It seems like no one on this Earth has a single firm idea of where Khari Willis might get drafted. He was not even listed in Luke Easterling of DraftWire’s first official Mock Draft. Dane Brugler of The Athletic currently has him ranked as the No. 16 safety in the draft on his Big Board, good for a fifth or sixth round selection.
However, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN dropped a bombshell in his annual teleconference with media members yesterday, indicating that he thinks Michigan State’s co-captain will go much, much higher than originally anticipated:
“I would be surprised if Willis went any later than the early third (round),” said Kiper Jr.
This would place him close to one hundred spots better than Dane Brugler had him ranked just a week ago. This personally wouldn’t surprise me, as Willis’ intelligence, leadership, and overall defense made me think he’d be a great NFL player for a few years now, but it took a while for other draft experts to catch up.
Here is what Kiper Jr. had to say about Willis in his scouting report:
“He’s a steadying force. He’s their leader, he’s kind of the quarterback of your defense. He’s a guy that you look at physically, athletically, he’s field-fast, he’s instinctive, tests out well athletically with that 34 ½ (-inch) vertical. I would be very surprised if Layne got out of the early- to mid-second.”
