Jeremy Harper Appalachian State, Cajuns, Coastal Carolina, Football, G5, Georgia Southern Eagles, Georgia State Panthers, Louisiana, Red Wolves, South Alabama, Sun Belt, Texas State, Troy, Troy Trojans, ULM

Whom among the Sun Belt tastes the sweet nectar of the NFL 2022 Draft?

I was much more engaged in the NFL Draft way back when Arkansas State made regular cameos. These days, eh, not as much. However, I do take a bit of interest in who from the Sun Belt might hear his named called during this overly-bloated made-for-TV event. A rising tide raises all ships, after all, and recruits are listening.

The NFL Draft begins this Thursday with its bloviated first round and then follows it up with TWO more unnecessary days of drafting until the 7th round concludes sometime on Saturday afternoon. Afterwards: the tweet-dump of USFA announcements. It’s all very glamorous.

Who among the Sun Belt community receives a remote shout-out from the stubbornly unvaccinated Mel Kiper? Your guess is as good as mine, but I have this website and I need clicks.

Most Likely To Ascend Into NFL Heaven

  • Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana
  • Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama
  • Isiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina

There’s a chance we hear Mitchell and/or Tolbert’s name in Round 2, but these three are the surest bets you’ll find in the Sun Belt. All three bear NFL size and skills, with Mitchell representing the Cajuns tradition of churning out pro beef.

There’s a Good Chance You’ll Hear These Names, Too

  • Jaivon Heiligh, WR, Coastal Carolina
  • Percy Butler, S, Louisiana
  • D’Marco Jackson, LB, Appalachian State

Heiligh and Butler might belong in Tier One, but somebody has to be in Tier Two to make this column work.

Don’t Be Way Surprised If These Guys Get Drafted

  • Shaun Jolly, CB, Appalachian State
  •  Tayland Humphrey, DL, Louisiana
  • Jeffrey Gunter, EDGE, Coastal Carolina
  • D’Jordon Strong, CB, Coastal Carolina

Every year, a guy gets drafted that I don’t expect. These aren’t quite those guys, as they deserve to be late-rounders. These aren’t exactly Galaxy Brain predictions.

A Few Long Shots to Cover My Ass

  • Corey Sutton, WR, Appalachian State
  • Shermari Jones, RB, Coastal Carolina
  • Chauncey Manac, OLB, Louisiana
  • Dahu Green, WR, Arkansas State

Sutton and Jones are Sun Belt monsters, and Green has the tangibles to be NFL material. There are other guys, of course, and they’ll likely be the ones who surprise us. Please refer all complaints to my lawyer.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sun Belt