Which College Football Freshmen Could Be One-and-Done If the NFL Allowed?
With 70 yards on 17 carries in Alabama's spring football game, incoming freshman Najee Harris looked the part of a player who could declare for the NFL draft after just one season—if such a move was permitted.
Fortunately for fans of the Crimson Tide, Harris will be around for at least three seasons (barring transfer), as college football does not have—and probably never will have—college basketball's "one-and-done" policy for jumping to the pros.
But that didn't stop us from pretending such an option exists and using it as a means of identifying the incoming stars with the physical attributes to make an NFL roster.
For the sake of argument, only true freshmen were considered for this list. Maybe Texas A&M's Justin Madubuike, Alabama's Ben Davis or Michigan's Kareem Walker could make the leap after redshirting the 2016 season, but we're only interested in those who could go from high school to the NFL in the span of 16 months.
Some of these guys might be lucky to even see the field as freshmen, so this shouldn't be considered a ranking of first-year players most likely to appear on 2017 All-Conference teams. Rather, players on the following slides are listed in ascending order of where they might appear in 2018 mock drafts if they were eligible.
8. Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
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Scout 2017 Ranks: No. 14 Overall; No. 1 LB
Measurements: 6'2 ½", 235 lbs
Colleges wanted Dylan Moses when he was in middle school, so it would only make sense for the NFL to want him after one year of college football.
In the near-four years since he was on the cover of ESPN The Magazine, the drooling over his immense talent and potential hasn't waned. If anything, the anticipation for his collegiate debut has only increased as he continued to thrive against high-level competition in high school.
But outside of maybe quarterback, linebacker would be the most difficult position for an early leap to the NFL.
Linemen with the necessary physical traits could theoretically bolt after one year. The same goes for running backs or cornerbacks with exceptional speed. The top seven players on this list all come from those positions.
Linebackers, on the other hand, need the extra time in the gym and reading opposing offenses to physically and mentally make the transition from high school to college to the NFL.
If anyone could do it, though, Moses is the guy.
7. Foster Sarell, OT, Stanford
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Scout 2017 Ranks: No. 2 Overall; No. 1 OT
Measurements: 6'6", 300 lbs
Never mind simply making it to the NFL, Foster Sarell already has visions of being one of the greatest to ever play the game.
"I want to go to the Hall of Fame, be in Canton and have the nice head statue and everything," Sarell told TJ Cotterill of the News Tribune in January 2016.
According to another piece from Cotterill, Sarell isn't the only one who thinks he can be special.
"I would not only say Foster Sarell is the best offensive line prospect I've seen from the Northwest, but he's probably the second-best offensive line prospect I've seen in the West region behind Tyron Smith (who is now an All-Pro for the Dallas Cowboys)," said Brandon Huffman, the national director of recruiting for Scout.com.
On size alone, Sarell has a lot of potential. Factor in the hands and footwork that are already better than most tackles in college and that future could start in 12 months, if the NFL permitted it.
6. Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State
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Scout 2017 Ranks: No. 15 Overall; No. 2 CB
Measurements: 6'1", 190 lbs
After watching Michigan's Jabrill Peppers terrorize opposing teams at virtually every speed position on the field for the past two years, Ohio State went out and grabbed a remarkable athlete of its own.
Jeffrey Okudah lined up at running back, wide receiver, cornerback, nickelback and safety in high school, and he will likely hone his craft as a shutdown corner over the next few seasons.
Regardless of the exact position that eventually becomes his primary home, Okudah has the potential to be one of the best in the business.
According Tyler Donohue for Bleacher Report, Okudah posted the second-highest overall score during the Nike Football Test Rating national finals last summer, which measures strength, speed, agility and leaping. In other words, he's one heck of an all-around physical specimen who should score well at the NFL Draft Combine when that day comes.
And he couldn't have picked a much better school for going pro from the secondary. In Bradley Roby (2014), Eli Apple (2016), Marshon Lattimore (2017), Malik Hooker (2017) and Gareon Conley (2017), the Buckeyes have produced five first-round defensive backs in the last four NFL drafts.
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5. Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State
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Scout 2017 Ranks: No. 10 Overall; No. 1 DT
Measurements: 6'4", 329 lbs
Of the six defensive tackles selected* to be starters for the 2016 Pro Bowl, the biggest was Ndamukong Suh at 6'4", 307 lbs. The average size of the NFL's six best interior defensive linemen was 6'2 ½", 296 lbs.
Granted, Marvin Wilson needs to convert some of his baby fat into grown-man muscle. But as far as raw height and weight are concerned, the soon-to-be freshman is big enough for the NFL draft.
Considering he is already bigger than most NFL players at his position, you can probably imagine Wilson looked like a man among mice at Episcopal HS. Despite some minor injuries as a senior, he compiled 38 sacks over his final three seasons, emerging as a giant who should immediately cause problems for opposing collegiate offenses.
What's kind of crazy for a man of Wilson's stature is that he's not too shabby on the hardwood. A testament to his footwork and quickness, he played varsity basketball for several years in high school.
We've seen plenty of big men play both sports in college, but the vast majority of them have been tight ends or defensive ends in the 250-280 pounds range.
That Wilson can competitively hoop at nearly 330 pounds is remarkable, and one of many signs that he's the type of athlete who could already make an impact in the NFL.
*Aaron Donald (6'1", 285 lbs) was replaced by Linval Joseph (6'4", 328 lbs) due to injury, but we're considering Donald as one of the six starters selected.
