In case you were not aware, we are about to enter NFL silly season... It is going to be great, but maybe not... Regardless, the NFL Scouting Combine is happening this week up in Indianapolis. Notable prospects like Georgia Bulldogs linebacker CJ Allen will get to run around in glorified pajamas for all the NFL nerds of the world to see! All that matters is the intel the 32 franchises get on these players...
It is why after taking a gander at Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest NFL mock draft for ESPN, Dawg Nation should feel validated in what it already knows about Allen. This guy is every bit the first-round pick. Kiper has a pair of Bulldogs going inside the top 32, with Allen coming off the board first to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picking at No. 15. He has offensive tackle Monroe Freeling going to Cleveland at No. 24.
While there are some talent evaluators who may feel either defensive tackle Christen Miller or speedy wide receiver Zachariah Branch could crack the top 32, let's not count on that just yet. They need to blow people away at the NFL Combine or during the Georgia Pro Day to pull that off. What Kiper just proved is Allen is not only a first-round lock, but he could potentially be going inside of the top 16?!
The Buccaneers are the perfect landing spot for him because they need production in the worst way.
CJ Allen goes to Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 15 in Mel Kiper Jr.'s mock
The first sentence in Kiper's blurb about Allen going No. 15 to the Buccaneers says everything you need to know about the situation at hand. "Lavonte David had 114 tackles last season, but he can't play forever." David is one of the greatest players in Buccaneers franchise history, but he is also 36 years old. The NFL is a young man's game. Few linebackers are as productive as Allen is coming out.
Kiper did make it a point to say Allen is LB3 on his big board. This may be a position group that has been depreciated in recent years, but this looks to be a very strong class for stand-up linebackers. Kiper has a pair of former Ohio State linebackers going in the top 10 in his mock with Arvell Reese going No. 4 to the Tennessee Titans and Sonny Styles off to the Washington Commanders at No. 7.
Overall, this is not the best draft for NFL talent across the board by any means. For that reason, position groups that have high-end players like linebacker and safety may shoot up the board more so than in most years. Just look at how many offensive tackles are expected to go in the first round. Kiper has five players slated to go top 32 out of that position group, but only a pair of quarterbacks.
Tampa Bay may be the ceiling for Allen's NFL Draft stock, but his floor is probably that of No. 31...