I thought hard about Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, but the reality is the Raiders believe they have the roster to compete in the AFC West this season. That’s why they signed Jimmy Garoppolo. If they want a defender to help them in 2023, it’s Witherspoon, who could immediately become their top guy.
Note: Kiper made this pick with Christian Gonzalez on the board. McShay had the Falcons take Gonzalez with the next pick.
Round 2, pick 38
McShay’s pick: Steve Avila, C/G, TCU
Mel took care of the cornerback need in the first round, so I’m moving on to the offensive line in the second. The Raiders invested in Jimmy Garoppolo and franchise-tagged running back Josh Jacobs, so why not give them both some help on the interior line. Avila could end up being a really good run-blocker in the pros.
Note: The Raiders address a huge need right where they need to address it. Avila is just the third interior offensive lineman taken in this draft. And Kiper swiped Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker with the pick just before this to the Seahawks. So, no QB for the Raiders with either of their first two picks.
Round 3, pick 70
McShay’s pick: Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State
The Raiders traded away Darren Waller, and new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ranked second in the NFL in yards per attempt on passes to tight ends last season (9.5). Kraft would be a red zone favorite for Garoppolo in Las Vegas.
Note: Another big need position for the Raiders after the trade of Darren Waller and the exit of Foster Moreau. Kraft is the seventh tight end taken in this mock draft.
Round 3, pick 100
McShay’s pick: Tavius Robinson, OLB, Ole Miss
Chandler Jones is 33 years old, and he didn’t live up to expectations in his first season in Las Vegas, so getting more explosive pass-rushers with versatility wouldn’t be a bad call for the Raiders.
Note: The Raiders could probably get by with Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones, but depth is a need and at this point in the draft, you’re looking more at best player available than specific needs anyway.
The Philadelphia Eagles double-dip at the edge rusher position in Todd McShay’s latest 2-round NFL mock draft
The 2023 NFL draft is fast approaching, and even with the Eagles retooling during the first wave of free agency, the organization is doing its due diligence on potential prospects.
Thanks to some draft night wizardry from Howie Roseman, the Eagles traded the No. 16 overall pick, No. 19 overall pick, and a 2022 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for the No. 18 overall pick, a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 seventh-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.
Raiders take QB Will Levis at 7th overall in Todd McShay’s latest mock draft
The first mock draft of the post-Derek Carr era comes by way of ESPN’s Todd McShay. And as you should have expected, he has the Raiders going quarterback with their pick at seven overall.
With Bryce Young (Colts via trade) and CJ Stroud (Texans) taken with the first two picks, McShay has four picks without a QB taken. Then the Raiders nab the consensus next best QB on the board…
Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
The Derek Carr era is over, and Tom Brady is no longer an option after he retired this month. Las Vegas will explore other available veterans, but Levis would fit in nicely. He has a huge arm to drive the ball downfield to Davante Adams, and at 232 pounds, he is a strong runner on designed rushes and scrambles. Levis has experience with pro-style concepts, too, and his ceiling is sky high. But can coach Josh McDaniels clean up Levis’ turnovers (23 interceptions over the past two years) and maximize his traits? That will be the biggest question for the team that ultimately picks Levis. If the Raiders can iron out those issues, they might have a long-term solve to help them compete in the AFC West with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
The two tackles who have been commonly mocked to the Raiders — Peter Skoronsky and Paris Johnson Jr — were both on the board and go with two of the next four picks to the Falcons and Titans respectively.
The next QB taken is Florida’s Anthony Richardson at nine overall to the Panthers.
The #Philadelphia #Eagles go All-SEC, landing two players from #Georgia and a wide receiver from #Arkansas with 3 first-round picks in Todd #McShay’s #NFL mock draft #NFLDraft2022 #FlyEaglesFly #Nakobe
With the Super Bowl over and teams now transitioning towards draft preparation and NFL free agency, Philadelphia will be among the teams to watch with three first-round picks and plenty of needs all over the board.
It’s the mock draft season and ESPN’s Todd McShay just released his second installment, and the Eagles get an A+ grade, landing two All-American’s from Georgia and one of the SEC’s top wide receivers.
The Baltimore Ravens address their need for wide receiver help in Todd McShay’s latest mock draft, taking LSU WR Terrace Marshall at No. 27.
It’s that time of the offseason when draft experts come out of the woodwork to show off the results from months of watching tape and scouting prospects. While no draft expert will get it right 100% of the time, especially when it comes to mock drafts, there are some worth paying a little more attention to than others. That’s the case with ESPN’s Todd McShay, who is one of the biggest names in the business.
If Marshall can put up similar production for Baltimore as he did last season at LSU, the Ravens would be plenty happy. Marshall caught 48 passes for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns over seven games. While that might not be the eye-popping stats we sometimes see from draft prospects at the position, the revolving door at quarterback didn’t provide Marshall any favors. As is the case every offseason, you have to look beyond the stat sheet when gauging how good a player is and how great they might become.
For Marshall, his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame is right up the Ravens’ alley. He has the size to play on the outside, right where Baltimore needs someone the most, but he also has the speed and after-the-catch ability to be a serious weapon from the slot. If a defender tries to press him off the line, Marshall has the size and strength to bully them and create separation. If they give Marshall a lot of cushion, he has the agility to make a quick cut underneath to take advantage of the separation and the acceleration to turn five yards into 50.
With Dez Bryant and Willie Snead expected to leave in free agency, there are holes both on the outside and inside that have to be filled. The Ravens will likely turn to James Proche and Devin Duvernay — last year’s draft picks — to play on the inside but have desperately needed a big-bodied, sure-handed possession receiver. While Marshall isn’t exactly the prototype for that role, he’s handled the responsibility well at LSU while showcasing his versatility in 2020, making him a really attractive option all over the field.
There’s still plenty of time left until the 2021 NFL draft kicks off and we’ll likely see quite a few more names get attached to the Ravens. But the fact Marshall has come up so frequently is intriguing.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones has some of the NCAA’s most ridiculous numbers. But can a pocket quarterback survive in today’s NFL?
The last we saw of Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, he was absolutely ripping Ohio State’s defense to shreds in the CFP National Championship in a 52-24 Alabama victory. Jones completed 36 of 45 passes for 464 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions, and he made the Buckeyes pay over and over for their ill-advised decision to stay in base defenses against the Crimson Tide’s array of targets.
It was the crowning achievement in a season in which Jones proved to be unstoppable in nearly every possible capacity. In 2020, Jones completed 311 of 402 passes for 4.500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions. When under pressure, per Sports Info Solutions, Jones completed 56 of 88 passes for 976 yards, 556 air yards, 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 131.4. No quarterback in a major program had more touchdown passes or had a higher quarterback rating under pressure. On throws of 20 or more air yards, per Pro Football Focus, Jones completed 33 of 56 passes for 1.355 yards, 17 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 128.0. No other quarterback had more deep touchdown passes than Jones.
Play-action or not? It didn’t matter. Jones threw 19 touchdown passes to two interceptions with play-action, and 22 touchdown passes to two interceptions without. Yes, he was buttressed by Steve Sarkisian’s brilliant game plans and the talent of targets like DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle (it always helps when you have two receivers who could go top 10 in the 2021 draft) and a running back as good as Najee Harris, but it was still up to Jones to make it all work.
Dec 19, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Alabama quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws against Florida in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Gary Cosby-USA TODAY Sports)
Now, the question is different. Can Mac Jones succeed at the NFL level? And the answer is more complicated than you might assume. Today’s NFL demands different things from its quarterbacks. It wasn’t so long ago that you could get away with being a statue in the pocket, making big-time throws as you were getting your head taken off occasionally by angry pass-rushers. For decades, it was considered an attribute to be able to stand and deliver in that small square no matter how often you were hit. Philip Rivers, who I think is a pretty decent comp for Mac Jones, is a primary recent example.
Rivers is now retired, and his archetype may be retired as well. In the NFL of 2021, if you can’t get outside the pocket and make second-reaction throws as a matter of course against modern defenses that switch coverage looks and blitz from everywhere and bring more kinds of pressure packages than ever before, it doesn’t matter how great you are from the pocket — you’re leaving plays on the table before you even get on the field.
And this is where Mac Jones might have a problem — especially if he’s drafted by a team with an iffy offensive line, and targets who can’t separate from coverage most of the time. In 2020, per Sports Info Solutions, Jones had just 21 dropbacks in which he eventually left the pocket. On those dropbacks, he completed just nine of 19 passes for 99 yards, 71 air yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, two sacks, and a quarterback rating of 80.8. Every single one of those dropbacks came under pressure; that is to say that the Crimson Tide called no plays whatsoever in which Jones left the pocket intentionally. Given how adaptive Nick Saban and his coaching staffs have been with mobile quarterbacks over the last few years, you have to think this is less an overall schematic constraint and more an admission that their 2020 star quarterback just had things he’s not able to do.
As a bootleg quarterback, Jones had 23 dropbacks, completing 12 of 21 passes for 135 yards, 63 air yards, three touchdowns, one interception, two sacks, and a passer rating of 96.2.