4. Cam Akers, RB, Florida State
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Scout 2017 Ranks: No. 3 Overall; No. 2 RB
Measurements: 5'11", 212 lbs
Take one look at the numbers Cam Akers put up in his senior season at Clinton High School and you'll find it's blatantly obvious why people are obsessed with his long-term potential. He threw for 3,128 yards and 31 touchdowns with just six interceptions while also rushing for 2,105 yards and 34 scores.
But Akers was jostling with Najee Harris for the top RB spot in this year's class long before that ridiculous senior year.
"As soon as we saw Akers live in New Orleans, he was a five star the next day," said Scout's national recruiting analyst Chad Simmons in July 2016. "Now he is a top five prospect in the country. He is the total package at running back—power, balance, explosive, patient, speed, ball skills—he has it all."
Akers isn't quite as physically large as Harris, which leaves him as the second-best back in this year's class. However, his explosiveness and athleticism are second to none.
In August 2015, Akers' high school coach, Judd Boswell, told Drew Champlain of AL.com, "I played high school and college football. I've been around it my whole life. My dad coached. He (Akers) is the best damn high school football player I've ever seen in my life."
With Dalvin Cook off to the NFL, there's a legitimate chance that Akers is the starting running back as a freshman.
According to Tim Linafelt of Seminoles.com, Akers was the leading rusher in the April 8 spring game, accounting for 87 yards on 10 carries. If he can make a splash like that in Week 1 against Alabama, NFL teams will be wishing he could be drafted in April 2018.
3. Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
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Scout 2017 Ranks: No. 9 Overall; No. 3 OT
Measurements: 6'6", 315 lbs
Based on size alone, Alex Leatherwood could have been a none-and-done pick this year. Only two offensive linemen were taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft (Garrett Bolles and Ryan Ramczyk), and neither big man is quite as large as the freshman who will be blocking for Jalen Hurts and Bo Scarbrough at Alabama this year.
He's more than just a mountain of a man, though. According to B/R's Michael Felder, Leatherwood also has "footwork like a ballerina." Whether he needs to protect his quarterback from an edge-rusher or deliver a pancake to a linebacker a few yards beyond the line of scrimmage, this left tackle has the size, strength and mobility to get the job done.
And for a stud offensive lineman who wants to get to the pros as soon as possible, he picked the right program. The Crimson Tide have had 12 offensive linemen drafted since 2009, five of them as first-rounders.
"I just like how (Alabama) is run like a factory," Leatherwood told Tony Tsoukalas in a July 2016 piece for the Montgomery Advertiser. "It's very business oriented, and I'm a very business-oriented person. I like no nonsense, and I get to the point. I like to work hard, and that's what they are all about."
It'll be 2020 before he's eligible for the draft, but Leatherwood has the tools to suit up for the NFL long before then.
2. Jaelan Phillips, DE, UCLA
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Scout 2017 Ranks: No. 5 Overall; No. 1 DE
Measurements: 6'6", 250 lbs
Jaelan Phillips is the type of uber-athlete who could do anything he sets his mind to.
He played baseball, basketball and volleyball in high school prior to becoming one of the fastest-rising recruits in this year's class. Per SB Nation's Jason Kirk, Phillips was the composite No. 375 overall on recruiting sites two summers ago.
Here's a bit of anecdotal evidence on what Phillips will bring to the UCLA Bruins.
According to InsideSoCal.com, Phillips broke his hand last season in an Oct. 28 game, but he planned on playing the following week.
And according to his game log on MaxPreps.com, he did much more than just suit up with a cast on his hand. Phillips recorded 13 tackles and 7.0 sacks on Nov. 4—part of a senior season with Redlands East Valley in which he amassed 142 tackles and 21.0 sacks in 11 games.
Physically, Phillips is already as big or bigger than most of the defensive ends (Myles Garrett, Derek Barnett, Charles Harris, etc.) who were selected in the first round of 2017 NFL draft.
If the edge-rusher puts up stats as a college freshman even half as good as he did as a high school senior, NFL franchises would gladly take a chance on him after just one year.
1. Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
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Scout 2017 Ranks: No. 1 Overall; No. 1 RB
Measurements: 6'3", 225 lbs
Despite being diagnosed with a partially torn meniscus in the summer between his junior and senior years of high school, Najee Harris posted some ridiculous numbers over his last two seasons.
According to MaxPreps, the stud running back averaged 220.8 yards per game, 2.8 rushing touchdowns per game and 10.3 yards per carry over the span of his final 25 games. In nine of those contests, he ran for at least 250 yards and multiple scores, including eclipsing the 300-yard mark four times.
Beyond the stats, though, Harris simply looks the part of a guy who could handle an NFL workload today. He's a full three inches taller than every other top-10 running back in this year's crop of recruits and measures up nicely against most of the top backs in the pros. Le'Veon Bell, for instance, is similarly listed at 6'2", 230 pounds.
Prior to Harris' senior year, Scout's Greg Biggins had high praise for Alabama's future star:
"You can make an argument that Harris is the top running back to come out of the West Coast in the last decade and is one of those generational talents that you just don't see very often. He has size, power, speed, the ability to run inside or outside, shows great hands out of the backfield, is highly competitive and works very hard off the field.
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How much Harris actually gets to play as a freshman remains to be seen. With Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and B.J. Emmons all returning for another year, touches could be tough to come by.
But the moment Najee Harris becomes the featured back for the Crimson Tide, he'll be a guy who every NFL executive wants to draft.
Unless otherwise noted, stats are courtesy of Sports Reference and CFBstats.com. Recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com.
Kerry Miller covers college football and college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
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