2015 NFL Draft News & Rumors

Malcom Brown To Enter Draft

Texas junior defensive tackle Malcom Brown has elected to enter the 2015 NFL draft, he told coach Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong (Twitter link via the Longhorn Network). Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net had reported last month that Brown was leaning heavily toward forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility and turning pro.

In his third season at Texas, Brown compiled 69 tackles, and led the defense with 6.5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss. He was a consensus All-American, as well as ESPN’s Big 12 defensive player of the year.

The 2015 draft class figures to see a number of defensive tackles come off the board early, with Brown expected to be a first-round pick. CBSSports.com ranks him as the fourth-best defensive tackle in the class, and the No. 25 overall prospect. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Todd McShay praises Brown’s motor and versatility, projecting him to come off the board with the 22nd overall pick.

Amari Cooper, T.J. Yeldon To Enter Draft

Earlier today, we learned that Alabama safety Landon Collins would be entering his name in the 2015 NFL draft, and it appears two noteworthy teammates will join him. According to ESPN’s Alex Scarborough and Chris Low, junior wide receiver Amari Cooper and junior running back T.J. Yeldon will also forgo their remaining college eligibility and enter the ’15 draft.

Of the two, Cooper is the bigger name — he is widely considered the best wideout available among 2015 prospects, and is considered likely to come off the board within the first few picks this spring. He racked up an incredible 1,727 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on 124 receptions in 2014 for Alabama, averaging 123+ yards per game. Both ESPN.com and CBSSports.com consider Cooper a top-five prospect, though the first mock draft from ESPN’s Todd McShay has the young receiver coming off the board at No. 6, to the Jets.

As for Yeldon, his yards per carry slipped to 5.0 in 2014 after he topped 6.0 as a freshman and sophomore, but the 21-year-old still had a strong junior season, compiling 979 yards and 11 TDs on the ground. He grades as ESPN’s sixth-best running back and 49th-best overall prospect, while CBSSports.com isn’t quite as bullish, ranking Yeldon seventh among RBs and 80th overall.

Benardrick McKinney To Enter Draft

Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney has decided to enter the 2015 draft, forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility, reports Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

McKinney, a redshirt junior, nearly entered the draft a year ago, tweets Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. The 22-year-old linebacker accumulated 66 tackles in 11 games during his final year at Mississippi State, including 10 in the team’s Orange Bowl loss to Georgia Tech.

Per CBSSports.com, McKinney ranks as the best inside linebacker in the 2015 class by a fairly wide margin, and comes in as the 24th-best prospect overall, making him a probable first-round pick. Todd McShay of ESPN.com has McKinney coming off the board 28th to the Packers in his first mock draft, and offers the following assessment of the young defender:

“He has very good speed and closing burst for his size, and while he isn’t a huge hitter in general, he has the strength to occasionally deliver a big blow. He also flashes upside as a pass-rusher.”

Landon Collins To Enter Draft

Alabama safety Landon Collins has decided to forgo his final season of college eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL draft, league sources tell Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Getlin had reported last month that Collins was viewed as a “lock” to declare for this year’s draft.

Collins, who turns 22 this Saturday, racked up 90 tackles during his junior year at Alabama, as well as snagging three interceptions. He projects as a potential top-10 pick, ranking seventh on CBSSports.com’s big board of 2015 prospects, and first among safeties. In his first mock draft, ESPN.com’s Todd McShay has Collins being selected by the Bears with the No. 9 overall pick.

With a week still remaining for NCAA underclassmen to declare their intent to enter the 2015 draft, Collins is the latest addition to our list of early entrants.

Extra Points: Shanahan, Packers, Draft

A source indicated to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that if Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn gets a head coaching job, he’ll try to hire Kyle Shanahan away from the Browns to be his offensive coordinator. Cole adds there’s a good chance Quinn’s landing spot will be with the Jets. More from around the NFL..

