NFL Draft Stock Report
Of course, not all 259 picks are owned by one team, there are 32 teams in the league, and each one gets assigned a pick for all seven rounds, however, teams are free to trade any pick. Yet, not all of those 259 picks will be all guys on defense or offense. Some say this year’s draft is defensive-heavy while others say there’s plenty of depth in the offensive portion of the draft class. One thing is for sure and that’s the fact that with under a week to go until the draft, there are players rising up the NFL draft boards and on pace for a better draft selection than many expected just a few weeks ago. This article will be all about each offensive position, be sure to watch out for the defensive positions article. Let’s get started!
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Rising Offensive Players at Each Position
Quarterback: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee; Clayton Tune, Tulane
Hooker had a terrific combine and pro day that has helped NFL scouts realize how athletic he is. He’s gone from potentially being undrafted to perhaps he sneaks into Round Three. He isn’t a flashy player but does most things well and would be a valuable backup and developmental quarterback for many teams. Hooker has continued his rise up draft boards despite his recovery from a torn ACL preventing him from doing any workouts. Hooker has impressed teams with his maturity, mentality, and how he views the game. Combine that with veteran leadership and experience and it appears teams are falling in love with him. He’s a safe bet to go early on Day Two and might even sneak into the late picks of Round One. Hendon might have a torn ACL, but that hasn’t stopped him from showing teams that he can do more than easy RPO spread offense as he worked with at Tennessee. Time will tell if that’s correct.
Running Back: Roschon Johnson, Texas; Tank Bigsby, Auburn
Bigsby keeps rising up draft boards after good performances at the Combine and Auburn’s Pro Day. He’s interviewed well and seems to be well-liked in the draft. Tank is an all-around running back that can handle a full workload. There aren’t many of those kinds of backs in this draft which has helped prop up Tank. He should be a good bet to be taken on Day Two, likely in the second round. Roschon was stuck behind Bijan Robinson for multiple years at Texas. This caused him to go mostly unnoticed and not gain much hype until the Senior Bowl. Since then, he’s impressed everyone. Roschon has just been putting on great performances with his speed, hands, and agilty, and proving to teams that he’s able to handle an NFL workload and succeed with it. What seemed like a likely Day Three selection has changed into Roschon potentially going Day Two. That’s a big upgrade in value, stock, and pay. Keep your eye on this guy.
Wide Receiver: Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss; A.T. Perry, Wake Forest; Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
It’s about time that people realize these three wide receivers are really good. Perry had an amazing combine that backed up what the tape showed. He’s an impact player with some elite skills. He’s a safe bet to go Day Two now after trending towards a Day Three selection for months. He’s had good visits and impressed teams with his mentality. The same is true for Tillman who proved he’s healthy and ready to go. Tillman is a strong wide receiver that has NFL size and attributes. He isn’t getting a ton of love due to his teammate Jalin Hyatt, but Cedric is a safe bet to be off the board by the end of Round Two. Now, Mingo was a name no one really paid attention to for months. Quietly, he’s been rising up draft boards to where he’s now finally getting the recognition he deserves. He’s got the perfect size at wide receiver plus elite speed and leaping ability. He’s eerily similar to AJ Brown but bigger. Mingo is a draft darling right now that should go on Day Two. That’s way better after being an unknown for multiple months. Don’t be shocked when Mingo breaks out in the NFL.
Tight End: Luke Musgrave, Oregon State
The tight ends have all been rising, but Musgrave has risen the most from where he started. He’s a potential Day One pick, but likely early Day Two. That’s over a round-up from where he started as a likely early Day Three pick. That’s extremely impressive considering he missed most of his platform season. He’s dominated multiple events like the Senior Bowl and Combine. He’s one to keep an eye on as NFL teams are falling in love with his speed, route running, and potential.
Offensive Tackle: Darnell Wright, Tennessee; Tyler Steen, Alabama
Wright has made a huge climb up draft boards to where he might even go in round one. Once seen as a Day Three selection, Wright has performed in visits and at the combine. He’s proven that his tape matches up with his athleticism and size. Plus, having been a long-time starter in the SEC has helped elevate him over others that didn’t play in the tough SEC. Steen is seen as the same versatile tackle that can start day one, especially at right tackle. He’s gained a lot of favor thanks to strong tape and measurables after performing well in the SEC for a long time. Plus, Steen has impressed in visits and with his maturity. Both these guys are tough competitors that will be able to start right away at right tackle and could blossom at left tackle.
