourcing of the law and the execution of the law, to bounty hunters. There is no real authority out in the frontier, the killer outlaw on the run is not so different from the bounty hunter who enjoys his livelihood by hunting down the killers. Yet, he himself is not the State. The wide-lens frame of Ace and Nicky meeting in the desert felt like a direct homage to the iconic image of the Western standoff. The conflict between Ace and Nick, the enforcer and the mastermind, is an approximation of the conflicts we might see in John Wayne’s films. The casino venture itself could be seen as an analogy of the frontier-venturism of railroad pioneers going to lay track to develop the West into a more industrial region.
I would have believed that this was a documentary about how the mob took over control of the Vegas casinos in the 1970-80s … if it were not for the viewer being expected to believe that Robert De Niro could play a Jew; it's hard to believe a man with that accent and the roles he’s played his entire career could be a “CRAZY JEW FUCK!!” I kid! But alas, De Niro is a class act and the last of the many greats of a bygone era. At times, it felt like Joe Pesci lacked talent as an actor, but his portrayal of the scummy, backstabbing bastard in Nicky was genuinely remarkable, but I might consider his performance the weak point of the movie. It’s weird to see a man that short, be that much of physical menace. There are a number of Sopranos actors in Casino. I’m sure Vincent Chase watched the movie and said to himself, “bet, i’ll cast half of these guys.”The set design and costumes were gorgeous. The styles and fashion of the time were spectacular. Scorsese’s signature gratuitous violence featured prominently, but tastefully. The camera work, tracking shots through the casino and spatial movement was incredible and I thought the cinematography was outstanding, the Western-esque wide lens in the desert was worthy of being a framed still.
The Nicky//Ace dynamic is excellent and the two play off of each other well. The conflict between the two of them escalates gradually, and then Nicky’s betrayal of Ace by cheating with Ginger marks the final break between the two of them. Nicky’s mob faculties represent a brutal, violent theft that is illegal and requires the enforcement of violence by organized crime. Despite the illegal embezzlement and corruption at play with the “skimming” operation at work at the casino, the general business model of the casino stands in contrast to the obscene violence of the loan sharks. Ace operates an intelligent operation of theft through the casino, and his hands-on management approach is instrumental to the success of the casino. Nicky’s chaos pervades the casino, and the life and activities of “the street” begin to bleed into Ace’s ability to maintain order in the casino. “Connected” types begin frequenting the casino, and Ace unknowingly forces one particularly rude gambler to leave the casino, who happens to have mob ties with Nicky. The “organized violence” of the casino cannot stay intact perfectly, because the very thing holding it together is the presence of the mob. Nicky is in Vegas as the enforcer and tasked with protecting Ace but his independent, entrepreneurial (shall we call them?) aspirations lead him to attempt to overtake what he realizes is a frontier for organized crime to brutalize and exploit the characters of “the street” (pimps, players, addicts, dealers, and prostitutes) and the owners of small private businesses.
Nicky is reckless, “when i plant my flag out here you won’t need your [casino/gaming] license” Nicky thinks he, and Ace, can bypass the regulations and bureaucratic legal measures by sheer force of violence alone. But ultimately Nicky is shortsighted and doesn’t have a real attachment to the success of the casino. After all, he isn’t getting profits from it (or much anyway) and isn’t permitted to play a real, active role in its daily functions because of his belligerent, untamed personality. Nicky has no buy-in that would motivate him to follow the rules or to work within the legal parts of the economy, it’s not the game he knows how to play, and win. All that he is loyal to, or deferent too, is the bosses back home; for whom he maintains absolute, uncompromising loyalty to, but still holds intense spite for.
And now to the more compelling element of the narrative. Sam “Ace” Rothstein is positioned as remarkably intelligent, he makes informed decisions that aid in his skill as a gambler, he can read people to determine whether he’s being conned, he has an attention to detail—aided by the casino’s surveillance apparatus which monitors cheating—that is almost unbelievable. Ace knows when he’s being cheated, he knows how to rig the game so that the house always wins, enacting psychological warfare to break down the confidence of would be proficient gamblers, who could threaten Tangiers’ bottom line. But in the end, the greatest gamble Ace makes is his marriage to Ginger. Ginger is the seductive, charismatic, and flirtatious madame who makes her money with tricks and her sexual power. Ginger works as a prostitute, seducing men, and extracting everything she can, almost as a sort of sexual-financial vampirism.
Ginger is the bad bet Ace can’t stop making even when she destroys his life, her own, and puts their daughter Amy in harm’s way. Ginger is the gamble Ace made wrong, but he keeps going back to her every time, trying to rationalize how she might change and be different the next time. Ace is not a victim to Ginger’s antics. Ginger makes it clear who she is: an addict, alcoholic, manic shopaholic who will use all of her powers to extract everything she can from everyone around her. She uses everyone to her advantage and manipulates men with her sexual power in exchange for their money and protection. Ginger had a price for her hand in marriage: $1 million in cash and $1 million worth of jewelry that are left to her and her alone as a sort of emergency fund.
Ace’s numerous attempts to buy Ginger’s love—and the clear fact that no matter how expensive the fur coat and how grand the mansion, none of it would ever be enough to satisfy her—mirrored Jordan Belfort’s relationship with Naomi in The Wolf of Wall Street. Both relationships carried the same manic volatility and conflict over child custody was found in both films, with the roles reversed in the respective films. Ginger may be irredeemable and a pathological liar, but Ace can’t claim that she wasn’t clear with him; when he asked her to marry him, Ginger said she didn’t love Ace. Ace replied that love could be “developed” but required a foundation of trust to develop. That trust was never there to begin with. The love was doomed from the start to destroy the two of them; two addicts, two gamblers, lying on a daily basis to one another and themselves about reality to justify their respective existences, the marriage, and Ace’s livelihood. And as Ginger pointed out, “I should have never married him. He’s a gemini, a triple gemini … a snake” Maybe astrology has some truth to it after all.
Now I’m not licensed (but hey neither was Ace, and he ran a casino empire!), but Ginger has the inklings of a borderline personality: her manic depression, narcissism, drug and alcohol abuse, and constant begging for forgiveness all seem indications of a larger psychological disorder at play. In the end, Ginger runs away with all the money Ace left her and finds her people in Los Angeles, the pimps, whores, and addicts she fits in with, in turn exploit and kill her for 3 grand in mint coins by giving her a ‘hot’ dose.
Overall, Casino is an incredible cinematic experience. I highly recommend watching this and seeing it as part of Scorsese's anthology of commentary on our economic system and its human victims. I’d argue that Casino, Wolf of Wall Street, and The Irishman all fit together nicely into a trilogy of the Scorsesean history of finance and corruption from the 70s to the 90s.
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EDIT 2: TL;DR —
Casino is a story of sexual and financial intrigue, mob violence, union pension fund embezzlement, a “love” story, and the protagonist's masochist addiction to the pain and chaos his lover inflicts on him. It turns out that the sharp-minded genius who meticulously runs the casino, is no more rational than the gamblers who routinely frequent the casino, coming back to lose their money and hoping that the odds will magically shift in their favor.

1st Round
1. Jacksonville - Trevor Lawrence (QB)
The clear choice
2. Houston Texans (Sam Darnold, 1.02, Giant’s 2021 5th and the Seahawk’s 2022 1st pick for Deshaun Watson) – Zach Wilson (QB)
The Texans acquire future draft capital and enter a rebuild. They have a top pick this draft, and 2 first next year – enough to make a new team and start to erase the errors of BoB. The Jets get their QB of the future. The Texans get Darnold and see if he can produce outside of a Gase offense, but select Zach Wilson as the QB of the future. This will give the Texans a chance to let Wilson get acclimated to the NFL before being thrown into the fire. The Texans also likely decline Darnold’s 5th year option, because he will either be irrelevant by then, or will be good enough to sign to another team for significant money and give a comp pick.
The Jets get a franchise QB while still having a first this year and next year, their future is immediately very bright. The Texans might demand more compensation, but they have a new GM and if Deshaun refuses to play, they may have to settle for a ‘mere’ 2 1st round picks.
3. Miami – Penei Sewell (LT)
A franchise left tackle. While Miami may not need him as much as Cincinnati does, their line isn’t nearly stellar enough to pass on his talent.
4. Detroit (from Atlanta for 1.07 and 2.41 for 1.04) – Justin Fields (QB)
Detroit trades up to get Stafford’s replacement. Atlanta gives Matt Ryan more time.
5. Cincinnati – Micah Parsons (LB)
Parsons has sideline to sideline speed and should be a Pro Bowler quickly at a Cinci position of need. The Bengals OLine has been poor, but it needs more than just 1st round picks being thrown at it. The Bengals can address it later in the draft.
6. Philadelphia – Ja’Marr Chase (WR)
Although it is unclear who Philly’s QB will be, who ever it is will need to have more weapons available to them. Ja’Marr Chase is the best player available here, and fits Philly’s needs. While Zach Wilson and Trey Lance are still available, the Eagles give Wentz and Hurts another go at things with a better supporting cast and different HC before they completely move on.
7. Atlanta – Kwity Paye (DE)
Atlanta’s weakest position group might be their EDGEs, and despite trading back they still get the best one off the board. I personally like Rousseau better tho...
8. Carolina - Trey Lance (QB)
Carolina gets a QB of the future, who will be able to take reps behind their current QB of Teddy Bridgewater while he quickly grows a starter. Lance’s biggest flaw as a prospect is his inexperience with an NFL offense. NDSU’s offense is designed runs against slower LBs and deep balls to open receivers. Lance’s ability to dominate in the FCS is clear, but he needs to learn when to throw a check down before he will be ready for the NFL, and sitting behind Teddy will let him do that. Lance’s athleticism as a runner and capability as a thrower make him a more appealing pick to the Panthers here.
9. Denver – Caleb Farley (CB)
Farley has asserted himself as the best CB in the draft. He can be another piece in a Fangio defense that becomes one of the best in the league. They only need their offensive weapons to play to their potential…
10. Dallas – Patrick Surtain II (CB)
The Cowboys have holes to fix on their much maligned defense from last year, in addition to their offensive line issues. However, the Dallas offense looked acceptable when they had Dak, while their defense did not. They take the next off the board, and hope the Dak can return to form next year.
11. NY Giants – Jaylen Waddle (WR)
The Giants need an elite receiving option and get a number one receiving option. He has the route running skills and ball skills to play on the outside, and the size to be durable. When both Waddle and Smith where heathy at Bama, Waddle actually had more production.
12. San Francisco – Jaycee Horn (CB)
SF will likely be losing Richard Sherman, and Jaycee Horn has all the skills necessary to be a shutdown corner, although he may have some hiccups on the way.
13. LA Chargers – Rashawn Slater (OL)
The Chargers clearly need to improve all over their offensive line, as all 3 positions were rated in the bottom 2 by PFF. Slater has the versatility to move all around the offensive line, and the ability to match. His demonstrated ability against NFL prospects such as Chase Young in college is very enticing and leads the Chargers to select him above fellow prospect Christian Darrisaw
14. Minnesota – Gregory Rousseau (EDGE)
Minnesota’s defensive line struggled without Danielle Hunter. With Rousseau and Hunter back, the DLine may actually become a strong suit.
15. Lions (trade from New England for Matthew Stafford) – DeVonta Smith (WR)
The Lions, in their trade for Stafford, get the last of the big 3 stud receivers. New England effectively drafts Matt Stafford with their first round pick, and hopes to fill the smaller holes on offense and defense in the later
16. Arizona – Kyle Pitts (TE)
The Cardinals get a second option for Kyler to throw to. Pitts is a great fit for the Cardinals because they run 12 personnel the 3rd most often in the NFL and 10 Personnel the most in the NFL, but don’t have a passing option like Pitts on their roster (not like there are many options like Pitts on any roster). Pitts falls to the Cardinals and helps Klif put together a lightning fast scoring machine.
17. Indianapolis (trade from Las Vegas 1.17 for 1.21 and 4.118) – Christian Darrisaw (OT)
Indy selects their next franchise left tackle to compliment Quinton Nelson after the retirement of Anthony Castonzo.
18. Miami – Azeez Ojulari (EDGE)
Ojulari is a good DE prospect who gets to the QB at a very efficient rate. The Dolphins have already invested in their secondary, but you need a pass rush too the get the benefit of it.
19. Washington – Alijah Vera-Tucker (OT)
The Football Team would like to take a QB here, but Mac Jones and Trask are major reaches. Honestly I don’t really know what Washington takes here, but you can never have enough O Line depth. They take Alijah Vera-Tucker, who can play at tackle and guard, and hope that Jones or Trask is available in the 2nd.

