GOLDY HAPPENS MOCK 4.0

1 WEEK TO GO!

Earlier this week I did my 1st “what if the Cards did trade down” mock which can be viewed here. I’m buying the Giants, Broncos and Vikings pursuit to trade up and grab a QB. A good rookie contract QB is a game changer, and if teams believe there’s 4-5 franchise QB’s in this draft, you have to trade up for it.

ROUND 1 (TLDR)

1 - Bears - Caleb Williams - QB - USC

2- Commanders - Jayden Daniels - QB - LSU

Jayden Daniels is going to be a massive bust. After 3 okay seasons at ASU, Jayden Daniels went Kenny Pickett mode and found his groove year 4 & 5 with future star NFL WR’s Malik Nabers & Brian Thomas Jr (Kenny Pickett has Jordan Addison). Daniels lacks pocket presence plus he’s too small and lean.

This is the Washington Commanders, and they may not want to draft another UNC QB after Sam Howell. For the record I have the QB’s 1) Caleb 2) Maye 3) McCarthy 4) Nix 5) Penix 6) Daniels. Penix is a gamer, similar small build to Daniels but I think Penix throws a better ball and has far better feel in the pocket. I got Nix 4 because he’s got the same career path as Daniels BUT the tools and size are better.

Coming off a Heisman trophy, Jayden Daniels may be joining Kliff Kingsbury in DC…. woof.

3- Patriots - Drake Maye - QB - UNC

If Drake Maye falls to 3, they should pop champagne and throw a parade the following day. Drake Maye has the size and athleticism to be a Justin Herbert type QB, granted the Patriots are going to have to completely rebuild the offense around Maye.

-TRADE- AZ 1-4 to MIN for 1-11, 1-23, ‘25 1st & ‘25 3rd-

4- Vikings - JJ McCarthy - QB - Michigan

There could be a huge bidding war for this pick between the Giants, Broncos & Vikings. The Chargers will be trying to move down too, but the Cardinals guarantee you’ll get a top 4 QB. The Vikings traded up their 2nd round pick early in the offseason, and you have to assume they did it to trade up. I could see Kevin O’Connell falling in love with JJ McCarthy and the Vikings have more trade capital than the Broncos. As for the haul, they’re going to ask for the Trey Lance package (3 1’s and a 3rd) and the Vikings can give it.

5- Chargers - Marvin Harrison Jr - WR - Ohio State

I think Harbaugh wants Joe Alt so they can rebuild the trenches and get that physical Jim Harbaugh style formed. BUT, they need to throw Justin Herbert a bone. With Keenan Allen trade, Mike Williams cut and Quentin Johnson having a disastrous rookie year, Marvin Harrison Jr can be their #1 today and allow the Chargers to ignore the WR position early in drafts for the next half decade.

6- Giants - Malik Nabers - WR - LSU

Take note from the LSU OBJ pick and take a new LSU WR in Malik Nabers here. The Giants desperately need talent on offense and I think MHJ, Nabers and Rome are all going to be elite #1 WR’s in the NFL.

7- Titans - Joe Alt - OT - Notre Dame

The Titans offensive line is in shambles, easily the worst in the NFL. Alt’s my #1 o-lineman, 6’8 monster.

-TRADE- ATL 1-8 to ARI for 1-11 & ‘25 3rd-

8- Cardinals - Rome Odunze - WR - Washington

The Monti… trade down, gain some 1’s, and trade back up for the guy you wanted all along. I think the Cardinals will love any of the top 3 WR’s, and this trade means they gain 1-23 & 2025 1st and still get one of the top 3 WR. Budda will love this pick too!

As for Atlanta, they badly need a pass rusher and most mock drafts have them going Turner or Verse at 8… so gain a 3rd round pick and get one at 11 anyways!

9- Bears - Dallas Turner - EDGE - Alabama

If the Cardinals don’t trade up, the Bears could get Rome Odunze and have a trio of him, Keenan Allen & DJ Moore…. but Bears good defense could use 1 more great pass rusher, Dallas Turner fits.

