Tag: Mel Kiper Jr

NFL Draft: Kmet First Round to Packers in Mel Kiper Jr.’s Final Mock

Kiper released his final mock draft ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft which starts tonight.  His one Notre Dame player going in round one is Cole Kmet, who he has the Green Bay Packers selecting with the 30th overall pick.

Nobody is better known for being an NFL Draft expert than Mel Kiper, Jr.  He’s been doing it seemingly as long as anyone in the business and although not always correct (nobody is really ever close to being so), he’s got insight.

Kiper released his final mock draft ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft which starts tonight.  His one Notre Dame player going in round one is Cole Kmet, who he has the Green Bay Packers selecting with the 30th overall pick.

“Kmet is the only tight end with a chance to go in Round 1, and the Packers could get Aaron Rodgers some help in a pass-catcher and blocker. Did you know that Rodgers was the most recent skill position player Green Bay picked in the first round? And that was 2005. If Tee Higgins is still on the board, he could be another option.” – Mel Kiper, Jr. (April 23, 2020)

If you’re Kmet you can’t ask for a better situation to walk into than this one, even if the Arlington Heights, Illinois native did grow up a Chicago Bears fan.  He’d be set up with as talented of quarterback as the game has ever seen in Aaron Rodgers and have the coverage/game plan dictating Davonte Adams on his side as well.

This would be a move at Fighting Irish Wire that would leave myself, Geoffrey and Michael likely all a little uneasy, but would thrill the hell out of Jeff.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. addresses the Saints’ biggest need

The New Orleans Saints were matched with Oklahoma prospect Kenneth Murray in the latest 2020 NFL mock draft from ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

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What are the most-important positions for the New Orleans Saints to address in the 2020 NFL Draft? Before free agency, replies would have included wide receiver, offensive guard, linebacker, safety, and cornerback. And likely quarterback.

With the first week-and-a-half of free agency in the books, the Saints have plugged many of those holes on their roster. They’ve added help at wide receiver (Emmanuel Sanders) and safety (Malcolm Jenkins) while retaining their own starters at guard (Andrus Peat) and cornerback (Janoris Jenkins), among others. They still have work to do in reinforcing the depth chart — younger options at corner would be nice, and they should add another passer — but the biggest hole remains at linebacker.

And that’s where ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projects the Saints to make a move in the first round. He picked the Saints to select Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray, one of the top prospects in this year’s class at his position along with Patrick Queen (LSU) and Zack Baun (Wisconsin). Here’s what he wrote about the Saints’ situation:

This is a roster that should compete for a Super Bowl in 2020. Off-ball linebacker, though, is a position where New Orleans could get some help, and neither of my top inside linebackers have come off the board yet. Murray, a stellar athlete and tackling machine, is a good value pick here.

Murray has made 100-plus combined tackles in each of his last two seasons with the Sooners (including a bonkers 155-tackle effort in 2018), racking up 29.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in that time. He’s also deflected six passes and forced two fumbles (recovering one) in his career. The 21-year-old rookie has the range to rove around the field from one sideline to the other with ease, having timed the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds at 6-foot-2, 241 pounds. He also notched impressive jumps of 38 inches vertical and 129 inches broad. It’s easy to imagine him slotting in next to Demario Davis as the starting linebacker duo, backed up by injury-prone playmakers in Kiko Alonso and Alex Anzalone.

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Chase Claypool Moves Into Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft First Round

Chase Claypool has a huge senior season and carried that momentum into a huge off-season, leading him to get big-time praise from one of the most-known draft experts in their latest mock draft.

Chase Claypool was a late bloomer but ended his career a star at Notre Dame, finishing his senior season with 66 receptions for 1037 yards and 13 touchdowns.  His final game in a Notre Dame uniform he helped the Fighting Irish beat up Iowa State and took home game MVP honors.

Claypool then carried that momentum into the off-season where he had strong showings in both the Senior Bowl practices and NFL Combine to presumably raise his draft stock.  Now one of the most-respected draft analysts has taken noticed and put Claypool in the first round of his latest mock draft.

Mel Kiper, Jr. described why it would make sense for the Green Bay Packers to take Claypool with the 30th overall pick in round one:

Green Bay cut Jimmy Graham and hasn’t added any receiving help this offseason, so I’m sticking with a wide receiver for its pick, though it’s the third different wideout in my three mock drafts. Like Denzel Mims, Claypool had an electrifying combine, running a 4.42 40 and putting up a 40.5-inch vertical at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds. This might be a slight reach, but a team could fall in love with his traits, and he produced last season, catching 66 passes for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns. He could be a matchup nightmare for Aaron Rodgers.

Claypool measured out like a freak drawing physical comparisons to Calvin Johnson with his measurements and the numbers he put up at the combine.  Claypool is also as good of blocking receiver as there is in the draft for what it’s worth, not that you draft a receiver that high because they can block.

Most that watched him at Notre Dame thought he may be able to sneak into the first round and just because Mel Kiper, Jr. put him there doesn’t mean anything is anywhere near certain, but it undoubtedly does speak of how the league is likely seeing Claypool after a monstrous off-season.

Mel Kiper has two Ohio State players in top three of first NFL Mock Draft

Mel Kiper has come out with his first official 2020 NFL Mock Draft. Guess which two Ohio State players he has going in the top three?

It’s time. The man with the hair and fast and abbreviated scouting reports is back. We’ve seen a few 2020 NFL Mock Drafts already circulating, but for some, it’s like Christmas morning when ESPN’s longtime draft expert Mel Kiper enters the chat.

He has just come out with his first real 2020 Mock Draft and there are some noteworthy Ohio State players high up on the board. Yeah, it’s the same two you’ve probably been hearing about all season, but now that we’re officially on the clock and all, we’re here to tell you that Kiper has defensive end Chase Young going No. 2 to the Washington Redskins, and cornerback Jeff Okudah going right after him at No. 3 to the Detroit Lions.

You can catch the entire first-round mock draft by clicking on the below link in the Tweet Kiper shared via Twitter below.

Now before you celebrate, Kiper doesn’t have any other Buckeyes projected in the first round, but two of the top three is worth beating your chest about.

We’ll keep an eye on any changes as Kiper continues to do his thing leading up to all the fun in April.