Mock Draft update: Mel Kiper predict Robert Nkemdiche to Seahawks

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicts that the Seattle Seahawks will select Robert Nkemdiche from Ole Miss with the 26th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft

The grandfather of all NFL draft analysis, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., released his latest mock draft on Thursday. His choice for the Seattle Seahawks is difficult to understand on many levels. Kiper believes that the Seahawks will select Robert Nkemdiche out of Ole Miss with their first round pick.

Nkemdiche is an imposing physical specimen who should post very high SPARQ numbers at the combine next week. His combination of size and athleticism is quite Seahawk-y. That athleticism has him almost universally viewed as a first round pick.

Unfortunately, digging a little deeper reveals that this pick would make very little sense for the Seahawks. I don’t like this pick at all, and for a number of reasons.

For starters, Nkemdiche doesn’t fill any of Seattle’s major needs. They need a true DT that can help against the run, not another Michael Bennett clone who is better suited at DE.

Plus, with Bennett and Frank Clark (who was Seattle’s top pick a year ago) both of the roster, the Seahawks are maxed on on that type of player. Unless they do the unthinkable and cut or trade Bennett, there simply isn’t room for Nkemdiche on the field.

There is also the question of productivity. Nkemdiche is a physically imposing athlete, but his stats aren’t nearly as impressive as you might expect. He only had 6.5 sacks in three years. That isn’t the type of consistent pressure you’d expect from first round pass rushers. He also a reputation for being lazy and giving up on plays.

Next: Early returns on Seattle's rookie class are quite positive.

Examining Nkemdiche off the field makes this pick even worse. He fell out of a hotel room window before his team’s bowl game. Police then found marijuana is his room and he was then suspended by Ole Miss.

Whatever your stance is on marijuana, the NFL’s rules are very clear; just ask Cleveland’s Josh Gordon. The Seahawks need to be able to trust that their first-round pick will be available to play on Sundays, and not spending time on the suspended list.

Overall, this is a selection that should be widely questioned. Kiper has been doing this for a very long time, but this mock draft seems to completely miss the mark.