NFL Draft 2015: Updated Prospect Radar, Post Week 1
Football season is in full swing throughout the nation. While the National Football League is wrapping up its first week of games of 2014, the college football season is two weeks in, and NFL prospects like USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams and Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper are already standing out, more than seven months in advance of the 2015 NFL draft.
A number of marquee games this past weekend, such as USC versus Stanford, Oregon against Michigan State and the final scheduled meeting of the Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry, presented prime opportunities for prospects to make big impressions (or for their flaws to be exposed).
Meanwhile, there have been a number of other players whose play in the first two weeks of the season has been too dominant to ignore.
Some of the following players are already on the trajectory to being very high-draft selections in 2015 or in a later year, but others need to step up their performance after early season struggles.
Stock Up: Leonard Williams, DE/DT, USC (Jr.)
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This Week: 11 total tackles, one sack
Opponent: Stanford
Despite a high ankle sprain that seemed as though it might keep him out of Saturday’s game altogether, Leonard Williams played a starring role in USC’s 13-10 victory over Stanford and made it clear that he is one of the best defensive players in the country.
Williams’ second game of the year got off to a slow start, as he came out of the game on its first series while appearing to be favoring his ankle, but the injury seemed to affect him less and less as the game wore on.
In the first quarter of the game, Williams made a spectacular effort when he pursued Stanford’s most explosive offensive player, Ty Montgomery, on a botched Wildcat play and forced Montgomery into a tackle for loss. From that point forward, Williams regularly made plays at the line of scrimmage, penetrating to bring heat into the backfield and also holding his ground solidly as a run defender.
Eleven total tackles for a defensive lineman is impressive in any circumstance, but especially so for a player going up against a top-25 opponent while also nursing an injury. The quickness and ability to wreak havoc that he showed on an ailing ankle only makes it exceedingly clear how spectacular a physical specimen Williams is at 6’5” and 300 pounds.
Williams plays both outside and inside for the USC defensive line, but he projects as either a 3-4 defensive end or 4-3 defensive tackle at the next level. His versatility makes him a great fit for either scheme, and his production and tools could enable him to go as high as the No. 1 overall pick if he declares for the 2015 draft.
Current Draft Projection: Top 10
Stock Up: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
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This Week: Five total tackles, one interception; 30 yards on three punt returns
Opponent: Michigan State
Leonard Williams wasn’t the only projected first-round pick to overcome an ankle injury to put together a strong performance and help his team come up with a victory in a marquee second-week game. Another was Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who “wasn’t fully healthy” on Saturday yet continued to show, in the Ducks’ 46-27 victory over Michigan State, why he could be the top cornerback selected in the 2015 draft.
Ekpre-Olomu’s coverage was largely untested by Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook on Saturday, but that didn’t stop the cornerback from making his mark on the contest. He made a number of sound tackles in pursuit as a run defender and locked down opponents when passes were thrown in his direction.
On special teams, Ekpre-Olomu displayed his speed and agility to gain some yardage as a punt returner, while his acceleration was on display once again in punt coverage as he shut down a couple of return opportunities as a gunner.
Ekpre-Olomu’s interception, however, was a moment for the highlight reels. The senior cornerback made a perfect read on a deflected pass, acrobatically leaped toward the loose ball and caught it in full extension (video) while diving to the ground for a key fourth-quarter takeaway that helped seal his team’s win.
Saturday was an up-and-down showing for most of the Oregon defense, as the Ducks allowed 343 passing yards and 466 total yards, but Ekpre-Olomu continued to find ways to stand out while taking care of business as usual in coverage.
In spite of being listed at only 5’10” and 195 pounds by Oregon’s official athletics website, Ekpre-Olomu should be well on his way to a first-round selection.
Current Draft Projection: Top 20
Stock Down: Kurtis Drummond, S, Michigan State
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This Week: Three total tackles
Opponent: Oregon
Kurtis Drummond has the skill set to potentially be a first-round pick and/or the top safety selected in the 2015 draft, but the senior safety from Michigan State did nothing to show that in the Spartans’ loss to Oregon.
