Pac-12 Football: The Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect from Each Pac-12 School
The Pac-12 Conference looks loaded with as much talent as ever, and when the 2015 NFL draft commences in the spring, you can expect to hear the names of a bunch of the league's stars—perhaps more than a few—in the very first round.
Given the propensity of experts to stay way ahead of the game with mock drafts, you're likely familiar with several names on the list as far as how highly scouts think of them. But every Pac-12 team has players who will someday be making plays as a professional.
Let's take a look at the very best 2015 NFL draft prospect from every team in the league.
All stats via cfbstats.com. All draft eligible players were candidates for the list, meaning each player has at least three years of college experience, redshirts included.
Arizona Wildcats
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: WR Austin Hill
The Arizona Wildcats have a wealth of young talent at the moment, which bodes well for the next few years under the direction of Rich Rodriguez. As for the kind of talent that could make a splash in next year's NFL draft, well, that department is pretty empty at the moment.
One exception is wide receiver Austin Hill, who could step in as a professional and have the kind of immediate impact that Keenan Allen had in 2013 with the San Diego Chargers. The 6'3", 212-pound Hill has both size and athleticism, and he's already caught seven balls for 136 yards and a touchdown this season.
Those kind of numbers are well off the pace of his 81-catch, 1,364-yard campaign in 2012, but that tends to happen when you're surrounded by great players at the same position. As the season moves forward, look for Hill to eventually break away from the pack at receiver for the Wildcats. Then look for him in the 2015 NFL draft.
Arizona State Sun Devils
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: WR Jaelen Strong
Up next we have another receiver from a conference chock-full of great ones, and he won't be the last on the list. We're talking about Arizona State's Jaelen Strong, a former junior college player who stepped into a major role in 2013 and delivered in every way you could imagine on the field.
Another tall wideout at 6'4", Strong caught 75 passes for 1,122 yards and seven scores in 2013, and he's well on his way to surpassing that mark, with 19 grabs for 266 yards and two touchdowns so far this year.
You'll hear plenty of folks talk about the crazy amount of talent at quarterback in the Pac-12. No doubt several signal-callers from the conference will be starting in the NFL in a few short years, but maybe, just maybe, we can chalk up some of the numbers to the amazing wide receivers. Strong is certainly one of them, and he's Arizona State's best prospect for the 2015 NFL draft.
California Golden Bears
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: CB/S Stefan McClure
Picking a single player on Cal who could be selected in the 2015 NFL draft is a tough exercise. That's not meant to be a knock on the Bears, either. The team is 2-0, loaded with young talent, and it looks to be much improved from the 2013 season.
But after several years of mediocrity and downright awful teams, there aren't many seniors with a shot at the next level—thus the selection of junior defensive back Stefan McClure. It should be noted that McClure may very well return to the school in 2015, and if he doesn't appear headed toward a selection in the first three or four rounds, that could be his ultimate choice.
But last year we saw players like running back Brendan Bigelow opt for the draft, so anything is possible. If you want to go with the best senior option, CBSSports.com has fullback Lucas Gingold as the highest-rated Bear, all the way down at No. 582 in a list of 2015 prospects. We'll take our chances and go with McClure on this one.
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Colorado Buffaloes
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: CB Greg Henderson
Colorado is yet another team in the Pac-12 coming off a rough stretch and lacking any real standout talent among the seniors. Quarterback Sefo Liufau could develop into an intriguing prospect, and linebacker Addison Gillam almost certainly has a future in the pros.
Right now, however, the top prospect for next year's draft appears to be cornerback Greg Henderson, an underrated defensive back lost in the shuffle of the Ifo Ekpre-Olomu's and Marcus Peters' of the world.
In 2013, Henderson had 58 tackles to go along with four interceptions and a fumble recovery. He, along with Gillam, was a bright spot in an otherwise porous defense. But with the NFL becoming more of a passing league each year, good corners are always valuable. Henderson should be the highest Colorado player taken in the 2015 draft.
Oregon Ducks
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: QB Marcus Mariota
Surprised you with this one, huh? You might be in the small camp of folks sick of hearing about Marcus Mariota, but get used to it. The Oregon junior just doesn't make mistakes on or off the field, ever. OK, he had four interceptions in 2013. His TD-INT ratio for his career? 71-to-10.
Numbers only tell part of the story, though, as Mariota seems to have developed a clutch gene with the Ducks' comeback triumph over Michigan State on Sept. 6. Aside from several pinpoint touchdown passes, Mariota eluded pressure on a pair of key third downs in back-to-back drives to make plays that made you shake your head.
He's the whole package from both a physical and mental standpoint, and it's hard to imagine anyone else in the country, let alone other Duck players, jumping ahead of him as far as top prospects go.
Oregon State Beavers
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: QB Sean Mannion
With Oregon State comes our first semi-controversial selection, as Sean Mannion gets the nod as the Beavers' top prospect for the 2015 NFL draft. Steven Nelson is one of the premier corners in the conference, and should Isaac Seumalo opt to leave early, he'll likely be one of the top two or three centers taken.
