Todd McShay's predictions for all 64 picks of Rounds 1 and 2 (#30. Boye Mafe, #64. Daniel Faalele)

[BleedGopher]

per McShay:

30. Kansas City Chiefs​

Boye Mafe, OLB, Minnesota

The Chiefs have to slow down Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson and Derek Carr in six of their 17 games, but their pass rush generated just 31 sacks last season (No. 29). Mafe is still developing, but his takeoff is lightning fast, and he has the tools to go from rookie pass-rush specialist to high-level starter off the edge. Mafe had seven sacks last season, and he has a lot of upside.

64. Denver Broncos (via LAR)​

Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota

To cap off the second round, how about a 6-foot-8, 384-pound offensive tackle? Russell Wilson dealt with protection issues in Seattle, but it's a long way around Faalele for pass-rushers.

McShay's two-round NFL mock draft: Predictions for the first 64 picks, including two more trades

Todd McShay projects all 64 picks of April's first and second rounds, including how the Eagles-Saints trade shakes things up.

www.espn.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[50PoundHead]

I've followed the pre-draft buzz a bit more closely this year and Mafe is showing up as a first-round or early/mid-second on most mocks I've seen. Faalele has been as high as late-first, but is mostly settling in as a late-second on the boards of these "experts" (and if the quotation marks don't make it clear enough, "expert" is being used in the loosest sense of the term). The Athletic put out its big pre-draft guide and it's not very kind to the Gophers beyond Mafe and Faalele. Only other Gopher that gets a full write-up is Andries and they project him as a Preferred UDFA.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I've followed the pre-draft buzz a bit more closely this year and Mafe is showing up as a first-round or early/mid-second on most mocks I've seen. Faalele has been as high as late-first, but is mostly settling in as a late-second on the boards of these "experts" (and if the quotation marks don't make it clear enough, "expert" is being used in the loosest sense of the term). The Athletic put out its big pre-draft guide and it's not very kind to the Gophers beyond Mafe and Faalele. Only other Gopher that gets a full write-up is Andries and they project him as a Preferred UDFA.

It will be very interesting to see what happens with the other guys. Mafe and Faalele seem like locks to be off the board by the end of day 2 and probably by the end of round 2.

The potential is definitely there for some of the others to either get drafted in the later rounds or find their way onto pro rosters through the UDFA process. Will be fun to see how it all shakes out.

 

[hungan1]

Mafe's stock has catapulted himself to serious 1st Round conversations.

There are lots of eyes on the big guy that is going to drive where he eventually gets drafted.

IMHO, he is the most intriguing storyline of the draft. Whoever drafts him gets quite a haul.

He blocks the sun and casts a big shadow. He has a huge upside to match his stature. Once he gets coached up, he will play like a first-rounder. When he gets his long giant mitts on you, you're done.

 

[50PoundHead]

I think Faalele is the kind of player that could develop into a 10-year starter at right tackle barring injury. The kind of player who will really blossom once he gets the instruction necessary to succeed at professional level. My only caution on Faalele is the Aaron Gibson comparison. Gibson was a mammoth RT for the Badgers back in the 1990s who tipped the scales around 4 bills and was drafted by the Lions in the late-first round. Injuries derailed him before he could get the necessary experience to succeed, but even before then he was viewed as a guy who didn't merit his level of draft selection. Gibson was a pretty nimble guy for being as large as he was.