Nothing like last minute, huh?

In the spirit of Draft Day – my favorite religious holiday – I couldn't resist taking a quick dip in the mock draft pool. After all, it's been far too long since my last one following Seattle's Super Bowl beatdown of Denver. That's right, I somehow skipped an entire year. And lucky for the NFL that all-too-early February mock in 2014 wasn't the work of Nostradamus  – I had Odell Beckham going to the Seahawks to cap the first round. Boy would that have been disheartening as a Packers fan for the bulk of the next decade.

Since my last mock was so early in the process for that draft class I'm glad this year's is basically as 11th-hour as it gets. It's interesting to see how talent can get so under or overvalued in just the course of a few months. Though Beckham had further sold NFL GM's, prognosticators and myself by that Draft Day, somehow another favorite of mine had not. I had Allen Robinson going a couple picks ahead of Beckham to the 49ers, who, I'm sure, would kill to have the Pro Bowl wideout in lieu of defensive back Jimmie Ward and his one career interception. With that Robinson pick in the back of my head I tried to choose the first round  – without trades mind you  – as if I were the GM for each franchise making the pick I feel best suits my team (with the exception of Philadelphia, which because I'm choosing for Los Angeles also, already made a terrible trade and forced my hand).

So without further ado, here we go again:

1. Los Angeles (from Tennessee) – Carson Wentz, QB (North Dakota State)
   - Day 1 is not what you make this selection for. September may be Jared Goff's month, but the bigger Wentz has all the tools – instincts, football IQ and character – to be the better pro in the long run.
2. Philadelphia (from Cleveland) – Jared Goff, QB (California)
   - Goff's game is Chad Pennington-esque finesse with perhaps a little more upside. That's fine if you want to be competitive, but the Eagles won't be a contender with him under center.
3. San Diego – Ronnie Stanley, OT (Notre Dame)
   - The better run blocker between the draft's top tackles, the Chargers snag the ultra-steady Stanley to keep a 34-year-old Philip Rivers clean and help Melvin Gordon get his mojo back.
4. Dallas – Joey Bosa, DE (Ohio State)
   - Dallas can find corner help on Day 2 but there's no sniffing the pass rush ability Bosa presents if they don't select the Ohio State stud.
5. Jacksonville – Laremy Tunsil, OT (Mississippi)
   - Sure, Blake Bortles is a big boy, and yes, he could stand to get the ball out faster, but a league-high 51 sacks of the future of the franchise cannot happen again. Enter Tunsil, bodyguard extraordinaire.
6. Baltimore – Jalen Ramsey, CB (Florida State)
   - The premier cover man in the draft? A no-brainer for a defense that allowed 26 touchdowns to wide receivers in 2015 while picking off the fewest passes.
7. San Francisco – DeForest Buckner, DE (Oregon)
   - The 49ers defense missed no player more last year than the man among men that was the retired 3-4 DE Justin Smith. Buckner, with his Goliath frame, can change all that.
8. Cleveland (from Philadelphia and Miami) – Ezekiel Elliott, RB (Ohio State)
   - Robert Griffin's best year came when a star rookie running back pounded defenses for over 1,600 yards. And no offense to Alfred Morris, but his measurables don't hold a candle to Elliott's.
9. Tampa Bay – Sheldon Rankins, DT (Louisville)
   - In a critical Week 15 loss to the Rams, Aaron Donald was a menace in the Buccaneers' backfield, hitting Jameis Winston three times and notching two TFL's. They'll love Rankins' Donald-esque motor and no-nonsense approach next to Gerald McCoy.
10. New York Giants – Myles Jack, OLB (UCLA)
    - If they can't get one of the draft's two elite offensive tackles, the G-Men will settle for it's best defensive player at a position of great need and put faith in their medical staff.
11. Chicago – Leonard Floyd, OLB (Georgia)
    - No Bears defender had more than 8.0 sacks in 2015 and the transition to a 3-4 won't be a success until they have that rangy, explosive edge rusher. Say hello to the 6-foot-6 Floyd and his best "Stretch Armstrong" act.
12. New Orleans - Shaq Lawson, DE (Clemson)
    - When you're equally terrible slowing the pass and the run, it's smart just to take the best defensive playmaker left.
13. Miami (from Philadelphia) – Vernon Hargreaves III, CB (Florida)
