1.01

Miami Dolphins – Ezekiel Elliot
The easiest pick of the lot, it gets a lot more complicated after here. Yes, the worst kept secret in the IFL, the Cowboys latest running back becomes the IFL’s first player off the board. After the Titans draft moves in the NFL, it’s had a knock on effect on Brad’s backfield with DeMarco Murray’s value taking a significant hit so Zeke’s arrival could prove to be vital to the success of the Dolphins season.

1.02

Tennessee Titans – Laquon Treadwell
The Titans have built a core of great players on offence with Bell, Green and Beckham Jnr but he could do with a bit more depth on offence. The GM Jason will no doubt go wide receiver as they seem to be the safer pick, it’s just a matter which of the trio of Coleman, Doctson and Treadwell that the Titans like the most. I think Tennessee favours Treadwell and make him a Titan.

1.03

San Diego Super Chargers – Josh Doctson
The first of three picks in the top six for the Chargers begins at the 1.03 and GM Decker will be looking for some depth on low cost contracts to counter his highly paid stars. Again it comes down to receivers here and I think we see Josh Doctson go off the board. The former TCU, now Washington wideout has landed in a good spot in the nation’s capital and could flourish with quarterback Kirk Cousins.

1.04

Cleveland Browns – Corey Coleman
The Cleveland Browns need offence, GM Jon invested heavily in his high powered defence and now I’m positive he’ll use the draft to build his offence. This comes down to who Jon prefers, a running back or wide receiver. The riskier pick here would be Heismann Trophy winner, Derrick Henry but with the landing spot in Tennessee I think Jon mirrors the NFL pick of the Browns and goes for Corey Coleman. He’s the number one target in Cleveland and Jon will be hoping he can be his number player on offence.

1.05

San Diego Super Chargers – Reggie Ragland
The Chargers are back on the board and this is where I think Decker addresses his linebacking contingent. With Perryman, Heeney, Kirksey and McKinney leading the way a rookie linebacker would be the best choice here. So it comes down to Myles Jack or Reggie Ragland. Jack has landed in Jacksonville, which is a landing spot that could see him flourish and he has the most upside. However, with what looks to be a team in the win now mode after trading away all those 2017 picks I think Ragland gets the nod here. He’s gone straight to the top of the depth chart in Buffalo and will be a tackling machine.

1.06

San Diego Super Chargers – Michael Thomas
This is another pick where we could see Derrick Henry be considered but with the recent trade of Sammy Watkins I think Decker will want to continue to bolster his wide receiver core. Michael Thomas got a fantastic landing spot in New Orleans and with Drew Brees as his quarterback and a ready made role left by long time receiver, Marques Colston, Decker picks the former Ohio State Buckeye.

1.07

Baltimore Ravens – Kenneth Dixon
GM Matt invested heavily in some star players across defence and offence so he probably already knows his starting line up for week one. However, this is the time for him to take a critical look at it to see if he foresees any weaknesses he can bolster through the draft. The two areas I identified in my analysis were running back and linebacker. Past Zeke there are no sure fire bets at the running back position but with a player like Myles Jack available it will be a tough decision. It’s close but I think the Ravens select Kenneth Dixon here. This is partly due to his talent but mainly due to the fact Matt has the rest of the Baltimore backfield so he’ll want to lock it up.

1.08

New England Patriots – Myles Jack
The Patriots go best player available here and the name that stands out is Myles Jack. With a starting four at linebacker the Patriots have time to let Jack grow in Jacksonville as he recovers from injury and adjusts to the NFL level. Two linebackers off the board in the top eight.

1.09

Denver Broncos – C.J. Prosise
The Broncos will be praying to the football gods that Myles Jack falls to them here as they look to bolster their weak linebacking core. However, in this scenario he is off the board. Darron Lee is a possibility but I feel with the amount of money that GM Lewis has invested in Thomas Rawls that he will want all of his bases covered in the Seattle backfield. It’s a bit of a reach but Denver selects C.J. Prosise as an insurance policy for his high priced running back.

1.10

Cincinnati Bengals – Darron Lee
Another GM that drafted mainly offence in the inaugural auction and invested little into their defence is Cincinnati. GM Danny must be hoping to get a stud linebacker and the intriguing option is Darron Lee, another of the Ohio State players that will feature heavily in this draft. Lee was selected by the Jets in the first round and with an ageing David Harris in the middle, everything is there for Lee to be the key man in the middle for the Jets. It’s high based on current ADP but could prove to be a shrewd move.

1.11

Tennessee Titans – Jared Goff
The Titans are back on the board and we’re into the second of their three picks. There are lots of options here, from Derrick Henry and Will Fuller to Devontae Booker and Tyler Boyd. However, with another pick in just four away he will be able to pick up at least one of these players so in this mock, Jared Goff joins the Titans. My reasons are GM Jason has Cam Newton as starting QB but he has no back up. In this draft there’s only one rookie QB that’s assured of starting so Jason picks up the number one pick in the draft.

1.12

Oakland Raiders – Derrick Henry
The aforementioned collection of players are here for GM Damien to choose from and I think he opts for the Heismann trophy winner Derrick Henry. Running backs are hard to find and the upside is clear for all to see but it’s a risky pick. Damien could easily go for one of the other three running back options here but I’m going for Henry here. The Raiders only have Adrian Peterson in their backfield as DeAngelo Williams moves to his back up role again in Pittsburgh so Henry would be good value at 1.12.

1.13

Kansas City Chiefs – Will Fuller
Back to back picks here for Curt and I think he takes two wide receivers. He has some good running backs but his receiving core needs and injection of young talent. First off the board here is the Texans latest receiver Will Fuller. Fuller is a deep threat and will give the new Houston quarterback, Brock Osweiler a speedy target to link up with.

1.14

Kansas City Chiefs – Tyler Boyd
The next pick is Tyler Boyd. Cincinnati’s receivers have always been relatively dependable and with Dalton at quarterback, Boyd should be a solid pick for Curt. Boyd and Fuller will add some much needed depth for Curt and could both make his week one lineup.

1.15

Tennessee Titans – Devontae Booker
The Titans’ final pick of the first round is at 1.15 and I think Jason adds to his backfield, which only has Matt Jones and Le’Veon Bell. Devontae Booker is a solid running back who put up huge numbers during his college career and is talented enough to take over the Denver backfield. Jason rounds out his three picks in the draft with Laquon Treadwell, Jared Goff and Devontae Booker.

1.16

Jacksonville Jaguars – Sterling Shepherd
Nate has back to back picks here but as we’re only covering the first round, I’m putting Sterling Shepherd here. Shepherd went in the second round of the NFL draft and got a great landing spot in New York. Nate is going to take best players available here and for the record I think he takes Shepherd at the 1.16 and follows it up with Leonte Carroo at the 2.01.