NFL mock draft: Finding a match for 5 Alabama stars

Emil Ekiyor Jr.’s draft stock could continue to rise along the offensive interior

At one point in time, Emil Ekiyor Jr. had an outside shot at being a first-round pick after his senior season at Alabama. A down year for Crimson Tide standards may have done a number on his draft stock, but NFL teams are always looking for interior offensive linemen who have played for winning college programs. In time, we may see Ekiyor’s draft stock rise closer to what it had been.

For now, Ekiyor is a day-two prospect, probably coming off the board in the third round as opposed to the second. Essentially, Ekiyor is a top-100 pick who had been a top-32-caliber player entering his final year at Tuscaloosa. Given that there are often runs on offensive linemen in the latter part of round one, this could help elevate his draft stock, particularly on teams who will run.

Ekiyor is not cracking the top-31, but he could go in the second round if the right team is picking.

Green Bay Packers live to run the football, so picking Ekiyor in day two may work

Even if the days of Aaron Rodgers playing for them are ending, the Green Bay Packers have a well-established identity under head coach Matt LaFleur. They love to run the football. While this ground-breaking philosophical change helped Rodgers win his two most recent NFL MVPs, it has not helped the Packers get back to the Super Bowl. This puts so much pressure on LaFleur now…

One way to counterbalance this is to remain steadfast to a ground-centric offensive attack. This will help bring along Jordan Love or whoever starts under center. Even if Rodgers comes back for yet another drama-filled season, he is going to fall off physically at some point. Regardless, the Packers are probably a good fit for Ekiyor because they could help each other out by teaming up.

Ensuring their front-five remains ferocious will help the Packers attempt to have staying power.

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