The 2014 NFL Draft is in the books so of course I’m moving on to the 2015 prospects and trying to get a handle on the guys I should be watching throughout the season. There are a number of prospects I’ve already watched because they were possible early entry candidates this last season and some of the guys I mention may not be in the 2015 draft because they are underclassmen that may return to school. The best quarterbacks are always a big priority because they have the chance to be the top pick so Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston and Brett Hundley are three to watch but 2014 was the latest example of early projections not meaning much. Last year at this time Teddy Bridgewater was the top signal-caller and Blake Bortles was barely on anyone’s radar. Jadeveon Clowney was obviously well known but Khalil Mack wasn’t even a blip on most people’s radar. I’m not going to try to do a mock draft like so many of the clowns out there try to do at this time of year because trying to forecast a draft a year out is like trying to forecast the weather a year out, completely useless. The toughest part isn’t trying to predict players it’s trying to predict the order teams will finish in. Did anyone see the Texans having the top pick in the 2014 draft? No. Hell I had them playing in the Super Bowl and I wasn’t the only one. I’m not ranking the guys either because this is just a look at each position and the players to watch. If you’re a college football fan keep these names in the back of head and when you’re up late on a Saturday night in the fall and you flip to an Arizona St. game and they start talking about Jaelen Strong you will have some idea who he is. I’ll start with the offensive side of the ball because everyone loves the playmakers. Like I said it’s like predicting the weather a year from now so this list is subject to change and that’s an understatement. Here are the top guys to watch throughout the season (this list is in no way complete and there are inevitably some players that I’ve missed for now).
2015 NFL Draft Offensive Prospects to Watch
Quarterbacks
Quarterbacks are the most often chosen position at #1 overall and if you read most mock drafts on the internet right now you’ll see Oregon’s Marcus Mariota projected first to whatever team they deem the worst in the league. He certainly possesses the ability to be a top pick but he’s going to have competition and not just at the QB position. If a team like the Jaguars or the Raiders end up with the first pick they won’t be spending it on a QB after they just drafted their QB’s of the future in Blake Bortles and Derek Carr. If the Jets or the Texans (again) end up with the worst record then a QB will most likely be at the top of their lists. A terrible record for those teams means their guy didn’t work out (the Jets with Geno Smith and Michael Vick) or they never found their guy (the Texans with Tom Savage, Ryan Fitzpatrick or Case Keenum). Oh and if you think Mariota has “best QB in the draft” locked up let me remind you that last year it was Bridgewater (he was the third QB taken) and two years ago it was Matt Barkley (he was drafted in the fourth round) at this time of the year who were considered the best in the next year’s draft.
Marcus Mariota Junior Oregon:
Mariota might have been the #1 pick for the Texans if he had entered the 2014 draft and he certainly would have been the first QB off the board. He is most often compared to the 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick but that isn’t completely fair. Mariota is farther along as a passer than Kaepernick was at the same stage but that isn’t to say he is a complete player just yet. He still needs to work on his passing and Oregon’s system doesn’t ask him to read defenses the way an NFL team would. Kaepernick needed time to adjust to the NFL which is why he was Alex Smith’s backup his rookie season and Mariota might need that same sort of situation.
Jameis Winston RS Sophomore Florida St.:
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has previously said he wants to stay in college two more years so he may not be in the 2015 draft and I would say that would be a wise choice. Winston has all the measurables and he’s proven to be a winner but he’s got baggage and he’s far from a perfect prospect. His off-the-field issues (the sexual assault allegation and his recent shoplifting charge) need to be farther in the rearview mirror for NFL teams. Winston needs to get his head on straight and stay out of trouble and show executives that he’s not that guy. As far as his on-the-field game goes he has some mechanical issues to work out with his throwing motion (it’s long and slow) and those are correctable things he needs to work out with his college coaches. He’s a better bet for the 2016 draft but he may pull a Johnny Manziel and leave after his redshirt sophomore season, he did follow Manziel as a redshirt freshman Heisman Trophy winner after all.
Brett Hundley Junior UCLA:
A big strong physical athlete with a good arm and a couple of years’ worth of starting experience is exactly what NFL teams love to see but Hundley didn’t make the progress last year that teams thought he would and so there are questions about him. He fits the profile of an NFL QB but he makes too many mistakes and relies too much on his athleticism. If he takes the next step he could give Mariota a run for the #1 spot, the sky is the limit with his potential, but for now it’s still just potential.