For the most part, Drummond was a non-factor in Saturday’s game. He accumulated three tackles, but all of them were downfield. A defensive back typically known for making big hits and plays on the ball, Drummond’s only noteworthy moments this past weekend were moments that cost his team in a big way.
Drummond got caught with his eyes in the backfield and let Oregon speedster Devon Allen run free to get wide open from the slot for a downfield catch-and-run that would end up as a 70-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
In the final two minutes of the game, Drummond helped the Ducks drive a nail into the coffin when he went blatantly offsides on an Oregon field-goal attempt. That penalty gave the Ducks five yards and allowed them to keep their offense on the field, which they used to not only convert but also score a touchdown on their very next play.
A 6’1”, 202-pound safety with good athleticism and difference-making traits, Drummond is likely to battle fellow seniors Derron Smith (Fresno State) and Cody Prewitt (Mississippi) for top billing in this year’s class at the position. To emerge atop that group, he needs to have stronger performances in later marquee games this year than he did on Saturday.
Current Draft Projection: Round 1-2
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Stock Up: Marcus Rush, DE, Michigan State
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This Week: 11 total tackles, 2.5 total tackles for loss, one sack
Opponent: Oregon
Michigan State has one potential first-round pick at defensive end in redshirt junior Shilique Calhoun, but it was his counterpart, Marcus Rush, who stood out individually in a losing effort for the Spartans defense on Saturday.
Rush had a constant presence on Michigan State’s front line in this contest. He held his ground well and did a great job working off blocks with his hands, then showing his athleticism in both bringing pressure as a pass-rusher and making plays in pursuit versus the run.
The senior edge defender led the Spartans in tackles on Saturday and also had six total quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, who tracked Michigan State-Oregon as its “College Game of the Week.”
Typically lined up as the left defensive end, Rush gave significant trouble to both Andre Yruretagoyena, the Ducks’ starting right tackle, and Tyrell Crosby, who took Yruretagoyena's place in the lineup when the starter left with a leg injury.
Rush’s game wasn’t perfect; he bit badly on a fake handoff and gave up the edge on one play to allow Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota to run for a 40-yard gain. He also had two missed tackles, according to PFF. Still, Rush’s production in this game was consistent and outstanding.
There’s nothing spectacular physically about Rush, who is listed at 6’3” and 251 pounds by Michigan State’s official athletics website, but he’s a high-effort player who uses his hands well and has enough athleticism to be a rotational player as either a 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker. A four-year starter who has had solid career production, Rush can elevate his draft stock by continuing to play as well as he did Sunday.
Current Draft Projection: Round 5-6
Stock Down: Devin Gardner, QB, Michigan
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This Week: 19-of-32 passing for 189 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT; 11 rushes for five yards, one fumble
Opponent: Notre Dame
While Michigan State stumbled to defeat in the second half of their nationally televised game against Oregon, the Michigan Wolverines were simply dismantled in their 31-point shutout loss to Notre Dame. One of the big reasons why Michigan was obliterated: a revolting performance by senior quarterback Devin Gardner.
While Gardner couldn’t lead the Michigan offense to any points, his four second-half turnovers made it easy for the Fighting Irish to secure victory on Saturday.
A 6’4”, 216-pound signal-caller with a good arm and intriguing athleticism, Gardner’s physical tools gave him the potential to rise up draft boards among a weak senior quarterback crop, but the fifth-year senior hasn’t shown nearly enough improvement since first seeing the field in 2010.
So long as accuracy and turnovers continue to be problems—which they appeared to be Saturday—Gardner won’t be able to bring much to an NFL team.
“Devin Gardner - still a turnover machine,” CBS Cleveland’s Keith Britton tweeted Saturday. “Wonder if those NFL scouts that were intrigued are sobered up yet.”
Gardner is a player who could be worth a flier as an NFL prospect simply because of his physical gifts, but his lack of graspable improvement is likely to sober many teams up on his promise, as Britton suggested.
Current Draft Projection: Round 6-7
Stock Up: Everett Golson, QB, Notre Dame (Jr.)
