There’s just over two weeks until the NFL Draft and the final projections are creeping in. Mel Kiper Jr. just dropped his final mock drat over on ESPN, fairly certain he knows how the first two rounds will shape up.
Obviously this will all collapse on draft night, because nobody bats 1.000 and teams tend to make some wild decisions when their pick rolls around, but Kiper has been plugged in better than anyone in draft history — and there are some absolute stunners in this mock.
The Browns take Travis Hunter at No. 2
This isn’t shocking in isolation, but it underscores the momentum building behind this being the final pick. For much of the pre-draft process the assumption had been that Cleveland would take Abdul Carter and pair him with Myles Garrett to form the NFL’s scariest pass rush duo, but in the end Kiper sees the Browns diversifying their team, rather than overloading at one position.
It’s a pick that makes a lot of sense. Hunter can be an impact player on both sides of the ball, and his scheme variety makes him one of the safer picks in the draft.
Shedeur Sanders falls to No. 9
Mocking Sanders to the Saints at nine feels more like a product of not including any trades, rather than what will happen in reality. It’s certainly possible he falls this far, but in a class where Cam Ward can be the No. 1 pick it feels just … odd to then have Shedeur falling this far.
There’s also the x-factor of the Deion effect here. Prime has been vocal about not letting his son land in the wrong place, and the cap-strapped Saints who need several years of rebuilding feel like exactly like the kind of team he wouldn’t want his son going to.
Would the Jets pass on Shedeur at No. 7? Could the Giants package Kayvon Thibodeaux and picks to Carolina to make a second top-ten pick? Would the Steelers move up? There could be a lot of movement if Sanders slips into the back-end of the Top 10.
Tyler Warren slips to No. 10
Obviously this would be a fantastic pick for the Bears, but it’s absolutely wild to see the No. 1 tight end in this class slipping that far, and also Chicago prioritizing him with Cole Kmet on the roster.
This is obviously the time for misinformation, but there have been some swirling tea leaves around Warren at No. 7 to the Jets, No. 8 to the Panthers, and No. 9 to the Saints. That makes it feel very unlikely he’d be there at Chicago’s pick — but wilder things have happened.
The Cowboys actually do it
Mocking a running back to Dallas has been the hot thing to do ever since Ezekiel Elliott broke down. This year is no different with Kiper having Omarion Hampton from North Carolina being the No. 12 pick.
This would be considerably higher than a lot of people think, but Dallas is routinely one of the least predictable teams on draft night. Jerry and Co. march to the beat of their own drum and often wreck mock drafts because of how their board operates.
Could it happen? Sure.
Fall of T-Mac
One of the most difficult players to predict in this class has been Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan, and this is no different. Kiper has him landing at No. 20 to the Denver Broncos, which would be an absolute stunner.
This is not a great WR class by any means, but still seeing the first receiver off the board this far down just feels … off. A poor man’s Mike Evans, McMillan’s size and production should be enough to see him get selected higher — even as we pivot to more of a run-based league.
The Eagles do it again at No. 32
Who is the most Philly pick you could imagine? Yep, it’s Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr. Once seen as a Top 5 pick, questions about Pearce’s drive and attitude have caused him to plummet.
Nobody loves taking these kind of players like the Eagles, who firmly believe their culture can whip players into shape — and more often than not it’s worked. Pass rush on the edge is a need for the Eagles, which makes this a very big possibility, and one we look back on in two years saying “I can’t believe the NFL let them do this.”
