College Football's All-NFL Ready Team for 2015
The 2015 NFL draft is firmly in the rearview mirror. That can only mean one thing: Time for ALL the 2016 mock drafts and every variable of that for the next week or so.
For me, it means carving out the All-NFL Ready Team for 2015. What do we mean by that? Easy: It's a list of college football players good enough to be drafted into the NFL today.
To make things more interesting, we're only going one player per position (i.e. one quarterback, one wide receiver, etc.). To make things more specific, the following players could not have been eligible for the recent 2015 NFL draft. However, they don't necessarily have to be eligible for the 2016 draft, meaning freshmen-turned-sophomores are eligible.
That's why they're pro-ready now. With that, let's get to the list.
Quarterback: Christian Hackenberg, Penn State
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When you're only choosing one player per position for something like this, there's going to be a lot of controversy. That's only going to be heightened for the quarterback position—especially if the player is Christian Hackenberg from Penn State.
Yes, Hackenberg had a sophomore slump, to put it one way. Even though he finished third in the Big Ten with 229 passing yards per game, he threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (12) and was one of the least efficient quarterbacks in the conference.
He also had zero protection from his offensive line, no run game to speak of and there's some question about whether he fits what the Nittany Lions wanted to do offensively. However, Hackenberg still showed glimpses of the type of NFL throws he can make when given time to do so.
If all of this sounds like a bunch of excuses... well, you're not wrong. But, as far as pure passers go, he's right up with any quarterback in the country. He just needs more help from the supporting cast around him, especially up front. With head coach James Franklin building his own brand of Penn State football, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if Hackenberg declared after next season and moved forward with his career.
Running Back: Nick Chubb
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It's pretty unfair that Georgia replaced the best running back in college football, Todd Gurley, with a freshman, Nick Chubb, who could be a Heisman Trophy contender as a sophomore.
Blessings, I suppose.
Chubb initially served as Gurley's understudy but quickly became the go-to back when Gurley was suspended four games for profiting off of signed memorabilia. Then, when Gurley tore his ACL later that year, Chubb took over the offense again for good.
In all, Chubb rushed for 1,547 yards at seven yards a carry and 14 touchdowns. He also displayed some good hands out of the backfield with 18 grabs and two receiving touchdowns.
Running back is one of those positions that the sooner you can move on to the NFL and earn a living, the better. Chubb has already shown a nice blend of power, speed and vision. The fact that he has two more years of college football is awesome for fans of the sport.
Wide Receiver: Laquon Treadwell, Ole Miss
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Let's say hypothetically that Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell was eligible for the 2015 draft. Where would he have gone and when? Treadwell, of course, is recovering from a gruesome season-ending leg/ankle injury he suffered against Auburn.
“I think about that stuff every day,” Treadwell told Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.com about the injury. “Just being able to run back out there and play another down. It’s life-changing.”
Injuries can affect draft stock, yet Georgia running back Todd Gurley, who is coming off of a torn ACL, was selected 10th overall by the St. Louis Rams last Thursday. Since first-round-caliber wide receivers are more commonplace these days, a team may be less inclined to take one coming off an injury that high.
But the point is that Gurley and Treadwell are rare breeds physically. At 6'2" and 229 pounds with excellent athleticism after the catch, Treadwell is the big-bodied pass-catcher NFL teams love. Once he's back up and playing at full speed again, he'll be considered one of the best receivers in college football.
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Offensive Line: Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss
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The similarities between Treadwell and Rebels offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil are striking. Both were 5-star members of Ole Miss' touted 2013 recruiting class, per 247Sports. Both made instant impacts as freshmen. Both were having outstanding sophomore seasons before brutal leg/ankle injuries cut them short.
However, both could be first-round draft picks in 2016. That's what Tunsil is working toward.
"I just have to keep working my butt off," Tunsil told 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)."
