Yesterday I took a look at five final mock drafts by various forecasters. Mike Mayock, whose title is NFL Media draft analyst, has been the most visible and widely cited draft forecaster for the last several years. He doesn’t issue his final royal proclamation until 24 hours before the draft begins. It was posted at 8:05 p.m. Wednesday evening.
He’s made a name for himself as the ultimate draft guru. His picks seldom are out of the mainstream, but I think he’s proven to be as accurate as anyone. He certainly obsessively does his homework.
Mayock, like a good many others, has defensive end Bradley Chubb going at number four, followed by safety Derwin James at seven and cornerback Denzel Ward at nine.