100 Days of Mocks: Kincaid All the Way
GREEN BAY, Wis. – In a pair of fresh mock drafts, the Green Bay Packers selected Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid with their first-round pick.
At CBS Sports, Josh Edwards took Kincaid ahead of Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer, Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones, Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones and Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee.
“After a few offseasons of speculation, could this finally be the year that Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers part ways?” Edwards wrote. “If Jordan Love is the team's choice moving forward, then it needs to surround him with the talent that a veteran like Rodgers didn't necessarily need to be successful. Dalton Kincaid is a fantastic outlet as a pass-catcher.”
With two seasons at San Diego and his final two at Utah, Kincaid finished as the NCAA’s active leader among tight ends with 2,484 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns. As a senior, he was a third-team All-American with 70 receptions for 890 yards and eight touchdowns.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 242 pounds by the school, he will not go through workouts at the Combine as he recovers from a small fracture in his back that was sustained late in the season. Surgery was not required.
During a pre-Scouting Combine conference call, NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah saw a bit of Travis Kelce in Kincaid’s game.
“I think he is a big-time player,” Jeremiah said. “I think he is one of my favorite players to watch in this draft. I think he is one of the best players in the draft,” Jeremiah said. “He is just sudden in everything that he does. He separates. He is outstanding after the catch. You know, he can win on contact over the middle of the field. He is really, really good after the catch. You know, as a blocker, he is going to more shield you and wall off.”
Kincaid said he has met with the Packers at the Combine.
In a two-round mock done before the Combine, Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema also went with Kincaid ahead of Mayer, Alabama safety Brian Branch, Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright and Iowa edge Lukas Van Ness.
“The Packers will need some new offensive weapons, and while Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer is a common selection, Kincaid's superior athleticism in the passing game gives him the nod here,” Sikkema wrote.
With the second-round choice, Green Bay wound up with safety Sydney Brown. Just as tight end is a need with Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis headed to free agency, so is safety with Adrian Amos, Rudy Ford and Dallin Leavitt set to hit the open market.
Brown is coming off an All-American season in which he posted six interceptions and 13 passes defensed. In a win vs. Northwestern, he had two interceptions and scored two touchdowns – a pick-six and a fumble return.
At 5-foot-10 and 213 pounds, he is smallish but explosive.
“He has great range,” Jeremiah said. “You'll see him undercut routes. He is explosive. I think he is going to test really, really well. He is outstanding on special teams.”
Born in London, his father, Darren Isaac, played three seasons in the CFL. His mom was a figure skater.
“Yeah, we did a little bit, some figure skating here and there,” he said at the Combine. “That’s funny. My mom put the skates on us with the toe picks and all that. It's crazy. 7-year-old boys and toe picks. It's not a good look.”
His twin brother, Chase, also played for the Illini and is part of this draft class. He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back after rushing for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Bragging rights will be on the line during their workouts.
“Yeah, we definitely have some stuff going on, but we're just rooting for each other to do the best,” he said. “I think at the end of the day, I want him to run fast, he wants me to run fast. But, yeah, I mean there's definitely some side bets we got in the 40 and the three cone and the shuttle, so there's some stuff we're going to work on.”
More Green Bay Packers Offseason News
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The way-too-early NFC North odds
Is Jordan Love ready? Here’s Mike McCarthy’s insight
Stay or Go, Part 9: Marcedes Lewis
100 Days of Mocks
Starting Jan. 17, when there were 100 days until the start of the NFL Draft, we started our mock-worthy goal of 100 mock drafts in 100 days. Here’s the 100-day-countdown series.
56 days: The dreaded third-round tight end
57 days: Three mocks, same tight end
58 days: Going the extra Myles
59 days: Safety, tight end, receiver in three-rounder
60 days: Two three-round mocks
62 days: Three mocks, three receivers
63 days: A massive haul for Rodgers
64 days: Three team-issued mock drafts
Packers take tight end in Daniel Jeremiah’s second mock
65 days: Pass-rushing defensive lineman in two-rounder
67 days: Three-rounder starts with receiver
68 days: Grandson of Glory Years legend
69 days: Mayer to Packers in SI mock
70 days: Football Outsiders picks pass rusher
71 days: 33rd Team trades Rodgers in two-rounder
71 days (bonus): Todd McShay 2.0
72 days: Packers take receiver to start NFL.com three-rounder
73 days: Packers fill big need with big man
74 days: Rodgers traded, take two pass-catchers in first round
75 days: Two NFL.com mocks, two different tight ends
76 days: Tight end and pass rusher in two-rounder by NFL Draft Bible
77 days: Rodgers traded to Raiders for No. 7 pick
78 days: A seven-round mock includes Big Ten playmakers
79 days: Rodgers traded in two-round mock
80 days: Packers take safety in ESPN mock
81 days: Aaron Rodgers traded in three-round mock
82 days: Seven mocks, including NFL.com
83 days: Two pass-catchers in first-round mocks
84 days: Aaron Rodgers traded for extra first-round pick
85 days: PFF picks a pass rusher
86 days: Tight end in NFL Draft Bible Mock
87 days: Packers trade back, get extra second-rounder
88 days: Sorry, vacation day.
89 days: A “Eureka!” moment in two-round mock
90 days: Playmaking cornerback at PFF
91 days: Three defensive backs in seven-round mock
92 days: Kiper takes a tight end
93 days: Safety first for Bucky Brooks in NFL.com mock
94 days: College Football News mocks Mayer
95 days: Two firsts if Rodgers is traded
96 days: NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah goes back to Georgia
97 days: This pick would break a long drought
