Answering NFL Draft’s biggest questions, plus our NFL insider mock draft and who teams ‘should’ take

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

The NFL Draft is kicking off in just two days and based on everything I know about the draft, that means you can’t believe anything you hear over the next 48 hours. When you get this close to the draft, everything is a smokescreen. Even the smokescreens are smokescreens. 

The only thing that’s not a smokescreen is today’s newsletter where we’ll be going all in on the draft. Not only will we be answering some of the draft’s biggest questions, but we also have our NFL insider mock draft, plus Pete Prisco will be making some first-round picks based on what teams ‘should’ do. 

As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. 

1. Our NFL experts answer the draft’s biggest questions

With the NFL Draft now just two days away, we decided to round up ALL of our NFL Draft experts and have them answer some of the draft’s biggest questions. We came up with a total of 12 questions and we got answers from Ryan Wilson, Mike Renner, Chris Trapasso and Josh Edwards. 

Here are three of the questions they were tasked with answering: 

Q: Where does Shedeur Sanders land? 

• Ryan Wilson: To the Steelers. Whether that’s a trade-up or at No. 21, we’ll see. But it seems like the Browns and Giants will pass on Sanders at the top of the draft, the Saints could address other needs at No. 9, and there isn’t a QB-needy team between there and Pittsburgh at No. 21.
• Josh Edwards: No. 9 overall to the Saints. If not New Orleans, then it gets more difficult to project. It is unknown if he is even Pittsburgh’s quarterback of choice.
• Chris Trapasso: One of two places — New Orleans or Pittsburgh. Both are clearly in need of a quarterback, and although Sanders isn’t a premier prospect, I’d be shocked if both pass on him in Round 1.
• Mike Renner: To the Giants, but not at 3. I think he’ll fall into a range where they can make a move up from 34 to go get him. 

Note: Tyler Sullian actually came up with some landing spots that would make sense for Sanders and you can check those out here (Spoiler alert: The Rams are at the top of the list). 

Q: Which player has the chance to be a surprise top-10 pick? 

• Wilson: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas. Barron reminds me a lot of Brian Branch, the former Alabama standout who slipped to Round 2 because he ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Branch plays a lot faster than he timed, but he’s an example of NFL teams overthinking it. Barron plays fast and he times fast — he ran a 4.39 in Indy — and guess who coached Branch in Detroit? Aaron Glenn, the new Jets head coach. This is all to say that Barron to New York at No. 7 feels like a real possibility.
• Edwards: LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama. The medicals will be incredibly important for Campbell, but the talent is there to be a top-10 selection. One other prospect to consider is Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen. Interior defenders are a premium and Nolen is a supreme athlete.
• Trapasso: CB Jahdae Barron, Texas. There is so much uncertainty in the cornerback class after Travis Hunter. There doesn’t seem to be many questions with Barron.
• Renner: S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina. Top-10 picks are lottery tickets and everyone wants to hit that Powerball jackpot. Emmanwori can be just that with one of the most impressive physical profiles of a safety in NFL history.

Q: Which team do you expect to make the most surprising pick of the draft? 

• Wilson: Seahawks.  And I say this for no other reason than when we think Seattle will zig, GM John Schneider typically zags. Bruce Irvin, Rashaad Penny, LJ Collier, and even Devon Witherspoon were all atypical picks, at least by the standards of media mock drafts. Put another way: everything is on the table when Seattle is on the clock.
• Edwards: Saints. Seattle is usually my selection for this category, because general manager John Schneider has the longest track record of shocking selections. Since Ryan mentioned the Seahawks first, I will throw New Orleans’ hat into the ring, because it is also prone to going off the grid.
• Trapasso: Rams. They’re always down to do something out of the ordinary in the draft.
• Renner: Saints. They can go any which way with a roster full of needs and a murky quarterback situation. Mickey Loomis is no stranger to surprise picks, and that feels even more likely in a jumbled class

These guys answered a total of 12 questions and you can check those out here. 

