It sounds like Zay Flowers won't have to wait terribly long to hear his name called in late April.
Flowers, a Boston College product, is one of the best wide receiver prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft class. The Fort Lauderdale native boosted his draft stock with a tremendous senior season for the Eagles, and with the upcoming draft roughly two months away, Flowers apparently is being viewed as a hot commodity across the league.
On a recent episode of ESPN's "SportsCenter," host Scott Van Pelt asked longtime draft analyst Todd McShay to identify a first-round-caliber prospect who is "absolutely rocketing up the boards." Without missing a beat, McShay pinpointed Flowers.
"In August, I was there with Jeff Hafley, the head coach. He was saying this guy is an energizer bunny," McShay told Van Pelt. "You got to remember the quarterback situation was not ideal this year and he still had 1,100 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. I've got him going in the late first round and it won't surprise me when it's all said and done if he's somewhere in the top 15."
McShay projected Flowers to be the fourth wide receiver selected in his latest mock draft, going 25th overall to the New York Giants after TCU's Quentin Johnson (12th), USC's Jordan Addison (23rd) and Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba (24th). Fellow draft guru Daniel Jeremiah currently expects Flowers to be taken in the same range, going 29th overall to the New Orleans Saints.
Should Flowers be drafted in Round 1, he'll become the first wide receiver out of BC to ever be selected in the opening round.