The West Coast has been represented well in recent NFL drafts. Over the last five years, we've seen 160 draftees from the Pac-12, more than both the Big 10 and the Big 12. Last year the Pac-12 North saw six first-round picks in Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Arik Armstead, Andrus Peat of Stanford and Marcus Peters, Danny Shelton, Shaq Thompson of Washington.
Cal’s Jared Goff boosts the Pac-12 North’s NFL outlook
The North division may not match this year’s six first-round picks, but the Golden Bears junior leads a solid group of prospects.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
We don’t expect the Huskies to produce three first-round picks again, but schools like Oregon and Stanford look to populate with early rounds with some of the draft’s more coveted talent. The division’s single best prospect may actually be at California in junior quarterback Jared Goff.
Still, the North division may not run as rich as it has in the past when it comes draft prospects, but the Pac-12 presents it’s own unique playing style in college football. With that in mind, each school is worth a look because you never know which skill set could be the next changing wave for NFL football.
CALIFORNIA
(Analysis by Trace Travers)
Jared Goff, QB, junior: A lot of people have heard of Goff after Mel Kiper Jr. put him as the No. 1 quarterback for 2016. He's also been named to a number of watch lists for this year, such as the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards. Goff is the most polished quarterback Cal has had since Aaron Rodgers. This may be homerism, but after this year, Goff will be more polished than Rodgers was coming out of college. He has a great deep ball that he can put on the money. He hasn't had the best offensive line in his two years, but that has forced him to use his feet and step up in the pocket.
After his sophomore season, he holds Cal records for most passing yard in a season. He actually holds the top two marks for that, as well as three of the top four passing games in Cal history. Some may attribute that to having a “pass heavy” offense, but the Cal offense had some balance last year, with a 1,000-yard rusher in Daniel Lasco. Goff could easily be a top 10 pick in the 2016 draft if he decides to come out.
Kenny Lawler, WR, junior: Lawler figures to be Goff's favorite target this year. He has only totaled 91 receptions for 1,048 yards and 15 touchdowns over his two years. Considering how Goff spreads the ball, this isn't too surprising. But lack of eye-popping stats aside, Lawler can make the eye-popping catches instead. He wears XXL gloves, and his huge hands have made the end zone fade look like pitch and catch in spring and fall practice. Lawler has the ability to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. At 6'4, 200 pounds, he has the frame to do it, as well.
Mustafa Jalil, DT, senior: Jalil is a defensive lineman who can take up a couple of blocks. The pass rush around him hasn't exactly helped, but Jalil has forced offenses to take notice of him. Against USC last year, he got a single blocker on him, blew him up and got a safety, which ended up being the only points Cal scored until late in the first half. Jalil will be helped by a stronger pass rush.
OREGON
(Analysis by Dan Kadar)
Bralon Addison, WR, junior: Addison missed all of last season while rehabbing a torn ACL. As a sophomore, he showed he’s an ultra-fast wideout who excels at the short game and the long. Just ask Washington, whom Addison torched for 157 yards and two touchdowns in 2013. Addison’s hands are good enough, but it’s his speed and quickness that will land him in the NFL.
Pharaoh Brown, TE, senior: Brown is attempting to come back from a scary knee injury that could have ended his career. That injury will give teams pause, so don’t expect Brown to be a high draft pick. If he’s healthy, he’s a solid player who can block at his position and get up the seam in the passing game. Brown is coming off a season of 25 receptions for 420 yards and six touchdowns, despite missing the final five games of the season.
DeForest Buckner, DE, senior: Oregon is quickly becoming the oversized defensive end factory, and Buckner is poised to be its greatest output. The 6’7, 290-pound senior is more technically sound than his former teammate Armstead and just as athletic. A creative defensive coordinator will love Buckner because he can play anywhere along the line. He’s practically a lock to go in the first round of the draft.
Tyler Johnstone, OT, senior: When Kyle Long of the Chicago Bears was at the NFL Scouting Combine a few years ago, I asked why he didn’t play left tackle at Oregon. “That guy we had is really good,” he said simply. “That guy” was Johnstone. NFL teams will probably flag Johnstone because since then he’s torn his right ACL twice (see a theme with Oregon players?). When healthy, Johnstone is a very good athlete for a tackle and can handle himself against smaller speed rushers. His strength is decent and he has long arms to keep defenders outside his frame. If Cedric Ogbuehi can be a first-round pick after having knee issues in college, Johnstone could, too.
