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The 2015 NFL Draft is only two weeks away, and as expected the buzz surrounding the draft is beginning to grow.
However, SDS has already begun looking ahead to future drafts in an effort to project which current stars throughout the conference will be starring in the pros one day.
In honor of Defensive Line Week at SDS, here’s each program’s top future NFL talent along the defensive line heading into a new season this fall:
ALABAMA
DT A’Shawn Robinson: In terms of both numbers and impact made on the field, Robinson was one of the SEC’s best defensive tackles from a year ago, and he appears destined for the NFL perhaps as soon as next year. He’s an excellent run-stopper with a knack for working his way into the backfield to blow plays up as they develop, and he’s active at the line of scrimmage, batting down three passes last year in addition to a blocked kick. At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds he’s certainly big and strong enough to last in the NFL. Barring any setbacks this fall, he’ll be an early pick in the 2016 draft if he wants to be.
ARKANSAS
DT Bijhon Jackson: As a freshman a year ago, Jackson recorded just nine tackles (1 for loss) and one pass breakup at the line of scrimmage. With Trey Flowers and Darius Philon already on their way to the NFL, the role of the team’s most experienced defensive lineman falls to defensive tackle Taiwan Johnson, who may have an NFL future of his own one day. But Jackson, at 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds, is built to last as a defensive tackle in the NFL, and he has the upside as far as talent is concerned to make a leap to the pros very possible. He occupies space and can take on multiple blockers, he’s explosive off the ball for his size and is fantastic at the point of attack. He’s still rounding out his game, and he’ll need to prove himself with a full year or two as a starter in the SEC first, but Jackson has all the tools as a former four-star signee to one day develop into a fantastic pro.
AUBURN
DE Carl Lawson: Lawson missed last season while rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered last spring, and the Auburn pass rush felt the affects of the injury upon recording 11 fewer sacks than the season before with Lawson in the lineup. The rising junior had 7.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 7 quarterback hurries as a true freshman, and he’s now poised to return healthier than ever in a defense led by one of the brightest defensive minds in the nation in Will Muschamp. It remains to be seen how Lawson will return from the injury, but if he picks up where he left off in 2013 and grows under Muschamp’s tutelage, he could be a valuable asset in the NFL for years to come.
FLORIDA
DE Alex McCalister: With Dante Fowler on his way to the NFL this spring, McCalister now assumes the title of Florida’s top pass rusher entering the 2015 season. At 6-foot-7, McCalister is capable of knocking down passes at the line even when he can’t generate a push on a given play. He’s bulked up each year since arriving in Gainesville, and his length and athleticism will continue to allow him to improve his pass-rushing abilities and widen his array of moves at the line. He’s only been an impact player at Florida for one year, but if he rises to the challenge as UF’s top defensive end this fall, he could wind up a valuable commodity in the NFL by the end of his college career.
GEORGIA
DT Trent Thompson: Thompson was the top defensive tackle in the most recent high school recruiting class, and according to many he was the nation’s top talent at any position. Not only has he not debuted at the college level yet, but he hasn’t even arrived in Athens to this point (he will this summer). So it’s risky to pick Thompson here considering his lack of film at the college level proving he’s the future NFL talent many expect him to be. But for what it’s worth, the Bulldogs lack any other dynamic defensive linemen this season, and most of the team’s best playmakers in the front seven are outside linebackers. Thus, Thompson still appears to be the team’s best bet at an NFL defensive lineman in the next four years, or at least at one who can last in the league long-term.
KENTUCKY
DT Melvin Lewis: As the only returning starter along Kentucky’s defensive line, Lewis will be asked to take on a much larger role in D.J. Eliot’s defense this fall. The junior college transfer gave Big Blue Nation a reason to be excited entering 2015 after he logged a whopping 37 tackles (2.5 for loss) along with a forced fumble last season. He’s impressed coaches throughout spring ball, and at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, he’s built to last in the NFL. He’ll need to show he can be the anchor of an SEC defensive line the way former teammates Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith showed the last two years, but if he can do so this fall, he’ll almost certainly work his way onto draft boards next spring, although perhaps not as high as Dupree and Smith are slotted this year.