2. NFL insider mock draft: Jonathan Jones unveils his first and only mock

CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones only does one mock draft every year and we’ve got it today. Last year, Jones was one of about two people on the planet who had Michael Penix Jr. going to the Falcons with the eighth overall pick (Seriously, he had that, and you can see it here). 

This year, Jones has another bold prediction involving a quarterback, so let’s take a look at a few nuggets from his mock. 

• Shedeur Sanders falls out of the first round. Sanders’ stock seems to be slipping and at this point, it won’t be surprising if he falls out of the top 10 … or maybe even farther if Jones is right. Our NFL insider has Sanders falling out of the first round entirely. 
• Saints pass on a QB to take Kelvin Banks Jr. at ninth overall. The Saints are one of several teams in the draft that will likely end up taking at least one quarterback, but Jones doesn’t have them taking one in the first round. Instead, New Orleans opts to go with Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks, who can play both tackle and guard. 
• Steelers pass on a QB to take Kenneth Grant at 21st overall. If the Steelers don’t have a quarterback, the only way they’re going to win the AFC North is if they can beat up on opposing quarterbacks, so Jones has them taking Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant. 
• Raiders trade back into the first round but don’t take a QB. Jones has the Raiders acquiring the 32nd overall pick in a trade with the Eagles. However, the Raiders don’t use their new pick to draft a QB. With the final pick of the first round, they get a weapon for Geno Smith by drafting Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka. 

If you want to check out Jones’ full mock draft, you can do that here. 

3. What teams ‘should’ do in the NFL Draft 

If you only read one mock draft today, you’re going to want to make sure it’s the one that was just released by Pete Prisco. For the most part, all mock drafts are basically the same, but Prisco has decided to add a twist to his: Pete’s mock is based on what teams should do, not what everyone thinks they’re going to do. 

When he put this mock draft together last year, he had the Bears taking Jayden Daniels with the No. 1 overall pick (seriously, he had that and you can see it here) even though it was pretty clear they were going to take Caleb Williams. In Prisco’s mind, the Bears “should” have taken Daniels because he was the better prospect, but instead, they took Williams. This year, Prisco once again has a different idea about who the top pick in the draft should be.  

With that in mind, let’s check out the top-15 picks in Prisco’s who they should take mock. 

1. Titans: CB/WR Travis Hunter (Colorado)
2. Browns: EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State) 
3. Giants: QB Cam Ward (Miami)
4. Patriots: OT Josh Simmons (Ohio State)
5. Jaguars: RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)
6. Raiders: CB Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky)
7. Jets: DL Mason Graham (Michigan)
8. Panthers: EDGE Jalon Walker (Georgia)
9. Saints: EDGE Mykel Williams (Georgia)
10. Bears: TE Colston Loveland (Michigan)
11. 49ers: Will Campbell (LSU) 
12. Cowboys: WR Matthew Golden (Texas)
13. Dolphins: CB Will Johnson (Michigan)
14. Colts: TE Tyler Warren (Penn State)
15. Falcons: DL Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)

The three biggest surprises of Prisco’s mock draft are: Cam Ward falling out of the top spot with the Titans taking Travis Hunter instead, Josh Simmons being the first tackle taken and the fact that Prisco only has one QB going in the first round. 

If you want to see how the rest of the first round plays out — and trust me, you do — then you’re going to want to click here. 

For more draft coverage, you can hear Ryan Wilson every week on “With the First Pick,” our year-round NFL Draft podcast here at CBS Sports. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. 

4. Titans seven-round mock draft: Breaking down what Tennessee will do after the first pick 

With just two days to until the start of the draft, there seems to be just one pick that everyone can agree on and that’s Cam Ward going to Tennessee (NFL Media reported on Tuesday that Ward to Tennessee is essentially a lock). At this point, it seems pretty clear that the Titans will end up taking Ward, but what will they do after that? 

We put Jordan Dajani in charge of making EVERY Titans pick for all seven rounds and he ended up getting some help for Ward by using two of Tennessee’s first four picks on receivers.  

