I don't think Barkley slips past the Browns at No.4, but he could go as high as No.2 to the Giants. Penn State Football/Facebook
Here is my final mock draft and I have made several changes this week, to say the least. I think I have a better feel now for how the middle of the 1st round will play out, but we'll find out for sure tonight. Now, I certainly don't have the resume of Mike Mayock or Mel Kiper, but I do have the luxury of talking football with guys like NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, and have co-hosted draft shows in the Houston market the last few years. I watch as many players as I can, look at the needs and tendencies of every team, and get information from people I trust. So here we go. The NFL Draft is like Christmas morning for me, and I can't wait for this thing to get started.
1. Cleveland Browns- Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield
The Browns finally get their franchise QB. There's a lot of buzz about Baker Mayfield being selected here, so I'll trust what I'm hearing.
2. New York Giants- NCST DE Bradley Chubb
The Giants find a replacement for JPP, or they trade back.
3. New York Jets- UCLA QB Josh Rosen
I'm hearing that the Jets prefer Rosen over Darnold.
4. Cleveland Browns- Penn St. RB Saquon Barkley
Cleveland selects the best player in the draft. They could trade this pick to Arizona, Buffalo, or even Denver.
5. Denver Broncos- USC QB Sam Darnold
I can't believe it, but I think the Broncos can stay put and take Darnold at #5.
6. Indianapolis Colts- Virginia Tech OLB 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 one of the best players in the draft and protect their young QB.
9. San Francisco 49ers- Georgia LB Roquan Smith
I'm going with Lance's advice and keeping Roquan Smith in my Top 10. If you missed Lance Zierlein shaming me, you can check it out here.
10. TRADE--------- Buffalo Bills via Raiders- Wyoming QB Josh Allen
The Bills trade with the Raiders to jump in front of Miami and grab their QB. Adam Gase and the Dolphins are rumored to be interested in a QB, so the Bills make their move.
11. Miami Dolphins- Washington DT Vita Vea
The Dolphins replace Suh, and give Tannehill another year.
12. TRADE--------- Oakland Raiders via Bills- Alabama DT Da'Ron Payne
The Raiders get some help on the d-line and add some picks.
13. Washington Redskins- Florida State S Derwin James
Washington gets a steal and adds to the secondary.
14. Green Bay Packers- UTSA OLB Marcus Davenport
The Packers are excited to get their pass rusher. Some compare Davenport to Lions DE Ziggy Ansah, but I see a lighter lowercase Jadeveon Clowney.
15. Arizona Cardinals- Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick
Arizona gets great value and upgrades the secondary.
16. Baltimore Ravens- Notre Dame OT Mike McGlinchey
Now the Ravens have bookend tackles with McGlinchey and Ronnie Stanley. I was lucky enough to watch some coaches tape of McGlinchey, and this dude looks legit.
17. Los Angeles Chargers- Boise St. LB Leighton Vander Esch
The Chargers bolster their defense. This guy can PLAY.
18. Seattle Seahawks- Iowa CB Josh Jackson
Pete Carroll and John Schneider get their replacement for Richard Sherman. Jackson posseses size and terrific ball skills. He has Seahawk written all over him.
19. Dallas Cowboys- Florida DT Taven Bryan
The Cowboys could go Rahaan Evans or Calvin Ridley, but I'm betting they would take Bryan if he's available.
20. Detroit Lions- Boston College DE Harold Landry
The Lions get some help on their defensive line. Ziggy Ansah is playing on the franchise tag.
21. Cincinnati Bengals - Alabama LB Rahaan Evans
Evans fills a need and he's a terrific player.
22. TRADE---------Oakland Raiders via Bills- Louisville CB Jaire Alexander
The Raiders take the extra pick from the Bills and get some much-needed help at corner.
23. New England Patriots- UCLA OT Kolton Miller
The Pats need both tackle and corner, but this draft is thin at tackle. They can grab a corner at pick #31.
24. Carolina Panthers- Alabama WR Calvin Ridley
They get Cam a much-needed weapon outside.
