Final NFL Draft Projections for Louisville Football First-Rounders

The 2018 NFL Draft’s first round gets underway tonight from Dallas, Texas. Where are former Louisville football stars Lamar Jackson and Jaire Alexander being mocked?

Lamar Jackson and Jaire Alexander have waited for this day all their lives, as tonight they will finally have their childhood dreams come to fruition when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell calls their name at the podium in front of thousands of fans inside of AT&T Stadium (AKA Jerry World) in Dallas, Texas.

In recent memory there hasn’t been a more intriguing, and dynamic prospect in the NFL Draft than Lamar Jackson. He’s been the talk of the media, NFL Scouts and GM’s, for some good reasons and some not so good.

Whether it’s been Todd McShay & Mel Kiper arguing about Jackson needing to play wide receiver in order to reach his “full potential” in the NFL, citing a low completion percentage as the reason, or anonymous coaches taking shots and using phrases like “mark my words,” without actually putting their name on the quote.

Or NFL GM’s and scouts being annoyed with Lamar Jackson not hiring an agent, instead using his mother and close friends as “business associates” throughout the draft process. There was a report in late March shortly after the Louisville football pro day that mentioned teams were “struggling to get a hold of Jackson” for workouts, and were unaware of exactly how to reach him.

Nonetheless, Jackson has solidified himself as a first rounder and is likely to hear his name called somewhere between the 15th and 30th pick. Teams like Baltimore, Arizona, New England, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and plenty of others have all had Jackson in for workouts and could be potentially targeting him with their first round picks.

Even after missing the majority of the season with a knee injury, Louisville’s Jaire Alexander declared for the 2018 NFL Draft, as many had expected.

At the time of his announcement, Alexander was viewed as a mid-to-late second round pick, but after a strong combine, pro-day, and individual workouts, Alexander has shot up draft boards. The 5’11 dynamic corner has drawn comparisons to hall-of-famer Deion Sanders, due to his elite athleticism and ball skills.

With mayhem expected in the top 10, Alexander could find himself drafted as high as number 8 or could fall to the late 20’s. Many believe him to be the second defensive back off the board, behind Alabama safety/cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick.

With all of that being said, let’s check where NFL Draft Analysts have the two stars projected to land in their final 2018 NFL Mock Drafts.

Mike Mayock, NFL.com:

Lamar Jackson: Baltimore Ravens (16th overall)

Jaire Alexander: Green Bay Packers (14th Overall)

Chris Simms, Bleacher Report:

Lamar Jackson: Arizona Cardinals (15th Overall) –

"For a small-market team like the Cardinals, adding Jackson would immediately energize the fanbase. He’s fun, has a great personality and is a marketing executive’s dream.Arizona is also a perfect situation for Jackson. The Cardinals have Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon, so Jackson will have time to develop. If the Cardinals want to throw him in sub-packages as a runner or a receiver as a rookie to get him used to the speed of the game, that’s great. However, Jackson is a quarterback all the way, and he could be Arizona’s franchise QB for the next decade-plus."

Jaire Alexander: Detroit Lions (20th Overall) –

"The Lions need speed on the defensive side, and Alexander is one of the twitchiest, most explosive players in the draft. He ran a blistering 4.38-second 40 at the combine, which shows his straight-line speed. His short-area quickness is also phenomenal, as evidenced by his 6.71-second three-cone drill and 3.98-second short shuttle.In addition, Alexander plays with swagger and loves to get in the face of receivers. He’s the kind of aggressive corner Patricia will love, and he could be one of the league’s most dangerous return specialists from day one."

R.J. White, CBS Sports:

Lamar Jackson: Arizona Cardinals (15th Overall) –

"Lamar Jackson has as high a ceiling as any quarterback in the draft, and it would be interesting to see what offensive coordinator Mike McCoy cooks up for the run/pass weapon. McCoy is someone who will try to fit an offense to a quarterback’s strengths, not the other way around."

Jaire Alexander: Carolina Panthers (24th Overall) –

"The Panthers are looking for secondary help early in the draft, per Jason La Canfora. I like them to snag Alexander, a late-riser during the draft process who should immediately slot into the starting lineup."

Charles Davis, NFL.com:

Lamar Jackson: Buffalo Bills (12th Overall) –

"Everyone expects the Bills to try to trade up for a QB, but in this scenario they stay put and land Jackson, who’s a better version of former Buffalo starter Tyrod Taylor. Head coach Sean McDermott knows the problems that Jackson’s skill set will create for a defense."

Jaire Alexander: Carolina Panthers (24th Overall) –

"Injuries limited him in 2017, but when you watch him you see quickness, footwork, toughness, and intelligence. Had a tremendous NFL Scouting Combine workout, and showed all that he was fully healthy again. Panthers need a running mate for CB James Bradberry, and Alexander will be happy to return home to Charlotte."

Peter King, Sports Illustrated –

Lamar Jackson: Cincinnati Bengals (21st Overall) –

"The Brown family has a shake-it-up history at quarterback dating back to Boomer Esiason in round two of 1984, and this would certainly shake up the locker room and the draft. So many reliable draftniks (Mayock, McShay, etc.) think Jackson has the potential to be the most exciting and productive quarterback in this crop—but you’ll have to cater your offense to him. Isn’t that what good coaches do? Get very good players and cater their schemes to fit the players? I like this pick for the Bengals, even if it could push Andy Dalton (five of seven starting seasons with a sub-90 passer rating) out of town in 2019."

Jaire Alexander: Pittsburgh Steelers (29th Overall) –

"Oh, how wonderful it would have been if the draft fell just right to the Steelers and they could take an all-field playmaker to replace the fallen Ryan Shazier. That playmaker, Leighton Vander Esch, could be available at 28 … but he’s got a cervical issue that is causing some to steer clear of him this week. In Alexander, the Steelers could get a 4.38 cover guy who’s shown eagerness to tackle and be a physical player in run support. He’d be a good fit for Mike Tomlin."

Both Lamar Jackson and Jaire Alexander will attend the draft in Dallas this evening, hoping to hear their name called in the early parts of the first round. While you always want to see the program you love have former players selected in the draft, what’s most important this evening is the fit of each player on the team they are selected by.

More from Louisville Cardinals News

While Jackson comes with great name recognition, and prestige after winning the Heisman Trophy, and countless other awards, he most likely needs a year or two of learning and getting his body ready for the NFL. Therefore, I hope to see a team like New England, Arizona, Baltimore, Pittsburgh or New Orleans take him so that he can sit behind a veteran QB and learn.

Jaire Alexander has dealt with a myriad of injuries over the last two years but should be fully healthy come rookie camps. For him, he needs a team who will let him be himself. We all know Jaire to be an extremely charismatic player, who loves nothing more than to talk to the opposing receivers as he dominates.

With great ball skills, and the ability to become a lock down corner at the next level, it’s imperative that a team selects him to do just that, instead of sticking him into a zone coverage role.

Tonight will most certainly be a night to remember for the Louisville football program with two legends being selected in the first round. Good luck to both Lamar Jackson & Jaire Alexander as they begin their professional careers!

Next: Louisville Football: 5 Bold Predictions for 2018-19 Season

The NFL Draft gets underway tonight at 8:00 PM, and can be found on the NFL Network, Fox, and ESPN.

Home/Louisville Football