Mel Kiper discusses why he has dropped Will Anderson from No. 1 overall pick

In a special broadcast on ESPN2, NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. produced his latest mock draft on the fly and he has Alabama superstar pass-rusher Will Anderson going with the third overall pick in the draft.

That’s a bit of a cooling-off from where some projections, including Kiper’s, had him a year ago.

“Yeah, Will Anderson Jr., really after the 2021 season I said, ‘Boy, he’s locked into being the No. 1 pick overall’ but his production dropped from 17.5 sacks down to 10,” Kiper explained.

Going at No. 3 overall is still plenty respectable, but there appear to be some question marks about how Anderson’s game will translate to the NFL level.

Kiper voiced one such hesitation.

“You think about it, he doesn’t have the bend or that initial explosiveness of a Myles Garrett or a Von Miller,” the long-time draft analyst pointed out.

Still, Anderson was one of the most productive players in college football over the last couple years, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Debate about Will Anderson and how he’ll translate

Another statistic that Kiper pulled into the discussion about Will Anderson and where he might be drafted this spring was the number of forced fumbles he’s had. Or, rather, the lack thereof.

“He only had one forced fumble in his career, that was his first year,” Kiper said. “None over the last two years. The average of most of these pass-rushers in their career has been seven.”

So how exactly will Anderson’s game translate to the NFL? That remains to be seen.

Kiper did say he thinks Anderson will have to be a stand-up rusher moreso than a guy with a hand in the dirt. That doesn’t mean he can’t be productive, it just means it may be difficult to project his production long-term.

“Will Anderson Jr. real good player, hard worker,” Kiper said. “Will he be a 10 sack a year guy or an 18 to 20 sack a year guy, that’s where there’s some differences of opinion.”