Pitt DT Calijah Kancey Cracks Top 10 in New Mock Draft

Connections between Pitt Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and the Detroit Lions continue to grow.

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey has been earning first-round buzz in the coming NFL Draft and that didn't change after he recorded impressive measurements and running times at the NFL Combine and his Pro Day. 

In a new Mock Draft released by NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund, Kancey gets picked No. 6 overall by the Detroit Lions. She sees the pick as somewhat of a reach but one worth taking for the Lions, who addressed major needs in free agency. 

"Overall, Kancey is my 18th highest-rated prospect … and this is slot No. 6. … Are you picking up what I’m putting down, Detroit?" Freulund wrote. "Maybe see if you can add an extra pick or two in a later round and still get this guy, Motor City Kitties. Keen free agency moves at the corner position makes addressing the interior of the defensive line the value play here."

She went on to praise Kancey's showing at the NFL Combine, which mirrored what she saw on film. His speed stands out the most and it draws comparisons to another great former Pitt defensive tackle.  

"Kancey had a ridiculous NFL Scouting Combine, and I was also able to watch his Pitt film with a few team execs to ask questions," Frelund said. "Without being overly mathy, we looked at a few different ways of measuring his impact, and the one that stood out most to me was his lateral speed after traveling forward, which ranked in the top 5 percent of a 10-season sample. You know who might be great at understanding this value? GM Brad Holmes, who has experience with Aaron Donald from his Rams days. There are obvious connections there, but the main one is really valuing a prospect who is not a prototype."

Should Kancey be picked in the first round this April, it would mark the first time two Pitt players were drafted in the first 32 picks in consecutive years since Jeff Otah and Darelle Revis did it in 2008 and 2007, repsectively. 

Kancey was a unanimous All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year this past season after recording 31 tackles, 14.5 for a loss and 7.5 sacks in 11 games this year. He suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of the regular season finale and will sideline him for the Sun Bowl against No. 18 UCLA, but Kancey still led the country's interior defensive linemen in tackles for loss.

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