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Wednesday morning, Bleacher Report released their latest NFL Mock Draft.
Rudolph and Washington both made the cut, along with other Big 12 players. In fact, Rudolph is projected to be the first Big 12 player to be drafted.
Noticeably absent was Baker Mayfield, who was granted eligibility through 2017 and emphatic he was going to stay at OU and use it.
And y'all thought you were getting rid of me....
— Baker Mayfield (@baker_mayfield6) June 2, 2016
Bleacher Reports predicts Mason Rudolph will be picked with the 12th pick in the second round (#44 overall) by the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have been rumored to be looking to move on from Brees sooner rather than later, and Rudolph may be their answer.
The only other Cowboy in the top three rounds is James Washington. This was a bit of a surprise for me, as he is projected to be chosen with the 13th pick in the third round (82nd overall) by the Tennessee Titans. It may just be my bias, but I thought he would go no later than the second round.
As of today’s mock draft, there are ZERO picks from the Big 12 in the first round. Shocking, isn’t it? Anyway, let’s see whose hats the Big 12 athletes are projected to wear on draft night.
Round 2
#42 - Mason Rudolph
#53 - D’Onta Foreman (RB - Texas) - New York Giants
Round 3
#66 - Dede Westbrook (WR - Oklahoma) - San Francisco 49ers
#68 - Patrick Mahomes (QB - Texas Tech) - Jacksonville Jaguars
#72 - Charles Walker (DL - Oklahoma) - Indianapolis Colts
#82 - James Washington
#97 - Samaje Perine (RB - Oklahoma) - Carolina Panthers
#100 - Tyler Orlosky (C - West Virginia) - Baltimore Ravens
#101 - Jordan Willis (EDGE - Kansas State) - Kansas State
Nine players. That’s it. Either the Big 12 is incredibly young, not as talented as we thought, or just being hated on by Bleacher Report. Either way, it is still very early, so this will definitely will change as we progress through Championship Month and Bowl Season.
I want both Rudolph and Washington to stay. However, as the ever-eloquent Thad Castle said, “I could be in the NFL making billions of dollars right now...” We should expect some better insight near the end of the season.