College Football Seniors Who Have Improved Their Draft Stock the Most

For players in their final year of college football, one of the many goals that drove them during the 2015 season was to make themselves appealing to NFL scouts. This worked out better for some than others.

Individual workouts and the upcoming combine will ultimately determine the fate of hundreds of draft-eligible players, but it helps to head into the offseason on the rise. We've identified 10 seniors who did the most to enhance their profile and improve their draft stock during the course of this past season.

Jatavis Brown, LB, Akron

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The Mid-American Conference is good for at least one notable defensive prospect each year, with recent standouts including Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack and Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward in 2013 and Miami (Ohio) cornerback Quinten Rollins last season. This time around, it's the top defender from a program that reached unprecedented levels of success in 2015.

Jatavis Brown was the heart and soul of an Akron defense that ranked third in the nation against the run, winning eight games for the first time since moving to the FBS level in 1987. The 5'11”, 222-pound linebacker was a beast for the Zips, leading them in tackles (116), tackles for loss (20), sacks (12) and forced fumbles (four).

Akron began the season with losses to Oklahoma and Pittsburgh, and in those games, Brown had a combined 23 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. He then wrapped his career up with 1.5 sacks, 2.5 TFLs and a forced fumble in the Zips' Potato Bowl win over Utah State.

Morgan Burns, CB/KR, Kansas State

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Kansas State alum Tyler Lockett was one of the most exciting rookies in the NFL this season because of his ability to flip the field as a return man. In hindsight, he was a steal for the Seattle Seahawks in the third round.

Now, another Wildcat figures to be highly sought after by teams looking for an instant-impact special teams contributor, one who can also help out at a position. While Lockett also played receiver, K-State's Morgan Burns doubled as a cornerback in 2015.

But it's been as a kick returner that the 5'11”, 201-pound Burns has made his mark. He led the nation with four kickoff return touchdowns and averaged 33.5 yards on 34 returns. One of his scores came in K-State's 24-23 win at West Virginia that secured a bowl bid, and in the Liberty Bowl, he averaged 30.3 yards on three returns.

Burns also had an interception, a forced fumble, a blocked kick and 10 pass breakups as a senior.

Jake Coker, QB, Alabama

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Jake Coker arrived at Alabama two seasons ago with quite a bit of hype for a transfer who hadn't had much playing time. He then got beaten out by longtime backup Blake Sims for the starting job in 2014 and didn't end up outright winning the gig during his senior year until the season was underway.

A few months later, Coker is probably the hottest non-junior quarterback heading into the draft. And he's still got a chance to climb even more, thanks to the Crimson Tide playing in Monday's national championship game.

The 6'5", 232-pound passer is coming off arguably the best game of his career, going 25-of-30 for 286 yards and two touchdowns in the Cotton Bowl win against Michigan State.

"Jake Coker picked the perfect time to have the game of his life," Bleacher Report's Justin Ferguson wrote. "Now all he needs is a follow-up."

Kenneth Dixon, RB, Louisiana Tech

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If not for Navy option quarterback Keenan Reynolds, Kenneth Dixon would have ended his career as the most prolific scorer in FBS history. He'll have to settle for being second-best, with 88 scores, though his diversity as a scorer has him rising on draft boards.

The 5'10”, 213-pound Dixon scored 15 of his TDs as a receiver, including seven as a senior for Louisiana Tech. He also ran for 19 TDs this past season while gaining 1,070 yards, his third 1,000-yard season with the Bulldogs.

Running backs who can catch passes are always highly sought after in the NFL, and Dixon finished with 88 receptions. He had 34 as a senior, and in his final game, he caught six balls for 113 yards and two TDs (while running for 102 yards and two scores) in the New Orleans Bowl.

