With spring football almost completely over and draft talk taking over the week, this is the time of the year when college football takes a backseat to the NFL—even for the most diehard college fans.
The NFL draft can be quite entertaining and perhaps a bit frustrating for college football fans as they see where these franchises value some of the best players from the 2015 season. College production doesn't necessarily translate into better draft positions, for better or for worse.
All the week's draft talk and the long, dismal offseason prompted some thinking about a hypothetical draft process for college football. If all the returning players for the 2016 season were thrown into a draft pool and nameless teams were to pick them one by one, who would go in the top spots?
Here is how the first round of such a draft would operate, with the selections based on 2015 production, potential for 2016 and any past injury issues. And while the NFL draft has 32 teams, let's go with a number that is nearer and dearer to the heart of college football—25.
Of course, the selections and the order for them are sure to generate a firestorm of comments. Everyone has their own unique opinion of how the all-college football draft board should look, and some could easily come up with a list of 25 snubs from this group. Share your own selections in the comments below.
A lot of pre-NFL draft action this year has centered on two quarterbacks—Cal's Jared Goff and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. Even though they weren't necessarily college superstars, teams' willingness to trade up for them[1] shows the importance of getting a great player at the most important position on the field.
This hypothetical college football draft starts at quarterback, too, with Clemson star Deshaun Watson going No. 1 overall. In his first full season as the Tigers starter last year, Watson became the first player ever[2] to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 1,000 more in a single season while leading Clemson to an ACC title and a close loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
"He's the best young quarterback in the game," Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer[3] wrote. "What's most impressive, however, is how he's grown into a threat on the ground. Oh, and he also happens to throw one of the best deep balls out there. He is the complete package."
According to Odds Shark, Watson is currently the preseason favorite[4] to win the Heisman Trophy, an award he came in third in voting for last season. An NFL quarterbacks coach told Chase Goodbread[5] of NFL.com earlier this year that Watson has the potential to be the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He's an easy call to lead this draft, too.
After Deshaun Watson goes No. 1 overall in this hypothetical draft, the decision on who goes No. 2 becomes extremely difficult. The debate would most likely come down to either Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey or LSU running back Leonard Fournette, and McCaffrey gets the ever-so-slight edge here.
McCaffrey finished second in Heisman Trophy voting last season—and there were plenty who thought he should have won the award—after breaking Barry Sanders' FBS record for the most all-purpose yards[6] in a single season. After missing out on the Heisman, he put up 368 yards on just 24 touches in a Rose Bowl rout of Iowa. He was simply unstoppable in 2015.
And although his rushing stats weren't as impressive overall as those of his fellow star collegiate backs, his ability to change the game in rushing, receiving, kick returning, punt returning and even passing made him the complete package. Opponents couldn't just key on him in one area of the game. His combination of speed and strength leads to a lot of frustration for would-be tacklers.
McCaffrey's versatility and high value on both offense and special teams make him the No. 2 choice here, but some teams and commenters might have had the No. 3 selection on top in their own hypothetical draft boards.
Last season, Leonard Fournette showed the entire country why a running back was the No. 1 overall recruit[7] a couple of years ago. The NFL might devalue running backs in this day and age, but college football is having a renaissance at the position, and Fournette was at the forefront of it for most of 2015.
Fournette led the country[8] in rushing average with 162 yards per contest, scored 22 touchdowns on the ground and averaged 6.5 yards per touch. He posted those ridiculous numbers in just 12 contests—two fewer than Christian McCaffrey and three fewer than Alabama's Derrick Henry—and still had a couple of off games.
"He was the best player in college football for much of the season, and only saw his Heisman candidacy fade after the Tigers struggled down the stretch," Jeff Dooley[9] of Pro Football Focus wrote. "But he still finished the season with the top rushing grade in the country, and his 70 forced missed tackles as a runner versus Power Five teams ranked second only to [Derrick] Henry's 71."
Fournette has a serious claim as the most talented football player in the entire country for the 2016 college football season, and Bleacher Report's Matt Miller[10] has him as the No. 1 overall player in his way-too-early 2017 NFL draft board. He might not be quite as versatile as Watson or McCaffrey, but he's a freak of nature with the football in his hands.
