Ty's Not Mock NFL Draft

The NFL draft is tomorrow night. I know, I was as surprised as many were when I found out earlier this week. As I normally do I will pick a few prospects that I think are going to be great, a few that might not be so good and a few sleepers. This is much more fun than doing a mock draft. I have also already read a ton of those anyway. And, I do watch a ton of college football, so I feel like I know the "top" prospects pretty well in this upcoming draft. I even watched all of last season, even though I didn't feel very good about watching. With that being said, let's get to it.

This draft is filled with QB prospects. I would not be surprised if the first four picks are QB's. There are so many draft eligible QB's. It is almost too much. At the very top of that list, and one of the prospects that I think will be a good to great NFL player is Trevor Lawrence. His college career played out pretty much as great as we all thought, and I see no reason why the Jags wouldn't take him first overall tomorrow night. He is tall, fast, smart, has a great arm and has been getting himself ready as soon as he took over the starting job at Clemson. He is as sure a bet as Andrew Luck or Cam Newton. They were bonafide stars the moment they were taken first overall, and I do not see that being any different for Lawrence. The only downside is the fact that he will be playing in Jacksonville. They do not offer too much help for him when he steps into the starting role. He also has a first year head coach that I do not think will have much success in the NFL. But Lawrence is as solid a QB prospect as there is in this draft. He is worth the hype.

Going outside the QB class, this wide receiver class is stacked too. And there are two kids that I think will have very bright futures in the NFL. The first is JaMarr Chase. He did opt out of last season, but his year before was one of the best I have ever witnessed. He had so many catches, so many TD's, and he separated himself from every other wideout in college football in 2019. His two playoff games were absolutely dominant. And if the Bengals end up taking him, as they should, having him and a healthy Joe Burrow could make for one hell of a duo. They could be the future in Cincinnati.

The other receiver I love, who is actually my favorite player in the draft, is Devonta Smith. His measurables may not be eye popping, but just look at what he did on the field last season. He was incredible. He was so good he won every major award, including the Heisman. He was unstoppable. That first half in the title game was magnetic. I was so very impressed with what I saw. My dream would be that he falls to Green Bay and they team him up with Davante Adams. That would rule. Smith is awesome and he will be a very, very, very good pro.

As far as the O line goes, Penei Sewell is going to be a first day starter wherever he gets picked. He is big, physical, hyper intelligent and saved his body by opting out last season. He is going to be a Jake Long esque player. He won't make any crazy noise as a player, but he will be dominant, and his QB and coaches will love him.

Looking at the defensive players, I think Patrick Surtain is the top of the class. He is already a shutdown corner, he is big and fast and physical and he will be a Charles Woodson type corner in the league. He will help any team, no matter who, that drafts him. I also think Jaycee Horn has some Jaire Alexander in him. He is a very good corner that will excel against better competition. I also like Micah Parsons. I know his stock has tumbled, and the exact same thing happened to Montez Sweat and he is a top notch d lineman. Parsons was excellent two years ago and I think he will only get better when he gets to the NFL. And of course I love Kwity Paye from Michigan. Three years ago at a game my dad pointed him out as a legit sack master, and he just got better and better. He is explosive, big and super fast. He is going to terrorize NFL backfields for ten years. He is going to be a day one starter.

For all the love I have given these kids, there are some I am not as high on as others. I do not think Zach Wilson is going to be the answer for the Jets at QB. He is the epitome of a one year wonder that played inferior competition. He is not a Russell Wilson clone. That is an insult to Wilson's incredible talent. The Jets will be trading him in two years just like they did with Sam Darnold. I also do not think Mac Jones is going to be much of a pro. He is a system QB to a T. He is like every other Texas Tech QB not named Patrick Mahomes. He is also very slow footed and not very accurate in my opinion. At receiver I just do not trust Jaylen Waddle's ankle injury. I do not know that it is fully healed, I do not know what it will do to his speed and route running and he was not the best wideout on his own team. I feel like the hype around Kyle Pitts has been totally overblown so much so that I think it will affect his career. I mean, he is good, but he isn't Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates. That's another thing, there are going to be better tight ends that can be drafted in later rounds. The hype is too much. Jalen Mayfield has taken a rightful tumble down draft boards. He seemed disengaged at times, he wasn't as dominant as he could've been and he missed most of last season with an injury. I feel the same about Landon Dickerson from Alabama. He just isn't the dominant force that Sewell or Rashawn Slater will be in the NFL. He also looks very slow.

As far as some "overrated" defensive players, one for sure in my opinion is Zaven Collins from Tulsa. He is the defensive version of Zach Wilson. Poor competition led to a fantastic year, but this rise up draft boards is baffling to me. I also think all the stuff that has happened with Caleb Farley lately has been a blow to any type of success he was going to have in the NFL. He was a top player, then he opted out, then he got hurt and now he has COVID. All of that is a rough start to an NFL career that hasn't even started yet. And I do not think Benjamin St Juste is going to be more than a special teams player in the NFL. He got beat like a drum in college, and that will just continue in the NFL.

As far as sleepers, there are some for sure. I love Nico Collins. He is a great deep threat, he is physical and he is very tall. He will be a proper third of fourth receiver on a good team. Elijah Moore is another really solid receiver that will go way later in the first round than he should. This is another guy that I would love to fall to Green Bay. I also really like Rondale Moore. He is shifty, fast and will help on offense and in the return game. I know that Justin Fields is a projected top five pick, but people have been on his case for some stupid reasons. I watched this kid carve up the Big Ten for two years, and then do the same thing twice to Clemson. He is going to be a very good pro.

I have two deep sleepers. I really like Chubba Hubbard from Oklahoma State. He is going to be a late round pick because running back isn't a huge priority anymore, but boy is he going to be a steal. He is an excellent runner and a very good pass catcher. He can also block. This kid is going to be a pro bowler, and I wouldn't be shocked if he starts as a rookie. I kind of expect it. And finally we have Najee Harris. Maybe you don't see him as a deep sleeper, but no one is talking about him as a first round talent. He is the prototype modern NFL running back. He is built like Leonard Fournette, but he is not nearly as injury prone. He can catch like a modern day Marshall Faulk and rack up yards after. He can run with the best of the best currently in the NFL. He can block like a fullback. When I watched him in the title game the only player that I thought that was better than him on that field was Devonta Smith. If a team like Miami can get him, and reunite him with Tua, that would be great. Or if he lands with an ascending team that is a running back away, like Seattle or Baltimore, he is going to be the answer they need. I really like Najee Harris.

Okay there you have it, my NFL draft primer. Now let's see how things turn out Thursday night.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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