Bowden and Stenberg are AFC Rivals in This Mock Draft

CBSSports.com posted its seven-round mock NFL Draft on Monday. Full disclosure, no seven-round projection can predict a full Draft, but it’s fun to track with plenty of time on our hands these days.

This mock draft proves friendly for Kentucky’s Logan Stenberg and Lynn Bowden in terms of round selected; however, if this stands true, the former Wildcat teammates will be heated AFC rivals. Let’s take a look.

Photo: NFL.com

Guard Logan Stenberg 6’6, 317

Stenberg comes off the board with the 93^rd pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 3^rd round.

CBS Sports: “Stenberg plays with a nasty streak and while he’s not the technician that Marshal Yanda was, he provides some much-needed depth on the interior O-line.”

Future NFL Hall of Fame Raven Guard Marshal Yanda retired earlier this year. Yanda’s departure leaves a gaping hole in the Raven’s line-of-scrimmage. There’s no replacing a Hall of Famer, but the Ravens will be hunting for an interior offensive lineman.

The 3^rd round is relatively high for a guard. ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper ranks Stenberg as his 3^rd rated guard in the Draft. The Ravens are a physical football team. Stenberg led the Wildcats with 95 knockdown blocks and was a 2^nd Team All American in 2019. The SEC Network’s Cole Cubelic said that the Kentucky guard was one of 4-5 most physical players in this year’s Draft. This pick makes sense and puts Stenberg on a Super Bowl contender.

WR Lynn Bowden 5’11, 204

Lynn Bowden is projected to be taken by the New England Patriots with the 99^th pick in the 3^rd round.

CBS Sports: “Bowden can line up anywhere — including QB — and he feels like exactly the type of player Bill Belichick would target here.”

Much like Stenberg, this pick makes sense for the Patriots. New England lost QB Tom Brady to Tampa. Brady is the greatest, but couldn’t hide the fact that the Pats’ WR corps failed to stress defenses at times in 2019. This year’s Draft is loaded with talented receivers. Up to six may go in the first round alone.

How do you help a new starting quarterback? The answer is simple, surround him with talented pass catchers. Belichick may use his first round pick on a WR and take multiple receivers throughout the seven rounds.

Bowden’s versatility screams to be a Patriot. The Hornung Award winner racked up 4,660 all-purpose yards in his three-year stay in Lexington. Bowden, a 1^st Team All American, can play quarterback, receiver, running back, and return kicks.

What does all this mean?

Not a lot to be honest. Mock Drafts are intended to stir reactions from fan bases. This particular Draft projection didn’t include trades. Stay tuned. With all of us at quarantined at home, the 2020 virtual NFL Draft could prove to be the most watched and entertaining in history.