Maxx Williams projects as a ­second-round draft pick, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said in a conference call. McShay also had good things to say about former Gopher David Cobb, while noting that this year's running back class is loaded.

"I think [Williams is] the best tight end in the class if he comes out," McShay said, and Williams made it official last week that he's leaving college early for the draft. "I think he'll probably be a second-round pick, somewhere in that range.

"I was talking to a GM earlier in the year and he compared him to Greg Olsen, who was drafted by the Bears (No. 31 overall in 2007) and is now with Carolina — just that kind of player. He's got the size — 6-4, 250-ish — averaged 16 yards a catch, good hands, adequate blocker, can improve in that area. But I see speed on the field."

McShay said Cobb was "overlooked this year. … He doesn't have blazing speed, but he has really good instincts as a runner. … I think he's got a chance to be one of the — I don't want to say steals — but I think he's got a chance to outplay where he gets drafted."

Gridiron Gold: startribune.com/gophers