Defensive Linemen
They come in all shapes and sizes these days and as Aaron Donald proved this last year that matters less and less to teams and production means more. The difference between a DE and an OLB is pretty blurry at this point and college teams use undersized DE’s all the time and some of them project better to OLB in the NFL where 3-4 defenses are far more commonplace. The traditional definitions of defensive end and defensive tackle are also less defined in the NFL and guys like Seattle Seahawk Michael Bennett can play inside and out and that’s good news for a guy like Ohio St’s Michael Bennett because he can do the same. This group includes some experienced seniors and some freakishly athletic juniors that can make this group special. The proliferation of multi-front defenses means teams like versatile players but you can never underestimate the value of great pass rushers.
Leonard Williams Junior USC DT
The 6’4 290 lbs. junior is a disruptive force on the interior of USC’s defensive line. He’s not the type of penetrating pass rusher Aaron Donald was but he’s bigger and very athletic. Williams is an all-around DT that stops the run and gets into the opponents backfield. He’s as close to a lock for the top 5 as you can be at this point and while he isn’t as sexy a pick as a guy like Clowney was last season teams will be falling all over themselves to get their hands on him.
Shilique Calhoun Junior Michigan St. DE
They don’t call this kid Shilique the Freak just because it rhymes. He won Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year last season as a sophomore and while he doesn’t have the hype of last year’s freak, Jadeveon Clowney, I would bet he has a more productive junior season than Clowney had. Michigan St. had the #1 defense in the country in 2013 and Calhoun had a lot to do with it. He’s a 6’4 250 lbs. terror off the edge and he’s still growing into his body. Calhoun could still add some size to his frame but if a team running a 3-4 defense takes him he can transition to OLB at his current size. Either way he’s the type of pass rusher every defensive coordinator dreams of and every offensive coordinator has nightmares about.
Randy Gregory Junior Nebraska DE
When you average a sack per game scouts take notice. Gregory was JUCO transfer and he stepped right in last year and had 10.5 sacks in 10 games played. He’s about 6’5 260 lbs. so he fits the DE profile just right but he has the athleticism to line up at OLB in the right defense too. Pass rushers are always at a premium and Gregory will likely cash in this year.
Carl Davis Senior Iowa DT
I really thought the media was going to miss the boat on Davis and then Sports Illustrated did their too-early mock draft and there was Davis in the top 15. Scouts know who he is because a 6’5 315 lbs. DT is not going to escape their attention. Davis is a mountain of a man and he’s stout versus the run and he’s actually pretty good at getting into the backfield. He doesn’t get many sacks but pass rushing isn’t the reason you draft a guy like this. Davis will have a long NFL career.
Mario Edwards Junior Florida St. DE
Listed at 6’4 285 lbs. Edwards is more of a base end than a pass rusher off the edge. He can get to the QB but that isn’t his calling card. He held up well in the National Championship game setting the edge against 2014 #2 overall pick Greg Robinson. Edwards is a power player and he is versatile enough to line up outside at end or slide inside to tackle on passing downs.
Michael Bennett Senior Ohio St. DT
He’s a 6’3 285 lbs. pass rushing defensive tackle with the versatility to play end if need be. The Seahawk’s version is a DE that can move inside while the Buckeye version prefers the interior position. Bennett had seven sacks as a junior and he’ll be playing on an impressively talented line this season. Teams will love his versatility, his penetrating style and his experience.
Vic Beasley Senior Clemson DE/OLB
Beasley will most often be compared to Dee Ford from Auburn but he isn’t even as big as Ford was as an undersized DE. Ford will be making the transition to OLB for the Chiefs this season and Beasley would be wise to embrace that change as soon as his senior year is over much the same way Ford did. Beasley is only 6’2 and between 235-240 lbs. so he won’t have to slim down to make the switch and his natural pass rush instinct will make him some team’s dream choice at OLB.
Devonte Fields RS Sophomore TCU DE/OLB
He missed most of last season with a foot injury and that will be a concern every team will check out thoroughly but he was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year two years ago for a reason. The 6’4 240 lbs. redshirt sophomore could line up at DE or OLB and he’ll be a pass rushing force from either spot. This one is more a projection and a belief that his foot injury won’t be a recurring issue.
Dante Fowler Jr. Junior Florida DE
The 6’4 260 lbs. DE has played all over and like a lot of these guys he’s a very athletic guy who can play anywhere. Fowler didn’t get a lot of attention last year and that was partly because Florida just wasn’t very good. He has loads of potential.
Others to watch: Cedric Reed DE Texas, Shawn Oakman DE Baylor, Noah Spence DE Ohio St.
Reed is one of the few bright spots on the Texas defense this season. He is one to watch out for because he could put it all together under the tutelage of Charlie Strong and defensive coordinator Vance Bedford. Oakman is a gigantic DE at 6’9 277 lbs. and he profiles as a perfect five-technique DE. He lacks great pass rushing skill but his sheer height make him a menace in the throwing lanes. Spence has to sit out the first two games of the season for a highly contentious positive drug test and while Spence hasn’t really lived up to his high billing so far he oozes potential and he could break out at any moment.
Linebackers
The position has been devalued in the draft over the years unless you happen to be a pass rushing OLB but there is still a place in the NFL for guys who can tackle. CJ Mosley and Ryan Shazier were both first round picks this season and while this list is short and sweet there are a few players to watch.