That's certainly possible. B/R draft insider Matt Miller says in his way-too-early 2016 mock draft that "Tunsil is a special player with exceptional upside and the tools to be a Day 1 starter at left tackle." Tunsil's athleticism is notable, and he hasn't come close to hitting his ceiling.
Defensive End: Joey Bosa, Ohio State
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Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, is already getting a lot of chatter as a possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft. WalterFootball.com, in fact, has Bosa as the first overall pick for next year.
“I obviously hear about it and see it around," Bosa told B/R's Ben Axelrod. "But it doesn't really get to my head."
As a sophomore, Bosa led the Big Ten with 13.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. He has a great first step but doesn't rely solely on his athleticism to get into the backfield. With so much emphasis on the pass and the pass rush in the NFL, a team would take Bosa high in the first round in a heartbeat.
Defensive Tackle: Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
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Yeah, Hugh Freeze's 2013 recruiting class was that good. There's a decent chance the Rebels have as many as three first-round selections next year from the 2015 team alone.
Defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche has the versatility and athleticism to be a high first-round draft pick. His size—6'4" and 280 pounds—is good enough for defensive tackle. However, he's fast enough to be an edge-rusher as well. He's done both for Ole Miss, and while he's had varying degrees of success doing it, he's still a top-caliber player from purely a prospect standpoint.
Inside Linebacker: Scooby Wright III, Arizona
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College stats aren't always the best way to determine if a college player is going to succeed as a pro. That said, it's hard to ignore what Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright III did in 2014. Wright led all of major college football with 163 tackles, was named a unanimous All-American and won just about every defensive award available.
He's a tackling machine who has shown an ability to go sideline to sideline, which is key nowadays for a middle linebacker. No longer are these players lining up and stopping the run in a phone booth.
There's a question over whether Wright can replicate or even come close to replicating his '14 production next season. Either way, plenty of NFL teams would take a long look at him.
Outside Linebacker: Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame
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Jaylon Smith is one of those versatile linebackers who's done a little bit of everything for Notre Dame. He's played a little outside, a little inside, but has a real future as an outside linebacker.
“Jaylon now has played the Sam and he’s playing the Will. We feel like now he has his reads down, a comfort level playing inside. We can now look to a bigger, physical presence on the perimeter with a James Onwualu,” head coach Brian Kelly said to Keith Arnold at Inside the Irish. “So if you want to put a tight end in there and play more physical, we have a guy like Jaylon who could step up and play there.”
Smith led Notre Dame with 111 tackles. The next-closest defender, Max Redfield, had 68. With his freaky athleticism and versatility, Smith is the ideal defender in the middle of the defense for NFL teams.
Cornerback: Vernon Hargreaves III
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Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III has been crushing it at Florida since he first arrived on campus in 2013. As a freshman, he led the team in pass breakups and interceptions, and he tied for first in the SEC in the latter category as a sophomore in 2014.
Hargreaves is Miller's first corner taken in the way-too-early '16 draft. Provided he doesn't drop off the face of the earth next season, he and Kendall Fuller from Virginia Tech could go No. 1 and No. 2 in either order next April/May.
At 5'11" and 192 pounds, Hargreaves has the ideal size for today's NFL cornerback. He also has blazing speed (4.45 40-yard dash, per ESPN.com) and must be accounted for each time he's on the field.
Safety: Su'a Cravens, USC
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USC's Su'a Cravens spent a lot of time at strong-side outside linebacker in 2014, but he best projects as a safety in the NFL. Wherever he plays for the Trojans, either in the secondary or at linebacker, Cravens is an absolute stud.
He has started all 13 games in each of his first two seasons with the Trojans and recorded a team-best 17 tackles for loss a season ago. His ability to go all over the field is valuable to NFL teams, and he's a perfect blend of production, athleticism and brains.
Cravens' folklore is already building around the USC program. During the spring game, former Trojans All-American Ronnie Lott compared Cravens to fellow USC great Troy Polamalu on his Twitter account.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
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