Teams at all levels of football desire the type of edge-rusher who can change a game simply by lining up at defensive end. While college football lost a few of those special talents to the draft this year, it still has Texas A&M star Myles Garrett.
One of the Aggies' biggest recruiting wins of the last several seasons, Garrett exploded onto the college football scene in 2014 by breaking the SEC freshman sack record formerly held by Jadeveon Clowney—the No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in 2014. Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee[11] wrote Garrett is getting treated like Clowney these days, with teams looking to run plays away from him as much as possible.
But don't think the 6'5", 262-pound Garrett misses out on getting his big plays. He recorded 12.5 sacks[12] as a sophomore last season, which was the most for any defensive player in Power Five college football who is returning for the 2016 campaign.
Garrett might not get the same amount of attention as other superstars on this list because of Texas A&M's lack of a championship push during his two seasons with the team, but he has the production and the raw talent to be considered one of the best to suit up on Saturdays, no question.
This year's NFL draft class was a good one for defensive backs, but it doesn't have the most productive shutdown cornerback in the entire game for the 2015 season. That title would belong to Jourdan Lewis, the Michigan defensive back who shut down opposing passing attacks time and time again for the Wolverines.
"Lewis boasts the nation's top coverage grade, despite facing the sixth-most targets," Steve Palazzolo[13] of Pro Football Focus wrote last December. "His 15 passes defensed also lead the nation. Opposing quarterbacks are completing 36.5 percent of their passes thrown Lewis' way, second-best in the country among corners with at least 60 targets."
Teams would try Lewis repeatedly last season in what was a stacked Michigan secondary, and he would continue to turn them away. He played a huge role in making the Wolverines the best pass defense in the entire country, with opposing quarterbacks averaging a paltry 5.4[14] yards per attempt, a 47.5[15] completion percentage and a combined rating of 94.61[16]—all top marks nationally.
Standard stats might not tell the whole story for Lewis, who also picked off a pair of passes and ran one back for a touchdown last season. But when you look at his value to the nation's most feared pass defense, there's no underselling what would be sky-high value in a hypothetical college football draft.
Baker Mayfield had the breakout year of all breakout years in 2015, winning Oklahoma's big quarterback battle and then leading the Sooners to a bounce-back campaign that ended with a Big 12 championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. This year, he's back to run the show again in Norman.
Many thought Mayfield was snubbed from the Heisman ceremony last season. After all, Mayfield finished tied for second nationally[17] in yards per attempt, third[18] in quarterback efficiency and fourth[19] in completion percentage while throwing more than five times as many touchdowns (36) as he did interceptions (seven). With his legs, Mayfield showed an incredible ability to escape pressure, and he added seven scores on the ground.
"He was just what Oklahoma needed," Ken Bradley[20] of Sporting News wrote. "Trevor Knight could make plays but not with consistency. Mayfield could—and did so with a fire that lit up the Sooners and carried them all the way to the second College Football Playoff."
Deadly efficient in Lincoln Riley's Air Raid offense and armed with the motivation of starting his football career as a walk-on, Mayfield is the kind of quarterback who can light up a defense in a heartbeat. He'd be an excellent draft selection for any hypothetical team that missed out on Deshaun Watson.
Speedy Florida State running back Dalvin Cook didn't get the same amount of spotlight as Christian McCaffrey or Leonard Fournette last season, but he ranked right up there with those standout running backs in terms of jaw-dropping production.
Cook was arguably the most explosive runner in Power Five college football last year, averaging 7.38[21] yards per touch—more than a half-yard better than the next-best big-conference rusher who had at least 200 carries. No other Power Five running back had more carries for 20-[22] and 30-plus yards[23]. He had 19 rushing touchdowns in 12 games, and he only recorded two carries in one of those contests.
"He's the most explosive player in college football," Bleacher Report's Adam Kramer[24] wrote. "In terms of carry to carry, that human highlight, he is the guy. Any play can become a touchdown. Seventy-five yards looks like nothing to him."
