#ProTops: NFL Draft Predictions for Former Toppers
The NFL Draft commences tomorrow evening, and unless something drastic happens, we are going to hear the name of a Hilltopper called before…
The NFL Draft commences tomorrow evening, and unless something drastic happens, we are going to hear the name of a Hilltopper called before the evening comes to a close. Which is pretty damn exciting.
Forrest Lamp, Taywan Taylor and Omarius Bryant are just some of the draft hopefulls hoping to hear their name this weekend, but as are names like Ace Wales, Keith Brown, Max Halpin and Nicholas Norris.
So, as we approach tomorrow’s beginning to what will hopefully be a huge weekend for the Tops, just who is going to be selected, and where will they fall?
You’ve come to the right place, my friend. Welcome to The Towel Rack’s offical 2017 NFL Draft prediction piece.
Forrest Lamp
Fletcher Keel: When draft season began, Lamp was seen as a late-first round guy and, while the hype around him has only grown, his predicted spot really hasn’t seemed to change. It’s a safe bet that he’ll be taken anywhere from about 25–31 (I, personally, am hoping to see him land at 31). Ultimately, I think he’ll go to just outside of that 25–31 range, to the Miami Dolphins at the 22nd pick, reuniting with Brandon Doughty. (After all, Lamp is yet another Florida guy.) If the Dolphins pass him up, I don’t think he’ll make it past the Texans at 25. But, again, my hope is that the Falcons snag him at 31. But a man can dream, I suppose.
Jared Rosdeutscher: WKU has never had a player as talented as Forrest Lamp and they might not ever have someone as talented as him ever again. Lamp is considered by many to be the best overall offensive lineman in the entire draft and is predicted by many to go in the first round. The highest anyone from WKU has gone in the NFL draft was the third round so me picturing someone from WKU walking out on the stage to shake Roger Goodell’s hand while while waving a red towel fills me with all kinds of Hilltopper pride and excitement.
NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. currently has Lamp going to the Ravens as the #16 overall pick in the draft. Many other sources and analysts have him somewhere between 16–28 overall. The Dolphins, Broncos, Ravens, Texans, and countless other teams have been interested in him. He is likely to be a player to get drafted and go straight into the NFL ready to play right away due to how talented he is. Several teams need an offensive lineman in the draft which makes it sort of unclear to see who might end up drafting him.
My personal prediction for Lamp is to be drafted number 20 overall by the Denver Broncos. The Broncos already love Lamp and need to find another solid lineman and I honestly see him being a good fit for the Broncos. They may be still having some questions as far as their QB battle goes with Siemian and Lynch but Lamp could be that key player that helps protect the pocket and holds things down up front. A solid offensive line could make just about any QB look good so solidifying the line is something I see as a priority from the Broncos.
Regardless of where Lamp ends up, his potential is through the roof. He is someone that will make WKU fans everywhere happy and proud.
Taywan Taylor
FK: Taylor is going to, at the earliest, have to wait pretty deep into Friday to hear his name called. I can see Taylor going from anywhere in the middle of the 3rd round to maybe one of the final guys selected in the 4th round. Taylor — and everyone else we will talk about — are in a weird situation: they’ll, most likely, be going to teams who don’t have a need at the position, but are looking to find that diamond in the rough (I’ve heard that from someone before, I swear…). So, anything can happen with guys taken here. And Taylor, deservedly so, is seen as a Top 10 receiver in this class, which makes him coveted enough to be desired, but not enough to where a franchise will pin their future on him.
This is all along way of saying that I think Taylor goes to a team that can afford to develop him and maybe even use him sparingly — we are talking the Patriots, the Falcons, the Colts…hell, even a team like the Bengals. For funnies, lets say the Falcons snag him, adding another set of reliable hands and a guy who can make plays to go along with 2016 breakout guy Taylor Gabriel at 95 overall. If he isn’t picked up there, I’ll say he goes to either Cincinnati at 116 or the Patriots at 131.
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JR: Taylor has been one of WKU’s most vital and lethal players in recent history. He has been a cornerstone at the wide receiver position and has put up eye-popping numbers the past few seasons.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah says that Taylor has second-round potential and could be a “quality №2 receiver very early in his career” but the general consensus from other scouts and pro analysts is that Taylor would more than likely be a third rounder. The Cardinals have shown a lot of interest in Taylor as well as the Packers and Bucs to name a few others.
