The NHL Draft starts Thursday.

A close up look at the first round by longtime NFL-GM Charley Casserly of NFL Network

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Pick
1

Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence
Clemson · QB
Urban Meyer selects his franchise quarterback to build around for years to come.

Pick
2

New York Jets

Zach Wilson
BYU · QB
A new era began with the hiring of Robert Saleh. Snagging Wilson — a quarterback who rates higher than what I had for Sam Darnold before the 2018 draft — adds plenty of promise.

Pick
3

San Francisco 49ers

Mac Jones
Alabama · QB
Kyle Shanahan has enjoyed success with Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo. I rated Jones higher than both those guys back when they were coming out of college.

Pick
4

Atlanta Falcons

Kyle Pitts
Florida · TE
The trade offers aren’t good enough for Atlanta to pass on arguably the best player in this draft class.

Pick
5

Cincinnati Bengals

Penei Sewell
Oregon · OT
This pick is all about protecting Joe Burrow.

Pick
6

Miami Dolphins

Ja’Marr Chase
LSU · WR
Discussions have circled all offseason around Tua Tagovailoa needing more playmakers. The Dolphins get a big one here.

Pick
7

Detroit Lions

DeVonta Smith
Alabama · WR
The Lions need to upgrade the skill positions after losing their top two wideouts in free agency.

2021 NFL Draft: Breaking down DeVonta Smith’s college highlights
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Pick
8

Carolina Panthers

Rashawn Slater
Northwestern · OT
Sam Darnold gets a left tackle. Frankly, though, I can’t help but think Carolina could trade back and still nab Slater.

Pick
9

Denver Broncos

Micah Parsons
Penn State · LB
The Broncos’ cornerback need was filled in free agency, so they add the best defensive player on my draft board to Vic Fangio’s unit.

Pick
10

Dallas Cowboys

Patrick Surtain II
Alabama · CB
Surtain will team with Trevon Diggs to give Dallas two good, young cornerbacks.

Pick
11

New York Giants

Kwity Paye
Michigan · Edge
The Giants, who desperately need an outside pass rusher, take advantage of Paye being available here.

Pick
12

Philadelphia Eagles

Jaylen Waddle
Alabama · WR
With a skill set that compares to Tyreek Hill’s, Waddle may be the major receiving weapon the Eagles have been searching for. Jalen Hurts is the big winner with this pick.

Pick
13

Los Angeles Chargers

Alijah Vera-Tucker
USC · OL
Vera-Tucker — whose pro comparison is Isaiah Wynn, as an offensive tackle — has the potential to be a perennial Pro Bowl guard with the Chargers.

Pick
14

Washington Football Team
(via Vikings)
TRADE
Trey Lance
North Dakota State · QB
Washington trades up to get its quarterback of the future. With Ryan Fitzpatrick already in place, Lance could be used in Year 1 in packages that take advantage of his running ability.

Pick
15

New England Patriots

Jaycee Horn
South Carolina · CB
With starting cornerbacks J.C. Jackson and Stephon Gilmore set to hit free agency next offseason, Bill Belichick begins planning for the future with a young player possessing plenty of upside, especially in New England’s scheme.

Pick
16

Arizona Cardinals

Caleb Farley
Virginia Tech · CB
The Cardinals nab perhaps the most complete cornerback in the draft — health concerns aside — to boost the back end of Vance Joseph’s defense.

Pick
17

Las Vegas Raiders

Teven Jenkins
Oklahoma State · OT
Jenkins can step in immediately and start at right tackle or guard.

Pick
18

Miami Dolphins

Jaelan Phillips
Miami · Edge
After landing one of the top offensive talents, Miami gets another gem, but on the defensive side of the ball. Phillips will do well on Brian Flores’ unit.

Willie McGinest breaks down Jaelan Phillips, Gregory Rousseau
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Pick
19

Minnesota Vikings
(via Washington)
TRADE
Christian Darrisaw
Virginia Tech · OT
Minnesota fills a big need by solidifying the left tackle position after Riley Reiff’s exit.

Pick
20

Chicago Bears

Greg Newsome II
Northwestern · CB
The departure of Kyle Fuller created a void in the defense. Newsome is a versatile corner with good size and speed who can fill in on the back end.

Pick
21

Indianapolis Colts

Kadarius Toney
Florida · WR
With T.Y. Hilton heading into his potential Indy swan song, the Colts need to find his replacement. Toney gives them a speed receiver. Indianapolis could also choose to trade up or back in Round 1 and target a left tackle.

Pick
22

Tennessee Titans

Jalen Mayfield
Michigan · OT
In the wake of last year’s disastrous Isaiah Wilson pick, Mayfield fills an immediate need at right tackle and further boosts Tennessee’s dominant ground attack as a solid run blocker.

Pick
23

New York Jets

Gregory Rousseau
Miami · Edge
The Jets address another need by taking a talented pass rusher who’ll wreak havoc alongside Sheldon Rankins, Carl Lawson and Quinnen Williams.

Pick
24

Pittsburgh Steelers

Justin Fields
Ohio State · QB
Pittsburgh is the perfect spot for Fields to develop behind a Hall of Fame quarterback for a year before taking over the offense.

Pick
25

Jacksonville Jaguars

Pat Freiermuth
Penn State · TE
Now that the Jaguars have their franchise QB, they address the other offensive need not filled in free agency.

Pick
26

Cleveland Browns

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Notre Dame · LB
Even after signing Jadeveon Clowney, the Browns add another talented defender who will have an immediate impact in pass coverage.

Pick
27

Baltimore Ravens

Joe Tryon
Washington · Edge
Tryon has a high motor with a lot of quickness, and I expect he would’ve gone higher had he not opted out last season.

Pick
28

New Orleans Saints

Asante Samuel Jr.
Florida State · CB
Janoris Jenkins is gone, and Marshon Lattimore is due to hit free agency next year. Samuel has the ability to step right in and contribute.

Pick
29

Green Bay Packers

Zaven Collins
Tulsa · LB
Collins fills a big hole in the middle of Green Bay’s defense. The Packers have always had success finding receivers on Days 2 and 3, and this year should be no different.

Tulsa LB Zaven Collins.
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Pick
30

Buffalo Bills

Tyson Campbell
Georgia · CB
The Chiefs exploited Bills cornerbacks in the AFC title game. Buffalo wastes zero time addressing this issue in the draft.

Pick
31

Kansas City Chiefs

Liam Eichenberg
Notre Dame · OT
Eichenberg may need to start immediately at left tackle after all the turnover along the O-line. It’s a big ask to protect the blind side of one of the league’s top QBs.

Pick
32

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Najee Harris
Alabama · RB
The Bucs have the luxury of looking ahead a year after Jason Licht figured out a way to bring back all 22 starters from his Super Bowl-winning team. Harris is the future at the running back position, with Giovani Bernard, Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones set to hit the open market in 2022.
Follow Charley Casserly on Twitter.