Tag: Zion Nelson

Chiefs go all offense in Draft Wire’s never-too-early 2-round 2023 mock draft

How would you feel if the #Chiefs went all offense in the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL draft? That’s what @TheDraftWire projects in their latest mock draft. . .

Even though we are 10 months away from the 2023 NFL draft, our friends at The Draft Wire believe that it’s never too early for a mock draft.

In his most recent projections, Luke Easterling shared what he thinks might happen in the first two rounds. His choices for the Kansas City Chiefs are quite unique considering they spent back-to-back first-round picks on defensive players in the 2022 NFL draft. This time the first two picks for Kansas City come on the offensive side of the ball, but perhaps not at the positions you’d expect.

Here is a quick look at the prospects who were chosen for the Chiefs:

Falcons bolster pass rush in Draft Wire’s new 2-round mock

The Atlanta Falcons need a lot of help and the best place to start is in the trenches.

The Atlanta Falcons need a lot of help and the best place to start is in the trenches. In Draft Wire’s latest two-round 2022 mock draft, Luke Easterling has the Falcons doing just that with their top three picks. In the first round, Easterling projects Atlanta to take an EDGE to pair opposite Dante Fowler.

Let’s take a look at all three of Draft Wire’s mock picks.

New CBS 2022 mock draft has Jags addressing OL in Round 1

Zion Nelson has been a bit inconsistent over his first two seasons at Miami, but the junior seems poised for a breakout year in 2021.

Though many expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to make a splashy addition at offensive tackle this offseason, nothing of the sort ever materialized. Instead, the team franchise tagged Cam Robinson and drafted Walker Little from Stanford in the second round with the 45th pick, a high-risk/reward player who hasn’t played since suffering a season-ending injury in the first week of the season in 2019.

With Robinson not likely to remain on the roster after the 2021 season (barring a huge year), the Jaguars could enter next offseason with tackle at the top of their list of needs regardless of how the season plays out. That would especially be the case of right tackle Jawaan Taylor struggled, too.

That’s why in this CBS Sports 2022 NFL mock draft, the Jags (who are projected to have another disappointing season next year, netting the fifth pick) target an offensive tackle in Miami’s Zion Nelson.

Zion Nelson is already a really good prospect, and I think the sky is the limit for him. His movement skills and physical profile are top of the line.

Nelson is expected to have a big junior year for Miami. A three-star recruit and just the No. 114 offensive tackle in the country coming out of high school in Sumter, South Carolina, Nelson’s only FBS offers before Miami got in the mix were Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Western Kentucky and Appalachian State (where he was originally committed). He came out of nowhere to win the Hurricanes’ starting left tackle job before his true freshman season in 2019.

He started every game for Miami that season, and as a true sophomore in 2020, he appeared in 10 games and started seven (including the final six). At 6-foot-5, 316 pounds, Nelson has fairly ideal size to play the position in the NFL. But he’s had to overcome his share of struggles, as well.

According to Pro Football Focus, Nelson allowed 12 sacks as a true freshman (the most in the country). But over the last six games of the 2020 season — after he had fought to earn his starting job back — he allowed just five pressures and two sacks. His play during that span earned him the 12th-highest pass-blocking grade from PFF among Power Five left tackles.

This mock draft has him as the first offensive lineman off the board, but he’ll need to continue to improve to solidify his case. He has a good number of believers, though, as ESPN’s Todd McShay also projected that Nelson would be the fifth pick in the 2022 draft.

His run-blocking still has a bit of a way to go, but much of that can be attributed to being undersized for a tackle in the past, especially as a freshman. Now up to 316 pounds, he should improve upon his below-average to average run-blocking grades from the last two seasons. If he can, someone will likely pull the trigger on him early in the first round of next year’s draft.

Giants add Christian Harris, Zion Nelson in TD Wire’s 2022 mock draft

In Touchdown Wire’s “ridiculously early 2022 NFL mock draft,” the New York Giants select LB Christian Harris and OT Zion Nelson.

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Just because the 2021 NFL draft has come and gone doesn’t mean mock draft season is over. No, no… apparently mock draft season now runs around the clock.

More than a week removed from the conclusion of the 2021 draft and 2022 NFL mock drafts continue to flow like fresh water from a mountain stream. And the latest to jump on the trend is our friend Mark Schofield over at Touchdown Wire.

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Schofield dropped his “ridiculously early 2022 NFL mock draft” late last week and with pick No. 7 overall, he has the New York Giants selecting Alabama linebacker Christian Harris.

Quarterback here is indeed tempting…

After all, we are entering the “year of no excuses” with New York Giants signal-caller Daniel Jones. The team added wide receiver Kenny Golladay in free agency as well as the shifty Kadarius Toney in the draft, and with Jones entering year three, he has to take a step forward.

Assuming he does, linebacker is the kind of position that Dave Gettleman could look to address early in the draft. Christian Harris is a former defensive back, and his athleticism makes him perhaps the ideal modern linebacker.

