37. New England Patriots - Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
With two-straight picks along the offensive line, the New England Patriots are not messing around in this mock draft. Protecting Drake Maye has to come before getting him weapons, and I think we are seeing that play out in real-time. Remember when the Cincinnati Bengals took Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell in the 2021 NFL Draft?
To this day the Bengals still have offensive line issues and have now missed the playoffs two years in a row. On the flip side, the Detroit Lions are the no. 1 seed in the NFC and a Super Bowl favorite. This is not some coincidence. The Pats have to hammer away at the offensive line, period.
38. New York Jets - Jahdae Barron, S, Texas
One of the best defensive backs in this NFL Draft class, Jahdae Barron comes aboard the New York Jets and joins his Texas teammate Quinn Ewers. The Jets will need a new head coach and GM, as both Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas were fired, but it seems like there is a ton of dysfunction with the Jets at the top of their organization.
The team may or may not bring back Aaron Rodgers, but the QB can’t be the only focal point of the offseason. They have to look to improve on other roster weaknesses, so I went with Barron to join the secondary alongside elite CB Sauce Gardner.
39. Las Vegas Raiders - Jaxon Dart, QB, Ole Miss
Quarterback! The Las Vegas Raiders take Jaxon Dart at the top of the second round in this NFL mock draft. I could see the Raiders running it back in 2025 with Aidan O’Connell under center and them also having a rookie QB in the room as well. Heck, if the Raiders were to hire Pete Carroll to be their head coach, I really would not rule out them pursing Russell Wilson in free agency of all people.
The Raiders have to get something going with the QB room. They take Jaxon Dart and begin laying the framework for a long-term solution.
40. New Orleans Saints - Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
Two picks along the defensive front, the New Orleans Saints are beefing-up the trenches, which is a wise idea. Kenneth Grant joins Mason Graham as the two talented Michigan defensive tackles to be take in this NFL mock draft. With no viable QB to take in sight, the Saints continue their trench work.
This team is also in need of a new head coach, as they fired Dennis Allen a while back in a movie that just needed to happen. The Saints are also again in a tough cap situation, so we’ll see how that shakes out this coming offseason.