With the NFL combine completed and teams and evaluators have had a chance to see the raw athletic numbers of the prospects, we must now look at a new round of mock drafts. Luke Easterling’s latest four-round mock draft for sister site Draft Wire is here and has a big surprise with the first overall pick.
He does not have the Arizona Cardinals, owners of the first pick in the draft, taking quarterback Kyler Murray, despite all the chatter.
Instead, Easterling stands firm and makes the same projection he has for multiple mock drafts.
Here are the picks:
Round 1, pick 1: Alabama DT Quinnen Williams
Williams put on a brief show at the combine over the weekend. He showed he added some bulk, weighing at more than 300 pounds and then showed his elite athleticism for his size, running the 40 in 4.83 seconds, which is better than NFC West quarterbacks Josh Rosen and Jimmy Garoppolo. He also had a vertical leap of 30.5 inches and a broad jump of 9-foot-4.
Round 2: Kansas State OT Dalton Risner
In the second round, tackle is again the direction Easterling goes for Arizona. This time it is the 6-5, 312-pound Risner. Kliff Kingsbury will be familiar with Risner because he played in the Big 12. At the combine, he ran a respectable 5.3-second 40, benched 225 pounds 23 times, ran the three-cone in 7.69 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.52 seconds.
He was a four-year starter, playing three of those seasons at right tackle.
Round 3: Georgia WR Riley Ridley
A receiver in the third round makes sense, as they need to upgrade the position. Ridley measured 6-1, 199 at the combine. His athleticism was not off the charts and his production was okay in college, catching a career-high 43 passes for 559 yards in 2018.
Round 4: Central Michigan CB Sean Bunting
Bunting will be a player the Cardinals like. He has an ideal frame at 6-0, 195. He has great athleticism, running the 40 in 4.42 seconds, leaping 40.5 inches and having a broad jump of 10-6.
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