5 Buckeyes go in the first round – Even though Ohio State failed to go back-to-back you can’t ignore the sheer talent on that roster. The Buckeyes will once again be the talk of the draft with several high upside prospects going in the top ten. Caleb Downs is the best overall prospect in this draft in my opinion and the Browns will have a cornerstone on their defense for many years to come.

The Love sweepstakes – Star Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love was already getting plenty of buzz pre-combine and the hype reached another level post-combine. Love displayed the speed and quickness that has scouts drooling. How high will he go? I don’t think he will get past the Titans at 4. Is that too high to pick a running back? That’s debatable but Love is a special weapon that can carry an offense wherever he goes.

Commanders grab WR1 – I’ve been impressed thus far on how Washington is handling this free agency period. As many know, the Commanders had the oldest roster in the league last year and they set out to get younger across the board. They added Odafe Oweh who flashed with the Chargers last year finishing with 7.5 sacks. They also added several weapons for Jayden Daniels including TE Chig Okonkwo. The youth movement will continue as the select WR Carnell Tate with the 7th pick. Tate is the best overall receiver in this draft and could be the next Terry McLaurin.

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Jayden Daniels (vs. LV) – Daniels and the Commanders were pretty beat up following the Thursday night beatdown in Green Bay. Daniels is dealing with a knee sprain he picked up late in the 4th quarter that currently has him day-to-day. If he were to miss Sunday’s matchup vs. the Raiders, Marcus Mariota would be next in line to start.

Aaron Jones (vs. CIN) – It’s been an injury plagued career for Jones and it’s unfortunate because he has so much talent. This time it’s a hamstring injury that he picked up Sunday night against the Falcons. The news doesn’t look good for Jones as the Vikings just placed him on IR. Jordan Mason should now get the majority of the carries and is a top waiver priority if available.

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5. Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders (Thurs. 12/25 1pm EST) – Netflix

Get ready for a Christmas NFC East showdown in DC. The up-and-coming Commanders, who have 8 standalone games in the upcoming season, will host their rivals in this intriguing matchup.

Whenever these two teams play it’s always must watch television. Now we get to settle in after unwrapping presents and enjoy Jayden Daniels vs. Dak Prescott. This game could very much have NFC East title implications being this late in the season.

Many including myself expect the Commanders to be in the NFC East title race but the Cowboys are the wild card. If Prescott can stay healthy and newly acquired George Pickens behaves, Dallas could be in the mix by the time they kickoff this one.

4. Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers (Fri. 9/5 8pm EST Brazil) – YouTube

YouTube will join the NFL party this upcoming season by streaming this AFC West battle opening week in Brazil. It’s a rare Friday night matchup but there is plenty of buzz for this one.

The Chiefs are coming of a 15-2 season where they were eventually blown out by the Eagles in the Super Bowl. They will look to start the season on a winning note versus their rival. Justin Herbert and the Chargers surprised many last season by finishing 11-6 and earning a Wild Card berth. It didn’t take long for Jim Harbaugh to make his mark in LA.

I expect the Chargers to take the next step this season and really challenge the Chiefs in this division. They added a much needed weapon in Omarion Hampton and Herbert should thrive in his second year in Harbaugh’s system. Look for this one to go down to the wire.

3. Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens (Mon. 9/25 8:15pm EST) – ABC/ESPN

This game may end up being the best Monday night matchup of the upcoming season. It is also a potential Super Bowl matchup. The Lions will look to bounce back from losing to the Commanders in the Divisional round while the Ravens will look to finally get over the hump.

Baltimore has been one of the best regular season teams the past couple of years but keep finding ways to lose in the playoffs. Case and point Mark Andrews costly fumble last year vs. the Bills. Lamar Jackson takes the majority of the blame for the playoff failures but the team as a whole seems to fade down the stretch.

