QB PATRICK MAHOMES II, Texas Tech: Tough choice here between Deshaun Watson and Mahomes, and for a long time, I was going to pick Watson. But I thought back to my extended one-on-one interview with Mahomes, and I thought about all the people I talked to that raved about him, and I thought about his tape, which is so much fun to watch — bonehead throws and all — and I didn’t have much of a choice here. He’s got some Favre in him, with a little Manziel and a dash of Stafford. If Andy Reid gets his hands on him, sits him for a year — and I mean, not one snap — and gives him the reigns in 2018 or 2019, this dude could make multiple Pro Bowls. I hope, for his sake, he doesn’t go to a team that throws him to the wolves early. He’ll need some time to get comfortable with NFL verbiage.
Grade: 6.9
RB SAMAJE PERINE, Oklahoma: Love this dude. Love him, love him, love him. Old-school, tough guy back who runs hard, catches the ball and blocks his tail off. The kind of guy you put on the field and trust with the rock immediately. The only thing he doesn’t do it run away from people, but he’s somehow broken off a long run every season. Joe Mixon is a stud, but it says a lot about Perine that Mixon couldn’t command the lion’s share of carries the last two years.
Grade: 6.7
RB JAMES CONNER, Pittsburgh: Here’s all you need to know about Conner: He beat cancer in a year, just like Eric Berry, and his nickname is “The Hammer” because of his — and you’re never going to believe this — physical running style. He catches the ball well, runs over dudes and is so tough Pitt’s coaches seriously considered playing him on defense earlier in his career. You just know he’s going to go to a team like Pittsburgh or something and have some moments in a reserve role.
Grade: 6.4
WR JOHN ROSS III, Washington: Look, Ross is somewhat slight (5-11, 188) and there are some injury concerns. I don’t care. No one can cover him. He’s the fastest guy on the field, always, and he has a lot of DeSean Jackson in him, with the route-running ability to work underneath, too. His long-ball touchdown on Adoree’ Jackson — another member of the all-juice team — was eye-opening.
Grade: 7.2
WR CHAD HANSEN, California: One of the most pleasant surprises of my draft preparation. Hansen was Davis Webb’s go-to guy at Cal, and when I was watching Webb’s tape, I kept seeing No. 6 make catches, beat people after the catch and generally play his tail off. He’s productive, competitive and he even blocks. He needs to get stronger but I could see him being a mid-round steal.
Grade: 6.3
TE GEORGE KITTLE, Iowa: Here’s the thing, guys; tight ends don’t block anymore. None of them block anymore. But Kittle does. He’s big (6-4, 247), he’s strong and he’s a nasty run blocker. First game I saw of him, he put a defender in the dirt within, like, one minute. When I saw that, plus his 4.5 40, I was sold. I’ve got a fourth-round grade on him but I wouldn’t be surprised if he went in the third.
Grade: 6.4
T CONOR McDERMOTT, UCLA: I love big offensive tackles, and McDermott (6-8, 307) fits the bill. He’s also got long levers (34 3/4 inches) and big hands (11 inches) to control defenders, and tested well in the agility drills. He’s top-heavy and struggles to overpower d-linemen at the point of attack, but I like him as a developmental swing tackle in a zone running scheme like the Chiefs’. Maybe an NFL training program will help him preportion his body.
Grade: 6.3
G ADAM BISNOWATY, Pittsburgh: Any man that blocked for James “The Hammer” Conner is going to get a long look for me, and I came away like Bisnowaty’s tough-guy approach to the game. He’s a limited athlete but again, all you need from guards for them to be functional is intelligence, toughness and durability. The latter is a question with Adam — he’s missed games with injuries the last four years — but in this case, it works in my favor as I find a way to get an experienced four-year starter in the sixth round, about a round later than he should go.
Grade: 6.2
C PAT ELFLEIN, Ohio State: All I need from my interior guys are for them to be smart, tough and durable. Elflein, a two-time captain, checks all those boxes and has the look of a player who will outperform his draft status and anchor a line for years.
Grade: 6.6
G BEN BRADEN, Michigan: I enjoyed watching Michigan play football this year, and while Braden isn’t a great athlete, he’s a classic Michigan offensive lineman — big (6-7, 329), tough and nasty. He’s also been coached by Jim Harbaugh, so I know he’s been coached well. Maybe he can start as a backup swing guard in the league and work his way up.
Grade: 6.1
T DAN SKIPPER, Arkansas: Skipper is a massive tackle (6-9, 309) who plays with an attitude. He’s also a team captain and someone who has been well-coached at Arkansas. Playing o-line in the NFL is about guts and want-to, so while I’m concerned about all the penalties he racked up for the Razorbacks, in a bad o-line draft you can find a worse guy to take a late-round flier on. Maybe he can add strength and improve his technique in the NFL.
Grade: 6.2