NFL draft analyst Chad Reuter dropped a five-round mock draft for NFL.com on Friday.
Reuter’s top 10 was as follows:
Notable events outside the top 10 included Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson going 16th overall to the New York Jets.
“The Jets need a quarterback, and Simpson is still on the board,” Reuter wrote. “There is sufficient depth at receiver and cornerback in this class that the team could address both early in the second round while still securing the second-best passer in the draft in Simpson.”
Simpson appears to be QB2 on most draft boards this offseason behind Indiana signal-caller Fernando Mendoza, who looks all but certain to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Jets need a long-term solution at quarterback. They reunited with Geno Smith after adding him via trade from the Raiders. The 36-year-old Smith has one year left on his deal. Head coach Aaron Glenn made clear he’s the starter in the present, but it’s not certain what the Jets will do for the position after this season. Simpson could potentially be the answer.
Reuter also projected a few trades. He had the Detroit Lions dealing a 2026 fifth-rounder and a 2027 third-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams to move from No. 17 to No. 13 and select Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano. The Kansas City Chiefs moved up from No. 29 to No. 20, where the Dallas Cowboys currently reside, to select Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor. Kansas City gave No. 29 and a third-rounder plus a fifth-round pick swap.
In addition, Reuter had the Cleveland Browns sending a fifth- and sixth-rounder to the Los Angeles Chargers to go from No. 24 to No. 22 to select Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson. The Buffalo Bills moved up one spot from No. 26 to No. 25 by dealing a fifth-rounder to the Chicago Bears to choose Texas A&M wideout KC Concepcion.
The NFL draft is rapidly approaching with a start date of Thursday, April 23. The three-day event will go through Saturday, April 25, and the entirety of the event will go down in Pittsburgh.