Finding value in the NFL Draft can help elevate a team to the next level. So with that in mind, here are the best value picks of the draft for evert NFC team:
Arizona Cardinals – Will Johnson, CB, Michigan, 2nd Round
Johnson is unquestionably a first-round talent. I had him mocked as Arizona’s first round selection, and they got him a day later in round two! Johnson is reportedly dealing with an injury, and if he heals back to 100% this could look like one of the steals of the draft.
Atlanta Falcons – Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia, 1st Round
I don’t recall any mock drafts having Jalon Walker fall all the way to the Falcons – I had him going 8th to Carolina. Atlanta needs help defending the pass, and Walker can come in on day one and either provide a pass rush boost or pass defense boost, depending on how Atlanta decides to use the versatile player.
Carolina Panthers – Nic Scourton, DE, Texas A&M, 2nd Round
Scourton was an absolute menace in both the pass game and run game at Texas A&M, and should instantly be an every down player on a team that had one of the league’s worst defenses last season.
Chicago Bears – Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers, 7th Round
We have enough of a sample size to know that D’Andre Swift is not cut out to carry a full workload at running back, and Monangai was a productive tackle-breaker at Rutgers who can happily shoulder the load on early downs.
Dallas Cowboys – Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College, 2nd Round
In my final mock draft, I had Ezeiruaku as a late first-round pick to a pass-rush needy team. Well, I was right about half of that – the nation’s leading sack-artist in 2024 fell to a spot with Dallas where he can instantly start on the opposite side of Micah Parsons.
Detroit Lions – Miles Frazier, OG, LSU
The Lions have become a franchise who buck trends on draft day – they often reach for players ahead of value and draft non-premium positions early in the draft. However, they usually turn into good players. They did the same again this year, and the best value that I could find was Frazier, one of the draft’s best guards who will hope to keep this offense rolling in the post-Ben Johnson era.
Green Bay Packers – Savion Williams, WR, TCU, 3rd Round
A versatile rushing/receiving weapon at TCU with crazy athleticism found a perfect landing spot with an offensive mind in Matt LaFleur who is great at scheming up designed touches, and is surely already in the lab seeing what he can do for Williams.
Los Angeles Rams – Chris Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss, 5th Round
Linebacker was a clear need for the Rams, and they found one of the draft’s most-talented and well-rounded at the position in the 5th round.
Minnesota Vikings – Tai Felton, WR, Maryland, 3rd Round
The speed burner from Maryland could slide right in as the WR3 alongside Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and could provide a vertical threat that could open up the rest of the offense.
New Orleans Saints – Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas, 1st Round
The Saints were able to nab my top-rated offensive lineman in the draft at the 9th overall pick and he will look to do the same thing in New Orleans that he did at Texas – start on his first practice with team.
New York Giants – Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State, 4th Round
The Giants were able to take this human bowling ball in the 4th round, after many backs that he was more productive than during his collegiate career.
Philadelphia Eagles – Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama, 1st Round
A team with no true needs on the roster took the best player available with their first pick – who just so happens to be the best off-ball linebacker prospect in the last 5 years.
Seattle Seahawks – Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina, 2nd Round
Emmanwori looks the part of Derwin James, Jeremy Chinn, and Kyle Hamilton at the safety position, and his pure physicality is the prototype for the position in 2025.
San Francisco 49ers – Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia, 1st Round
This human highlight reel of a player could make an instant impact as the recipient of one-on-one blocks on the opposite side of double-team drawer Nick Bosa.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame, 2nd Round
Morrison would have definitively been a first round pick if not for a season-ending injury in 2024. He was the best man coverage cornerback in this class by a wide margin.
Washington Commanders – Troy Amos, CB, Ole Miss, 2nd Round
A prospect that I and many others had being getting taken in the 1st round somehow fell to the 2ndwhere Washington could scoop up some much-needed secondary help.
