Buckle up, y’all. Draft week is here and the narratives are flying.

The narratives give us some great content for smoke screen season. Some might have a bit more truth than others. We’ve been getting those pre-Draft narratives about guys since fall, so by now, a few of these might’ve taken on new life.

But as NFL Draft week begins, I thought I’d dig into some SEC-related Draft narratives that just don’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

1. Hendon Hooker’s age should prevent him from being a Round 1 guy

Why I’m not buying that — I get it. He’s older than Jalen Hurts. Only 3 quarterbacks who were 25 or older have ever been selected before the 6th round (via ESPN). If the argument is simply, “well, he’s old and you can’t take older quarterbacks because of Brandon Weeden,” I’d say that doesn’t carry much weight. The quarterback position is different to evaluate now in part because the transfer portal exists (as does the free COVID year) and also, the rules to protect quarterbacks have allowed for guys to play later and later.

I think it’s fair, to an extent, to wonder about how Hooker’s skill set will translate if the scheme doesn’t incorporate the spread, up-tempo elements we saw work for him at Tennessee. And if I’m hoping a quarterback is going to be my Week 1 starter coming out of the Draft, I get having some reservations on rolling with the guy who tore his ACL in November.

But I think the age thing is incredibly overblown, especially if you know Hooker’s story about why he didn’t pop earlier at Virginia Tech. Besides, are we losing sight of the fact that if Hooker turns into a franchise QB, you can get him on a rookie deal during his peak-physical years. Those are supposed to be his mid-to-late 20s. Hooker’s age won’t make or break his NFL success.

2. Jalen Carter hurt himself by only visiting teams in the top 10

Why I’m not buying that — Of all the weirdness that’s followed Carter during the pre-Draft process, I actually don’t think his team’s choice of meetings is going to hurt him in the way some expect. I don’t know who needs to hear this but … Carter isn’t falling out of the top 10. Yes, I understand that his arrest and pro day showing didn’t help his stock. I won’t spin those as positives because they weren’t. I won’t argue that.

But Carter’s team made that decision because they know his skill set is highly coveted. This isn’t quarterback, where you go in the top 10 because a team falls in love with you. You can take a “risk” on a game-wrecking defensive tackle and know that it won’t cost you your job, especially if it’s somewhere in that 5-10 range, which is where I expect Carter to end up.

I’d be surprised if Carter tumbled into the middle of the first round and his lack of meetings outside the top 10 became a discussion on Draft night.

3. Anthony Richardson has the highest upside of any QB prospect

Why I’m not buying that — Yep. He’s a physical freak. If playing football was all about just working out in shorts without pads, I’d take Richardson to be my first pick. If there was ever a scenario in which Richardson would actually be throwing fades from his butt like we saw him do at his pro day, sure, I’d say the upside is there.

But the lack of quality reps terrifies me.

I’d be nervous about Richardson if he was a borderline All-SEC guy in his 1 season as a starter. Instead, Richardson has 126 fewer FBS passing attempts than a 1-year starter like Kyler Murray. Shoot, even Mitch Trubisky threw the ball 572 times in his college career compared to Richardson’s 393 … only 54.7% of which were completions. Richardson can make spectacular plays in the open field with his legs. So many of those instances in which his legs shined felt like the defense turned around without a spy in man coverage, which is why I don’t believe he’s truly a move-the-chains runner that gives him the floor of someone like Justin Fields or Josh Allen.

I truly hope Richardson has NFL success because he’d be a joy to watch if we saw those physical talents on display. I’m just not sold on the guy in desperate need of reps who finished 11th in the SEC in quarterback rating having the potential that aligns with his workouts and occasional viral plays.

4. Jalin Hyatt is too risky to take early in Round 2 because he was a 1-year wonder who only thrived because of his scheme

Why I’m not buying that — Did Hyatt play in an offense wherein his skill set was on full display? Absolutely. If Hyatt spent last year at A&M, there’s zero chance that he wins the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in America. But just because Hyatt thrived in Josh Heupel’s offense — wherein the route tree and tempo are being questioned by the NFL Draft community — doesn’t mean it’s the only one he can thrive in.

