Tyrone Johnson- NFL Mock Draft 1.0

THE NFL combine is upon us. Which means the NFL Draft itself is a little under 2 months away. On Thursday, April 25th, the draft will be here. The Eagles currently own the 22nd pick in the first round. And between now and then, Tyrone Johnson will be taking his best shot at predicting how the draft will go. Starting with his NFL Mock Draft 1.0.

The Eagles have a lot of options for what they could do this year. Their struggles in 2023 show just how many holes they have on this current roster. But if you listen to some of the Eagles reporters who have come onto our station, this might just be the year the Eagles finally go Cornerback in the 1st round. They haven't taken a corner there since Lito Sheppard. 2017 was the last time they took one on day 2. They paid the price for that last season.

Is that what Tyrone Johnson has them doing? Will they finally break the trend and take a cornerback? Does Howie Roseman fall back into old ways and take the Right Tackle of the future? Will they go Edge Rusher with Haason Reddick's future here uncertain? Find out what Tyrone has the Eagles doing below.

Williams, the former Heisman Trophy winner, is a generational talent despite some struggles in 2023. He was put in a terrible spot at USC by a nonexistent defense. He still managed 30 passing TDs to just 5 interceptions. There is chatter that the Bears may trade the pick, but whoever picks at #1 will be picking Williams due to his combination of arm talent, athleticism, and toughness.

New owner Josh Harris is said to be heavily involved at the combine. It seems that he, not his football people will be making this pick. That makes Maye the choice for now, but Jayden Daniels will likely get consideration as well. Maye was very productive at North Carolina over his two years as a starter throwing for just under 8,000 yards and 62 touchdowns.

The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner had an incredible year passing for over 3800 yards and rushing for over 1,000. Nobody raised their stock more during the Covid year than him. Daniels is a clear upgrade over Mac Jones in New England. Without the baggage of having to replace Tom Brady.

Local product Harrison Jr is the best overall player in the draft. He has everything you want in a wide receiver. 2024 is a deep wideout draft and he is head and shoulders better than every one of them. Barring injury, he is the safest pick in the draft, with his floor being a perennial 1,000-yard guy.

There are 4 different candidates to be the 1st offensive tackle taken in this year’s draft. For now we go with Alt pending the combine workouts. Alt moves very well & is towering at 6’8”. Alt also allowed just 4 sacks in 36 starts while in college.

Bowers has the potential to truly be a weapon in the NFL. He is likely the 3rd cleanest prospect in the draft behind Marvin Harrison Jr, and Caleb Williams, with the only knock being the games he missed in 2023. He is a two-time Mackey Award winner as the best tight end in the country. Bowers knows how to find the end zone with 31 touchdowns in his 3 years in Georgia. If the Giants go offensive line, Bowers could fall some.

Fashanu is another candidate to be the 1st offensive tackle taken in the draft. The junior was just Rimington–Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2023. He will improve as a pro as his technique improves. He will also put more strength on his 6’6” 317 lb. frame.

This is not a great year for pass rushers, but the Falcons would be delighted if the best one fell to them at number 8. Turner has the build of the modern pass rusher with the frame to add more muscle. He had a career-high 10 sacks at Alabama this year. He is just 21 years old with a ton of upside.

After drafting a QB 1st overall, the Bears now focus on protecting him. I think Alabama will have back-to-back players taken here. Latham is the 3rd tackle on the board and gave up 0 sacks in 3 years at Alabama. He is massive at 360 lbs but carries the weight well. He should step right in and start for the Bears on the right side.

In many seasons, Odunze would be the top WR the draft. He followed up his 1100+ yard season is 2022 with a 1640-yard season in 2023. Odunze should be lethal in the red zone because he is tall at 6’3”, and high-points the ball well. The Jets offense has struggled in recent years, but this would help.

After the early run-on quarterbacks early in the draft, McCarthy is the 4th one taken in the 1st round. Scouts have had trouble projecting him because he was not asked to win games at Michigan, but they love his intangibles. McCarthy will have a great duo at WR right away in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Just like at offensive tackle, there is tons of debate about who will be the 1st defensive back taken. Arnold and his teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry were both excellent on the Alabama team that made the playoff and ended Georgia’s long undefeated streak. He was a 5-star prospect who lived up to the hype. He had 5 interceptions last season and should be a day 1 starter.

Murphy II is the best interior defensive lineman in the draft. He was productive at Texas and was a part of the recruiting class that brought them back to the CFB playoff. A 3-year starter with a high motor, the only negative about him as a prospect is that is he only 297 lbs.

It feels weird to have a player as productive as Verse fall to this spot. He transferred to Florida State after starting his college career at Albany (he won CAA defensive rookie of the year). Verse had 9 sacks each of the last 2 years and could have added more if Jordan Travis didn’t get injured. That injury cost Verse and the Seminoles a chance at the playoff.

