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In just under two weeks, the 2015 NFL Draft will take place in Chicago. A lot has been made about where former Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon will be drafted and by whom. The Wisconsin State Journal's Jason Galloway reported earlier this week Gordon will be at the NFL Draft, just about an hour south of his hometown of Kenosha.
Sports Illustrated's Peter King noted on The MMQB this week that Gordon will not fall below No. 26, where the Baltimore Ravens currently sit. As seen below, many draft experts still think highly of Gordon as they did back in late February.
| Dan Kadar, SB Nation | Don Banks, SI | Charles Davis, NFL.com | Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com | Bucky Brooks, NFL.com | Charley Casserly, NFL.com | Lance Zierlein, NFL.com | Matt Miller, Bleacher Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Mock Draft | Apr. 13th | Apr. 16th | Apr. 15th | Mar. 18th | Mar. 30th | Apr. 13th | Apr. 8th | Mar. 24th |
| Draft Order | 32nd | 17th | 26th | 27th | 27th | 24th | 24th | 37th |
| Team | New England Patriots | San Diego Chargers | Baltimore Ravens | Dallas Cowboys | Dallas Cowboys | Arizona Cardinals | Arizona Cardinals | New York Jets |
| Nate Davis, USA Today | Eric Edholm, Yahoo | Rob Rang, CBS Sports | Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com | Pat Kirwan, CBS Sports | Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports | Walter Football | Drafttek | |
| Date of Mock Draft | Apr. 14th | Apr. 16th | Apr. 15th | Apr. 15th | Feb. 24th | Apr. 15th | Apr. 16th | Apr. 15th |
| Draft Order | 17th | 25th | 17th | 17th | 17th | 26th | 23rd | 23rd |
| Team | San Diego Chargers | Carolina Panthers | San Diego Chargers | San Diego Chargers | San Diego Chargers | Baltimore Ravens | Detroit Lions | Detroit Lions |
The question has risen more lately if the Doak Walker winner and Heisman finalist, or former Georgia running back Todd Gurley -- who's coming off ACL surgery -- will be the first running back taken in the first round since 2012. It was mentioned during the first part of ESPN's Draft Academy, featuring both Gurley and Gordon.
Gordon's still in many experts' first round, but there are those who place Gurley ahead of Gordon. Among them, Brugler has Gurley going to the Miami Dolphins at No. 14, Edholm has the Texans drafting the Georgia product at No. 16 and all of the NFL.com draft experts picked Gurley to go ahead of Gordon in their drafts. Others, like Trapasso, Rang and Banks, have Gordon above Gurley in their mocks. Regardless of draft position, both have the ability to make an impact on the field.
As noted in February, the Cowboys and Ravens appear to be favorites to draft the heralded running back. Many experts also think the Cardinals, Chargers (losing Ryan Matthews to the Philadelphia Eagles), and Lions (who said goodbye to Reggie Bush) could also be a good home for Gordon.
The most surprising one, might be SB Nation's Dan Kadar predicting Gordon going to the Patriots at the end of the first round. If Gordon does fall that far, it would only bolster New England's offense under quarterback Tom Brady -- and also reunite the most dynamic post-touchdown celebration in Wisconsin history: