Mock Draft Medley: The Consensus is, There isn’t Much Consensus Atop the NFL Draft
We’ve arrived, friends. We’re just over 72 hours from the Carolina Panthers being on the clock in Kansas City on Thursday evening. Unfortunately, we know less about the top of the first round than we thought weeks ago. We’re almost done with mock drafts, but not quite yet.
C.J. Stroud’s slide, Bryce Young’s S2 scores, Arizona’s desire to move back, teams waiting in the weeds for a potential stab at a quarterback, etc. Things have gotten muddy in the NFL Draft waters and the endless catalouge of mock drafts are drastically changing in completion at the top.
After reading the final mocks by some of the biggest names in the mock draft world, the consensus is that there is little consensus atop the NFL Draft. Let’s look at the top five picks in the most recent mock drafts by Matt Miller, Peter King, Mel Kiper, and Todd McShay and then discuss.
- Panthers: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
- Texans: EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
- Cardinals: EDGE Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
- Colts: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
- Seahawks: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
- Panthers: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
- Texans: EDGE Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
- Titans: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
- Colts: QB Will Levis, Kentucky
- Seahawks: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Mel Kiper and Todd McShay (Joint Mock Draft), ESPN
- Panthers: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
- Texans: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
- Cardinals: EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
- Colts: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
- Seahawks: DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
So, no one really knows what’s going on inside the top five …
Bryce Young goes to the Carolina Panthers in all three mock drafts, and at this point, you can take that to the bank. There’s just too much smoke around that theory for it not to be all but a lead pipe lock. All three mocks also have the Seahawks taking Georgia DT Jalen Carter at No. 5.
However, no one shares an opinion on picks No. 2-4. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud goes second to the Texans (Kiper/McShay), third to the Titans (via trade, King), and fourth to the Colts (Miller) in the three mock drafts. So, while no one is sure where Stroud will go, everyone agrees that he will not slide out of the top five despite the rough week of headlines that he’s endured.
Only one of the drafts (Kiper/McShay) has Florida QB Anthony Richardson in the top five. Kiper and McShay have the Colts taking Anthony Richardson with Young and Stroud off the board in their mock. Will Levis’ name is called inside the top five (also to the Colts) in only one of the mocks (King) as well.
The top two EDGE rushers Tyree Wilson and Will Anderson Jr. each appear in two of the three with each going as high as second and as low as third.
Again, we have no idea right now. Would new Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans be amendable to taking a defensive player at No. 2? Will someone take the No. 3 pick off of the Cardinals’ hands? Who has the edge at (the) edge, Wilson or Anderson? So many factors can influence what is shaping up to be a wild top of the draft on Thursday night.
Other notable picks …
- In both mock drafts that Tyree Wilson and Will Anderson Jr. fall out of the top five, they land in Detroit at No. 6. Peter King has Will Anderson Jr. to the Lions, and Kiper and McShay have Tyree Wilson heading to Detroit.
- All three mock drafts have Illinois cornerback Devin Witherspoon going ahead of Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Miller has Witherspoon going to the Lions at No. 6, while King, Kiper, and McShay have him going to the Raiders at No. 7.
- No one agrees on the Bears’ pick at No. 9 … Miller has the Bears taking Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness, King has them addressing the o-line with Paris Johnson Jr., and the Kiper/McShay combo has the Bears taking Peter Skoronski.
- Kentucky QB Will Levis is there for the Titans at No. 11 in both of the mocks that Tennessee didn’t trade up in.
- Peter King has the Texans taking QB Hendon Hooker at No. 12 after taking Tyree Wilson with the second overall selection. The other two mocks have the Texans taking Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
- All three mock drafts agree with my Packers mock, sending Utah TE Dalton Kincaid to Green Bay.
- Matt Miller has the Chargers taking Texas RB Bijan Robinson at No. 21, drafting Austin Ekeler’s replacement, and giving Justin Herbert another weapon. Haven’t seen that one before, but I like it.
- Matt Miller also has the Minnesota Vikings drafting an eventual replacement for Kirk Cousins, taking QB Hendon Hooker at No. 23.