Bryce Petty Senior Baylor:
In a year where the top QB’s are all great athlete’s this guy is the best passer. The only question about Petty is whether or not he’s actually as good as his stats say or is he just a product of the Baylor passing game. Petty has the size and the arm strength teams want but Baylor’s system doesn’t call for Petty to do a lot of defense reading. The last QB with great size that played in a spread system like this was Blaine Gabbert, that’s not a ringing endorsement.
Connor Cook Junior Michigan St.:
Cook burst onto the scene last year when he led the Spartans to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl victory over Stanford. He’s 6’4 215 lbs. so he certainly measures up to NFL standards and he plays in a pro-style system. Teams are going to take a long hard look at him and watch his progression because he only has a year of starting experience so they don’t have a lot of tape on him just yet. He has great potential and he could be the guy that emerges this season.
The others to watch out for:
Kevin Hogan Sr. Stanford; Sean Mannion Sr. Oregon St; Taylor Kelly Sr. Arizona St.
The Pac-12 is stacked at the QB position with Mariota and Hundley joined by Hogan, Mannion and Kelly. Kevin Hogan looked like a possible top prospect two years ago when he took over for Andrew Luck but he regressed a bit last year. He still has great potential and he could really emerge with a bounce back season. Mannion is a 6’5 220 lbs. guy who fits the NFL profile and he’s got the arm to make it. He’ll have to do it this season without superstar WR Brandin Cooks but NFL teams have taken notice. Kelly isn’t the biggest guy but he knows how to sling it and he will be watched pretty closely along with his top WR Jaelen Strong. They make a pretty dynamic pair out in the desert.
The great college QB that doesn’t translate to the NFL: Braxton Miller Senior Ohio St.
Miller is a phenomenal athlete playing QB for Urban Meyer but he just isn’t a great QB prospect. He’s listed at 6’2 215 lbs. but he’s got a slight build, he doesn’t have the arm and he’s too quick to leave the pocket for NFL teams. Miller lacks polish throwing the ball and he doesn’t have to read defenses so he doesn’t fit the profile. Urban Meyer’s offense doesn’t lend itself to creating NFL QB’s but it certainly wins a lot of college football games.
Running Backs
The past two drafts have led to the belief that the running back position is dying in the NFL and that teams have so devalued the position that we may never see another running back drafted in the first round ever again…not so fast. There is a quartet of running backs that will look to dispel that notion this next season and yes it is possible that as many as four RB’s could go in the first round of the 2015 draft. I would actually venture to say that if the underclassmen come out there will absolutely be four RB’s go in the first round.
Todd Gurley Junior Georgia
Two of the best teams in the NFL are the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers and while the NFL has become a passing league these two teams have built their offenses around a power running game. Gurley could be the next Marshawn Lynch if he can stay healthy. He is an absolute beast and while most teams are trying to get faster on defense the best way to counter fast defenders is with power runners. The NFL is a copycat league and with the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl built around a big powerful defense and a big powerful running back Gurley will be high on teams’ boards next season.
Melvin Gordon Junior Wisconsin
Gordon’s game is predicated on his speed and he’s a homerun hitter with the ball in his hands. He had 3 runs of over 70 yards last year alone but don’t mistake the fact that his game is predicated on speed for Gordon being a scat back. He isn’t some 5’9 180 lbs. runner he’s 6’1 and just shy of 210 lbs. He hasn’t had to carry the load sharing the backfield at Wisconsin with the likes of Montee Ball and James White and he will share it this year with Corey Clement but that just means his legs are fresh. Gordon is definitely more LeSean McCoy than he is Marshawn Lynch but that is what many NFL teams are looking for. Gordon is a star waiting to happen.
TJ Yeldon Junior Alabama
Yeldon is the best of both worlds because he’s got great speed but he’s 6’2 220 lbs. He might be the most misunderstood RB in college football because teams think he’s some sort of speed back because he has great speed. Yeldon started his career sharing the backfield with Eddie Lacy so yes he was the change-of-pace guy but he’s built to carry the load. He hasn’t had to at Alabama because the Tide are always stocked at RB but Yeldon will prove what he is this year even while sharing the rock.
Karlos Williams Senior Florida St.
Last season Williams was the third man in a three man backfield with Devonte Freeman and James Wilder but he showed the potential to be a dynamic workhorse. Williams has great size at 6’1 229 lbs. and he’s just scratching the surface of what he can be. He began his college career on defense and languished on the bench until Jimbo Fisher convinced him to move to the offensive side. With Freeman and Wilder gone Williams will be the go-to guy on arguably the best team in the country. Everyone is always looking for the Adrian Peterson, well here’s the closest thing we’ve seen in quite some time.