25. Tennessee Titans- Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk
Kirk can help Mariota get the ball out fast, and that will help keep their QB healthy. They just took Corey Davis in the 1st round last year, but there aren't any LBs or pass rushers worth taking here. They may look to trade down.
26. Atlanta Falcons- Michigan DT Maurice Hurst
Dontari Poe left in free agency, so the Falcons add a DT.
27. New Orleans Saints- UTEP OG Will Hernandez
The Saints know the running game was a difference maker for them last year.
28. Pittsburgh Steelers- Stanford S Justin Reid
This dude can run and has Pro Bowl potential.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars- Louisville QB Lamar Jackson
Blake Bortles will have competition.
30. Minnesota Vikings- Texas OL Connor Williams
The Vikings spent a ton of money on Kirk Cousins, so they add some help on the line to protect him.
31. New England Patriots- UCF CB Mike Hughes
The Pats get lucky and grab Hughes to replace Malcolm Butler. Hughes should go sooner , but several of the teams in front of the Pats have bigger needs than corner.
32. Philadelphia Eagles- SMU WR Courtland Sutton
The Super Bowl champs add another toy for Carson Wentz, and Alshon Jeffery is recovering from a shoulder injury.
The NFL playoffs are finally here, and the Texans will kick off the postseason by hosting the LA Chargers this Saturday at NRG.
And while the Texans are only 3 point underdogs, the national media is making it seem like Houston has no chance against Justin Herbert and company.
ESPN's Rex Ryan has gone as far as calling the Texans a "bye" week for the Chargers, giving the team no chance to win despite playing at home.
However, the Texans are no stranger to this situation, as they were given little chance to win against the Browns in last year's Wild Card game. And we know how that ended, with the Texans thrashing the Browns 45-14.
It's certainly fair to predict the Chargers will come away with a win this Saturday, they have been playing much better football than Houston in recent weeks.
But it's important to remember that home underdogs have performed well in the Wild Card round. In fact, home underdogs are 16-14 all-time in the Wild Card playoffs, and both home underdogs won last year (Texans, Buccaneers).
Speaking of last year, many credit the Texans defense for securing the win over Cleveland, with two pick sixes in the second half helping to seal the deal.
But the real reason Houston won the game was because of CJ Stroud and the offense. Stroud threw 3 touchdowns before halftime and the team was leading 24-14 with six minutes left in the third quarter. That's when the defense tacked on two interceptions for touchdowns and put the game out of reach. Stroud and the offense also went on to score another TD on a Devin Singletary run.
If Stroud and the offense didn't put so much pressure on Joe Flacco and the Cleveland offense to score, he may not have forced those passes that were picked off.
Now, many will point to the Chargers having the best defense (points allowed) this season, but it's worth noting the Browns had the number one defense (yards allowed) last year as well.
Bulls on Parade
Houston's defense will have its hands full against a strong rushing attack led by JK Dobbins. And Justin Herbert has been terrific this season, spreading the ball around to his top two targets, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.
Fortunately for the Texans, they are extremely healthy on defense this week. While Jimmy Ward and Jalen Pitre are out for the year, we'll finally get to see linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Christian Harris play together for the first time this season.
The defensive line is expected to be at full strength as well, keep in mind Jonathan Greenard was injured and unable to play against the Browns last year.
Outlook on offense
We should see the best possible version of the offensive line this Saturday. We're all aware how many hits Stroud has taken due to poor o-line play. But with Tytus Howard and left guard and Juice Scruggs at right guard, Stroud should have more time to get the passing game going, featuring Nico Collins.
Speaking of the receivers, it's pretty amazing that this receiver group is almost identical to last year's in the Wild Card round. Stroud didn't have Stefon Diggs (on the Bills) or Tank Dell (injured) to throw to last year, either. But he does have one big addition in Joe Mixon this year. Hopefully, they can get Mixon involved in the passing game, and the shuffling of the o-line provides Mixon with some holes to run through.
X-factor
At least there's a possibility newly acquired receiver Diontae Johnson could provide a spark to the offense. Last year John Metchie and Robert Woods were the main targets besides Collins and Dalton Schultz.
What does Vegas think?
The Chargers are favored by 3 and the total is set at 42.5 points
Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap previews this week's big game!