McMullen's 1.0 And Only First-Round Mock Draft: Eagles Focus On Ceiling

PHILADELPHIA - My annual 1.0 and only first-round pick comes with only one money-back guarantee: Miami quarterback Can Ward will go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans.

From there, the feeling is strong enough to offer BOGOs (buy one mock draft, get next year's for free) on Nos. 2 and 3 even though both the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants are taking calls to bail out.

Ultimately, the only real blue-chippers in this draft will be the selections with Colorado's Travis Hunter and his amazing potential on both sides of the football calling Cleveland home, and my top player in the draft, Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, landing up the Jersey Turnpike with the Eagles' division rival.

If you want trades, you can look elsewhere. This exercise is about identifying players and fits while acknowledging Eagles GM Howie Roseman and his peers will obviously be making some throughgout the process, but predicting them is a complete waste of time.

What we can do is point out potential scenarios. A handful of teams would be willing to make Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty a top-10 pick (Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Chicago, and perhaps New Orleans).

At No. 24, Minnesota makes the yearbook as most likely to trade down while starting the draft with a league-low four selections. The Eagles are one of the most likely to trade up due to their stockpile of 20 likely picks over the next two years and Roseman's propensity to zig when others are zagging (many more teams wants to move down than up).

Also bet on the Giants coming back into the first round to snare a QB, be it Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss or even Alabama' s Jalen Milroe.

If you want potential surprise first-rounders, focus on Milroe, UCLA edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo, and cornerbacks Shavon Revel of East Carolina and Florida State's Azareye'h Thomas.

With that out of the way, buckle up for the mock:

1. Tennessee - Miami QB Can Ward

-We are all going 1-for-1 at least. Ward is going to the Titans even if many around the NFL don't compare him favorably to last year's loaded QB class.

2. Cleveland - Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter

-The Browns are welcoming calls, but no one is coming up for Shadeur Sanders, who is now more likely to fall out of the first round than go in the top 10. Ultimately, the Browns will default to Hunter, an amazing talent who could be a top-tier player at CB or WR.

3. NY Giants - Penn State Edge Abdul Carter

-The Giants' consolation prize for no quarterback is the best player in the draft. There are some injury concerns with Carter but any wait will be quickly overshadowed by the worth.

4. New England - LSU OT Will Campbell

-The Patriots would have liked Hunter or Carter to fall, but probably need a left tackle more to help in Drake May's development. Campbell's short arms are a thing, but he's an outlier and has proven himself as a top-level player.

5. Jacksonville - Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty

-There has been a ton of talk about Michigan DT Mason Graham to Jacksonville. Scratch that. The Jags are going offense to give Liam Coen a housewarming gift -- either Jeanty, Penn State TE Tyler Warren, or Arizona WR Tet McMillan. The Jags aren't ready for a top-tier RB, but Jeanty is best player available and the most popular player in the second half of the top 10.

6. Las Vegas - Missouri OT Armand Membou

-With Jeanty out of the mix, the Raiders will shift to the offensive line with Membou, who has the highest ceiling in this OT class.

7. NY Jets - Penn State TE Tyler Warren

-Aaron Glenn wants defense, but Warren is a top-5 player in the class and the safest pick in the entire process.

8. Carolina - Michigan DT Mason Graham

-After losing out on Milton Williams in free agency, Graham is a nice consolation prize at DT for the Panthers.

9. New Orleans - Arizona WR Tet McMillan

-The Saints aren't going QB here, but they need more explosive offense, and that's where the 6-foot-5 contested-catch machine factors in. There is also an outside chance New Orleans bets on the upside of Walter Nolen or Shemar Stewart, who are well-liked by the Eagles.

10. Chicago - Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr.

-The Bears really want Jeanty and could trade up to get him. If not, Ryan Pace will keep building the offensive line to help Caleb Williams.

11. San Francisco - Georgia Edge Jalon Walker

- Beware of Stewart going here as well, but the board falling right shifts the focus to Walker, an explosive hybrid who was a leader at Georgia.

12. Dallas - Texas WR Matthew Golden

-The Cowboys need some help outside the numbers and keep the speedy Golden in-state.

13. Miami - Texas CB Jahdae Barron

-With Jalen Ramsey on his way out of Miami, Barron is a nice fit in South Florida. I'm told the Eagles love Barron's off-coverage skills for Vic Fangio, but he will end up far out of their range.

14. Indianapolis - Michigan TE Colston Loveland

-Shane Steichen really wants a TE and Loveland has Zach Ertz-level potential.

15. Atlanta - Marshall edge Mike Green

-Green is the most polished pass rusher in a deep class, and the Falcons seem to always be looking for more with their pass rush.

16. Arizona - Jihaad Campbell, Alabama

-Some have Campbell going even higher than this, so it will be tough for Jonathan Gannon not to push for him midway through the first round. Some talk of a medical reg flag has arisen late in the process, however.

17. Cincinnati - Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen

-The Eagles' dream dies with Cincinnati taking the ultra-talented Nolen.

18. Seattle - North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel

-Zabel's versatility gives him the edge over Alabama's Tyler Booker.

19. Tampa Bay - Boston College edge Donovan Ezeiruaku

-The productive BC edge will help Todd Bowles get back to the pass rush he wants.

20. Denver - North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton

-The last time Denver went with a UNC back, it flamed out, but Hampton is a high-level prospect who could make things easier on Bo Nix.

21. Pittsburgh - Ole Miss QB Jaxon Dart

-The talk around the league is that the Steelers are sold on Dart more so than Shedeur Sanders.

22. LA Chargers - Michigan DT Kenneth Grant

-Grant can fill the Poona Ford-sized hole on the defensive front for the Chargers.

23. Green Bay - Michigan CB Will Johnson

-With the Packers likely moving on from Jaire Alexander, the Michigan corner makes a lot of sense, although there have been some late medical talk surrounding Johnson.

24. Minnesota - Georgia S Malaki Starks

-The Vikings only have four picks and are probably trading out to NYG, but this is no trade zone mock and Starks is the best fit for Brian Flores after losing Cam Bynum in free agency.

25. Houston - Alabama IOL Tyler Booker

-The Texans are intent on building the offensive line and Booker is another strong step to doing exactly that.

26. LA Rams - Alabama QB Jalen Milroe

-A bold choice here as the Rams get the heir apparent for Matthew Stafford, and it's a perfect situation for the talented Milroe to sit and learn behind a savvy veteran.

27. Baltimore - South Carolina S Nick Emmanwori

-The Ravens would prefer Starks and maybe that's an option if the Vikings bail.

28. Detroit - Tennessee edge James Pearce Jr.

-The opposite of Stewart. Pearce Jr. has college production in spades, but his explosive numbers lacked in testing other than straight-line speed.

29. Washington - Georgia edge Mykel Williams

-Williams is a safe choice for the Commanders this late.

30. Buffalo - Ole Miss CB Trey Amos

-The Bills could use more CB help and Amos is the safer prospect over Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston.

31. Kansas City - Ohio State OT Josh Simmons

-Left tackle was a disaster for the Chiefs last season, and Simmons could quickly calm down that issue down.

32. Philadelphia - Texas A&M Edge Shemar Stewart

-With not much separating prospects from 20 to 50, the Eagles want upside and Stewart is a top-10 level talent had he produced more consistent at Texas A&M.

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