[mm-video type=video id=01f4t1htcnzhbcy1vvcy playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f4t1htcnzhbcy1vvcy/01f4t1htcnzhbcy1vvcy-3aa43a088b42f8821dc7659f5ba7b759.jpg]
Did you get enough of the 2021 NFL draft to hold you over until next season? Of course you did not, that is why the sports media has already started publishing their way-too-early predictions for next year’s draft. The good news for fans of Florida football is that one of their boys has received a great deal of acclaim early on.
So far, pretty much every mock out there has Gators defensive back Kaiir Elam among the first 32 players taken next spring. A vast majority have the incoming junior from Riviera Beach, Florida, in the top half of the draft — and still, some have him in their top 10. Pro Football Focus’s Mike Renner is one of the latter, predicting that he will be taken with the No. 8 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Way-Too-Early 2022 Mock Draft, per @PFF_Mike pic.twitter.com/2uuSzqVWgG
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) May 7, 2021
But wait a minute… who is that taken by the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of him at No. 6? Yes, that is quarterback Emory Jones, who Renner believes will be the third QB taken in 2022 behind Oklahoma Sooner Spencer Rattler and North Carolina Tar Heel Sam Howell. That is quite a lofty projection.
Every Florida fan on the planet hopes that Jones and Elam perform up to Renner’s expectations, given that fielding a superstar on both offense and defense is often the recipe for team success. But fall is still far away and a lot can happen between now and then — but for the time being, this should make Gator Nation feel pretty good.
[lawrence-related id=42480,42474,42444,42312,42309]
[listicle id=42056]
[listicle id=42213]