Four weeks from today Cameron Jordan be in New York to attend the first round of the NFL draft. At this point, he is a lock as a first round pick. His teammate Shane Vereen could be drafted the following day while Mike Mohamed and Chris Conte will have to wait until the final day of the draft to know their fates. On a conference call this morning, JO heard Mel Kiper's analysis of Cal's draft-hopefuls.
"[Cameron Jordan]’s at No. 17 right now (on his big board)," Kiper said. "He gives you a lot of scheme versatility. He had a great year, a great senior bowl and a great combine. If Cameron Jordan went in the top-10, nobody would rip that pick based on the way he played and how he performed at the two key venues."
Kiper projects tailback Shane Vereen to be drafted in the fourth or fifth round, although other projections have him going a bit higher. "Maybe the third round, but running backs usually drop a little bit further than where they are projected," Kiper said.
Kiper said linebacker Mohamed should go in the fifth or sixth round, which seems to be the consensus among other draft prognosticators.
According to other projections, Jordan may not even be around for the 17th pick. Right now, it looks like the lowest he would be picked is 18th by the San Diego Chargers. A couple recent projections have him moving all the way up to 12th:
Sports Illustrated's Don Banks has Cam going to the Minnesota Vikings as the 12th overall pick.
Todd McShay also has the Vikings picking Cam at 12th. The next Bear drafted would be Shane Vereen, who would go to Tampa Bay in the 3rd round.
After the jump we have more from the NFL draft hopefuls, DeSean Jackson speaks at Long Beach Poly, and JO clarifies details for Saturday's open practice.
Football
- Mel Kiper thinks Cam will end up at New England as the 17th pick. Kiper's most recent Big Board has Jordan as the 16th best overall prospect.
- Sports Illustrated looks at Cameron Jordan's journey from a 5-year-old visiting his father in the Minnesota Vikings locker room to today, where his tenacity and maturity have allowed him to follow in his father's footsteps--perhaps even playing for Minnesota.
- DeSean Jackson visited Long Beach Poly to offer words of advice and encouragement to young students.
- Saturday's practice will take place from 1 until 3:30pm at Grant High School.
- Mitchell Schwartz, Mychal Kendricks, and Bryan Anger were recognized on the 2011 GoDaddy.com Preseason All-America Team.