Mock draft watch: Surprise OT at No. 1 in offense-heavy first round

From time to time, we like to scan the mock draft landscape for something novel or different. We found just that in the projections from Daft on Draft, a side project of Browns Wire editor and longtime draft analyst Cory Kinnan.

After leading with the proclamation that he doesn’t like doing mock drafts, Kinnan proceeds to lay out a pretty interesting first round, one that breaks with some conventional thinking.

It starts at the top. With the first pick, the New England Patriots are projected to land Texas offensive tackle Cameron Williams. The precocious right tackle has a ton of physical tools but a lot of room for development, as Kinnan notes.

The nest two picks come from Colorado, with the Browns tabbing QB Shedeur Sanders and the Jaguars landing CB/WR Travis Hunter. They are each almost universally regarded as top-10 picks at this point. The Browns moving on from Deshaun Watson is a necessary evil in which Kinnan goes into good detail.

There is one other QB in the top 10, with Alabama’s Jalen Milroe heading to the Las Vegas Raiders. Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty goes to the Giants at No. 11, while Williams’ Texas running mate, Kelvin Banks, comes off at No. 14 to Seattle.

It’s always fun to see what other draft minds are thinking throughout the process. This one ends the first round with two tight ends from the Big Ten and a defensive tackle to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 32 overall.