Quarterback mobility is a big deal in the NFL, and you can expect many teams to go mobile to land a quarterback.
What if the Chicago Bears jump out of the No. 1 pick?
This, the first of several mock drafts from the Los Angeles Times, is considering that possibility with several teams looking to upgrade to the most coveted — and often confusing — position.
And don’t forget there are only 31 picks in the first round this year, as the Miami Dolphins were stripped of their roster after the NFL ruled that the club broke rules for messing with quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton while under contracted with other franchises. .
A look at how the first round could go:
1. (intended trade) Indianapolis: CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State — The Colts are in a position to move up the ranks, taking a No. 1 overall quarterback for the fifth time in the Super Bowl era, as they did with John Elway, Jeff George, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.
2. Houston: Alabama QB Bryce Young — Texans are ready to upgrade from Davis Mills, and there’s something to love about all four top quarterback prospects.
3. Arizona: Edge Will Anderson Jr., Alabama — New coach Jonathan Gannon needs to rebuild the league’s second worst-scoring defense, and Anderson is a great building block for that.
4. (intended trade) Chicago: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia — Carter could be the No. 1 pick, but off-field issues have him slipping a bit in this mock.
5. Seattle: Rand Myles Murphy, Clemson — The Seahawks were near the bottom of the league in the pass rush last season, conceding at least 40 points twice.
6. Detroit: Rand Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech — The Lions desperately need help at cornerback, but with two picks in the top 18, they can wait and grab a pass rusher here.
7. Las Vegas: Kentucky QB Will Levis — If the Raiders don’t address their quarterback need for free agency, they can bring Levis or Anthony Richardson here.
8. Atlanta: DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson — Grady Jarrett led the Falcons with six sacks last season, and as a team, the Falcons only generated 21. That needs to change.
9. Carolina: Florida QB Anthony Richardson — If the Panthers don’t sign a quarterback in free agency – Derek Carr? – maybe for the first time since Cam Newton in 2011 they use a first round.
10. Philadelphia: CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois — Keeping James Bradberry will be pricey, so the Eagles take a corner kick in the opening round for the first time since 2002.
11. Tennessee: OT Peter Skoronski, Northwest — If Skoronski comes out of the top 10, the Titans could plug him in as a replacement for since-released left tackle Taylor Lewan.
12. Houston: WR Jordan Addison, USC — Texans got their quarterback with the second pick, and now they have a fast and confident player for the other end of those passes.
USC’s Jordan Addison is one of the first wide receivers in the first round of the NFL draft.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
13. New York Jets: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State — The Jets topped last year’s draft with cornerback Sauce Gardner and receiver Garrett Wilson, and now they need someone to stem the onslaught of sacks.
14. New England: CB Brian Branch, Alabama — Offensive tackle would fit here, but the Patriots will be able to pick one of the best cornerbacks if they stay in the middle of the round.
15. Green Bay: TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame — The Packers again avoid a wide receiver in the opening round and instead seek a replacement for Robert Tonyan, whose deal expires.
16. Washington: CB. Christian Gonzalez, Oregon — If the Commanders don’t trade for a quarterback, they can choose to stay put and find a bookend for Kendall Fuller.
17. Pittsburgh: CB Joey Porter Jr., Penn State — Pittsburgh hasn’t had much luck fielding a first-round cornerback in the past 30 years, but perhaps the team will succeed with the son of a former Steelers star.
18. Detroit: CB Emmanuel Forbes, State of Mississippi — Secondary is the most pressing need for Detroit’s defense, and the Lions are addressing this with their second pick.
19. Tampa Bay: Edge Keion White, Georgia Tech — The Buccaneers could use a flight back, but they’ll find it later. More pressing is their need to ramp up the pass rush.
20. Seattle: WR Quentin Johnston, Texas Christian – Maybe the Seahawks are looking for someone to eventually (or immediately) replace Geno Smith, or maybe they’ll give Smith another target.
21. Chargers: RB Bijan Robinson, Texas — Lots of directions the Chargers could go – including trades – but one of them is finding someone to take the ball-carrying burden with Austin Ekeler.
Texas running back Bijan Robinson and escaping a tackle attempt from Kansas State safety Kobe Savage could be a good fit for the Chargers.
(Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press)
22. Baltimore: Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba — By trading Marquise Brown to Arizona and losing Rashod Bateman to injury, the Ravens were dangerously lean at receiver.
23. Minnesota: CB Deonte Banks, Maryland — New defensive coordinator Brian Flores could use an aggressive corner like Banks to bolster the Vikings secondary.
24. Jacksonville: TE Dalton Kincaid, Utah — If he lasts that long, Kincaid would be a capable replacement for Evan Engram, whom the Jaguars have not resigned.
25. New York Giants: WR Zay Flowers, Boston College — Assuming they make deals with Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, the Giants should turn their attention to replenishing the receiver room.
26. Dallas: WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee — The Cowboys need help for CeeDee Lamb, and they don’t have a clear No. 2 receiver right now.
27. Buffalo: S. Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M — The Bills desperately need help on the receiver, but once all the guys are top shelf on the board, they can turn their attention to gaps in the secondary.
28. Cincinnati: CB Cam Smith, South Carolina — The Bengals could use a tight side, but they need someone who can become a replacement for cornerback Eli Apple.
29. New Orleans: RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama — Gibbs has drawn many comparisons to Alvin Kamara, and that type of player would work well for the Saints.
30. Philadelphia: Rand Lucas Van Ness, Iowa — The Eagles expect to lose a lot of free agents this off-season, and last season they were reminded just how effective a super-fast pass rush can be.
31. Kansas City: Rand Nolan Smith, Georgia — The Chiefs have decisions to make on pass rushers Frank Clark and Carlos Dunlap, and Smith’s landing could make those easier.