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This Week: 23-of-34 passing for 226 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; three rushes for minus-14 yards
Opponent: Michigan
While Devin Gardner’s performance Saturday raised serious doubts about the Michigan quarterback’s ability to be an NFL player, Notre Dame’s Everett Golson took another step toward legitimizing himself as a pro prospect this past weekend.
Golson certainly came into this year with something to prove after an academic issue forced him to sit out the entire 2013-14 season. So far, he’s looked evidently better than he did in 2012, as he has completed 66.1 percent of his passing attempts with 9.3 yards per attempt, five touchdowns and no interceptions through two games against Rice and Michigan.
The quarterback’s height isn’t even listed on Notre Dame’s official athletics website, which is a good indicator that he’s shorter than the Fighting Irish signal-caller would like NFL scouts to know, but more importantly, he must establish that he can be a consistently accurate downfield passer to garner any real consideration for a draft selection.
So far, the athletic playmaker’s efficiency has been impressive. After Saturday’s game, Bleacher Report’s Keith Arnold described the quarterback, who is considered to be a senior by Notre Dame but is a redshirt junior in terms of eligibility to play, as “Everett Golson 2.0.”
It would be a surprise if Golson declared for the 2015 draft, but he’ll at least enter the conversation to a Day 3 pick if he keeps playing as well as he has started this season.
Current Draft Projection: Round 7
Stock Up: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (Jr.)
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This Week: 13 receptions for 189 yards, 1 TD; one rush for 20 yards
Opponent: Florida Atlantic
Through the first two games of his junior season, Alabama’s Amari Cooper has made a strong case for being college football’s best wide receiver and the top prospect at his position for the 2015 NFL draft.
Cooper had a disappointing sophomore campaign, in which his production was affected by drops and by toe and foot injuries, but he has displayed the potential to be a star. An explosive athlete who can outrun cornerbacks with his speed and also make defenders miss in the open field, Cooper brings big-play ability to the table as an outside receiver.
He put that ability on display in the first quarter of Alabama’s 41-0 rout Saturday, when he accelerated like a sprinter off a screen pass to run by two defenders up the right sideline and then stroll into the end zone for a 52-yard score, leaving the Owls in the dust with ease.
Through two games, Cooper has been clearly established as the go-to target for new Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims, and he is combining his physical gifts with sharp route-running. As a result, Cooper currently leads all receivers in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 25 receptions and 319 receiving yards.
The 6’1”, 210-pound receiver looks ready to emerge as this year’s star pass-catching prospect in college football. If his production stays even close to the torrid pace he has started out at, Cooper will be a possible top-10 pick should he declare for the draft after his junior season.
Current Draft Projection: Top 20
Stock Down: Austin Hill, WR, Arizona
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This Week: Two receptions for nine yards
Opponent: UT-San Antonio
Like Amari Cooper, Arizona’s Austin Hill is a wide receiver trying to re-establish himself as a top prospect after a tough 2013-14 season. Hill missed all of last year with a torn ACL. He failed to take advantage, however, of his first big opportunity to showcase his game this season.
Hill was in the spotlight Thursday night when Arizona played Texas-San Antonio in a nationally televised game, but he made no significant contributions as he caught just two passes for nine combined yards.
The senior wideout looked fully healthy in Arizona’s season opener against UNLV, a game in which he recorded a 92-yard catch-and-run touchdown. He just didn’t emerge at all in Thursday’s game, which the Wildcats won by a score of 26-23.
Possessing a top-notch combination of size and athleticism at 6’3” and 212 pounds, Hill is a big target who can also stretch the field from both outside and inside. He seemed to be on the verge of stardom before his injury in 2013, but needs to prove he can be a consistent offensive weapon in 2014 to establish himself as a top-100 pick in the 2015 draft.
Current Draft Projection: Round 3-4
Stock Up: Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
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This Week: 12 total tackles, 4.5 total tackles for loss, four sacks
Opponent: Eastern Washington
It’s been a rough start to the year for the Washington defense as a whole, as the Huskies have given up 997 total yards and 68 points through just two games, but no player in college football has had more impressive individual production than Washington senior defensive tackle Danny Shelton.
