This section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2015 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2015 NFL Draft Stock Up
Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma Throughout the past weeks, Phillips has been lumped in with Florida State nose tackle Eddie Goldman as two impact nose tackles to be selected after Danny Shelton. Some have projected Phillips as a late first- or early second-round pick. After reaching out to sources with teams, they have Phillips going in the first round and believe that he is very likely to have his name called on the opening night.
Phillips is a huge tackle with a burst and a lot of upside. There are a lot of teams picking in the back half of the first round that could use him, and he is a rare commodity athletically. Phillips shouldn’t make it to Friday night.
Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami I’ve generally been mock drafting Dorsett in the middle of the second round, but in speaking with sources, that is too low. Sources from multiple teams say they don’t believe Dorsett will fall that far, and they think that he will be a late first-round or very early second-round pick.
Dorsett has gone under the radar with so much attention being devoted to Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker as the first-round receivers. Teams feel that Dorsett is a play-maker, and there are a lot that are targeting him early in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami A ton of teams are showing interest in Flowers. In speaking with sources, Flowers will take pre-draft visits to visit the Buccaneers and Panthers. The Falcons and Saints are also showing interest along with the Colts, Browns and Chargers meeting with Flowers in Miami. He was also extremely busy at the Combine as he had 28 meetings. In total, Flowers has met or spoken with 31 teams thus far.
Aside from Carolina and Tampa Bay, sources say that Flowers will have other pre-draft visits to NFL facilities. The 6-foot-6, 329-pounder is only 20 years old with a lot of upside to develop. Earlier this week, a general manager told WalterFootball.com that they feel Flowers will go in the top 20. That is higher than most project.
Kwon Alexander, OLB, LSU There a lot of teams running 4-3 and 3-4 defenses that are looking for a sideline-to-sideline linebacker. Alexander definitely fits the mold as a fast run-and-chase linebacker to combat some of the mobile quarterbacks in the NFL.
At the Combine, Alexander had a good workout, and he followed that up with a strong pro day. Alexander looks solid as a second-day pick who could continue to rise in private workouts before the 2015 NFL Draft.
Paul Dawson, ILB, TCU There is no consensus when it comes to the draft grade for Dawson as he is all over the place from team to team. Dawson hurt himself with an ugly performance at the Combine with a shockingly slow 40 time in the 4.9-second range. He trimmed some weight before his pro day and looked better.
There is no doubt that Dawson has good instincts and is a productive player, but off-the-field concerns have hurt him. Showing the work ethic to improve for his pro day could help him come draft day.
James Sample, S, Louisville Momentum is a part of the NFL draft process, and every year, players can pick up momentum when they are solid players at a weak position in the draft. That is the case with Sample as many have been more impressed with him than teammate Gerod Holliman.
The reason is Sample (6-2, 208) is a tough tackler who has a nice combination of size and speed. He notched 88 tackles with eight passes broken up and four interceptions in 2014. Sample looks to have solidified his stock on Day 2.
Adrian Amos, S, Penn State Amos is another safety who is getting pushed up due to the weakness of the safety class. The 6-foot, 214-pound Amos split time between cornerback and safety in his college career, and that makes him an intriguing option as a free safety candidate in the NFL. Over the past two seasons, Amos notched four interceptions and 12 passes broken up. He could sneak into the second day of the 2015 NFL Draft.
2015 NFL Draft Stock Down
Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska For awhile, teams have had concerns about character with Gregory, and those came into the headlines last week as Gregory admitted to failing the Combine drug test. In speaking with sources at teams, they know of other off-the-field issues on top of the positive drug test. There are a lot of significant off-the-field problems that Gregory is going to have to make teams feel more comfortable with when he takes his pre-draft visits. Gregory could easily slide in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, because there are so many concerns that are widespread across the NFL.
Mario Edwards Jr., DT, Florida State NFL sources have said that after Edwards checked in at the Combine below 280 pounds, they lowered his grade to the late second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. That weight loss really limits Edwards’ options in the draft. His weight is too low for a nose tackle, and he isn’t tall or long enough to be a five-technique 3-4 defensive end. That rules Edwards out for a lot of teams.
The weight limitations also extend to a 4-3. Edwards is too small to play nose tackle and eat up blockers in the trenches. Sub-290, his only real fit comes as a three-technique in a 4-3. That limits the number of teams that Edwards could play for as there aren’t a lot of teams running a Tampa 2-type system that is predicated on a fast three-technique. Perhaps Edwards will help himself by checking in heavier at the Florida State pro day and on pre-draft visits in April.
Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon In speaking with NFL teams, they aren’t as high on Armstead as many mock drafts would lead one to believe. Teams feel he has size and talent, but he never produced like one would have hoped. They feel that he is a base end or five-technique in a 3-4 defense, and could be better as a pro, but teams have told WalterFootball.com that they personally don’t like Armstead in the first round and see him as a solid “two,” aka a second-rounder.
The 49ers could use a five-technique defensive end after losing Justin Smith and Ray McDonald this offseason. However after San Francisco, there may not be a team looking to make a pick for that position in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
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