Mel Kiper Jr. moves Jordan Davis up in his latest mock draft
Mel Kiper Jr. is smitten with former Georgia star Jordan Davis. As the 2022 NFL Draft moves closer, Kiper continues to move Davis up in each mock draft he releases.
During SportsCenter Special: Mel Kiper’s NFL Mock Draft 3.0, Kiper explained why he moved the former Georgia defensive lineman up into a premier selection.
“You get Jordan Davis,” stated Kiper, revealing he’s mocking Davis to the Texans at No. 13. “You say, ‘Why Jordan Davis?’ Maybe a little high for me. I have him about No. 22 on the big board. But he’s a run-stuffer. A guy you cannot move. An immovable defensive tackle against the run, like an A’Shawn Robinson. 27th against the run the Houston Texans were. I thought about Jermaine Johnson II — pass rusher who was second in tackles at Florida State — but I went with Davis instead. So, you go in the trenches with those two first round picks for the Houston Texans.”
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As you can see, Kiper believes NFL teams won’t be able to resist Davis after his mesmerizing NFL Combine performance. In addition to Kiper, fellow ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller stated Davis could be elite.
“Get the best run-stopping defender in Jordan Davis,” added Matt Miller. “Like you said, the value for Jordan Davis — I’m with you Mel, that’s a little bit rich for him. But what he does as a two-down player, he can at least be very elite in that category. Even if he’s not going to ever be your best pass rusher.”
While both analysts agree that Jordan Davis has immense talent, they believe No. 13 could be too rich for him. However, NFL teams will take risks on a player with the phenomenal potential someone like Davis possesses.
Todd McShay adds Jordan Davis to his NFL Combine Mount Rushmore
Moreover, Mel Kiper Jr. and Matt Miller’s colleague — Todd McShay — watched in awe as Jordan Davis turned in a legendary performance at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. Afterwards, the ESPN NFL draft guru added the former Georgia star to his Mount Rushmore of Combine performances.
“I always think back to Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson and Vernon Davis. That’s kind of my Mount Rushmore of Combine performances since I started 22 years ago. We finally got a fourth face for it — Jordan Davis,” revealed McShay. “From what I saw yesterday, it’s not even really humanly possible, right? 341 pounds running a 4.78.
“I went back and looked at just some of the quarterbacks and what they ran — the guys that he’s going to be chasing after — he ran a faster time than Patrick Mahomes did. Mahomes is 225 pounds. That’s 116-pound difference. And then he goes out with a 10.3 broad jump. The longest broad jump in the history of the combine by a player over 300 pounds. You combine those two things, with the tape that we saw from Jordan Davis.”
As you can see, McShay was smitten with Davis after his performance. Still, he recognizes there are drawbacks to the former Georgia star.
“Yes, the weight is always going to be a problem,” stated McShay. “You talk to anyone at Georgia and they say the biggest battle all year long is keeping his weight down.
“He got to 360 and his playing weight down to 341, and you saw what he can do. Now, whoever drafts him has to figure out how you keep that, and maintain it moving forward. But after that performance, I don’t see him getting out of the top-twenty. Personally, I think the Chargers would be a perfect fit. That struggling run defense for years could use a massive man upfront that can run.”