Our first (perhaps only) mock draft of the year had Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson going 18th overall to the Chiefs, two spots below cornerback Trae Waynes, to the Texans. The order of their depature from the draft board ultimately could be flipped.
With the draft four days away, we’re told that multiple teams have Johnson ahead of Waynes. If one of those teams ends up on the clock and decides to take a corner, Johnson will go before Waynes.
Johnson, who entered college at a mere 155 pounds, has steadily added weight. Reaching 175 last year, Johnson currently spins the dial to 188.
That’s nearly twice what he weighed in adolescence.
“I had ability, I was just a late bloomer,” Johnson has said. “My freshman year of high school, I was five feet tall and weighed 96 pounds. So I’m just growing every day. I’m still growing now.”
His confidence has grown, too.
“I’m the best cornerback in the draft,” Johnson said. “I think I’m a lockdown cornerback.”
Regardless of whether he’s the best cornerback in the draft, he could be the first one taken on Thursday night.