We've been told for months -- yes, literally months now -- that the 2014 draft class is loaded at wide receiver.
In his final conference call before teams invade Radio City Music Hall next week, NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock predicted that six wideouts will come off the board in the first round: Clemson's Sammy Watkins, Texas A&M's Mike Evans, LSU's Odell Beckham, Oregon State's Brandin Cooks, Florida State's Kelvin Benjamin and USC's Marqise Lee.
"Watkins and Evans should be the first two," Mayock said Thursday. "I think the next two are going to be wideouts that two months ago people wouldn't have said would go so early, and that's Odell Beckham of LSU and Brandin Cooks from Oregon State."
Mayock later added he had Beckham going to the New York Jets with the 18th overall draft pick.
"Beckham is an explosive kid with return skills, gets in and out of breaks as well as any receiver in the draft," he said. "Cooks is a smaller receiver, but maybe the most explosive receiver in the entire group. He also is a good route-runner.
"I think both those guys' value starts somewhere in that (No.) 13, 14 area, and I they'll be gone by plus or minus 20, and then Kelvin Benjamin and Marqise Lee, I believe, come into play after that."
Mayock also said he sees five cornerbacks going in the first round. That's 11 of 32 picks devoted to players who power or defend the passing game. Welcome to today's NFL.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" runs through the latest NFL draft headlines and takes a look at which coaches and GMs are lying about their intentions.