But you cannot win in the NFL without a productive starting quarterback, and Mannion could become exactly that. He has ideal size and a big arm and he's shown the ability to improve each year. He threw a total of 31 interceptions in his first two seasons, matching his number of touchdown passes. Last season alone, he had 37 throws that went for scores.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of season he has without wide receiver Brandin Cooks to help pad the stats, but Mannion is certainly on the radar of every NFL team in need of a signal-caller.
Stanford Cardinal
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: OT Andrus Peat
It should come as no surprise that the top NFL prospect for Stanford is an offensive tackle, as the Cardinal have built a reputation for being as physical as any team in the country, especially in the trenches.
There have been a number of scary linemen to come out of Stanford the past five or six seasons, but Peat will be the very best. To start, his size is off the charts. He stands at 6'7" and weighs 315 pounds. He has mobility for his size and the long arms necessary to hold off oncoming pass-rushers.
His one knock may be a lack of experience, and there's no doubt Peat remains raw, but his future potential is unrivaled at the position, and that potential is often what teams are drafting instead of proven production. He'll continue to be great and have an excellent season, but he will be even better after a few years in the NFL.
UCLA Bruins
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: QB Brett Hundley
You'll hear a lot of great draft cliches when Brett Hundley's name is brought up, and yes, I'm just as guilty as anyone else. He has the intangibles, the ideal size and plenty of that "arm talent" everyone yearns for.
The one real issue with Hundley is that he rarely seems to put it all together and string it out for more than a couple games. There's no doubt that when the Bruins QB is on, he's as special as any player in the country.
That alone will make him a high draft pick next year should he choose to leave UCLA. When you look at his physicality, he reminds you a bit of Ben Roethlisberger in the sense that he never seems to go down after first contact. If he does get sacked, he's usually taking several defenders with him to the ground. If Hundley comes back from his most recent injury firing on all cylinders, he could end up a lock to go in the top five.
USC Trojans
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: DL Leonard Williams
Arguably the easiest selection in the conference was USC's Leonard Williams, one of the nation's premier pass-rushers who has developed into an absolute beast on the interior of the Trojans line.
Williams has already piled up 23 tackles to go along with a sack, though with the attention he received throughout the offseason, you can't blame opposing teams for trying to avoid him. and thus his numbers may not be eye-popping come December.
But you can't deny the effect he has on an offense, as he's virtually unblockable and the sole focus of any scheme heading into a game against USC. At 6'5" and 300 pounds, Williams could also shift over to play tackle in a 4-3, but he's going to be successful wherever he's able to charge the quarterback. Look for him, along with Mariota, to be a near-lock to go in the top five.
Utah Utes
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Bet 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: CB Eric Rowe
Wide Receiver Dres Anderson may cause me to regret the selection of cornerback Eric Rowe, but as this past NFL draft proved, you actually can have too many receivers. Which is not to say Anderson won't excel at the next level, but cornerback Eric Rowe may actually be more appealing as a prospect coming out of the college ranks.
In two games, the senior corner leads the Utes with 14 tackles. He also has 1.5 tackles for loss, and at 6'1", 200 pounds, he brings a toughness to the position that you also see in players like Oregon's Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.
Rowe has just two career interceptions, and those who go crazy for numbers may hold that against him. But he is nonetheless another impressive defensive back in a league with so many standouts.
Washington Huskies
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: LB Shaq Thompson
You could probably flip a coin for this spot with one side representing linebacker Shaq Thompson and the other being defensive end Hau'oli Kikaha. Then you'd have to flip it again to give big Danny Shelton his due.
In the end, you're going to land on Thompson, a highly touted player out of high school who appears headed toward a breakout season as a junior. He was solid in his first two years, but 2014 has seen his game taken to a whole new level.
Thompson already has one interception and one fumble recovery return for touchdowns to go along with six carries for 82 yards and a score on offense. But let's not forget his 22 tackles and a sack, either. Thompson started out as a safety, and depending on what NFL teams are looking for when they ponder drafting him, he could end up back there again. Wherever he plays, Thompson has the makings of a future All-Pro.
Washington State Cougars
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Best 2015 NFL Draft Prospect: WR Vince Mayle
The last team (alphabetically, of course) on our list is Washington State, and were this one year ago, the pick would have been simple: S Deone Bucannon. But this is 2014, Bucannon is already making the Cougars proud in the NFL and the squad he left behind has struggled to a 1-2 start.
On the defensive line, keep an eye on Xavier Cooper. The big junior has the potential to become something special, but for now, the choice is wide receiver Vince Mayle. It can be hard to separate the Washington State wide receivers, as every one of them seems to put up solid numbers and make hard-to-believe catches every now and then.
But Mayle, who already has 245 yards and three touchdowns, stands out due to his size at 6'3" and over 220 pounds. The one caveat here is that if fellow wideout Isiah Myers continues his torrid pace (423 yards, 5 TDs in just three games so far), he could challenge for the designation of top NFL draft prospect. For now, we'll stick with Mayle and enjoy watching the Cougars sling it around throughout the season.
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