LSU
DT Davon Godchaux: Much like Kentucky and Florida listed above, LSU’s best NFL-caliber defensive linemen are already preparing for the 2015 draft at the end of the month. Of the players remaining, Godchaux appears to have the most upside, although he’ll need to continue proving it over the next two years. With a whopping 42 tackles, Godchaux proved himself to be an excellent run-stopper from the defensive tackle position, and if he can turn his 4 quarterback hurries into 8 with a handful of sacks, he’ll be one of the most complete defensive tackles in the class by the time he’s draft-eligible in 2017. And if he stays at LSU through his senior year, he could work his way even higher on draft boards down the line.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
DT Chris Jones: Jones is a former five-star defensive end who was moved inside to defensive tackle as a freshman, allowing him to dominate from the interior of the defensive line. He had 3 sacks, 7 tackles for loss and an impressive 10 quarterback hurries as a true freshman for a mediocre MSU team, but then endured a sophomore slump last year, posting 3 more sacks with fewer hurries and tackles for loss. He’s still a dominant physical force with great athleticism for his size, but he needs to adjust his game to a new position and compensate for the new approaches opponents are taking to smothering him at the line. If he can return to his form as a freshman, he could work his way back into the first-round prospect many saw him as coming out of high school.
MISSOURI
DT Harold Brantley: As one of the SEC’s more active talents at the defensive tackle position, Brantley has the opportunity to find himself a spot on an NFL roster down the line thanks to his versatility, athleticism and knack for getting into opposing backfields. He was able to shed blockers from the thick of the trenches to log 30 tackles as a freshman and 54 last season, which is quite a high total for a defensive tackle, And last year alone he recorded 7 tackles for loss including 5 sacks, and he added 7 more quarterback hurries and 3 pass breakups at the line. He’s athletic, instinctive and versatile, and after another year in Missouri’s NFL factory along the defensive line he should follow in the footsteps of Shane Ray, Kony Ealy, Sheldon Richardson, Aldon Smith and others on his way to the pros.
OLE MISS
DT Robert Nkemdiche: The nation’s former No. 1 high school prospect has been as impactful as any defensive lineman in the SEC during his two years in Oxford, and many feel that barring injury this will be his last season at Ole Miss before leaving for the pros. He has the power of a prototypical defensive tackle but is far more athletic than most his size. He can occupy multiple blockers while still generating a push up front, and he;s the kind of player that can make other talents around him even better, which is a trait that should translate well to the next level. It’s not a matter of whether Nkemdiche will get drafted; instead, it’s a matter of where will he get drafted and when will his name be called. It could be as high as No. 1 overall, but that’ll depend on this coming season.
SOUTH CAROLINA
DE Marquavius Lewis: After losing Jadeveon Clowney and a number of other star defensive lineman from its 2013 squad, South Carolina boasted the SEC’s worst defensive line in 2014, finishing near the bottom of the nation in sacks and tackles for loss. The Gamecocks addressed that deficiency with a number of touted defensive line signees in their most recent recruiting class, including Lewis, the nation’s top junior college defensive end. Lewis is big, strong, athletic and enters the SEC with two years of college experience under his belt, which should allow him to hit the ground running this fall. A big 2015 season would do wonders for Lewis’ draft stock, and if he plays to expectations he’ll be a future NFL talent for certain.
TENNESSEE
DE Derek Barnett: After breaking Clowney’s freshman sack record a year ago, Barnett put the rest of the SEC on notice that a new premier pass rusher had arrived. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound nightmare showed quickness and power as a rusher off the edge, resulting in 10 sacks and more than 20 tackles for loss. He showed tremendous improvement as last season wore on, logging nine of his 10 sacks in UT’s final seven games, and considering he won’t be draft-eligible for two more years he has plenty of time to continue growing an improving as a player. Barring a serious injury or a sophomore slump this fall, Barnett has future NFL talent written all over him.
TEXAS A&M
DE Myles Garrett: Garrett is much like Barnett in many ways, although he began his college career as a much more touted prospect and thus faced more challenges a year ago than Barnett ever did. He recorded 5.5 sacks in his first three collegiate games, although 4.5 of those sacks came against the likes of Lamar and Rice. In eight SEC contests plus a bowl win over West Virginia he logged only 2.5 sacks and spent much of his time battling through double teams to no avail. This was due in large part to his reputation and the lack of help around him on the A&M defense. However, as he grows as a player and John Chavis finds help to surround him, Garrett will find a way to make an impact against the Aggies’ toughest opponents, and his draft stock will benefit as a result. Chavis has also been known for producing NFL talent, and his arrival in College Station should do wonders for Garrett as well.
VANDERBILT
DT Adam Butler: Whether or not Butler has a true NFL future remains to be seen, but of the players on the Commodores’ roster entering 2015 he has the best chance of anyone. He has 13.5 tackles for loss in two seasons at Vandy, and he’s also logged three blocked kicks in that time. If he has a big junior season as a part of a growing Vanderbilt defense under Derek Mason’s coaching, he could put himself on the NFL’s radar entering his senior season in fall of 2016. At the very least he’ll be signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2017 draft, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Butler drafted that year instead.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
