Just 20 SEC players declared for this year’s NFL draft with eligibility remaining (21 if you count Dorial Green-Beckham).
A remarkable number of conference players left early a season ago, including seven from LSU. Nine went undrafted, but all of them got something resembling a chance at the NFL level.
Of the drafted players, due to injury, No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney contributed less than all the third-day picks.
Which of these guys made the right decision, and which ones should’ve stayed in school? Draw your own conclusions from their 2014 seasons.
FIRST ROUND
South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney (1st overall, Houston Texans): He missed most of preseason due to injury, got hurt again in the first half of his first regular-season NFL game and had two knee surgeries, including microfracture. His career is in jeopardy.
Auburn OT Greg Robinson (2nd overall, St. Louis Rams): He moved from left guard to left tackle when Jeff Long suffered an injury Oct. 26, and played nearly every snap there the rest of the season. Coach Jeff Fisher said Robinson will be the team’s left tackle in 2015 as well.
Texas A&M WR Mike Evans (7th overall, Tampa Bay Bucs): Evans is a finalist for NFL Rookie of the Year after catching 68 passes for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns, even with Josh McCown and Mike Glennon at quarterback.
LSU WR Odell Beckham Jr. (12th overall, New York Giants): Evans won’t win the award, because if a receiver is going to take it, it’s going to be Beckham Jr. In addition to generating the highlight of the year with a one-handed snag, he caught 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns — in just 12 games.
Alabama S HaHa Clinton-Dix (21st overall, Green Bay Packers): He made 94 tackles in the regular season with a sack, a fumble recovery and an interception, then picked off Russell Wilson twice in the NFC Championship.
Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel (22nd overall, Cleveland Browns): Manziel lost both his starts and attempted just 35 passes the entire season. He threw two interceptions, fumbled once, barely completed 50 percent of his attempts and didn’t throw a touchdown pass. The Browns likely will give him a real shot in 2015, but it’s not a certainty.
SECOND DAY (ROUNDS 2-3)
Alabama OT Cyrus Kouandjio (2nd round, Buffalo Bills): A disappointment as a rookie, Kouandjio showed improvement throughout the year but played in just one game.
LSU DT Ego Ferguson (2nd round, Chicago Bears): He played in all 16 games as a reserve, finishing with 24 tackles and two sacks. Detroit’s Dominic Raiola stomped on him late in the season. Ferguson figures to be an important member of the defense in 2015.
LSU RB Jeremy Hill (2nd round, Cincinnati Bengals): Man, was LSU’s offense loaded last season. Hill became a rookie star for the Bengals, rushing for 1,124 yards on 5.1 yards per carry and catching 27 passes.
Missouri DE Kony Ealy (2nd round, Carolina Panthers): It took Ealy a while to get going, and the team made him inactive for the season opener. But he morphed into a key backup pass rusher, finishing the season with four sacks.
LSU WR Jarvis Landry (2nd round, Miami Dolphins): He caught 84 passes for 758 yards, terrific numbers for a rookie receiver. But he struggled with fumbles, especially as a kick returner, totaling seven in all.
Ole Miss WR Donte Moncrief (3rd round, Indianapolis Colts): Moncrief caught 32 passes, mostly in a reserve role for the Colts, though he did start two games.
Auburn RB Tre Mason (3rd round, St. Louis Rams): He didn’t play a single down the first four games of the season, then finished with nine starts. His 913 yards of total offense in 12 games portend well for his future as a part of the St. Louis backfield.
LSU G Trai Turner (3rd round, Carolina Panthers): Part of a chaotic, injury-prone season for the Panthers’ offensive line, Turner played in 13 games and started nine.
THIRD DAY (ROUNDS 4-7)
South Carolina WR Bruce Ellington (4th round, San Francisco 49ers): Buried on the depth chart, Ellington didn’t get much playing time at receiver, but he flashed late in the year and could compete for more time as a speedy deep threat in 2015.
Alabama S Vinnie Sunseri (5th round, New Orleans Saints): A special teams standout as a rookie, Sunseri suffered a season-ending arm injury in early November.
LSU OLB Ronald Powell (5th round, New Orleans Saints): He played in 14 games as a rookie, mostly on special teams.
Alabama DE Jeoffrey Pagan (6th round, Houston Texans): He played in 16 games as a reserve, getting more time on defense late in the season. He made a season-high four tackles against the Philadelphia Eagles.
LSU RB Alfred Blue (6th round, Houston Texans): He made the team and played in all 16 games, which isn’t easy as a sixth-round pick. But his 3.1 yards per carry (on a good sample size of 169 rushes) weren’t glowing. Can he continue to earn carries in 2015?
UNDRAFTED
LSU DT Anthony Johnson: Picked up by the Miami Dolphins, Johnson played in seven games, including the season finale in Week 17.
South Carolina CB Victor Hampton: He signed with Cincinnati, got cut before the season and then spent the last half of it on the New York Giants’ practice squad. The Baltimore Ravens signed him to a futures contract this month.
South Carolina DT Kelcy Quarles: He bounced between three different NFL franchises, playing two games for the Indianapolis Colts and spending most of the season as a practice squad player for the Colts or New England Patriots.
Alabama LB Adrian Hubbard: He failed to make the Green Bay Packers roster, but the team signed him to a futures contract this week.
Missouri RB Henry Josey: Philadelphia signed him as an undrafted free agent, but he failed to make the opening-day roster. Jacksonville signed him to the practice squad, where he remained until Minnesota gave him a late-season call-up to its active roster, though he never played.
Florida CB Loucheiz Purifoy: He impressed the Indianapolis Colts enough for the team to trade away a veteran before the season. A key special teams player, he seemed in line to pick up some defensive playing time, but the team cut him in late November, reportedly due to disciplinary reasons. Seattle promptly signed him, but Purifoy failed his physical.
Florida CB Marcus Roberson: He played in nine games for the St. Louis Rams, even earning two starts due to injuries. Roberson notched an NFL interception, not easy to do for a rookie undrafted free agent.
Tennessee OT Antonio Richardson: He made an impression during training camp and the preseason for the Minnesota Vikings, then had two knee surgeries and spent the entire year rehabbing.
Vanderbilt WR Chris Boyd: He got a chance with the Dallas Cowboys, failed to make the team, then spent December on the practice squad and signed a futures contract with the franchise in January.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
