At this point in mock draft season, it's hard to find a projection that hasn't been done several times already.
This week, we have two novel projections.
The headliner is Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, who was mocked to Carolina by Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com. Throughout the pre-draft process, most analysts have gone with Leonard Fournette or Dalvin Cook when connecting a running back to Carolina with the eighth pick. But Jeremiah has turned heads by sliding McCaffrey all the way up to the top 10.
When discussing that projection on NFL Network, Charley Casserly and Bucky Brooks expressed some concern about McCaffrey's durability and functionality in Carolina's power scheme. But Jeremiah believes McCaffrey's talent warrants the selection.
"You can use McCaffrey not only in the backfield, but you can use him in the slot and get him touches that way," Jeremiah said. "Seven games with over 30 carries (at Stanford), they used him pretty good in that system. Look, he's a little over 200 pounds – he's not a big guy – but durability is not as big a concern for me with the way he was used in college. I think he'd be able to handle a little more of a load than a traditional 200-pound back."
The other first-time projection came from Chad Reuter for NFL.com, who went with UCLA defensive end Takkarist McKinley. The 6-2, 250-pound edge rusher emerged as a disruptive force for the Bruins, but most analysts believe he'll be selected later in Round One.
