Where Local NFL Prospects Stand In Mock Drafts Before Scouting Combine
Feb 21, 2020, 2:54 PM
Oregon State Beavers running back B.J. Baylor (20) gets tackled by Utah Utes linebacker Andrew Mata’afa (55), Utah Utes defensive end Bradlee Anae (6), Utah Utes defensive end Maxs Tupai (92) and Utah Utes linebacker Sione Lund (24) during in a football game at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore., on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. Utah won 52-7. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The NFL Scouting Combine will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana at the end of February and into March. 12 players with local ties to the state of Utah will participate in the Combine.
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Many more are in contention to get drafted or get invited to training camp as an undrafted free agent.
KSL Sports has looked through 20 different NFL mock drafts on various outlets to see where the national draft experts have the locals getting selected.
Some outlets do a mock draft for just the first round, some will do first two or three rounds. But, not many will do all seven rounds.
Jordan Love, Utah State
Love is the local receiving the most attention as we approach the NFL Scouting Combine. In all 20 mocks that KSL Sports has looked through, Love was projected to be taken in the first round in 16 of them.
Six of the 20 mock drafts have Love going to the Indianapolis Colts. Most of them in the first round with the 13th overall pick. A couple have him going to the Colts with the second pick in the second round.
Other teams that Love is linked to includes the Carolina Panthers either with the 7th pick or 23rd pick in the first round, the New Orleans Saints with the 24th pick, the Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans or Los Angeles Chargers.
2020 NFL Combine Prep with my Jedi’s @jordan3love @ThatBoyJaylon @LOCKSnLOADED_3 #armedanddangerous #dangerousdozen #yoda #jedi @USUFootball @BroncoSportsFB @UTEPFB pic.twitter.com/cinfYShQeF
— Armed&Dangerous QB (@ArmedDangerQBS) February 21, 2020
Jaylon Johnson
On most mock drafts, Johnson is predicted to be taken in the second round. Johnson is linked to the Miami Dolphins the most, being taken in the first round, 26th overall pick, or either of their two second round picks.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans were mentioned the second-most either in the first or second rounds. On mock has Johnson falling to the Buffalo Bills in the third round – the only mock that has him dropping farther than the second round.
Other teams that Johnson is linked to are the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans.
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1️⃣ sharp cuts
2️⃣ stay low during the cuts
3️⃣ explode out the turn@Pick6Pickett @NBAxJay1 pic.twitter.com/h6VZBu6EoR— Johnny Johnson (@sweettfeett) February 20, 2020
Bradlee Anae
Anae told the Crimson Corner podcast that he and his agent think that as of right now, he will go on the second day of the draft which is the second or third rounds. That is what all of the mock drafts that we looked at indicate.
Two have him going to both the Jets and Cardinals in the second round. Also, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans were mentioned. If Anae has a strong combine, that could significantly change his draft stock.
DLineU 🐓 https://t.co/yuXCpN6kYq
— Bradlee Anae (@BradleeAnae) February 13, 2020
Zack Moss
In the six mock drafts that we looked at which did a deeper dive into the draft. He is projected to go to the Arizona Cardinals in two mock drafts in the third and fourth rounds. Also, with the 96th overall pick in the third round to the Kansas City Chiefs was a popular pick.
The highest that Moss is currently projected to go is the second round to the New York Jets. The Los Angeles Chargers in the third round was another projection.
NINE Utes have been invited to the NFL Combine. The 4th most of any school in the country. @TiTaniumT98 @BradleeAnae @FrancisJBernard @NBAxJay1 @LekiFotu
@JavKFootball28 @Dub_jayy_boy @PresMoss2 @JumpManJuice23 #ProUtes pic.twitter.com/OUNEKKbVmb— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) February 7, 2020
David Woodward
Woodward will certainly get drafted but with his season-ending injury last season, he will have to use the Combine and Pro Day to impress NFL scouts. Two mocks had him taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third and fourth rounds. The highest was the 72nd overall pick in the third round to the Arizona Cardinals. The lowest projection was the seventh round to the San Francisco 49ers.
Also, a mock had him taken in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills.
Leki Fotu
Fotu surprisingly is not getting the love that we expected in the mock drafts. The highest projection was the second round to the Cleveland Browns. Another had him going to the Denver Broncos in the third round with two others pegging him to fall to the fourth round to the Cincinnati Bengals or Las Vegas Raiders.
7️⃣ Utes@NBAxJay1 @TiTaniumT98 @BradleeAnae @PresMoss2 @FrancisJBernard @JumpManJuice23 @LekiFotu https://t.co/lLCWl4wr9f
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) January 28, 2020
Terrell Burgess
Burgess has really put himself on the map among NFL analysts. The highest that Burgess was projected was the second round to the Denver Broncos. The other two that gave him recognition was the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round and to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round.
Tipa Galeai
Galeai showed up in the projections that did full 7-round mock drafts. The highest was in the sixth round to the Tennessee Titans. The other two were in the seventh round to the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings.
Headed to INDY‼️#NFLCombine ✅#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/LAZmKRDTCi
— USU Football (@USUFootball) February 7, 2020
Julian Blackmon
Blackmon will gain more attention after the combine but as of right now, two mocks have listed him. The first is to the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round and the New England Patriots in the sixth round.
Utah will forever hold the most special parts of my Heart. Thank you for taking a chance on a kid from Layton, UT. There’s more work to be done. And I will continue to withstand the odds against me. As always. GO UTES. Juice out🤟🏾 pic.twitter.com/Qpg3gyEiJq
— Julian Blackmon (@JumpManJuice23) February 12, 2020
Francis Bernard
Bernard showed up in two mock drafts, both in the sixth round to the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots.
The daily grind of reaching the NFL starts with hydration and stretching 🏈 #TeamWass pic.twitter.com/VBjlM0NwXK
— Wasserman (@Wasserman) February 19, 2020
Tyler Huntley
Two mock drafts listed Huntley to get drafted despite not receiving an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine. Both were in the fifth round with one projecting the Atlanta Falcons taking Huntley with the 158th overall pick and the other has him going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 161st pick.
You The Greatest Bra! 🤝Coach 🤬Cause I Aint Carryin Out Fakes. I Had Front Row Seats Bihh🤩 pic.twitter.com/mjXz2IgHRc
— SNOOP🌹 (@_SNOOP1) February 14, 2020
Javelin Guidry
Out of the 20 mock drafts, only one had Javelin Guidry listed. They had him going to the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round, 133rd overall pick. Guidry entered the NFL Draft after finishing his junior season with the Utes.
Most of the outlets’ mock drafts that were used in this story can be found here.
