How many gophers will be drafted or stick on an NFL roster in 2016

[die hard gopher]

I'm liking all this draft talk this past week and was thinking how we have gone from zero to one to two to probably three players getting drafted or at least sticking on a roster under Kill. Next year it would be nice to increase that number by one again in 2016 to four. How many gophers do you think will get the opportunity to play at the next level from next years senior class? This is how I see breaking down.

Very Likely to get drafted barring injury: Murray and BBC. Self explanatory, not going into much detail here

Decent to good chance to get drafted: Cockran, Campbell, Travis, Mortell.

Cockran was second team All Big Ten last year and an HM by both coaches and media this year. Before the season started this year I saw some say he could be a third round pick. He seems to be the type of edge rusher with prototypical height at 6-6 and length with a 6-9 wingspan that NFL teams covet in a pass happy league.

During fall camp of the 2013 season Kill said that Campbell has as much potential as Ra'Shede and could be a first round pick. He gets a lot of flack on here for not being a down hill player and taking bad angles etc. but I think in the NFL he would be a 3-4 OLB which would negate many of his weaknesses that he faces against downhill Big Ten teams and maximize his strengths like using his length for pass rushing or his speed in coverage more often. No doubt that needs to improve to have a shot at getting drafted but not a whole lot of posters bring up how much he improved from 2013 to 2014. Many might be shocked to hear that De'Vondre is actually our leading returning tackler on the roster with 75. I expect him to take a similar leap next fall in his development.

Travis: I believe Kill said two weeks ago that Travis will be an NFL guy and they have always deemed him one of the better athletes on the team, even an athletic freak. A lot of other guys like Burns and some posters on here say besides Murray and BBC, he has the best chance to get drafted next year. He moves very well for a 6-2, 211 safety plus he has decent length.

Mortell: Not many punters get drafted so I'm not expecting him to but hopefully he can make a career out of punting. Big Ten punter of the year last year, potential All American next year? I think that might be enough for an NFL team to possibly invest in him.

Then the next group of guys chances are doubtful but at least worth bringing them up. Campion and Antonio Johnson.

Campion is a back to back Big Ten honorable mention by both the coaches and media and I believe has started 39 consecutive games. Probably not athletic enough to play OT at the next level, even RT but maybe could be drafted as a guard?

It's worth mentioning Johnson for simply being a Senior Sawvel recruited DB along with being a starting member of this secondary who Kill and myself believe will be the best unit in the conference. Has contributed a lot over his career recording 69 tackles as a junior but missed some time as a senior. The hardest hitter and best open field tackler in our secondary IMO and I will never forget the tackle he had on Engel in the 2013 spring game.


So I would probably go with another year of 3 guys getting drafted/sticking on a roster. Murray and BBC plus one of Travis, Campbell, Cockran or Mortell. The chances that two of those guy that I listed in the second group getting drafted would be equivalent to the chances of Murray or BBC not getting drafted IMO.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Agree on Murray, BBC.

Campbell should get a good look based solely on his size and athleticism. At this point his game is far from great and he isn't an aggressive player. He's been a small disappointment thus far. He needs to have a breakout year.

Cockran is another player that needs to have some breakout games to get on the NFL radar. He isn't the most powerful player at this point and doesn't look NFL-ready to me. He has his Sr. Year to prove me wrong and I believe an improving DL will lift all boats.

Mortell will not be drafted, IMO. Great punters hang around a long, long time in the NFL.

Campion will get a good look.

I love Antonio Johnson. He is a missile on special teams and a fearless, aggressive defender. Will that be enough to be drafted?

Travis has a good chance with his size and speed. If our defense continues to play well that gets the hype machine rolling and the scouts take notice.

 

[diehard]

2015 is going to be the breakout year for the Gophers. I don't know who all gets drafted because I don't know who takes the big step up.

I don't even dismiss another early entry. I see us with a respectable chance to beat tOSU for the B1G Championship and that means we will have surprises in who all steps up. Let March 3 be today, I am fired up!

 

[Ski U Mah 55]

I see us with a respectable chance to beat tOSU for the B1G Championship and that means we will have surprises in who all steps up.

Pump the brakes man, at that speed you'll miss the turn to Realityville and end up in Disappointment River.

 

[Ogie Ogilthorpe]

Agree on Murray, BBC.

Campbell should get a good look based solely on his size and athleticism. At this point his game is far from great and he isn't an aggressive player. He's been a small disappointment thus far. He needs to have a breakout year.

