Assistant sports editor Fabian Ardaya, fall 2014 football beat writer Matthew Tonis and columnist Ian Beck took part in a roundtable discussion to figure out where former Sun Devils Jaelen Strong, Damarious Randall, Marcus Hardison, Jamil Douglas and Taylor Kelly will land. These are their thoughts:
Fabian Ardaya: This is a unique year for ASU football as many pundits have seen not one, but two Sun Devils potentially selected in the first round in addition to two other guys likely to be drafted in the later rounds.
It's clear that the biggest draft name for ASU the entire 2014 season was Jaelen Strong. With so many wide receivers receiving first round grades, where do you think Strong falls? Is he a first-round level wide receiver?
Matthew Tonis: I think he has first-round talent, but I don't know if he gets taken in the first this year. This is a very deep draft for receivers, so the position will be undervalued. I see Strong being picked early in the second round, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was picked at the end of day one.
Ian Beck: I wouldn't be surprised if he goes even as high as San Francisco at No. 15 but I think the safer bet is that he's a second round pick. As Matt mentioned it's a very deep wide receiver class and I think Strong's struggles creating separation on tight man coverage and his perceived lack of diversity in route running will hurt his stock slightly.
FA: I think there's little doubt that Strong has first-round capability, it's just a matter of fit. He's a physical possession receiver who has shown he can overpower defensive backs on a regular basis, and the knocks on him (speed, route-running, etc.) are each things he has improved on vastly since he first came to Tempe. His 4.44 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Draft Combine doesn't hurt either.
I think some receivers projected ahead of him may be overvalued, but they do clog up options for him to get selected in the first. Where do you see Strong ending up?
IB: Depending on how the first round goes, I could see him ending up in Chicago with the seventh pick of the second round or the New York Giants a pick later. Chicago needs a complement to Alshon Jeffrey and Strong fits the big, physical receiver that John Fox likes. The Giants invested a first-round pick in a wide receiver a year ago so it's the less likely of the two but there's no guarantee that Victor Cruz will come back fully healthy so they might be a sleeper team for him in that early part of the second round.
MT: I think if the Raiders go defense in the first that they'll take Strong early in the second. They have a young quarterback in Derek Carr and getting a reliable receiver could be huge for his development.
FA: I think the likeliest first round destinations are Kansas City at No. 18, Philadelphia at No. 20 and Baltimore at No. 26. The most likely landing spot, however, I think is in Oakland in the second round.
The other Sun Devil drawing some first-round attention and who has even been projected above Strong has been safety Damarious Randall. After originally being seen as a mid-round pick who actually tried earning an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA, Randall has shot up to immediate first-round consideration. Sports Illustrated's Peter King has him going to the Eagles at No. 20. Is that an appropriate landing spot for him?
IB: Short answer in my opinion is no. Randall was a great Sun Devil and a tackling machine last season but he makes too many mistakes in his reads and jumps to be a first-round pick. However, he is the best cover safety in the draft so if I were putting on my GM hat I'd take him in the second or third round and install him as a backup safety or even a nickel corner. There's a lot of talent and value there but not as a first-round safety.
MT: I'm honestly shocked that Randall made the meteoric rise that he did. When he left I thought he'd be picked early day three, not in day one. That being said, scouts and front office guys seem to like him and in a draft light at safety, you could justify that pick.
FA: Damarious Randall is a quality safety and was arguably ASU's best defensive player last season, but the fact of the matter is he is slightly undersized for the position and gambles too much in trying to make the big play. He has above-average ball skills, but even that can't cover for his issues in stopping the run. I think he should have a second or third-round grade, but probably will end up in the first given the hype thrown in his direction. What team do you think picks him up?
MT: I agree with Mike Mayock that the Eagles are the most likely team to bite. Chip Kelly has a flair for the odd and this would be odd. They need defensive backs and Randall would fill the need.
IB: I agree with Matt and Mayock that Philadelphia could be an option in the middle of the second round but another team in that range who could be eyeing Randall is Buffalo. The Bills are definitely a team with holes in the secondary and new head coach Rex Ryan could love the sort of aggressive playmaking that Randall brings to the table.
FA: I think Philadelphia is a good landing spot for Randall, though it may be a round or two too early. I wouldn't be too surprised to see a team like New England snag Randall at the end of the first round to pair him with a defensive mind in Bill Belichick who has already sung ASU coach Todd Graham's praises in the past.