Wiggins is tall at 6’2”, and the biggest risk-taking corner in the draft. He was 1st team All ACC both of the last two seasons. He would strive early in a man scheme, with work to be done in zone coverage. The biggest knock on Wiggins vs Arnold who I have slotted at pick 12 is his lack of tackling in college.

Fautanu was excellent at Washington as their explosive offense landed them in the national title game. He has very good technique and moves very well. The only real negative is he is “only” 6’4” and that would cause some teams to want to move him to guard. I think the Seahawks keep him in the state of Washington and keep him at tackle.

Nabers is the 1st of two LSU WRs who should go in the 1st round. He had over 1500 yards in 2023 with 14 total touchdowns. The Jags took a step back last year under Doug Pederson, but giving a weapon like Nabers to Trevor Lawrence is the best way to get back to the postseason.

The Bengals must do a better job protecting Joe Burrow who had an injury riddled season in 2023. Guyton is a very good pass blocker that was only held back at Oklahoma by injuries after transferring from TCU. While Guyton needs works in the run game, the Bengals are built to pass and he would start in day 1.

This is a guy that the Eagles spent a lot of time with at the Senior Bowl, where he was the best corner and could be a trade-up candidate for the Birds. It was thought he would be available at 22, but he is a fast riser on most boards early. Mitchell played off coverage a lot at Toledo but showed strong press skills at the Senior Bowl.

Powers-Johnson is the best interior lineman in the country and was part of the Ducks’ dominant front. The Steelers feel like a great fit here, with the question being who he will be snapping the ball to in 2024. He should be versatile enough to kick out to guard as well.

This pick is the one I have the least confidence in because Robinson ran a sub 4.5 40 at the combine. Teams will fall in love with his traits. His production doesn’t come close to his skillset though. Robinson had just 6 sacks in his college career. The lack of production is concerning, but he will be somebody to watch the next month.

The drought is finally over. Lito Shepard was a 1st round pick by the Eagles in 2002. They have not drafted a 1st round corner since. So for the 1st time, Howie Roseman goes corner in round 1. McKinstry has good size at 6’1” and 195 lbs. and has shown quality closing speed. He was excellent on special teams at Alabama as well. Cooper DeJean is a name to watch as well due to his versatility.

Speaking of DeJean, he is coming off a broken leg. That could keep him from climbing in the draft. Dejean can start at outside corner, slot corner, and safety. While the Iowa offense has been abysmal, they have won because of a defense that is usually full of pros. When healthy he is a very good player.

Tyron Smith is now 33 years old and hasn’t played a full season since 2015. Mims did not start much at Georgia but is 6’7” with a 7’1” wingspan with speed and power. The right team and the right situation could bring out a diamond. Dallas would be the perfect spot for him. Watch for a QB here too if Bo Nix charms Jerry Jones enough.

There are at least three 1st round worthy WRs left on the board, but the Packers build through the trenches. Fuaga projects to be a starter. The Packers were the youngest team in the NFL last season and won a playoff game. This pick would sure up one of their few holes.

The other LSU WR comes off the board here to add youth to the Bucs wideout core. Thomas is very tall at 6’5” and had 17 touchdowns last season to go with over 1,100 yards. Mike Evans is 30, and adding another red-zone threat makes a ton of sense here. This is another spot where Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr could climb into the 1st round.

Many Eagles fans took Latu off the board here because he aspires to be a firefighter. The thing to watch with him is the medical report. He retired from the sport due to a neck injury but returned to be dominant at UCLA. He has 13.5 sacks in 2023 & some say his pass-rush skills are the best in the draft. Without the medical issues, he would go higher. The Cardinals will be very happy to have him.

Coleman is another big productive receiver who should be built to play in cold weather. While not a burner, he doesn’t need a ton of separation to make plays. There has been drama in Buffalo between the Bills and Stefon Diggs who is now 30. So adding youth to the position makes a ton of sense here.

Dorlus is another guy who may shoot up boards after a quick combine 40-time showing explosion to his 283 lb. frame. He is another guy who so far has been better on paper than on the field but did have a career-high 5 sacks in 2023. Dorlus can play both inside and outside on the defensive line and that will be coveted.

The Ravens were as close to breaking through as they’ve been during the Lamar Jackson era but came up just short. Tampa is good in press man but also does well in zone coverage. He is physical which fits the Ravens scheme as well and has good size. The combine will be big for him.

Trent Williams will be 36 this summer. While he is still playing at a high level, it makes sense for the defending NFC champs to get reinforcements in the trenches. Morgan tore his ACL in 2022 but came back and played extremely well for an Arizona team that exceeded expectations in 2023. Some of his mechanics caused some penalties, but that should be able to be remedied at the NFL level.

The Chiefs managed to repeat as Super Bowl champs despite a major deficiency at the wide receiver position. Worthy cut his drops in half last year. Which is big because the Chiefs led the NFL in drops. Pending free agency, he would be their best outside guy.