NFL Draft Notes: WR Class, Panthers, Calvin Pryor, Chiefs, Khalil Mack

Here’s a collection of draft notes from a number of ESPN writers and draft analysts from Tuesday.

Wide Receiver Class:

• According to Mel Kiper of ESPN, as many as 12 wide receivers could have a first-round grades this year across all NFL draft boards.
• Kiper adds that, if you were to include TEs Eric Ebron, Jace Amaro, and Troy Niklas, he wouldn’t be surprised to see 10  pass-catches drafted in Round one.
• Kiper lists the Jets, Eagles Chiefs, Pats, Panthers, 49ers and Seahawks teams that could benefit from a deep receiver class.

Panthers

Todd McShay expects the Panthers to target upgrades as receiver, tight end and offensive tackle in this year’s NFL Draft.

McShay specifically mentions that Fresno State’s Davante Adams and Florida State’s Kelvin Benjamin as two options at receiver with UNC TE Eric Ebron as a likely target if he’s available to them.

As for offensive line options, McShay lists: Michigan’s Taylor Lewan, Notre Dame’s Zack Martin, Alabama’s Cyrus Kouandjio and Virginia’s Morgan Moses.

Calvin Pryor

Mel Kiper tweets that Alabama S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is not a lock to be the first safety off the board.

Instead, Kiper believes Louisville S Calvin Pryor could end up being the guy once May rolls around.

Pryor has been rising steadily over the past few months and there appears to be enough buzz from the draft community that this remains a possibility.

We have Clinton-Dix listed as our No. 14 player with Pryor coming in at No. 24 in our 2014 Big Board.

Chiefs 

ESPN’s Ron Jaworski doesn’t view Chiefs QB Alex Smith as a “franchise guy” and believes there is a chance that Kansas City could target a quarterback prospect in the  early rounds of this year’s draft.

Jaworski believes the Chiefs should stay focused on the future referring to Smith as a “stopgap guy.”

The Chiefs have the No. 23 overall pick this year, so it appears unlikely that they will use that pick on a quarterback. However, there remains a chance that they could look for someone in the middle rounds like Zach Mettenberger, Jimmy Garoppolo or A.J. McCarron.

Khalil Mack

According to Mel Kiper, Buffalo OLB Khalil Mack has the most riding on this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.

Kiper mentions that Mack is a great athlete, but there are some concerns regarding the level of competition he faced while at Buffalo.

Other players who could have the most to gain this year according to Kiper include: A.J. McCarron,  Justin Gilbert, Bradley Roby, and Carlos Hyde.

Taylor Lewan

ESPN’s Mel Kiper mentions that Michigan LT Taylor Lewan has been receiving a “lot of positive reviews” from NFL teams. Kiper refers to Lewan’s current drat stock as being “solid.”

We have Lewan being taken by the Giants at No. 12 overall in our 2014 NFL Mock Draft.