Oregon Ducks looking to continue streak of 1st-round NFL Draft picks for fifth year

Can the Ducks keep their first-round streak in the NFL draft going?

When it comes to helping players make the jump from college to the NFL, few teams have been better than the Oregon Ducks, particularly with first-round talent.

The Ducks are currently on a four-year streak of having a player drafted in the first round, which started with quarterback Justin Herbert in 2020, selected by the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 6 overall. In 2021, the Detroit Lions took LT Penei Sewell with the No. 7 overall pick, the New York Giants took EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022, and the New England Patriots drafted CB Christian Gonzalez at No. 17 in 2023.

Earlier this offseason, it seemed like a lock that the Ducks would be able to extend that first-round streak, potentially seeing QB Bo Nix, OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, and WR  Troy Franklin go in the first 32 picks. However, over the past few weeks, those three have seen their names slide down mock draft projections a bit. While it’s still common to see various mock drafts project them in the first round, it is at least a question of whether or not Oregon will keep the streak going.

This past week, Circa Sportsbook released their opening lines for NFL Draft positions, which gives an over/under for prominent players.

Bo Nix has his over/under set at 32.5; Jackson Powers-Johnson’s over/under is set at 30.5; Troy Franklin’s over/under is set all the way down at 41.5.

Based on those numbers, it seems like Powers-Johnson has the best chance to be a first-round pick, but he very well could fall into the second round. Of course, some mock drafts have Bo Nix going as high as No. 12 overall to the Denver Broncos, while I’ve seen others that project Franklin to the Buffaloes at No. 28.

We ultimately will see in a couple of weeks where each of these players ends up, but for now, the streak is certainly something to keep an eye on.

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