Star Lotulelei and Ziggy Ansah projected to be top five picks by ESPN draft expert (+video)
ESPN draft expert Todd McShay has Utah's Star Lotulelei going No. 1 in the draft to the Kansas City Chiefs, even as teams await more details regarding a heart condition that prevented him from working out at the NFL Combine.
Meanwhile, BYU's Ezekiel Ansah continues his move up the board and is currently projected to go fifth in the draft to the Detroit Lions.
"You may be surprised to see that the No. 1 pick in this third mock draft is the same as the first and the second," McShay said. "Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei remains on top of the draft board despite his heart condition, which was discovered during the course of medical examinations during the NFL draft combine."
Lotulelei's condition is still considered serious and it will be monitored and assessed extensively by teams from now until the draft, but McShay is basing his projection solely based on ability and the Chiefs' need for a top defensive tackle.
Ansah, meanwhile, has shot up the draft boards after his impressive performance in the NFL Combine. Ansah recorded a 4.63 forty time among other feats and generally outperformed projections.
According to McShay all Ansah lacks is experience and it's hard to ignore the raw stats he put up at the combine on the heels of his standout Senior Bowl performance.
McShay recently compared Ansah to Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants.
"Ansah has the some otherworldly combination of size and athleticism as Pierre-Paul," McShay writes. "He has a lot to learn, but Ansah shows surprising versatility for such a raw prospect...Ansah shows an athlete's flexibility, no one at his size runs like he does, and he seems to improve with every game."
Fellow ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper dropped Lotulelei to No. 12 on his so-called "big board" with Ansah moving up a spot to No. 11, largely based on his combine performance.
Email: bgurney@desnews.com; Twitter: @BrandonCGurney
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2 guys from local schools going in the top 15 of the NFL draft wwould be great. Good luck to both of them.
Two times in 10 years with the #1 pick. Two times in 10 years undefeated seasons. Two times BCS games. Two times BCS wins.
The future of football in Utah,
is Utah
Chris B:
Lotulelei is not making ANYTHING right now. Wait until if/when he gets drafted first before putting him on that list of successful fmr-Ute NFL players. I read the article. I know what it says about Star getting drafted in the More..