NFL Draft Mock Watch: Julian Okwara still getting 1st Round Love
By J.P. Scott
Despite both his and Notre Dame’s struggles as of late, defensive end Julian Okwara is still getting mentioned early on in mock drafts.
There’s no such thing as Mock Draft Season. It’s a 24/7, 365 process that never ends. Every sports site or network publishes them year round — mostly because it’s easy content that people can’t get enough of. That’s also why random Notre Dame sites like to publish articles about them. Just sayin.
CBSsports.com usually has a quality collection of NFL Mock Drafts throughout the year. They published their most recent mock on Wednesday, when writer Ryan Wilson put his out there.
In Wilson’s mock for CBS, he has Notre Dame defensive end Julian Okwara going No. 15 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.
On one hand, I like the destination for Okwara. It’s a high-profile division, with four games a year combined against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. Rushing the passer is key in today’s pass-centric game, and the NFC East has some talented young quarterbacks who will be coming into their respective primes in the coming years. He would also be playing alongside one of the top defensive lineman in the game in Fletcher Cox.
On the other hand, I’m not sure how realistic the destination is. Philadelphia needs a lot of help in the defensive backfield, and going after a pass-rusher that early doesn’t exactly fit the immediate needs of the franchise. Wilson does mention that in his write-up, but also talks about the Eagles needing help in a lot of places.
Next. Conclusions from the Michigan game. dark
At the end of the day, it is just another mock draft, and we’ll see hundreds more between now and the actual 2020 NFL Draft in April. The important thing is that Notre Dame players are still being mentioned as early picks. That’s a sign of the kind of talent Brian Kelly is bringing in, and it also bodes well for future talent considering joining the Irish.