Raiders opt for big-time player in final mock draft

It’s finally here. All of the rampant speculation, unfounded rumors and wild theories about the draft can officially stop.

By the end of Thursday, we will know how the first round of the NFL draft has played out and where the top 32 prospects will play next year.

So this is our last chance to make educated guesses on how those picks will play out.

That’s right, it’s the Review-Journal Mock Draft 5.0.

This time, we will even try our hand at predicting a few trades. That gives our draft board a much better chance of completely blowing up, but hey, there will be some trades, so it’s worth taking a couple shots at predicting some early swaps.

What will the Raiders do? We’re guessing Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock opt for another big-time player from a big-time program.

So without further ado, here’s our final best guess:

A player’s previous draft position is in parentheses.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson (1) — Urban Meyer may not have taken this job had he not been sure he was going to have a chance to build around a player many league insiders believe is a generational talent. He seems to believe Lawrence is that guy.

2. New York Jets

Zach Wilson, QB, BYU (2) — It’s tough to say exactly when everyone just decided it was a foregone conclusion the Jets would select Wilson, but it would be stunning if the Jets go in a different direction.

3. San Francisco 49ers (From Houston through Miami)

Mac Jones, QB, Alabama (15) — This is the first mystery of the draft even if that shouldn’t be the case. Justin Fields probably has a better case as the No. 2 quarterback in this class than Jones has of being in the top three. But reports indicate Kyle Shanahan is fighting hard for Jones, so we’ll go with him. Still, it doesn’t make sense they would give up so much to trade up for Jones. So maybe Trey Lance?

4. Chicago Bears (Predicted trade from Atlanta)

Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State (3) — If Fields is still on the board here, the Falcons will get flooded with calls from teams looking to move up to grab him. Atlanta probably wants an offensive playmaker and will almost certainly draft tight end Kyle Pitts if they stay in this spot. But here they get a whopper of an offer from Chicago and decide to trade down. The Bears mortgage the next couple drafts for the opportunity to finally land a franchise quarterback.

5. Cincinnati Bengals

Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Louisiana State (5) — The raging debate has been whether the Bengals will target the best receiver on the board or the top tackle in Penei Sewell. Well, in this case, you also have to throw tight end Kyle Pitts into the mix. The bet here is that Joe Burrow is convincing in making the case to select Chase, his college teammate.

6. Miami Dolphins (From Philadelphia)

Kyle Pitts, TE, (4) — Miami has plenty of draft capital and a solid foundation to build upon. Here, they add a flashy playmaker who is a tight end in name only and will greatly bolster the receiving corps and give second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa a security blanket.

7. Los Angeles Chargers (Predicted trade from Detroit)

Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon (7) — The Chargers enter the draft coveting Sewell but knowing the cost to move up into the top five or six to draft him is prohibitive. Once Sewell falls to this point, they offer the Lions the chance to pick up some extra picks to move back six spots. Los Angeles reunites Sewell with college teammate Justin Herbert.

8. New England Patriots (Predicted trade from Carolina)

Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State (9) — The Patriots could hold firm at No. 15 and hope that Lance falls to them, but the cost to go from No. 15 to No. 8 isn’t overwhelming. So they pull the trigger and make the move to secure the last of the five elite quarterback prospects. Something else to look for would be New England trying to reacquire Jimmy Garoppolo from San Francisco and passing on a rookie.

9. Denver Broncos

Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State (14) — The fall of Parsons down draft boards has been widely predicted, but it only takes one team to feel comfortable with the questions about his maturity and take a chance on him. He fills a big need and is a Vic Fangio-type player. The Broncos looked like a prime candidate to move up to No. 4 for a quarterback before the Teddy Bridgewater trade.

10. Dallas Cowboys

Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama (10) — Sure, Jerry Jones is infatuated with Pitts. Many league executives feel the same. He will be long gone by this point, however, and the Cowboys need help on defense. They appear to have narrowed their focus to cornerback with Surtain and South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. We’ll go Surtain here as he is paired with former college teammate Trevon Diggs.

11. New York Giants

DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama (12) — Micah Parsons makes a ton of sense here, perhaps for no other reason than he just feels like a Giants’ throwback linebacker. Since he’s off the board, the Giants add yet another weapon for Daniel Jones after bringing in Kenny Golladay in the offseason.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (From San Francisco through Miami)

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama (6) — The Eagles used a first-round pick on Jalen Reagor last year, but they still need an influx of talent on the outside. Waddle is a dynamic playmaker who would be a great option for Jalen Hurts, his former teammate at Alabama.

13. Detroit Lions (Predicted trade with Chargers)

Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina (16) — The trade may not have worked out exactly the way the Lions had hoped, but they do get extra picks and land one of the elite cornerbacks in the draft. When Detroit made the trade back, it was probably hoping to land one of the two Alabama receivers or Parsons.

14. Minnesota Vikings

Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern (8) — There have been rumors the Vikings wanted to move up to take one of the two elite tackles. Instead, one of them somehow falls all the way to them at No. 14.

15. Carolina Panthers (Predicted trade from Patriots)

Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech (13) — The Panthers have a glaring need at tackle, and here they are able to land one while picking up additional capital. Carolina could also consider Christian Barmore of Alabama after enduring a season in which it struggled to generate any kind of pressure up the middle, but the Panthers used a first-round pick on defensive tackle Derrick Brown last season.

