He probably wasn’t ever really a 1st rounder – not according to the people who make those decisions/
Draft season is more about projection and measurables and so that group of people probably always saw him more as a 2nd rounder… but during the season, they weren’t the ones giving opinions. At that time, it was more those who were following college football and seeing what he was doing. THAT group places more emphasis on what a player is currently doing on the field and less on projection.
As draft season starts and the projections crew becomes more involved, their voices start to get more credence and drop him down some.
Ultimately (while unfortunate for him) it’s not going to be a huge thing to go likely in the 2nd – that’s still early. Key will be how well he plays on that first contract to get a second.