With the most recent Athlon mock released by Luke Easterling five days ago, the usual suspects were present from the vaunted Texas A&M front seven. Shemar Stewart found a home in Round One (as he has in virtually every mock draft for months now), and the man considered the No. 2 prospect out of Texas A&M, Nic Scourton, found his home at No. 39 to the Chicago Bears. Using the pick acquired from the trade that ultimately netted the Panthers Bryce Young, the Bears would give a much needed boost to the other side of their defensive front. With Montez Sweat remaining as their top edge rusher, Nic Scourton would be a massive addition to the now Dennis Allen-led defense.
With the New Orleans Saints, Dennis Allen's pass rush success, both as defensive coordinator and head coach, came largely from strong edge-rushing partnerships. First, it was Cameron Jordan and Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks last year. Then, the duo shifted to a much older Jordan and former No. 2 pick Chase Young. However, that partnership didn’t produce the same results as previous Saints duos, contributing to Allen's firing this offseason. He was quickly hired by the Bears as their new defensive coordinator.
Scourton has found himself in a bit of a "tweener" position in terms of draft value. He’s been projected as high as a first-round pick by the Buffalo Bills, but also as low as the second round. Despite these fluctuations, he is considered one of the top players in the "second tier" of NFL edge-rusher prospects, alongside Arkansas' Landon Jackson and Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku. Scourton could easily sneak into the back end of the first round.