Nose tackles like Shelton, who is listed on Washington’s official athletics website as 6’2” and 339 pounds, typically don’t get much credit on the stat sheet for the dirty work they do in the trenches. Shelton, however, has started the year with a two-game run of production that is truly rare for an interior defensive lineman.
Shelton has recorded six sacks, 2.5 more than any other defensive player in the FBS, and only five players at college football’s highest level have recorded more total tackles than his 24.
Shelton can overwhelm his opponents with his size and strength alone, but as evidenced by his early sack numbers, he also has impressive quickness and penetrative ability for a man of his girth. He’s shorter than the prototypical NFL defensive lineman, but his all-around physical attributes give him the potential to play multiple spots in any defensive alignment, particularly in a 3-4 front.
He’ll have to prove himself against tougher competition than Hawaii and Eastern Washington later this season, but his early dominance this year is highly intriguing for a player who could be the best nose tackle prospect in the 2015 draft class.
Current Draft Projection: Round 2
Stock Up: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
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This Week: 17 rush for 54 yards, 1 TD; three catches for 96 yards, 1 TD; one kickoff return for 34 yards
Opponent: McNeese State
Arguably the top senior running back in the country, Ameer Abdullah has made a strong case in his favor in the first two games of Nebraska’s season.
After posting 241 yards from scrimmage in Nebraska’s season opener, Abdullah had a comparatively quiet game as the Cornhuskers got all they could handle in the first 59 minutes and 30 seconds of their game against McNeese State on Saturday.
When Nebraska needed a big play most, however, Abdullah put his special talent on display. With just 30 seconds left in regulation, Abdullah caught a short pass, broke through numerous tackles and then used his speed to run away from the McNeese State for what would be a game-winning 58-yard touchdown play (video).
Abdullah is a special talent who combines speed and agility with strength, toughness and pass-catching ability. He might not be able to break as many tackles against NFL defenders at only 5’9” and 195 pounds, according to Nebraska’s official athletics website, but he is an impressively well-rounded back whose production speaks volumes.
The 2015 running back draft class projects to be a strong one, especially if top underclassmen like Week 1 star Todd Gurley of Georgia and Wisconsin speedster Melvin Gordon declare, but Abdullah belongs right in the conversation to be one of the first tailbacks off the board in the early rounds.
Current Draft Projection: Round 3
Hidden Gem of the Week: Tyler Lockett, WR, Kansas State
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This Week: Six catches for 136 yards
Opponent: Iowa State
Despite his 1,262-yard, 11-touchdown junior season, diminutive Kansas State wide receiver Tyler Lockett is a senior who could fly under the radar as a draft prospect. That said, he tried to ensure that NFL scouts are taking notice of him with a strong performance in the Wildcats’ win against Iowa State on Saturday.
Lockett is listed as just 5’11” and 175 pounds, but he’s a skilled receiver who runs sharp routes, attacks the football and can extend plays in the open field with his speed and agility.
The senior has some issues with dropping passes, as Bleacher Report’s Darren Page noted in an article for DetroitLionsDraft.com this weekend, but he also shows the ability to go up and make spectacular catches, like a clutch 23-yard sideline grab in which he executed an impressive toe tap to secure possession and spark Kansas State’s game-winning touchdown drive.
Lockett’s big-play ability and overall production propelled his team to a victory Sunday, and it should have NFL scouts looking into his potential to make an offense better at the next level. Overall, he projects as a solid slot receiver who could also have value as a kickoff and/or punt returner.
Current Draft Projection: Round 4
Small School Stud of the Week: Vernon Adams, QB, Eastern Washington (Jr.)
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This Week: 31-of-46 passing for 475 yards, 7 TD, 0 INT; 17 rushes for 16 yards
Opponent: Washington
Named the FCS National Performer of the Year by the College Football Performance Awards as a sophomore in 2013, Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams shredded defenses to totals of 4,994 yards and 55 touchdowns last season. This past weekend, Adams proved he could continue putting up huge numbers when going up against much more talented defensive competition.
While the Washington defense is struggling early, it does include four potential early round draft picks in the aforementioned Danny Shelton, edge defender Hau’oli Kikaha, linebacker Shaq Thompson and cornerback Marcus Peters. Going up against that talent seemingly didn’t faze Adams on Saturday, as he averaged more than 10 yards per passing attempt while Eastern Washington lost by just seven points to its opponent.
