Cowboyny
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Back on March 25, I reported the Jacksonville Jaguars were giving serious consideration to selecting Georgia defensive end Travon Walker with the draft’s first pick. Other outlets have since followed along and are reporting much the same. I’m now hearing several teams have Walker graded as the top player on their draft board. Hence, it’s not only the Jaguars who believe Walker is the best of the best.
For more than seven months, Kyle Hamilton’s name was always mentioned as one of the best players in the draft and a lock to be a top-four pick. I never bought into that opinion and neither have NFL teams. Most teams presently believe Hamilton is a mid-first-round prospect and do not rank him as a top-10 player.
Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis are graded neck and neck and stamped as mid-first-round choices. From what I gather, it’s 50/50 as to which signal-caller teams prefer. Meanwhile, just about all the teams I’ve spoken with give Desmond Ridder a first-round grade and believe he’ll come off the board in the bottom half of Round 1.
Breece Hall of Iowa State is the consensus top back in the draft, and it’s not even close. Several teams have given Hall a late-first-round grade, though the junior is not assured of landing in the top 32.
To the surprise of many, Dameon Pierce of Florida and Pierre Strong Jr. of South Dakota State are both receiving third-round grades. Pierce comes off a terrific year. He excelled as a pass catcher out of the backfield as well as a ball carrier. Strong probably never should’ve fallen by the wayside — he was highly rated coming into the season.
Though the order may be slightly different than some have it, there are few surprises. Teams I spoke with have the receivers ranked Garrett Wilson, Drake London, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, and Treylon Burks. Williams is slightly downgraded because of the late knee injury. Burks is getting late-first-round grades.
While he’s been mocked in the top 32 by some, no team I’ve spoken with has given Christian Watson of North Dakota State a first-round grade. Most believe he belongs in the middle of Round 2. Some teams have Skyy Moore of Western Michigan graded higher than Watson.
Trey McBride and Greg Dulcich are neck and neck on my board for the top spot at tight end. But it’s not so much with teams who have a big spread between their No. 1, McBride, and Dulcich, who ranks as the third tight end on a few boards.
The player between the two is Jelani Woods of Virginia, who has had a hell of a lead-up to the draft. Teams do admit that Woods is a projection based on his athletic testing numbers. Comparatively, McBride and Dulcich are sure things.
Right now, teams have a mid-second-round grade on David Ojabo, as the Michigan junior starts to rehab the Achilles he tore during his pro day workout.
Despite a poor Combine performance at linebacker size, Kingsley Enagbare is still receiving second-round grades.
I was shocked to find teams have a late-round (sixth) grade on Isaiah Thomas of Oklahoma, who I stamped as a Day 2 prospect. The reasoning is Thomas is a linear pass rusher who must fill out his frame and get stronger.
Georgia’s Nakobe Dean is getting late-first-round grades, but at this point, it may be tough for him to land in the top 32. He suffered an ankle injury during the national championship and has yet to work out for teams who want to get testing marks on a linebacker who measures under 6-feet tall and not even 220 pounds.
Christian Harris of Alabama is receiving early-second-round grades, and teams feel he could slide into the late part of Round 1. His film in 2021 wasn’t bad but not as good as the prior season when Harris was exceptional. Teams are looking back at his 2020 campaign.
Four corners — Ahmad Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., Trent McDuffie, and Kyler Gordon — are receiving first-round grades. I was surprised teams grade Gordon that high and slot him over the likes of Roger McCreary, Kaiir Elam, and Andrew Booth Jr.
During the April 6 edition of the Draft Insiders, I mentioned Lewis Cine of Georgia has been receiving late-first-round grades, and that’s since been confirmed. Teams understandably love Cine’s range, ball skills, and ability in coverage. Likewise, Daxton Hill of Michigan is also getting grades in the bottom third of Round 1.
For more than seven months, Kyle Hamilton’s name was always mentioned as one of the best players in the draft and a lock to be a top-four pick. I never bought into that opinion and neither have NFL teams. Most teams presently believe Hamilton is a mid-first-round prospect and do not rank him as a top-10 player.
Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis are graded neck and neck and stamped as mid-first-round choices. From what I gather, it’s 50/50 as to which signal-caller teams prefer. Meanwhile, just about all the teams I’ve spoken with give Desmond Ridder a first-round grade and believe he’ll come off the board in the bottom half of Round 1.
Breece Hall of Iowa State is the consensus top back in the draft, and it’s not even close. Several teams have given Hall a late-first-round grade, though the junior is not assured of landing in the top 32.
To the surprise of many, Dameon Pierce of Florida and Pierre Strong Jr. of South Dakota State are both receiving third-round grades. Pierce comes off a terrific year. He excelled as a pass catcher out of the backfield as well as a ball carrier. Strong probably never should’ve fallen by the wayside — he was highly rated coming into the season.
Though the order may be slightly different than some have it, there are few surprises. Teams I spoke with have the receivers ranked Garrett Wilson, Drake London, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, and Treylon Burks. Williams is slightly downgraded because of the late knee injury. Burks is getting late-first-round grades.
While he’s been mocked in the top 32 by some, no team I’ve spoken with has given Christian Watson of North Dakota State a first-round grade. Most believe he belongs in the middle of Round 2. Some teams have Skyy Moore of Western Michigan graded higher than Watson.
Trey McBride and Greg Dulcich are neck and neck on my board for the top spot at tight end. But it’s not so much with teams who have a big spread between their No. 1, McBride, and Dulcich, who ranks as the third tight end on a few boards.
The player between the two is Jelani Woods of Virginia, who has had a hell of a lead-up to the draft. Teams do admit that Woods is a projection based on his athletic testing numbers. Comparatively, McBride and Dulcich are sure things.
Right now, teams have a mid-second-round grade on David Ojabo, as the Michigan junior starts to rehab the Achilles he tore during his pro day workout.
Despite a poor Combine performance at linebacker size, Kingsley Enagbare is still receiving second-round grades.
I was shocked to find teams have a late-round (sixth) grade on Isaiah Thomas of Oklahoma, who I stamped as a Day 2 prospect. The reasoning is Thomas is a linear pass rusher who must fill out his frame and get stronger.
Georgia’s Nakobe Dean is getting late-first-round grades, but at this point, it may be tough for him to land in the top 32. He suffered an ankle injury during the national championship and has yet to work out for teams who want to get testing marks on a linebacker who measures under 6-feet tall and not even 220 pounds.
Christian Harris of Alabama is receiving early-second-round grades, and teams feel he could slide into the late part of Round 1. His film in 2021 wasn’t bad but not as good as the prior season when Harris was exceptional. Teams are looking back at his 2020 campaign.
Four corners — Ahmad Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., Trent McDuffie, and Kyler Gordon — are receiving first-round grades. I was surprised teams grade Gordon that high and slot him over the likes of Roger McCreary, Kaiir Elam, and Andrew Booth Jr.
During the April 6 edition of the Draft Insiders, I mentioned Lewis Cine of Georgia has been receiving late-first-round grades, and that’s since been confirmed. Teams understandably love Cine’s range, ball skills, and ability in coverage. Likewise, Daxton Hill of Michigan is also getting grades in the bottom third of Round 1.
