ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said there’s a lot to like about yet another long list of Georgia Bulldogs set to hear their names called in the April NFL Draft.
That includes one defensive player, who is unlikely to be a Day 1 or Day 2 player, yet may have helped himself the most of all during the recent NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
“As you know, what Kirby Smart has done at Georgia is remarkable,” Kiper told UGASports during a Wednesday Zoom session with reporters. “When you look at where we are right now with guys who were at the combine when you look at a guy like Tykee Smith, he’s interesting. He ran 4.4 and had a vertical of 36. He kind of gets lost in the shuffle a little bit at safety, but I like some of the things I saw with Tykee. He’s the kind of guy who, if he goes on Day 3, will wind up having a better career than people think in the National Football League.”
Kiper also had plenty to say about the two Bulldogs he included in the first round of his latest mock draft–tight end Brock Bowers and offensive lineman Amarius Mims.
Although Bowers played tight end with the Bulldogs, Kiper said his talent is too great to simply pigeonhole him at one position.
Kiper projects Bowers to go to the New York Jets with the 10th pick in the first round.
“Brock Bowers is not a tight end. He’s a multi-option player,” Kiper said. “You can put him in the backfield, slot, wing, outside, any which way–fullback, h-back–you can do anything you want with Brock Bowers. He is not a tight end. He’s an offensive weapon. So, would he fit in right with Aaron Rodgers? Doggone right he would.”
Kiper has Mims going to Baltimore with pick No. 30, where former Bulldog offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s familiarity with the big tackle could play a key role in the Ravens’ decision.
“With 36-plus arms, a wingspan at 507, 6-foot-7-1/2, 340 pounds. Amarius Mims is intriguing. You wish he had played more football. He had the injury and came back. He’s the kind of guy, if he had another year at Georgia, would probably be a Top 10-15 pick,” Kiper said. “I thought he could be Broderick Jones this year; he wasn’t because of the injury. But boy, on talent, if you’re an offensive line coach, that’s why I have him going to Baltimore. Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator, was with Mims at Georgia, and maybe that’s a direction he goes. But he’s going to go somewhere in the late first round.”
Although Kiper does not have Ladd McConkey in the first round of his latest mock draft. he feels the wide receiver is bound for a long career in the NFL.
“We knew he would run well. He did,” Kiper said. “Ladd’s probably going to be a second-round pick, but he’s going to play a lot in the NFL. This guy is just a smart football player. Gets open and catches everything.”
Kiper sees cornerback Kamari Lassiter also going in the second day of the draft. But like McConkey, his NFL future appears to be a bright one.
“Lassiter running that 4.51 at pro day, pushing him into the second from the first. He’s more of a second-day player, but he’s a good player,” Kiper said. “Kamari Lassiter is a really good player, but I think he will be more of a second-round player now.”
