Latest Social Chatter Surrounding Dante Fowler Jr.'s NFL Draft Stock

With the unrelenting eye of the media trained on quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota like Sauron on the One Ring, it could come as something of a shock to most should Florida linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. become the first player to step onstage and shake Roger Goodell’s hand at this year’s NFL draft.

For those who haven’t scoured through every scouting report or devoured the Internet’s seemingly infinite cornucopia of mock drafts, it’s been somewhat easy to forget that Winston and Mariota are just two of 256 names that will be called during draft weekend in Chicago.

With both quarterbacks eschewing draft-day celebrations in Chicago in favor of more low-key gatherings with family and friends at home, the draft day spotlight could shine brightest on Fowler.

"That would be great if Jameis and Marcus aren't there,” the 2014 first-team All-SEC selection told ESPN’s Mike DiRocco. “I'll feel like I'm the first guy taken in the draft because I'm going to be on the stage first.”

The actual draft never precisely mirrors anyone’s mock, but most draft analysts—including Bleacher Report’s own Tim Daniels, Adam Wells and Matt Miller—believe Fowler will be one of the first defensive players off the board come April 30.

Just a few months ago, that wasn’t the case.

Let’s take a little journey back through the past several months to see just how Dante Fowler ended up as one of the most talked-about players in the 2015 NFL draft.

Junior Season: Coming Into His Own

Fowler’s rise to such lofty draft prospect status been more glacial than meteoric. The 20-year-old (Fowler turns 21 in August) was a strong prospect heading into his junior season, but he was well-removed from the discussion of being the top defensive pick in the upcoming draft.

That all changed as the season began to take shape. Fowler became a sort of defensive version of Percy Harvin in coach Will Muschamp’s defensive scheme—a jack-of-all-trades, line-me-up-anywhere type of threat.

Fowler was still viewed as a mid-first-round pick in September, but his ferocious play began to get him noticed.

Florida’s defensive menace began to raise some eyebrows around the nation during the Gators’ nationally televised meeting with in-state rival and defending national champion Florida State, which was riding a 27-game winning streak behind Jameis Winston, one of the few players currently projected to be taken ahead of Fowler.

"

I will say #Gators that Dante Fowler is no joke! He's gonna be a stud at the next level.

— Andrew Tew (@A2atFSU) November 29, 2014"

Unfortunately, Fowler’s emergence as an intimidating defensive disruptor didn’t translate to a successful (by Florida standards) season. Florida announced it was parting ways with Muschamp—the man who recruited Fowler—in November, and the Gators’ defensive leader decided to follow suit.

Fowler made his last stand as a member of the Gators a memorable one.

In Florida's 28-20 win over East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl, the defensive captain accounted for three sacks and two quarterback pressures, terrorizing ECU’s line and leaving Florida fans with fond, albeit violent, memories.

Despite a rocky season for the Gators, the junior’s exceptional play (60 TK, 15 TFL, 8.5 SK) and positional flexibility steadily propelled him up Matt Miller’s NFL draft prospect rankings this season: from No. 37 in Miller’s midseason rankings to No. 11 just before the NFL Scouting Combine, all the way up to No. 3 with just two weeks to go until draft day.

NFL Combine and Pro Day: Moving On Up

It wasn’t just his play during the season that shot Fowler up draft boards. His NFL Scouting Combine and Florida pro-day performances were well-received by scouts and analysts, particularly his 4.60 40-yard dash time.

After that, Fowler began hearing his name spoken in the same breath as some of the NFL's biggest defensive stars.

Eventually, Fowler—who was outfitted in a gold watch and cheetah cleats at the combine, because there’s no point in being fast if you can’t also be fashionable—was being mentioned as possibly the second or third name off the draft board come April.

Fowler’s confident demeanor during interviews and press conferences also impressed all in attendance. This is a young man with an unwavering belief in himself and his abilities; as the tape shows, he has every right to be.

“I feel like I can do anything, and I can say that because Coach Muschamp, when he was here, he had the multiple scheme defense,” Fowler told GatorZone.com.

His former coach echoed those sentiments on a conference call back in November, per Antonya English of the Tampa Bay Times:

"

There aren’t many folks...that can possess the qualities he can give you as far as rushing the passer and that’s paramount in [the NFL]. ... He’s very smart, he can handle multiple stuff as far as the different things you game plan with him - changing week to week and getting him in different spots. He’s got a tremendous upside in front of him and somebody’s going to be very lucky to have him.

"

His performance at Florida’s pro day only solidified everything scouts witnessed in Indianapolis, according to NFL.com’s Gil Brandt.

"

Outside linebacker Dante Fowler, Jr. (6-3, 264) had a great workout. Linebackers coaches for the Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles put Fowler through his positional workout, in which he showed suddenness in all of his movements. Fowler definitely solidified his place as a top-five selection in the 2015 NFL Draft.

"

Who Will Call Fowler's Name?

The general consensus on Fowler, from both analysts and scouts, is that he’s one of the most versatile athletes in this year’s defensive player pool, a Pro Bowl-caliber talent with the potential to transform into a premiere pass-rusher in the right scheme.

Understandably, this has made Fowler one of the most valued edge-rushers in this year's draft.

"[Fowler] has got really great explosion off the edge," former Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill Polian told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He's a bigger version of a Bruce Irvin-type player. He's much bigger as a matter of fact. He can turn speed into power. He's an aggressive player and pretty accomplished rusher."

The science of mock drafts is, well, unscientific. There are so many moving parts and variables and possible trade options and backroom dealings that no one truly knows how every pick is going to play out.

Currently, most mock drafts have Fowler landing with one of four teams: Jacksonville (No. 3), Washington (No. 5), New York Jets (No. 6) or Chicago (No. 7). It would be a huge surprise if Fowler dropped past the Bears.

The foremost expert on Dante Fowler, Dante Fowler, expects to be wearing a Jacksonville Jaguars cap come April 30.

"I'd be stunned [to fall past the No. 3 pick], just because of the scheme that Coach Gus [Bradley] has," Fowler told DiRocco following the completion of the University of Florida's pro day. "I feel like as far as him being on the multiple side, 4-3 and the 3-4, I can set the edge and I can come off the edge standing up."

Despite numerous conflicting mock drafts, expect Fowler to find a home with the Jags, a team in desperate need of a strong pass-rushing presence that just so happens to be located in an area with strong ties to the Florida Gators.