With their second first-round pick — the pick acquired from the Chicago Bears — Schofield has the Giants taking Miami offensive tackle Zion Nelson at No. 11 overall.

Thanks to the draft-night trade between the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants, the deal that allowed the Bears to move up for Justin Fields, the Giants are now back on the clock. Again, quarterback could be in play here if Daniel Jones fails to take the kind of step forward Giants fans are hoping to see in 2021. Or, Dave Gettleman could package this pick and the other first-round selection to move up to the top of the board and add a new face at QB.

Assuming that the organization wishes to move forward with Jones, offensive tackle could be in play for the Giants. Andrew Thomas looked better down the stretch in the 2020 season, Matt Peart performed well for a third-round selection, and the organization also returns Nate Solder for the 2021 campaign after he opted-out in 2020. Still, if the unit does not perform as well as hoped, tackle could be in the mix next season. Nelson started all 13 games at left tackle for the Miami Hurricanes as a true freshman in 2019, and followed that up with another seven starts in 2020.

Both Draft Wire and Touchdown Wire really, really want the Giants to move on from Daniel Jones. Instead, they end up with Harris and Nelson, two players who have already been connected to the Giants multiple times.

Would DeMarvin Leal, Zion Nelson make sense for Giants in 2022?

An early look at the 2022 NFL draft and two prospects — DL DeMarvin Leal and OL Zion Nelson — already connected to the New York Giants.

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Now that the 2021 NFL draft has concluded, it’s time to focus on the 2022 NFL draft. We’re not kidding. Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling has published his “way too-early” 2022 mock draft, which we briefly touched on earlier this week.

The Giants, remember, have two first round picks next year, so here’s who he sees the Giants selecting.

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In Easterling’s mock draft, the Giants have the seventh overall pick and the Chicago Bears’ pick, which is No. 11.

With the seventh pick, the Giants take Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal. The 6-foot-4, 291 pound junior is expected to be a top 10 pick next April. He is considered a “hybrid” players can line up at any any position on the defensive line.

“He has an unbelievably competitive nature. When he’s on the field, I don’t ever see him loaf for one second,” Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher said of Leal last October. “I don’t care what drill it is, what we’re doing or how we do it. Those kinds of guys change cultures of an organization because they’re great players, and they’re highly recruited players who play like they have no ability … with their effort and toughness.”

With the 11th pick, the Giants select Miami offensive tackle Zion Nelson, a 6-foot-5, 315 pound underclassman. Nelson played left tackle last season as a sophomore but will need this season in college to sure up his fundamentals.

“He’s just a freak of nature. Zion’s an incredibly gifted football player,” center Corey Gaynor said. “He’s got long arms. Think he’s big and strong, and I think he’s very twitchy. He’s everything you want out of a left tackle.”

A lot can happen between now and the 2022 NFL draft, but odds are the Giants will still need a quality offensive lineman by then. They also love their versatile defensive linemen, so both Leal and Nelson are worth watching this coming college season.

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Giants select DeMarvin Leal, Zion Nelson in early 2022 Draft Wire mock

In Draft Wire’s way-too-early 2022 mock, the New York Giants select DL DeMarvin Leal and OT Zion Nelson.

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The 2021 NFL draft has officially come and gone, so what better time than now to look ahead to the 2022 NFL draft?

That’s exactly what our friend Luke Easterling of Draft Wire did this week, offering up his “way-too-early 2022 NFL mock draft.” And for the New York Giants, who have two first-round picks thanks to a draft-day trade with the Chicago Bears, they go heavy on the hog mollies.

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With an order determined by the current Super Bowl odds, the Giants are slated to select at No. 7 overall and No. 11 overall.

With their first projected pick, Big Blue selects Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal, who 247Sports has rated as a top prospect in 2022.

Leal is one of the more intriguing defensive prospects in the 2022 draft cycle thanks to his plus athletic ability, explosiveness off the ball and his versatility. Listed as a defensive end for Texas A&M’s front, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Leal can capably play both inside and outside, generating pressure wherever he lines up. Leal rated as PFF College’s ninth-best EDGE rusher nationally a season ago, excelling as both a run defender and as a pass rusher. His 32 pressures ranked within the top 50 nationally of EDGE rushers as well despite playing in a system built around stopping the run.

Leal isn’t as big, but he features some of the traits that made Christian Wilkins such a dynamic player for Clemson a few years ago: Freakish athletic ability for his size, excellent against the run and dynamic when needed as a pass rusher be it with a speed or power move. In a deep EDGE class, Leal feels like one of the safer bets to go off the board in the first round.

With their second projected pick of the first-round, Draft Wire has the Giants selecting Miami offensive tackle Zion Nelson.

247Sports does not have Nelson rated among their top 10 2022 prospects, but did list the 6-foot-5, 310-pound lineman as an honorable mention.

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