1. Chicago - Sam Cosmi (OT)

Chicago looks to improve their offensive line and selects the 6-7 tackle out of Texas. He has the room to fill out and become an absolute bruiser in both the run and pass game.
21. Las Vegas(trade from Indianapolis 1.17 for 1.21 and 4.118) – Jayson Oweh (EDGE)
The Raiders need help on their OLine. Oweh is yet NFL ready, but he is an absurd prospect. Nonetheless, his wild build will allow the DC in Vegas to get creative. I realize this is a reach, but I think he is the perfect type of freak athlete Gruden and the Raiders would select.
22. Tennessee – Carlos Besham Jr. (EDGE)
The Titans defense needs to be better getting after the passer. Besham has a very high motor to get after the QB, and is the type of player that can really bolster a defense in my opinion.
23. NY Jets via SEA – Wyatt Davis (OG)
The Jets have their QB of the future in Deshaun Watson. Wyatt Davis, along with Mekhi Becton and their other signings will make their offensive line a force as well, in both the pass and running game. An elite QB + elite OLine play should get the Jets most of the way to a great offense, but the Jets will quickly need to get weapons for the run game and the pass game too
24. Pittsburgh – Creed Humphry (C)
Creed Humphry becomes the replacement for longtime center Maurkice Pouncey. While Pouncey has not retired yet (and this assumes he will), the Steelers have clearly been affected by subpar OLine play. The offense never had a run game and relies on quick passes, which failed them down the stretch. The solution is more than just drafting a new HB, it requires an overhaul of the offensive line. Humphry is the first center of the board.
25. Jacksonville via LAR – Christian Barmore (DT)
Having selected Trevor Lawrence, Urban Meyer knows the next step to winning is domination in the trenches. Barmore proved his ability to get to the QB in the National Championship against some of the same Buckeyes that Urban himself recruited. Although Barmore still has questions about his game, namely his ability to help in the run game, his ability to get to the QB is rare and gets him picked in the first round.
26. Cleveland – Zavon Collins (LB/EDGE)
Collins is an athletic freak and his college tape is something else. The Browns are enthused to get a linebacker who can both cover and rush the passer to anchor a poor defense. The Browns will also need to address the DE position because of the Achilles injury to Olivier Vernon. Almost certainly this will be a job for Free Agency, because I don’t see any EDGEs left that will be able to immediately produce, and the Browns are in their championship window with cap money to spend. Look for them to be in play for Leonard Williams or Trey Hendrickson (or whatever other DEs can be found in free agency or trade).
27. Baltimore – Rashod Bateman (WR)
Lamar Jackson gets a large target to throw to, and the offense can finally be the balanced threat that they clearly would like to be.
28. New Orleans – Rodarius Williams (CB)
NO defense is already very formidable, they take a good coverage CB to play across Lattimore.
29. Tampa Bay – Shaun Wade (CB)
Wade played out of position most of the year, but is a very talented nickel corner who can play anywhere in the secondary, as well as help out the run defense. With the return of Vita Vea, and the drafting of Shaun Wade, it becomes very difficult to run against the Bucs, and the Bucs play in shootouts that Bruce Arians loves to win.
30. Buffalo – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB)
Buffalo tries to fill a hole in their defense with BPA Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah out of Notre Dame.
31. Green Bay – Najee Harris (HB)
Green Bay is likely losing Aaron Jones. How do they respond? By possibly upgrading at the position. Najee Harris is a beast at breaking tackles, and can catch balls like a wide receiver, making him dangerous with
32. Kansas City – Rashad Weaver (EDGE)
Kansas City’s DEs are the worst graded DEs in the NFL. Rashad Weaver has the talent to have gone earlier, but his battles with injury make his stock volatile. With that being said, he has the talent to make this group improve, as the Chiefs hope Frank Clark plays like the player he was Seattle.
Second Round
33. Jacksonville – Alex Leatherwood (OT)
34. NY Jets – Rondale Moore (WR)
The Jets’ offense adds Deshaun Watson, Rondale Moore, and Wyatt Davis. Their defense will need work, but the NFL runs through offense, and this should be the best offense New York has seen in awhile, and is set for the long haul.
35. Atlanta – Paulson Adebo (CB)
I love Adebo as a prospect, and feel he would go much higher if didn’t opt out and played his senior year. The Falcons get a high end athlete, though he has to improve his coverage to avoid getting burned.
36. Miami via HOU – Joseph Ossai (LB)
Joseph Ossai is probably the best defensive player on the board, and the Dolphins continue to add talent.
37. Philadelphia – Tyson Campbell (CB)
38. Cincinnati – Jalen Mayfield (OT)
Mayfield likely slots into the RT position, which is what he played in college. The AFC North is deadly for tackles, especially RT, having a slate of Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, and Matt Judon. Mayfield has his faults, but he was able to handle Chase Young in college.
39. Carolina – Jevon Holland (S)
40. Denver - Landon Dickerson (C)
41. Atlanta – Travis Ettienne (HB)
42. NY Giants – Trevon Moehrig (S)
43. San Francisco – Mac Jones (QB)
44. Dallas – Dylan Moses (LB)
45. Jacksonville via Minnesota – Patrick Jones (EDGE)
46. New England – Terrace Marshall Jr. (WR)
47. LA Chargers – Walker Little (OT)
48. Las Vegas – Marvin Wilson (DT)
49. Arizona – Joe Tyron (LB/EDGE)
50. Miami – Baron Browning (LB)
51. Washington – Kyle Trask (QB)
52. Chicago – Asante Samuel Jr. (CB)
53. Tennessee – Jaelan Phillips (EDGE)
Tennessee goes for 2 EDGEs, but pass rush seemed to be a major issue, and you can never enough DLine players.
54. Indianapolis – Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR)
55. Pittsburgh – Monty Rice (ILB)
Steelers were killed by injuries at MLB, Rice will be able to help there while providing help in pass rush on occasion.
56. Seattle – Ronnie Perkins (EDGE)
57. LA Rams – Nick Bolton (LB)
58. Tampa Bay – Daviyon Nixon (DT)
59. Baltimore – Josh Myers (C)
60. Cleveland - Dayo Odeyingbo (EDGE)
61. New Orleans – Jay Tufele (NT)
62. Buffalo – Eric Stokes (CB)
63. Green Bay – Pete Werner (LB)
64. Kansas City – Jordan Smith (LB)
​
edited: a typo with Ettienne and gave Jacksonville Min's pick from a trade

EDIT - one week after i posted this, Britain's most successful hedge fund manager Michael Platt has taken a 6.5% stake
tl;dr
At-NAV new SPAC with world-leading expertise in online gambling. Worth a bet on potential to be next DKNG on the hype train
   
+++++++
Hi all - have had a lot of great tips from this sub. Hopefully this pays some of you back. I have been watching and researching this since 23 December when it first filed S1, awaiting the units to be listed - they are available today trading as ADERU
Positions - 500 units @ 10.42 to start. Will be monitoring and building position below $15, especially if attention starts to build ahead of units and warrants splitting and shares coming available to Robinhood.
(My other SPAC positions are OPEN, IPO-E-F, PSTH, FUSE, PIPP, ACTC, CCIV and DMYD, 100 to 1000 shares each mostly around NAV and numerous warrants and options around these.)
As ever, this is not investment advice and do your own research
+++++++
   
26 Capital Acquisition Corp or ADER
is a 240m SPAC with usual terms - 10$ units, 1/2 warrants. Seeking a merger in "gaming and gaming technology, branded consumer, lodging and entertainment, and Internet commerce sectors".
I think this is highly worth a play on the online gambling hype if you can get in at near NAV, based entirely on the management which is unbeatable in its knowledge of the gambling industry
   
CEO Jason Ader
has held director level positions at Las Vegas Sands Corp. ($42bn one of biggest casino groups in world), IGT (£3.72bn multinational gambling firm specialised in software and slot machines) and Playtech (£1.4bn multinational gambling software firm)
Before starting his own fund in 2013 he was regularly ranked Wall Street's top analyst on the gambling and leisure sector
His fund, Spring Owl Capital, is a small activist fund focused on gambling and leisure. They are probably most famous for ousting the CEO of Viacom in 2016 and a crusade against Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer in 2015.
Ader knows the gambling - and online gambling - industry inside out. He drove bWin to a £1.1bn takeover by gambling giant GVC (now Entain) in 2016, and has been driving similar change and demands for improvement at board level at Playtech
The fund mostly manages money for a select group of wealthy families, which could be a positive sign for the SPAC (although I don't know how much skin in the SPAC the fund has, if any)
Here is a video of Ader from November talking about how he's excited about SPACs. He talks about how he has been advising certain States about legalising sports betting and how to maximise value and liquidity by linking up with European companies in the space (Playtech e.g.??).
Ader is extremely bullish on US legalising online casino and more sports betting options, accelerated by need for revenue because of pandemic
   
Rafi Ashkenazi
One of the most highly respected names in the online gambling world, including COO and CEO positions at major online gambling firms such as Playtech and Stars Group (a world leader in online poker and casino). At Stars he led the $4.7bn takeover of Sky Betting to create the world's largest publicly listed online betting firm in 2018. Most recently he led the £10bn merger between Flutter (biggest gambling company in world by revenue, market cap £26bn), and Stars Group (Ader also involved). Also has connections into the booming Israel tech space which is interesting
   
Joseph Kaminkow
Special Advisor to the Chief Product Officer at Aristocrat, a leading gambling software provider and games publisher, previously Vice President of Game Design at Zynga Inc. This guy is a former video game / pinball designer who is credited with revolutionising the slots industry after moving into gambling software from video games in 1999. Regarded as a "legend" and "hall of famer" in this niche. At Zynga he designed so-called 'social casino games' which don't involve real-money gambling but are otherwise basically gambling apps (revenue from microtransactions etc). 130 patents on gambling/gaming design inventions
   
Greg Lyss
This is a very interesting but extremely low profile person. He was Bill Ackman a.k.a SPACman's right hand man at Gotham Capital. Ackman respected him so much that when Ackman set up a personal hedge fund to invest the Ackman family's money, he put Lyss in charge of it. To repeat - Bill Ackman thinks this guy is such a good investor and trustworthy that he put him in charge of investing his family's money. Don't know anything more about him, but I like this association with Ackman, which suggests to me some integrity around management of this SPAC, especially as the gambling world can be very murky.
The other member of the team is the CFO of SpringOwl with 20+ years' hedge fund experience and not notable (although clearly competent)
   
Thesis / potential targets
Based on the above experience and many public comments by Ader over the past year, I would be very surprised if ADER is not looking to merge with an online gambling technology provider / existing online betting website / social casino app / possibly a supporting technology provider
They are activist inventors, and specifically say in the IPO prospectus that they could look for businesses that can benefit from turnaround or are not being run well. I speculate that their deep knowledge of the European / global online gambling industry means they have a target in mind that they think would benefit from their expertise and US liberalisation of gambling legislation.
   
1) Ader believes the listing of UK-listed gambling companies in US is immediately big in terms of market cap because of the premium on online gambling stocks in US. He has pitched DraftKings to takeover Playtech and called on Playtech to spin off non-core business. This makes me wonder if he would spin off some element of Playtech to list in US to cash in on gambling hype.
This might be Finalto.com / TradeTech which is an online financial platform owned by Playtech. Playtech has been trying to sell this for 200 - 240m since August so it fits. This company provides liquidity and trading to brokerages and runs markets.com a trading site. I wouldn't be that excited although apparently the business has been booming during COVID and there could be a decent pop just on fintech hype.
   
2) This could be a 'picks and shovel' type data/B2B betting software play a la DMYD, or something like e.g. Israel based CRM software Optimove which works with some of biggest online gambling cos and has links to Ashkenazi. This would be interesting but probably not a huge pop
   
3) Possibly - given Ader's links to Sands - an online gambling tie-up with one of the big Vegas casinos who are desperate to get into the online betting space (see MGM's attempt to buy Entain for $8bn last week). Interestingly, Sands' owner Sheldon Adelson, previously a major opponent of online betting, has just died. Ader predicted a few months ago that Sands would be moving in this direction.