Cook's injury history—he battled a nagging hamstring issue in 2015 and underwent shoulder surgery toward the end of Florida State's spring camp—slightly impacts his overall draft stock here. However, when he's back on the field, Cook is a big-play machine who should have a monster year behind a now-experienced FSU offensive line.
Draft-eligible stars on Alabama defenses usually don't stick around in Tuscaloosa. They normally rack up the accolades and a championship or two in a season before heading off to the NFL. But Jonathan Allen is different, as the star defensive end will be back for the Crimson Tide in 2016.
Last year, Allen recorded 12 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss for Alabama en route to a national championship. While other defensive ends seem to rack up their stats against low-quality competition, Allen had some of his best games against the likes of Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Michigan State—the last one coming in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Allen's dozen sacks were the most by an Alabama defensive player in the Nick Saban[25] era, and he surprised many across the country when he announced he would be back for the upcoming season. Thanks to the immense number of former blue-chips Alabama rotates along its defensive front, Allen has the freedom to go from east to west and shut down plays in the backfield.
It's not often one gets to hear about a star defensive end in Saban's 3-4 system, which makes Allen all the more special to the Crimson Tide. He'll be the cornerstone to what should be another loaded Tide defense in the 2016 season.
In terms of sheer production, Desmond King is hands down one of the best players to return to college football for the 2016 season. King is fresh off winning the Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation's best defensive back, and he is a complete game-changer at cornerback.
Last year, King finished second[26] in the country and first among Power Five players for interceptions with eight. He was marked down for 21 passes defensed[27] last season, averaging out to 1.5 per game for the surprise Big Ten West champion Iowa Hawkeyes. He was also a solid weapon against the run, recording 75 tackles for a stout Iowa defense.
"King won every award a defensive back could win during his junior season at Iowa," Marc Morehouse[28] of the Gazette wrote. "From consensus All-American to All-Big Ten to the Jim Thorpe Award, King collected offseason honors the way he collected a season record-tying eight interceptions during the season."
An all-around difference-maker at defensive back, King could have easily gone to the NFL after his standout junior season and become a first-round pick. But he's still with the Hawkeyes, and he'll be one of the best defensive players in the entire country heading into the 2016 schedule.
Nick Chubb is perhaps the toughest player to slot in this hypothetical draft. When the Georgia running back has been the No. 1 option for the Bulldogs, he's put up unreal numbers. But he is also coming off a devastating knee injury, and the timetable for his return is still unclear, per Seth Emerson[29] of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The reasons for picking Chubb this high, though, are obvious. Starting with Georgia's shutout win over Missouri in October 2014, Chubb rushed for at least 100 yards in 13 straight contests. He scored 19 touchdowns and averaged a gaudy 7.57 yards per carry during that time span, too.
When fully healthy, Chubb is an all-around machine at running back. He is able to use either the speed he honed on the track as a high schooler to fly by defenders or the power he developed over the years to run through tackles. The only negative for Chubb so far in his career is that he hasn't had a full season as the primary option in Georgia's vaunted rushing attack.
Of course, the star rusher he replaced in Georgia's backfield—Todd Gurley—became a top-10 pick in a real NFL draft after his own knee injury and was a Rookie of the Year. In this hypothetical exercise, the recovering Chubb slides into the same slot as the current Rams phenom.
Wherever Adoree' Jackson lines up on the field, he is automatically in contention to be the best player on it. The USC athlete has starred at cornerback, wide receiver and return specialist in his first two seasons, flashing the supreme athleticism that has him thinking of Olympic glory[30] as much as football hardware.
His track-star speed and agility make him an elite cornerback, and his ball skills[31] are second to none in college football. While more people may have paid attention to what he did on offense and in special teams, there were times last season when Jackson looked like the best defensive player for the Trojans.
Although his offensive snaps will most likely decrease this season, he can still flip momentum in an instant with a long kick or punt return. Last year, Jackson was one of just a dozen players[32] in the country to record multiple punt-return touchdowns. He also took his lone interception of 2015 to the house in a game against California and likely first-round NFL draft pick Jared Goff.
