Parker's Corner

There are some dawgs in this draft class. Now, I’m not saying these other guys won’t have decent careers. They’ll probably make some money, and they’ll probably have some good games. I just think one set of five will have immense amounts of success, and the other five simply won’t. I’d love to be proven wrong, but I don’t think I will be. Just to preface, I do watch more SEC football than anything, so I’ll have more insight on those guys.

These are in no particular order.

---

Bryce Young (QB, Alabama) will make it.

The sophomore came in as one of the most touted recruits in Alabama history. At the burgeoning of the NIL era, he remained disciplined, humble, and hungry. He pushed the agenda for his entire time as the leader of the Crimson Tide, and I expect him to do the same in the league. His play is magical, and he seems to be calm no matter what the situation. He could and should be the top pick in this year’s draft.

---

Anthony Richardson (QB, Florida) won’t.

If combine performance is the sole indicator of NFL success, Anthony Richardson, Tim Tebow, and Tyrod Taylor are the three best quarterbacks of all time. Look, I’m all for having a quarterback that can run through a tackle, especially on a team that doesn’t have a strong offensive line, but Richardson just plays bad ball. After being a preseason Heisman favorite, the guy had more tackles (3) than he did passing touchdowns (0) through three weeks. Draft him at your own risk. 

---

Jalin Hyatt (WR, Tennessee) will make it.

Let’s be honest, the man is just straight up fast. The crazy part is, however, that’s not that best part of his game. Jalin Hyatt’s hands are so sticky that he wouldn’t have to fake that one Madden 10 touchdown celebration. Hyatt’s hands are so sticky that he’s fighting the Green Goblin after practice. His QBR when targeted was highest in the nation. He’s a phenomenal route runner, too. I hope to see him be the first wideout drafted, but wherever he goes, they’ll be getting a ballplayer.

---

C.J. Stroud (QB, Ohio State) won’t.

First off, quarterbacks from Ohio State don’t pan out. That’s a thing. Justin Fields is working on that, but we haven’t seen enough yet (plus he wasn’t always at Ohio State). That’s neither here nor there. I’m more worried about his football mind. He’s a big guy for a college quarterback, but he won’t be at the next level. Therefore, he’s gotta be a thinker, which, judging by his S2 Cognition scores (lowest in this year’s class), he is not. I hope to see some good ball from the guy, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

---

Will Anderson Jr. (EDGE, Alabama) will make it.

Mr. Anderson is a crazy man. He’s a crazy ball player too. He’s been at or near the top of the leaderboards for every statistic since he started playing college football, beating out linemen that are making a lot of money in the league now. Not to mention that Alabama’s defense is built to send guys to the next level, so he will be coming in hot to a training camp near you.

---

Tyree Wilson (EDGE, Texas Tech) won’t.

Tyree Wilson has gotten more hype as a draft prospect than he did the entire season this past year. As a “franchise-changing” edge rusher, this guy was obviously breaking games in the Big 12, right? Wrong. He had good stats, but nothing to justify the hype he’s gotten, especially when you consider that he’s two inches taller than the average guy he lined up against.

---

Jalen Carter (DT, Georgia) will make it.

Mr. Carter is a winner. He’s been the centerpiece of back-to-back national championship defenses, each more historic than the last. He’s both the immovable object and the unstoppable force. He controls the field. It didn’t translate to the box score as much this year, but it’s hard to get to the backfield when you’re being triple-teamed. It takes an incredible level of domination for offenses to ignore other five-star linemen just to stop you. Heaven forbid you pair this guy up with another powerful interior lineman. The quarterbacks might start putting themselves on the injury report.

---

Christian Gonzalez (CB, Oregon) won’t.

Let me get this straight. Gonzalez had one season of great ball, so we should fall in love with him. We should waste a top 5 pick on him. I don’t think so. In his first two seasons (very down seasons in the PAC-12, mind you), quarterbacks were throwing for over 90 QBR when targeting him.  His stats were much better this year, but he didn’t play the best receivers in the conference, two of whom are on USC. Gonzalez is a purely man-up corner, but he still has to start backed off of the line most of the time. I just don’t think he’ll work out.

---

Quentin Johnston (WR, TCU) will make it.

The TCU product is an absolute scramble drill king. TCU had so many close wins, and so many of them are due to Johnson’s pure electricity on the field and in the clutch moments. On top of this, the man is immensely talented and shows a ton of promise. If he gets on the right team like the Bills, Jets, or Ravens, I could see him being a prominent receiver in the league for a long time.

---

Michael Mayer (TE, Notre Dame) won’t.

Mayer is the highest-graded tight end in this class, but he still isn’t a game-changer in his own right. This class isn’t the strongest for that position. I expect next year to have a much more exciting TE group. Also, Notre Dame doesn’t play anybody.

---

Make sure to tune into the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night on ABC and ESPN.