The NFL draft is now only one day away, and the anticipation could not be higher. The incoming draft class could not be more promising, and with many teams seeking their franchise quarterback, the outcome will not disappoint. Fans watch the draft in hopes of witnessing the moment the face of their franchise emerges. The excitement of the NFL draft begins the moment the whistle blows to end the Super Bowl. These picks were made taking into consideration team needs, value, and NFL combine statistics. 

Staff Writers Faris Miller ‘24 and Faisal Choudhri ‘24 gave their best picks of the draft. Miller ‘24 picked even and Choudhri ‘24 picked odd choices. 

Faisal’s picks

First Overall: I picked Bryce Young because he won the Heisman as a freshman being only the second college player ever to do it. It was between him and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud. I picked Young because he has more talent than Stroud and can lead his team to victory. With new Panthers head coach Frank Reich, Young has the potential to flourish as Reich was the offensive coordinator on the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in 2017 and coached the Colts to the playoffs twice during his time as head coach. Will Young and Reich bring the Panthers back to the playoffs, or will Young be a bust? Reich was the first quarterback the Panthers franchise ever had. This is also the first quarterback drafted in the first round by Carolina since Cam Newton who also was a first overall pick. 

Third Overall:  The Cardinals have a history of bad draft picks. However, with the retirement of J.J. Watt, a hole is now in that defense. Enter Will Anderson Jr. It was between him and Jalen Carter, but after analyzing their stats, Anderson had the better collegiate career. If I made the pick, I would have gone with Carter because I am a Georgia fan. Anderson had an incredible 2021 sophomore season with 17.5 sacks but fell short of Carter’s Bulldogs in the National Championship. However, Carter has very few good stats as he is only good at run-stopping. Anderson can bull-rush, and that’s why I think he will go third overall to the Cardinals. 

13th Overall: The Packers are finally going to take a wide receiver in the first round. Following the departure of Aaron Rodgers to the Jets, Jordan Love needs some weapons. His only veteran receiver is Randall Cobb but could possibly build great chemistry with Christian Watson as Love had a 63-yard touchdown with him in Week 13 of last season against the Eagles. However, Cobb isn’t the slot receiver he used to be, so the Packers should draft Jordan Addison unless Jaxon Smith-Njigba is still on the board. In our mock draft, we have Smith-Njigba going at 12 to Houston, but Addison has great potential, especially with a quarterback trying to break out. Also, while this is highly improbable, the Packers could trade up to the number 10 pick and take Smith-Njigba, but Philly might decline as they’re trying to bolster their run game after losing Miles Sanders. 

19th Overall: Tampa Bay not only lost their quarterback, but they lost a key leader on that star-studded defense: Mike Edwards. I have Tampa taking Joey Porter Jr. out of Penn State because, in the last six years, Penn State has produced some incredible NFL players such as Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and Miles Sanders. If Porter is teamed up with stars like Shaq Barrett, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Vita Vea, that defense will be similarly scary to the defense when Tampa won the Super Bowl a few years back. Also, they drafted Kyle Trask to back up Tom Brady knowing he was retiring soon so they don’t need a quarterback, and signed Baker Mayfield in free agency. 

Faris’ picks

Eighth Overall: Christian Gonzalez made a splash at the NFL combine solidifying himself as a top-two corner in the class. Gonzalez ran a 4.38 his blistering speed will help the Falcons immensely. With Witherspoon going to the Lions at sixth overall there is no chance the Falcons let him slide past the top 10. The Falcons will have a top-ten cornerback for the foreseeable future. 

10th Overall: The Philadelphia Eagles have been dealt a unique situation with the 10th overall pick. Many believe General Manager Howie Roseman would never take a running back at 10. Having the Saints pick should be seen as a luxury this year, and taking Bijan Robinson would bolster an already dynamic offense. Robinson is seen by most analysts as a generational talent. Adding him to the loaded Eagles offense could make for an offense raved about for generations to come. 

30th Overall: Bryan Bresee is a unique talent from Clemson that has slipped on many draft boards. A year ago, Bresee was a top prospect in the first round but has since fallen. If the Eagles treat pick 10 as a luxury, they can treat pick 30 as a building block for their aging defense. Fletcher Cox is now 32 years old and won’t be productive much longer. Bryan Bresee is a dominant nose tackle that has the potential to be special. The Eagles would be foolish not to take Bresee if he falls to them. Much like Jordan Davis Bresee has boom or bust potential that the Eagles could come out on top of.

Here’s our overall picks for the draft:

1. CAR (via CHI): Bryce Young  – QB: Alabama
2. HOU: CJ Stroud – QB: Ohio State
3. AZ: Will Anderson Jr. – DE: Alabama
4. IND: Will Levis – QB: Kentucky
5. SEA (via DEN): Jalen Carter -  DT: Georgia
6. DET (via LAR): Devon Witherspoon – CB: Illinois
7. LV: Anthony Richardson – QB: Florida
8. ATL: Christian Gonzalez – CB: Oregon
9. CHI (via CAR): Peter Skoronski – OT: Northwestern
10. PHI (via NO): Bijan Robinson – HB: Texas
11. TEN: Paris Johnson Jr. – OT: Ohio State
12. HOU (via CLE): Jaxon Smith-Njigba – WR: Ohio State
13. GB (via NYJ): Jordan Addison – WR: USC
14. NE: Nolan Smith – DE: Georgia
15. NYJ (via GB): Broderick Jones – OT: Georgia
16. WAS: Myles Murphy – DE: Clemson
17. PIT: Brian Branch – S: Alabama
18. DET: Dalton Kincaid – TE: Utah
19. TB: Joey Porter Jr. – CB: Penn State
20. SEA: Tyree Wilson – DE: Texas Tech
21. LAC: Deonte Banks – CB: Maryland
22. BAL: Quentin Johnston – WR: TCU
23. MIN: Calijah Kancey – DT: Pittsburgh
24. JAX: Darnell Wright – OT: Tennessee
25. NYG: John Michael Schmitz – C: Minnesota
26. DAL: Jahmyr Gibbs – HB: Alabama
27. BUF: Emmanuel Forbes – CB: Mississippi State
28. CIN: Michael Mayer – TE: Notre Dame
29. NO (via SF via MIA via DEN): Lukas Van Ness – DE: Iowa
30. PHI: Bryan Bresee – DT: Clemson
31. KC: Felix Anudike-Uzomah – DE: Kansas State