Jackson's ability to impact the game in a number of ways would make him a highly coveted prospect on a hypothetical college football draft board. He's as electric as they come.
The highly coveted offensive tackle position produced a lot of NFL hopefuls from the college level last season, but there's still a top name in these ranks for 2016. Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson starred for the national champions as a sophomore last season and will be instrumental in another offseason of transition for the Tide offense.
"Sketch out what an NFL left tackle should look like, and you're probably drawing a picture of the 6'6", 327-pound Robinson," Chris Low[33] of ESPN.com wrote. "Some close to the Alabama program think Robinson can be one of the best to come out of there in the Nick Saban era."
Robinson improved his pass-protection skills in the second half of Alabama's national championship run last season, and his run-blocking abilities are downright frightening. He provided one of the biggest highlights of the national title game when he destroyed[34] an unsuspecting Clemson defender on a running play for teammate Kenyan Drake.
Health woes and some inconsistency were issues for Robinson early in his collegiate career, but when he's on, he's a terrifying force at left tackle for the Crimson Tide. Offensive tackles are huge assets, and Robinson should shoot up actual NFL draft boards this fall.
Joshua Dobbs and Jalen Hurd might get the most attention out of Tennessee's loaded roster for the 2016 season, but Derek Barnett is the best overall player for the Volunteers and one of college football's best defensive line talents for 2016.
In his first two seasons at Tennessee, Barnett has recorded 20 sacks—10 in each campaign—and 33 tackles for loss with 15 QB hurries[35] and 141 tackles. There were rumblings about a sophomore slump for Barnett after a slow start to 2015, but he racked up the numbers down the stretch by recording a sack in seven of his last eight games. He's already made a huge impression on new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop.
"He [told Shoop], 'We gotta get this thing to the next level. You gotta get us there. You can't be nice to these guys. We gotta push these guys,'" Shoop said, per Bruce Feldman[36] of Fox Sports. "He's got that mentality. Intense. Focused. I liked everything he said."
Pro Football Focus[37] put Barnett high on its list of returning players in college football for his standout performances as an edge defender in both rushing the passer and stopping the run. He'll challenge for All-American honors this season and would be a star on any college football team.
J.T. Barrett didn't get the opportunity to start the entire 2015 season for the loaded Ohio State Buckeyes, but when the reins were handed to him late in the season, he showed the skills that made him a household name in the 2014 regular season.
Barrett threw for nine touchdowns and only two interceptions in his last six games of the year, falling below 60 percent in completion percentage just once while adding 556 rushing yards and eight rushing scores. In just 12 games in 2014, Barrett was responsible for 45 touchdowns and came close to joining the 3,000/1,000 club for dual-threat quarterbacks.
"Once OSU made him the featured passer, its offense clicked much better than under [Cardale] Jones," Barrett's profile in the B/R CFB 250[38] reads. "That was due to Barrett's command of the offense and impressive maturity for a young player, and had he had the gig all along, the 2015 season might have gone differently."
This year, Barrett will step into a situation where he is now the veteran leader in a sea of inexperienced but explosive offensive talent. When he's been the clear-cut No. 1 guy in his career, Barrett has shown he has what it takes to be a star in the college ranks.
Versatility is the name of Jabrill Peppers' game, which has already made him a household name in the college football landscape. The former top-five recruit[39] got to flash his full set of skills for Jim Harbaugh's resurgent Michigan Wolverines last season, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year as a redshirt star.
In his relatively short time in Ann Arbor, Peppers has already played cornerback, safety, outside linebacker, kick returner, punt returner, wide receiver, running back and quarterback for Michigan. Outside linebacker is where he'll line up this fall, as he brings his hard-hitting nature and stunning closing speed to a positional unit of great need for Harbaugh's team.
If his first year as a collegiate defensive back for an elite Michigan secondary is any indication, Peppers should make a smooth transition to linebacker. He'll also be a not-so-secret weapon on the offensive side of the ball for the Wolverines, which used him to provide a spark in Big Ten play last season.
