The final month before the NFL Draft usually brings the rise of unknowns and the fall of first-round prospects in mock drafts, and this year has been no exception. With the draft only six days away, here is a handful of former LSU players who experienced a significant change in their draft stock.
Zach Mettenberger, quarterback 
Mettenberger was LSU’s biggest surprise in 2013, flourishing under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron until he tore his ACL in the final week of the regular season to end his senior campaign.
The injury has NFL teams hesitant to spend an early round draft pick on Mettenberger, who sought to quiet those skeptics at LSU’s Pro Day on April 9. He performed passing drills in pads and showed adequate pocket mobility just four months after undergoing knee surgery.
“A lot of teams met up with him on Pro Day to talk with him and see where his head is,” said Larry Holder, a New Orleans Saints beat writer for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. “To me, it had to have helped him because it showed not long after the surgery that he was able to go out and make all the throws and really still look the part.”
Holder said he projects Mettenberger as a second-day pick but has heard the quarterback may fall to the last day of the draft. 
In 2013, Mettenberger dwarfed the output from his junior year, throwing for more than 3,000 yards while maintaining 64.9 percent completion rate. Holder said the most significant boom to Mettenberger’s draft stock was the year he spent with Cameron, who coached in the NFL for 14 years.
“If [Mettenberger hadn’t played for Cameron], he would not be talked about as a second-round pick because he would not have had the year he had last year,” Holder said. “You cannot discount that. He had an                                           NFL-caliber coach running an NFL-caliber offense, so it certainly was one of the major difference-makers. He had all the tools physically, but I think it mentally helped him get going.”
Odell Beckham Jr., wide receiver
It’s amazing what a 40-yard dash can do.
Beckham has steadily climbed mock draft boards since clocking a 4.43-second run at the NFL Combine in late February. CBSSports.com projects Beckham to be the No. 15 pick in the draft, and Holder said the receiver is a lock to be a mid-first round pick.
“You cannot discount the fact that he ran well at the combine, and it’s really been the difference-maker in the story between him and [fellow LSU receiver] Jarvis Landry,” Holder said. “There were a lot of people who thought Jarvis Landry was a better receiver than Odell Beckham going into the combine. Beckham runs fast, Landry runs slow, and things change.”
Beckham’s return skills also make him stand out in this year’s loaded receiver class. He notched 1,005 return yards on kickoffs and punts and averaged 26.4 yards per kick return last season.
Jarvis Landry, wide receiver
Just as a good 40-yard dash time made Beckham’s draft stock soar, a bad one sent Jarvis Landry plummeting down draft boards.
Landry pulled his right hamstring and ran a dismal 4.77-second dash at the Combine, which was the slowest time among receivers at the event. He remedied that with a 4.51-second time at LSU Pro Day but failed to boost his draft stock during individual drills.
“You’re expected to have a good pro day,” Holder said. “If you have a bad pro day, that’s a red flag. Jarvis Landry ran better at his pro day, but you can’t drop passes in your pro day, and that happened.”
Landry’s lack of speed has likely relegated him to a second-day pick who could fall as far as the fourth round. But Holder raved about the receiver’s hands that give him a tremendous upside. 
“I think he can catch everything under the sun,” Holder said. “I talked to someone in the know and we went over some LSU guys a couple weeks ago, and we both agreed that someone is going to get a steal in Jarvis Landry. They’re just not going to take him in the first round.”
Trai Turner, offensive guard
Though LSU’s trio of offensive playmakers appears to be the most desirable bunch from Baton Rouge in this year’s draft class, another former Tiger is skyrocketing up the draft boards.
Turner posted the third-best 40-yard dash time among offensive linemen at the Combine, with a mark of 4.93 seconds. Turner’s speed coupled with his 6-foot-3, 310-pound frame have some organizations willing to take a chance on him earlier than expected.
“I don’t know if I buy it, but I’m hearing he could sneak into the first round,” Holder said. “I think he could be a day-two pick, and I think he can come in and start in the NFL. I would look out for him. He’s been impressing some teams, so I would not sleep on Trai Turner.”