NFL Draft analyst sees Boise State’s Cleveland, Weaver trending in opposite directions
NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper had the Tennessee Titans taking former Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland No. 29 in the first round of his latest mock draft, which was released Tuesday.
On a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Kiper said Cleveland’s performance at the NFL Scouting Combine made him at worst an early second-round pick.
“Cleveland had a great combine on the heels of a great career as a left tackle,” said Kiper, who projected him to replace Titans right tackle Jack Conklin, who joined the Browns in free agency.
At the combine in February, Cleveland posted a time of 4.93 seconds in the 40-yard dash, which was the third-fastest time among offensive linemen. He also posted a 30-inch vertical leap and ranked No. 5 among offensive linemen with 30 reps on the bench press.
Cleveland started 40 career games at Boise State and was a first-team All-Mountain West pick in 2018 and 2019. He announced on Christmas Eve that he would skip his senior season to enter the draft.
Kiper has Cleveland ranked No. 6 among offensive tackles, ahead of USC’s Austin Jackson and Georgia’s Isaiah Wilson.
Kiper wasn’t as high on former Boise State pass rusher Curtis Weaver, who seemed like a first-round lock when he declared for the draft Jan. 28, but his stock has since fallen.
Kiper said he sees Weaver as a likely third-round pick who could find himself in the mid- to late second round. In his first mock draft, released in December, fellow draft analyst Todd McShay had Weaver going No. 20 overall in the first round to the Miami Dolphins.
“He had some dominant games, but they were against lesser competition. A lot of his sacks came in those two games,” Kiper said. “I saw him neutralized some. He doesn’t have tremendous ability to close, and obviously the speed factor is an issue for pass rushers.”
At the combine, Weaver ran the three-cone drill in seven seconds, which ranked in the upper half of times posted by linebackers. Last season, he led the Mountain West and ranked No. 5 in the country with 13.5 sacks. Seven of those sacks came against Portland State (four) and UNLV (three).
Kiper also said Wednesday that he expects former Boise State wide receiver John Hightower to come off the board in the fifth or sixth round because of a talent-rich class of receivers in this year’s draft.
“He obviously has talent. He flashed that at Boise State,” Kiper said. “If this were any other year, he’d probably be in the fourth round.”
After leading the Broncos last season with 943 receiving yards and eight touchdowns through the air, Hightower’s 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash ranked in the top half of times posted by wide receivers at the combine.
Despite professional leagues suspending their seasons and the NFL shutting down all in-person contact with draft prospects in the wake of the coronavirus, Kiper also said Wednesday that the NFL Draft should be held as scheduled April 23-25.
“Everybody is trying to deal with the health of their families and get through this the best they can, but I think it’s important to give people something to focus on and occupy their minds,” Kiper said.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 11:52 AM.
