Tag: Mel Kiper Jr

ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicts Jaguars take CB in 1st mock draft

The godfather of mock drafts offered his first prediction of what the Jaguars will do in April.

It’s officially mock draft season for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the godfather of NFL Draft predictions took his first stab at it.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. released his first mock draft of the offseason and thinks the Jaguars could use a little help in the secondary. With the 24th overall pick, Kiper thinks Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks is a logical choice:

How about those Jaguars? After an AFC South title in 2022, shouldn’t they be the early favorites to win it again? General manager Trent Baalke did a nice job filling holes last offseason, but the pass rush still was mediocre, the off-ball linebackers struggled badly in coverage and there’s an open corner spot opposite Tyson Campbell. With a strong cornerback class in this draft, Baalke & Co. could target Banks, a man-coverage defender with exceptional physical tools. He could rise as we get closer to the draft once NFL teams see him test at the combine. And yes, this makes five cornerbacks off the board in Round 1.

Another position to keep an eye on for Jacksonville is tight end, where Evan Engram is a free agent. Luke Musgrave (Oregon State) and Dalton Kincaid (Utah) could be options.

The Jaguars began the season with Tyson Campbell and Shaquill Griffin at cornerback, but the latter suffered a season-ending back injury. After struggling to find consistent play opposite Campbell, the Jaguars eventually moved Darious Williams from the slot and found success with the former Rams cornerback playing on the outside.

Williams could be the starter again in 2023, but the Jaguars need help at cornerback, regardless. Tre Herndon is set to become a free agent and Griffin is likely to get released due to his $17.1 million salary cap hit.

Banks was the fifth cornerback off the board in Kiper’s mock behind Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, and Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes.

Two Notre Dame stars make Kiper’s early 2023 Big Board for ESPN

Which two stars made the list?

The 2022 NFL draftees have yet to play even a pre-season game for their respective teams but that never stops analysts from looking ahead to the next draft. Recently, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. released his ‘Big Board’ (subscription required) which consists of the top 25 players in this upcoming draft. Find out which two Notre Dame stars made the list and where they landed inside the top 25.

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Here is who Todd McShay and Mel Kiper have the Jaguars taking in their latest alternating mock draft

ESPN’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. have the Jacksonville Jaguars taking two wide receivers in the third round in their latest collaborative mock draft.

With a little over a week away from the 2022 NFL draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. released their latest collaborative three-round mock draft on Tuesday where they alternated picks. They have the Jacksonville Jaguars taking Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson with the first overall pick but then selecting offensive players with the rest of their picks in this mock draft.

They surprisingly also have the Jaguars double-dipping for wide receivers in the third round. Here is who they mocked to Jacksonville:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars

McShay’s pick: Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan

Top selection, best player on the board. It’s that simple. Josh Allen and Hutchinson — who had 14 sacks last season — would form a fantastic edge-rush duo in Jacksonville.

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars

McShay’s pick: Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa

Linderbaum is a first-round talent who is still here to start Day 2. And wouldn’t you know it, the Jags have a hole at center after Brandon Linder retired this offseason.

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars

McShay’s pick: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky

Get the ball in this guy’s hands. He’ll break your ankles with his explosive shiftiness and then run away from you with his speed. Jacksonville could use another playmaker for Trevor Lawrence.

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars (via CAR)

Kiper’s pick: Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis

I’m going to double up on short slot receivers for the Jags, because I’m not sure Laviska Shenault Jr.’s future is in Jacksonville. Todd gave the Jaguars Robinson a few picks ago, and Austin is a dynamo with the ball in his hands. At 5-foot-8, he ran a 4.32 40 at the combine. Austin and Robinson can be versatile targets for a quarterback who needs them.

Hutchinson and Linderbaum would be home-run picks for the Jaguars. Jacksonville needs the surer player with the first overall pick. Hutchinson fits that bill compared to Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker who has a higher ceiling but a lower floor. Linderbaum would also be an excellent replacement for Linder.

Taking two receivers in the third round is a bit puzzling, though. Especially when considering the money the Jags spent at the position in free agency with the additions of Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. That said, maybe taking one receiver early is on the table, but probably not two.

Of the two receivers taken, Austin is more of a straight-line burner, while Robinson is more of a shiftier and elusive player. If the Jags were to land one of the two it would certainly add some exciting playmaking ability to their offense, which is something that was missing in 2021

Michigan players in Mel Kiper’s latest NFL mock draft

These NFL teams would be great spots for them!

