Cal Football: Evan Weaver, Ashtyn Davis Included in SI's 5-Round Mock NFL Draft

Is this appraisal of Weaver's NFL draft status too optimisitic?

Is Evan Weaver moving up the draft chart?

According to the latest version of SI’s NFL mock draft, the former Cal linebacker is projected to be taken with the 136th overall pick, in the fourth round to the Green Bay Packers.

If Kevin Hanson’s mock draft 14.0 is correct, it represents a step up for Weaver, the consensus first-team All-American, who has been downgraded in many mock drafts.

"Physicality, a little bit scary, and intimidating."

That's how @Weavin_it describes himself, and it's what he'll bring to the next level in the NFL.@CalFootball | #Pac12FB pic.twitter.com/Re7xbtHc1G

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) April 4, 2020

The venerable Walter Football mock draft, in its Tuesday update, projects Weaver being picked by the Detroit Lions at No. 166 overall, deep in the fifth round.

Weaver, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, has been consistently productive throughout his football and led the nation in tackles last fall. He was timed in 4.76 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. But some scouts are cautious, unconvinced about his level of athleticism, despite Weaver being named an AP first-team All-American.

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks, for instance, does not include Weaver in his listings of the top five prospects at every position in the draft. His linebacker group, led by consensus top-10 pick Isaiah Simmons of Clemson, also includes Wisconsin’s Zack Baum, Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray, LSU’s Patrick Queen and Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither.

Weaver continues to work on the skills NFL scouts want to see, as in this Tweet:

Meanwhile, former Cal safety Ashtyn Davis is projected by SI’s Hanson to be selected in the third round, at No. 77 by the Denver Broncos.

Walter Football has Davis going to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round at pick No. 73.

Brooks, on NFL.com, rated Davis as the No. 5 safety in the draft. “Davis checks off all of the boxes as a smart, fast and tough defender. He brings a high IQ and top-end speed to the position as a natural center fielder,” Brooks wrote.

His top four safety prospects: Xavier McKinney of Alabama, Grant Delpit of LSU, Jeremy Chinn of Southern Illinois, and Antoine Winfield Jr., of Minnesota.

Davis and Weaver were both hoping to impress scouts with their performances in Cal's Pro Day. But that showcase of potential NFL players, which was scheduled for March 20, was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Davis did not run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine as he continued to recover from offseason groin surgery and wanted to show off the speed that made him a Pac-12 hurdles champion at the 40 at Cal Pro Day.

It leaves conflicting opinions about where Davis will be taken in the NFL draft. SI placed him high its ladder of pro prospects:

Hanson’s latest draft projection for SI does not account for any potential trades.

He has LSU quarterback Joe Burrow going No. 1 to Cincinnati, with Washington selecting Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young at No. 2.

His top Pac-12 player chosen is quarterback Justin Herbert of Oregon, projected at No. 5 to the Miami Dolphins, one spot ahead of Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa, who would go to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 6.