“There’s no stopping online gaming,” Ader said [before Adelson's death]. “(Las Vegas Sands’) initiatives to stop online gaming, at this stage, are largely historic. There hasn’t been a lot of spending recently to do that, especially post-pandemic.”
“I think the company will see the value created by DraftKings and FanDuel and Penn (National) Gaming and others. They’re not foolish,” Ader added. source

   
4) Ader is very confident that Macau will legalise online gambling in next year or two. Sands is big in Macau, the biggest gambling market in the world. A SaaS-type product positioned to capitalise on Asian gambling would be MASSIVE - at present however, China's attitude to gambling and local regulations mean this is unlikely
   
5) I also wonder if they might try to take legitimate one of the offshore bookmakers with big customer databases and brand recognition but which have been grey-area/illegal under US gaming legislation. For example, Five Dimes recently announced a settlement with the FBI to attempt to transition into newly legalised US markets. This might have the most hype potential
   
Potential upside
This is entirely a play on management experience and the meme factor / hype around online gambling in the US. I think if they pick a good target - which given their experience and connections seems likely - and get the right publicity and attention from retail investors looking for the next DKNG this could easily 3x and maybe 5-6x if on DKNG-type hype levels.
There is currently little spotlight on this and it is a good time to get in at NAV
   
Potential Downside

• Ader has been vocal that he thinks US online betting is overvalued and in a bubble - why is he starting his own SPAC in the space then? Does he just want to cash in while the hype is at all-time high or does he have a legitimate business goal?
  
• If he just wants to dump a part of Playtech which he does not like onto retail investors, this is a bad deal.
  
• Other targets could be e.g. hotel industry or other leisure sector which would be zero sexiness to retail. Given Ashkenazi and Kaminkow's background this seems unlikely though
  
• Usual SPAC caveats apply about potential difficulty finding a target, locking up your money for unspecified period of time, and the fact I may have completely misread the potential and my above thesis might be totally wrong
  

Draft order was from tankathon
1 - New York Jets - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson - The Jets are terrible in every faucet, but Sam Darnold certainly hasnt inspired any confidence he can be the QBOTF this season even once Adam Gase is removed. Trevor Lawrence has been QB1 for this draft ever since his first game for Clemson and I dont see this changing any time soon.
2 - Atlanta Falcons (via New York Giants - Trades 1.06, 2.37, 2022 2nd for 1.02) - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State - This move will likely be a bit of a shocker, but I truly believe the Falcons need a reset. Matt Ryan might be a great QB, but he’s 35 at this point, and there isnt much future left in Atlanta. Justin Fields has been electric at Ohio State, and plopping him down into a team with a decent OL and fantastic receivers will make the somewhat murky future of the Falcons that much brighter. Is this a steep price? Yes. Is it worth every penny? Also yes.
3 - Miami Dolphins (via Jacksonville Jaguars - Trades 1.04, 2.49, 4.113 for 1.03, 3.67) - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon - Assuming Tua is the franchise QB for the Dolphins, the Phins NEED to protect him, especially considering his reputation for frailty. So they offer the Jaguars an offer they can refuse in order to grab Penei Sewell, who might be the best OT prospect since Joe Thomas came out of Wisconsin. Sewell should be an immediate rock at RT for Tua, and fill the hole that Tunsil left when he was traded.
4 - Jacksonville Jaguars (via Miami Dolphins via Houston Texans) - Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama - The Jaguars have needs everywhere. The WR corps is good but lacks a true star, the EDGE group has been toothless following Josh Allen’s injury, and Schobert has been atrocious after signing that big contract. But the CB most of all has needed help, considering the Jaguars defense has been torched through the air. Surtain is an elite cover corner in every way, and should provide a nice young CB tandem for the Jaguars to replace the one they lost.
5 - Dallas Cowboys - Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami - Demarcus Lawrence is still pretty good, but Aldon Smith is not a long term solution at EDGE. Rousseau, however, can be. He’s a fantastic athlete with an array of moves, and with Surtain off the board here, Rousseau is my pick for the player who will help beef up the Cowboys defense the most.
6 - New York Giants (via Atlanta Falcons) - Jamarr Chase, WR, LSU - This was a close one here. The Giants really need an inside linebacker and Darius Slayton has been a great player for them. But Jamarr Chase is just that good. And the rest of the Giants receivers outside of Slayton dont exactly inspire any confidence. Daniel Jones might or might not still be the Giants QB of the future, but Jamarr Chase should absolutely be their WR1 going forward.
7 - Washington Football Team - Trey Lance, QB, NDSU - Haskins is probably done. I dont foresee any sort of happy conclusion to his time in Washington, and thus Ron Riveria is probably going to look to install his own guy at QB. Trey Lance might not be a near finished product the top 2 QBs are, but he has gobs of potential and has a ceiling that might even surpass Fields or Lawrence. Will Trey Lance end up being Mahomes/Josh Allen or just another big armed bust? That’ll be up to the Washington coaching staff, but he’s a fantastic prospect for Washington to figure out.
8 - Los Angeles Chargers - Alex Leatherwood, OG/T, Alabama - Herbert looks like a franchise QB so far, so the Chargers look to fix the most glaring issue on their team, their offensive line. Leatherwood has been a starter on the Alabama OL ever since he got on campus, and he’s got plenty of experience protecting Tua, Mac Jones, and all those Bama QBs. He should be a day 1 starter at RT, and if Bulaga and Turner both come back and play at high levels, he can still contribute by sliding inside to RG or LG.
9 - New England Patriots - DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama - The Patriots desperately need a QB of the future, but even if they did draft one, who exactly would he be throwing to? The receiving corps is more barren than the Sahara, especially thanks to some brutal misses at WR. stares at N’keal Harry. Enter DeVonta Smith, who’s surpassed his teammate Waddle as the #2 WR on my big board. Any concerns he had last year are all gone now, especially with Waddle out. It’s been the DeVonta showdown at Alabama, punctuated with a 200+ yard 4 TD performance against Mississippi State. Smith has Charmin soft hands and fantastic route running, and most importantly, gets fantastic separation. He’s a bit thin at only 175, but his frame should fill out nicely once he gets to the NFL. He should easily be the best receiver on the Patriots, and could be their best WR since Randy Moss and Wes Welker still play for New England.
10 - Minnesota Vikings - Wyatt Davis, iOL, Ohio State - Kirk Cousins isnt the answer in Minnesota, but throwing a rookie QB behind that O-line might as well be throwing them to the wolves. So, the Vikings grab the best iOL prospect in the class and beef up their interior with Wyatt Davis. Davis is an absolute bulldozer up front, and will run over almost anyone in his way. There's very few flaws with his game, and he should be a plug and play guy from day 1. Count this pick as killing 3 birds with one stone. Helping Cousins, helping Dalvin Cook and the run game, and protecting whoever the Vikings pick as the QB of the future.
11 - Chicago Bears (Via Cincinnati Bengals - Sends 1.18, 3.82, 2022 CHI first for 1.11) - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU - Trubisky isn't it, and the Bears pretty much threw away a 4th and cap space trading for Foles. The Bears need an answer at QB, and with the Panthers looking to pounce on the very last of the top tier QB prospects in my eyes, the Bears bite the bullet. With an aging defense and their Super Bowl window closing fast, they jump just over Carolina to draft Zach Wilson. Wilson has been flying up the draft boards recently, torching defenses on his possible Heisman campaign. He’s got great mobility, especially when it comes to extending plays, and solid pocket presence. Most of all, there’s a bit of reckless brilliance that reminds me a little of guys like Stafford, Mahomes and Allen. Its a fine line to balance and Wilson does have his flaws - such as too much aggressiveness and concerns about his shoulder’s durability, but if the Bears can keep Allen Robinson, then I can foresee a very fruitful connection in the future between the two, as well as a chance for Wilson to be the best QB in Bears history (Yes, its that bad).
12 - Carolina Panthers - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State - Every few years or so, there’s a blue chip prospect that drops too far. Guys like Ceedee Lamb, Derwin James, or Marshon Lattimore that fall out of the top 10 due to no fault of their own, but the needs of the teams before them. This year, that guy is Micah Parsons, who falls into the waiting laps of the ecstatic Panthers. Parsons is a special linebacker, athletic, versatile, rangy and smart. He’s disruptive everywhere, and his ability to slip blocks and penetrate the offensive line definitely shows his background as a defensive end. Outside of perhaps not being the most consistent run defender, something thats barely an issue, the only flaws are nitpicky. A year after losing Luke Kuechly, Carolina has their replacement.
13 - Detroit Lions - Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama - The Lions really need some interior help on the defensive line, but in all honesty, I dont really like much of this iDL class. The #1 guy on my board is only there because everyone above him dropped like a rock. So, I have the Lions addressing another need at Linebacker with Dylan Moses. While it is unfortunate that Parsons didnt drop one more pick, Moses is certainly no consolation prize. He’s a fantastic linebacker in his own right, He’s an elite athlete with plenty of range and can hit like a truck. He also knows when to wrap up and is generally a sure tackler, which is a rather underappreciated trait. He does need to improve his ability to diagnose plays and shed blocks, but overall, he’s a force at ILB, and would be a great replacement for both the uninspiring. Jarrad Davis or Jahlani Tavai.
14 - Denver Broncos - Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State - From what Ive seen of the Broncos, Drew Lock has shown plenty of promise, and Garrett Bolles has actually been playing at a near elite level all season. That leaves one last problem for the Broncos, their secondary. Bryce Callahan has been fantastic all year and I've heard some praise for Michael Ojemudia, but AJ Bouye has been a disappointment, and that's when he’s on the field. Shaun Wade should be able to be that final piece in the Broncos secondary they need. It was close between Farley and Wade, but with the season the Broncos have had, Wade’s ability to stay on the field was the tiebreaker. Of course, that's only a bonus to Wade’s fantastic coverage ability, especially from the slot, and his run defense reminds me of Trae Waynes’s ability to stop the run at corner. With how complex NFL offenses are now, Wade’s ability to be both a slot and outside corner means he can follow a #1 WR wherever they go, which is surely should help him become an elite CB at the next level.