Adams’ whopping collegiate production won’t necessarily translate to success at the next level, but the junior still likely has another season at Eastern Washington ahead of him after this one, and he’s already standing out statistically.
He’s undersized for an NFL quarterback, listed at 6’0” and 190 pounds, but he has enough athleticism and downfield passing ability to be an intriguing late-round prospect.
Adams might not be a true sleeper, but this small-school superstar deserves praise after a week in which he dominated a Pac-12 defense and even attempted an onside kick. He’s a player scouts should be keeping an eye on as he continues to grow and most likely continues to inflate stat sheets.
Current Draft Projection: Round 7
Other Notable Performers
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Two of the standouts for Virginia Tech in the Hokies’ surprise win over Ohio State on Sunday were junior defensive end Dadi Nicolas and senior safety Kyshoen Jarrett. It’s unclear how Nicolas projects to the NFL as a 6’4”, 231-pound edge defender, but he bullied OSU’s offensive line to bring pressure from outside throughout the game and finished the night with three tackles for loss (two sacks). Jarrett, a likely Day 3 draft pick, showed impressive range on the field in making two interceptions, three total passes defensed and four total tackles.
Pro Football Focus graded every player in the Oregon versus Michigan State game, and no one graded out better than junior defensive end DeForest Buckner. The 6’7”, 290-pound lineman looked good as both a pass-rusher and run stopper as he recorded seven total tackles (one for loss). Fellow junior defensive end Arik Armstead, another behemoth at 6’8” and 290, also had a strong showing opposite Buckner with five total tackles (two for loss, one sack).
Another standout from the USC game was junior running back Buck Allen. The big running back showed some impressive acceleration against Stanford and proved tough to stop once he got a head of steam going. He finished the contest with 154 yards on 23 carries and is averaging more than 6.3 yards per carry for his first two games of the year. He appears to be breaking out and could become a mid-round prospect if he declares for the 2015 draft.
Boise State junior running back Jay Ajayi gets a mentioned in the notable performers section for a second consecutive week after gaining 280 total yards and scoring three touchdowns on 37 total touches versus Colorado State on Saturday. Ajayi is emerging as a pass-catching threat for the first time this year, and he already has 459 total yards and four touchdowns scored in just two games.
Had the Miami-Louisville Monday night game been played prior to the publication of last week’s iteration of this slideshow, Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman would have been a clear-cut choice for a Stock Up selection. He had an exceptional start to the season on national television as he blew up a number of plays in the backfield while also showing his sideline-to-sideline range at the second level. The athletic linebacker recorded 12 total tackles with three for loss and a sack in Week 1 but was much quieter in Miami’s 41-7 win over Florida A&M on Saturday.
NFL Draft Injury Notes
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One factor that helped Amari Cooper flourish on Saturday was the absence of Florida Atlantic’s best cornerback, D’Joun Smith.
Smith, an athletic defensive back who ranked second in the FBS with 20 passes defensed in 2013, has the potential to rise as high as to be the No. 2 senior in the 2015 draft class at this position behind Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. He missed a key opportunity to showcase his talent against Cooper, however, by being sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Florida senior tight end Jake McGee is out for the season with a broken leg. McGee, a Virginia transfer, was ranked as a fifth to sixth round prospect by CBS Sports’ Rob Rang.
Junior Eddie Goldman was one of three Florida State defensive linemen injured in Saturday’s game against The Citadel. A 6’4”, 314-pound interior lineman with an intriguing blend of quickness and strength, Goldman has the potential to emerge as a top prospect this year if healthy, but “was seen on crutches and wearing a boot on his left foot after the game” according to Kareem Copeland of The Associated Press (h/t SFGate.com).
Goldman’s injury will likely be discussed further this week as Citadel offensive lineman Victor Hill admitted in an online post that he and his “offensive line brothers preached to each other all week that we would be going for knees from the first play to the last,” according to Bud Elliott of TomahawkNation.com.
All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all measurables courtesy of official school athletic websites, unless otherwise noted.
Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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