Detroit was a heavy favorite last year to reach the Super Bowl but ran into a hot Commanders team. Expect them once again to compete for the NFC Title in 2025. The major question for the Lions is health. They were hammered with injuries last year, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

2. Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (Thurs. 9/4 8:20pm EST) – NBC/Peacock

Is there any question about whether the NFC East is the best division in football? The NFL seems to agree with the Cowboys, Commanders and Eagles dominating the primetime schedule. We are also fortunate to kick of the season with a classic Eagles vs. Cowboys matchup.

As we stated before, the Cowboys are a fascinating team to watch this season. On the one hand they could compete for the NFC East title or they could finish 4-13. It all depends on the health of Dak Prescott and if new head coach Brian Schottenheimer can push the right buttons.

The Eagles on the other hand should once again compete for the NFC crown with most of their weapons back. They are the team to beat until proven otherwise.

1. Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills (Sun. 9/7 8:20pm EST) – NBC/Peacock

The Ravens have another big-time matchup against the Bills in our Sunday night opener. Baltimore will be out for revenge after their demoralizing defeat in Buffalo in last year’s playoffs.

Both of these AFC titans need to find a way to get past the Chiefs to reach their goal. Josh Allen and company came close last season but once again fell just short in KC. The Chiefs have had the Bills number for some time now. Can the Bills finally break through?

Meanwhile, the Ravens just need to play better in the playoffs. They have all the makings of a Super Bowl team but need to be more disciplined in crunch-time. This game, although in just week 1 could set the tone for the top of the AFC down the stretch.

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Can the Commanders do the Unthinkable?

Before the season started the Washington Commanders were considered a longshot to win the Super Bowl. In fact, according to Vegas they were +15000 with only the Giants, Patriots and Panthers with worse odds then them. Yet here we are with the Commanders just one win away from competing for a championship.

How did they get here? Well credit the new ownership for clearing house and adding one of the best young GM’s in Adam Peters. It also doesn’t hurt to have the greatest rookie QB we have ever seen in Jayden Daniels. Sprinkle in a little bit of luck (Chicago Hail Mary) and you have a team of destiny.

Going into Philly and coming out with a win won’t be easy but after looking at what this team did in Detroit nothing is out of reach. Washington will need to stack the line and do whatever possible to stop Saquon Barkley. Easier said than done.

Can the Bills Finally Make it Back to the Super Bowl?

This year’s Bills team seems to have something special. As we’ve said before they are the most complete team in these playoffs and they showed that again with the win against the Ravens. Josh Allen and the Bills offense was not spectacular but they played turnover free football which is critical this time of year.

One of the things that has impressed me the most with Josh Allen this year is his ball protection. Allen had only 6 interceptions this season compared to 18 last year. This maturity from him has elevated an offense that many expected would take a step back after losing Stefon Diggs. The Bills will once again need to play mistake free football to win at Kansas City.

Can the Chiefs Offense Hang With the Bills?

There’s no question that the Chiefs success this year has been mostly because of how good their defense has been playing. Don’t get me wrong Patrick Mahomes has still been up to his old tricks but this offense is nothing like years past. If you ask Kansas City they could care less but with Buffalo coming to town they need to reach another gear.

Back in November, the Bills shutdown Mahomes and the Chiefs in route to a 30-21 victory. Mahomes struggled in that game with 2 interceptions and under 200 yards passing. Another performance like this and the Chiefs could be sent packing. Kansas City will need a balanced offensive gameplan and need to control the clock to keep the Bills offense off the field. This should be another classic in this heated series.

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Daniels has become one of the NFL’s best finishers and he is only a rookie. He is already up there with the best, including Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. Consider this, Daniels has thrown a touchdown pass in the last 30 seconds of five different games. That’s an NFL record. He also broke the NFL rushing record last night previously held by RG3. What’s most impressive is he’s doing it with a roster that has huge holes on both sides of the ball.