Interior Offensive Lineman: John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota; Chandler Zavala, NC State; Joe Tippmann, Wisconsin
Tippman has been rising up draft boards thanks to his extreme versatility and size along the interior offensive line. Standing 6’6, he would likely be the tallest center in the NFL. He’s a super experienced starter that is ready to go for week one. The same is true for a starting guard. Yet, he’s easily able to start day one at either guard or center and continues a line of excellence seen from offensive line players taken out of Wisconsin. He might even reach the first round after starting off as a late-day-two selection. Schmitz has solidified his case to be a first-round selection as a center. He’s not as polished or has as high of an upside as centers taken in the first round in years past, but he’s ready to start right away and is easily the best center in this year’s class. He’s a safe player that can really help a quarterback. Look for him to go in the last first round. One name that went from a likely day-three pick to now a potential round-two pick is Chandler Zavala. He had a terrific combine and has continued to impress in top 30 visits. Don’t be shocked if he goes in the top 100 picks of the NFL Draft.
Just the same can be said for players that are flying up the draft boards at this late notice, there are plenty of players that are unfortunately falling down the draft boards. This can cause them to miss out on millions of dollars or go into a more rough situation than many expected. However, these players that fall can also become a steal if they prove that they should’ve never fallen in the first place. So, let’s take a look at what players might slip during the NFL Draft and go later than most people expected.
Falling Offensive Players at Each Position
Quarterback: CJ Stroud, Ohio State
Running Back: Sean Tucker, Syracuse; Zach Evans, Ole Miss
Tucker saw his stock drop steeply after being forced to miss both the Combine and Syracuse’s Pro Day with a mysterious injury. Then, he tried to salvage it with a personal Pro Day that no one really saw. Finally, he got to perform in front of scouts recently, but the damage was done. After a rough ending to last season and these issues pre-draft, Tucker is at risk of falling to Day Three. That’s a massive fall after being one of the top running backs in the draft for nearly a year. Time will tell whether he can salvage his stock enough to go in Round Three. Evans has seen his stock drop constantly since he left TCU for Ole Miss a year ago. He wound up losing playing time to other running backs in Ole Miss which only crippled his draft stock. Then, he skipped the NFL Combine and didn’t do great at Ole Miss Pro Day. There’s rumors of character concerns as well so Evans went from being the RB2 a year ago to now a likely Day Three selection with almost no hope of being taken before Round Four.
Wide Receiver: Quentin Johnston, TCU; Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
There’s a growing split over QJ as to whether he’s going to be worth a first-round pick or not. Personally, he is. Yet, there are issues that have caused some concern. He’s shown some bad agility numbers at both the Combine and at TCU’s Pro Day. Next, he doesn’t have the best tape, mostly thanks to Max Duggan’s bad throws, but also because he got caught being beat off the line of scrimmage and body catching. Regardless, Johnston might not be a top-twenty pick but should hopefully get taken in the late first round. Hyatt reached his draft stock peak far too early and it’s gone downhill since. He’s a strict deep route runner only as he’s proven inept at running short to medium depth routes. Basically, he’s a burner akin to John Ross. Teams aren’t rushing to replicate the John Ross bust pick. Hyatt didn’t have a good NFL Combine and doesn’t seem to have the momentum to go early. He’s a safe bet to go on Day Two. The lone team that might reach on Hyatt could be the Chargers or Giants.
Tight End: Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
Mayer is suffering from prospect fatigue. He’s been the TE1 for so long that it seems like he’s falling down draft boards. He likely isn’t but it does seem that Dalton Kincaid might’ve leapfrogged him for the TE1 spot. It’s a back-and-forth battle between Mayer’s high floor and great tools to Dalton’s elite athleticism and high ceiling. Mayer isn’t an exciting player, but he’s a dependable player that will do everything well. While he’s not likely to go in the top twelve, he should be a safe bet to go in the first round still. The tight end group is terrific in this draft and it’s extremely hard to find one falling at all. Buy-in on the hype for the top-five tight ends in this draft class.
Offensive Linemen: Warren McClendon, Georgia; Andrew Vorhees, USC
For starters, it’s clear why Vorhees is falling. He tore his ACL at the combine. That basically means that he will miss his entire rookie year. While he was able to put up some impressive numbers at the combine, even with a torn ACL, he still won’t be the Day Two selection that he would’ve been guaranteed of before. Some team will get a massive draft steal when they select the talented Vorhees. McClendon is falling due to not matching what everyone expected him to do since he went to Georgia, and is falling because of just the other talented tackles. They are performing really well and unfortunately, in order for them to rise, someone has to fall. That guy appears to be Warren.
Hope this helps prepare you for the NFL Draft and gets you a bit more familiar with all the players that will be taken over the span of three days! Plus, if there are any sites listing odds for guys to go higher/later than their expected draft selection, then this article will certainly help you out there! May the Force be with You during the NFL Draft…
