HAPPY NFL DRAFT DAY LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOO!
That means we’re all reading the last 2022 mock drafts before Thursday night, and that includes the last one of the season from ESPN guru Todd McShay.
In recent mocks from McShay, he’s had Kenny Pickett going No. 6 to the Carolina Panthers (just like our Christian D’Andrea had in his last mock draft).
This time? He has NFL teams waiting … and waiting … and waiting for QBs to be taken in the first round. The first off the board? It’s Liberty’s Malik Willis at No. 20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which he notes would be a very late:
It has been 25 years since the first quarterback came off the board this late (Jim Druckenmiller at No. 26 in 1997), but that speaks to this year’s class. And the Steelers aren’t complaining. Willis has the biggest arm in the class and can do damage with his legs when he gets out of the pocket. Pittsburgh brought in Mitch Trubisky on a one-year deal, which just means it won’t have to immediately force Willis onto the field. There’s a lot of upside here.
The other noteworthy thing? He has the Dallas Cowboys moving up to No. 13 in a trade with the Houston Texans. McShay has them taking Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning:
The Cowboys released La’el Collins this offseason, leaving a hole opposite Tyron Smith. Penning would help buy time for quarterback Dak Prescott in the pocket; but Penning’s real value to Dallas might come in the run game, where he truly excels. Eleven spots is quite a jump up the board, but there’s a noticeable drop-off at offensive tackle in this class after Penning.
Makes sense! We’ll see what happens Thursday night!