  • It’s extremely unlikely that the Packers will grant another team permission to interview Eliot Wolf, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).
  • The Texans have granted the Eagles permission to interview director of pro personnel Brian Gaine for their GM spot, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • Rams owner Stan Kroenke says that he plans to build a stadium in Los Angeles on spec, but NFL owners doubt that he’d actually go ahead and do that, according to Brett Schrotenboer of USA Today Sports. It’s far to risky of a move for a billionaire like Kroenke and it seems like many feel that he is looking for leverage in St. Louis above all else.
  • University of Louisville junior safety James Sample told Lars Hanson of 247 Sports (on Twitter) that he will forego his senior year and enter the 2015 Draft.
  • Junior running back Dee Hart is leaving Colorado State to declare for NFL Draft, as Mike Brohard of the Reporter-Herald writes. Hart sent his paperwork into the NFL but has yet to receive a draft grade. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder doesn’t have ideal size, but he profiles as a tough downhill runner. The Alabama transfer played only one season for Colorado State, leading the team with 1,275 yards rushing while scoring 16 touchdowns.
  • Mike Shanahan would create a buzz, but Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group says he’d be a poor choice for the Raiders. Thompson notes that the 62-year-old coach hasn’t won anything significant since John Elway was his quarterback and he’s coming off of an ugly situation with Washington.
  • Former Bears Director of College Scouting Greg Gabriel had great things to say about Chris Ballard, a finalist for the Bears‘ vacant GM position. “He’s very astute, very smart, excellent evaluator and he’s had the experience in the NFL of working on the college side and the pro side,” Gabriel told CSNChicago.com. “He knows the workings on both sides as far as the different scouting areas within the NFL.”

Jameis Winston To Enter 2015 Draft

11:11am: In a statement released by the Legacy Agency, which will represent him, Winston formally confirmed his decision today.

“After weighing this decision with my family and friends, I have decided to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft and forgo my remaining eligibility at Florida State,” Winston said. “I reached this very difficult decision after careful consideration and long thought, realizing how difficult it would be to say goodbye to my family at Florida State. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to wear the garnet and gold and have greatly enjoyed my time as a Seminole, both as an athlete and a student in the classroom.”

8:46am: Despite some rumors to the contrary, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will enter the 2015 NFL draft, forgoing his remaining years of college eligibility, Winston’s father tells David M. Hale of ESPN.com. Per Hale, the redshirt sophomore is expected to make a formal announcement later today.

Winston, who turned 21 yesterday, led the Seminoles to a 26-1 record during his two years as the team’s starting QB, with the only loss coming in last week’s Rose Bowl against Marcus Mariota and Oregon. Winston and Mariota are viewed as the consensus top two quarterbacks available in this year’s draft, and with two teams in need of a signal-caller selecting first and second this year, there’s a chance Winston could be a top-two pick. In Todd McShay’s first mock draft, the ESPN.com scribe has Winston going No. 2 to the Titans.

In his two years at Florida State, Winston actually put up better numbers in his freshman season, racking up 4,057 passing yards and 40 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions en route to a BCS National Championship and a Heisman trophy. The young signal-caller’s overall numbers slipped a little across the board in 2014, but his on-field tools are still considered perhaps the best among this year’s class.

Off-field issues, however, will likely contribute to Winston being drafted after Mariota this spring. The 21-year-old has been involved in a number of controversies during his time at Florida State, most notably being accused of sexual assault, though he was recently cleared from violating the school’s conduct code in that incident. Winston has also been cited for shoplifting, and was suspended for Florida State’s 2014 opened vs. Clemson after making vulgar public remarks on campus.

In spite of those off-field red flags, Winston looks like a lock to come off the board within the first few picks of 2015’s draft. His name is the latest addition to our list of early entrants for this year.

Draft Notes: Winston, Edwards, Valles

Jameis Winston‘s father says he won’t announce a decision on whether he’ll enter the NFL draft until after the College Football Playoff National Championship, as David M. Hale of ESPN.com writes. It seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Winston would be going pro, but that’s apparently not the case. Multiple sources tell Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) that the FSU star is seriously considering staying in school for another year. Later, Getlin (link) said that Winston “just might shock the world.” While we wait and see what the quarterback does, let’s take a look at the latest draft news..

