100 Days of Mocks: Kincaid All the Way

The Packers took a figure-skating safety with a big-time brother in the second round of a mock draft.

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.”

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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

61 days: Playing the slots

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

66 days: A slot/safety?

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

98 days: Stud tight end

99 days: Trading for outside linebacker

100 days: First-round quarterback?