Where Will Murchison, Smith-Williams Go In NFL Draft?
Larrell Murchison and James Smith-Williams both helped their NFL draft prospects with strong performances at the league's Scouting Combine in February.
Although neither are expected to be selected early, both NC State defensive linemen are likely to hear their names called on either the second or third day of the annual lottery of football talent.
The projections on where and when they might be taken vary greatly, depending on which Internet source you prefer -- ranging anywhere from the third to the seventh rounds.
Here is a sampling of mock drafts to get an idea of what to expect:
◼ Sports Illustrated: The mothership of SI All Wolfpack has Murchison, who is projected as a tackle in the NFL, going in the fourth round with the 115th overall pick to the Cleveland Browns. Because SI only picked the first five rounds, it's not clear whether it believes Smith-Williams would be drafted or not.
◼ NFL.com: Draft analyst Chad Reuter has Murchison as a late third round pick, taken by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 91st overall pick. He has James Smith-Williams, an end whose draft status is somewhat cloudy because of injuries that limited him to seven games last season, as the fourth round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 146.
◼ CBS Sports: Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports isn't as high on Murchison as some of the other mock draft pickers. He has the Wolfpack sack leader waiting until the fifth round to hear his name called by the San Francisco 49ers at 156. He also has Smith-Williams going in the seventh and final round, sneaking in just before the picks run out at No. 243 to the Tennessee Titans.
◼ Sporting News: Murchison is taken in the fourth round, at No. 132 to the Minnesota Vikings in the Sporting News' picks, while the publication has Smith-Williams going undrafted.
◼ Bleacher Report: This projection is the outlier of the bunch. It's the only one in which Smith-Williams is taken before Murchison. Bleacher Report has Smith-Williams taken in the fifth round at No. 155 to the Seattle Seahawks, and Murchison going in the sixth at No. 195 to Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
◼ Draftsite.com: Like SI, Draftsite.com has Murchison going to the Browns, only one round earlier -- in the third at 74th overall. It does not, however, have Smith-Williams in its seven round predictions.
◼ Pro Football Network: PFN has Murchison going to the New York Giants at No. 150 in the fourth round and Smith-Williams to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 223 in the seventh.