Brandon Doughty, QB, Western Kentucky

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Brandon Doughty's college career lasted much longer than most, spanning six years from when he arrived at Western Kentucky in 2010 to his final game in December. That's because nearly all of his 2011 and 2012 seasons were wiped out by knee injuries, one to each knee, limiting him to just 25 pass attempts in his first three years with the Hilltoppers.

But since Doughty has been able to play, and stay healthy, he's been the most prolific quarterback in the country. He's led FBS in passing touchdowns the past two seasons, throwing 49 in 2014 and 48 this season, and sits 16th in FBS history with 12,855 passing yards.

Doughty's senior year gave him several opportunities to shine against notable opponents, completing 66.4 percent of his passes for 1,018 yards and seven touchdowns in games against Vanderbilt, Indiana and LSU. He then finished his career with 461 yards and three TDs on 32-of-44 passing in Western Kentucky's bowl win over South Florida.

Keyarris Garrett, WR, Tulsa

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Tulsa won five total games in 2013-14, prompting the school to fire coach Bill Blankenship and replace him with Baylor assistant Philip Montgomery. That move was huge for the Golden Hurricane's offensive players, none more so than Keyarris Garrett.

The 6'4”, 221-pound wideout had 123 career receptions before Montgomery installed his uptempo offense. In the one year he got to play in that system, Garrett ended up with 96 catches for an FBS-leading 1,588 yards and eight touchdowns.

Garrett caught 14 passes for 189 yards and a TD against Oklahoma and went for 14 catches, 268 yards and three scores against Memphis. His 10-catch, 216-yard effort at Tulane helped Tulsa get to six wins. He then had eight catches for 137 yards and a score in the Independence Bowl against Virginia Tech's solid pass defense.

Deion Jones, LB, LSU

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Rated by NFLDraftScout.com as the third-best senior outside linebacker in this draft, Deion Jones made the most of a more defined role this season. And he did it while playing in the shadow of more heralded teammate Kendell Beckwith.

The 6'1”, 227-pound Jones led LSU with 100 tackles, along with five sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. In the Texas Bowl, he had a sack and two TFLs and forced a fumble in the win over Texas Tech, showing his versatility.

"He's a little undersized but has the athleticism to play all over the field," Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller wrote.

Bronson Kaufusi, DE, BYU

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Bronson Kaufusi came to BYU as a two-sport athlete, playing both basketball and football for the Cougars as a freshman in 2012-13. He's concentrated on football ever since, and in his final season, he raised his game to get onto the draft radar.

The 6'8”, 280-pound edge-rusher finished his career with 26.5 sacks and 44 tackles for loss, which rank second and third most, respectively, in BYU history (per his online bio).

Kaufusi's 45 solo tackles were second-most on the team in 2015, notching seven solo tackles in BYU's win over rival Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. He also had three tackles for loss in that game.

Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State

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One of the most prolific passers in SEC history, Dak Prescott spent much of his senior year trying to show he could throw the ball as well as he runs it. He accomplished that goal on numerous occasions, finishing second in the SEC with 3,793 passing yards along with 29 touchdowns.

The 6'2”, 230-pound Prescott also completed a career-best 66.2 percent of his passes, and his five interceptions in 477 attempts were the second-fewest of any quarterback who threw the ball at least 400 times this season.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller listed Prescott as the seventh-best quarterback for the 2016 draft and also labeled him as the "biggest riser" for this class.

Keenan Reynolds, QB, Navy

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His future as a professional football player won't be at the position he's spent the last four years playing, but because of the way Keenan Reynolds went about becoming the all-time FBS leader in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards by a quarterback, he's got a chance to make it as a running back.

Reynolds ran for 91 touchdowns with Navy, calling his own number nearly 1,000 times while operating the Midshipmen's triple-option offense. His runs weren't just short-yardage dives or the result of scrambling, either, as he averaged 5.18 yards per carry as a senior while scoring 24 times.

NFLDraftScout.com has the 5'11”, 195-pound Reynolds listed as the No. 11 senior running back in the 2016 draft.

All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.