ESPN's Mel Kiper Updates First Round of Mock Draft
The ‘draft guru’ of ESPN, Mel Kiper, has updated his NFL mock draft in the first round. This comes on the heels of a very active week of NFL free agency.
As we know already, it’s a quarterback-heavy top of the draft based on need and talent. And that includes Oregon’s Bo Nix vying for a spot in the first round. It’s become more consistent seeing Nix drafted at No. 12 to the Denver Broncos. There is no question Sean Payton has a need for a quarterback after shipping out Russell Wilson. There have been a ton of comparisons to Nix and Drew Brees from his days at New Orleans with Payton.
There is one big surprise in Kiper’s mock draft however. This might be the first NFL mock draft I recall seeing that doesn’t have Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson going in the first round. JPJ has been consistently going in the middle part of the round in most mock drafts I’ve seen.
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Here is what Kiper said about Nix going to the Broncos at pick No. 12.
The Broncos have been quiet in free agency. Are they really comfortable going into the season with Jarrett Stidham as their starting quarterback? They’re running out of options, unless they can find a way to move up in the draft … or if they liked someone from the second tier of passers. Nix, Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) and Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) are likely to be off the board by the time Denver picks again, which is No. 76 overall, as it doesn’t own a second-round pick. So could Sean Payton & Co. instead take one here or trade down a few picks in Round 1?
That’s the way I’m leaning right now. Nix isn’t going to be for every team, but Payton might see a little Drew Brees in him. He’s a super-fast processor who can make every throw and was one of the most productive passers in college football the past two seasons. He had 74 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions after transferring from Oregon. The Ducks’ offense relied on quick strikes, though, and he wasn’t often asked to push the ball downfield. He averaged just 6.3 air yards per attempt last season, which ranked 120th out of 125 FBS qualifiers. Taking Nix in Round 1 would be a way for the Broncos to try to snag a franchise quarterback, and if they moved down a few spots, they could regain valuable capital. But again, they have to really believe in his potential to do it.
