🏈 Winners and losers from NFL draft early entries

[18Champs]

The personnel picture for the 2018 college football season is finally coming into focus.

Although recruiting continues and transfers still will be added, the most impactful date for roster revisions has come and gone. Monday marked the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft. The overall number of declarations continues to stick out, but some teams were damaged more than others.

In selecting draft deadline winners and losers, I tried to identify teams that retained players who had the opportunity to go pro, or teams that lost multiple players but also key guys who could have returned. Some teams, like Auburn, USC and Miami, don't belong in either category after losing important players but bringing back others. Notre Dame began deadline day in the loser's bracket but moved out after key defenders Te'von Coney and Jerry Tillery announced they would be back this fall. Stanford would have been a loser until Bryce Love made the decision to return for his senior campaign.

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Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU among his losers.

Alabama: Much was made of the freshmen Alabama had on the field when it won the national title against Georgia. Optimism is warranted there, but the Tide still loses most of its best players from a team that had some weaknesses. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley, headed to the draft, had 49 more receptions than any other Alabama player. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was the nation's best all-around defender, and Da'Ron Payne will be missed along the defensive line. The running game should be strong with Damien Harris returning. Alabama always prepares for an exodus of underclassmen to the NFL, but it has some big holes to fill.

Winners and losers from NFL draft early entries

 

[Destiny's Child]

I agree we lost some of our best players, our entire secondary, our only true Nose on the 3-4 and our most productive player at wide receiver but I think there will be some positives too for next year.

I think we will have more experienced quarterback and will have some skilled depth at the position. I think we will be ridiculous at running back as Damien is a stud, Najee is a stud, Jacobs and Robinson will fill in and get some touches. Our O-line and depth has the potential to be as good or better than the 2011/2012 line with better skill people all around them. I think we will be a drastically improved offense.

Defense will be young talented and I fear this will be our issue. We will be replacing a player that was unsung but extremely valuable in Payne. At line backer we will be better on the outside with more experience and talent but inside will be interesting to see how it develops. I would expect Mosely and number 30 to win the job but there are some other young guns that we may be able to put in there too. The corners will be brand new, I think Thompson did enough to show he can be the leader in the secondary as he did a great job in the last couple games.

The other big unknown is how big the drop off will be at punter. Sounds trivial but there have been several games where he was the difference.

 

[TUSKtimes]

The returning Clemson kids show what a big deal winning another NC can have on the human psyche. Kinda why I don't expect star players to be sitting out the playoffs anytime soon.

Our Juniors have just won their 2nd NC in their 3 years at the Capstone. They've also been in the last 3 NC finals. That is a lot of football success to sustain these guys.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

And have a new place kicker to belly ache about ( i sure hope not...the belly ache part)

 

[TerryP]

I've actually been waiting for this type of article to be published. You had to know it was coming considering we see it every year.

Step back a few months with me and tell me how often you heard "they lost seven to the NFL draft off of that '16 team--no way they can match the production." That was true in a sense. We did see a drop off in sacks.

I'm going to set aside all of the injuries we saw this past season. I'm not dismissing them. They have to be taken into account with the '17 team. There are a few things that I think need to be considered.

2016 the team averaged allowing @268 yards per game which ranked 2nd in the nation.
2017 the team averaged allowing @260 yards per game which ranked 1st in the nation.

There was a drop off in rushing yards allowed this past season. In '16 they were allowing @64 per game, in '17 they allowed @95 per game. Both were ranked 1st in the nation.

'17 had improved numbers on passing defense, passing efficiency on defense, as well as scoring defense.

So, in four of the five categories listed here the '17 team improved...while replacing seven NFL draftees, while dealing with the losses of Miller and Lewis in the opener, the injury to Evans, the injury(s) to Mack all season, SDH lost after the LSU game ... Jennings, Hand ...

It's a little ironic we see these guys always mention the depth and talent when players were hurt this season but that's not the storyline when it comes to looking ahead.

 

[EasyTider]

Kudos to Dabo & those kids at Clemson but IMO they're crazier than a road lizard to return (assuming they had 1st rd grades). Maybe it comes out that they have injuries that effect readiness for combine ala J. Allen? Figure if they needed off season surgery it would have been public by now/done. I'll 1 NC ring and millions for the win.