10- Jets - Brock Bowers - TE - Georgia

Jets badly need tackle + Aaron Rodgers needs all the protection he can get… but there’s a lot of smoke around Brock Bowers and the Jets. Atheltic and physical 6’3 245 Bowers is willing to block, which will help their pass pro a little, but Bowers deserves to be a top 10 pick, TE’s are just tricky to place. Good fit, Jets just really need o-line help too.

11- Falcons - Jared Verse - EDGE -Florida State

Falcons have invested a lot in their offense the past 3 drafts (Pitts, London, Bijan) plus dropped the bag for Kirk Cousins. Raheem Morris gets some help with a NFL ready pass rusher in Jared Verse. They get one of the 2 perfect fits (Verse or Turner) and an extra 3rd rounder from Arizona.

12 - Broncos - Bo Nix - QB - Oregon

This would be a great spot for the Broncos to trade down a gain some extra draft picks as they’re in cap hell thanks to the $85M Russell Wilson cap hit. Bo Nix has all the tools to be a NFL starter and Sean Payton can start Stidham, develop Nix.

13 - Raiders - Olumuyiwa Fashanu - OT - Penn State

Raiders dropped the bag for Christian Wilkins, so it’s time to address the other line. With 5 QB’s, 4 pass catchers and 3 edge guys off the board, the Raiders steal Olumuyiwa Fashanu who is the #2 OT in a stacked OT draft.

14 - Saints - Taliese Fuaga - OT - Oregon State

This is the most difficult selection of the entire mock draft. Saints need pretty much everything, but don’t have 1 massive glaring need. I really like Fuaga, the Saints tackles struggled in 2023, nothing is ever wrong with getting a franchise tackle.

15 - Colts - Terrion Arnold - CB - Alabama

16 - Seahawks - Laiatu Latu - EDGE - UCLA

Colts & Seahawks fill major needs on their defense here.

17 - Jaguars - Quinyon Mitchell - CB - Toledo

Mitchell killed it at the combine, Jags defense addressed a lot this offseason, but really have just Campbell & Darby at corner. Could way to counter punch the Texans getting Diggs.

18 - Bengals - Byron Murphy II - DT - Texas

Bengals need to shore up both lines, Byron Murphy is extremely athletic defensive lineman who fits the Bengals front 7.

19 - Rams - Cooper DeJean - CB/S - Iowa

Rams need help in the secondary, DeJean could help replace the hole left by the Jalen Ramsey trade.

TRADE- PIT 1-20 & 2-51 to SF for 1-31 & Brandon Aiyuk-

20 - 49ers - JC Latham - OT - Bama

So here’s my thinking, 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk have been in trade rumors all offseason, the Steelers badly need a WR to pair with Pickens. The 49ers need a RT to plug and play week 1, Latham won’t be there at 31. Mims & Guyton likely won’t too. Additionally, a 1 for Aiyuk feels like too much, this is a perfect compromise as the 49ers get their new starting RT, extra 2nd round capital and the Steelers get a late 1st and fix their WR need.

21 - Dolphins - Troy Fautanu - G/OT - Washington

Fautanu played tackle at Washington, should be able to play tackle in the NFL but projects better at guard. Dolphins need help all over the o-line, so this is a great fit.

22 - Eagles - Nate Wiggins - CB - Clemson

Eagles need help improving an aging set of corner in Slay & Bradburry.

23 - Cardinals - Kool-Aid McKinstry - CB - Alabama

After Kool-Aid I think there’s a big tier drop off, so the Cardinals fill one of their many needs here at 23 with the extra Vikings pick. Kool-Aid’s a big physical corner who plays smoothly for his size, gives the Cardinals a different look in their secondary.

24 - Cowboys - Amarius Mims - OT - Georgia

It’s time for the Cowboys to reload their offensive line. Tyron Smith went to the Jets this offseason, so the 6’7 Georgia tackle makes sense here.

