Daniel Jeremiah says perception of Big 12 defense impacts draft positions

For many people, perception is reality. So, even as the Big 12 has improved on the defensive side of the ball, there is still the perception that the conference isn’t good on defense. That idea is that the conference isn’t physical enough and was seen in the narrative ahead of the College Football Playoff semifinal.

As NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah explained on Pardon My Take, the perception of Big 12 defenses has an impact on draft positions.

“I think it does,” Jeremiah said. “I think teams are lying if they say it doesn’t. You know, I would have to go back to Zach Thomas for the last great Texas Tech defensive player. I’m sure there’s somebody in between those two, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head.”

Texas Tech has been the poster child for the Big 12’s identity. The Red Raiders Air Raid offense under Mike Leach to eventually having Patrick Mahomes putting up explosive numbers. At the same time, Texas Tech had poor defenses.

However, in the 2023 NFL Draft Red Raiders edge rusher Tyree Wilson is expected to be a top-10 pick. Mel Kiper Jr. expects him to go eighth to the Atlanta Falcons while Todd McShay has him going as high as second to the Houston Texans.

“I like him a lot, I like him a lot as a player, but where I would say that school thing comes into play is if you give the same grade to Will Anderson as you gave to Tyree Wilson. Then you’re in the room and somebody is a Tyree Wilson guy, they’re gonna talk about how he’s taller, he’s longer, he’s a little more athletic. And then my comeback in that room would be, ‘Yeah, I’ve seen Will Anderson play against NFL players for three years and he’s dominated in that conference,'” Jeremiah explained.

“And, literally, you go back and you watch the cut ups. Last week, I went back and watched some of his production from previous years. And it’s like, there’s Jamaree Salyer, he started like 14 games at left tackle in the NFL last year. It’s just one player after another you’re like NFL player, NFL player. Like, that has to factor in. I think it makes the evaluation, I think you eliminate some of the low-end floor of a player when you see him play there.”

So, for Jeremiah, it’s not just the perception of Big 12 defenses, but the perceived level of competition as well. He even insisted that this isn’t just a football thing, but baseball compares the SEC to Double-A baseball.

Unfortunately, the Big 12 doesn’t have a great defensive history in the NFL Draft to fall back on. The last Big 12 player to even be taken in the top 10 was Justin Gilbert in the 2014 NFL Draft. By 2017, he was out of the NFL. So, the perception is that Big 12 defenders are a risky pick. It’s the same perception that has plagued Ohio State quarterbacks at times.

Mel Kiper Jr. on Tyree Wilson

Mel Kiper Jr. has Tyree Wilson going to the Atlanta Falcons, behind players like Will Anderson and Jalen Carter. In that scenario, Wilson is going to make sense.

“I think Atlanta would love to grab one of the top corners, but they’re off the board in this scenario,” Kiper wrote. “The 6-foot-6 Wilson has a high ceiling as a pass-rusher, even if he was inconsistent at times in college. He would fill a huge hole here.”