CBS mock draft: Clayton Thorson is a third-round pick

With the NFL Draft just weeks away, more detailed mock drafts are beginning to flood the Internet. On Tuesday, CBS released their first three-round mock draft of 2019, and Clayton Thorson snuck into it at the very end.

Thanks largely to an ankle injury that he sustained during the Holiday Bowl keeping him away from most drills at both his Pro Day and the NFL Combine, Thorson’s projections have been all over the place. Before his final season at Northwestern, the quarterback was even placed in the top half of this year’s first round by several prognosticators.

The hype has mainly died down, but there are still plenty of respected football minds that seem to think Thorson is a steal, even on Day 2. Right now, the consensus has him going around the Day 2/Day 3 barrier, and this mock draft from Ryan Wilson feeds right into that placement.

Wilson has Thorson being taken with the 101st pick in the draft, which is currently held by — you guessed it — the New England Patriots. The pick is the Patriots’ second compensation selection in the third round. Belichick and Co. are always searching for a potential replacement for the aging Tom Brady, and at least one “experts” seems to think that Thorson could be a fit.

Here’s what Wilson had to say: “Thorson is a smart player who makes good decisions with the football. He excels at knowing where to go with the ball and getting it out of his hand quickly but struggles with deep throws.”

Thorson, of course, started for four straight years in Evanston, a pedigree that could impress New England. He finished with a career completion percentage of 58.4, 6.3 yards per attempt, and 61 touchdowns to go along with 45 interceptions.

Though he did not participate in many of the drills at his pro day, Thorson impressed with his performance in passing drills, completing 48-of-50 passes. All 32 NFL teams were in attendance, and at least the Panthers reportedly met with him afterwards.

The last Wildcat to become a Patriot on draft day was Austin Carr as an undrafted free agent two years ago. Probably the best receiver that Thorson ever threw to in his time with Northwestern, Carr has now latched on with the Saints.