Mock draft season is in full swing, and as we continue to transition from the end of the college and NFL football seasons to the start of the NFL Draft in late April, you will undoubtedly be inundated with more and more predictions over the next several weeks as the pre-draft process continues.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s NFL analyst Field Yates released his first mock draft of the year, giving his prediction for which players will end up where in the first round. A pair of Oregon Ducks made the cut.
The first Duck off of the board is center Jackson Powers-Johnson, who boosted his stock at the Reese’s Senior Bowl earlier this offseason and is now considered the best player at his position in the entire draft class. Yates has JPJ landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 17.
Powers-Johnson was incredible for Oregon this past season and then went down to the Senior Bowl and looked like one of the best players on the field. Among the many traits that stand out about JPJ is that when he gets beat — and that doesn’t happen often — he can recover quickly enough to keep his quarterback clean. He’s the best center in the draft and addresses a big position of need in Jacksonville.
The other Oregon player to be projected to go in the first round is quarterback Bo Nix, who Yates has landing in Pittsburgh with the Steelers at No. 20, potentially taking over for Kenny Pickett after another frustrating season.
This one might be a surprise, as the Steelers have backed Kenny Pickett — who they took at No. 20 two years ago — this offseason. But they also said they plan to add competition for him in the quarterback room. Quarterback picks in this range are often polarizing, but my fundamental mindset is the Steelers’ ceiling with Pickett under center is too low for a franchise whose standard is not simply making the playoffs but making deep runs. Pittsburgh has lost five straight playoff games now.
Nix blends sharp accuracy with some razzle dazzle (something he has refined during his college career after transferring from Auburn) and an ability to quickly scan the field to deliver the right read. He set the FBS single-season record for completion percentage in 2023 at 77.4% while throwing 45 touchdown passes to three interceptions.
There is another Oregon Duck who has routinely been mentioned in the first rounds of mock drafts this offseason, and that is WR Troy Franklin. While Yates doesn’t have Franklin going in the first round, it would be relatively shocking if the arguably best WR in school history doesn’t hear his name called on Day 1 in April.
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