Peppers would be a dream mid-first-round pick in a hypothetical college football draft because he could seamlessly plug into any roster, regardless of strength at a certain position. And the scary thing is that the best could be yet to come for the Wolverines' superstar sophomore.
While several of the top wide receiver names from college football are off to the NFL this week, the top name returning out wide is none other than the highly productive JuJu Smith-Schuster of USC.
Last year, Smith-Schuster was just one of three Power Five receivers to average more than 100 yards per game[40], and he also added double-digit touchdowns to his final stat line. He had many of his best games against top-quality competition in USC's tough schedule, recording more than 100 receiving yards against Stanford, Notre Dame and Utah in the first half of the season.
At 6'2" and 215 pounds with great speed, Smith-Schuster is right at home running past defenders or going through them, as he showed with a ridiculous stiff arm[41] against Utah last season. During spring practices, he picked up right where he left off with the Trojans, scoring three touchdowns on just five catches in their spring game.
Smith-Schuster will be the favorite for the Biletnikoff Award this season and could be a sleeper for the Heisman Trophy if he continues to dominate production for what should be a talented USC offense. He's the ideal go-to target for any passing attack and a great pick here.
Defensive tackles who can blow by interior linemen and puncture opposing backfields in an instant are coveted yet somehow underrated playmakers in football. This year, look for Malik McDowell to be the next megastar at that spot as part of an always-dangerous Michigan State defensive front.
McDowell's impact on a game doesn't always show up in box scores, but he is well-represented in those. Last season, McDowell recorded 13 tackles for loss—second on Big Ten champion Michigan State, behind the highly touted Shilique Calhoun—and was credited with eight[42] quarterback hurries. And he still has room to grow as a player.
"He was only a sophomore last year, so I think there's a huge upside," Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said, per Mark Snyder[43] of the Detroit Free Press. "He knows what to do, he'll be able to play at a high rate of speed like he did last year. ... He's got a huge upside, and I think he's just scratching the surface."
McDowell's high upside and already-solid production as a versatile defensive tackle make him a steal of a mid-first-round pick in this hypothetical draft. He's the type of playmaker down the middle every defensive coordinator craves.
Another young defensive playmaker who has plenty of room to grow after a fantastic start to his college career is Florida State safety Derwin James. The former top-five recruit[44] enrolled early with the Seminoles last year and was a regular starter by the midway point of the season.
Whatever Florida State needed done on the defensive side of the ball in 2015, James was right there. He was second on the team in sacks and tackles for loss—again, as a safety for the Seminoles—and he was rock-solid in pass coverage. No matter if he's coming up in the pass rush, closing down on a runner or standing back to defend the pass, James is already a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.
This season, he'll be asked to do even more for Florida State as its secondary adjusts to the loss of an elite do-it-all talent in Jalen Ramsey. That means James could stuff stat sheets at an even higher level this fall as a unique young talent.
More experienced players might get the nod in earlier picks of this draft, but James is a highly productive player who is on the fast track to becoming a future top-10 NFL draft pick. His work ethic and all-around game make him a fantastic top-20 selection.
Royce Freeman was overlooked to a degree in the explosion of talented running backs during the 2015 college football season. While Oregon slumped to its first sub-10-win season in years, Freeman still put together one of the best overall seasons of any offensive playmaker.
After rushing for nearly 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns as a freshman in Oregon's run to the national championship game in 2014, Freeman turned on the jets with an average of 141.23 yards per game—No. 4[45] nationally—and 6.49 yards per carry. He rushed for more than 100 yards in all but two games last season, and he had six different contests with multiple rushing touchdowns.
Freeman is the perfect fit for a hyperspeed system such as Oregon's, where he can utilize his incredible quickness and generate huge plays in space. But don't sleep on his durability, either, as only 10 more running backs last season logged as many carries per game[46] as the talented Duck. He ranked near the top of the heap nationally in missed tackles[47]< /sup> as well, per Pro Football Focus.
Although Oregon's offensive scheme is quite conducive to jaw-dropping stats, Freeman has the all-around skill set that would make him a highly productive running back in any type of offensive system.
