Skip to main content
Advertising

News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Gil Brandt's 10 Best Players Remaining

NFL.com's Gil Brandt gives his 10 best players remaining as the 2015 NFL Draft heads into the second round, including Nebraska's Randy Gregory, Alabama's Landon Collins and Virginia's Eli Harold.

Day 1 of the 2015 NFL Draft is over and now the heavy lifting begins, as starting tonight rounds two and three will take place before Saturday's action with the last four rounds taking place.

While the top 32 picks were made last night, there are still several players on the board that have high grades attached to them.

The Redskins hold the sixth pick in the second-round, No. 38 overall.

Below is NFL.com's Gil Brandt top 10 players available for tonight:

Jalen Strong, WR, Arizona State

A speedster out of Arizona State, Strong recorded at least 1,000 yards in both of his seasons with the Pac 12 school.

During his junior season, Strong hauled in 82 receptions for 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Brandt's Take: There's been some concern about Strong's injured wrist, which might be why he slipped out of the first round, with two other receivers -- Nelson Agholor, who I liked a lot and had ranked as a first-rounder, and speedster Phillip Dorsett -- also rising up to Day 1. The bottom line, though, is that Strong is a big-play guy; he'd be a good fit for the Tennessee Titans, who could stand to add a playmaker on offense.

Donovan Smith, OL, Penn State

Smith was a mainstay in Penn State's lineup over the last few seasons, as the 6-foot-6, 338 pounder logged 31 starts, all at left tackle.

**

Brandt's Take: "**The big question regarding Smith is whether he plays hard all the time. Still, Smith should be in demand after Thursday's run on offensive linemen (seven were drafted). He's a big-bodied guy with athletic ability and long arms, and I expect he'll go quickly. Tampa Bay would make sense, as the Bucs need an offensive tackle."

Randy Gregory, LB, Nebraska

The 6-foot-5, 235 pounder was a force at Nebraska, logging 120 tackles – 25.5 for loss – and 17.5 sacks.

Was selected as an AP third-team All-American during the 2014 season.

Brandt's Take: "Gregory likely slipped because of off-the-field questions he was facing coming into the draft, but without a doubt, he's the best pass-rusher left. In addition to the aforementioned issues, some were concerned Gregory might not be able to gain enough weight to play the position, but I think if he gets on a good diet, he could put on 10 to 15 pounds and be a pretty good player."

Landon Collins, S, Alabama

Graded by many to be the best safety product in this year's draft, Collins excelled against SEC competition, recording 190 tackles with five interceptions and three fumbles forced.

Brandt's Take: "Collins ran a lot faster than anyone thought he would, but he also had trouble against some of the bigger receivers he faced, and that's probably why Damarious Randall leapfrogged him into the first round. Collins is just too good a football player -- as anyone who starts for two years at Alabama would have to be -- to let linger for long."

Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State

Check out these photos of Devin Smith, a fast and athletic wide receiver from the Ohio State University.

Smith has his best season to date during Ohio State's National Championship campaign last season, hauling in 33 receptions for 931 yards (28.2 yards per reception) and 12 touchdowns.

Brandt's Take:I think we saw in the first round -- when six receivers flew off the board -- that everyone is looking for fast pass-catchers, and Smith should fit the bill for someone on Day 2. He's tall (over 6-foot) and fast (under 4.4 40), and he made a lot of big plays at Ohio State, where he averaged 28 yards per catch in 2014. All you have to do is look at film of Smith in the Buckeyes' 59-0 walloping of Wisconsin -- in which he racked up 137 yards and three touchdowns on four catches -- to see what makes him special.

Eli Harold, LB, Virginia

Close to the heart of Redskins Nation, Harold excelled at the University of Virginia, as he recorded 141 tackles with 17.5 sacks and four fumbles forced.

Brandt's Take:"In my opinion, he's the best slash player -- able to play with his hand on the ground, rush the passer or drop into space -- available, and that's the type of defensive player everybody is chasing. He was very productive at Virginia, piling up 54 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and a pick in 2014."

Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State

Named an AP and Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American in 2014 after leading Florida State's defense to an undefeated regular-season record. The Washington, D.C., native recorded 35 tackles and four sacks.

Brandt's Take: "An inside tackle with some pass-rush ability, Goldman has good quickness and athleticism for his position. He's got size and speed, and you've got to love that."

Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma

Phillip appeared in 28 games with 17 starts during a three-year career with Oklahoma's football team, recording 58 tackles with 3.5 sacks.

Brandt's Take: "The knock against Phillips is that he doesn't compete hard all the time. But then, he played one of the best games of his career -- in which he notched seven total tackles -- in a blowout loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl last year. We're talking about a guy who is taller than 6-5, weighs nearly 330 pounds and ran a 5.1 40 -- guys like that are hard to find."

Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana

Coleman's draft stock skyrocketed during the 2014 season, as he recorded 2,036 yards and 15 touchdowns on 270 carries.

Brandt's Take:"Coleman, of course, was prevented from working out at the NFL Scouting Combine by a broken foot, but he did post a 4.39 40 at his pro day. He also had an unbelievable 2014 season at Indiana, despite playing for a team that had really no offensive line and not much of a quarterback to speak of. Coleman finished last season with 7.5 yards per carry, and scored a total of 14 touchdowns of 43 yards or longer in his career there."

Benardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State

McKinney played well against SEC competition over the last three seasons, as he logged 243 tackles with 7.5 sacks.

Brandt's Take:"There's not exactly an abundance of players out there with McKinney's dimensions and speed. We kind of shy away from linebackers because they don't always impact the game as much as players at buzzier positions -- unless, of course, they can play all three downs, as McKinney can."

RELATED LINKS:-- Redskins Select With No. 5 Pick
-- 5 Takeaways: Gruden’s First-Round Presser

.

.

.

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content

Advertising