Could former Arizona Wildcats linebacker Scooby Wright be a first-round pick? At least one draft analyst thinks so.
Steve Palazzalo of Pro Football Focus placed Wright, who left the UA after his junior year, in his first-round mock draft posted earlier this morning.
It doesn’t really mean anything, of course; you can attach “FWIW” (For What It’s Worth) to every NFL mock. But it’s definitely noteworthy to see Wright listed in someone’s top 31 because it goes against the consensus.
I talked to an NFL scout and a longtime draft analyst before the New Mexico Bowl about Wright. The scout said Wright would be a third-rounder at best; the analyst pegged the second round as his ceiling.
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PFF has a different way of measuring performance – the site devised a numerical system to grade every NFL player and has become increasingly involved in college scouting – so you’re liable to see some new and different names in its mock drafts. Also, as Palazzalo notes in his introduction, “It’s important to keep in mind that what separates our mock draft from others is that our main focus is on what we would do at each pick, rather than what the teams project to do.”
Palazzalo has Wright going to the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 28 selection. (Playoff results will determine the final, official draft order.) Here’s what Palazzalo wrote about the pick:
“Seemingly always on the lookout for a complement to LB Derrick Johnson in the middle of the defense, Kansas City adds Wright, who was one our No. 2 linebacker in the nation in 2014 (+50.6). Wright is coming off injury that limited him to only 174 snaps in 2015, but he’s quick to diagnose and excellent against the run, grading at +40.0 over the last two years.”
A lot can and will change between now and the April 28-30 draft. After basically playing in only two games this past season, Wright will have a chance to get fitter and stronger and prove that the majority of draft experts are underestimating him.
I agree with the draft expert I talked to that the second round is Wright’s best-case scenario. It’s rare these days for NFL teams to spend first-round picks on inside linebackers. In the past five drafts, only four teams used first-round selections on players who currently play inside or middle linebacker.
Which isn’t to say it won’t happen. As the saying goes, it takes only one team to fall in love with a player. As teams watch more film of Wright, the more they’re going to like what they see.
