In today’s Fact or Fiction — NFL Draft edition — I look at three big recent topics around the NFL Draft and decide whether the statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.
1. Hendon Hooker will land in round one.
Farrell’s take: FICTION
My man Mike Tannenbaum on ESPN is banging the drum for this one, but I don’t see it. I’ve seen Hooker projected to the Vikings late in round one or even higher to a QB-needy team like Tennessee at No. 11 or Washington at No. 16 but this isn’t happening. He’s an older rookie and coming off an ACL so he’ll be a second-round value.
2. Will Anderson Jr. isn’t getting enough attention.
Farrell’s take: FACT
All the talk about QBs or DT Jalen Carter and his issues, and we keep ignoring Anderson Jr. from Alabama. If a team at the top didn’t need a QB we know they’d trade back as the Bears did, but this kid has No. 1 overall skill, and it’s likely he’ll land with the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 or No. 4 if they trade down. And he’s going to be one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL for a decade. As QBs like Will Levis and Anthony Richardson bust out, Arizona will be smiling, at least on defense, with Anderson. Now, they just have to deal with their own QB issues with Kyler Murray.
3. A non-starter will land in the top 10.
Farrell’s take: FICTION
But it will be close. Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness didn’t start at Iowa, and I still don’t know why, but he’s a freak athlete who dominated the combine and has teams near the top 10-15 interested. He could land at No. 10 to the Eagles if things shake out right for him, but he’s more of a fit at 12 to the Texans or 15 to the Packers. He’ll go in the top 20.
More Sports News
