NFL mock draft takeaways: Lack of high-end talent, lots of pass rushers, and Patriots should have tanked in Week 18

“OK, some positions don’t have that superstar that we have had in years past,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said. “But we do have a boatload of starters, particularly the defensive line. It’s a starter’s draft, is how I would phrase it.”

With less than two weeks to go until the draft (April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wis.), I’m taking my first stab at a mock draft. Click here to see my selections.

Here are the main takeaways:

⋅ Miami quarterback Cam Ward is going No. 1. That has been the buzz since the NFL Combine, and despite the Titans leaving the door cracked for a trade down, they’re not going to get the “Godfather” offer and will take Ward. He probably would have been drafted fourth or fifth last year, but Ward is a productive, polished passer who looks the part of a franchise QB.

⋅ Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders isn’t rated as highly as we thought. The NFL talent evaluators I have spoken to say Sanders is a great improviser, but they have concerns about his ability to stay on schedule from the pocket. Sanders would have been the sixth or seventh quarterback drafted last year. He’ll go in the top 10 this year, but only after several QB-needy teams pass over him.

⋅ This year’s receiver class is more about depth than elite talent. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is the star of this draft but may not be in the same class as last year’s top receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas. After Hunter (likely to go No. 2 to the Browns), the next receiver off the board might not be until the mid-to-late teens.

⋅ There are a lot of quality pass rushers in this draft. Dane Brugler of The Athletic, who just released his annual draft guide The Beast, has 17 edge rushers with grades of third round or better, plus two more with third-/fourth-round grades. The depth at this position could push some quality pass rushers down in the first round.

⋅ It’s a good year for tight ends, as well. Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland should be the first pair of tight ends to go in the first round since 2019, and LSU’s Mason Taylor could make it three first-rounders for just the third time this century (2002, 2017). Given the success last year of Brock Bowers, and the lack of high-end receiver talent this year, Warren and Loveland could be taken in the first half of the first round.

⋅ Last year was exceptionally strong for offensive tackles, with seven taken in the first round. This year should see four to five, which is more in line with recent years. There is no dominant left tackle prospect like Joe Alt last year.

⋅ Every team currently has a first-round pick. It’s unlikely to stay that way, particularly toward the end of the first round when teams are more willing to move around the board, but it could be the first time since the 2002 realignment that all 32 teams make a selection.

⋅ The Patriots blew it by winning that Week 18 game against the Bills and dropping from the No. 1 pick to No. 4.

We knew it at the time, with New England fans showering the players with boos as they walked off the field. But filling out this mock draft drives home how much the Patriots hurt themselves by winning that meaningless game.

Were they sitting at No. 1, they likely could have created a bidding war between the Titans and Browns for the right to draft Ward. The Patriots could have received a haul of draft picks for only a drop to No. 2 or 3, and still get Hunter or defensive end Abdul Carter, the two best players in the draft.

Instead, it is looking increasingly likely that Hunter and Carter will be gone at No. 4. And while the Patriots certainly have plenty of good options to choose from, all have flaws.

They need a receiver, but none after Hunter are worth the fourth pick. They need a tight end for the future, but the fourth pick is awfully high. They really need a left tackle, but the top prospect has short arms and the next-best only played right tackle. They need a pass rusher, but quality rushers can be found throughout the top three rounds.

After strongly considering Georgia pass rusher Jalon Walker, I landed on Will Campbell, the LSU offensive tackle with the aforementioned short arms. Campbell started 38 games at left tackle in the top conference in college football, was a consensus All-American in 2024, and fills the Patriots’ most pressing need. The talent pool is also much shallower at left tackle than it is at pass rusher.

The Patriots won’t regret drafting Campbell. Even if he doesn’t turn into a franchise left tackle, he should be a quality starter somewhere on the offensive line.

But missing out on Hunter or Carter is still going to sting.

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.