NFL Mock Draft goes sky-high on LSU's trio of first-rounders
NFL.com Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein’s Mock Draft 2.0 is as high as any draft analyst on LSU’s trio of potential first-rounders in Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.
On Monday, Zierlein projected the trio to all be off the board after pick No. 18, and he made some notable movements with all three draft prospects.
Daniels, who is coming off winning a Heisman Trophy and leading the NCAA’s No. 1 offense, stayed ahead of quarterback Drake Maye as the second name off the board.
Zierlein projected the Chicago Bears to take USC quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1, then Daniels to come off the board with the following pick by the Washington Football Team.
“Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had success with Johnny Manziel in college and then handpicked Kyler Murray at Arizona,” Zierlein wrote. “I see the Commanders giving him another dual-threat quarterback with Daniels.
With Daniels going No. 2, the Mock 2.0 had Nabers – the NCAA’s leader in receiving yards this past season and LSU’s program leader for receptions and receiving yards in a career – being the first receiver selected. Nearly every mock draft has Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. as the first wide receiver drafted, but Zierlein is rolling with Nabers when the Arizona Cardinals are on the clock with the No. 4 overall pick.
“The selection should be an easy one in terms of position choice, but stacking the top receivers will be more complicated, with a lack of consensus on the order, if my discussions with team sources tell me anything,” Zierlein wrote. “Nabers is ultra-explosive and can work all three levels.”
Harrison was projected to come off the board as the next pick at No. 5 overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“The Chargers need a tackle, and this could be a valuable pick if they decide to trade back,” Zierlein wrote. “But Harrison Jr. put up 118 and 120 yards against Jim Harbaugh while he coached Michigan, so why not bring him aboard?”
It’s a deep wide receiver pool, but Thomas led the NCAA in touchdown catches this past season and had a great showing at this past weekend’s NFL Combine, which was highlighted by a 4.33 40-yard dash – which tied for the third-best time among all participants.
Now, Zierlein has Thomas coming off the board not only as a first-round pick, but a Top 20 selection to the Cincinnati Bengals, a franchise that struck gold when drafting LSU players Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.
“While the Bengals could use tackle help on the right side immediately, Thomas gives them a highly athletic inside/outside option with electric speed who can step in and play right away; he can also become the WR2, should the team need a successor to the franchise-tagged Tee Higgins,” Zierlein wrote.
