Which Underclassmen From The G5 And Below Declared For The Draft: Defensive Edition

As is the case in any off season, players make the decision to stay or forgo their final year of college football and head to the NFL Draft. Some make it while others fizzle out due to lack of talent, a bad fit, or other circumstances.

We have already taken a look at the offensive side of the ball so it is only fair to take a look at defense. Led by All-American Ed Oliver, there are 15 underclassmen defensive players looking to make an NFL roster via the draft.

Defensive Line: (8)

• Ed Oliver, DT, Houston: 192 tackles, 53.0 tfl, 13.5 sacks, 11 pd. 1 fr, 5 ff in 32 games played. Two-time All-American, 2017 Outland Award winner. 2017 AAC Defensive Player of the Year. #2 ranked interior lineman according to USA Today. 
• Maxx Crosby, DE, Eastern Michigan: 162 tackles, 41.0 tfl, 8 ff, 20.0 sacks, 1 int in 37 games played. 
• Trysten Hill, DT, Central Florida: 71 tackles, 20 tfl, 6 sacks, 1 ff in 33 games played. 
• Darryl Johnson, DE, North Carolina A&T: 106 tackles, 41 tfl, 19 sacks, 5 ff, 2 fr. 
• Youhanna Ghaifan, DT, Wyoming: 135 tackles, 27 tfl, 11 sacks, 5 pd, 4 ff in 30 games played. 
• Sutton Smith, DE, Northern Illinois: 139 tackles, 58.5 tfl, 30 sacks, 4 pd, 6 fr, 7 ff, 3 TD in 37 games played. Two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year. 2017 All-American. 
• Sean Adesanya, DE, Central Michigan: Transfer from Illinois. 10 tackles, 1 tfl, 1 sack in 6 games at Illinois. 29 tackles, 7 tfl, 3 sacks in 12 games at CMU. Led nation in tfl and sacks in 2017. Led nation in tfl in 2018. 
• D'Andre Ferby, DE, Western Kentucky: 344 carries for 1,297 yards and 20 TD in 34 games. Listed as a DE in NFL information, so a position change looks to be imminent. 

Let's start with the obvious and discuss Ed Oliver. The junior from Houston is one of the most physically gifted player to come out of college football in a long time. Every defensive lineman gets compared and falls well short of Aaron Donald, but Oliver is a good comparison. I will get into the similarities in a later article. Oliver is the truth and I believe he will be the best of the best in one of the best defensive lineman groups in NFL Draft history.

While not a household name like Oliver, Sutton Smith is no slouch. He put up mind boggling stats at NIU and deserved every accolade thrown at him. The biggest issue with Smith is how he will be used in the NFL. His size mandates a move to linebacker and question abound about his ability to defense the pass. The combine will make or break his draft ranking.

Crosby, Hill, Ghaifan, Adesanya, and Johnson will not hear their names called early, but have the chance to make a roster. For those players, it is all about the fit they show within a defensive scheme. It may be better if some do not get drafted so that they can find the right fit in free agency.

Linebacker: (2)

• Jeff Allison, LB, Fresno State: 267 tackles, 11.0 tfl, 2 int, 2 ff, 2.5 sacks in 34 games played. 2018 MWC Defensive Player of the Year.  
• Josiah Tauaefa, LB, UTSA: 255 tackles, 22.5 tfl, 11.5 sacks, 1 int, 1 fr, 2 ff in 32 games played. 

Of the two G5 linebackers adding their names to the draft list, Tauaefa is the more explosive player. He is a hybrid DE/OLB that may need to find his true position at the NFL level. Can he cover backs and tight ends or is he an undersized pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme?

Allison may not make as many splashy plays in the backfield as other linebackers, but he is a smart and instinctive tackler. He is always around the ball and makes plays in the passing game when needed. Think of a player like Wesley Woodyard when you think of Allison. A leader in the huddle and during play.