15 - San Francisco 49ers - Creed Humphrey, iOL, Oklahoma - The 49ers offense depends on their run game, and their run game depends heavily on their offensive line. And although the 49ers OL isn't as bad as it was early in the season, it's still comfortably in the bottom half of the league. Not to mention with Trent Williams becoming an FA as well as almost all their corners, C Weston Richburg is probably gone, and possibly the rest of the interior OL as well. So, the 49ers grab the first replacement in Creed Humphrey. Shanahan has historically run a zone blocking scheme for his OL, and that makes center an extremely important position for the 49ers to address. With plenty of experience in Oklahoma’s zone blocking scheme, Humphrey and the 49ers should be a match made in heaven. Thats not even mentioning his football smarts or his leadership. Humphrey should be a centerpiece in the 49ers offensive line for years to come.
16 - Miami Dolphins - Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama - Although EDGE is definitely a more pressing need for the Dolphins, how can anyone pass up reuniting Tua and his old college buddy? Of course, Waddle isnt just Tua’s former WR. He’s an explosive receiver who shreds the turf just like his former teammate Henry Ruggs III, a player with a great catch radius and the ability to dart to the holes in coverages, and a great kick/punt returner. Adding a burner like Waddle who can stretch the field should only help Tua, Parker, Williams, and the rest of the Miami offense.
17 - Las Vegas Raiders - Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia - The Raiders EDGE corps isnt barren the way it was two years ago, but Maxx Crosby hasnt lived up to the hype he had after a stellar rookie season, and although Clelin Ferrell is an elite run defender, he’s nowhere near as good of a pass rusher. They need to add someone who can GET after the QB, and although there are better EDGEs left, I think Ojulari is the best pure pass rusher on the board. He’s got fantastic hand usage and his low center of gravity lets him bend the corner through contact really well. There’s some work to be done on run defense, but Ojulari does give me flashes of Ngakoue at times, and his versatility would allow for Ferrell to slide inside and be a mismatch there. This might be a little high on his currently, but I dont think Ojulari is someone who will end up rising on draft boards in the future.
18 - Cincinnati Bengals (via Chicago Bears) - Dillion Radunz, OT, NDSU - The Bengals offensive line is injured to hell, but even when they were healthy, it was pretty obvious they were not protecting Joe Burrow all that well. When losing Bobby Hart is an actual problem, then you know the OL is terrible. Thats why I have the Bengals selecting OT Dillion Radunz out of NDSU. There are some question marks about athleticism and competition level, but Radunz’s technique is elite, and his toughness is unquestionable. He should be a welcome addition to the Bengals offensive line, and will provide solid protection for Burrow.
19 - Philadelphia Eagles - Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech - The Eagles WR situation was looking dire, but thanks to the emergence of second year WR Travis Fulgham, they can look to shore up another issue. The Eagles secondary has been pretty terrible for a few years now, and they need to find a solid answer. Farley can be that. He’s an outstanding press corner, and mirrors opposing receivers so well that he might as well be running their routes. He’s long, physical, and impressively sticky. He should be able to lock down the #1 CB position for the Eagles that they have sorely missed.
20 - Cleveland Browns - Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan - Myles Garrett is having a DPOY level season, but once again he’s missing someone disruptive on the opposite side of him. Oliver Vernon is gone soon, and Clayborn is no long term solution. They need to grab the compliment to Garrett, who although is a one-man wrecking ball, is still one man. Kwity Paye is a very strong power rusher who can uses his bull rush well to set the LOS. He’s a tank with fantastic explosiveness and a pretty high ceiling, and his ability to cause problems against the opposing offensive line should be welcome on the Browns defense.
21 - Jacksonville Jaguars (Via Los Angeles Rams) - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida - The Jaguars TE group is pretty weak right now, and Pitts talent should place him much higher than here. He’s an extremely versatile weapon in the way that most modern TEs are, able to line up all over and cause issues for the opposing defense. He’s not an elite blocker, but the effort is there and it's just simply an issue of fixing his technique and making him stronger. As a receiver, he’s a fantastic route runner with soft hands and a huge catch radius, just as good as any TE or even some WRs. Pitts should be a fantastic weapon for Minshew or whoever the Jaguars decide their QBOTF is.
22 - Arizona Cardinals - Jay Tufele, iDL, USC - The Cardinals passing defense is pretty terrible, and corner is a definite need. However, there’s more ways to improve a passing defense than just adding corners, and Tufele is too much value to pass up here for the Cardinals. Tufele can be a dominant force at 1 or 3T, with his explosiveness and powerful hands, which allows him to be utterly unblockable at times. And adding such an interior force would boost the Cardinals pass rush even more, which could also help improve their defense. If Tufele can become more consistent, there’s no good reason why the Cardinals defensive line can’t become one of the best in the NFL.
23 - Indianapolis Colts - Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina - Xavier Rhodes has had a resurgence for the Colts, but its hard to say how long that will last, and there have been issues with the other corners getting torched. Jaycee Horn should help with that problem. A physical aggressive corner who knows how to properly use his size as leverage against opposing WRs, Horn would benefit greatly from Rhodes, and could be a great compliment alongside him as well.
24 - Baltimore Ravens - Trey Smith, iOL, Tennessee - With the retirement of Marshall Yanda, the Ravens have had a huge hole at LG that they still haven't been able to fill. And with their offense becoming more and more run heavy due to the addition of JK Dobbins and Lamar Jackson’s rushing abilities, one guy came to mind here. Trey Smith, the OG out of Tennessee, seemed like the natural fit. Smith is an absolute road grader in the run game, absolutely flattening whatever defensive players who are unfortunately enough to get into his way. He’s solid enough in pass protection, but more importantly, his fantastic run blocking paired alongside Orlando Brown Jr should lend itself to an absolutely terrifying run game from the Ravens.
25 - New Orleans Saints - Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota - Emmanuel Sanders is a fine WR2, but there’s definitely room for improvement, and with Michael Thomas becoming more erratic in his behavior, it wouldn't hurt to pick up an insurance policy here. Thats why Ive got New Orleans picking Bateman, as he’d provide a great compliment to Thomas, while also being good enough to be a star WR in his own right. Bateman’s a big play machine, someone who not only runs great routes, but gobbles up YAC once he has the ball. He should be a fantastic addition to the potent Saints offense, and would be a great 3rd option after Thomas and Kamara.
26 - Tennessee Titans - Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas - The Titans went up against a Bengals Oline that was starting 3rd stringers and recorded 0 sacks. Thats all I need to say about how terrible the Titans pass rush is. Landry is still pretty promising, but at this point Clowney is neither an answer to the pass rush woes nor is he likely staying long term in Tennessee. Joseph Ossai could be the answer to both, though. A quick trigger pass rusher who has plenty of room for improvement, Ossai presents a tantalizing option for Tennessee as someone who has the ability to become a very dominant pass rusher. He’d be a great fit in the Titans hybrid defense, and could grow into a cornerstone alongside Simmons and Landry on the DL.
27 - Green Bay Packers - Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson - Yes, I know the Packers have Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams and that they picked an RB in the second last year. But the thing is that David Bahktiari is also a free agent this year, and considering he’s going to demand a market resetting deal, cuts will need to be made somewhere. And that's not even mentioning Davante Adam’s contract is expiring a year later. With those two thoughts in mind, I dont think either Jones nor Williams will be back due to cap issues. But with Rodgers still wanting to win now, a stud like Etienne will be a great replacement, if not more. Etienne is an elite RB, who can break off huge chunks of yardage at a time and rip defenses apart with his burst. He’s also improved his catching ability to where he can be a every down RB. With Green Bay still a SB contender for the near future, Etienne can be that thing that pushes them into Super Bowl winners.
28 - Jacksonville Jaguars (via Buffalo Bills - sends 2.36, 4.116 for 1.28) - Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas - With so much drat capital at their hands, the Jaguars part a little with their haul in order to jump into the first round and secure a quality OT. Cosmi is an intriguing prospect with tons of athleticism and excellent smarts, someone who wins via brains and technique rather than pure brawn. With enough practice and proper coaching, Cosmi can be a stonewall OT for whoever the Jaguars decide to ride with in the future.
29 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Quincy Roche, EDGE, Miami - The Buccaneers defensive overall has been absolutely elite this year, but there are some question marks on the future of their defensive line. Both Suh and Barrett are on one year deals, and Gholston certainly isnt the future at EDGE/DE. Grabbing someone young for the future is a definite need, someone like Quincy Roche. Roche is a fluid, explosive and long EDGE with great hands and a ton of moves. He’s got the ability to play both EDGE and rush LB, although he does need to bulk up a little bit at the NFL level. Still, overall Roche should be a great successor on the EDGE position for Tampa Bay.
30 - Kansas City Chiefs - Terrane Marshall Jr, WR, LSU - The Chiefs do have a ton of needs everywhere else, but sometimes talent is just way too much to pass up. Marshall has been fantastic at LSU with Chase out - which is more impressive with how bad LSU has been, and he’s got all the physical traits to be an elite WR. He rarely gets caught in press coverage and with his ball skills and frame, excels in contested catch situations. With a very deep iOL class and Watkins very likely gone in a season or two, adding Marshall Jr to that already deadly Chiefs offense will make nightmare fuel for opposing defensive coordinators.
31 - New York Jets - Josh Myers, iOL, Ohio State - The Jets interior offensive line has been a serious issue for the last few years, which has hamstring the run game and severely hurt their QBs. Replacing one of their iOL with Josh Myers is a good first step to fixing that issue. Myers is a very mobile iOL who is a great anchor and provides stability in both the pass and run game. With Trevor Lawrence now on the team, protecting him should be priority 1, and Myers can be his Jeff Saturday.
32 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota - Steelers LT Villanueva’s contract will expire soon, and although the Steelers have some great prospect that could replace him, neither is really a sure thing. Adding another OT could better mitigate that risk, just in case Villanueva leaves and neither Banner nor Okorafor end up panning out. Faalele is a very risky but high upside OT, who’s an absolute dancing bear. He might be huge, but his mobility is insane for his size, and he possesses excellent feet as well as a strong anchor against power rushers. There’s definitely technique issues here that need to be ironed out, but Faalele has the tools to be an absolutely dominant OT, and with how good the steelers have been historically at coaching up offensive line, he should definitely become a stalwart on the OL.

