The 5 Oregon Ducks to keep an eye on for the 2016 NFL Draft – CBSSports.com
OREGON DUCKS
Though the Oregon Ducks fell short of the ultimate goal of winning a national championship, 2014 truly was a dream season as Mark Helfrich’s team won the Pac-12, beat defending champ Florida State in the Rose Bowl and watched star quarterback Marcus Mariota take home the Heisman Trophy.
Oregon’s success last year is even more impressive given the injuries sustained by some of the most gifted players on the roster. Not many teams could absorb the loss to season-ending knee ligament tears by four preseason all-conference picks (left tackle Tyler Johnstone, tight end Pharaoh Brown, wide receiver Bralon Addison and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu) as the Ducks did.
All but Ekpre-Olomu (who was drafted by Cleveland) may return this season. So too will star running back Royce Freeman, who isn’t listed below because he isn’t eligible for the 2016 NFL Draft yet as he’s just a true sophomore.
NFL Draft picks the last five years: 19
2015 NFL Draft picks: Five (QB Marcus Mariota, selected No. 2 overall by Tennessee; DE Arik Armstead, selected No. 17 overall by San Francisco; OL Jake Fisher, selected No. 53 overall by Cincinnati; C Hroniss Grasu, selected No. 71 overall by Chicago; CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, selected No. 241 overall by Cleveland)
Oregon’s top NFL Draft-Eligible prospects to watch in 2015:
DeForest Buckner, DE, Senior, 6-7, 290, 4.87
While San Francisco 49ers’ first round pick Arik Armstead received much of the attention along Oregon’s defensive front a year ago, it was quietly the similarly-built Buckner who led the group in tackles (81) and tackles for loss (13) and was voted the team’s best defensive lineman by coaches. If Buckner continues the steady development as a senior that he’s shown throughout his first three seasons as a starter for the Ducks, he could wind up hearing his name called even earlier than Armstead, whom the 49ers took 17th overall.
Buckner carries his 290 pounds well, sporting broad shoulders, long arms and no extra weight around the middle. Though quick enough to get tackles turning as a pass rusher, his game is based on power, not speed. Buckner has a powerful bull rush to knock tackles onto their heels and uses his long arms to lasso ball-carriers as they attempt to run by. Like Armstead, Buckner is well suited to playing defensive end in a 3-4 scheme as he has the strength to set the edge and force ball-carriers to cut back inside. He’s surprisingly agile for a man of his size, demonstrating enough burst to split gaps and the fluidity to occasionally drop into coverage on zone blitzes.
Bralon Addison, WR, Redshirt Junior, 5-10, 190, 4.47
Like De’Anthony Thomas and LaMichael James before him at Oregon, Addison is simply a different level of fast.
After earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors as a true sophomore with 61 grabs for 891 yards and seven touchdowns (and two scores on punt returns, as well), Addison looked poised for superstardom this past season as Marcus Mariota’s projected No. 1 target. Instead, he missed the entire year after tearing the ACL in his right knee during non-contact drills in April.
Addison has a frame and game very similar to what Brandin Cooks supplied for the hated state rival Oregon State Beavers a few years ago. Compactly-built with terrific agility and with a zero-to-60 burst that obliterates pursuit angles, Addison is a big play waiting to happen. Addison doesn’t just possess sweet feet but soft, natural hands and excellent vision to set up blocks. His lack of height will always be a detriment on jump balls but he’s competitive and isn’t afraid of contact.
Given the value teams place on speedy playmakers in today’s up-tempo game, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Addison become the first Oregon receiver this century to hear his name called within the top 64.
Tyler Johnstone, OT, Redshirt Senior, 6-6, 295, 5.14
Due to the fact that he missed the entire 2014 season after re-tearing the ACL in his right knee, Johnstone enters his senior year probably off the radar a bit for some NFL draft fans. Scouts know him well, however, as the athletic tackle made an impression over the 26 games he’d started at left tackle prior to the injury. Entering the last season, I personally ranked him even higher than Fisher, who wound up going No. 53 overall to Cincinnati (and I think will prove a steal).