Secondary: (5)

• Mike Bell, S, Fresno State: 199 tackles, 9.0 tfl, 4 int, 1 ff, 0.5 sacks in 37 games played.  
• Sean Bunting, CB, Central Michigan: 104 tackles, 3.5 tfl, 9 int, 4 ff in 35 games played.
• Clifton Duck, CB, Appalachian State: 158 tackles, 8.5 tfl, 1 sack, 12 int, 10.5 pr average on 31 returns in 38 games played. 
• Malik Gant, DB, Marshall: 190 tackles, 14.0 tfl, 1 sack, 2 int, 13 pd in 29 games played. 
• Xavier Crawford, CB, Central Michigan: Transfer from Oregon State. 87 tackles, 2 tfl, 1 sack, 1 int, 12 pd in 17 games at Oregon State. 24 tackles, 3 tfl, 1 int, 12 pd, 2 fr at CMU. 

This is a not so ready for the NFL group of players, except for Clifton Duck. The junior has shown up since his freshman season in big games and has the play-making ability that NFL teams love. He can make plays and isn't afraid to take a chance or two in order to change a game. If he does not hear his name called in the first 100 picks, I would be very surprised.

Honestly, the rest of the group will need to have very good pro days and combines, if they are invited, to get on the NFL radar. Choices like Xavier Crawford smell of a player ready to leave college behind and see what happens rather than being truly ready for the NFL.

2017 MAC Top Returning Offensive Players

MACtion is finally headed back this fall and we could not be any more excited for the possibilities. 2016 was all about WMU and its attempt at perfect, but this season is much more balanced with Toledo looking like the early favorite. 

Lots of talented offensive players are now on NFL rosters, so it is time for the youth of the MAC to step up and sit at the adult table. Let's take a look at the top returning offensive skill position players in the MAC heading into the 2017 season. 

Rushing:

1. Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan: 248/1,353/12TD
2. James Gilbert, Ball State: 251/1,332/12TD
3. Jamauri Bogan, Western Michigan: 179/923/8TD
4. Dorian Brown, Ohio: 158/825/4TD
5. Ian Eriksen, Eastern Michigan: 184/771/9TD

Others to watch: Devon Spalding CMU (138/758/6TD), Alonzo Smith MIAMI (1638/709/3TD), Josh Cleveland BGSU (101/649/2TD), Terry Swanson TOLEDO (116/583/4TD), Kenny Young MIAMI (88/557/2TD), Justin Rankin KENT STATE (108/511/3TD), Donovan Wilson BGSU (110/503/5TD).  

As was the case in 2016, the Broncos of Western Michigan are stacked once again with two of the top three returning rushers from last fall. Franklin and Bogan combined for just over 2,200 yards and 20 touchdowns, leading WMU to the Cotton Bowl.

James Gilbert was a treat to watch in 2016 and should be even better for a Ball State team ready to go bowling. The player I have an eye on is Toledo running back Terry Swanson. The senior has played three years in the shadow of Kareem Hunt and will be the man for the prolific Rockets offense. Also, watch Dorian Brown as we attempt to figure out if he is the back that rushed for 212 versus Toledo or the one that was held under 50 yards on 5 occasions (in addition to missing three games).

Passing:

1. Logan Woodside, Toledo: 289-418/4,129/45TD/183.3 Efficiency
2. Brogan Roback, Eastern Michigan: 219-372/2,694/18/TD/131.9 Efficiency
3. Riley Neal, Ball State: 242-394/2,541/13TD/120.4 Efficiency
4. James Morgan, Bowling Green: 183-326/2,082/16TD/116.8 Efficiency
5. Thomas Woodson, Akron: 146-242/2,079/18TD/152.1 Efficiency

Others to watch: Tyree Jackson BUFFALO (1,772/9TD), Gus Ragland MIAMI (1,537/17TD), Quinton Maxwell OHIO (1,252/8TD), Billy Bahl MIAMI (1,154/8TD), Nick Holley KENT STATE (868/4TD).

For the most part, this group of MAC quarterbacks is Logan Woodside and a bunch of other guys. When you start to take a deeper look, multiple quarterbacks look poised to put up video game numbers this fall. Two signal callers to watch are Riley Neal of Ball State and Gus Ragland of Miami.

Ragland, in particular, looked like one of the better quarterbacks in the G5 in the second half of the season. He turned a 0-6 team into a 6-6 team that nearly became the first team to earn a winning record after losing their first six games of the season.