Another Sun Devil name who has seen his name gain a lot of steam in recent weeks has been Marcus Hardison. Hardison played defensive end last season for ASU but has also worked as a 3-technique defensive lineman inside during the Senior Bowl in his pre-draft process. What position do you think he plays in the NFL?
MT: I think Hardison will move inside at the next level. I don't think he's quick enough to play, so he'll have to bulk up, but I think he'll be able to do it.
IB: Hardison has an intriguing amount of athleticism and pass-rushing moves that make me think he could cut it as sort of an oversized defensive end but neither his speed nor nuanced skills are truly NFL starter-caliber so I would agree that he best fits on the inside where he can use his size to his advantage.
FA: I think he's athletic enough to line up at both positions at the next level, but agree he'll probably see most of his time inside at the next level. He'll need to add size and probably won't make a huge impact for whoever drafts him next season, but will probably be a solid starting-caliber defensive lineman in the NFL.
What round is a good fit for Hardison?
IB: Hardison's a project pick for sure. With no clear position, no elite skills and a body that needs work to fit at one spot or another, he's a guy that will take a few years to really come into his own. I would say the best value for him would be in the fourth or fifth rounds. Maybe even as high as the third if a team is really desperate for defensive line help.
MT: I think a team could reach in the third, but I think Hardison will be taken sometime in the fourth round. He showed flashes of being an elite talent and there will be a team enamored with that Notre Dame tape enough to make that move earlier than other teams would.
IB: Matt brings up a really good point that I'd like to expand upon for a second. As Hardison's name has come up in the pre-draft process I really question whether or not we'd even be talking about him as anything more than a sixth or seventh-rounder if it wasn't for that one game against Notre Dame.
MT: He had a great stretch, but Nov. 8, 2014, was the culmination for Hardison. He was a man among boys that afternoon in the biggest game of the year for the Sun Devils.
FA: I agree with Tonis that teams will look at the tape from Notre Dame and Stanford in which he completely controlled the line of scrimmage and force turnovers and think he can be a sleeper star. Is he that? I don't think so. Fourth round is a solid spot for him to go, especially for a team trying to rebuild its defensive line.
One of the guys we haven't heard much from during the draft process has been Jamil Douglas. Douglas played left tackle this season at ASU, but looks to move to left guard at the next level. Is that the right spot for him?
MT: Douglas is interesting to me. He was solid at ASU, but not spectacular and that could hurt him. He'll be a guy that's drafted for offensive line depth that may surprise in the league, but I'm not sure if he will. He'll be a third day pick for sure.
IB: I definitely agree with that take. Douglas was a good-not-great guy throughout his entire career. He's got some strengths but just as many weaknesses and it's a stretch to say he'll ever be a regular starter in the NFL. However, I do think he is better suited for guard than tackle. His pass protection and footwork improved during his year guarding Taylor Kelly's blindside but the run game is truly where he excels.
FA: I think you have to slot him inside as a guard. He's got above-average athleticism but would just get overpowered by defensive ends in the passing game as a left or right tackle. I think he ends up at guard, where his running game will be put to good use. I think he's a fifth or sixth-round pick who lasts a decent amount of time in the league as a borderline starter at the guard position.
Speaking of Taylor Kelly, Ian, what do you think happens to the former Sun Devil quarterback at the next level?
MT: I think he'll be signed as an undrafted free agent and be a practice squad guy for a few years. He's just not an NFL quarterback.
IB: Kelly ends his career as one of the best quarterbacks to come through Tempe but I don't see him finding long-term employment in the NFL. His arm just doesn't showcase the necessary elite accuracy and power to translate to the pro game and he is extremely inexperienced under center. He might be an undrafted free agent brought in as a camp arm and projects as a practice squad contributor or maybe a guy who's perpetually third on the depth chart. But hey, as we saw last year with the Arizona Cardinals, sometimes those guys get some playing time!
FA: I don't think Taylor Kelly has any realistic shot of being drafted. He doesn't have the necessary accuracy to even be a backup level quarterback at the next level, and his arm strength just isn't up to par. I think his biggest asset is his intelligence on the football field, which could land him a spot on a practice squad. If that doesn't work out, I'm sure coach Graham has a spot on his coaching staff for Kelly, who he has considered to be one of the favorite players he has ever coached.
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