Denzel Perryman Senior Miami MLB
Perryman played outside last season but it looks like he’ll take over in the middle of the Hurricanes’ defense in 2014. That versatility will benefit him greatly and while he isn’t very big at 6’0 240 lbs. he tackles with authority and he’s a solid athlete.
Bernardrick McKinney Junior Mississippi St. OLB
McKinney can rush the passer from the OLB position but he’s more of a traditional 4-3 outside linebacker as he has more all-around skills than just getting after the QB. He gets overlooked because Mississippi St. isn’t one of the big SEC schools that sends player after player to the NFL but scouts know about him.
Jordan Jenkins Junior Georgia OLB
Jenkins was better two years ago than he was last season but he’s filled with potential. He’s a natural pass rusher but he has plenty of other linebacker skills too. Jenkins could be the best player on the rebuilding Bulldogs’ defense.
Ramik Wilson Senior Georgia ILB
If Jenkins isn’t the best player on Georgia’s rebuilt defense it’s will be because it’s Wilson. He’s a ILB built to play inside in a 3-4 defense. New defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt isn’t rebuilding the defense without some solid blocks and Wilson is a nice foundation to start around.
Eric Striker RS Sophomore Oklahoma OLB
Striker is only 6’0 and less than 220 lbs. and he lines up at LB for the Sooners but he’s been practicing as a nickel back also this spring. He’s athletic and does a little of everything for Bob Stoops.
The Sleeper: Kyler Fackrell Junior Utah St. OLB
I will admit I had no idea who he was until his name started to pop up in regards to the 2015 draft. I looked him up and not surprisingly there is not a lot of video available of Utah St. but I did find some highlights. He’s a tall slender LB with good athleticism and looks like he could be a real find for someone. Fackrell is an outside guy that can rush the passer but also has some coverage ability so he may have some scheme versatility.
Defensive Backs
The cornerback position is extremely valuable in the NFL and this draft class offers a lot of potential but not a ton of actual production just yet. The safety position looks pretty thin but there are some guys to keep a close watch on. A number of these guys will be stepping out of the shadow of more heralded teammates so they have to step up their play.
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu Senior Oregon CB
Ekpre-Olomu is undersized given the NFL’s new found love for taller CB’s but he’s arguably still the best cover corner in the nation. He’s 5’10 195 lbs. and while that’s not big it’s not exactly tiny either. His size has never been a limitation and he’s one of the few CB’s that has actually proven himself on the field. It was a little surprising when Ekpre-Olomu returned to Oregon for his senior year because he would have been a 1st rounder in the 2014 draft.
PJ Williams Junior Florida St. CB
Williams had a coming-out party in the National Championship Game against Auburn and was the defensive player of the game. Lamarcus Joyner took most of the headlines last year in the Seminoles secondary but Williams is the better pure cover corner. He has good size at 6’0 and around 195 lbs. so that isn’t an issue. Williams played great against teammate Rashad Greene in their spring game matchup and he may be the first CB off the board next spring.
Trae Waynes Junior Michigan St. CB
The 6’1 185 lbs. junior will be stepping out of the shadow of all-everything teammate Darqueze Dennard and that means taking on the best WR of every opponent. Waynes isn’t as physical of a corner as Dennard was but he’s a little more fluid and he’s got good coverage skills. The Spartans lost some very good players on their top ranked defense but it’s guys like Waynes and Shilique Calhoun that make it so they won’t drop off that far.
Ronald Darby Junior Florida St. CB
Darby is a good prospect with a cloudy future because he’s tied up in the Jameis Winston sexual assault case somehow. There are disciplinary meetings going on and until that is all resolved who knows what will happen with him. He missed spring practice because of it all, however, if he’s cleared and he plays he’s a solid prospect that teams cannot ignore.
Jalen Collins Junior LSU CB
This guy is far more projection than production at this point but a 6’2 195 lbs. corner starting for the LSU Tigers cannot be ignored. Collins looks the part and he’s quick, fluid and a terrific athlete but at this point he hasn’t put all of those things together. If he shows the cover skills consistently this season that everyone expects him to he will fly up the draft boards by the end of the year.
Quandre Diggs Senior Texas CB
There was a time when CB’s from Texas got drafted simply out of habit but there have been a few lean years here at the end of the Mack Brown era. Charlie Strong’s first Longhorn team has a pretty good corner in Diggs and while he hasn’t lived up to the standard so far of previous Texas greats he still has one last chance. A talented guy with good coverage skills should excel under Charlie Strong and while he may not be a first round guy he’s a pretty good player.
Landon Collins Junior Alabama S
Considering last year’s two starting safeties, Haha Clinton-Dix and Vinnie Sunseri, both got drafted it may seem strange that another Alabama safety is here but Collins could be special. Sunseri got injured last season and Collins stepped in for him and the Bama defense didn’t miss a beat. Collins is a future star and the future may be now. He’ll continue the line of safeties that Alabama has put into the NFL over the last few years and he may even go higher than Clinton-Dix went this last year.
Others to watch: Alex Carter Jr. Stanford CB; Josh Shaw Sr. USC CB; Anthony Harris Sr. Virginia S; Josh Harvey-Clemons Jr. Georgia S; Jalen Mills Jr. LSU CB
Carter is a good man coverage corner. Shaw is a big corner at 6’2 200 lbs. Harris is a playmaking safety that had 8 picks last year. Harvey-Clemons is a huge young safety at 6’5 220 lbs. and may not stay there. And Jalen Mills is the other potentially great corner at LSU and if he ends up being a better player than Jalen Collins it won’t be surprising or he could end up playing safety.
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