2015 College Football Pro Days Primer: Dates, Names You Need to Know

The finish line—Auditorium Theatre in Chicago—is in sight. Before you know it, the 2015 NFL draft will be underway, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be on the clock. 

There's no more game tape to add to, no more combines to attend. The last major hurdle for NFL hopefuls is the pro day. 

It's a comfortable setting. Players are surrounded by familiar faces in a safe environment. It's all designed to maximize that one final chance to impress pro organizations; however, it's also an opportunity for scouts to get a firm impression about what others—coaches, school staff, etc.—think about a player. 

Sure, a coach may back his star player in public, but what does he really think of him when the cameras aren't on? Remember, the coaching fraternity is tight and extends to every level of the game. These guys look out for one another.

How is his work ethic? Is he consistently late to meetings? Does he make everyone around him better? Pro days are just as much a personal audition as they are a physical one. 

With the help of Bleacher Report NFL writer Michael Schottey, we break down the key names to know over the next six weeks, including a look at who is on everyone's radar, who has the most the most to prove and which players could be sleepers. 

All pro days for Power 5 conference schools are listed below: 

School	Date	School	Date
ACC		Kansas State	March 10
Boston College	March 18	Oklahoma	March 11
Clemson	March 5	Oklahoma State	March 12
Duke	March 25	TCU	March 27
Florida State	March 31	Texas	March 24
Georgia Tech	March 13	Texas Tech	March 13
Louisville	March 11	West Virginia	March 13
Miami (FL)	April 1	PAC-12
North Carolina	March 24	Arizona	March 4
North Carolina State	March 23	Arizona State	March 6
Notre Dame	March 31	Cal	March 17
Pittsburgh	March 3	Colorado	March 11
Syracuse	March 26	Oregon	March 12
Virginia	March 2	Oregon State	March 13
Virginia Tech	March 18	Stanford	March 19
Wake Forest	March 2	UCLA	March 10
BIG TEN		USC	March 11
Illinois	March 5	Utah	March 26
Indiana	March 30	Washington	April 2
Iowa	March 23	Washington State	March 12
Maryland	April 2	SEC
Michigan	March 12	Alabama	March 11
Michigan State	March 18	Arkansas	March 4
Minnesota	March 2	Auburn	March 3
Nebraska	March 5	Florida	April 7
Northwestern	March 3	Georgia	March 18
Ohio State	March 13	Kentucky	March 12
Penn State	March 19	LSU	March 27
Purdue	March 4	Mississippi	March 5
Rutgers	March 11	Mississippi State	March 4
Wisconsin	March 11	Missouri	March 19
BIG 12		South Carolina	April 1
Baylor	March 18	Tennessee	March 25
Iowa State	March 24	Texas A&M	March 4
Kansas	March 25	Vanderbilt	March 10

Who's On Everyone's Radar?

The quarterbacks, of course. More specifically, the focus is on Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota, who are No. 1 and No. 2—in whichever order matches your personal preference. According to the most recent draft big board from B/R's Matt Miller, Winston and Mariota are the first- and third-best players available. 

After that, there's a significant drop-off. 

"Winston is leaps and bounds ahead of Mariota," Schottey said. "But the thing about pro days is that anything can happen. Mariota had a good, but not a great, combine. He can get much better with a great pro day." 

Since the NFL is a quarterback's league, there's an emphasis on exterior pass-rushers. Two names to watch here are Clemson's Vic Beasley and Nebraska's Randy Gregory. Beasley, at 6'3", weighed in at 246 pounds at the combine. Gregory, about two inches taller, weighed in 11 pounds lighter at 235. 

"Their weight is important," Schottey said. "NFL guys are texting these players' trainers, wanting to know what their weight is." 

Success stories for smaller defensive ends who have thrived in the NFL include Bruce Irvin of the Seattle Seahawks, who measured 6'3" and 245 pounds at the 2012 combine. A first-round pick, Irvin has since moved to linebacker and tallied 6.5 sacks in 2014-15. 