For me, Campbell= biggest disappointment on the Gophers roster over the last two years (aside from some unexpected and untimely departures perhaps). Just still continually looks completely lost out there on too many plays.

A huge breakout year for him, and also Cockran, would go a long ways towards the Gophers having a strong, strong season in 2015.

 

[Golden_Sloth]

I don't think Campbell needs to have a breakout year to be drafted. All he needs to do is avoid a major regression. Even though he's not a great Big Ten linebacker, he's tailor made for the NFL. Guys with his length, speed, and cover ability are rare. Scouts will be more than willing to spend a mid round pick on him just for his potential to cover TEs and RBs in a pass happy league.

Cockran will either need a big year, or he'll really have to bulk up and blow up the combine.

Murray and BBC are locks.

 

[jaymil]

I went with 4. Murray, BBC, and Travis are likely, plus one of Cockran, Campbell, or someone else making a jump.

 

[supadupafly]

30. 30 Gophers.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Campbell has already mastered the art of letting someone breeze by you on a fake punt. He should be a quality special teams guy for years to come.

Not sure Cockran has much of a chance right now either unless he has a big year.

Murray, BBC, and Travis will have no problem getting drafted.

 

[John Galt]

Sure Campbell has room for improvement, but I'd hardly call him a disappointment. James Gillum and Hayo Carpenter were disappointments. Campbell played heavy minutes as a soph, started every game as a junior, and should have a very good senior year.

 

[e.bigelow]

Campbell has already mastered the art of letting someone breeze by you on a fake punt. He should be a quality special teams guy for years to come.

Not sure Cockran has much of a chance right now either unless he has a big year.

Murray, BBC, and Travis will have no problem getting drafted.

I agree with the bold. Cockran needs to show he can get to the QB without Hageman being present. He did it sporatically last year, but I think he would need to put up better numbers, i.e., sacks, TFL's before he will get a good chance. Just my thoughts.

 

[oleboy41]

Murray – Definitely drafted with a possibility to be one of the top corners on the board. I’d guess right now he’s a 2nd/3rd round type
BBC – I think he’s draft worthy but he’s not big. If he has another year like last year it’s no doubt
Travis – versatile with good size/speed combo that teams love in the spread era. If he continues to make plays at last years clip I think he gets drafted, assuming he runs well (Mike Carter was a great college corner but ran like a 4.75 40)
Campbell – People have unrealistic expectations for him. He was raw when he came in and improved last year. He’s not a finished product but if he takes another step forward he has a shot as he’s an NFL athlete but I think he needs to add some weight still
Campion – Will need to show he can play guard (or at least have teams believe he can play guard) and actually have a real standout year instead of just being ‘solid’.
Johnson – Good player but I haven’t seen anything that stands out and screams ‘NFL’, similar to Ced Thompson. That said Vereen was the same way but was able to show enough athleticism to become a prospect. Think Johnson either has to start making more plays or show some 4.4 type speed.
Nugget – Don’t laugh. The guy has great size and is a really good player with the ball in his hands. The NFL loves cheap RBs and he could be a short yardage/special teams player for somebody

 

[414GopherFan]

Murray – Definitely drafted with a possibility to be one of the top corners on the board. I’d guess right now he’s a 2nd/3rd round type
BBC – I think he’s draft worthy but he’s not big. If he has another year like last year it’s no doubt
Travis – versatile with good size/speed combo that teams love in the spread era. If he continues to make plays at last years clip I think he gets drafted, assuming he runs well (Mike Carter was a great college corner but ran like a 4.75 40)
Campbell – People have unrealistic expectations for him. He was raw when he came in and improved last year. He’s not a finished product but if he takes another step forward he has a shot as he’s an NFL athlete but I think he needs to add some weight still
Campion – Will need to show he can play guard (or at least have teams believe he can play guard) and actually have a real standout year instead of just being ‘solid’.
Johnson – Good player but I haven’t seen anything that stands out and screams ‘NFL’, similar to Ced Thompson. That said Vereen was the same way but was able to show enough athleticism to become a prospect. Think Johnson either has to start making more plays or show some 4.4 type speed.
Nugget – Don’t laugh. The guy has great size and is a really good player with the ball in his hands. The NFL loves cheap RBs and he could be a short yardage/special teams player for somebody

OleBoy seems like you have a pretty good grasp on things. Travis doesnt get much discussion here but the young man is a very good football player. He comes up and knocks your head off in the run game and is above average in coverage.(especially for a man his size)

 

[Spoofin]

Campbell needs to destroy all tape on the Mizzzou fake punt to help his chances.


