March 28, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The NFL draft is less than a month away, and expectations are high as Auburn could have a record number of players drafted.
On Wednesday, ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. discussed some of the former Tigers in the draft and where they could be selected during a conference call. Though no Auburn player was named in his latest first-round mock draft, he still believes there could be a handful of players taken on Day 2, in rounds two or three.
"I think Kerryon Johnson could be a second- or third-round pick at running back," Kiper said. "I think Braden Smith is a very underrated pick. I like him as a third- or fourth-round type of guy. And I think Carlton Davis, with his length, he's in that second tier of corners. I think he could end up being maybe a 2 and no worse than a 3.
"So Smith, Johnson and Davis are all going to come off the board in a similar area, probably sometime on Day 2."
All three of those prospects ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Smith, Johnson and Davis ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" rank among the top 10 at their respective position in this class, according to Kiper.
Kiper also has former Auburn linebacker Jeff Holland ranked as the No. 10 outside linebacker and gave him a similar grade to Florida State's Josh Sweat and Ohio State's Jerome Baker.
"With Holland, you like the production," Kiper said. "Does he close all the time like a cat off the edge? That's a little inconsistent for me. I'm thinking maybe third- to fourth-round area. I'm not probably going to put him in the second round, but I would probably say third to fourth, third to fifth for Holland.
"But the production this year was excellent. There's no doubt about that. It's just can he translate what we saw at Auburn to the National Football League?"
Kiper mentioned Daniel Carlson on the call and said the he could be the first kicker drafted somewhere on Day 3. Carlson, who became the SEC's all-time leading scorer this season, made 92 of his 114 field-goal attempts while at Auburn.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf