Fans have ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. to thank for NFL draft season.Long before mock drafts were important and the NFL was a year-round league, Kiper was the guy working around the clock in the media to produce draft grades and keep folks informed ahead of the big event.Now look at it.The draft itself is a year-long process now. Mock drafts aren't just fun tools for fans, but comprehensive guides to the stock of the entire prospect class and team needs.And through it all, Kiper remains top dog. He's released another mock, this time a "Grade A" mock in which he makes the pick for teams that would give them an A based on his board. Let's take a look at some of the notable selections.Notable Picks6. New York Jets: O.J. Howard, TE, AlabamaIt's not often a tight end comes off the board in the top 10. This is especially the case in a class as deep as this year's group.Which makes the selection of Alabama's O.J. Howard especially noteworthy.Kiper keeps it short in sweet: "The Jets might be hesitant to take a tight end so high, but Howard has all the traits of a future All-Pro."No need for Kiper to ramble. There isn't much else to sayHoward is 6'6" and 251 pounds of NFL-ready talent who blocked well in the SEC and moved all over the field as a weapon, though his collegiate numbers never jumped off the page because the Crimson Tide don't involve the tight end much (Nick Saban pursues elite long snappers, so it's not a surprise Howard is a stud regardless).For the New York Jets, getting an offensive weapon like Howard maybe isn't the top priority at No. 6. But the top of the depth chart at tight end is Braedon Bowman, and if the team eventually breaks in a rookie quarterback, it's going to be nice to have a cornerstone like Howard on the roster.10. Buffalo Bills: Jabrill Peppers, S, MichiganMichigan's Jabrill Peppers seemingly fell out of favor in most draft circles.Peppers entered the draft process without a cemented position in large part because the Wolverines used him all over the field and never showcased him well enough as a defender. He's a great athlete at 5'11" and 213 pounds, but he never tallied notable turnover numbers.This doesn't stop Kiper from sending Peppers to the Buffalo Bills:Don't be shocked if Peppers goes this high. He's a tremendous athlete (4.46 40, 35-inch vertical) and the best punt returner in this draft. Even after signing Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, the Bills are far from settled at safety. And they don't have anyone on the roster like Peppers.It's hard to find Peppers in the first round of mocks at all these days, so it's quite important to circle this in red ink and keep it in mind as the draft nears.Maybe the best part about this pick is how much sense it makes. If the Bills are content to wait on a high-upside prospect while he learns a position, Peppers is certainly the guy to grab. He's an instant-impact player as a returner and can patrol the line of scrimmage and act as a run stuffer while learning the paces in coverage.With Jamal Adams off the board in Kiper's scenario and Malik Hooker falling because he's a combination of a project and injury risk, Peppers at No. 10 sounds like a nice fit. It's on head coach Sean McDermott and his staff to use the defense's new Swiss Army knife of sorts properly and pace his responsibilities alongside his development.13. Arizona Cardinals: Corey Davis, WR, Western MichiganFolks haven't heard much aboutWestern Michigan's Corey Davis of late because he's been sidelined with an injury.That doesn't make him any less impressive as a prospect.Kiper concurs, taking him off the board at No. 13 with the Arizona Cardinals, citing the team's downward-pointing arrow at wideout:Should the Cardinals reach for a quarterback here' I'm not so sure. They have needs elsewhere, namely at inside linebacker (if Reuben Foster drops, he'd be a good fit) and cornerback. Arizona's once-formidable receiving corps doesn't look as good with former first-round pick Michael Floyd gone and Larry Fitzgerald turning 34 before the season begins. Don't knock Davis' competition level -- he has No. 1 wideout potential.Davis is an incredible way to jump-start the position again. He's a 6'3", 209-pound wideout who inhales catches in reliable fashion with his hands, not his body, and got physical at the point of the catch and at its highest point against the top corners in the nation.Rotoworld's Josh Norris put it best in a simplistic sense:Four years of film show Davis as a silky-smooth route runner with impeccable ball skills and reliability where it matters most, at the third-down marker and in the red zone.As a bonus with this pick, Davis enters one of the best possible situations he could ask for as a protaking an understudy role alongside Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald. No doubt this one would get an "A" grade for most, even if the Cardinals still have to figure out what to do at quarterback.Stats courtesy ofNFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy ofPro Football Focus.
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