Why Mel Kiper Jr. moved Oregon's Josh Conerly Jr. into first round in latest mock draft

Mel Kiper Jr. felt bad about not having Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round of his mock draft last month. ESPN’s lead NFL draft analyst changed that in his latest prognostication, forecasting the former Ducks left tackle to the Houston Texans.

Conerly is among several offensive linemen Kiper moved up in his latest two-round mock. Kiper said changes were made because players like Conerly were safer selections at a position of need for several teams compared to less certain skill position players.

How Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. performed at the NFL combine

As for why the Texans, who had a formal meeting with Conerly at the NFL combine and are scheduled to host him on a top 30 visit? Kiper cited the organization’s rebuilding efforts in the trenches this offseason, including signing tackle Cam Robinson and guard Laken Tomlinson.

“Josh Conerly Jr. is a developing left tackle,” Kiper said on a conference call Wednesday. “He has his best football ahead. He’s got really good feet and balance in pass pro. To me, he’s the kind of guy that showed against some pretty good pass rushers what he could do. Throw out the Mike Green one play at the Senior Bowl, overall he had a really good year at Oregon and is going to keep getting better and better.”

Kiper is the latest analyst to project Conerly as a first round pick in this month’s draft, joining ESPN’s Field Yates and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.

Oregon pro day highlighted by reunion of quarterbacks, recent stars

— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.