    - Tom Brady, Brandon Marshall, Sammy Watkins. The rise to the top of the division means defending some tough aerial acts for a Miami D thin in the secondary.
14. Oakland – Darron Lee, OLB (Ohio State)
    - With Mack's hand in the ground more often now, Lee can be the sideline-to-sideline presence that gobbles up all Mack's leftovers, a la Lavonte David in Tampa.
15. Tennessee (from Los Angeles) – Laquon Treadwell, WR (Mississippi)
    - No Titans wide receiver had more than 36 catches last season for an offense that finished 27^th in first downs and 29^th in third down conversion rate. Treadwell is the chains mover with whom Marcus Mariota will become besties.
16. Detroit – Jarran Reed, DT (Alabama)
    - You're in a division where the top two teams have Adrian Peterson and a P90X-ed Eddie Lacy. And Haloti Ngata is clearly in his twilight.
17. Atlanta – Josh Doctson, WR (TCU)
    - There are holes on defense and the offensive line is still a work in progress, but this team goes as Matt Ryan goes. Entering the second half of his career, Ryan needs more playmakers than just Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman.
18. Indianapolis – Jack Conklin, OT (Michigan State)
    - Houston is the primary road block between the Colts (a.k.a. Andrew Luck) and a division title. Conklin is the latest big body that will try to slow J.J. Watt.
19. Buffalo – Reggie Ragland, ILB (Alabama)
    - Rex Ryan never has and never will coach another Ray Lewis. But Zach Brown and Preston Brown in the middle of his 3-4 won't due. Ragland will captain his defense from Day 1.
20. New York Jets – Paxton Lynch, QB (Memphis)
    - When the Jets sign Ryan Fitzpatrick to a 2-year deal to maximize the narrowing window of playmakers like Marshall and Matt Forte, Lynch can sit back and learn the nuances of the pro game from one of the league's most cerebral QB's.
21. Washington – A'Shawn Robinson, DT (Alabama)
    - Only the Saints allowed more than the 4.8 yards per carry Washington gave up in 2015. Robinson is a great building block towards fixing that ugly number.
22. Houston – Will Fuller, WR (Notre Dame)
    - Fuller is a more pro-ready route runner than Corey Coleman and could immediately be one of the league's five best deep threats for an offense that now has a big-armed quarterback.
23. Minnesota – Corey Coleman, WR (Baylor)
    - Arguably the draft's most explosive playmaker falls into the Vikings lap to help save Teddy Bridgewater from mediocrity.
24. Cincinnati – Robert Nkemdiche, DT (Mississippi)
    - Marvin Lewis, the second-longest tenured coach in the league, is no stranger to character concerns. He'll gladly scoop up an elite talent like Nkemdiche to put next to and have learn from the ferocious Geno Atkins.
25. Pittsburgh – William Jackson III, CB (Houston)
    The Steelers couldn't muster a pass defense last year (30^th in yards allowed) in a division where only A.J. Green presents a scary receiver matchup. They are desperate for someone with Jackson's instincts.
26. Seattle – Ryan Kelly, C (Alabama)
    - They used last year's first rounder AND two-time Pro Bowl center Max Unger to get Jimmy Graham. This year they can replace Unger with a potential upgrade.
27. Green Bay – Vernon Butler, NT (Louisiana Tech)
    - Butler has the bulk to anchor the nose spot vacated by B.J. Raji's retirement and enough quickness and power to provide a sorely-needed interior pass rush.
28. Kansas City – Eli Apple, CB (Ohio State)
    - Marcus Peters needs a running mate after the rangy Shaun Smith defected to the silver and black enemy. Receiver is tempting, but who are we kidding, KC is a running team.
29. Arizona – Taylor Decker, OT (Ohio State)
    - Sometimes the rich just keep getting richer. Right tackle Bobby Massie departed for Chicago and Decker, an upgrade, falls into Arizona's lap to make sure a 36-year-old Carson Palmer can stay upright and build off an MVP-caliber season.
30. Carolina – Derrick Henry, RB (Alabama)
    - Carolina has huge receivers. They have a superhero at quarterback. Now they have a locomotive in the backfield to keep physically wearing opponents down even if the aging Jonathan Stewart can't do it.
31. Denver – Karl Joseph, S (West Virginia)
    - John Elway built last year's champion with a confident defensive group of high-energy playmakers. With a chip on his shoulder almost as big as his swagger, Joseph is a perfect addition at a position of need.