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With only days until the 2017 NFL Draft, a number of mock drafts have recently been published. Rather than bring clarity to Syracuse wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo’s draft projection, however, his expected selection is now more clouded than ever before, as there isn’t even close to a consensus on when the record-setting wideout will be taken.
Etta-Tawo is an enigma for NFL teams and scouts, as he produced one of the greatest seasons in college football last year, but also comes with a number of concerns. As a result, mock drafts predict the former Syracuse receiver to be taken anywhere from as early as the fourth round to not being drafted at all.
Let’s take a look at some of the mock drafts out there and where Etta-Tawo falls (in alphabetical order):
Bleacher Report: Undrafted
In his complete seven-round mock draft, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski predicts 33 wide receivers will be taken in this year’s draft, but does not expect Etta-Tawo to be one of them.
Sobieski writes he considered “talent, team need, scheme fit and situation” when constructed his mock draft. Some of the wide receivers that he does expect to be taken over Etta-Tawo include Purdue’s DeAngelo Yancey, who caught just 49 passes last season and wasn’t invited to the Scouting Combine and Billy Brown, who played for Division-II Shepherd and ran a 4.70-second 40-yard-dash at the combine.
CBS Sports: 7th round
CBS Sports previously listed Etta-Tawo as being a 6th-7th round prospect in its NFL Draft profile, and CBS Sports’ R.J. White doubled down on that sentiment predicting Etta-Tawo will be taken by the Minnesota Vikings in the 7th round (pick No. 232).
While White obviously isn’t that high on Etta-Tawo, evident by his 7th round projection, he writes that he does view him “as good a dart throw as any after one huge season.” Despite the Vikings drafting Laquon Treadwell in the first round last year, Minnesota should still be considered a prime destination for Etta-Tawo to eventually carve out a role in the offense, as not a single Viking wideout surpassed 1,000 yards receiving last season.
Draft Site: 4th round
By far the most shocking – and the most exciting (for Syracuse fans, at least) – mock draft, Draft Site predicts Etta-Tawo will be taken late in the 4th round by the Green Bay Packers with the 134th pick.
Now, before Orange fans start to imagine Etta-Tawo catching passes from future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, this draft projection is definitely the outlier out of the several mock drafts listed. However, all it takes is for one team to fall in love with a player for him to be drafted earlier than projected, and we have seen other former Syracuse players being taken surprisingly early in recent years (see: Jay Bromley in 2014).
Fox Sports: 6th round
Fox Sports’ Dieter Kurtenbach predicts the Syracuse receiver will stay in-state and be taken in the 6th round at pick No. 191 by none other than the New York Jets, making him the 22nd wide receiver drafted, three picks after Virginia Tech’s Isaiah Ford.
While the Jets may not have the most appealing quarterback situation (okay, they have one of the worst) Kurtenbach believes Gang Green Orange will address those concerns early on in the draft by taking Clemson’s Deshaun Watson at No. 6.
NFL.com: Undrafted
For the second time, Etta-Tawo is left out of a major sports publication’s mock draft, as NFL.com’s Chad Reuter predicts the former Syracuse wide receiver will not be one of the 253 prospects to hear his name called.
Reuter actually takes it one step further than Bleacher Report’s projection by not even listing Etta-Tawo as one of his 96 priority free agents. While it’s unclear if Reuter simply forgot about Etta-Tawo (which is certainly a possibility) or if he just doesn’t see the Syracuse receiver as a NFL prospect, it would certainly be disheartening for Orange fans if Etta-Tawo struggles to even sign as an undrafted free agent.
WalterFootball.com: 5th round
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Looks like Etta-Tawo is going Hollywood. In a stark contrast to NFL.com’s projection, WalterFootball.com’s expects Etta-Tawo to be the 16th wide receiver drafted, and will be taken by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 5th round with the 151st pick.
While WalterFootball.com’s prediction is earlier than most, the selection does make sense for the Chargers. As the football centric site notes, “Keenan Allen can't stay healthy, while Dontrelle Inman will be an impending free agent after this season, so another receiver could be added.”
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What do you think of these experts’ projections? And when do you think Etta-Tawo will be drafted? Leave a comment below.