In Sunday night’s OT thriller against the Falcons, Daniels had to overcome countless penalties that consistently pushed the Washington offense behind the sticks. He never flinched and came up clutch in several 3rd and longs. This is not the first time we’ve seen this from Daniels. Just last week, he overcame 5 turnovers and led Washington to an upset of the Eagles. And of course, you can’t forget the epic Hail Mary he threw against the Chicago Bears.

Last night was just the latest memorable moment in a season filled with them for the rookie sensation. He has single-handedly changed the course of the Commanders franchise and he is just getting started.

The holes on this Washington roster are glaring. They desperately need a WR2 behind Terry McLaurin. They are also in need of a game-changing running back and help in the defensive secondary. Even with those obvious holes, Daniels continues to put this team on his back.

With one more game to go Daniels now has 3,530 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, 864 rushing yards and 6 rushing TDs. It’s hard to find a better season for a rookie including Justin Herbert‘s monster season in 2020.

Beyond the stats, Daniels has rescued the Commanders offense time and again with critical game-saving plays. In the game against the Eagles, he scrambled for 29 yards on a 4th and 11 that would’ve been a backbreaker for Washington had they failed to convert. Add this to season filled with impressive highlights.

The story is still getting written for Jayden Daniel’s rookie season. I expect more magic from him in the playoffs and can’t wait to see what he does next. One thing is for certain, Daniels has changed the fate of the Washington franchise and is having the best rookie season we have ever seen.

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For me it’s a close race for the biggest surprise of Week 3. We had the Denver Broncos go into Tampa and totally take away Baker’s ability to pass the ball. Maybe, Tampa isn’t what we thought they were. Either way, they struggled and Denver’s pass D was suffocating. Tampa just couldn’t get anything going on both sides of the ball. We also had the Carolina Panthers with Andy Dalton totally dismantle the Oakland Raiders. This game showed me that it was more Bryce Young, then a bad team around him. He will need time to get back in the saddle, and that could be with another team by years end.

Those two were big surprises, but not as surprising as the Commanders beating the Bengals. This was Jayden Daniels coming out party, as he showed the world he’s the real deal. He showed poise in the pocket, and complete command of the offense. In addition, he’s smart with the ball and is not a guy who commits bad mistakes. For him to have this quality as a rookie is unheard of. The offensive line played their best game in awhile, giving Jayden ample time in the pocket. Give credit to the coaching staff who had a great game plan, and stayed aggressive going for it on a few 4th down calls. The Bengals have to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to dig out of the AFC North hole.

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Injuries: An alarming amount of key players have been injured in the first two weeks of football. How will these teams navigate these injuries and just survive.

Rookie QB’s: There was a lot of hype this year about Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams. So far I would say Jayden has the edge with 0 INT and 2 rushing TD’s. He has shown the ability to throw and run when he has to. He does need to work on sliding and avoiding any major injury. The zero int’s are not surprising because at LSU he didn’t throw too many, and is smart with the football.

New Kickoff: This has been a disaster with most players and viewers not happy with the new kickoff. I understand the NFL is all about safety but to implement this rule doesn’t make sense.

New Orleans Saints: Are they for real? They’ve scored on every offensive drive this season and have no plans of slowing down. They appear to be playing at 100% confidence. In a pretty weak division, the sky is the limit for them.

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As usual, these rankings will be updated up to week 1 of the NFL season. Before you check out our rankings, check out some highlights that stick out.

Two Rookie QB’s in the Top 20

The big question heading into every new NFL season is how the top quarterbacks in the draft will fare. There is a lot of hype for Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels this year and we are buying the hype.

Williams has a great supporting cast surrounding him in Chicago. With plenty of weapons to choose from, he should thrive in this new-look Bears offense.

In Washington, Daniels has been the talk of training camp. While he has not officially been given the starting job many believe it’s just a matter of time. Daniels is the perfect quarterback for Kliff Kingsbury’s system and will have plenty of opportunities to put up points.