Draft order was from tankathon
1 - New York Jets - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson - Jets are still winless? Yup. I think its pretty clear at this point that Darnold isnt the future and Trevor Lawrence is the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck. Honestly, it really doesnt matter what team picks here, because I'm near 100% sure Lawrence should go 1. Jets land themselves a franchise QB. Lets hope Adam Gase isnt around to ruin him as well.
2 - Jacksonville Jaguars - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State - Losing is winning for Jacksonville right now, with both Minshew and Luton looking like capable near starters but neither being THE guy for the Jaguars. Those problems should be set to rest with the arrival of Justin Fields, however. Fields has been utterly electric this year for the Buckeyes and would be a nice shot in the arm for a Jacksonville passing attack that has been pretty poor this decade.
3 - Dallas Cowboys - Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon - The Great Wall of Dallas must be a distant memory at this point for the Cowboys, with the current line a shadow of its former self. Tyron Smith’s contract is also up soon getting older, and with Dak likely demanding a huge payday as well as Smith, C Tyler Biasdiaz and RT La’el Collins coming off injuries, there’s a lot of uncertainty around the Dallas OLine right now. Penei Sewell would go a long way of addressing those concerns. The best OT prospect to come out of college since Joe Thomas, Sewell would be an immediate starter on either side of the line, and should be a rock on either side of Dak.
4 - New York Giants - Ja’marr Chase, WR, LSU - This was a close one here. The Giants really need an inside linebacker and Darius Slayton has been a great player for them. But Jamarr Chase is just that good. And the rest of the Giants receivers outside of Slayton dont exactly inspire any confidence. Daniel Jones might or might not still be the Giants QB of the future, but Jamarr Chase should absolutely be their WR1 going forward.
5 - Washington Football Team - Trey Lance, QB, NDSU - Haskins is probably done. I dont foresee any sort of happy conclusion to his time in Washington, and thus Ron Riveria is probably going to look to install his own guy at QB, with Alex Smith obviously not having it and Kyle Allen having peaked at handing off to CMC. Trey Lance might not be a near finished product the top 2 QBs are, but he has gobs of potential and has a ceiling that might even surpass Fields or Lawrence. Will Trey Lance end up being Mahomes/Josh Allen or just another big armed bust? That’ll be up to the Washington coaching staff, but he’s a fantastic prospect for Washington to figure out.
6 - Chicago Bears (Via Los Angeles Chargers - Sends 1.16, 3.80, 2022 CHI 1st, 2022 CHI Second for 1.06, 2022 LAC 3rd) - Zach WIlson, QB, BYU - After watching that horrid display of the Chicago offense on Sunday, I think it's clear the Bears NEED a different QB if they want to win it all. They were anemic against a pretty horrid Titans defense and with 3 of the top 4 QB prospects off the board, the Bears bite the bullet. With an aging defense and their Super Bowl window closing fast, they jump up high to draft Zach Wilson. Wilson has been flying up the draft boards recently, torching defenses on his possible Heisman campaign. He’s got great mobility, especially when it comes to extending plays, and solid pocket presence. Most of all, there’s a bit of reckless brilliance that reminds me a little of guys like Stafford, Mahomes and Allen. Its a fine line to balance and Wilson does have his flaws - such as too much aggressiveness and concerns about his shoulder’s durability, but if the Bears can keep Allen Robinson, then I can foresee a very fruitful connection in the future between the two, as well as a chance for Wilson to be the best QB in Bears history (Yes, its that bad).
7 - Miami (Via Houston Texans) - Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami - Miami’s pass rush wasnt as anemic as it was last year, but it certainly still isnt good. They need help there, and Rousseau could be the replacement they have been looking for ever since they lost Robert Quinn and Cam Wake. Rousseau is still very raw, but the potential here is sky high and his punch is elite. If he can develop his this repertoire some more, he could be as scary as someone like Chase Young, who he was able to keep up with in 2019.
8 - Cincinnati Bengals - Alex Leatherwood, OT/OG, Alabama - Parsons and Surtain are tempting here, but when you just drafted a franchise QB #1 overall, protecting him should be priority 1, 2, and 3, especially after how many hits Joe Burrow took to begin the year. The Bengals need line help everywhere, especially on the right side, and Leatherwood is a 4 year starter who can excel at both OT and OG. He should be an immediate upgrade to either Bobby Hart or Trey Hopkins/Alex Redmond/whoever the hell starts at RG for the Bengals and hopefully significantly improve the protection of Burrow.
9 - Carolina Panthers - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State - Miach Parsons is a special linebacker, athletic, versatile, rangy and smart. He’s disruptive everywhere, and his ability to slip blocks and penetrate the offensive line definitely shows his background as a defensive end. Outside of perhaps not being the most consistent run defender, something that's barely an issue, the only flaws are nitpicky. There isnt much else to say about this pick. A year after losing Luke Kuechly, Carolina has their replacement.
10 - Atlanta Falcons - Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama - Pretty easy pick here. Surtain II is an elite cover corner in every way and should be a lock down guy day 1 for whatever team he starts on, which is a boon for the Falcons. With Matt Ryan and Julio Jones both aging and their title window almost nailed shut, Surtain II might be able to pry it open just enough to where the Falcons can go for one last shot at a ring.
11 - Detroit Lions - DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama - There’s been a lot of rumblings about Kenny Golloday’s unhappiness in Detroit, and although I do think they ought to pay him, if they cant come to an agreement and franchise tag him, they’ll likely need a replacement. And thats not even mentioning both Marvin Jones Jr and Danny Amendola are also free agents at the end of this year. That makes WR a pretty big need for the Lions. Enter DeVonta Smith, who’s surpassed his teammate Waddle as the #2 WR on my big board. Any concerns he had last year are all gone now, especially with Waddle out. It’s been the DeVonta showdown at Alabama, punctuated with a 200+ yard 4 TD performance against Mississippi State. Smith has Charmin soft hands and fantastic route running, and most importantly, gets fantastic separation. He’s a bit thin at only 175, but his frame should fill out nicely once he gets to the NFL. Whether he’s the Lions new #1 or a #2, either way he should be an elite weapon for Stafford to play with.
12 - Minnesota Vikings - Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State - The Vikings OL has two possible building blocks of the future in Ezra Cleveland and Brian O’Neil as well as an OK starter in Garrett Bradbury, but that leaves two rather large holes on the offensive line. Dakota Dozier’s a free agent at the end of this year, Cleveland might end up moving to OT, Pat Eiflen hasnt shown much to be excited about and I think the only time Vikings fans want to see Dru Samia on the field is if he’s starting for the opponents. Wyatt Davis is the last of the truly elite prospects in this class, an elite guard prospect who will run over anyone in his way and a plug, play and forget guy from Day 1. Count this pick as killing 3 birds with one stone. Helping Cousins, helping Dalvin Cook and the run game, and protecting whoever the Vikings pick as the QB of the future.
13 - Jacksonville Jaguars (Via New England Patriots via San Francisco 49ers - Sends 1.22, 3.66 for 1.13) - Dillion Radunz, OT, NDSU - After drafting their QBOTF in Justin Fields, the Jaguars now need to protect him. And with so much draft capital on their hands, they part ways with some of it in order to move up and grab the last OT I could consider a possible day 1 starter, OT Dillion Radunz out of NDSU. There are some question marks about athleticism and competition level, but Radunz’s technique is elite, and his toughness is unquestionable. He should be a welcome addition to the Jaguars offensive line, and will provide solid protection for Fields.
14 - Denver Broncos - Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State - From what Ive seen of the Broncos, Drew Lock has shown plenty of promise, and Garrett Bolles has actually been playing at a near elite level all season. That leaves one last problem for the Broncos, their secondary. Bryce Callahan has been fantastic all year and I've heard some praise for Michael Ojemudia, but AJ Bouye has been a disappointment, and that's when he’s on the field. Shaun Wade should be able to be that final piece in the Broncos secondary they need. It was close between Farley and Wade, but with the season the Broncos have had, Wade’s ability to stay on the field was the tiebreaker. Of course, that's only a bonus to Wade’s fantastic coverage ability, especially from the slot, and his run defense reminds me of Trae Waynes’s ability to stop the run at corner. With how complex NFL offenses are now, Wade’s ability to be both a slot and outside corner means he can follow a #1 WR wherever they go, which is surely should help him become an elite CB at the next level.
15 - San Francisco 49ers - Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech - The 49ers have 0 total CBs under contract in 2022. Yes, ZERO. That makes CB a huge huge need for them. Fortunately, Caleb Farley has dropped into their laps. He’s an outstanding press corner, and mirrors opposing receivers so well that he might as well be running their routes. He’s long, physical, and impressively sticky, and should be an elite outside corner for the 49ers. Grabbing Farley would allow for the 49ers to more easily part ways with Sherman or Verrett, as the #1 CB spot should not be an issue for them anymore.
16 - Los Angeles Chargers (Via Chicago Bears) - Creed Humphrey, iOL, Oklahoma - Herbert looks like a franchise QB so far, so the Chargers look to fix the most glaring issue on their team, their offensive line. With plenty of experience in Oklahoma’s zone blocking scheme and having protected both Kyler Murray and Spencer Rattler, Humphrey should slot into the Charger’s ZBS scheme perfectly. Thats not even mentioning his football smarts or his leadership, both of which would be huge boons for the Chargers offense. Humphrey should be a centerpiece in the Chargers offensive line for years to come.
17 - Miami Dolphins (via Cleveland Browns - sends 1.21, 3.87 for 1.17, 4.114) - Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama - How can anyone pass up reuniting Tua and his old college buddy? Of course, Waddle isnt just Tua’s former WR. He’s an explosive receiver who shreds the turf just like his former teammate Henry Ruggs III, a player with a great catch radius and the ability to dart to the holes in coverages, and a great kick/punt returner. Adding a burner like Waddle who can stretch the field should only help Tua, Parker, Williams, and the rest of the Miami offense.
18 - Indianapolis Colts - Jaycee Horn, CB, - Xavier Rhodes has had a resurgence for the Colts, but it's hard to say how long that will last, and there have been issues with the other corners getting torched. Jaycee Horn should help with that problem. A physical aggressive corner who knows how to properly use his size as leverage against opposing WRs, Horn would benefit greatly from Rhodes, and could be a great compliment alongside him as well. You want to see him at his best? Watch his game against Auburn and think of the ceiling.
19 - Philadelphia Eagles - Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia - The Eagles WR situation was looking dire, but thanks to the emergence of second year WR Travis Fulgham, they can look to shore up another issue. The Eagles secondary has been pretty terrible for a few years now, and they need to find a solid answer. Tyson Campbell has been excellent at Georgia. He’s a bit thin at 6-2 185, but possesses outstanding athleticism and has very loose hips as well as great agility, making him an extremely interesting prospect. He is a bit raw and would need some development, but if the Eagles can properly develop him, Campbell can be an island in the NFL.
20 - Arizona Cardinals - Jay Tufele, iDL, USC - The Cardinals passing defense is pretty terrible, and corner is a definite need. However, there’s more ways to improve a passing defense than just adding corners, and Tufele is too much value to pass up here for the Cardinals. Tufele can be a dominant force at 1 or 3T, with his explosiveness and powerful hands, which allows him to be utterly unblockable at times. And adding such an interior force would boost the Cardinals pass rush even more, which could also help improve their defense. If Tufele can become more consistent, there’s no good reason why the Cardinals defensive line can’t become one of the best in the NFL.
21 - Cleveland Browns (Via Miami Dolphins) - Kwity Paye, Michigan, EDGE -Myles Garrett is having a DPOY level season, but once again he’s missing someone disruptive on the opposite side of him. Oliver Vernon is gone soon, and Clayborn is no long term solution. They need to grab the compliment to Garrett, who although is a one-man wrecking ball, is still one man. Kwity Paye is a very strong power rusher who can uses his bull rush well to set the LOS. He’s a tank with fantastic explosiveness and a pretty high ceiling, and his ability to cause problems against the opposing offensive line should be welcome on the Browns defense.
22 - New England Patriots (Via Jacksonville Jaguars via Los Angeles Rams) - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida - TEs and the Patriots, name a more iconic duo. BB cant ignore BPA here any longer, and grabs the stud TE out of Florida in Kyle Pitts. He isnt in the same mold as the traditionally favored type the Patriots like, but he’s at least a willing blocker and can be coached up in that area. More importantly, He’s an extremely versatile weapon in the way that most modern TEs are with fantastic routes, soft hands, a huge catch radius and an excellent understanding of how to beat zone, able to line up all over and cause issues for the opposing defense. With the receiving corps is more barren than the Sahara, especially thanks to some brutal misses at WR Cough N’Keal Harry Cough, Pitts should be a great weapon for BB to play around with, and can carry the mantle of excellent Patriots tight ends that have been held by Gronkowski, Hernandez and Coates.
23 - Las Vegas Raiders - Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia - The Raiders EDGE corps isnt barren the way it was two years ago, but Maxx Crosby hasnt lived up to the hype he had after a stellar rookie season, and although Clelin Ferrell is an elite run defender, he’s nowhere near as good of a pass rusher. They need to add someone who can GET after the QB, and although there are better EDGEs left, I think Ojulari is the best pure pass rusher on the board. He’s got fantastic hand usage and his low center of gravity lets him bend the corner through contact really well. There’s some work to be done on run defense, but Ojulari does give me flashes of Ngakoue at times, and his versatility would allow for Ferrell to slide inside and be a mismatch there. This might be a little high on his currently, but I dont think Ojulari is someone who will end up rising on draft boards in the future
24 - Baltimore Ravens (Via Tennessee Titans - sends 1.27, 4.112 for 1.24) - Trey Smith, OG, Tennessee - With the retirement of Marshall Yanda, the Ravens have had a huge hole at LG that they still haven't been able to fill. And with their offense becoming more and more run heavy due to the addition of JK Dobbins and Lamar Jackson’s rushing abilities, one guy came to mind here. Trey Smith, the OG out of Tennessee, seemed like the natural fit. Smith is an absolute road grader in the run game, absolutely flattening whatever defensive players who are unfortunately enough to get into his way. He’s solid enough in pass protection, but more importantly, his fantastic run blocking paired alongside Orlando Brown Jr should lend itself to an absolutely terrifying run game from the Ravens.
25 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas - The Buccaneers OL was absolutely dominated by the Saints, and Donovan Smith really isnt the answer at LT. osmi is an intriguing prospect with tons of athleticism and excellent smarts, someone who wins via brains and technique rather than pure brawn. With enough practice and proper coaching, Cosmi and Wirfs can be excellent bookends for the Buccaneers in the future.
26 - New York Jets (Via Seattle Seahawks) - Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota - Trevor Lawrence is now in New York, but he needs weapons if they want him to succeed. Denzel Mims is still a prospect, and although Jamison Crowder has been good, I dont think he’s anyone’s idea of a #1 WR. Thats why Ive got New York picking Bateman. Bateman’s a big play machine, someone who not only runs great routes, but gobbles up YAC once he has the ball. He should be a fantastic addition to the Jets offense, as a reliable target for Lawrence, and could build a fantastic rapport with him.
27 - Tennessee Titans (Via Baltimore Ravens) - Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas - The Titans went up against a Bengals Oline that was starting 3rd stringers and recorded 0 sacks. Thats all I need to say about how terrible the Titans pass rush is. Landry is still pretty promising, but at this point Clowney is neither an answer to the pass rush woes nor is he likely staying long term in Tennessee, and Derick Roberson has had 1 good game against a terrible Bears OL. Joseph Ossai could be the answer here, though. A quick trigger pass rusher who has plenty of room for improvement, Ossai presents a tantalizing option for Tennessee as someone who has the ability to become a very dominant pass rusher. He’d be a great fit in the Titans hybrid defense, and could grow into a cornerstone alongside Simmons and Landry on the DL.
28 - Buffalo Bills - Josh Myers, iOL, Ohio State - The Bills have been carried by the brilliance of Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and the pass attack, but the rushing attack has been terrible this year, ranking in the bottom third. Replacing one of their iOL with Josh Myers is a good first step to fixing that issue. Myers is a very mobile iOL who is a great anchor and provides stability in both the pass and run game. He was an integral part of helping JK Dobbins dominate at Ohio State, and would hopefully allow the flagging run game to pick up potency once again, as well as being a stalwart on the line.
29 - Green Bay Packers - Terrace Marshall Jr, WR, LSU - Davante Adams might be the best WR in the league, but there’s a reason why he gets so many targets from Aaron Rodgers. The rest of the Packers WR corps doesnt inspire that much confidence. Not to mention that the talent is too much here to pass up. Marshall has been fantastic at LSU with Chase out - which is more impressive with how bad LSU has been, and he’s got all the physical traits to be an elite WR. He rarely gets caught in press coverage and with his ball skills and frame, excels in contested catch situations. He’ll be a fantastic addition alongside Adams for the Packers offense, as someone who is good enough to be a WR#1 himself, someone who should be a complete mismatch going against CB2s.
30 - Kansas City Chiefs - Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama - The Chiefs overall have been elite once again this year, but there’s one clear flaw in their team, the run defense, which ranks in the bottom 5 in the league. Good thing Dylan Moses is available here. He’s an elite athlete with plenty of range and can hit like a truck. He also knows when to wrap up and is generally a sure tackler, which is a rather underappreciated trait. He does need to improve his ability to diagnose plays and shed blocks, but overall, he’s a force at ILB, and would greatly help out Chiefs ailing run defense.
31 - Carolina Panthers (via New Orleans Saints - sends 2.42, 4.106, 2022 3rd for 1.31) - Kyle Trask, QB, Florida - Teddy Bridgewater is a good stopgap, but the Panthers need a long term solution at QB if they dont want to waste CMC’s career. So, they trade up for Kyle Trask in a move reminiscent of the Ravens trade for Lamar Jackson in 2018 to secure the 5th year option. Trask is still very raw, but he’s been excellent at Florida, and has especially excellent in short routes and RPO plays. He’s also quite good at extending plays, and his ability to manipulate the defense with his eyes is very advanced. With CMC as a safety valve, Trask should be able to be a very nice fit for Joe Brady’s offense, which has excelled with Bridgewater and Burrow, both of whom are very accurate passers the same way Trask is.
32 - Pittsburgh Steelers - Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson - The Steelers dont have a ton of needs, and OT is probably the safest pick here, but James Conner is an FA after this year and there are questions if the Steelers should pay him big money. Travis Etienne is also the best RB in the class and easily BPA here. Etienne is an elite RB, who can break off huge chunks of yardage at a time and rip defenses apart with his burst. He’s also improved his catching ability to where he can be a every down RB. With Pittsburgh still a SB contender for the near future and possibly question marks on James Connor’s future, Etienne seems like a great fit here to both replace Connor’s production and keep Pittsburgh in title contention for the near future.

