The NFL Draft is great for teams to get young rising stars from the collegiate level. The college athletes can be the difference in helping push their new team to the playoffs and maybe even into the Super Bowl. In recent  NFL drafts, the first two picks are locks. This year the draft is on Thursday, April 29 at 7 p.m. The first pick will be the Jacksonville Jaguars taking Trevor Lawrence a quarterback from Clemson. For the second overall pick the New York Jets will take Zach Wilson from BYU. These two players can help turn these teams around just by their skill set.

The third pick came with a trade by the San Francisco 49ers — up to the 3rd pick from the 12th pick — with the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers will go with a quarterback but who will they take? Justin Fields from Ohio State or Mac Jones from Alabama? They should go with Fields a better QB than Jones. Jones had a great season, but he had the number one running back, wide receiver and head coach. I don’t think Jones is a top tier talent in the draft.

The 4th pick can go many different ways with multiple trades, or the Atlanta Falcons staying put and drafting the best player left which is probably Kyle Pitts a freak athlete from Florida. I think the 4th pick will be traded. The New England Patriots may trade up from 15th to 4th to take their next quarterback in Trey Lance from North Dakota State, an outstanding player from the FCS. The Denver Broncos could also trade up for Lance. The Dolphins could also trade up again above the Bengals to take Pitts but I don’t think they will.

The Cincinnati Bengals have the 5th pick but they don’t need a quarterback — they need players to protect their quarterback from last year who was injured. They may go get the best tackle in the draft, Penei Sewell from Oregon. Then the Miami Dolphins will take the best player left in the draft – maybe Pitts from Florida. The 7th pick can go many different ways with the Detroit Lions picking. The linebacker from Penn State, Micah Parsons, would be good but they can also get Ja’Marr Chase, a wide receiver from LSU.

With the 8th pick the Carolina Panthers badly need a tight end, but there are not many that are as highly rated as Pitts so they will probably go with Chase from LSU to add to the stacked wide receiver corps. The 9th pick is simple to predict: the Denver Broncos will stick with the QB they have and get him some protection with Rashawn Slater Tackle from Northwestern. The Dallas Cowboys have the 10th pick and they need defense, so they may take cornerback Patrick Surtain ll from Alabama. The New York Giants are next and they got many really good players during free agency. I feel like they need to get players for their offensive line with Christain Darrisaw a tackle from Virginia Tech. With the 12th pick the Philadelphia Eagles here have one clear choice to make and that is to help their young quarterback with a great wide receiver in Jaylyn Waddle from Alabama.

The 13th pick is the Los Angeles Chargers, who need a lot of help on defense from defensive backs and linebackers. I think they will pick Jaycee Horn, cornerback from South Carolina. The Minnesota Vikings will likely take a safety from TCU Trevon Moehrig with the 14^th pick. If the Atlanta Falcons trade down from pick 4 they will probably take Greg Newsome ll,  a cornerback from Northwestern. The Arizona Cardinals need a little more help on defense and they may take a defensive lineman from Alabama. The Las Vegas Raiders lost some players during free agency. I think they may take Heisman Winner Devonta Smith from Alabama. Then the Dolphins, with their 2nd pick in the draft, may take a player on the defensive side with an edge player from Michigan Kwity Paye. The Washington football team had a great defense but they can make it better in the draft with linebacker from Notre Dame Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Then with the 20th pick the Chicago Bears, who need a quarterback, will probably go with Mac Jones from Alabama. The Indianapolis Colts need to help their new quarterback Carson Wentz with a receiver so they may go with wide receiver from Minnesota, Rashod Bateman. The Tennessee Titans also need receiver help after losing one to free agency and they may take Elijah Morre from Ole Miss. The Jets, with their second  pick, need defense so they may  take an edge player from Penn State, Jayson Oweh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers need to start thinking about their future without Ben Roethlisberger, but there are no good quarterbacks after Jones so they will probably go for guys to help their new quarterback that  they will take later in the draft – like tackle Walker Little tackle from Stanford. Jacksonville also needs to protect their new quarterback so they may take a tackle from North Dakota State in Dillon Radunz. The Cleveland Browns signed Jadeveon Clowney and I had them taking an edge player, but now I think they will take a linebacker from Tulsa, Zaven Collins. The Baltimore Ravens also need to help their quarterback Lamar Jackson, so they may go with wide receiver help and take Terrace Marshall Jr. from LSU. The Saints have made a lot of moves this off season trying to get under the cap. I feel they may go defense and take a cornerback Caleb Farley from Virginia Tech. The Green Bay Packers need to get a wide receiver and also a cornerback. They will probably take cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. from Florida State. The Buffalo Bills need a few more players to get to a Super Bowl contending team with the defense they go with an edge player Azeez Ojulari from Georgia.

The Kansas City Chiefs need to help Patrick Mahomes at the line, so they will take Teven Jenkins from Oklahoma State. Then with the last pick in the first round, I feel the Green Bay Packers should trade back up into the first round and take wide receiver Rondale Moore from Purdue to help Aaron Rodgers. The first round will be a crazy one with teams reaching for players they can get later just so they can keep them away from other teams.