Two Tigers projected to go early in NFL.com four-round mock

Trenton Simpson is the first Tiger to come off the board according to NFL.com's latest projection, to the New York Giants. (Photo: Kirby Lee / USATODAY)

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Mar 27 11:00:27 GMT-04:00 2023

NFL.com's latest extended projection for the league's draft has two Tigers going night one and five going in the first four rounds in Kansas City next month.

NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter has Trenton Simpson as the first Tiger off the board at No. 25 to the New York Giants.

"Signing Bobby Okereke was a nice start for the Giants as they fortify their linebacker corps. Simpson can play in the middle or step outside. He offers excellent quickness and is a tenacious tackler," Reuter said.

Defensive end Myles Murphy is also a day one prediction at No. 29 to New Orleans.

"If Murphy is still available here, the Saints should be happy to add him to their defensive end depth chart with Marcus Davenport gone and Carl Granderson and Cameron Jordan scheduled to hit free agency after the season," said Reuter.

Bryan Bresee is the lone projection on day two with a No. 42 pick for the New York Jets.

Leading off day three at the draft in the fourth round are KJ Henry, to Carolina at pick 114, and Davis Allen, to Kansas City at pick 122. It's noteworthy, however, that Carolina has never selected a Clemson player in the NFL draft. They did recently sign veteran Tiger pro DeShawn Williams though.

Elsewhere, Pro Football Focus's latest first-round mock has Murphy as the lone Tiger picked there, at No. 25 to New Orleans (a projected trade).

"The beauty with Murphy is that while he builds his arsenal as a pass rusher, with some technical refinement necessary to add to his nasty bull rush and long-arm moves, he can be a positive against the run early in his career. Murphy’s 80.2 run-defense grade over the past two seasons is a top-30 mark among FBS edge defenders, and his 21.2% positively graded play rate against the run is 20th. He has a rare combination of high-end strength to set the edge and disrupt plays at the point of attack and speed to pursue ball carriers," said the PFF analysis.

Bresee is also mentioned as a possibility to Kansas City to close out the first round.

The draft will run from April 27-29 in Kansas City.