We have just a little over two weeks until the 2022 NFL draft, and the mock drafts keep pouring in.

Mel Kiper Jr. with ESPN has a new two-round mock draft that came out on Wednesday. Kiper Jr. has been an NFL draft analyst since 1984, and he has been known to be pretty accurate with his mock drafts over the years.

Kiper Jr. has three Michigan players being selected in the first two rounds, and two of those going in the first round.

Like most people, he has Aidan Hutchinson going first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars — he calls him the best prospect in the class.

Kiper Jr. also sees Daxton Hill going in the first round, and he says he’s very versatile, so a lot of teams should be intrigued by what they could do with him.

His new mock draft also lists David Ojabo as an early second-round pick.

Here is where he has all three players going.

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LOOK. One NFL draft analyst has Garrett Wilson as top wide receiver in draft

Look who has Garrett Wilson as the top receiver in the entire 2022 NFL draft. #GoBucks

We are getting closer and closer to the annual spectacle that is the NFL draft. As always, we expect to see a lot of scarlet and gray be a part of all the hoopla, and it’ll start early with receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave expected to go in the first round.

Most mock drafts and analysts have the pair somewhere between the second to fifth-best receivers available in the draft, but there’s one very well-known draft analyst that has Garrett Wilson as the best receiver on his board.

It might not line up with what most others are saying, but ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. believes Wilson has the biggest upside and is the best available option. If you haven’t heard what he’s said about the talented and dynamic wideout, you can catch all of his comments thanks to a video shared on ESPN.com.

We’ve also heard rumblings about both Wilson and Chris Olave potentially going sooner than a lot of people think, so we’ll just have to watch how it all unfolds in Vegas later this month.

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ESPN’s Mel Kiper sends Jaguars Aidan Hutchinson in latest NFL mock draft

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. expects the Jaguars to select Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson with the first overall pick in his latest mock.

Early in the offseason, many predicted that the Jacksonville Jaguars would select Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal with the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. However, after the NFL Combine and the start of free agency, it has appeared that the ship has sailed in large part.

Most draft experts, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., who released a new mock draft on Tuesday, expect Jacksonville to take Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson with the first pick in the draft next month. As a result, it caused an immediate change from his previous mock, which had N.C. State’s Ikem Ekwonu going first.

When I did my previous mock draft, before the combine, I started off my write-up for this pick with this: “Offensive tackle or edge rusher here? I don’t think the Jaguars are set either way.” Well, things change quickly in the NFL. Jacksonville decided to franchise tag left tackle Cam Robinson for the second straight year, taking away its need for a top-tier blindside protector (at least for a year) for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Now, Hutchinson is the heavy favorite to go to the Jags — barring a desperate team trading up.

Hutchinson, my top-ranked prospect in this class, could get double-digit sacks playing on the other side of Josh Allen in new coordinator Mike Caldwell’s defense. The Jaguars made a few big-money moves in free agency, but there’s still a huge hole at defensive end.

Hutchinson would be a solid choice for the Jaguars because they need a pass rusher to pair with defensive end Josh Allen. This pick makes sense because Jacksonville didn’t address this need in free agency, which is a strong indicator of its plans for the NFL draft.

Kiper said his ability to wreck an opponent’s game plan is similar to Nick and Joey Bosa on ESPN Tuesday. That’s some pretty high praise for Hutchinson.

It’s also possible the Jaguars could trade down, and I’m sure they will at least listen to offers. But it’d be surprising to see any team trading anything worth accepting because of the weak quarterback draft class this year.

Where do Florida prospects stack up on Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board?

Here’s where each UF prospect stands on Kiper’s board, starting with Elam.

As the 2021 college football season draws closer and closer to an end, it’s becoming time to evaluate potential pro prospects and turn our attention toward the 2022 NFL draft. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. released his latest big board this week, and it features a number of Florida players in his positional top 10s.

Despite the fact that the Gators have struggled on the field this season there are several players who Kiper is high on, including cornerback Kaiir Elam, who is considered among the best cornerbacks in the country.

Here’s where each UF prospect stands on Kiper’s board, starting with Elam, the only one projected to go during the first day.

Mel Kiper thinks Florida’s Emory Jones could become a first-round pick

Mel Kiper Jr. thinks that that anything is possible for a quarterback on a Dan Mullen team.

Emory Jones didn’t make Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board of the top 25 prospects in college football nor did he make it on the analyst’s top 11 quarterbacks list heading into the season. But the senior ESPN analyst said that the Gators quarterback has the potential to shoot up draft boards as the season goes on.

