Mel Kiper mock draft 3.0: 5 Boldest calls on NFL analyst's latest update
Mel Kiper's latest mock draft has arrived. Ahead of this spring's NFL Draft, the ESNP analyst has laid out once again where he thinks players will go in the draft. Kiper has infamously made some awful predictions along the way as he has been predicting drafts for a very long time.
This mock draft, though it remains to be seen whether or not Kiper is right, is full of potentially bad picks. Here are the most surprising ones.
5) Michael Mayer to Green Bay at 15 overall
The Green Bay Packers have a lot to resolve before the NFL draft, but tight end is pretty low on the list. They may have to find a quarterback, but they definitely need a wide receiver and some help on defense. Michael Mayer is perhaps the best tight end in the class, but he's probably not worth the 15th pick, especially not to Green Bay.
4) Tampa Bay going defense
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a host of problems on their roster, but their offense is in pretty bad shape. They need pretty much every skill position.
While their defense wasn't excellent last year, it was a better unit than the offense. Without Tom Brady, that will be even more true in 2023. They need help on offense more than they need to shore up the defense with Kiper's predicted cornerback Emmanuel Forbes pick.
3) Jalen Carter going fourth
This mock draft from Mel Kiper has the Chicago Bears moving down from pick one to pick two and then from there to pick four with Indianapolis. That's not going to happen after the Carolina Panthers moved up to one with the Bears. But Carter going fourth overall after his arrest and with a tenuous future is a wild take.
Carter is a great player and the Bears need defensive line help. However, it's too great a risk at this point to expect anyone in the top four to take the embattled lineman.
2) No wide receiver until 14 overall
Wide receiver isn't as deep this year as it has been in other seasons. But there are plenty of wide-receiver-needy teams that pick before 14, where Kiper has Jaxon Smith-Njigba going.
The New England Patriots, who pick 14th, are in need of a wide receiver. However, so are a lot of other teams picking before them. The Arizona Cardinals might trade back from three and need a wide receiver, especially if they end up trading DeAndre Hopkins.
The Bears could use another receiver, even after trading for DJ Moore. If the Atlanta Falcons don't grab a quarterback, they also need a wide receiver.
1) Will Levis over Anthony Richardson
Kiper believes in this mock draft that the Panthers will move up to fifth and take Will Levis. That wouldn't be all that surprising, except that Anthony Richardson is still on the board. In fact, Kiper mocked Richardson to Seattle at Carolina's original pick - ninth overall.
Richardson is raw, admittedly. However, his unbelievable combine performance and skills have him shooting up draft boards and mock draft boards. He's easily considered a better prospect than Levis at this point.