WR A.J. Brown
Griffin:
After logging 160 catches, over 2500 yards and 17 touchdowns in his past two seasons, there’s a legitimate case to be made that A.J. Brown is the best receiver to ever to suit up for the red and blue. Brown wasn’t utilized properly at Ole Miss, frequently lining up wide, whereas he’ll likely make his money in the slot in the NFL. He’s got Jerry Rice-level swagger and will shred your ankles faster than Hugh Freeze pressing send on a university-issued cell phone. While Brown isn’t an undersized, white receiver who played QB in college, look for the Patriots to snag him at the tail end of the first round.
Joshua:
All of the hype was on D.K. Metcalf coming out of the combine, but I still think Brown is the most well-rounded member of the NWO. Brown can go outside and take you deep or play inside at the slot and shake you up with superior route-running and dangerous elusiveness after the catch. He’s liable for a big play every time he touches the ball and has the confidence to make an immediate impact wherever he’s drafted. I think he’s off the board somewhere in the second round.
TE Dawson Knox
Griffin:
Phil Longo should be barred from coaching college football for the rest of his life for the way he used Dawson Knox. Knox, who hasn’t scored a touchdown since high school, will be the steal of the draft. He’s a 6-foot-4, 250-pound DOG, with tissue-soft hands and breakaway speed. He reminds me of George Kittle. Look for a team, like Jacksonville or Washington, to make a splash and draft Knox in the second round.
Joshua:
Ignore the lack of production in his last two years in Oxford. NFL scouts have dismissed the box score for Knox after looking at the simplistic Longo offense. The bottom line is the best NFL teams, like the Chiefs or the Patriots, use tight ends heavily and since this is an imitation league, other teams will be looking to do the same. If Knox can improve his blocking, he can be a playmaker for a team for years to come. This is a deep draft of tight ends, but Knox could be a steal for a team in the fourth or fifth round after an impressive Pro Day.
OT Greg Little
Griffin:
After entering his junior season as a potential top-10 pick, Little’s draft stock has plummeted, due in part to a lack of motor and effort. But as Joshua writes below, Little is a physical specimen. If he lands in the right situation, Little has the potential to be an All-Pro left tackle. He’s the quintessential boom-or-bust candidate. Okay, I don’t know much about scouting lineman, so I’ll defer to the experts and guess he goes early to middle second round.
Joshua:
Little has somewhat faded into the background this offseason, but the fact of the matter is NFL teams know it’s usually not a bad idea to take a 6-foot-5, 325-pound monster with elite foot speed. Tackles are always at a premium because they’re arguably the cornerstone of a football club, considering they protect the most important player on the field. He’ll probably go somewhere in the second or third round.
WR D.K. Metcalf
Griffin:
D.K. Metcalf did the one thing that no one, not Richard Sherman, Terrell Owens nor Kevin Durant has ever been able to accomplish: he made Stephen A. Smith eat his words. On ESPN’s First Take last week, Metcalf said, “You haven’t seen me yet. You haven’t seen a D.K. Metcalf in the league yet.” Smith, enthused, responded by rattling off the names of Calvin Johnson, Jerry Rice and Randy Moss, to evidence his point that D.K. isn’t that special. Metcalf, wearing a pink hoodie that was probably an XXL but fit like a workout shirt, responded: “You haven’t seen a 6-3, 230-pound receiver run a 4.33…with a 40.5 inch vertical.” Stephen A. was speechless. Metcalf will be the first receiver taken off the board in the draft.
Joshua:
Metcalf’s draft stock rose to the stratosphere when that picture surface on social media. You know exactly what picture I’m talking about. He dwarfed A.J. Brown in that photo and, breaking news, A.J. Brown is not a small guy. The receiver with defensive-end size has the potential to have a dominant skill set similar to his cousin, Calvin Johnson. He was the star of the NFL Combine when he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash. He struggled with the lateral movement drills but who cares — HE RAN A 4.33 40-YARD DASH. First round pick.
WR DaMarkus Lodge
Griffin:
You know that one friend who isn’t the most popular, doesn’t have the most money, yet is just a solid guy? In terms of football skills, that’s DaMarkus Lodge. He doesn’t have tantalizing speed or eye-popping college statistics, but he runs tight routes and doesn’t lose 50-50 battles on deep balls. He only has average hands, but makes up for it by excelling creating yards after the catch. Oh, and apart from Jason Pellerin, he had the best hair on the team. Lodge is a sixth-rounder.
Joshua:
Lodge has had played in the shadow of Metcalf and Brown for years now, but every now and then he’ll show a flash of that “it” factor it takes to play receiver in the league, like when he repeatedly hauled in diving and one-handed catches in front of scouts at the Ole Miss Pro Day. I have no doubt Lodge has what it takes to play a big role on an NFL roster. I think he’s drafted in the sixth round.
QB Jordan Ta’amu
Griffin:
Jordan Ta’amu is the physical representation of a weekend bender in Las Vegas. His highs — passing for over 350 yards in 7 out of 12 starts last season — are astounding. However, his lows — a lack of read progression and an inability to consistently throw the deep ball — aren’t indicative of a player expecting to be selected in the NFL draft. A team will likely take a flier on Ta’amu and draft him in the final two rounds, but if not, he’s got a promising future as a law enforcement officer.
Joshua:
Ta’amu is a risk in an underwhelming class of quarterbacks. Scouts have to have questions about his football I.Q. and ability to process defenses, looking at the elementary system Phil Longo had him out here running. Ta’amu said that he’s able to learn an NFL offense, so teams could take a chance on him in the sixth or seventh round and try to develop an NFL passer.
DB Zedrick Woods
Griffin:
Something about the name Zedrick Woods would scare me if I was an opposing wideout. Woods is a physical tackler and the fastest player in the draft, but his lack of size at the safety position is going to hurt him. Most projections have Woods going as a UDFA, but I think Arizona–with the last pick in the draft–will select Woods. The irony of Ole Miss having two “Mr. Irrelevants” in four years is too perfect to pass on.
Joshua:
Woods had the fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine at 4.29. He was a solid defender when he played and his speed put him on the radar, so think he’ll get picked up as an undrafted free agent to play a special teams role