16. Arizona Cardinals

Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech (20) — If not for the medical yellow flags, Farley would be in the conversation as a top 10 pick and the first defensive player off the board. He is a terrific cover corner with excellent ball skills who has only played the position for two years and is still developing. There isn’t much clarity on what the final medical checks determined about Farley’s back, but he fills a need and could be a steal for the Cardinals.

17. Las Vegas Raiders

Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama (29) — There has been so much talk about the Raiders needing to draft an offensive tackle early, but the top three are gone here, and this is a team in need of an influx of talent on defense. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have shown an affinity for big-time players from big-time programs who shine on the biggest of stages. Go back and watch the film of Barmore absolutely dominating the college football playoffs.

18. Miami Dolphins

Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL, USC (24) — The Dolphins need to keep adding players around Tagovailoa to help him continue to develop. Miami opened a spot up front by trading starter Ereck Flowers on Tuesday.

19. Washington Football Team

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame (19) — WFT made the playoffs last year mostly because of a weak division and a stout defense. But if there was a unit that could use help on that side of the ball, it would be the linebacking corps. Owusu-Koramoah thrives against the pass but is more than capable in the run game as well.

20. Atlanta Falcons (Predicted trade from Chicago)

Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia (11) — Ojulari is a bit difficult to project because he may be a bit limited defending against the run early in his career. On the positive side, he will rush the passer. It’s an area the Falcons need to address immediately, especially if they hold on to Julio Jones and decide to try to win now. They absolutely must find a way to generate pressure.

21. Indianapolis Colts

Kwity Paye, Edge, Michigan (18) — There are questions about all of the top edge rushers in this draft class, but Paye has fewer than the rest. He projects as a solid three-down player with pass rushing skills. It’s a big need for the Colts, though they have their choice of players at a position where the top prospects usually come off the board much sooner.

22. Tennessee Titans

Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota (22) — One of the more intriguing questions about a deep wide receiver class is who will be the fourth off the board after the big three. Bateman measured shorter and smaller than expected but answered any questions about his speed during his pro day. He is a good fit for a Tennessee passing game still looking for playmakers after the departure of Corey Davis.

23. New York Jets (From Seattle)

Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern (30) — He continues to rise up draft boards and ends up with the Jets, addressing a glaring hole on defense. The only real questions about Newsome concerned his straight-line speed, but he ran a sub-4.4 40 at his pro day.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers

Teven Jenkins, T, Oklahoma State (25) — There has been a great deal of speculation about the Steelers taking a running back with this pick. Drafting Jenkins instead would go much further toward improving the ground game.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (From Los Angeles Rams)

Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU (17) — Meyer’s first draft as an NFL coach couldn’t be going better here as he follows up his selection of Lawrence with a quarterback for his defense. Moehrig is by far the best player available at this point.

26. Cleveland Browns

Jaelan Phillips, Edge, Miami (26) — He is sure to be one of the stories of the first round as coverage of the draft unfolds. He had concussion issues that forced a brief retirement from college football and other injury concerns. But he can really play. Phillips has top 10 talent and was insanely productive last season.

27. Baltimore Ravens

Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida (27) — Toney is a dynamic playmaker and will add a new dimension to an already unique offense. He is fantastic on screens and reverses and played quarterback in high school, which could give defensive coordinators headaches thinking of all the ways he could be used alongside Lamar Jackson.

28. New Orleans Saints

Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State (28) — New Orleans is still trying to work itself out of a brutal salary cap situation. One of its most glaring needs is at cornerback after the Saints were forced to let Janoris Jenkins go during the offseason. Samuel would be a nice complement to star Marshon Lattimore.

29. Green Bay Packers

Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU* — Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. We are actually projecting the Packers to give Aaron Rodgers a weapon with an early-round draft pick. Marshall has played both inside and out during his career in Baton Rouge, particularly thriving from the slot this year after Justin Jefferson had gone to the NFL and Chase had opted out of the season.

30. Buffalo Bills

Jayson Oweh, Edge, Penn State (21) — There is speculation the Bills like Clemson running back Travis Etienne and believe he could take their offense to an even higher level. But the front office has used midround draft picks on running back in each of the past two years. If they want to take another one, they will wait. Instead, they get a physically gifted edge defender.

31. Baltimore Ravens (From Kansas City)

Samuel Cosmi, T, Texas * — Baltimore picked up an extra selection late in the first round by shipping Orlando Brown Jr. to Kansas City last week, so it only makes sense to grab his replacement. Cosmi should thrive in the running game from Day One, which is important in the Ravens’ offense.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Davis Mills, QB, Stanford* — OK, hear me out. The Bucs return their entire starting lineup from a Super Bowl championship team and are clearly in win-now mode. This pick could help solidify areas where depth may be needed for the team to make another deep run, in particular at wide receiver where they could use another playmaker and an eventual replacement for Chris Godwin. But that quarterback of theirs is pretty old, and there’s no true heir apparent. Drafting Mills in the first round will allow the Bucs to have an extra year of team control on his contract, and he may be ready to step right in when Brady finishes his career in like 2037.

* — No previous draft position.