“You think about a 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pounder with a strong arm and tremendous running skills that drives defenses nuts — this kid, Emory Jones, it’s his time to shine at the Swamp,” Kiper said on SportsCenter Friday morning. “If he does, with his skill set as a dual-threat quarterback, Emory Jones at Florida is a name to keep an eye on.”

The conversation came after Scott Van Pelt remembered names like Joe Burrow and Zach Wilson turning into first-rounders over a single season. Kiper considered naming Texas Tech’s Tyler Shough as this season’s potential breakout candidate but gave Jones the edge thanks to Gators coach Dan Mullen.

“He plays for Dan Mullen,” Kiper said. “He’s been developed. Mullen is kind of a quarterback whisperer. He develops quarterbacks, that’s the bottom line. Remember Dak Prescott what he did with him at Mississippi State?”

Jones is replacing Kyle Trask, who led the Gators to the SEC Championship Game last season in his own breakout year. Trask was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round, but Jones is a very different player than him. If Jones can take down Georgia and get back to the conference championship, he might have a shot at making Kiper’s prediction come true.

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2021 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper Jr. predicts Bears will address offense in first two rounds

The Chicago Bears will focus on offense in the 2021 NFL Draft, per ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. held a conference call with reporters last week and addressed what he thought the Chicago Bears will do in the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Kiper Jr. cited his latest mock draft, which has the Bears landing Oklahoma State offensive tackle Teven Jenkins in the first round and Auburn wide receiver Anthony Schwartz in the second.

“He’s got that aggressiveness to blow you off the ball in the run game,” Kiper said of Jenkens on Thursday. “He did a great job against some highly-skilled pass rushers at that right tackle spot. He could also maybe be a left tackle.”

The Bears, who still haven’t formally replaced Bobby Massie at right tackle, could use a player like Jenkens, who’s expected to come off the board anywhere between picks 17-24.

Schwartz was the surprising name Kiper attached to the Bears. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve seen any mock draft with Schwartz rated so high. Kiper explained:

“Anthony Schwartz runs in the 4.2s,” he said. “He didn’t have a high average per catch (11.8) because of the quarterback play. But when he was a freshman with [Jarrett] Stidham, he averaged right around 16 yards a catch (16.2).

“He runs reverses, jet sweeps, he can do all that. He’s got ability after the catch. Anytime you can run in the 4.2s, you’re over six-feet tall and you come out of Auburn and the SEC, you’re going to be attractive in the second round.”

Wide receiver has been mentioned as a primary need for the Bears throughout draft season, especially with Allen Robinson playing 2021 on the franchise tag and the likelihood that we’ve seen the last of Anthony Miller in Chicago. But a one-dimensional player like Schwartz doesn’t feel like the right target.

The 2021 NFL Draft is scheduled to get underway on Thursday, April 29 in Cleveland.

Mel Kiper’s NFL draft projections for Texas’ Joseph Ossai and Samuel Cosmi

ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper included Texas’ Joseph Ossai and Samuel Cosmi in his latest two-round mock draft.

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ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper has made a name for himself over the years for his analysis of prospects in the NFL draft. Sometimes he’s correct and other times he’s wrong, but he’s been doing it long enough to be considered an expert at his craft.

In Kiper’s latest two-round mock draft (subscription required), he projects a pair of former Longhorns to be selected within the first 64 picks in edge rusher Joseph Ossai and offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi.

OT Samuel Cosmi: No. 54 overall to the Indianapolis Colts

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Kiper’s analysis:

The Colts haven’t had much turnover this offseason — other than, you know the quarterback switch with Carson Wentz in and Phillip Rivers out — but one of their biggest losses was at left tackle, where longtime starter Anthony Castonzo retired. They added Julien Davenport as a swing tackle option, but they’re likely to draft a tackle as well. Cosmi played both left and right tackle at Texas, and he looked like a future top-15 pick in 2019. I also think he could easily slide in to play guard. This pick is good value.

EDGE/OLB Joseph Ossai: No. 56 overall to the Seattle Seahawks

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Kiper’s analysis:

With no first-round picks because of the trade for Jamal Adams, Seattle gets its first crack at upgrading its roster late in Round 2. The Seahawks brought back Carlos Dunlap and Kerry Hyder was a nice under-the-radar signing, but 2019 first-round pick L.J. Collier has yet to make a big impact at defensive end. Ossai is a pure speed rusher who had 20 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles last season. They have to get younger here.