A new ESPN+ mock draft has more than one Tiger going to the NFL.
The mock draft, written by ESPN’s Jordan Reid (subscription required), saw Tigers get drafted across all seven rounds. All three of the Auburn players Reid had selected in his mock draft were defensive players.
The first player Reid had going in the draft is Auburn’s oft-projected highest pick this year in cornerback [autotag]Roger McCreary[/autotag]. He was slotted in at the 55th overall pick in the draft — the 23rd pick of the second round — to the Arizona Cardinals, where he would team up with the likes of Byron Murphy Jr. and Marco Wilson at the cornerback position. McCreary has been given increasing praise as the NFL draft gets closer in AprilHere is what the mock had to say about McCreary’s fit with Arizona:
“McCreary is only 5-foot-11, and his overall length could push him to the slot full-time. Still, size hasn’t been a factor for defensive backs the Cardinals have drafted in previous years. They could add him to a secondary that must continue to add young depth.”
The other two Tigers players going in the second round are also on the defensive side of the ball. The mock has safety [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag] being selected with the with the 249th pick by the Green Bay Packers (the 27th overall pick in the seventh round) and linebacker [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] going to the Arizona Cardinals as well with the 257th pick (the 35th pick in the seventh round). Interestingly, the mock has McClain listed as a safety.
Both Monday and McClain produced well for Auburn during their time in the Plains. Monday racked up 171 career tackles, five interceptions and five pass breakups over his Auburn career and McClain contributed for 267 tackles as an Auburn Tiger. Although they may not be drafted high, the defensive duo could still make an impact on an NFL roster if given the chance and drafted late.