Christian McCaffrey Holds Down Top Spot

At this point, it’s no surprise that McCaffrey is #1 overall in our draft rankings. The 49ers running back was once again RB1 last season and there are no signs of him slowing down.

I expect McCaffrey to once again put up big numbers in the San Francisco offense. This could be the last year though this offensive unit stays intact with Brock Purdy’s contract looming.

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Are the 49ers Exploring Trades for Aiyuk?

As of today, the 49ers front office is denying that they are exploring trades for Aiyuk. The key word is ‘as of today’ because this very much could change next week. With the 2024 NFL Draft coming next Thursday we could see San Francisco changing its stance and trading away their star receiver during the draft.

If they do entertain trades we can expect San Francisco to want a decent haul in return. This could include multiple draft picks in this year’s draft. Look no further than the Stefon Diggs trade for what to expect for Aiyuk.

The Bills shipped Diggs to Houston for a 2025 2nd-round pick, a 2025 5th-round pick and a 2024 6th-round pick. I believe a 2024 2nd-round pick and a 2025 mid-round pick could pique the 49ers interest. Especially if the 2nd round pick is high in that round.

Possible Brandon Aiyuk Landing Spots

If you look at the current betting odds for Aiyuk’s next team the Steelers are in the lead at +200. This makes sense as Pittsburgh is in need of more weapons after the departure of Diontae Johnson. The Steelers have the 20th pick in the first round and they could offer this for Aiyuk.

Another team to watch is the Washington Commanders. Washington is also in need of receivers and Aiyuk has ties to the new front office. Commanders GM Adam Peters drafted Aiyuk in 2020 and knows him well. Washington would then have to pay Aiyuk but they have plenty of cap space. The only hesitation I have to this scenario is the Commanders would have two high-paid receivers. Terry McLaurin has two more years left on his contract and has a cap hit of $24 million this year.

Then of course there is the Jayden Daniels connection. If you believe the rumors that the Commanders plan on drafting Daniels with the 2nd pick then pairing him with his former Arizona St. receiver makes sense. For the record, I do believe Daniels is the pick for Washington as outlined in my latest mock draft.

There will be plenty of chatter between now and the draft on Aiyuk’s future with the 49ers. If he is indeed traded I expect it to come next weekend.

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Caleb Williams to Chicago

After the block buster move to send Justin Fields to Pittsburgh, it’s more clear than ever that Caleb Williams will be the guy in Chicago. In years past, this would be considered a bad situation to go to, but with one of the best WR duos in the league (Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore) the pressure is on for Williams to perform. Williams is the most NFL ready QB and the clear #1 prospect in this draft.

Drake Maye to Washington.

Drake Maye is one of my favorite prospects in the draft. His big arm and big production makes him a Josh-Allen esque talent. More teams everyday are taking a chances on big talent big risk guys after seeing how well it has worked out. Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson should produce very well for Maye.

The only downside to his game is the turnovers, 9 INT’s and 4 particularly in the last 3 games of 2023 is definitely concerning, but it would be criminal to pass on him at 2. 

Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Patriots.

Marvin Harrison is probably the best non-QB prospect in this draft. The patriots having many holes to fill in this roster should just take the best player available. The route of going QB is interesting but the question remains if you want to throw a rookie QB into a bad situation so early on. 

Malik Nabers to the Cardinals

Nabers would be an electric addition to the WR-needy Cardinals. Kyler Murray’s production would skyrocket with Nabers and could seriously upgrade the Cardinals offensively, the option of trading down always remains of course, but going with Nabers seems like the smart choice.

Jayden Daniels to the Vikings (Trade)

Here is the blockbuster trade of the evening, Minnesota trades up 6 places to grab their franchise guy at 5. Daniels had a career year at LSU winning the Heisman and skyrocketing his draft value. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Daniels have the potential to be the best offense in the league and would make this a crazy good pick.

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