:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32307953/20131019_ajw_ai1_132.0.jpg)
ESPN's two draft analysts both have new mock drafts out today. You can find Mel Kiper's here, while Todd McShay's is here. Both of them are very similar, and both of them have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking Mike Evans with their seventh overall pick. Which is basically what every single mock draft out there thinks the Bucs will do.
When I say this selection is boring, I don't mean that an offense with Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans would be boring. That sounds pretty exciting to me, really. Evans is a terrific receiver, and would represent an instant and terrific upgrade, while also emulating the kind of receiving corps Josh McCown thrived in in Chicago last year.
No, it's boring because there are so very few mock drafts that do anything other than give the Bucs the safe pick of Mike Evans. Regardless of who's available at any other position, whether that be quarterback (a position the Bucs are heavily interested in), pass rusher or offensive tackle/guard. It doesn't really matter: just pencil in Evans. Now mock drafts aren't just useless in the general sense of providing a poor view of what teams will actually do, they've also lost their entertainment value when it comes to the Bucs. Yech.
The fascinating thing here is that Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have a nearly identical top 7:
1. Jadeveon Clowney (Texans)
2. Greg Robinson (Rams)
3. Sammy Watkins (Jaguars)
4. Johnny Manziel (Browns)
5. Khalil Mack (Raiders)
6. Taylor Lewan/Jake Matthews (Falcons)
7. Mike Evans (Buccaneers)
That would leave Blake Bortles on the board for the Buccaneers, who they'd consider at that spot, as well as Derek Carr and Teddy Bridgewater. If the Bucs like a quarterback, we could certainly see them taking one there. They might also trade down, with the San Francisco 49ers rumored to be looking to trade into the top 10 for Mike Evans, but that's always easier said than done.
I'm not sure that consensus at the top really reflects reality rather than the media view of reality, though. There's always a disparity there, and surprises happen in every draft -- as well as trades. Lest we forget, Todd McShay thought the day before the draft that the Buffalo Bills would take Ryan Nassib eighth overall last year. The draft is fun precisely because we don't know what will happen, and all we can do is speculate.
Just one more week until the draft. It really needs to get there.