INTRODUCTION:
Hello all and happy holidays!
I finally got around to making my first in depth one round mock draft of the year based solely on my own personal scouting. To be clear about what this is, I am making picks for each team based on what I think of players, and not what will actually happen in the draft or what the consensus on a player is. My end goal in making these is always to match closely to what a redraft would look like in five years, rather than what the board will look like on draft night. I will undoubtedly be wrong about a lot of these picks.
MOCK DRAFT AND WRITE-UPS:
1st Overall - Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence - Clemson - QB
The Rams send not only an extra 1st to Duval, but now the first overall pick. Lawrence boasts not only ideal frame, arm strength, and accuracy, but most notably a quick recognition and ability to distribute the ball quickly and accurately. Given adequate weapons, Lawrence will elevate the play of the offensive line as soon as his first year, and show elite talent to methodically matriculate the ball as well as threaten defenses with the deep passing game. The Jaguars get an elite day 1 starter with all-time great potential. An easy pick.
2nd Overall - New York Jets - Justin Fields - Ohio State - QB
With Lawrence now off the table, the decision to move on from Darnold is slightly less obvious. For a rebuilding club, there are many options available at the second overall pick that would make a lot of sense, but as the Jets GM I still elect to grab my franchise quarterback. Fields may be raw, but the talent he possesses won’t be found in many other prospects, in this draft or subsequent classes. His elite combination of arm strength and accuracy alone is one of the most reliable traits when projecting to the next level, and his top tier athleticism and escapability will go a long way in masking his deficiencies between the ears. If the past 5 drafts have shown us anything, is that quarterbacks with Fields’ talent can be developed and thrive in the NFL, and success at the next level can often rely more on the situation they are put in. With a boatload of picks in the next two drafts and an inevitable coaching change, Fields can certainly be a star quarterback for the Jets.
3rd Overall - Cincinnati Bengals - Penei Sewell - Oregon - OT
After the Burrow injury, all eyes in Cincinnati turned towards the draft, and more specifically one name: Penei Sewell. At this point, no one questions the fit, and arguably the best player available fits a desperate need. Sewell already boasts NFL ready technique in a hulking 6’6” 330 pound frame. His footwork is clean and quick, his grip is nearly inescapable when he gets a hold on defenders, and he moves bodies with ease in the run game. With Jonah Williams continuously fighting injury on top of the already apparent need on the line, the Bengals can’t pass on Sewell. Burrow gets his protector and Cincy possibly sees the second coming of Anthony Munoz.
4th Overall - Carolina Panthers - Caleb Farley - Virginia Tech - CB
With the departure of James Bradberry in the offseason, cornerback became a dire need for the Panthers. Luckily, in a strong corner class, Caleb Farley can help assuage the Panthers’ secondary woes and help Matt Rhule along in his defensive rebuild. Farley not only projects as a lockdown corner at the next level, but possesses the top tier athleticism, awareness, and ball skills to potentially be the NFL’s next great ballhawk. Farley’s footwork is a little rough around the edges, but strong overall, using his leverages and fluid hips to stay in his receivers’ pocket through the route. In zone coverage, he is aggressive and instinctive, where he can often be burned, but more often make a strong play on the ball and break up passes. However, where he justifies the fourth overall pick, is in his closing speed and ball skills. Once the ball is in the air, Farley shows the ability to close separation in an instant, and turn himself into the receiver without taking penalties. For the Panthers, Farley’s floor is interesting, but his ceiling is higher than almost anyone since Jalen Ramsey. Carolina not only gets a steady corner, but potentially a complete game changer at one of the most important positions in football.
5th Overall - Atlanta Falcons - Patrick Surtain II - Alabama - CB
The Falcons find themselves once again in the no man's land of the NFL this year: not fully rebuilding, not coming close to contending. As such, there are many directions the Falcons could go with the fifth overall pick. I won’t mince words, I have hated the Falcons drafting over the last few seasons, and they routinely take the players I think are overrated. So despite having drafted a few cornerbacks in recent years, I think it’s still enough a need to address again this year. Patrick Surtain II is a very different prospect from Farley, relying mainly on his veteran level intelligence and polish to lock down some of the best receivers in college. Surtain’s excellent use of leverage, as well as strong hand technique and avoidance of wasted steps allows him to stay perfectly in phase from the line of scrimmage and use his length and athleticism to break up passes. Like Okudah in last year’s draft, it may take him a year or so to learn the tendencies of NFL receivers, but Surtain projects to be a strong CB1 with elite upside in a league where top tier corners are becoming more and more valuable.
6th Overall - Miami Dolphins (via Houston) - Devonta Smith - Alabama - WR
The Dolphins are building a deep, fundamentally sound team in South Beach, and with a gifted top 10 pick from Houston they are primed to address their biggest remaining need: talent on offense. Luckily, my top wide receiver, Devonta Smith, is nothing but talent. Smith is one of the smartest route runners coming out of the draft in a long, long time, he has some of the best hands since Odell, and has more than enough speed to outrun the leagues top corners when he needs to. Additionally, after the catch, he is a threat to take any slant or screen to the house. All reports are that he is humble, dedicated, and intelligent and should be a strong interview for any team considering him. Frame is the only concern for Smith, with some worry about durability at the next level, but I refuse to pass on a talent like this. Devonta Smith honestly might be the best prospect in the class, and recreating the Tua/Smith connection is too good to pass up.
7th Overall - Philadelphia Eagles - Micah Parsons - Penn State - ILB
The Eagles don’t often place a high importance on the linebacker position, and would more likely take a receiver or corner with this pick, but to me Parsons has fallen too far for the Eagles to pass on. Parsons falls into the mould of ‘freak athlete’ that always entices NFL scouts, but where he differs from past top linebackers is between the ears in his play recognition. Parsons routinely is able to sniff out play calls from a mile away and use his explosiveness and fluidity to rip through offenses for TFL’s and PBU’s. He has stopping power in the downhill run game, and the ability to quickly navigate traffic east and west to make a play. In coverage, he is intelligent reading the quarterback’s eyes, and can break on the ball quickly. I don’t think I’m getting carried away by saying Parsons is the best linebacker prospect since Wagner and Keuchely, and is the kind of guy you build your defensive system around. It may not be the most pressing need for Philadelphia, but it's a fit you aren’t going to get anywhere else in any draft, so you take it if it’s there.
8th Overall - Dallas Cowboys - Jaycee Horn - South Carolina - CB
And here goes the final of my top cornerbacks, and not a moment too soon. The Cowboys secondary was hurting bad before Byron Jones left, and now they are left with next to nothing. Jaycee Horn isn’t as sure a prospect as Farley or Surtain, but no doubt has as high a ceiling and maybe higher. Horn is a physical, fluid corner that can frustrate a receivers gameplan and routinely keep the game in front of him. His footwork could be refined, as he can take some false steps, but he makes up for it with fantastic hand usage to jam at the line. When he is at his best technically, he can lean on his size and athleticism to make plays on the ball and create a few turnovers in the process. A top 10 selection may be a slight reach, as I have a top 15 grade on him, but for a team with this big a need at the position, Horn is well worth the pick.
9th Overall - Los Angeles Chargers - Jalen Mayfield - Michigan - OT
This may be my first big hot take of the mock, with many mocking Mayfield as low as the second round but to me Mayfield is the Jedrick Wills of this class; a fitting comparison as Wills was similarly given a second round grade for much of the 2019 season. Mayfield is a true technician at the right tackle spot, with near flawless footwork, a strong base, and reliable hands. In pass protection, Mayfield has an extremely high floor, and is almost guaranteed to be a quality starter. In the run game, he lacks the ability to truly move players off their spot, but makes up for it with great technique to wall defenders off and speed getting to his spots and stealing leverage. The Chargers need to rebuild their line for Herbert, and Mayfield would be a very reliable anchor at either tackle spot even in year one. In no way does this completely fix their line, but this pick is a very strong start for a team that really can’t afford to not address the need.
10th Overall - New York Giants - Ja’marr Chase - LSU - WR
Despite opting out of the season, Chase remains one of the top receivers in the class, and in strong contention for the top receiver spot. His route running is already elite, and packaged with a big frame and jump ball ability Chase has likely the highest floor of any receiver in the past few drafts. His speed doesn’t impress on its own, but Chase is already a master at tailoring his routes to the technique and leverage of DB’s to generate separation. With Saquon set to return in 2021 and the offensive line steadily improving, the Giants need a go-to target to take the top off of defenses and take pressure off of Saquon and Daniel. Chase is a great fit in that role, as he can just as easily find separation underneath as he can haul in fifty-fifty balls on deep throws.
11th Overall - Detroit Lions - Patrick Jones II - Pittsburgh - EDGE
The 2021 EDGE class lacks the true top 10 talent that past drafts had, but there are a few interesting names to watch between the first and second rounds. To me, however, there is none with the upside of Patrick Jones II. For many this pick is a reach, I understand, but Jones’ combination of speed, strength, length, motor, and bend is too rare to pass up for a team like the Lions that needs a game-changer. Jones leans heavily on the bull rush, a skill that doesn’t always translate to the next level, but his raw power to move big tackles inspires confidence that even NFL tackles will have a difficult time anchoring down. But what’s underrated about his game to me is the flashes of diversity and intelligence he shows in rushing the passer. The more you watch Patrick Jones the more you see well executed rip moves, spins, and more generally the ability to attack with a plan and execute at a high level. When tackles adjust to his bull rush, he starts to attack the outside with speed. When tackles adjust to his speed, he counters inside. If all else fails, he pulls out his length and bend to dip even farther around the corner. Is he a polished prospect? Not even close. But he is absolutely relentless rushing the passer, and possesses every raw tool you could ask for on a wishlist. He shows more than enough technical polish to inspire confidence that he can improve, and the ceiling to be a true game changing pass rusher is certainly there.
12th Overall - San Francisco 49ers - Creed Humphrey - Oklahoma - iOL
Ok, I know mocking a quarterback at the very next pick is probably not what 49ers fans want to see. I understand. However, this pick to me does two things: takes the best player available and strengthens a strength, which to me is not a bad thing at all. Whether at guard or center, Humphrey shows elite strength, speed, and awareness in all facets of the game. In pass protection, he has the awareness to find the right work when uncovered and the anchor, strength, and footwork to fortify pocket integrity when covered. In the run game, he can get to his spot very quickly, steal leverages, and move bodies as he pleases. He can pull with the best of them and get to the second level to break big runs. I was so, so close to mocking a quarterback here, but Humphrey is too good to pass up. A true quarterback of the offensive line, a game changer in the run game, and an overall stud. No matter who is at quarterback, Shanahan’s run game is the team’s identity and the star of the show. I’ll reluctantly run it back with Jimmy G for a year and know that my offensive line is set to do what the 49ers do best for the foreseeable future.
13th Overall - Denver Broncos - Kyle Trask - Florida - QB
You know, I don’t hate Drew Lock. Maybe, just maybe, he has a big year in him next season. But when looking at the Broncos needs moving forward, I am pretty high on the team they have put together on paper. A solid offensive line, a ton of weapons, good defensive line (when healthy), some playmakers in the secondary. I think with a healthy season and a reliable quarterback they can be a lot closer to a playoff team than many think. Enter Kyle Trask. Often being lost in the weeds with other intriguing prospects in this class, I think Trask possesses two skills that set him above the rest: accuracy when mechanics fail and throwing with anticipation. After the top two quarterbacks in this class, no one really has great mechanics and Trask is no exception. Trask has a very bad habit of not setting his feet under pressure, often bringing his left foot back and throwing from a standing position falling away. But unlike other prospects, Trask still somehow manages to throw on target and with anticipation anyways. He can throw basically all with his arm and still drop a dime downfield to a streaking receiver. Additionally, without pressure in his face, Trask maintains a very solid base, and shows very solid mechanics all around. He can read defenses very well and throw his players open in a way few in this class can, and has shown production against the highest levels of competition. He may never be a dynamic quarterback, but he is more than capable of being what Tannehill has been for the Titans, and with the weapons Denver possesses, that could be more than enough to revive this offense.
14th Overall - Minnesota Vikings - Alijah Vera-Tucker - USC - OG
One of my favorite prospects in the class, Vera-Tucker really is the complete package at guard. A fantastic blend of technical mastery and athletic talent projects the USC guard as a plug and play impact starter at the next level. You will rarely find a snap where Vera-Tucker doesn’t show an exceptional base and footwork, a strong punch, and leg drive to move bodies in the run game. He is equally as quick as he is strong, and can easily play the zone running scheme that Minnesota often leans on to generate offense. The Vikings have succeeded for years despite poor offensive line play, and additions such as Vera-Tucker really could be the missing pieces to helping them graduate to true contender status. The skill is there offensively for Minnesota, but a great offensive line could unlock something even more.
15th Overall - New England Patriots - Tamorrion Terry - Florida State - WR
How many times are we going to let receivers with this kind of talent fall to the second round? There were concerns over Metcalf’s route running, there were concerns over Claypool’s route running, and now there are similar concerns about Terry. As a route runner he is raw without a doubt, doesn’t know how to manipulate leverages yet, or set up defenders at the line of scrimmage. But like the aforementioned second round receivers, Terry can do one thing very few receivers can: consistently win with athleticism. Terry is a 6’4” speed demon with a long reach and stellar vertical. Additionally, he is a very fluid athlete with shifty lateral quickness to win on routes and create after the catch. He wins foot races against speedy corners just as easily as he goes over big corners for fifty-fifty balls. Terry will never be Metcalf, but he is a true playmaker that projects very well to the modern NFL. The Patriots need talent on offense very badly, and while in his rookie year Terry may or may not not have someone to throw him the ball, once New England does find their quarterback of the future, Terry will quickly become his favorite target.
16th Overall - Chicago Bears - Liam Eichenberg - Notre Dame - OT
It’s true that the Bears have a strong need at the quarterback positions, but without a player I’m confident in taking here I feel very good about addressing another dire need on the offensive line. For all of Nagy’s faults, it’s hard to generate offense without an offensive line, and the Bears line has been underwhelming for quite a while. Eichenberg boasts a high floor and clear ability to play either tackle positions on day one. He isn’t the athlete that many look for at the position, but he more than makes up for it with strong fundamentals and plenty of experience. Eichenberg’s strong footwork is fully on display against the interior pass rush, where he stout, and can casually ride defenders around the outside to allow his quarterback to step up in the pocket. You won’t see many pancakes in the run game, but a strong base and core strength allow him to wall off defenders and create lanes for his running back on a consistent basis. A sure pass protector and a solid run blocker, Eichenberg is a very strong, albeit unexciting pick for a Bears club that desperately needs an unexciting player to help the entire offense elevate its game.
17th Overall - Las Vegas Raiders - Marvin Wilson - Florida State - DT
The first year in Las Vegas has been a bit of a roller coaster for the team, often looking like contenders then subsequently making the Jets look competent. Ultimately, it seems Gruden is building something good for the black and silver and really the team should just stay the course and keep building the same way they have been. When it comes to the defensive line, Wilson is exactly what the doctor ordered. He possesses rare speed and burst for a man his size, and impresses with a handful of well executed pass rushing moves to create pressure from the interior. Quick off the ball, Wilson can eat one on one matchups for breakfast in a myriad of ways. His use of hands allows him to capitalize on his athletic advantage and put himself in a position to either bull rush defenders or open the door to the outside and win on leverage. He could improve his approach to double teams, as he often fails to get low enough to anchor down, but there is no doubt he has the tools to succeed when doubled. WIlson can take a lot of the pressure off of Las Vegas’ young edge rushers, and generate coveted pressure from the interior that can disrupt even the most mobile quarterbacks.
18th Overall - Baltimore Ravens - Wyatt Davis - Ohio State - OG