25 - Packers - Tyler Guyton - OT - Oklahoma

The OT run continues, Bakhtiari era is over so Jordan Love needs some protection at tackle, Guyton is also 6’7 and scored great at his pro day.

26- Bucs - Graham Barton - OT/C - Duke

More offensive lineman! Bucs need interior o-line help as their running game struggled in 2023, Barton played tackle at Duke but there’s a lot of buzz for him moving to center. Bucs finally get their Ryan Jensen replacement.

27- Cardinals - Chop Robinson - EDGE - Penn State

The Cardinals need a pass rusher, Chop Robinson killed the combine showing off his elite athleticism. The Cardinals brought in Chop for a pre-draft visit and haven’t brought in Mizzou’s Darius Robinson who I also really like. Either guy here at 27 would be an exciting get.

28 - Bills - Brian Thomas Jr - WR - LSU

I could see the Bills try to move up if Brian Thomas Jr falls into the 20’s. He’s firmly my WR4, but the way the draft breaks above makes him slide to the Bills, where he would be a perfect vertical weapon for Josh Allen in the post Diggs & Davis era.

29 - Lions - Adonai Mitchell - WR - Texas

Lions could use a true #2 WR to play the X next to Amon Ra in the slot and Sam LaPorta at TE. Mitchell has great size and fit the Lions receiving core perfectly as another strong red zone threat too.

30 - Ravens - Jer’Zhan Newton - DL - Illinois

The Ravens just take the best defensive player available and stay dominant, a tale as old as time.

31 - Steelers - Jackson Powers-Johnson - C - Oregon

The post Pouncey era for the Steelers has produced awful center play with Kendrick Green & former Cardinals C Mason Cole. The hiring of Arthur Smith means the Steelers want to run the football, it’s time for the Steelers to have an elite center again.

32- Chiefs - Ladd McConkey - WR - Georgia

Ladd’s combine shocked me as he tested the same as Devonta Smith. Even after signing Hollywood, the Chiefs need weapons, Hollywood is on a 1 year deal, Rice has some mysterious legal issues now popping up, Kelce isn’t going to play forever, throw Mahomes a thank you and get him another WR at 32.

-2nd round-

33 - Panthers - Darius Robinson - EDGE - Mizzou

Panthers hired Dave Canales from the Bucs in hopes to spark Bryce Young and the offense, but the Panthers are so far away from being good and I believe they should go best player available. It’s a weaker pass rush draft, so if Darius Robinson is here I’d take him. With no 1st rounder, I could see the Panthers trying to trade down here and recoup picks.

34 - Patriots - Jordan Morgan - OT - UofA

Patriots offense is in shambles, they need OT & WR to help Drake Maye out. UofA’s Jordan Morgan had a great season coming off a torn ACL, which means he could be a steal now 2-3 years removed from surgery and stronger than ever.

35 - Cardinals - Zach Frazier - C - WVU

I love Zach Frazier. Physical former wrestler center, can start day 1, can play center or guard but I think he would be a franchise center for Kyler for a very long time.

-Round 3-

67 - Cardinals - Ruke Orhorhoro - DL - Clemson

The Cardinals have signed a couple depth defensive lineman this offseason, but they still need some young talent in the rotation. Ruke is actually the #4 rated defensive tackle by PFF pre draft rankings, he can play the entire line too.

71 - Cardinals - Devontez Walker - WR - UNC

Walker was Drake Maye’s #1 WR and ran a 4.36 40 at the combine. His speed makes him a great vertical threat, which would fit Rome, Wilson and Dortch pretty nicely as the 4th WR. Hollywood was able to get open deep looks often despite playing injured and poorly, there’s a real opportunity in the Cards offense for a home run deep ball hitter like Walker.

90- Cardinals - Andru Phillips - CB - Kentucky

Cards grab another corner, 5’11, dominated at Senior Bowl & Combine posting 99 percentile vertical & broad jump scores with a solid 4.48. Untapped upside here in the 3rd, doubling up at a weak position on the roster.

-Goldy Happens