Two more RB’s to keep an eye on: Mike Davis Jr. South Carolina; Ameer Abdullah Sr. Nebraska
Davis was overshadowed last year playing on a team that featured Jadeveon Clowney and QB Connor Shaw. He ran for almost 1200 yards and he did it with little fanfare. He’s only 5’9 but he’s 216 lbs. so he’s plenty thick and he can handle the workload. The Gamecocks will be breaking in a new starting QB so they will lean heavily on Davis. I don’t think he’s a first round pick but he’s a very good RB. Abdullah is slightly smaller than Davis but he’s proven over the last two years that he can carry a large workload. Last season he ran for over 1600 yards and had over 300 touches, he basically was the Cornhusker offense after Taylor Martinez went down with an injury. Abdullah isn’t the biggest or the fastest but he’s a very solid back and no one comes back from limping off the field quite as well as Abdullah, seriously I’ve never seen a guy leave a game with a seemingly bad injury and return just a few plays later as often as he does. It’s uncanny.
Wide Receiver
Next year’s WR draft class doesn’t have the depth or the elite talent that this last year’s class had. At this point there is no Sammy Watkins or Mike Evans level talent but that doesn’t mean a few guys couldn’t make that leap. We had a very weak crop of WR’s in 2013 and an unusually strong group in 2014 but next year’s class looks like it will be much closer to the middle.
Amari Cooper Junior Alabama
This kid oozes talent but he plays for an Alabama team that relies on a great defense and a powerful running game so he doesn’t put up great numbers. AJ McCarron was a good QB but he’s not a guy taking big shots down the field so Cooper hasn’t shown everything he can do. You have to watch Cooper to understand the type of potential he has and NFL teams see it and Cooper isn’t going to stick around Alabama any longer than he has too.
Antwan Goodley Senior Baylor
Goodley might be the product of a great passing attack or he might be the reason the passing attack is so great. Baylor has had a string of good WR’s lately; Kendall Wright, Terrence Williams and even Josh Gordon (he was at Baylor originally) and Goodley is the next one. He isn’t big at only 5’10 but he’s well-built and extremely productive. He and Bryce Petty make a dynamic combination and any WR that puts up numbers like Goodley gets noticed by the NFL.
Jaelen Strong Junior Arizona St.
At 6’4 205 lbs. Strong is the prototype for the new WR in the NFL. He’s big, strong and highly productive. He was Taylor Kelly’s favorite target after transferring in from JUCO. Strong could push to the top of the WR group and give Cooper a run for his money. He isn’t as big as Mike Evans but he’s a dynamic playmaker.
Nelson Algohor Junior USC
A 6’0 185 lbs. WR from USC is bound to be compared to former Trojans Marqise Lee and Robert Woods and it’s a fair comparison. He’s not the biggest and he’s not the fastest but like Lee and Woods he knows how to get open and he’s a natural receiver.
Rashad Greene Senior Florida St.
He’s only 6’0 180 lbs. but it was Greene and not the more heralded 6’5 243 lbs. Kelvin Benjamin that was the best WR on the Seminoles last year. Greene doesn’t wow you with his physical ability but he’s a very good receiver that understands the position and always produces.
DeVante Parker Senior Louisville
The 6’3 204 lbs. Parker was Teddy Bridgewater’s big-play receiver and while Parker is going to miss playing with Bridgewater something tells me his production won’t drop off in Bobby Petrino’s pass-happy offense. It’s never really mattered who Petrino lines up at QB his offenses have always produced and Parker is a great place to start. Teams love his size and he’s an experienced player too.
The Wildcard: Dorial Green-Beckham Junior Formerly Missouri
Green-Beckham would have been high on the list of top receivers but at the moment the 6’5 225 lbs. freak doesn’t have a team. The former #1 overall recruit in the nation had a very good sophomore season on a very good Missouri team and he was expected to have a breakout year in 2014. Unfortunately his off-the-field issues got him kicked off the Tigers and where he ends up at this point is a mystery. He could have been the closest thing to Calvin Johnson in many years but multiple arrests for drug possession and another incident led to his dismissal from the team and have left his future in doubt.
Tight Ends
There are currently only two TE to look out for this season and neither one of them seem like the type of top-notch prospect that we’ve seen in the past few years.
Nick O’Leary Senior Florida St.