OREGON STATE
(Analysis by Andy Wooldridge)
Caleb Smith, TE, senior: Possibly Oregon State’s best bet for the next level. The 6'6, 265-pound tight end appears headed for a big final collegiate season, as the spread offense under new head coach Gary Andersen has Smith working split out, as well as in tight at the end of the line. His size makes him a mismatch problem for any secondary, and during spring ball and summer camp, he appeared to have finally shook off his tendency for miscues that offset the potential that he’s flashed all of his career.
Storm Woods, RB, senior: Woods will be one of the leaders of the offense. He can (and will in Andersen’s offense) catch the ball out of the backfield, as well as run it, and has good speed and moves in the open. Woods, at just 6'0 and under 210 pounds is not a bruiser, but is at his best slicing through openings in the line to get quickly to the second level.
Kyle Peko, DT, senior: It took Peko a year and a half to get eligible, so he has only one season to play at the FBS level. With nearly 310 pounds on his 6’1 frame, he’s a real gap-plugger on the defensive line. He’s also shown surprising athleticism for a player of his size in spring and summer camp, and its easy to see why former coach Mike Riley was so high on Peko and why Andersen and his staff stayed with the long ordeal of getting Peko eligible and on the field when they arrived.
STANFORD
(Analysis by Dan Kadar)
Kevin Hogan, QB, senior: Heavily scrutinized for a slow, winding throwing motion, Hogan should make it on a team’s roster at least as a developmental player. He has good size at 6’4 and shows solid instincts and athleticism.
Kyle Murphy, OT, senior: Murphy is moving to left tackle this season and is poised to be the next in a growing line of Stanford offensive linemen taken in the draft. While he’s a notch below someone like Peat, who he’s replacing, Murphy has the look and playing style of an NFL offensive tackle. He has long arms and really attacks defenders when the ball is snapped. Murphy shows good foot quickness to move around in space, but in the run game he needs to add a little more power to his game.
WASHINGTON
(Analysis by Christopher Landon)
Josh Perkins, TE, senior: Perkins is an interesting pro prospect at tight end given that he fits the mold of “hybrid” that so many teams are now looking to fill. He’s an accomplished pass catcher and route runner who has excelled for UW as a red zone target. As a blocker, he has yet to distinguish himself. However, the 6’4 tight end enters 2015 having added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame and now comes in at a solid 240. The Huskies expect to incorporate the tight end position pretty heavily into their offense this season. If Perkins’ productivity spikes and if he can show some improvement as a blocker on film, he might sneak into the draft as a late round prospect.
Dwayne Washington, RB, junior: Washington is the only Husky who projects as a possible early entry. The junior tailback has all of the measurables that pro scouts will appreciate. He is a big back at 6'2 and 225 pounds who has uncharacteristic speed for a man his size. He really emerged late last season after coming back from a concussion issue and exploding for three straight 100-yard games to close the season. He is a true home run threat having scored four touchdowns from outside of 40 yards during that stretch. UW plans to work him as a feature back this year. As such, he'll get both the chance to show his durability and his pass-catching skills (Washington is a converted wide receiver). If he can generate good tape and if he can show that he's improved his ability to generate yards after contact, Washington may well decide to declare where he could be a solid mid-round draft pick.
WASHINGTON STATE
(Analysis by Jeff Nusser)
Dom Williams, WR, senior: Williams will assume the role of Vince Mayle in the Air Raid offense, and he's aiming to put up the same kind of eye-popping production as his predecessor. At 6'2 and 199 pounds, Williams isn't quite the physical monster that Mayle is. That said, Williams has bulked up quite a bit in the last two years -- his most recent weight gain was noticeable at the spring game -- and is no longer a slouch in the strength department. Of course, he's also good for dropping easy passes he should catch, and he has yet to show he can regularly be effective in the types of intermediate routes that made Mayle such a workhorse for the Cougars last season. If he can shore up his hands and become a more well-rounded receiver, he'll no doubt catch the eye of NFL scouts.
Destiny Vaeao, DL, senior: WSU's coaches have been in love with Vaeao's athleticism for years. Former defensive coordinator Mike Breske even played him at Buck linebacker when he was 6'3 and 280 pounds against certain run-oriented opponents. But the production has been fairly sparse -- just seven tackles for loss over the past two years. Vaeao is now up over 300 pounds, and if he can retain his athleticism at that size, he could break out in a big way.
River Cracraft, WR, junior: This would seem to be a bit of a long shot, as Cracraft doesn't fit into the general mold of an early entrant to the NFL Draft -- he doesn't possess the prototypical size (6'0, 198 pounds) or speed that gets the attention of scouts -- but he is, quite simply, an incredible wide receiver who produces. He's far more athletic than most people give him credit for, he's got amazing hands and his route-running is second to none. Mike Leach called Cracraft -- not Mayle -- his best receiver.
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