A guy who can stretch the field and get in and out of his breaks from the slot has great value, even if that means he’s more of an early Round 2 guy instead of being 1 of the first 3 receivers off the board. Ask anyone who spent time around Tennessee and they’ll tell you that Hyatt exploded in 2022 because he put in the work. This isn’t just a case of some Group of 5 receiver taking off because he’s physically superior in the open field. And while Hyatt wasn’t 100% matchup proof (more on that in a second), the guy had 826 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns against SEC competition alone.

Hyatt was essentially was the 2022 version of Jameson Williams, who also parlayed his breakout season into the No. 12 overall pick. It’d be stunning to see Hyatt come off the board in the front half of Round 1, but if he slips past the first part of Round 2, teams will have overthought it.

5. Cam Smith can’t cover downfield threats

Why I’m not buying that — I’m reading this straight off of Smith’s profile on NFL.com:

“Smith lacks fluidity and acceleration to consistently press and run with speedy downfield targets. Also, he gives ground in his lateral transitions.”

Wait a minute. Isn’t Smith the guy who shadowed the aforementioned Hyatt, AKA the guy with 3 more catches of 40 yards (11) compared to any Power 5 receiver, without a single catch of 20 yards? Yeah. Never mind the fact that Smith had only guarded the slot (where Hyatt typically lined up) on 19.7% of his snaps heading into that game. He took that challenge head on and thrived against the best deep threat in America. If Smith were really a liability defending the deep ball as the team’s No. 1 corner, South Carolina probably would’ve ranked a whole lot worse than No. 27 nationally in 20-yard completions allowed.

It’s been interesting seeing Smith’s NFL Draft stock take a perceived hit in the last few months when it once seemed like he was locked in as a Day 1 guy. Maybe him skipping agility drills at the Combine and Pro Day had something to do with that. Whatever the case, Smith should be billed as a versatile, lockdown corner who can start from the jump.

6. Will Levis is Josh Allen 2.0

Why I’m not buying that — I find myself in a weird spot because it wasn’t long ago that I banged the drum for Levis as one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. I’d have no problem with him as a late-Round 1 guy in the right situation. But comparing him to an MVP candidate like Allen is frustrating. Levis was more accurate than Allen coming out, though I’d argue Allen’s junior year showed far more deep-ball prowess than we saw at any point in Levis’ career.

Levis struggled behind a bad offensive line, but he also struggled because he holds onto the football too long. Even he would admit that. Allen really took off in the NFL once he got to work with Brian Daboll. I think Daboll’s current quarterback, Daniel Jones, is a more accurate comp for Levis. You might be able to build a system around them, but it’ll take plenty of quarterback runs to maximize their potential and you’re not getting someone who has been known as a distributor who can pick you apart with his arm.

I get that Levis and Allen have some similar strengths (arm strength, specifically) and weaknesses (accuracy), but I worry that the decision-making for the former Kentucky quarterback won’t be at a level to process at an MVP candidate level. The mistakes will limit his upside and make the Allen comps eventually fade.

7. Bryce Young doesn’t have enough size or arm strength to succeed at the next level

Why I’m not buying that — Play the clip.

Now play the clip from that game where Young took a 300-pound defensive lineman blasting him in the face and he bounced back up like it was no big deal. If you think Young’s size prevented Alabama from winning that game at NEY-land Stadium (not “NAY-land” like Solak says in the video), that’s on you. Young admitted his size is a fair criticism because he understands the list of sub-200 pound guys playing quarterback in the NFL are few and far between (he’ll end up playing sub-200 and not at his combine weight).

But that dude is tough as nails, and behind an offensive line who allowed just as many sacks as Levis, guess who missed less time in 2 years as a starter? Young. If there’s ever a guy who is going to break the mold with that physical makeup, it’s someone who can distribute like Young.

Anyone who pushes back on him as the No. 1 overall pick has wildly overthought this.