Stars Who Need a Big Day

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar recently shined a draft spotlight on Washington's "Big Four" prospects—defensive tackle Danny Shelton, outside linebackers Hau'oli Kikaha and Shaq Thompson and cornerback Marcus Peters. 

Two of them can impress with a solid pro day. 

According to Schottey, folks in NFL circles aren't as in love with Shelton as his pre-draft hype suggests. Yes, Shelton got rave reviews at the Senior Bowl, but in a review of his tape, Schotty explained "there'd be one or two good plays then streaks when he didn't have as big an impact." 

Peters, who was dismissed in November after reportedly getting into an argument with coaches, has built a reputation for what Bucky Brooks of NFL.com refers to as "football character" issues: 

"

From speaking with several scouts familiar with Peters and his interaction with the Washington coaches, I've been told that the dismissal stems from his inability to get along with coaches and team officials. Peters reportedly has a strong personality and didn't mind challenging authority about various situations on and off the field.

"

Another player who can help himself is Colorado State tackle Ty Sambrailo.

"This is a guy who did not stand out in the draft process," Schottey explained. "He could be a first-rounder or get lost in the shuffle. He has to show he has functional strength and lateral movement."  

Exiting the combine, Sambrailo was Miller's 13th best tackle and 113th overall player. 

Whose Pro Day Could Be Costly? 

Call this the Teddy Bridgewater category. 

Bad pro days don't hurt players, per se—they just don't help them continue the upward trajectory, as Schottey explains. No high-profile player could fall into that category quite like Mariota.

"With an average pro day," Schottey said, "Mariota could drop to the bottom of the first round. He could fall epically." 

That makes Mariota a fascinating prospect. Last September, the ex-Oregon signal-caller was being mentioned as the potential No. 1 quarterback in the draft by writers such as Peter King of Sports Illustrated. However, following Oregon's loss in the national championship to Ohio State, Mariota's stock has started to slip ever so slightly. 

And remember the Washington draft prospects mentioned above? Thompson, a two-way player for the Huskies, has a lot to prove as a linebacker. 

"The linebacker tape is terrible," Schottey said. "He might give you something on special teams or at running back, but he has to work out well as a linebacker on his pro day." 

Finally, Ereck Flowers, the tackle from Miami (Florida), could slide down draft boards with a sub-par showing on his pro day. "I want to love him, but he just hasn't done it," Schottey said. "He needs to show a mean streak." 

Following Miami's 30-13 loss to Virginia last season, noted by Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald as Flowers' worst game of the season, Mike Mayock of NFL Network remarked that the Cavaliers "ate [Flowers’] lunch a little bit." 

Yeah, not good. 

Sleepers to Know

There are two kinds of NFL draft sleepers. There are the ones few truly know about, and then there are the higher profile players who could pop off the paper on pro day. 

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

USC cornerback Josh Shaw fits into the latter category. Shaw, of course, was suspended most of last season for fabricating a story of heroics to cover an injury. However, at 6'0" and 201 pounds, Shaw has excellent size for a corner. As Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated wrote in January, Shaw is versatile and capable of playing multiple positions in the secondary. 

If Shaw impresses at his pro day, he should be able to put his past off-field issue behind him once and for all.

"If he works out well, he's the No. 2, No. 3 corner," Schottey said. "If he messes up, his stock is shattered." 

Staying in the Pac-12, Oregon tackle Jake Fisher has lived in the draft shadow of Mariota and even defensive lineman Arik Armstead; however, Fisher's athleticism could make him a possible first-round selection.

"The process is better than the tape," Schottey said, "meaning you don't want to like him because of the scheme, the wide splits." 

Also keep an eye on Duke wide receiver Jamison Crowder. He doesn't have great size (5'8", 185 lbs), but he was a productive player for the Blue Devils (283 career receptions). This year's wide receiver class is solid again, so Crowder could be a smart mid-round pick for any organization. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.