  • The University of Houston announced that wide receiver Deontay Greenberry will enter the 2015 NFL draft, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter).
  • Florida State defensive end Mario Edwards plans to enter the NFL draft, according to Joe Schad of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Edwards, 21 in April, is the son of former NFL cornerback Mario Edwards Sr.
  • University of Virginia linebacker Max Valles took to Twitter to announce that he’ll be entering the 2015 draft. Valles is not considered to be one of the nation’s top linebacker prospects by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr (Insider subscription required). Valles originally said in December that he would be staying in school, but he apparently has had a change of heart. The linebacker has promise, but not much in the way of collegiate experience. After spending his first year out of high school at a prep school, he played only two seasons for Virginia. This season, Valles led his team with nine sacks and also had 12.5 tackles for loss.
  • Punter Bradley Pinion announced that he has decided to enter the draft, according to a release on the Clemson Tigers’ website. Pinion averaged 42.6 yards per punt, fifth-best in the ACC, in 2014. He had 28 punts inside the 20 to lead the ACC and break his own school record for a season.

Andrus Peat To Enter Draft

Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat will enter his name into the 2015 NFL draft, according to Alan George, the school’s assistant media relations director (via Twitter). Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports had reported yesterday that Peat was leaning toward forgoing his final year of eligibility at Stanford and going pro.

Peat, who was reportedly on the fence about the decision as recently as last week, projects as a probable first-round pick for 2015. Capable of playing left tackle in the NFL, Peat ranks as the second-best tackle on the big board at CBSSports.com, coming in at 11th among all 2015 prospects.

In his first mock draft for ESPN.com (Insider-only link), Todd McShay has Peat going 24th overall to the Bengals, noting that he has moved the big lineman down on his board a little this season. However, McShay still believes that Peat has “ideal physical tools” for the NFL level, with “good length, a powerful upper body and very good agility in pass protection.”

Peat becomes the latest underclassmen added to our list of early entrants for the 2015 draft.

P.J. Williams To Enter Draft

Junior cornerback P.J. Williams has elected to forgo his senior season at Florida State and enter the 2015 NFL draft, he announced today on Instagram.

I will be taking my talent to the NFL,” Williams wrote in the post announcing his decision. “I wanna thank the NoleNation for some of the best 3 years of my life, the memories will never fade!!”

Williams, 21, earned Defensive MVP honors in the BCS Championship game a year ago as a sophomore, logging seven tackles and an interception. He built on that performance in his junior year with the Seminoles, recording 60 tackles to go along with an interception, a forced fumble, and a sack.

CBSSports.com currently ranks Williams as the draft’s fourth-best cornerback, and 34th overall prospect, making him a borderline first-round talent.

Dorial Green-Beckham To Enter Draft

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops confirmed today to reporters that wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham informed him last week that he intends to enter the 2015 NFL draft, per Bruce Feldman of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The junior wideout will forgo his remaining year of college eligibility, despite speculation early in the season that he’d stick with the Sooners in 2015.

After a number of off-field incidents at Missouri, including multiple marijuana violations, Green-Beckham was dismissed from Mizzou’s program last April, following a sophomore year in which he racked up 883 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 59 receptions. The young wideout joined Oklahoma for the 2014 season, but was unable to play at all due to NCAA transfer rules.

Mel Kiper of ESPN.com wrote last month that Green-Beckham would have had a chance to challenge Amari Cooper for the No. 1 spot among receivers in 2015’s draft class if not for his “significant off-field red flags.” In spite of those red flags, DGB’s talent will likely be too tantalizing for teams to pass up on day one – or very early on day two – this spring. CBSSports.com currently has Green-Beckham ranked 26th overall, and fifth among wide receivers.