Why Ole Miss, Not Ohio State, Will Be the Talk of the 2016 NFL Draft
Ohio State's run to the 2014-2015 College Football Playoff National Championship was littered with young players who seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the Buckeyes to the title.
That youth became even more apparent last week, when no member of the national title team was selected in the first round of the NFL draft. By the end of the weekend, five Buckeyes moved on through the draft, with only two being selected before Round 4.
That will change next year because quarterback Cardale Jones, safety Vonn Bell, defensive end Joey Bosa, running back Ezekiel Elliott and linebacker Darron Lee are just a few of the laundry list of NFL prospects coming back to Columbus.
As Bleacher Report National Lead Writer Adam Kramer notes, that should terrify college football.
The same can be said for Ole Miss, though.
The Rebels return some serious talent in 2015, and as Bleacher Report NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller noted on Twitter, they will be one of the top teams producing talent in next year's draft:
Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche is the most notable name on the roster who could make waves next May.
The 6'4", 280-pound monster in the middle of the Rebel line is the kind of disruptive force who will make NFL scouts drool. He has the size to play inside and the quickness of a defensive end, which will make him invaluable at the next level.
"Prepare to hear how Nkemdiche is the next Jadeveon Clowney, and from an athletic standpoint that might not be crazy," said Miller. "He's 6'4", 280 pounds and was ready for the NFL from a physical standpoint after his sophomore season. He's big, powerful, fast and versatile enough to make plays anywhere from 3-technique to a true 4-3 defensive end. Folks looking for Mario Williams- or Julius Peppers-like talents will be all over him."
In a first round that will be littered with defensive linemen including Bosa and Baylor's Shawn Oakman, Nkemdiche will be one of the best provided he jumps early.
Another potential early enrollee is a player who joined Nkemdiche in the recruiting class of 2013.
Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil has been a starter from the outset in Oxford, and despite an offseason in which he has been recovering from a fractured fibula suffered in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Tunsil has his sights set on the 2016 draft.
"I just have to keep working my butt off," Tunsil said in April, according to Riley Blevins of The Clarion-Ledger. "When I come back out there, I'm just gonna have to show them who's going to be the first pick (in next year's NFL draft)."
Is that realistic? It certainly sounds like it.
"A pro-ready left tackle who plays much bigger than his 6'5", 305-pound frame," Miller said. "Tunsil is a mauler in the run game but smooth in his footwork off the line of scrimmage in pass protection. He doesn't look to have awesome length but makes up for it with timing and burst off the line to get to the corner. His recovery ability in pass protection is very impressive."
On the outside, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell was on his way to an All-American-type season last year before a gruesome broken leg suffered late in the loss to Auburn ended his season.
The 6'2", 229-pounder from Illinois established himself as a dangerous possession receiver in 2013 as a true freshman and added deep-threat responsibilities to his repertoire in 2014, hauling in 48 passes for 632 yards and five touchdowns.
"Before his awful injury last year, Treadwell was the second-best wide receiver prospect in college—behind Amari Cooper," said Miller. "He's built like Dez Bryant and has the size/speed combination to beat defensive backs in a number of ways. On the ground, he's a good route-runner and has enough speed to make moves after the catch. But off the ground, he's physical as a post-up receiver and can win on 50-50 balls."
Those are the three sure-fire first rounders on Ole Miss' roster, but a fourth who was also a member of the star-studded 2013 class is lurking in the secondary.
Tony Conner finished second on the team with 69 tackles in 2014, and the 6'0", 217-pound heavy hitter from Batesville, Mississippi, could sneak into the conversation with the best draft-eligible safeties if he comes out after his junior season.
"Conner doesn't get the spotlight he deserves, but it wouldn't surprise if he's in the conversation with Su'a Cravens (USC) and Jalen Ramsey (Florida State) at season's end," said Miller. "He's very physical at 6'0" and 217 pounds, and has the instincts to make plays in the box or bail in coverage. He may be this year's Landon Collins, though, as the strong safety is starting to lose a little value in the pass-happy NFL."
As NFL.com's Gil Brandt notes, three of those players—Tunsil, Treadwell and Conner—play positions that are attractive to NFL scouts:
The one who doesn't—Nkemdiche—is likely the most sure-fire first-rounder of the group. That's four potential first-rounders in Oxford, all of whom are early entrants who play attractive positions.
Jones and Elliott, while talented, don't have that going for them up in Columbus. Sure, they have the star power, name recognition and nice, shiny national championship rings on their fingers, but Ole Miss' stars are just as good and in better positions to be drafted.
That success—which will likely come in the first round—will elevate Ole Miss' success into the draft's biggest storyline in 2016.
What's more, there are plenty of ultra-talented draft-eligible players behind those stars in Oxford:
- C.J. Johnson is a versatile senior linebacker/defensive end, and his ability to play both positions will open doors for him at the next level regardless of the system an NFL team runs.
- Damore'ea Stringfellow is a 6'3", 229-pound clone of Treadwell, and the redshirt sophomore transfer from Washington will be put in advantageous situations with Treadwell drawing attention.
- While relatively inexperienced, defensive backs Tony Bridges and Tee Shepard could see their draft stocks explode in 2015.
- Defensive tackle Isaac Gross is an accomplished defensive lineman who could bounce around to a few different spots at the next level.
Does Ohio State have talented middle- and late-rounders? Sure, but that won't be enough to knock Ole Miss off its perch as the talk of the draft.
Ole Miss may not have the hype of the defending national champs, but if its draft-eligible players make the leap, they'll dominate the first round of the 2016 draft and keep that momentum going through the entire three-day event.
In the meantime, they'll be busy helping the Rebels take the next step into SEC West contention.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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