The NFL Draft is almost here at last, with the first round scheduled to start on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
Every year, there are a few standout prospects that the “experts” predict will go undrafted early but who ultimately make it to the second round. The largest draft-day collapse occurred with Titans quarterback Will Levis (2023), a second-round pick who was predicted to go as high as fourth overall.
It’s possible that no prospect in this year’s class has a stock drop as sharply as Levis’ did, but a few surprising players will probably be eliminated in the first round. In light of this, the following three first-round picks are projected and may not find an NFL home by Friday morning.
Even though Mitchell has a history of producing big plays that garner attention, he is far from a flawless prospect, which may make him an afterthought in the first round given the caliber of this year’s wideout class.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound player finished his career with 93 receptions for 1,405 yards and 18 touchdown catches across three seasons, which wasn’t all that productive even if he established career highs in every category in 2023.
According to Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus, since 2019, Mitchell’s career yards per route run (1.68) has placed him in the 13th percentile among wideout prospects. This is especially troubling because, since 2016, no wide receiver taken in the first round has ever finished with a career yards-per-route run total of less than two.00.
Additionally, Mitchell isn’t a polished receiver; NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein observes that the Georgia transfer’s “route running currently lacks focus and consistency.” Mitchell didn’t begin playing wide receiver until his junior year of high school, which is another aspect that teams might find troubling enough to pass on him.
The former Duck is a candidate to be the fifth quarterback chosen in the draft after being connected to a number of teams that are in need of a quarterback but have little chance of finding a top prospect for the position. To some extent, the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and Las Vegas Raiders could benefit by drafting Nix in the first round, although doing so would probably result in the sacking of the general manager.
With 61 career starts under his belt, Nix is the most seasoned starting quarterback in college football history and has provided NFL teams with all the information they require. However, he doesn’t seem like a future superstar. Nix lacks terrific arm power, which will be a problem in the pros even though he’s possibly the most accurate passer in the class. Furthermore, it’s unlikely that he has much, if any, potential for improvement at the age of 24.