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[die hard gopher]

Sure Campbell has room for improvement, but I'd hardly call him a disappointment. James Gillum and Hayo Carpenter were disappointments. Campbell played heavy minutes as a soph, started every game as a junior, and should have a very good senior year.

+1

Hard to call your third leading tackler from last year and leading returning tackler a disappointment. If you had first team All American expectations for him or the bowl was the only gopher football game you watched all year than I guess it would make sense, sort of.

 

[e.bigelow]

+1

Hard to call your third leading tackler from last year and leading returning tackler a disappointment. If you had first team All American expectations for him or the bowl was the only gopher football game you watched all year than I guess it would make sense, sort of.

Totally agree. I think the issue is that a couple of his mistakes/misreads/missed tackles, however you want to phrase it, have resulted in big plays(percieved) for the opposing offense/special teams , thus resulting in people commenting that he has been a 'dissappointment'. He has also made his share of BIG plays as well. Pick 6 vs. Michigan comes to mind.

He definitely isn't a dissapointment. But, he does have some areas he needs to improve. For me, his open field tackling has been an issue at times. Usually because he is out of position or in a tougher position to make good contact. Hopefully he has a big SR year. We will need him to have one to have a succesful LB unit this season.

 

[diehard]

Pump the brakes man, at that speed you'll miss the turn to Realityville and end up in Disappointment River.

So you don't think we have a respectable chance to beat tOSU?

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Then knee jerk defensiveness of fan favorites, presumably because of their perceived athleticism (size or speed, eg Donovahn Jones) rather than their game instincts and ability ( david Cobb) is interesting. He has absolutely been a lesser player than I hoped for. That is the definition of a disappointment.

 

[die hard gopher]

Then knee jerk defensiveness of fan favorites, presumably because of their perceived athleticism (size or speed, eg Donovahn Jones) rather than their game instincts and ability ( david Cobb) is interesting. He has absolutely been a lesser player than I hoped for. That is the definition of a disappointment.

What were hoping for? If you hoped for a serviceable #1 backup off the bench year one, solid Big Ten starting LB in year two and still hoping for a big year final year than I don't know how can consider him a disappointment. He was one of the more improved players on defense last year and I expect him to take a similar leap next year.

 

[MNVCGUY]

What were hoping for? If you hoped for a serviceable #1 backup off the bench year one, solid Big Ten starting LB in year two and still hoping for a big year final year than I don't know how can consider him a disappointment. He was one of the more improved players on defense last year and I expect him to take a similar leap next year.

While I agree it probably isn't fair to call him a disappointment I also don't think Campbell is anywhere close to where he needs to be in order to be a legit contender to get drafted next season. Right now he strikes me as a guy that will not get drafted but would certainly get a long look in free agency based on his size/speed. If he comes out and has a big season for the U then I could see him move up into the draft discussion. Murray and BBC would seem like locks to get drafted, and if Travis has a big year he could as well because of his size. Cockran is another that will need to have a big senior year to get into the draft discussion. The potential is there for quite a few guys to be draft worthy in 2016 but it is going to take some big jumps in production for a few of them to separate from the pack.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

What were hoping for? If you hoped for a serviceable #1 backup off the bench year one, solid Big Ten starting LB in year two and still hoping for a big year final year than I don't know how can consider him a disappointment. He was one of the more improved players on defense last year and I expect him to take a similar leap next year.

I wouldn't say he had a great year. Many, many mistakes and plays slower than he's capable. This is not to say he'll stay static at this level. If he had great instincts to go along with his athleticism he could be a monster. That's why he has been a disappointment thus far.

 

[e.bigelow]

Then knee jerk defensiveness of fan favorites, presumably because of their perceived athleticism (size or speed, eg Donovahn Jones) rather than their game instincts and ability ( david Cobb) is interesting. He has absolutely been a lesser player than I hoped for. That is the definition of a disappointment.

Good thing we all now know the defenition of a disappointment.

And comparing a returning starter to someone who flaked out of the program is also a bit much. Hard to convince me that DJ was a fan favorite.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

A bit hostile around here...

Donovahn was a starter that failed to live up to expectations. At least my expectations. Campbell is another starter that hasn't come close to his potential. Is that easier to swallow?

On the other side of the coin, we've had a cadre of guys that exceed expectations and play better than we expect. I'm not trying to be insulting.

If these guys get as butt hurt over criticism as some here we are screwed.