April 13, 2016
In just three weeks, the dreams of 253 college football stars will come true. They'll will be lucky enough to hear their name called during the 2016 NFL Draft.
The http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000652173/article/wentz-goff-lead-25-prospects-attending-2016-nfl-draft">NFL released the names of the 25 prospects that will be in attendance at Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre in Chicago for the draft April 28-30. Ohio State University ties the 2012 University of Alabama record for the college with the most invites, but plenty of prospects from our state will be there, as well.
Highlighting the list is University of Mississippi offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, who is projected to go in the top few picks. Tunsil could be the No. 1 overall pick if the Tennessee Titans don’t choose cornerback Jalen Ramsey out of Florida State University.
Tunsil has all the skill you want in a left tackle to protect your quarterback for the next decade in the league. He won’t last long, and,I believe he will be gone in the first five picks of the draft.
Rebels fans might not have to wait long to hear the next UM player off the board. Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell is expected to be off the board quickly. He might be picked as high as sixth by the Baltimore Ravens, but he shouldn’t last any longer than the 15th pick of the Los Angeles Rams.
Treadwell is considered to be one of the two top receiver picks. If he isn’t the first receiver off the board, it will more than likely be Will Fuller out of the University of Notre Dame.
While much has been made about his lack of speed, the fact that he doesn’t have sprinter speed didn’t stop Treadwell from coming back from a broken leg, which he suffered last year, to be one of the most productive receivers in the nation. He has a big body; he knows how to use it to shield defenders, and he has strong hands. He competes for the ball, and when it is in the air, he goes and gets it.
The final Rebel to get an invite is defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. A ton of speculation surrounds Nkemdiche as he heads into the draft.
There are questions about off the field issues, disappearing at times during games, his conditioning and so forth. What is not in question, though, is when he plays at his peak, he is a top five pick.
Will a team take him on his potential over his production or will his red flags force him to slide down the draft board? It seems highly unlikely that Nkemdiche will slide out of the first round, but stranger things have happened in the draft.
One lone Bulldog out of Mississippi State University will be in attendance for the draft. Defensive tackle Chris Jones will represent MSU, and where he could land is a mystery.
Seven other defensive line prospects were invited to the draft besides Jones such as Andrew Billings out of Baylor University, Sheldon Rankins out of the University of Louisville, DeForest Buckner out of the University of Oregon and Noah Spence out of Eastern Kentucky University, who won’t even be at the draft but could come off the board in the first round.
This is a very deep draft for defensive linemen, and a very good player will slide out of the first round and possibly out of the second. Teams will have to decide what priorities they are looking for in that position.
Jones flashes on film at times and was the main star on the Bulldogs' defensive line, which earned him extra attention in blocking schemes. He was a late bloomer out of high school and is still developing as a player.
He could be a late first-round or early second-round pick. With the right team, he could get into the defensive line rotation quickly.
Twelve coaches will be with their players in the green room, and UM head coach Hugh Freeze will be one of them.
The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft is Thursday, April 28, at 7 p.m., on ESPN and NFL Network. On Friday, April 29, the second and third rounds will be take place and can be seen on NFL Network and ESPN. The draft concludes on Sunday, April 30, with rounds four through seven on ESPN and NFL Network.
The full 25 prospects to attend the draft by position are:
Quarterbacks
Jared Goff, University of California
Carson Wentz, North Dakota State University
Running back
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State University
Wide receivers
Corey Coleman, Baylor University
Josh Doctson Texas Christian University
Laquon Treadwell, University of Mississippi
Offensive tackles
Jack Conklin, Michigan State University
Taylor Decker, Ohio State University
Ronnie Stanley, University of Notre Dame
Laremy Tunsil, University of Mississippi
Defensive ends
Joey Bosa, Ohio State University
Kevin Dodd, Clemson University
Shaq Lawson, Clemson University
Defensive tackles
Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech University
Chris Jones, Mississippi State University
Robert Nkemdiche, University of Mississippi
Jarran Reed, University of Alabama
A’Shawn Robinson, University of Alabama
Linebackers
Myles Jack, University of California, Los Angeles
Darron Lee, Ohio State University
Reggie Ragland, University of Alabama
Cornerbacks
Eli Apple, Ohio State University
Vernon Hargreaves, University of Florida
Jalen Ramsey, Florida State University
Safety
Keanu Neal, University of Florida
College coaches at the draft:
Art Briles, Baylor University
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State University
Sonny Dykes, University of California
Jimbo Fisher, Florida State University
Hugh Freeze, University of Mississippi
Brian Kelly, Notre Dame University
Chris Klieman, North Dakota State University
Urban Meyer, Ohio State University
Jim Mora, University of California, Los Angeles
Gary Patterson, Texas Christian University
Nick Saban, University of Alabama
Dabo Swinney, Clemson University
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