A few thoughts from
The Athletic draft analyst Nick Baumgardner on the updated consensus board:
• I’ll have no issue with anyone who keeps
Bijan Robinson in their top 10 throughout this entire process, even if it doesn’t feel likely Robinson will hear his name called that early. (It’s possible, though.)
However, when it comes to wide receivers, it feels like the Big Board is a bit eager. While I don’t really mind
Quentin Johnston being one spot ahead of
Jordan Addison — personally, I would reverse it — I do think they’re both too high overall, at 9 and 10, respectively. That range doesn’t feel likely in this draft. It’s not going to be a surprise this year to see teams wait on receivers, be it those two or
Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There are a bunch of really good prospects here but not any slam-dunk superstars, and that’s not going to change as the draft approaches.
We might not see a receiver go in the top 15 this year. We might not see one go in the top 20. (Addison came off the board first in
Dane Brugler’s most recent mock, right at No. 20.) I would, however, take
Zay Flowers at his current No. 55 slot and sleep very well at night, or
A.T. Perry around pick 99 and sleep even better. Patience, once again, will pay off for teams in the WR market.
• On the other side of things, the board is probably still too low on the corners, specifically Oregon’s
Christian Gonzalez and Illinois’
Devon Witherspoon. Gonzalez was No. 40 on
our initial consensus board in November, and he’ll likely be higher than No. 17 after he runs this spring. In terms of pure movement skills in coverage, Gonzalez is CB1 in this class. There are questions with his game, however, as is the case with every corner on this list.
• Not sure how else to say this one, but there are not 46 prospects in America better than
Darnell Washington. So, apologies to all you dreamers out there who were hoping to snag him a few picks into Day 2 without any trouble.
Tight end is always difficult to project because the position is viewed differently in different corners of the league. However, one thing is true:
Everyone is coming around on the idea of having an elite player at that position who can be a dominant run blocker and an impossible cover. Washington’s not a perfect prospect, but he’s a physical unicorn.
• In a similar vein:
Lukas Van Ness should not be behind 49 other names here. A 6-5, 275-pounder, Van Ness is the type of full-package edge who doesn’t have to come off the field. He can bring an impact versus both the run and pass — he was a top-20 run defender nationally (per Pro Football Focus) among starting edges last year and was top 25 in pressures.