The Titans have a total of eight picks in the draft. Let’s check out what Dajani has them doing with their first five picks: 

• Round 1 (first overall): QB Cam Ward (Miami)
• Round 2 (35th overall): WR Jayden Higgins (Iowa State)
• Round 4 (103rd overall): EDGE Bradyn Swinson (LSU)
• Round 4 (120th overall): WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. (Tennessee)
• Round 5 (141st overall): EDGE David Walker (Central Arkansas)

If you want a full explanation for the picks or if you’re wondering how the other three picks turned out, then be sure to check out Dajani’s full mock draft for the Titans here. Jordan actually has them making TWO trades, so you’re definitely going to want to see his entire mock draft. 

5. NFL Draft: Buying or selling the biggest rumors

As I said at the top, once you get this close to the draft, it’s impossible to know what to believe. With that in mind, Jordan Dajani decided to take a look at a few draft rumors to decide if we should buy or sell them. 

Rumor: Jalen Milroe is the third best QB in the draft
Buy or Sell: Sell. 
Jordan’s take: “Milroe may be the most interesting quarterback prospect in this class. Browns general manager Andrew Berry believes he could be faster than Lamar Jackson, but at the same time his accuracy is a work in progress. Milroe may have an “NFL arm,” but he’s the kind of player that probably needs to sit for a year or two.”

Rumor: Jaguars will surprise everyone at fifth overall
Buy or Sell: Sell. 
Jordan’s take: “Besides Cam Ward to the Titans, the most commonly mocked picked is Mason Graham to the Jaguars at No. 5 overall. There’s more to this situation than just groupthink, as Graham was even seen working out in a Jaguars shirt in a video posted to social media before the video was deleted. … if they stick at No. 5, I believe it will be Graham.”

Rumor: At least one team will trade into the first round for a QB
Buy or Sell: Buy. 
Jordan’s take: “I believe this is exactly what will happen on Thursday. Late in the first round, we are going to see a team like the Raiders, Giants or Browns trade up late in the first round and take a quarterback like Jaxson Dart. Why? For one, all three of those teams are currently slated to select within the first five picks of Day 2, so they will be jockeying for Dart or Shedeur Sanders, if he drops. Also, keep in mind those first-round picks get the fifth-year options on their rookie contracts as well.”

We’ve got some more buy or sell scenarios and you can check those out here. 

6. Extra points: Browns and Giants fielding trade calls

It’s a busy time in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that’s happening, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Several teams trying to trade into the top three. The Browns and Giants have both been getting trade calls from teams looking to trade into the top three, according to ESPN’s Peter Schrager. Although Schrager didn’t identify the teams that are looking to trade up, he did say that they are targeting one of three players, “It would be for Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter or the running back, Ashton Jeanty.” We took a guess at who might be trying to make a trade and you can check that out here. 
• Broncos are one of the few teams trying to trade up. The Broncos currently hold the 20th overall pick, but it appears that they’d like to get on the clock before that, so they’ve been calling around about possibly moving up. Most teams are looking to move down in the first round, so the fact that the Broncos want to go up is definitely interesting. If you’re wondering who they might be targeting, we broke that down here.  
• Saints looking to trade up in second round. The Saints aren’t looking to move up in the first round, but apparently, they are interested in moving up in the SECOND round. Right now, the Saints have the 40th overall pick and if they’re looking to move up, the most likely target would be a quarterback. We’ve got all the details on the Saints’ possible move here. 
• Colts could take a QB early. During a pre-draft press conference on Monday, Colts general manager Chris Ballard was asked if his team might think about taking a quarterback during the early portion of the draft and he didn’t really try to hide his answer. “If there’s a player we deem is worthy of it, absolutely,” Ballard said. “Why wouldn’t we? Yea.” The Colts have three of the first 80 picks in the draft (14th, 45th, 80th), so it will be interesting to see if they use one of those on a QB. 
• Falcons add a QB. The Falcons haven’t traded Kirk Cousins yet, but they did add another quarterback on Monday with the signing of Easton Stick. The 29-year-old had been with the Chargers for his entire career, which dates to 2019 when L.A. selected him in the fifth round of the NFL Draft.