My personal guess would be that Taylor goes in the third round as the #77 overall pick to the Cardinals. I love Taylor going there because Larry Fitzgerald. Obviously Fitzgerald is going towards the end of his career but is still one of the best ever to play at his position in recent years so for Taylor to work and learn under someone like him would have enormous long term benefits. Taylor is a great slot receiver and the Cardinals could be a really good fit for him.
Omarius Bryant
FK: To be honest, I’m not quite sure what to say about Bryant, and I can’t find a lot of other people’s thoughts on him. (I could very well be looking in the wrong places.) I think Bryant could be a nice piece for someone, and like Taylor, he’ll go to a place that doesn’t need him to step up right away, where they can take their time and develop him. Bryant seems like a Patriots type of defensive player, but I like where Pro Football Focus had him going (Baltimore, 159th overall) so I’m gonna cop out and say there.
Ace Wales
FK: I haven’t wanted a player to stay at WKU more since Brandon Doughty (okay, that’s been a year) than Ace, but holy crap am I going to miss this guy. And, for as good as he is, he isn’t even being predicted to get drafted. I call it “Bobby Rainey Syndrome” (something, honestly, I made up just for this) where, he’s a good player, but he didn’t play against top competition so teams aren’t quite sure as to how he’ll translate into the NFL. Having said that, I reitterate — I love ace. I loved watching him and I’m going to continue to love watching him.
I’d love — L O V E — to see a team take a chance on him in like the sixth round. I don’t care who, just someone. Anyone. How about you, San Fransisco, with the 198th overall selection. Can you do that for me? Please? Pretty please?
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Nicholas Norris
JR: Norris finished his career at WKU with 3,091 receiving yards and 26 TD catches for the Toppers. In his senior year alone, he had 1,318 receiving yards and 14 TDs. His strong senior season helped his draft stock a lot, but what pro potential does he have?
A 5'9, 175 pound receiver from Miami, FL that is explosively quick, Norris’ speed and elusiveness has helped WKU’s offense be one of the most high-flying and efficient offenses in the entire country the past few seasons. What he lacks in height at his position he definitely makes up with his speed. He ran a 4.49 forty yard dash time at his pro day but he wants to continue to get faster and stronger at his position. Norris is going to be training with former Dolphins star wide receiver Chris Chambers which could help him develop in ways he needs to in order to become more pro-ready.
As far as his pro potential goes, I could see Norris going in the later rounds of this year’s NFL Draft or might end up being an undrafted free agent. Regardless of whether or not he’s drafted, I still see him ending up with some pro team. There are still a lot of unknowns as far as which team might draft or sign him but he did have a workout with the Dolphins earlier this month. He could be a player that, depending on who would select him, would be on the practice squad for depth but could work his way up that way. Norris has always viewed himself as an underdog and that’s probably not going to change any time soon so regardless of where he goes, he’s going to give his best.
Max Halpin
JR: While Forrest Lamp gets most of the attention on WKU’s offensive line, senior center Max Halpin has gone unnoticed by many but has been just as vital to WKU the past two years.
Halpin is a 6'3, 295 pound offensively lineman from Fort Mitchell, Ky. that had a humble beginning at WKU. He joined the team as a walk on and remained one for his first two years on the Hill. Despite having been injured his redshirt sophomore year, he came back strong and eventually wound up starting for WKU and has been a solid part of their offensive line ever since. While Halpin has been quietly efficient for WKU, pro scouts and teams are finally taking notice.
Halpin had a very strong pro day where he had 35 reps on the bench which would have put him among the best at the NFL Combine. He has already had workouts with the Rams, Ravens, and Falcons but would any of those teams draft him?
I honestly feel like he could be drafted. Probably somewhere around the 5th round at best, but I see him being selected by one of the teams he’s already worked out with. The Falcons are in dire need of offensive line help and they seem to be more interested in him than any other team.
Halpin will definitely end up somewhere, but might be on practice squad starting off so he could continue to develop. Depending on which team he goes to, he could get a roster spot right away but we’ll see. I predicted that Fant would be on the practice squad where he went and he ended up starting at left tackle for the Seahawks later in the season so it shows anything is possible. Halpin has a lot of potential as of recently and hopefully as he develops, he’ll get even better than anyone could imagine.
Do you agree with any of our predictions? Who did we miss that you think could get drafted this weekend? Let us know in a comment below, or on twitter @TheTowelRackWKU.