This new section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2016 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2016 NFL Draft Stock Up
Myles Jack, OLB, UCLA If it weren’t for his knee injury, Jack would be in the top five on my big board and in the 2016 NFL Draft. He has rare traits with speed and athleticism to make him a tremendous weapon as a pass defender in the passing-driven NFL. Jack has a ton of upside to develop. In speaking with sources, teams really like Jack and are excited about his potential. It sounds like even with his ACL injury, he will be a top-10 pick. Don’t be surprised if his stock continues to rise in the lead up to the 2016 NFL Draft.
Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville All week at the Senior Bowl, the attention was focused on Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller and North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz, but many other players had great weeks to improve their respective draft stocks, and Rankins was among them. The 6-foot-1, 304-pounder was a good interior pass-rusher in college, and he showed that off by excelling during the one-on-ones in Mobile.
Rankins has natural pad level with a burst to fire his gap before offensive linemen are ready. With his body type, he can be tough to get a hold of for blockers. After his big week in Mobile, some have been projecting Rankins to go in the middle of the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He definitely accomplished his mission of making the most out of the Senior Bowl.
Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State There have been some projections of Apple going ahead of Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, and there is no doubt that Apple has a good skill set. Hargreaves was a more consistent cover corner in college, but Apple is bigger and has more length. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has upside for the NFL with size, agility and speed. However, Apple is raw and needs development. Sources say that Apple grabs too much on receivers down field, and he will need to change that or he will get flagged a lot in the NFL. Still, teams like Apple’s skill set and potential to be a No. 1 corner.
Darian Thompson, S, Boise State Thompson (6-1, 215) had an impressive week at the Senior Bowl on top of three straight seasons of good production at Boise State. In 2015, he had 65 tackles with four passes broken up and five interceptions.
Thompason has an impressive combination of size, tackling ability, instincts and ball skills. He had a big junior year with seven interceptions and 71 tackles. As a sophomore, Thompson had 63 tackles and four interceptions.
Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State Prescott was one player who helped himself at the Senior Bowl yet went under the radar. Sources from multiple teams raved about how Prescott interviewed. They feel he can enter a NFL locker room and be a leader quickly. They believe that he is a leader of men, and they were very impressed with his football I.Q. Prescott (6-2, 226) has a good athletic skill set and was solid in the practices. Teams are giving renewed consideration to drafting Prescott in the mid-rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he could sneak into Day 2.
Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford Another Senior Bowl quarterback who did well in the meeting room was Hogan. While teams aren’t projecting him to become a good NFL starter, they believe that he could be an excellent backup quickly. With Hogan’s intelligence and experience in a pro-style offense, teams believe that he could learn his playbook quickly. That trait is not the case with all backup quarterbacks in the NFL, especially young ones, and offensive coaches really value it. Some teams believe that Hogan could be a mid-rounder who is a valuable backup who could help weather the storm if the starter is out for a few games.
Rashard Robinson, CB, LSU Robinson is trying to buck the trend and make it in the NFL after not playing football in the majority of the past two seasons, but surprisingly NFL teams are giving him real consideration. Sources say they view Robinson as draftable in the late rounds when it is boom-or-bust time because the quality of the draft at that point is poor. Teams like Robinson’s (6-1, 193) height, length, and play before off-the-field issues derailed his career at LSU. The fact that teams view Robinson as draftable is a stock up.
Jihad Ward, DE, Illinois Sources say they are grading Ward in the third round, but really like his raw athletic potential. They like Ward’s size, strength and athleticism. They feel he is a starting caliber left defensive end for a 4-3 defense. The junior college product had 51 tackles with 8.5 for a loss and three sacks in his debut season for Illinois in 2014. As a senior, Ward had 53 tackles with 3.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. The 6-foot-5, 296-pounder was impressive at the Senior Bowl.
2016 NFL Draft Stock Down
Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss This is a stock down depending on who you ask. Many pundits had projected Treadwell to be a top-10 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, so by the consensus-opinion standard Treadwell could fit in the stock down. On Friday, we had in the rumormill how Treadwell has graded out with teams as late first-rounder. They believe the highest he could go would be in the middle of the first round, but after speaking with multiple teams, none of them have Treadwell as a top-10 talent. If Treadwell doesn’t run well at the Combine, it will reinforce their concerns over whether he has enough speed to separate in the NFL.
Cody Whitehair, G, Kansas State Whitehair (6-3, 300) could go on the second day of the 2016 NFL Draft. In speaking with a general manager, he said they had Whitehair with late-third-, early fourth-round grade but he wouldn’t be surprised if a team took him in the second round. Another team said they had Whitehair in the fourth round. The size issue – too small – is hurting him with teams, and it looks like he isn’t the potential Thursday night selection like some projected.
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