Of course, it remains to be seen how Johnstone fares on his surgically-repaired knee but I was quite impressed with Johnstone’s 2013 tape.
Johnstone offers a rare blend of length, agility and initial quickness which makes him a formidable blindside pass protector. He springs out of his stance and latches on to corral speed rushers and is surprisingly effective against bull rushers due to good core strength, balance and technique to maintain leverage. Johnstone’s athleticism makes him very effective blocking on the move in Oregon’s zone attack, frequently beating opponents at the line of scrimmage or the second level with quickness to turn and seal them from the play. Unlike many athletic blockers, Johnstone seems to revel in the opportunity to drive block opponents, as well, offering a physical jolt to greet defenders and a tenacious play-to-the-whistle style that is sure to endear him to NFL offensive line coaches.
Johnstone originally tore the ACL during Oregon’s 30-7 thumping of Texas in the Alamo Bowl to end the 2013 season. After surgery and rehabilitation, he re-tore the ligament approximately seven months later on the first full day of fall camp. Johnstone has said he’ll “definitely” be playing when Oregon’s season begins September 5 against Eastern Washington.
Vernon Adams, QB, Redshirt Senior, 5-11, 205, 4.59
Though Adams isn’t even on Oregon’s official roster yet, his much-anticipated transfer as a post-graduate from Eastern Washington is expected to go through in August. If he does beat out redshirt junior Jeff Lockie and see the field for the Ducks this season, Adams may quickly warrant my listing here. Despite his less-than-ideal size and level of competition to this point, Adams is an ideal fit in Oregon’s up-tempo offense as a dual-threat quarterback. More importantly, he’s a legitimate NFL talent with a combination of mobility and accuracy in and out of the pocket that is sure to draw plenty of comparisons to Seattle Seahawks’ star Russell Wilson.
Like Wilson, Adams does resort to creating space for himself when his initial read is taken. Also like Wilson, however, Adams excels in the improvisation of the game, buying time with his legs while keeping his eyes downfield rather than scrambling. It is Adams’ accuracy on a variety of throws that makes him most intriguing. Adams has an efficient, over-the-top release and enough velocity to zip passes through tight windows and his touch on deeper bucket throws is even more impressive.
In three years at the FCS powerhouse, Adams threw for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns with 31 interceptions while completing 64.8 percent of his passes. He was a runner-up the past two years for the Walter Payton Award (given to the FCS’ best offensive player) despite missing four games last season due to injury. Though the level of competition faced and Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin’s spread offense certainly helped Adams’ numbers, he was brilliant in limited opportunities against bigger schools, tossing seven touchdowns against a University of Washington defense a year ago that featured three first round picks and accounting for six scores in a 2013 upset over Oregon State.
Alex Balducci, DT, Senior, 6-4, 310, 5.18
Balducci is a classic two-gap run-stuffer capable of anchoring against double-teams and creating a pile. He comes off the ball low and hard, often winning the leverage battle. He shows good core strength and balance to wrench himself free from opponents and latch on to ball-carriers nearby. Balducci lacks the agility and burst to chase down ball-carriers and requires a clear lane to make much of an impact on the quarterback.
Other Oregon draft-eligible prospects to watch in 2015:
Joe Walker, ILB, Senior, 6-2, 240, 4.84
Pharaoh Brown, TE, Senior, 6-5, 250, 4.76
Evan Baylis, TE, Redshirt Junior, 6-5, 250, 4.79
Byron Marshall, RB, Senior, 5-9, 202, 4.52
Christian French, DE/OLB, Senior, 6-5, 250, 4.78
Reggie Daniels, SS, Redshirt Junior, 6-0, 205, 4.64
Rodney Hardrick, ILB, Redshirt Senior, 6-0, 245, 4.86
Thomas Tyler, RB, Junior, 5-11, 215, 4.46
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