Two Nittany Lions featured in ESPN’s latest NFL mock draft
Mock drafts are always a fun exercise but they get especially fun once the month of April hits. They become more accurate, and more reliable cause teams are leaking news and tendencies, and that allows for media and fans to project more than ever.
For ESPN, their draft analyst Todd McShay released his latest mock draft on Tuesday and for once there was more than one Nittany Lion mentioned.
McShay had mocked Joey Porter Jr., who fans are used to seeing picked, but this time there was an addition. Just a week after throwing praise at Brenton Strange, he included him in his latest mock draft.
Here are some highlights of what he had to say.
McShay on Porter Jr.'s best trait
Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
McShay immediately jumped into the analysis of his Porter Jr. selection by stating “Porter is an outstanding press corner whose instincts, body control and physicality helped him to 11 pass breakups last season.” The length to which he plays isn’t easy to control, as he mentions the body control he showed all year long was beyond impressive.
McShay points out his elite coverage ability
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One thing that Porter Jr. showed all year long was his ability to lock down opposing receivers by himself. As McShat mentions he “limited opponents to 3.7 yards per pass attempt thrown in his direction, good for fifth in the country.”
McShay doesn't see Porter Jr. as a lead man
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The landing spot of the Washington Commanders puts less pressure on Porter Jr. than other places may have. They already have a solid corner in Kendall Fuller who is their number one, Porter Jr. would be in a role he hasn’t been in awhile and that is of the person fighting for the top spot.
McShay isn't overthinking Strange
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McShay when discussing Strange going in the second round of his mock acknowledges it may seem steep. He provides his analysis that “I dug into Strange’s tape recently, and he’s one of the most underrated players in this class, despite mediocre production and combine results.”
So many players get overthought as a result of their testing, so it is nice to see McShay remain level-headed.
McShay sends Strange to be with one of the league's best
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McShay sends Strange to the Los Angeles Chargers to be with Justin Herbert as he looks to take the next step of his career. McShay points out that Strange “can stretch the seam, and he is competitive as an in-line blocker. Justin Herbert would love finding the 6-foot-4 target downfield for big gains.”
A perfect one-two punch for a team coming up in the NFL.
