Thomas, Webb, McCaffrey head local candidates
The first round of the NFL draft should be a bonanza for the Bay Area.
Besides Stanford’s Solomon Thomas and Christian McCaffrey, as many as four other local players could be among Thursday’s 32 selections in Philadelphia.
Cal quarterback Davis Webb and his favorite target, Chad Hansen, are generally expected to go in the first two or three rounds. Webb might even crack the first round after being the MVP of the Senior Bowl and impressing scouts in the rain at Cal’s pro day.
“We had only five footballs for 93 throws, so they were like dumbbells,” Webb said.
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said, “I had four or five quarterback coaches text or call me and say, ‘Wow. In the rain, he ripped it. He’s impressive.’”
Mayock thinks Webb will go in the second round. “I think Webb has picked up a lot of steam since the Senior Bowl,’’ he said. “He’s got a big arm, a big body, and he’s an athletic kid.”
If both Thomas and McCaffrey are picked Thursday, it would be the first time two Cardinal players were chosen in the first round since quarterback Andrew Luck (Colts) and guard David DeCastro (Steelers) in 2012.
Stanford also had double first-rounders in 1992 (Bob Whitfield, Tommy Vardell), 1978 ( James Lofton, Gordon King), 1972 (Greg Sampson, Jeff Siemon) and 1942 (Pete Kmetovic, Frankie Albert).
Other possible first-rounders with Bay Area ties include UCLA outside linebacker Takkarist McKinley, a KennedyRichmond alum who also played at Contra Costa College; Colorado cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (Oak Grove-San Jose) and Washington cornerback Kevin King (Bishop O’DowdOakland).
Thomas and McCaffrey left Stanford after their junior seasons. Thomas, a versatile defensive lineman, has risen steadily over the last year and is considered a likely top-five pick, possibly to the 49ers at No. 2.
McCaffrey has risen too as a result of his performances at the combine and at Stanford’s pro day, on top of an electrifying career on the Farm.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said McCaffrey “has incredible balance and could be an everydown back in the NFL.” Others aren’t so sure, but think his multiple talents will make him a very high pick anyway. ESPN’s Todd McShay calls him the fourth best prospect “to play from Day 1.”
Rob Rang of CBS Sports said McCaffrey would be a perfect fit for Carolina, which picks 11th. Panthers wide receivers coach Lance Taylor coached McCaffrey the last three years as Stanford’s running backs coach.
Cal’s Hansen also left after his junior year, during which the Idaho State transfer piled up 92 catches (third in the nation) and 1,249 yards. “With football being so unpredictable, I might never get this chance again,’’ he said of leaving early.
Another player from the Bay Area, Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, is among the more controversial players in the draft.
The former Freedom-Oakley standout was suspended for the 2014 season at Oklahoma after punching a woman in a Norman deli. The brutal altercation was caught on a video that was released to the public in December. “If I’m the GM, I take him off my board,” Mayock said. “As soon as I see that video, he’s off my board. However, more than half the league is doing their homework on this guy, and he’s going to play in the league.”
The woman, Amelia Molitor, suffered a broken jaw, eye socket and cheekbone. Mixon was charged with a misdemeanor and has since completed counseling and 100 hours of community service. Molitor sued him, and Mixon recently reached a settlement with her.
Mixon is pegged to go in the third round. Despite missing five games last season, he finished second nationally to McCaffrey in all-purpose yardage, averaging 194.3 yards per game and scoring 16 touchdowns.
Washington defensive tackle Elijah Qualls, who was a running back at Casa GrandePetaluma before growing into a 6-1, 313-pound run stopper in Seattle, is expected to go in the fourth round.
Among the Bay Area players who may be picked late in the draft are three Stanford players — safety Dallas Lloyd, wide receiver Michael Rector and kicker Conrad Ukropina — as well as former O’Dowd and Cal linebacker Hardy Nickerson Jr., who played last season as a graduate transfer at Illinois, where his father is defensive coordinator.