O’Leary isn’t going to set the world on fire and at 6’3 246 lbs. he isn’t exactly a huge matchup nightmare. He’s a good pass catcher and solid blocker but he’s not the seam stretching playmaker that guys like Eric Ebron or Jace Amaro were this last year.
Devin Funchess Junior Michigan
The 6’5 235 lbs. Funchess is basically a jacked-up WR and he can be a dynamic playmaker for the Wolverines, which is something their offense needs. Perhaps new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier will figure out a way to better utilize Funchess great athleticism in the passing game. He isn’t an inline blocker and being a junior he still could fill out his frame a bit.
The Sleeper: Ray Hamilton Senior Iowa
You can call me a homer if you want but Hamilton is the non-talked about prospect on the Hawkeyes. OT Brandon Scherff and DT Carl Davis are being talked about in the media as top prospects (I’ll get to them later) but Hamilton should emerge now that the rather large shadow of CJ Fiedorowicz is gone. Hamilton is a very good blocker and he’s shown good hands when he has had his opportunities and while there haven’t been a lot of those scouts know who he is. They also know that you can’t ignore any TE out of Iowa and while Hamilton isn’t as big as Fiedorowicz is or as athletic as a guy like Eric Ebron he is good enough to play in the NFL and he may just surprise people this year.
Offensive Line
If I were putting money on a position group this year to keep a QB out of the #1 overall selection in the draft I would bet on the offensive tackle position. The last two years have given us Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel, and Lane Johnson in 2013 and Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews and Taylor Lewan in 2014 but this year has even more potential. Seniors Cedric Ogbuehi, Brandon Scherff, Cameron Erving and La’el Collins along with junior Andrus Peat give us five top tackle prospects and senior guard Tre Jackson is first round worthy too.
Cedric Ogbuehi Senior Texas A&M OT
The top OT prospect and possibly the top prospect overall Ogbuehi is hardly a household name and it’s hard to blame households for that. He hasn’t even played LT yet at A&M as he had to wait his turn behind Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews but Ogbuehi has proven himself at other positions in the meantime. He started as a right guard playing next to Matthews two years ago when Joeckel was the LT and when Matthews flipped to the left side last year Ogbuehi took over as at RT. He is 6’5 300 lbs. and he’s light on his feet and has a perfect build to be a blindside protector in the NFL. Ogbuehi has to prove it this year but his potential is immense.
Brandon Scherff Senior Iowa OT
Scherff is simply the best run blocker in college football and he’s an absolute beast. At 6’5 315 lbs. he is a prototypical tackle and while his pass blocking can use some work he’s devastating in the run game. He moves extremely well for a man his size and he gets to the second level and destroys defenders down the field. Scherff brings a nasty streak and has the attitude of a mauler. Many think he could end up as a RT in the NFL due to his aggressive run blocking but he has the skills and the athleticism to be a LT. While Taylor Lewan garnered most of the attention in the Big Ten last year on the offensive line if you ask scouts who the best offensive lineman was in the conference a lot of them would tell you it was Scherff.
Cameron Erving Senior Florida St. OT
Erving came on last year at LT for the National Champion Seminoles blocking for Jameis Winston. He started his career on the defensive line so he’s still a bit raw but he’s an excellent prospect. He’s big and powerful but light on his feet and while he needs technique work he’s got everything you look for in a franchise LT.
Andrus Peat Junior Stanford OT
The 6’7 308 lbs. junior has the size, the feet and the wingspan every top LT needs. He’s maturing and filling out his body but the sky is limit for this athletic LT prospect. Peat will have a decision to make because he’s a first round pick in 2015 but the depth at the position may push him down, if he stays in school he’s a lock to be a very high pick in 2016.
La’el Collins Senior LSU T/G
Collins considered entering the 2014 draft but decided to return to LSU for his senior year and while he plays LT for the Tigers and I think he can play OT in the NFL a lot of people are projecting him inside at guard. Either way Collins is a fantastic prospect and he’ll probably be a first round pick who can line up at either tackle or guard for whatever team drafts him.
Tre Jackson Senior Florida St. OG
Yes this is the 6th player from Florida St’s offense on this list and now you know half of the reason the defending National Champions are going to be the preseason #1 team, I’ll get to the other half when I cover the defensive side. Jackson is a huge mauling guard who teams with Erving to make the left side of the Seminoles offensive line incredible. He is 6’4 330 lbs. and he will be a rare first round guard.
The Hott Read 