Guess who’s coming to dinner … While the pro day workouts are the focus of the pre-draft process these days, teams are also starting to arrange on-site visits of prospects they would like to bring to their facilities. For the record, every team is allowed to bring in up to 30 out-of-town prospects for interviews and follow-up medical tests, while on-field activities are not allowed. And while one shouldn’t read too much into these visits, they can provide some intel. For example, if a player is visiting with teams picking around the same spot in the opening round, then there is a pretty good chance that that is around where that player is graded. In that context, it is interesting to note that Alabama DE Jonathan Allen has reportedly scheduled meetings in Chicago and Jacksonville. There were a few questions around the league that Allen could slip a little after he ran a disappointing 5-flat 40 at the combine. However, the fact that the Bears and Jaguars have the 3rd and 4th picks respectively suggests that if Allen does slip it may not be all that far. Meanwhile, enigmatic Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon reportedly has set up a visit with Cincinnati. Mixon is arguably one of the best backs in the 2017 draft class, but his draft status has been clouded by an off-field incident in 2014 when he assaulted a female. The Bengals aren’t going to take Mixon with their #1 pick – they select 9th – but could be tempted in a later round.
