It is that time of season, where people who aren’t draft experts become draft experts and give you their mock drafts. I, too, am one of those people.

I do the best I can with these. I try to talk to people around the league and in the media in other markets to come up with the best assessment I can of what teams are going to do with each pick. The number of smokescreens that are out there is plentiful, and they have burned me in the past, but we persevere.

So here is my first round mock draft, as accurate as I can make it, which is to say, not accurate at all.

The first pick is the obvious pick. Kirk Cousins, in his introductory press conference, mentioned that he thinks Mendoza will be a great addition to the roster. It’s currently the worst-kept secret in the NFL, and the only reason the Raiders don’t submit the pick just five seconds into them being on the clock is that the NFL asks teams with the first pick to give it a good five minutes before you do.

When the Jets canceled their visit with David Bailey, plenty of people reacted on social media. They thought it meant that Bailey had been crossed off the list. Quite the contrary. In my opinion, the Jets have made up their mind and will select the explosive pass rusher that has the highest upside of this edge class.

I think the Cardinals desperately want to trade down, but I don’t think the Cardinals are going to find someone willing to trade up for Arvell Reese, who presumably would be the target for a team coming up. I’m not even sure Monti Ossenfort or Mike LaFleur wants Love, but Love is the kind of pick that ownership would love. He sells jerseys, he puts butts in the seats, he’s a national player that will keep the Cardinals in the national conversation, and sometimes, ownership makes the call.

I’ve heard for weeks that there are two guys on the Titans’ radar: Love and Sonny Styles. I can’t seem to get a clean answer as to who they like more, but in this case, it doesn’t matter. Love is off the board, Styles is the kind of playmaker the Titans need on their defense, and they run the card in with this pick to give Robert Saleh’s defense an important piece.

I think the Giants would love Styles or Love with this pick, but not enough to trade up to get one of them. I think the Giants sit back and know they need to have a more functional offense, and that starts up front. The Giants have taken plenty of swings at the offensive line over the last few years, but John Harbaugh knows how to build a roster, and he will want to make sure his reckless QB is protected.

We have our first trade of the draft. The Dallas Cowboys need to beef up their defense, and when Reese fell to six, the Cleveland Browns were looking to trade down, and the Cowboys were ready to trade up. The Cowboys get 6 and pick 39 from Cleveland and send the Browns the 12th and 20th picks. Dallas is able to get the defensive playmaker they need, and they don’t need to lose a pick to do it.

The third Ohio State player comes off the board at number seven. Another interesting situation, Dan Quinn wants his defense to hum, but the Commanders know that they need to make sure Jayden Daniels can get back to his 2024 form. I think the Commanders also make a move for Brandon Aiyuk this offseason and really beef up the targets for Daniels.

The Saints need a WR and help on defense, but there should be more receiver options later in the draft than there will be edges. I’ve heard the Saints love Bain, so it just makes sense to not second-guess it and just take their guy.

Yes, the Chiefs had a bad year, but there’s a reason they are always one of the best teams in the league, and it goes beyond Patrick Mahomes. It’s roster construction. The Chiefs trade a CB for a first-round pick and replace said CB with a cost-controlled one that can step in and potentially be as good as Trent McDuffie.

There is plenty of buzz that the Giants love Tyson enough to take him at five. I think if Tyson is still sitting here at 10, the Giants would be thrilled with this outcome. Tyson and Malik Nabers will be a lethal combo for Jaxson Dart if they can both be on the field at the same time, and that’s going to be a huge question for Tyson moving forward.

The Dolphins are hitting a hard reset this season after trading away plenty of players and beefing up their draft capital. If you are resetting, you start in the trenches. Fano’s skills match what Bobby Slowik does on offense, and I think it makes sense for them to go offensive line and grab Fano.

I’ve heard the Browns really like Proctor, but taking him at six would be a heck of a stretch. When the Cowboys come calling, the Browns are thrilled. Proctor at 12 makes a lot of sense as the Browns work to build up their offense to pair with the stout defense.

I think the Rams would love to trade back here, but the Lions hang up the phone now that a few tackles have gone off the board, so the Rams need to sit and pick. Sadiq is the kind of guy that Sean McVay would love to utilize in his offense, and he certainly won’t complain if this is the direction they need to go.

The Ravens need some help in their interior offensive line, especially after Tyler Linderbaum headed to Las Vegas. Ioane is one of the best players in the draft, and the Ravens are thrilled that he’s available for them at 14. It just makes too much sense.

If Mesidor were 2 or 3 years younger, he would be a top 5 pick in my opinion. But he’s an older prospect that teams don’t usually look for in the first round. The Bucs have a defensive-minded coach who is desperate to save his job. He’s not looking for a ceiling; he’s looking for immediate production at a position of need, and Mesidor fits the mold.

Mel Kiper has been screaming. Social media is abuzz. Why isn’t anyone taking Caleb Downs? I haven’t heard that Downs will drop in the draft, but I have heard that the Downs love is inconsistent with teams. Downs may not be as versatile in some of the schemes being run in 2026, but he’s a game-wrecker when he’s at the line of scrimmage. The Jets are thrilled to add someone who can make big-time plays to their defense with this pick.

The Lions need to start reworking their offensive line a little bit, so why not start at tackle? Pairing Freeling with Penei Sewell on a cost-controlled rookie contract for 5 years. Having two great tackles so Goff can operate cleanly in the pocket is critical for this offense.