There are few people in the draft community as respected as Mike Mayock.
Mike Mayock may be the most respected person in the draft community.
The NFL Network analyst is everywhere during the offseason. He holds hours-long conference calls to clue the rest of the media into what he’s seeing and hearing about various prospects. He can tell you the 40 times of the most obscure prospects and their what their study habits are.
The man knows everything. So when he releases his mock draft each year the day before the draft, it’s worth glancing over. And this year, he has the Patriots taking Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
It’s an interesting selection. Many other experts expect Rhodes to go somewhere in the top 15, and the pick comes with UCLA defensive end Datone Jones, a player the Patriots are believed to be very high on, still on the board.
Mayock seems to acknowledge that it would be quite a drop if Rhodes lasts until the 29th pick when explaining the pick.
“They’re ecstatic when Rhodes falls all the way to No. 29. He’s 6-foot, 210 pounds with long arms. He’s the ultimate press corner,” Mayock writes. “I think this kid can develop off-man skills. I think he understands zone concepts and he fits what today’s NFL is.”
A few other favorites, such as USC wide receiver Robert Woods and Boise State corner Jamar Taylor, are not selected in the first round of Mayock’s projection.