Receiving:

• Cody Thompson, Toledo: 64/1,269/11TD
• Corey Willis, CMU: 71/1,087/9TD
• Scott Miller, BGSU: 74/968/10TD
• Sergio Bailey II, Ohio: 60/868/7TD
• Jon’Vea Johnson, Toledo: 40/773/10TD

Others to watch: James Gardner MIAMI (45/750/6TD), Mark Chapman CMU (44/592/4TD), Tyler Conklin CMU (42/560/6TD), Jared Murphy MIAMI (43/552/5TD), Austin Wolf AKRON (36/550/5TD).  

Talk about losing a bit of talent to the NFL. The MAC lost Corey Davis, Kenny Golladay, Jerome Lane, KaVonn Mabon, and JoJo Natson from the top five receiving list of 2016. While those losses will definitely hurt the overall product, there are plenty of players ready to accept the challenge. Remember, Scott Miller, Sergio Bailey, and Jon’Vea Johnson had a combined 16 catches in their careers before last season.

A player to watch is CMU tight end Tyler Conklin. The 6-4 receiver looked quite impressive at times in route to a 42 catch season last fall. With other losses on offense, expect the Chippewas to add a renewed focus on tight end this year.  

Next week, we will take a look at defense and special teams for the Mid-American Conference before rolling out conference previews. 

MAC Week Four Review

Another week is in the books for the 2015 college football season with the Mid-American Conference going 3-10 with no conference games taking place. Let's take a look at the good, bad, and ugly of week four MAC football action.

MAC Week Three Review

Another week is in the books for the 2015 college football season with MAC going 6-7 with only one  conference game (Ball State-EMU) taking place. Let's take a look at the good, bad, and ugly of week three MAC football action.

Group Of Five Thursday Night Statistical Leaders

One day of FBS football is in the books and here is a look at the top 10 performers from the opening night games.

MAC Week One Preview

The MAC is getting started with 12 games during Week One of the college football season with two G5 teams coming to town? I see the MAC going 5-7 in those 12 games.

2015 MAC Predictions

Here are my Mid-American Conference Predictions.

MAC Players to Watch in 2015

Not sure who to look out for in the MAC this fall? Here is a handy guide of approximately 5-10 players to watch for on every MAC team:

MAC Conference Games To Watch

I know I went heavy with the MAC West Division but I see a lot of the good football coming from that side. 

Top MAC Non-Conference Games According To Me

The MAC schedule is full of non-conference games that will pique national interest for great story lines and just overall good football. Here is a look at some of the best non-conference MAC games this fall. **This list is in no particular order.**

Week One Thursday Night Games: My Predictions

Week One of the FBS season is only two weeks away and brings us 55 games involving G5 teams including six games of G5 versus G5 teams. Today I will predict all 13 Thursday night games.

Group of Five players on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list

Jim Thorpe Award watch list:

Group of Five players on the Outland Watch List

Outland Trophy:

Opening night Group of Five vs. Power Five matchups

In the opening Thursday night of college football, the Group of Five consisting of the MAC, MWC, Sun Belt, AAC, MWC, Army, and BYU face off versus Power Five (SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12) opponents in 4 games. Of those 4 games, Group of Five teams are getting a hosting/neutral site game in 2 games.

Central Michigan football: A brief history

Central Michigan: 

Top 10 Returning Quarterbacks (passing yards)

With 10 of the top 52 passers from the 2014 season returning for the 2015 season, expect some gaudy passing numbers this fall. Seven were lost to graduation. 

NFL Draftees

With the 2015 NFL draft in the books, the MWC, MAC, Sun Belt, Conference USA, and Independent programs saw 24 players drafted by NFL teams with many more signing UDFA contracted with teams.

Central Michigan 2015 Roster (with 2014 stats)

Central Michigan:

MAC players in the NFL

In honor of the combine and the upcoming NFL draft, here is a list of the MAC players in the NFL. Every MAC program has at least one player in the NFL with Toledo leading the way with 9 NFL players. In total, 64 players from the MAC are in the NFL.

Enos leaves Central Michigan