It’s smokescreen season. Hypothetical trades and false rumors are kicked around like a hacky sack at recess. So it’s hard to know exactly where players will be plucked in the NFL Draft.

But we can ballpark where a prospect might fall by pooling some of the most well-sourced mock drafts.

Boston College’s Zion Johnson is one of 21 players attending this year’s draft in Las Vegas. Most attendees hear their name called in the first round, and there’s a good chance Johnson shares that experience, too, especially considering where some of the most esteemed analysts have him.

ESPN NFL Draft gurus Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay alternated picks in a three-round mock draft earlier this week. Kiper ended up taking Johnson with the 26th overall pick. That would place the former Eagle with Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans.

Johnson, of course, played alongside Vrabel’s son, Tyler, for three seasons at BC, not to mention that the O-Linemen roomed together as well. The Titans need help up front. It’s a position of need, particularly for a team that relies on the run game like Tennessee does.

The Ringer’s Danny Kelly also has Johnson headed to the Titans in the first round. Johnson, an All-ACC first teamer at left guard this past season, started the entire 2020 campaign at left tackle. That season, he gave up 22 pressures and just two sacks while protecting the blind side, according to Pro Football Focus. Johnson also played center during the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Speaking of PFF, lead college analyst Anthony Treash has Johnson falling to the New York Giants in the second round. PFF is pretty high on Johnson in its 2022 Draft Guide, however, they note he lacks exceptional get-off and sometimes is slower to pick up blitzes and stunts.

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports and NFL Network likes Johnson with the Arizona Cardinals at 23rd overall. Rodney Hudson has the center position under control out in the desert, but the Cards could use some help at guard, so the selection would make sense for general manager Steve Keim. Arizona has gone with a defensive player in the first round of the last two drafts. Schrager believes Keim will switch it up in 2022.

PFF isn’t the only site that doesn’t have Johnson going in the first round. Johnson is missing from both CBS Sports’ and Sports Illustrated’s most recent mock drafts.

It’s not a lock he’s picked Day One, but, given his stock’s ascent during the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine and the fact that he was invited to the event, it’s fair to suspect BC will have its second first-round O-Linemen in four years.

Johnson fits the bill. He’s a plug-and-play interior offensive lineman with significant experience and a superb understanding of the game.