New Mel Kiper Jr. 'Bonus' NFL Mock Draft with Field Yates Drops in Video Ahead of 1st Round

With Thursday's opening round of the NFL draft just one day away, it's time to do some last-minute preparation.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates did just that when they released a "bonus mock draft" on Wednesday. The colleagues predicted the selections one by one for the first half of the opening round with Kiper taking the even picks and Yates taking the odd picks.

Here are the results:

Team	Draft Pick
1. Raiders	QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
2. Jets	Edge David Bailey, Texas Tech
3. Cardinals	RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
4. Titans	LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
5. Giants	LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State
6. Browns	WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
7. Commanders	S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
8. Saints	Edge Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
9. Chiefs	CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
10. Giants	IOL Francis Mauigoa, Miami
11. Dolphins	WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
12. Cowboys	S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
13. Rams	OT Spencer Fano, Utah
14. Ravens	IOL Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
15. Buccaneers	TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
16. Jets	WR Makai Lemon, USC

There aren't that many surprises on this mock.

Fernando Mendoza is widely expected to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, which means the real drama begins with the New York Jets and the second pick.

They could be deciding between Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Texas Tech's David Bailey, and Kiper chose the latter. That could be something of a floor over ceiling selection, as Bailey has more college experience than Reese and is someone who could step in right away to the defensive front.

Wide receiver is another flash point with Ohio State's Carnell Tate and Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson as the top two contenders. In Kiper's belief, the Cleveland Browns will keep Tate in state and make him the No. 6 pick, which allowed Tyson to fall to the Miami Dolphins at No. 11.

Miami could be an ideal landing spot for any wide receiver, as there will surely be plenty of targets to go around on a team that no longer has Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle.

Arguably the top player in the entire draft goes to the Washington Commanders at No. 7 in this mock, which underscores the situation with Caleb Downs.

Caleb Downs Highlights

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On the one hand, there is no denying his talent. B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked him as the best overall player in its latest big board of prospects, and he was dominant with the Buckeyes at the collegiate level.

On the other hand, safety isn't seen as a premier position in the NFL. That could cause him to fall some, but the Commanders get a steal with this projection.