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Year in and year out, few teams supply the NFL with as much talent as LSU.
With the inclusion of the most recent draft class, only Alabama and USC claim more players in the league, and the Baton Rouge pipeline isn’t running dry any time soon.
Even with a small senior class, the Tigers are stocked with talent, much of it still very young. Of the players who made our top 10 from this year’s roster, four are just sophomores.
Here’s our look at the top 10 Tigers for 2015:
10. WR Malachi Dupre: This is an upside pick; whether or not Dupre lives up to his top billing as a recruit is at least partially out of his hands. As a freshman last year, he showed flashes of high-caliber ability, but finished with just 17 catches. If the quarterback play improves, he could play a much bigger role in the offense this fall.
9. DT Davon Godchaux: It’s no coincidence that when Godchaux took over a starting role midway through the season last year, the run defense solidified. He’s less than dynamic as a pass rusher, but plugs lanes well and will be counted on a key cog in the middle of the Tiger defense.
8. LT Jerald Hawkins: The 6-foot-6, 309-pound junior moves to left tackle to take the place of departed All-SEC pick La’el Collins. Those are big shoes to fill, but as the starter of 25 games in the last two seasons, Hawkins has both ability and experience.
7. WR Travin Dural: Not unlike Dupre, Dural as the chance to end up much higher on this list at season’s end. He was a big-play threat last year, finishing with 37 catches for 758 yards and seven touchdowns. He was on pace for much more before cooling off as the season progressed.
6. S Jamal Adams: As is tradition, the Tigers are stacked in the secondary, and Adams is no small part of that. Though he only officially started two games as a freshman last season, he was on the field for nickel packages and made his presence felt with 66 tackles and five passes broken up.
5. CB Tre’Davious White: A starter in 24 of 26 games since stepping on campus, White appears primed for a breakout junior season. After the departure of Jalen Collins for the NFL, White will be the top cornerback on a unit that ranked fourth nationally in passing yards allowed per game last season.
4. LB Kendell Beckwith: Like Godchaux, Beckwith was elevated to a starting role during the 2014 season and quickly strengthened the defense. Though he started just seven games, he finished second on the team with 77 tackles, and enters his junior year as a second-team All-SEC pick.
3. S Jalen Mills: Have you noticed a trend emerging with the last four selections? LSU’s reputation for elite defensive talent is well-earned, and Mills may be leader of the unit this year. The senior has started all 39 games in his career, playing cornerback, safety and lining up as the nickel when the offense presents extra receivers.
2. RT Vadal Alexander: One of only nine scholarship seniors, Alexander’s leadership will be almost as valuable as his versatility and talent. After starting 25 games during the last two years at left guard, he’ll be moving to right tackle as the offensive line reshuffles this season. He’s got the gifts needed to play inside or out, and is a first-team All-SEC preseason selection.
1. RB Leonard Fournette: With a blend of speed, size and brute physicality, Fournette calls to mind SEC icons Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson. It may seem like hyperbole to put a sophomore with six career starts on that kind of pedestal, but that’s the type of raw talent Fournette has, and late last season it began to truly show. In the Tigers’ final two games, the true freshman ran for 289 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries — not to mention a kickoff return for a score in the Music City Bowl.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
