Draft Rumors: Mixon, Quarterbacks, Lamp

Earlier today, the NFL announced 103 underclassmen have officially declared for the 2017 NFL draft. While that figure represents a small decrease from 2016, the fact remains that a decent number of those prospects won’t get selected in April. If recent trends hold, roughly 30% of underclassmen will go undrafted this year, meaning that ~30 collegiate players will need to rely on UDFA contracts this spring, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets.

Here’s more on the draft:

  • Although he considered returning to Oklahoma after a video surfaced of him striking a female, running back Joe Mixon officially declared for the draft earlier this month. While some personnel men believe Mixon won’t be drafted, other scouts tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports otherwise. One executive called Mixon the third-best back in the draft and predicted that he will be chosen, while another evaluator summed up the paradox of a player like Mixon: “It’s still a bottom-line business. It’s people saying, ‘I’m paid to win games. Either I take Mixon or someone else takes him and beats me with him.’ That’s the business. I know people don’t want to hear that, but it’s how some guys get drafted.”
  • Scouts continue to believe the 2017 crop of quarterbacks is one of the worst in recent memory, as one personnel director tells Matt Miller of Bleacher Report that the scribe has “way too many” quarterbacks (three) in his top-30 overall players. Similarly, an AFC executive tells Bucky Brooks of NFL.com that he’s “scared to death” by this year’s signal-callers. “They have talent and upside, but there aren’t any sure things in this [draft] class,” said the VP of player personnel.
  • Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp could soon become a household name, as one scout compared to him to the Cowboys’ Zack Martin, one of the best interior lineman in the NFL, according to Miller. Lamp, who, like Martin, played tackle in college but will shift inside once he reaches the pros, graded as one of the best offensive lineman in 2015 per Pro Football Focus‘ metrics, and should have only improved since.
View Comments (0)