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Mel Kiper, Todd McShay mock drafts: 5 takeaways to snack on

By Peter Bukowski

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Calvin Ridley #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide warms up before taking on the Georgia Bulldogs during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Alabama defeated Georgia 26-23 for the national title. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Calvin Ridley #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide warms up before taking on the Georgia Bulldogs during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Alabama defeated Georgia 26-23 for the national title. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /
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ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Derrius Guice No. 5 of the LSU Tigers celebrates after a touchdown run against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Notre Dame won 21-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Derrius Guice No. 5 of the LSU Tigers celebrates after a touchdown run against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Notre Dame won 21-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Teams will wait on a running back

Despite a loaded running back class (or perhaps because of it), McShay and Kiper see teams waiting to land their backs until the second round.

In fact, Barkley is the only consensus first-round rusher in their mocks. McShay has Georgia’ Sony Michel going to the Lions at 20, but Kiper doesn’t have another running back off the board until the Giants take Derrius Guice at 34.

Next: Best NFL player from each state

It could be precisely because it’s such a deep class, with teams believing they can snag a solid back in the second or third round, that causes them to fall. But it only takes one team to cause a rush. Each mock features a run on backs (no pun intended) and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see something similar play out on draft night.

Considering the success of Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara — two third-round backs from the 2017 draft — perhaps some teams will wait to nab their next backfield stars.

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