ESPN: Way-too-early 2017 NFL mock draft has Gophers Mitch Leidner going in 1st round!

GoldenAle

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You need Insider, but ESPN has Leidner to Dallas in the first round at pick #25
 

They must think he's going to have a huge year, because I don't know what he's done yet to warrant that. Good press for Mitch and the Gophers though, hopefully he can play well enough this year to make that a reality.
 

I don't see this starting a debate on gopher hole at all...

If Mitch is a 1st round pick then we should be favored to win the BT West with our schedule...but we are being picked to go 8-4.
 

Is this more about Mitch being first round material or about Dallas being an incompetent franchise?
 

Hilarious. And it will only get funnier as the season gets underway.
 


You need Insider, but ESPN has Leidner to Dallas in the first round at pick #25

Wait! What? Perhaps Tommy Olson wasn't as preposterous as we all thought. Still think that's a little high, but if Mitch breaks the Big Ten's first round streak wouldn't that be something.
 

per Pioneer Press' article:

Then, with the 25th pick in the first round, McShay prognosticated the Dallas Cowboys could pick Gophers senior quarterback Mitch Leidner.

“Leidner shows some upside as a passer, but I’ll be looking to see if he can improve his accuracy (59.5 completion rate and 14/11 TD/INT ratio in 2015),” McShay wrote. “Listed at 6-foot-4 and 237 pounds, Leidner has ideal size and has shown the ability to make plays with his legs off designed runs and scrambles. He’s a late riser to keep an eye on, similar to Blake Bortles and Carson Wentz.”

McShay isn’t the first to include Leidner in the 2017 draft discussion. In March, the Pioneer Press wrote about draft analyst Benjamin Allbright’s projection that Leidner could be a sleeper in next year’s quarterback class.

“(Leidner) has all of the baseline things and maybe he could be a Day 3 draft pick. Someone that could be coached up,” said Allbright, who has worked for Yahoo, ESPN and Fox Sports and done outside consulting for a few NFL teams.

http://www.twincities.com/2016/05/05/gophers-qb-mitch-leidner-a-first-round-draft-pick/

Go Gophers!!
 

I think the Cowboys are smart to use a high pick on Jason Witten's replacement. He's getting old.
 

per Joe:

McShay qualified this year's picks by writing:

Let's start by emphasizing the first part of the headline above: Way-too-early. There's a reason we use that terminology for this piece. I have not studied tape on most of these players. I've simply done my best to match up many of the top players on my preliminary list with teams that make sense.

And for what it's worth, in last year's "Way-too-early" mock draft, McShay did hit on 15 of the eventual 32 first-round names.

http://www.startribune.com/espn-s-mcshay-projects-leidner-as-first-round-nfl-draft-pick/378278491/

Go Gophers!!
 



per Joe:

McShay qualified this year's picks by writing:

Let's start by emphasizing the first part of the headline above: Way-too-early. There's a reason we use that terminology for this piece. I have not studied tape on most of these players. I've simply done my best to match up many of the top players on my preliminary list with teams that make sense.

And for what it's worth, in last year's "Way-too-early" mock draft, McShay did hit on 15 of the eventual 32 first-round names.

http://www.startribune.com/espn-s-mcshay-projects-leidner-as-first-round-nfl-draft-pick/378278491/

Go Gophers!!

Hopefully everyone reads this article by Joe before freaking out.

I bet many people would have the same reaction this time last year if someone said Wentz would have gone #2 and Cardale Jones wouldn't get taken until the 4th round.
 

I don't know what's less likely - Mitch going in the 1st, or the Cowboys picking at #25.
 






Hopefully everyone reads this article by Joe before freaking out. I bet many people would have the same reaction this time last year if someone said Wentz would have gone #2 and Cardale Jones wouldn't get taken until the 4th round.

That's true, and I can see the comparison with Wentz.

How well (or not) Wentz does this year as a rookie might also impact the perception of Leidner's potential as a pro.
 

If Mitch is a 1st round pick then we should be favored to win the BT West with our schedule...but we are being picked to go 8-4.

Jared Goff was just the #1 overall pick and Cal was below .500 in conference.

Jay Cutler was the #11 overall pick in 2006 and Vanderbilt was 5-27 in the SEC during his tenure (all games he started).

There are many more examples.
 

Jared Goff was just the #1 overall pick and Cal was below .500 in conference.

Jay Cutler was the #11 overall pick in 2006 and Vanderbilt was 5-27 in the SEC during his tenure (all games he started).

There are many more examples.

While that's absolutely true, I think his point may have been more toward the fact that we have a good team around Leidner.

From reading stuff from Cal fans, it sounds like Goff was just about the only bright spot on that team.
 

While that's absolutely true, I think his point may have been more toward the fact that we have a good team around Leidner.

From reading stuff from Cal fans, it sounds like Goff was just about the only bright spot on that team.

Defenses had to stay honest with 5-6 d-backs. That's the only reason Cobb was any good.
And how many times did Leidner save Maxx' terrible route running with a perfectly placed ball.

[silence]

I kid. I kid. I hope Leidner continues to progress and gets drafted. He's not nearly as bad as most people on this board make him out to be.
 

That's true, and I can see the comparison with Wentz.

How well (or not) Wentz does this year as a rookie might also impact the perception of Leidner's potential as a pro.

Yep. And my main point is things can change dramatically between now and a year from now. Joe's article even talks about that.
 

QB drafting in the NFL is just a game of dice. It would be great to see Mitch do well but there have been lots of QB high draft picks that just disappeared. I think folks just grasp at whatever they can.
 

What would the odds be for you to throw $100 down on Mitch being a first round pick next year? 100 to 1 seems too low. I might be in at $250 to 1.
 

Jared Goff was just the #1 overall pick and Cal was below .500 in conference.

Jay Cutler was the #11 overall pick in 2006 and Vanderbilt was 5
John Elway had a losing record his senior year at Stanford as well, if only the trombone player could tackle
 

he's gonna cave under the pressure, much like Joe Kane did for his Heisman campaign at ESU
 

Leidner

In the years leading into their final seasons that McShay is comparing.



In 2012, Bortles was 63%, 251 for 3000yards, 25 td, 7 int. He left after 2013.

Wentz in 2014 was 63.7%, 228 for 3111 yards, 25 td's and 10 int.

Leindner 2015 was 60%, 242 for 2700 yards, 14 td's and 11 Int.

While I liked what I saw of Leidner the second half of the season, I just don't see him going this high. Nor do I see the possibility of him throwing 20+ td's on this team. I would love it but I sure wouldn't bet on it. If he has similar numbers I don't see him going higher than the 3rd round.
 

There's zero chance Liedner gets drafted in any round.
 


If Mitch is drafted in the 1st round....that would mean we are in the [emoji257]Bowl. Go Mitch!


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There's zero chance Liedner gets drafted in any round.

Care to make a wager? If you're so certain of it ("zero chance") you should be willing to give me odds. It's like free money for you. 10:1? Your $100 vs. my $10? Should be an easy bet for you to make since there's "zero chance".
 

There's zero chance Liedner gets drafted in any round.

If Trevor Siemian can get drafted as a QB, so can Leidner. Not saying he will for sure, but there is absolutely a chance.

Edit: Unless you were just being funny by spelling it Liedner instead of Leidner.
 

Sorry...I can't resist.

If Leidner goes in the first round what will have happened?

I think it just magnifies the poor job Limegrover was doing with the position Kill put him in.

It also gives great hope for Cleays and his current staff.


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