His scary neck injury last season may scare some hypothetical teams away from him, but Baylor quarterback Seth Russell is the prototype for a dual-threat signal-caller at the college level. Whether it's lofting the ball downfield for deep passes or taking off for gains on the ground, Russell showed in his work last year he can do it all.
In just seven games last season, the 6'3" Russell averaged 10.5 yards per attempt and had a QB rating of 189.72. Both of those stats would've been comfortably the best in the country if he had kept them up for an entire season. Russell was near the 60 percent mark in pass accuracy and averaged a cool 300 yards and four touchdowns per game.
On top of that, Russell has a claim to being one of the best athletes on a Baylor program that thrives on elite athleticism. According to the program's website[48], he has run a sub-4.5 40-yard dash and has posted great measurements in both the broad and vertical jumps. As a runner last year, Russell averaged an absurd 8.20 yards per carry and found the end zone eight times in just seven games.
The Baylor offense is the best in the country at racking up ridiculous offensive numbers, which makes an uber-athletic quarterback such as Russell a dream fit. If a team took a chance on him and his injury history later in the first round of this draft and ran a wide-open spread offense, it could have the steal of the century.
Former Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III is going to make some NFL team happy in this year's draft. But there's an argument to be made that he didn't even have the best season for a cornerback on his own team in 2015.
According to Steve Palazzolo[49] of Pro Football Focus, Jalen Tabor had the best coverage rating of any cornerback in the SEC last season. The traditional stats were in favor of his play, too, as he intercepted four passes last season—taking two of them back for touchdowns—and broke up a team-high 14 passes. Hargreaves even admitted Tabor outplayed him in 2015, per Chris Kirschner[50] of SEC Country.
"He is the best corner in college football right now, without a doubt, no question and no debates," Hargreaves told Kirschner. "His talent level is through the roof. He can be as good as he wants to be. I've told him everything I have known. He listens. He understands the game. His personality, if you get to know him, you'll understand why he will be the best."
Tabor will be the new cornerstone of Florida's current crop of elite defensive backs, and he should be in line for all the accolades that came Hargreaves' way during his years in Gainesville. Elite pass defense can be hard to find, and Tabor is one of the best around.
If a team is looking to build around a high-potential quarterback who has already shown he can handle major pressure, Josh Rosen is an extremely good first-round draft pick. He arrived at UCLA early in 2015 with all the hype of a 5-star prospect[51] and won the Bruins starting job before the start of the season.
Rosen's freshman campaign had its ups and downs, but he was still able to post great numbers for the Bruins. The UCLA signal-caller completed exactly 60 percent of his passes for 3,669 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His upside for the future and development in the offseason should make him an NFL draft starlet when he becomes eligible in two seasons.
"If you ran an NFL team, would you rather have [Jared] Goff, [Carson] Wentz or, if the rules allowed it, the chance to draft Rosen after just one year in college football?" Bud Elliott[52] of SB Nation wrote. "Were he eligible, I think I'd take Rosen. Rosen is far beyond where the other two were during their first years in college, and him being years younger offers greater potential for future growth."
In his hypothetical draft, though, Rosen is eligible, and he comes in as a late-first-round pick. Rosen needs to work on his consistency compared to the other top arms in college football, but he still has a lot of room to become the golden-armed star of the West Coast.
Another player going late in this first round with tremendous upside for the future, Calvin Ridley burst onto the scene as a freshman last season for the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. Much like his South Florida predecessor in Tuscaloosa, Amari Cooper, Ridley had a strong season as a newcomer with more than 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns.
Zac Ellis[53] of Sports Illustrated described Ridley's importance to the team:
Ridley's impact goes beyond mere numbers. The freshman has single-handedly altered the outcome of several games this season, stepping up with timely catches on pivotal drives. In many ways, Ridley has blossomed into a silent assassin for the Crimson Tide offense, a player who can turn a game with one devastating catch.
Ridley has a strong all-around game and has already shown a knack for taking over contests much like Cooper did ahead of his Heisman-finalist campaign in 2014. With great speed and an impressive catch radius, he would be a comfortable No. 1 option for almost any offense.
