The Bills would be elated to see Baker Mayfield still on the board at pick No. 12. Brett Deering/Getty Images
Now that all the big moves of free agency have taken place, it's time to take a look at how the first round of the draft may play out. I'm probably one of the few people that don't have a projected trade in the Top 10. That's because I think the Broncos stay put and take their franchise QB at pick No. 5. My mock draft is a bit different from some the national guys like Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. And I certainly don't have their resume, but I do have the luxury of talking football with guys like Lance, and have co-hosted draft shows in the Houston market the last few years. If you want to see how Lance has the first round shaking out compared to mine, you can read his mock draft here. Below is my first mock, and I'll continue to update it every Thursday up until draft day.
1. Cleveland Browns- USC QB Sam Darnold
The Browns finally get their franchise QB.
2. New York Giants- NCST DE Bradley Chubb
The Giants find a replacement for JPP.
3. New York Jets- UCLA QB Josh Rosen
The Jets grab their QB.
4. Cleveland Browns- Penn St. RB Saquon Barkley
Cleveland finally has some talent on offense, and they get the best player and best QB in the draft.
5. Denver Broncos- Wyoming QB Josh Allen
Many have the Broncos trading out here, but I think they stand pat and take their future QB.
6. Indianapolis Colts- Virginia Tech LB Tremaine Edmonds
The Colts add an incredible playmaker to their defense.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Ohio St. CB Denzel Ward
The Bucs get the best corner in the draft.
8. Chicago Bears- Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson
The Bears get maybe the best player in the draft and protect their young QB.
9. San Francisco 49ers- UTSA DE Marcus Davenport
The 49ers need some pass rush and they get it with Davenport.
10. Oakland Raiders- Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick
The Raiders take the best player available and get some secondary help.
11. Miami Dolphins- Washington DT Vita Vea
The Dolphins replace Ndamukong Suh with Vita Vea and don't skip a beat.
12. Buffalo Bills- Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield
The Bills don't even have to trade up into the Top 10 to get their QB.
13. Washington Redskins- Georgia LB Roquan Smith
Washington needs a physical presence at LB.
14. Green Bay Packers- Louisville CB Jaire Alexander
The Packers go back to the well and select another corner in the first round.
15. Arizona Cardinals- Florida State Safety Derwin James
They get some help in the secondary after the departure on Tyrann Mathieu
16. Baltimore Ravens- Alabama WR Calvin Ridley
Ozzie Newsome adds the best receiver in the draft to help his veteran QB. He'll be a nice pairing with possession WR Michael Crabtree.
17. Los Angeles Chargers- Alabama DT Da'Ron Payne
Payne falls right into the Chargers' lap.
18. Seattle Seahawks- Iowa CB Josh Jackson
Pete Carroll and John Schneider get their replacement for Richard Sherman.
19. Dallas Cowboys- Alabama LB Rashaan Evans
The Cowboys fall apart when Sean Lee is out, and he's always injured. Evans will fit in nicely.
20. Detroit Lions- Texas OT/OG Connor Williams
The Lions get some help on their offensive line. Williams can play tackle and guard.
21. Cincinnati Bengals - UTEP OG Will Hernandez
The Bengals line was awful last year.
22. Buffalo Bills- UCF CB Mike Hughes
Hughes should step in and start right away.
23. New England Patriots- UCLA OT Kolton Miller
The Pats need a LT to replace Nate Solder.
24. Carolina Panthers- Boston College DE Harold Landry
Julius Peppers can't play forever.
25. Tennessee Titans- LSU DE Arden Key
The Titans need pass rush and they address it with Key.
26. Atlanta Falcons- Florida DT Taven Bryan
Dontari Poe left in free agency so the Falcons add a DT.
27. New Orleans Saints- Iowa OC James Daniels
The Saints grab an offensive lineman in the first round for the second straight year.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers- Wake Forest S Jessie Bates
The Steelers still need help in the secondary and they add a playmaker that has range and can cover the slot.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars- Michigan DT Maurice Hurst
Calais Campbell is getting old, so the Jags add some depth on the defensive line.
30. Minnesota Vikings- Georgia OG Isaiah Wynn
The Vikings spent a ton of money on Kirk Cousins, so they add some help on the line.
31. New England Patriots- LSU CB Donte Jackson
The Patriots lost Malcolm Butler and can't stop anybody on defense.
32. Philadelphia Eagles- Boise St. LB Leighton Vander Esch
The Super Bowl champs add to their already stout defense.
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Jalen Green made two free throws with 3.5 seconds left and the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 91-90 on Wednesday night to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
Houston snapped a 15-game skid against the Warriors, winning for the first time in the series since Feb. 20, 2020. The Rockets will face Oklahoma City, which beat Dallas in the other West quarterfinal game on Tuesday night, in the semifinals on Saturday.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 26 points and 11 rebounds and Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points.
Houston led by 14 before falling behind late to set up the thrilling finish.
Houston trailed by six with about 1 1/2 minutes left before Fred VanVleet made a 3-pointer and Sengun added a layup with 27 seconds to go to cut the lead to one.
Stephen Curry missed a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left and Gary Payton II grabbed the rebound, but Green intercepted his pass and was fouled by Jonathan Kuminga to set up the winning free throws.
The Warriors had a chance to win it at the buzzer but Smith blocked Brandin Podziemski’s 3-point attempt.
Takeaways
Warriors: Golden State beat the Rockets twice this season without Curry before losing Wednesday in a game where he had 19 points.
Rockets: This young team showed poise in finishing this one after squandering a double-digit lead.
Key moment
Green’s hustle on getting the ball late to draw the foul to set up the winning free throws.
Key stat
Houston won despite making just 6 of 27 3-pointers.
Up next
While Houston heads to Las Vegas this weekend, the Warriors will return to regular-season play Sunday at Dallas.