With the retirement of Marshall Yanda, guard has become a significant hole on what is otherwise a stout group on the offensive line. The Ravens offense relies heavily on putting defenders in conflict using Lamar Jackson’s dual threat abilities and the speed of the weapons around him. To me, even more than their other needs, the Ravens need to re-establish a dominant run game to take pressure off of Lamar and the best way to address this need is to draft a powerful, stout guard in Wyatt Davis. Davis pops off the tape with strength and ability to anchor in pass protection and move bodies in the run game. He is very quick to perform difficult reach blocks and steal leverage away from defenders to create holes in the run game. In the run game his footwork is top tier, and he shows the tenacity to be a plus blocker at the next level. My only small concern with him is his footwork in pass protection, where he sometimes swings his outside foot back and allows defenders to ‘open the door’ on him, but this isn’t a significant issue that will show up often on tape. Overall, Davis would be a key piece in establishing a run game in Baltimore to allow Harbaugh to run his option heavy offense off of and give Lamar all the tools he needs to get back to MVP form.
19th Overall - Washington Football Team - Terrace Marshall Jr. - LSU - WR
Marshall unfortunately spent most of his career at LSU behind Chase and Jefferson, the latter of whom is already dominating the NFL as a rookie, but early in the season Marshall proved that he himself is a top receiver prospect serving as the WR1 for a rebuilding LSU squad. In his short 2020 stint, he showed top tier route running, very solid hands, and good use of his large frame to box out defenders. Ultimately, Marshall should project as a similar player to someone like Allen Robinson. He will routinely win on route running alone, despite lacking elite athleticism at the position, and will come down with the majority of the fifty-fifty balls thrown his way. For a Washington club that struggles passing to anyone not named Terry McLauren, Marshall is a perfect fit as a very good ‘X’ receiver to compliment McLauren’s speed and quickness. He should be a red-zone machine, as well as a very dependable target to move the chains. WFT gets a great player at a major need, who would likely be gone at pick 19 in most draft classes.
20th Overall - Arizona Cardinals - Deommodore Lenoir - Oregon - CB
The Cardinals have all the pieces of a team with a great future, starting with the head coach and quarterback, but with Patrick Peterson showing signs of aging and no good options opposite him, outside cornerback has become a serious position of need. Enter the oft underrated Deommodore Lenoir. As an athlete, Lenoir boasts everything you could want in a corner except size. He is a speedy and fluid athlete and shows the strength and willingness to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. Lenoir’s game is characterized by his aggressive approach, choosing to attack defenders rather than play passively and showing the athleticism and ball skills to attack passes in the air. Technically, Lenoir shows solid, but improvable footwork to stay in phase with defenders man to man, and good instincts and vision in zone to stay on his assignments and break up passes. If you draft Lenoir, you are drafting the athlete more so than the player, but by no means is Lenoir a raw corner. The Cardinals get a great athlete with solid fundamentals that can develop and become a good complement to Peterson and Murphy, and may eventually be able to truly step into the CB1 role.
21st Overall - Miami Dolphins - C.J. Verdell - Oregon - RB
My hottest take of the draft by far. I don’t think I’ve heard much buzz about Verdell as a top running back, but to me I see all the tools to be an elite back at the NFL level. On tape, the most impressive trait Verdell flashes is his top tier burst and explosiveness. When C.J. decides to hit a hole, he is through it in an instant. A true slasher, Verdell can make one cut and take any play to the house even against some of the fastest, most stout defenses. He may not be the strongest back outright, but moving at top speed he is a sledge hammer between the tackles, and can navigate through traffic to find space and fall forwards for extra yards. As far as vision, Verdell shows both good and bad on tape. As a downhill runner, Verdell can often get tunnel vision and miss open opportunities to bounce runs outside. This may improve with NFL coaching, as Oregon runs a very downhill rushing attack, but it is still a concern going into the draft. But, conversely, within the rushing scheme, C.J. shows very quick recognition of run fits to find the open lane almost instantly, hitting it at top speed with his eyes up to make an extra cut. The ceiling for a back like Verdell is very, very high and his athleticism alone makes him a solid bet to translate to the next level. He reminds me a lot of a young Dalvin Cook: an explosive one-cut slasher with home run ability. If he can put on a little extra muscle and improve his shiftiness in space, Verdell might be the steal of the draft. The Dolphins need elite talent to surround Tua with, and Verdell very well might fit the bill to a tee.
22nd Overall - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Rashawn Slater - Northwestern - OT
The Buccaneers look like one of the most complete rosters in the NFL in 2020, with talent at nearly every position group, but the offensive line remains a work in progress. Wirfs has been very impressive at right tackle in his rookie campaign, but improvement at left tackle and the guards positions would go a long way in helping Brady and/or his successor mount a superbowl run. Rashawn Slater enters the draft as a strong, technically sound tackle prospect that should find immediate success in the NFL just as Wirfs has on the other side. His footwork is extremely polished already: playing angles perfectly, quick to adjust to changes in direction, always in a position to get his hands on a defender and ride them outside around the pocket. hands. In the run game, Slater is ‘sticky’ and can control his defenders with a wide base and a great punch. His intelligence knowing leverages and blocking angles allows him to wall off defenders and create running lanes, even if he doesn’t move people off their spot. He shows above average awareness in pass protection, recognizing stunts and twists quickly and powering down his feet to brace for the twisting defender. Slater should be another plug and play tackle in a strong and deep tackle class.
23rd Overall - Indianapolis Colts - Chris Olave - Ohio State - WR
With T.Y. Hilton having a resurgence the last few weeks, I was tempted to change this pick, but at 31 with injury history, I’m not sure Hilton’s play prevents me from drafting a guy like Olave. Much like former Ohio State receiver Terry McLauren, Olave shows very good route running and superior athleticism that projects him as a dynamic receiver at the next level. He isn’t a technical machine that many expect of ‘good’ route runners, but Olave shows exceptional awareness of leverages, defensive schemes, and techniques that allows him to tailor routes to the defense he sees in front of him. He always seems to know exactly what he should be doing and where he should be going to get separation and give his quarterback a window to throw into. He uses his speed to generate big plays down the field, his awareness projects him as a good red zone and third down threat, and his hands are reliable enough to gain the trust of a veteran quarterback like Rivers. Olave would be a great complement next to the big bodied Pittman, and he brings a lot of the awareness that made Hilton such a great receiver in his prime.
24th Overall - Cleveland Browns - Kwity Paye - Michigan - EDGE
How long have the Browns been looking for a long term answer opposite Myles Garrett? Kwity Paye projects as a quick, technical edge rusher that can capitalize on one-on-one matchups created by Garrett’s presence. At 6’4” with decently long arms, Paye has the length to play against the NFL’s top tackles, despite looking a bit smaller on tape. The most impressive aspect of Paye’s game to me is his hand-usage, which is very active and technically sound. Tackles routinely struggle to get their hands on him, which allows him to use his speed to take the outside shoulder and get a hand on the quarterback. He is patient and efficient on stunts, once again using speed and motor to find open space and generate pressure. In the run game, he is once again disruptive when he can get penetration, but often lacks the strength to compete with well executed tackle play. Opposite Myles Garrett, Paye should be able to generate enough pressure to make life easy for a young and sometimes porous Cleveland secondary and maybe even take pressure off of Garrett himself and allow him to be even more dominant. I don’t expect Paye to ever be an elite rusher, but he has a high floor to be a disruptive presence at the end position, and a much needed partner in crime to the former 1st overall pick.
25th Overall - Jacksonville Jaguars (via LA Rams) - Pat Freiermuth - Penn State - TE
In a very good tight end class, with some elite, elite athleticism, I opt to go with what I believe are more translatable traits in Pat Freiermuth, namely intelligence and blocking. Freiermuth is far from the flashiest tight end in this class, but his awareness of both offensive and defensive scheme is second to none in this class or any of the previous classes in recent memory. As a route runner, Freiermuth is an expert manipulating leverage a la Travis Kelce to be the reliable safety valve for his quarterback. He can create separation down the field as well with strong, subtle route running and excellent use of his large frame. He is an extremely reliable red zone threat, routinely finding open space in zone and boxing out defenders to make tight catches. In the run game, he isn’t elite technically, but his awareness of blocking schemes allows him to be in the perfect place at the right time on trap blocks and getting to the second level. He is a true three down tight end that won’t tip your hand to the defense about your play call. More so than any prospect in recent classes, Freiermuth has all the tools necessary to fall into the mould of a Kelce or Witten. Nothing too flashy, but elite at doing their jobs. Lawrence to Freiermuth has some chance of becoming the next Mahomes to Kelce. There is a very, very good argument for placing different tight end at this spot, or another player at a different position of need for Jacksonville, but I can’t shake the feeling Freiermuth is going to be special.
26th Overall - New York Jets (via Seattle) - Najee Harris - Alabama - RB
I know he is only the second running back on my board, and I know the Jets probably need help elsewhere more than at running back, but I am in love with Najee Harris as a prospect. There just isn’t anything he isn’t great at. His vision is exceptional, with both good immediate play recognition and great patience to follow his blocks to generate an even bigger play. His balance and agility are elite, shedding and side stepping tackles with apparent ease. Harris is just as powerful between the tackles as he is quick in bouncing outside, with no wasted motion in either facet of his game. He is a strong receiving option as well, with sure hands and solid route running/awareness. The Jets will have an opportunity to grab another player shortly with their high second round pick, so I feel good grabbing the best player on the board. Harris will do a ton to make the offensive line better in the run game, and additionally take pressure off of Fields so defenses can’t tee off on the passing game. The dynamic of Harris and Fields in both the rushing attack and the passing game would make me feel a lot better about the future of the Jets offense, and maybe take some of the sting away from missing out on Lawrence.
27th Overall - Tennessee Titans - Gregory Rousseau - Miami - EDGE
I’ll be honest, I never understood the top 10 hype for Rousseau, but for a team that is desperate for help rushing the passer, I am more than willing to take a chance on his physical traits. Rousseau most notably possesses ideal length for the position at 6’7” with long arms to compete with NFL caliber tackles. Rousseau boasts natural, functional strength with a very powerful bull rush, and similarly anchors down well in the run game. He is moderately quick for his size, and while he won’t be a significant speed threat outside at the next level, has enough speed to keep tackles guessing. Where Rousseau doesn’t stack up to other rushers in this class is in his technique and awareness, where he shows a one track mind on tape. Outside of his bull rush, Rousseau rarely rushes with a plan, often leaning too heavily on his strength and frame to win reps outright. His hands are often very passive and unrefined, where he often fails to keep punches off his chest. Rousseau needs to develop consistent technique, build some flexibility, and maybe an inside move to diversify his attack before he can be an impact player at the next level, but the tools are there. The Titans get a stout run defender in the short term who may be able to generate pressure and a handful of sacks on talent alone. With some coaching, however, Rousseau has more than enough upside to be a plus pass rusher.
28th Overall - Pittsburgh Steelers - Christian Darrisaw - Virginia Tech - OT
With Big Ben’s recent play, a quarterback would make a lot of sense here. However, I opt instead to deal with a once great offensive line that needs a few pieces to return to former glory. Darrisaw would slot in very nicely at right tackle next to the aging Villanueva, and could potentially be a replacement at left tackle in the future. Darrisaw stands at 6’5” 313 lbs, and uses all of his frame to play with power and stability. While his feet can be choppy, his functional strength makes it tough for defenders to move him even when they get an extra step on him. His grip, when his punches land, is difficult to break, allowing Darrisaw to maintain control even when he has lost some leverage. In this run game, he could still use refinement technically, especially with his hands, but he shows flashes of being a true people mover with ‘pancaking’ upside. Again, there is some concern about his speed fighting off outside moves, but his strength alone is worth developing, and with even slightly more fluid footwork he could be a stalwart tackle in this league for many years. The Steelers need to improve their run game to take pressure off of Ben and the receiving core, and the future at the tackle position needs to be addressed. Darrisaw shows the upside on tape to help with both issues.
29th Overall - New Orleans Saints - Andre Cisco - Syracuse - S
Arguably the most complete roster in the league, New Orleans more or less has the freedom to take the best player available, depending on what you think of Hill and Winston as potential Brees replacements. To me, Cisco is one of the best ‘under the radar’ players in this class for his high end awareness playing a ‘robber’ type strong safety role. Despite versatility to play free safety as well, Cisco shows elite talent at reading the eyes of the quarterback, diagnosing play calls, and breaking on routes for PBU’s and interceptions. He is likely one of the hardest hitters in this class, and can knock balls loose over the middle with clean contact after the catch. As a free safety, he shows similar awareness playing the true center field role, and has decent speed to play sideline to sideline, but will likely have a lot more success playing the role that Vonn Bell played before leaving for the Cincinnati. Cisco is a ‘do it all’ safety with elite intelligence and closing speed to be a ball hawk and bruiser in the New Orleans secondary. The Saints defense is rolling already, but Cisco has the potential to do what Minkah Fitzpatrick did for the Steelers and elevate the play of everyone around him. If the offense can just do enough with Kamara and Thomas, this defense can carry them to Payton’s second superbowl with the club.
30th Overall - Buffalo Bills - Asante Samuel Jr. - Florida State - CB
Samuel Jr. isn’t the flashiest pick at the cornerback position, but for a team ready to compete and a defense having a bit of a down year, a high foor pick like Asante may be just what the team needs. Opposite an All-Pro in Tre White, Samuel is more than capable of being a very reliable, intelligent CB2 from day one. His footwork and fluidity are top tier coming out of college and easily NFL caliber already, which is unsurprising given his NFL pedigree. Samuel is quick recognizing routes, and is not easily fooled by double moves or trickery at the line of scrimmage. With the ball in the air, Samuel is a dynamic athlete who can make plays on the ball and close on receivers quickly to break up passes. There isn’t really much more to say about Samuel. Arguably one of the safest picks in the draft, you know you are getting an NFL caliber corner who won’t be beat easily and will chime in with enough PBU’s and turnovers to make this pick more than worthwhile. Really a perfect pick for where the Bills are right now.
31st Overall - Green Bay Packers - Amon-Ra St. Brown - USC - WR
Reuniting the St. Brown brothers, the Packers get easily the best receiver in the family tree. While only 6’1”, St. Brown plays bigger than his frame, but also possesses the speed and route running to be a dynamic threat down the field and in open space. With very sure hands and a large catch radius, St. Brown will quickly gain the trust of Rodgers (or Love potentially) and become the ‘go-to’ second option in Green Bay overnight. His route running is very crisp and nuanced, and he shows great ability to set up defenders and move them away from his eventual route. After the catch, St. Brown is quick and hard to tackle, demonstrating very solid yards after the catch ability in the screen or jet sweep game. Although I’m not sure his big play ability will translate quite as well due to his relative lack of speed, Amon-Ra St. Brown will undoubtedly be a reliable target at the next level in the short and intermediate game, and has enough speed and ball skills to come down with a few deep shots at the NFL level. Adams and MVS have proven to be a very solid tandem in Green Bay, but the addition of St. Brown adds an extra element to the receiving room, and when you have a quarterback like Rodgers, there is absolutely no such thing as too many weapons.
32nd Overall - Kansas City Chiefs - Rashod Bateman - Minnesota - WR
Many may scoff at the idea of the Chiefs taking a receiver in the first round; after all, they already have the best skill position group in all of football. If anything, that to me proves why the Chiefs should continue investing in weapons for Mahomes: it works! With Watkins likely gone in the offseason, the Chiefs need another reliable, possession receiver to make plays over the middle and move the chains. We’ve seen over the last three years that this formula with Tyreek, Kelce and Watkins isn’t just a contender, but a champion. Bateman brings fluid route running and fantastic hands to the Chiefs, and will haul in any pass regardless of accuracy and separation. Speed is a bit of a limiting factor when it comes to his production, but his athleticism with the ball in the air, and creativeness after the catch make him an ideal fit for what Kansas City needs. Bateman can be yet another red zone threat for the Chiefs, who are already elite at finishing drives, and can put defenses in even more of a bind wondering “how are the Chiefs going to score on us this time?”. Bateman is built to be an ‘X’ receiver, and has the skill to not only fill Watkins’ shoes, but maybe become an even better possession receiver overall, with less of the downfield threat. There is nothing wrong with strengthening your teams’ strengths, especially when that strength is winning you superbowls. Continue to invest in Mahomes, and Kansas City will continue to be a city of champions. It’s that simple.

