Where are Gophers projected to go in NFL Draft?

Gophers football might challenge its venture record for amount of selections in the NFL Draft this week Minnesota set the modern-day seven-round record at five picks in when Antoine Winfield Jr Tyler Johnson Carter Coughlin Kamal Martin and Chris Williamson heard their names called This year the U s top hopefuls include Aireontae Ersery Jay Joyner Justin Walley Cody Lindenberg Max Brosmer and Daniel Jackson In a bit of foreshadowing Minnesota set a school record when that half dozen went to the NFL Scouting Combine this winter although that isn t a one-to-one comparison the combine brought players to Indianapolis and the NFL Draft only includes picks this week in Green Bay Gophers head coach P J Fleck was urged last week how multiple picks he foresees for the U As plenty of as we possibly can have hopefully a record he commented That would be great The Gophers weight room inside the Larson Football Performance Center has banners along its second-story balcony commemorating its streak of first- and second-round picks safety Winfield Buccaneers receiver Rashod Bateman Ravens defensive end Boye Mafe Seattle center John Michael Schmitz Giants and safety Tyler Nubin Giants We take a lot of pride in it Fleck declared I m not going to sit here and say All shucky darn oh wow yeah it s just kind of luck We take a lot of pride in advancing our players into what they dream of being The Gophers don t have a projected first-round pick for Thursday Instead they have a inadequate players who could be taken in the second and third rounds on Friday and more likely waiting until the fourth through seventh rounds and ensuing free agency on Saturday Here s a big board of where Gophers are projected to go based on mock drafts from The Athletic and Pro Football Focus along with NFL com projections and their Relative Athletic Sum RAS from the combine and U Pro Day Cream of the class Aireontae Ersery left tackle The Athletic nd round PFF rd round NFL com eventual starter RAS out of The Big Ten offensive lineman of the year has the size -foot- and pounds and athleticism -second -yard dash to be a starting tackle in the NFL The Kansas City Mo native is considered to be outside the upper crust of the position in this class Next tier Jay Joyner defensive end The Athletic th round PFF th round NFL com average backup or special teamer RAS At - pounds and with above-average testing the Connecticut product will entice teams as an EDGE contestant But his production at the U dipped from a team-high sacks and pressures in to sacks and pressures in Justin Walley cornerback The Athletic th round PFF th round NFL com average backup or special teamer RAS Walley was plugged in as a starting cornerback as a true freshman and became Mr Reliable Fleck called Walley one of the best players he s ever coached While far from the biggest at -foot- pounds the Mississippian amassed tackles and seven interceptions in his career Likely Day options Cody Lindenberg linebacker The Athletic th- th rounds PFF th round NFL com average backup or special teamer RAS Overcame injuries in and to lead the U with total tackles and be named all-Big Ten first club last fall A studious athlete who has five-time All-Pro Luke Kuechly as a mentor the Anoka native has old-school size - but the athleticism to play at the next level Max Brosmer quarterback The Athletic - th rounds PFF th round NFL com average backup RAS not tracked The New Hampshire graduate transfer made a effective transition from FCS to the Big Ten where he set the U s single-season completion record last fall He s an intelligent performer from Georgia who prepares at an exceptional level to overcome selected limits and set up a backup role in the NFL Daniel Jackson receiver The Athletic free agent PFF free agent NFL com average backup or special teamer RAS The Kansas City Mo native developed into one of the most-productive receivers in Gophers history with receptions yards and touchdowns all top six in school history He projects into a fringe slot receiver in the NFL Sleeper Jack Henderson Nickleback The Athletic free agent PFF free agent NFL com N A RAS The Southeastern Louisiana transfer s RAS total ranked out of strong safeties from to At -foot- pounds he is a versatile member who made a achieving leap from FCS over two seasons with tackles and six sacks a year ago Other hopefuls Cornerback Ethan Robinson guard Tyler Cooper defensive end Danny Striggow guard Quinn Carroll receiver Elijah Spencer tight end Nick Kallerup kicker Dragan Kesich punter Mark Crawford and running backs Marcus Major and Jaren Mangham Related Articles Gophers football Running back Jaydon Wright to enter transfer portal Gophers football adds Hawkeyes cornerback via transfer portal Gophers football seek another quarterback in transfer portal Gophers quarterback Zach Pyron enters NCAA transfer portal Gophers football P J Fleck doesn t anticipate plethora of movement in NCAA transfer portal