Draft Notes: Tunsil, No. 1 Pick, Reynolds

Ole Miss early-entry tackle Laremy Tunsil‘s drawn comparisons to Tyron Smith from NFL scouts, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. Miller projects the three-year Rebels starter to go No. 1 overall to the Titans if they keep the selection.

He’s Tyron 2.0. Big, mean, athletic. The total package,” an NFC scout told Miller.

Mel Kiper Jr. still has Ohio State’s Joey Bosa going No. 1, with Tunsil slotted in at No. 3. Both draft analysts also have Bosa, Cal quarterback Jared Goff and Florida State corner Jalen Ramsey in their respective top 5s. But Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner resides in Kiper’s premier quintet, while UCLA linebacker Myles Jack lands in Miller’s.

Here’s the latest about the 2016 draft.

  • Miller hears the from multiple GMs the Titans do intend to unload their pick for a team that needs a quarterback. A “flat” draft class similar to the one that led the Chiefs to take underwhelming left tackle Eric Fisher at No. 1 in 2013 is pushing the Titans to dangle the pick for the chance at acquiring multiple starters in a draft where a single can’t miss difference-maker doesn’t appear to reside.
  • Scouts at the East-West Shrine Game do, however, expect a trade to occur and a quarterback to be the first pick. The primary answer on who the Titans will receive a picks bounty for has been Goff, whom Miller has going off the board to the Browns at No. 2.
  • NFL scouts are viewing Navy yardage machine Keenan Reynolds as a slot receiver, Albert Breer of NFL.com reports. The East team has the FBS all-time quarterback rushing leader playing at running back, however. Like many former run-first collegiate QBs, Reynolds will have to answer questions about his pro position, according to evaluators. “He’d be a slot receiver or running back in the pros. Very productive college player, but he’s different than [former Indiana quarterback Antwaan] Randle-El or [ex-Penn State signal-caller Michael] Robinson,” an AFC scouting director told Breer.
  • Nate Sudfeld‘s generated some buzz at the Shrine Game, and Breer’s getting the impression a good performance in Saturday’s game will result in the Indiana quarterback being a middle-round pick. At 6-foot-2, 245 pounds, Sudfeld has the experience as a three-year Hoosiers starter and the pedigree in having older brother Zach Sudfeld in the NFL. An AFC scouting director pegged him as a “Day 3 type” of player due to sub-optimal arm strength to go with solid accuracy on short- and mid-range throws. “He makes quick decisions, but he’s got an average arm — he’s not strong down the field. He’s accurate on short and intermediate throws and he took care of the ball at Indiana,” the evaluator told Breer.

 

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