I know the initial response to hearing someone say something that you have invested a lot of time into "isn't hard" is to be mad, but please understand that part of the game's enjoyment is how easy it is to get into and I think its wrong to try to act like the game is something it never was.
I know there's nuance to it, I know some decks/game modes are harder to play than others and we should value "overall winrate" over a specific match, true skill will show itself over time.
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But I hear so many people talk about the game as if it is supposed to be some complex chess game where only truly insightful people could even begin to understand the in's and outs of each match.
You're limited on what cards are available to you at any given time, you're limited on what resources you can use to actually PLAY those cards, and then you're limited based on what your opponent has available to them as well.
It is a game, you do have to be aware and make decisions - but lets not act like it requires some quantum computer to figure out how many different ways you can play with a limited number of cards in your hand. A majority of plays usually amount to -> Do you have a proven meta deck? Do you have mana to do what that deck is best at?
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I think this game is best when it is looked at as a casual game that you can play on the go - not some testing esport that values the most dedicated and skillful players. It's a phone game, and a "freemium" one at that.
Just because an esports exists around the game - doesn't mean the game is skillful, it just means that the game makes money. Esports are still an advertising tool, not a full-fledged mainstream sport (hopefully we can get there someday, but we're definitely not there yet).
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I hear so many complaints about how this game is pay to win and rewards randomness and yeah - it does, it always has - its a card game and the dusting ratio has always been egregious. That's why you shouldn't get too invested in it - that's why you should just accept it for what it is to keep it from being too time consuming. Its there to make money, its not there to reward your skill.
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I guess a good analogy would be - if I was in Las Vegas, I would stop by a slot machine (because its part of the experience) , but I wouldn't spend the whole day at the slot machine. I wouldn't think that I was going to become rich if I spent more time at the machine - I know the damn machine is there to make money off ME. It's just fun to spend a little bit of time when it makes sense.
There's still enjoyment in playing - it is fun, and you can do really crazy things in game sometimes, but balance/fairness or the price has never been in the customer's favor. This game is in the same market as Candy Crush and Fortnite, enjoy it for what it is - but don't think that it is anything its not.