Why is this a problem? Again, in the NFL, the expectation is that you’re able to deliver just as well outside the pocket as in. Patrick Mahomes led the NFL last season with 169 dropbacks outside the pocket; he finished with 16 touchdowns and two interceptions in such instances. Six other quarterbacks (Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff) had at least 100 dropbacks outside the pocket; they combined for 69 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. 16 more quarterbacks had at least 50 dropbacks in which they wound up outside the pocket; those 16 combined for 62 touchdowns and 30 picks. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, who I’d put No. 1 and No. 2 in my quarterback rankings, have no issue with this. They can plug and play when the NFL comes calling.
It also limits Jones’ landing spots if he can’t run boot; there’s no way you wind up in a McVay/Shanahan/LaFleur offense if you can’t. And if you can’t effectively make plays on second-reaction throws… well, your real estate options just narrowed even further.
Jones’ tape shows several obvious issues, and a bit of hope.
See which surprise picks ESPN’s Todd McShay projects in his latest mock for the 2021 NFL Draft
While it’s always draft season around here, it looks like mock draft season will be starting earlier than usual throughout the national football media world, as Power 5 conferences postpone their 2020 seasons and top prospect continue to opt out anyway.
The latest 2021 NFL mock draft comes from ESPN’s Todd McShay, who has the usual suspect at No. 1 overall, but things get fun after that.
After sending Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence to the Jacksonville Jaguars at the top pick, McShay goes off the beaten path with the No. 2 selection, having the Washington Football Team opt for Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II over Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
There’s no denying Surtain’s talent, but considering Washington’s need for a franchise left tackle, and the gap between Sewell and the rest of next year’s offensive tackle class compared to that between Surtain and the other top corners in this draft, this pick doesn’t make too much sense.
That’s not the only surprise in the early going of McShay’s latest mock. His top 10 picks feature a pair of wide receivers typically found in the back half of most early mocks, with Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman landing with the Detroit Lions at No. 7 overall, and Alabama’s DeVonta Smith going to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 10 overall.
Bateman could easily be the No. 2 receiver off the board following LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, thanks to his complete skill set and his ideal combination of size, length and athleticism. No. 7 still seems a little early, but it wouldn’t be out of the question. Smith’s slight frame is sure to be a concern among NFL teams at just 175 pounds, and it’s surprising to see him come off the board before his Alabama teammate, Jaylen Waddle, especially after watching Henry Ruggs III get drafted before Jerry Jeudy this year.
Only three quarterbacks make the cut for McShay, with Ohio State’s Justin Fields (No. 4 overall, Carolina Panthers) and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance (No. 14 overall, Chicago Bears) joining Lawrence as first-round picks in this mock.
To check out McShay’s full first-round projection at ESPN.com, click here.
See which offensive tackle Todd McShay thinks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be able to snag in round one of the 2020 NFL draft.
With NFL free agency already a few weeks in, team’s draft boards are beginning to take shape as we approach this month’s NFL draft.
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, free agency allowed them to address a number of needs and retain several key members of their defense. Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and NFL-sack leader Shaq Barrett will all be back in a Bucs uniform next season, along with prized free agent Tom Brady.
With the defensive line looking solid at the moment, the Bucs can now turn their attention to fixing their offensive line, especially now that they have a six-time Super Bowl champion under center. Several mock drafts like the Bucs taking an offensive tackle with the 14th pick in round one, and Todd McShay’s newest post-free agency mock draft has Tampa Bay landing a stud OT in Louisville’s Mekhi Becton.
Per McShay:
“I had Georgia running back D’Andre Swift going to Tampa Bay in my last mock, and it’s still a possibility. But after going all-in on Tom Brady, the Bucs really need to focus on protecting him. And right tackle is a priority with Demar Dotson not likely to return. The 6-foot-7, 364-pound Becton carries his frame incredibly well and would help reduce Tampa Bay’s 2019 tally of 47 sacks allowed.”
This would be a huge win for the Bucs if Becton fell to them at 14. Mock drafts have had him going in the top 10 and some even in the top 5. He blew people away with his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine and could be put on the right side of the Bucs’ line from Day 1.
McShay’s mock was a two-rounder, and he predicts the Bucs will go defense with the 45th pick in round two, taking safety Jeremy Chinn out of Southern Illinois.
“Only two teams gave up more passing yards than the Bucs’ 270.1 per game in 2019, and Chinn comes with versatility to move around in the secondary.”
The Bucs hit a home run in free agency. Now, let’s see if they can hit one in the draft.
