We take up the second half of this mock draft courtesy of the Fox Sports football staff. A team of eight NFL writers and one college football analyst came together for this one.
They made no allowances for draft day trades and picks 1-15 were pretty solid for the most part.
Can they continue the trend to close out the first round? And who do they see the Cowboys drafting with the 26th pick?
Let’s find out…
16. Washington Commanders: Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
This pick makes more sense than drafting a tight end, as predicted in the previous mock draft.
Washington is playing in a division loaded with wide receivers and tight ends.
They are going to need to cover these guys.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jack Campbell, ILB, Iowa
The Steelers have a history of drafting great linebackers.
This pick would continue that tradition and makes more sense than taking a tight end.
18. Detroit Lions: Brian Branch, DB, Alabama
Again, this is just my opinion, but I think Detroit’s offense is in good shape. What they need is an improved defense.
Branch would be another piece of that puzzle the Lions need to solve.
Do The Bucs Move Up Or Stay Put
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
The Bucs clearly need help on the offensive line and Jones would be a great addition. But something tells me Tampa Bay will be on the move looking for Tom Brady’s replacement.
I’m thinking they go all the way up to #3 and grab Levis.
20. Seattle Seahawks: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
I don’t know about this one.
Seattle needs too much on defense to pick any wideout here.
21. Los Angeles Chargers: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
This pick makes more sense to me than the previous mock, which has Bijan Robinson going here.
Kincaid, to me, is the best tight end in the draft. (Ducks all the hate from the Irish fandom) He’s a target Justin Herbert desperately needs.
Lamar Jackson’s Future Revealed With This Pick
22. Baltimore Ravens: Jordan Addison WR, USC
I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt here because this mock was done before the Ravens inked OBJ.
Could they still go with a receiver here? Yes.
Will they? Nope.
Baltimore could trade up and draft a quarterback, bidding farewell to Lamar Jackson. It’s a possibility Ravens fans are going to have to come to terms with.
Even if Baltimore doesn’t move up, there are one or two quarterbacks that they could draft.
Anthony Richardson or Max Duggan could be wearing purple and black unis in the fall.
23. Minnesota Vikings: Keion White, Edge, Georgia Tech
This would fill a very big need for the Vikings.
I think they’ve got this pick correct.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars: Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
The Jaguars need to do a better job of protecting Trevor Lawrence if they want to get past the divisional round of the playoffs.
Wright would be exactly what they need.
25. New York Giants: Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State
This pick happens only if the top wide receivers are off the board.
In this draft, as it stands, that means they have to address their needs in the defensive backfield. But I think Johnson will still be backstage and the Giants will grab him as fast as they can.
The Cowboys Pick At 26 Is…
26. Dallas Cowboys: Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia
The drafter in charge of this pick is David Helman and he’s a writer who I respect a lot. But if Bijan Robinson is still sitting backstage when the Cowboys go on the clock and they don’t pick him?
I’ll be on the next plane to DFW looking for some answers.
Even Helman says Robinson should probably be the pick but he likes Smith a little more.
I like Smith as well, but only if Robinson is off the board before Dallas picks here.
27. Buffalo Bills: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
I don’t see Robinson getting this far. He’s just too good.
And Buffalo needs to shore up its offensive line before Josh Allen gets packed off to an early retirement.
28. Cincinnati Bengals: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Mayer does make sense, but what prevented the Bengals from making back-to-back Super Bowl appearances was their pass rush.
I think they take Nolan Smith here if Dallas passes on him and takes Robinson.
Defense closes out the round
29. New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco through Miami and Denver): Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
There seems to be a lot of teams in need of defensive help in this draft. Add the Saints to this list.
I like this pick and I think it happens.
30. Philadelphia Eagles: DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson
The Eagles took a big hit on defense during free agency.
They have to address it here if they don’t with their earlier pick in this round. Bresee would be a great addition and a pain in the neck for the Cowboys’ offensive line for years to come.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Will McDonald, Edge, Iowa State
The Chiefs have needs at receiver, offensive line, and defensive line.
Who they pick here will be determined by who is the best player remaining out of the three possibilities. As this draft is compiled, that is definitely McDonald.
32. Nobody – No one.
The Dolphins were stripped of their first-round pick due to tampering with both Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
An expensive violation, doubly so as they landed neither man.
This mock draft was compiled by:
AFC South reporter Ben Arthur (@benyarthur)
NFC South reporter Greg Auman (@gregauman)
Dallas Cowboys reporter David Helman (@davidhelman_)
AFC East reporter Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis)
NFL and betting analyst Geoff Schwartz (@GeoffSchwartz)
NFC West reporter Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams)
NFC East reporter Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano)
NFC North reporter Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV)
College football analyst RJ Young (@rj_young)