Mock Draft Positions For Juan Thornhill (UVA) & Darnell Savage (UMD)

| Posted on |

The two biggest college sports programs in the DMV — Virginia and Maryland — each have a player projected to go in the first two rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft. Ironically, both Juan Thornhill (Virginia) and Darnell Savage Jr. (Maryland) are defensive backs, and both have seen their stocks rise a ton since the end of the 2018 college football season.

Several teams are itching to get their hands on both players but if things shake out a certain way, the pair could be facing one another in the annual Cowboys-Redskins rivalry series.

Savage Jr., per six different mock drafts supplied by Testudo Times, is projected to be a late first-round NFL Draft selection. The first mock draft listed, via Rotoworld’s Josh Norris, has the All-Big 10 safety going 23rd to the Washington Redskins. There’s definitely some smoke here; the senior met with the Redskins on Tuesday, so there’s obviously plenty of interest.

On the flip side, some first-round mocks, like Mike Florio’s, don’t have Savage Jr. penciled in. It’s quite possible Washington is eyeing the former Terp for their second-round pick at No. 46.

Either way, I love when college players get selected by a local pro team (ie: Torrey Smith, Ryan Nassib) and it could happen here.

As for Thornhill, a two-time All-ACC selection, Dallas Cowboys fans are super excited about a potential relationship. Five different mocks have him landing in Big D (via Blogging The Boys) and the fit is perfect.

The Cowboys desperately need talent in their secondary but there’s some doubt about whether Thornhill will still be available when their time comes. Dallas doesn’t pick until No. 58 and some think he’ll be wearing a different team’s hat by then. His stock soared as the draft process played out, impressing teams with superb athleticism at his pro day and combine workouts, as well as his ability to play both cornerback and safety position.

For Dallas, that’s not good, especially if he really is their first option. At the same time, Thornhill’s projected draft spot has more variance than most other prospects, ranging from the first to third rounds, as you’ll see below.

Below, we’ll look at other prominent mock drafts to gauge what teams — besides Washington and Dallas — could potentially land Savage Jr. and Thornhill in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Darnell Savage Jr.:

Juan Thornhill:

We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but hopefully, they both get picked early on.

#CantWait