Sure, it’s only September, but hell, it’s never too early for mock drafts. In fact, some outlets release mock drafts the day after the previous draft ends. Anyway, the picture is starting to get clearer in terms of who could go where next spring.
Fox Sports published a mock draft on Tuesday and as if the Big 12 didn’t need any more bad news, they got some. Currently, there are zero, yes, zero, Big 12 players projected to be drafted in the first round.
Meantime, there are 14 players from the SEC (six from Alabama), six from the ACC (3 from Clemson), five from the Big 10 (2 from Michigan), and four from the Pac-12 (2 from Stanford) that make an appearance in this Fox Sports first-round mock.
Here’s how Fox Sports is predicting the first round of the NFL Draft:
1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M
2. San Francisco 49ers: Deshone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
3. Tennessee Titans: Jonathan Allen, DT, Alabama
4. Chicago Bears: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jabrill Peppers, DB/LB, Michigan
6. Miami Dolphins: Jalen Tabor, CB, Florida
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jamal Adams, S, LSU
8. Atlanta Falcons: Tim Williams, DE/OLB, Alabama
9. Buffalo Bills: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
10. Washington Redskins: Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
11. New Orleans Saints: Desmond King, CB, Iowa
12. Tennessee Titans: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
13. Detroit Lions: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
14. San Diego Chargers: Corey Davis, WR, WMU
15. Indianapolis Colts: Charles Harris, DE/OLB, Missouri
16. New York Jets: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
17. Dallas Cowboys: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
18. Oakland Raiders: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
19. New York Giants: Demarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
20. Baltimore Ravens: Carl Lawson, DE/OLB, Auburn
21. Kansas City Chiefs: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
22. Cincinnati Bengals: Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State
23. Cleveland Browns: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama
24. Carolina Panthers: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama
25. Houston Texans: Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida
26. Arizona Cardinals: Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
27. Philadelphia Eagles: Johnny Caspers, OG/C, Stanford
28. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
29. Seattle Seahawks: Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
30. Denver Broncos: Carlos Watkins, DT, Clemson
31. Green Bay Packers: Pat Elflein, OG/C, Ohio State
32. New England Patriots: Chidobe Azuwie, CB, Colorado
This has been a disturbing trend for the Big 12. Here is how the NFL Draft broke down by conference last season.
SEC: 51
Big Ten: 47
Pac-12: 32
ACC: 26
Big 12: 26
In 2015, the numbers looked like this:
SEC: 54
ACC: 47
Pac-12: 39
Big Ten: 35
Big 12: 25
Sure, I realize some of this is because the Big 12 is, by far, the smallest of the Power 5 conferences, with only ten teams. But still, it’s a concerning trend that warrants watching over the next few months.
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