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Most Power Five programs have lost at least one underclassmen to the 2017 NFL Draft. But a group of schools have been especially hard hit by the early losses of juniors and sophomores.
January 17, 2017Most Power Five programs have lost at least one underclassmen to the 2017 NFL Draft. But a group of schools have been especially hard hit by the early losses of juniors and sophomores.
The number of underclassmen declaring for the NFL Draft continues to hover around 100 players each year. There’s no abatement in sight. And very few schools are immune to the unplanned attrition, one of the downsides to attracting and developing topflight talent. However, a collection of unfortunate programs has been hit especially hard, losing multiple all-stars to the riches of pro football and, in some cases, questionable advice.
The following schools have good reason to feel sullen now that the deadline to enter the 2017 NFL Draft has officially passed.
The Utes only lost a pair of juniors to the NFL Draft, a modest number compared with other schools. But both players are good ones who’ll be missed by Kyle Whittingham and the staff. LT Garett Bolles really turned heads in his first year removed from Snow (UT) College, rising to First Team All-Pac-12 to dramatically improve his draft grade. FS Marcus Williams was also a cornerstone, all-league performer in Salt Lake City, showcasing his versatility last fall with 64 tackles and a team-high five interceptions despite missing two games.
The Sooners are a vastly different team when they can nuance the passing game with a brutish ground attack between the tackles. Achieving that balance, though, is going to be a lot more challenging in 2017 now that All-Big 12 backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon are headed to the NFL. In one fell swoop, Oklahoma has lost its all-time leading rusher, Perine, and the versatile Mixon who led the team in rushing and caught five touchdown passes in 2016. Bob Stoops will spend the offseason looking for answers and hoping Rodney Anderson to remain healthy and compete with young Abdul Adams.
While the offense ought to be fine with QB Sam Darnold and RB Ronald Jones returning to the backfield, the Trojans are not without their question marks this offseason. JuJu Smith-Schuster was a true No. 1 receiver for Troy, creating mismatches with his size, speed and fundamentals. Darnold will need to develop new targets this offseason. Plus, protecting him will be a line with three new starters. Tackles Zach Banner and Chad Wheeler were seniors in 2016, and massive G Damien Mama elected to get a jump start on being a salaried athlete. Toss in Monday’s news of Adoree’ Jackson leaving for the NFL, and USC has plenty of holes to fill.
Justin Fuente’s plans to ramp up the Hokies in Year 2 suffered a sudden detour when three of the program’s best playmakers, QB Jerod Evans, WR Isaiah Ford and TE Bucky Hodges, left a year of eligibility on the table. The loss of Evans really stings, because he was poised to take off after debuting in Blacksburg following a successful JUCO career.
Fuente is a masterful developer of offenses and offensive talent. But Virginia Tech is poised for a scoring setback in 2017, with the unit likely to lean heavily on first-year QB Josh Jackson and veteran receiver Cam Phillips.
The Badgers’ early entry losses have been evenly distributed—one First Team All-Big Ten star from the offense and one from the D. Left tackle Ryan Ramczyk was one of the nation’s premier blockers last season, which will be validated by the NFL when the draft rolls around. The defense will be without frenetic pass-rushing OLB T.J. Watt, who led the conference with 11.5 sacks a season ago. The loss of Watt coupled with the graduation of Vince Biegel means Wisconsin needs to replace both of its playmaking outside linebackers this offseason.
Derek Barnett is irreplaceable for the Vol defense. He had 19 tackles for loss and 13 sacks last fall, playing as well as any defensive player in the country, despite not receiving a commensurate level of accolades or publicity.
It might fly beneath the radar, but Butch Jones’ offense got popped as well. As if replacing senior QB Joshua Dobbs won’t be difficult enough in Knoxville, Tennessee is also losing top receiver Josh Malone, a rising star, and RB Alvin Kamara, who passed on a chance to carry the load next season.
Fingers were crossed that Mitch Trubisky might remain in Chapel Hill to engineer Larry Fedora’s offense for one final year. Instead, he’s preparing to impress NFL scouts and GMs in the hopes of becoming the first quarterback chosen in April. Trubisky was clearly the most important of three Third-Team All-ACC Tar Heels who have voluntarily left the program. Run-stuffing DT Nazair Jones and leading rusher Elijah Hood are leaving holes as well. In fact, Carolina will be without last season’s top four rushers, so the offensive backfield will have a very different look.
No disrespect to RB Joseph Yearby and TE David Njoku, an exciting prospect in the passing game, but this ranking is mostly related to QB Brad Kaaya. The loss of Kaaya behind center could hamstring Mark Richt’s ability to get the Canes to the next level in his second season in charge. The difference between having Kaaya back as a senior and kicking off the era of Malik Rosier, Evan Shirreffs or one of the freshmen is immeasurable. Miami will keep improving under Richt, but a lack of experience at quarterback could put a hard cap on the program’s potential in 2017.