Although he's had just one year of college football under his belt, Ridley sneaks into the last first round here because of his upside and smooth skill set.
Much like J.T. Barrett will be for the Ohio State offense this season, Raekwon McMillian is the leader and the man in the middle for the Buckeyes defense in 2016. His immense talent and wide range of experience for someone just entering his junior campaign make him a great draft selection here.
McMillan led an Ohio State defense that was loaded to the brim with future NFL talent in tackles, recording 119 for the Buckeyes in 13 contests. He showcased a strong all-around game, too, with solid numbers[54] in tackles for loss, quarterback hurries and pass breakups last season. His athleticism and leadership skills will be huge boosts for Ohio State this fall.
"Prototype interior linebacker who checks every box," Bleacher Report's Michael Felder[55] wrote. "He gets downhill and does not avoid blocks; he plays his rules and is effective in coverage. There is not much more you could ask for."
The Georgia native is the perfect leader at inside linebacker, and there's a great chance his numbers could explode in 2016 as the star of the Ohio State defense. McMillan powers his way into the first round here.
Although he's not a star name compared to many on this list, Northwestern linebacker Anthony Walker is an excellent choice for a team that wants a highly productive player at the end of the first round.
Walker had 20.5 tackles for loss last season, and only four of them were sacks. He was magnetic toward ball-carriers all season long, helping Northwestern pull off a 10-win season and finish near the top of several major defensive categories.
While run support is where he makes his living, Walker can also be a frustrating defender for an opposing passing attack. The speedy inside linebacker has picked off three passes in the last two seasons and has broken up seven. He can truly do it all for the Northwestern defense.
Plenty of deserving names—Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya, LSU defensive back Jamal Adams, Florida State offensive tackle Roderick Johnson—could have landed in the first round of this hypothetical 2016 college football draft, but Walker just has the look, the motor and the production of a late steal for some lucky program.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Stats courtesy of CFBStats.com[56]. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports[57].
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR[58].
References
- ^ trade up for them (philadelphia.cbslocal.com)
- ^ first player ever (twitter.com)
- ^ Adam Kramer (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ preseason favorite (www.oddsshark.com)
- ^ Chase Goodbread (www.nfl.com)
- ^ all-purpose yards (espn.go.com)
- ^ No. 1 overall recruit (247sports.com)
- ^ led the country (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Jeff Dooley (www.profootballfocus.com)
- ^ Matt Miller (twitter.com)
- ^ Barrett Sallee (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ 12.5 sacks (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Steve Palazzolo (www.p rofootballfocus.com)
- ^ 5.4 (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ 47.5 (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ 94.61 (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ second nationally (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ third (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ fourth (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Ken Bradley (www.sportingnews.com)
- ^ 7.38 (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ 20- (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ 30-plu s yards (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Adam Kramer (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ Nick Saban (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ second (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ 21 passes defensed (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Marc Morehouse (www.thegazette.com)
- ^ Seth Emerson (www.ajc.com)
- ^ Olympic glory (www.ocregister.com)
- ^ ball skills (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ dozen players (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Chris Low (espn.go.com)
- ^ he destroyed (vine.co)
- ^ hurries (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Bruce Feldman (www.foxsports.com)
- ^ Pro Football Focus (www.profootballfocus.com)
- ^ B/R CFB 250 (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ top-five recruit (247sports.com)
- ^ 100 yards per game (ww w.cfbstats.com)
- ^ ridiculous stiff arm (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ eight (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Mark Snyder (www.freep.com)
- ^ top-five recruit (247sports.com)
- ^ No. 4 (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ carries per game (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ missed tackles (www.profootballfocus.com)
- ^ program's website (www.baylorbears.com)
- ^ Steve Palazzolo (www.profootballfocus.com)
- ^ Chris Kirschner (www.seccountry.com)
- ^ 5-star prospect (247sports.com)
- ^ Bud Elliott (www.sbnation.com)
- ^ Zac Ellis (www.campusrush .com)
- ^ numbers (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ Michael Felder (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ CFBStats.com (www.cfbstats.com)
- ^ 247Sports ( 247sports.com)
- ^ @JFergusonBR (twitter.com)
