NFL Draft Superlatives: Crowning the members of the class of 2015By Chris Trapasso | CBSSports.comApril 3, 2015 Superlatives -- the best part of our high school yearbooks. Yes, you deserved "Worst Driver."Now it's time to hand out awards for the 2015 NFL Draft class.
Looks like Tarzan plays like Jane Aaron Curry Award: Mississippi State LB Benardrick McKinneyBenardrick McKinney is 6-foot-4 and nearly 250 pounds of sculpted linebacker muscle. He did 16 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press at the combine and exploded off the ground en route to a 40.5-inch vertical.His measureables scream STUD NFL LINEBACKER. But as was the case with former Wake Forest freak of nature linebacker Aaron Curry, McKinney's film just doesn't parallel his imposing stature.While a productive and key member of Mississippi State's defense, McKinney's reaction and closing speed are noticeably slow, and relative to his size, he's not physical when he needs to scrape offensive linemen off him or when he works through traffic to get to the ball-carrier.McKinney will represent far better value than Curry did, and that's important. Curry went No. 4 overall to the Seattle Seahawks in 2009 and was a universally applauded selection. McKinney will likely be a second- or-third-round pick.
Tape is boring because he just blocks everyone Evan Mathis Award: La'El CollinsThere's no doubting La'El Collins' collegiate pedigree after a long and distinguished career at NFL stud manufacturing plant LSU.He finished as the Tigers left tackle, but is he a left tackle in the pros? No, wait, a right tackle. Actually, maybe he's a guard?Honestly, nit-pickers, it doesn't matter where Collins plays. He's a country strong offensive lineman who was also put through LSU's strength and conditioning program for four years. Collins plays with correct knee-bend (see: leverage), quick footwork and is rarely put out of position by the hands of defensive linemen.Despite his immense power, like Mathis, Collins isn't the classic definition of a "road-grader." He just blocks everything in front of him in what seems to be an effortless manner. Mathis has been doing the same in Philadelphia for years now.Collins' film isn't loaded with "highlight reel pancakes," but you may fall asleep watching him. His tape is that "boring."
Safest pick who will ironically bust Mark Barron Award: Alabama safety Landon CollinsNick Saban is a fantastic football coach. He may be an even better recruiter, as his Crimson Tide teams are not only perennial national title contenders loaded with blue chippers, but flocks of his guys go high in the NFL Draft every year.His Alabama program defines the football phrase "reloading, not rebuilding."For some recent examples, look no further than at the safety position. In 2012, Mark Barron went No. 7 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last year, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was snagged by the Green Bay Packers with the No. 21 overall selection.This year, the prized 'Bama safety prospect is Landon Collins.Unfortunately, Collins is much more like Barron -- who was traded in 2014 after two massively underperforming seasons with the Bucs -- than Clinton-Dix, who turned in a fine rookie campaign.Both Barron and Collins are macho, in-the-box, in-your-face hard-hitters who excel against the run but are not nearly as comfortable backpedaling in coverage.Barron wasn't playing free safety in Tampa Bay, but even keeping him closer to the line as a quasi-linebacker didn't help him or mask his coverage weakness.Collins will run into the same issues in the pass-happy NFL.Playing for Saban, college football's defensive virtuoso, has made Collins a trendy "safe" pick for clubs in need of a safety in Round 1.But he'll fizzle in the pros like Barron.
Offensive lineman most likely to be an All-Pro as a rookie Zach Martin Award: Florida State center Cameron ErvingIf Cameron Erving turned pro after he won the final BCS championship with Florida State in 2013, he would have been picked no later than Round 2 as an offensive tackle prospect.Instead, he stayed with the Seminoles and made a relatively unheard of flip from protecting Jameis Winston's blind side to snapping him in the football ... and Erving thrived as a center.At 6'5" and 315 pounds with vines for arms, the backbone of FSU's line has NFL left tackle size and length but guard mobility and through-the-whistle nastiness as a drive blocker.A year ago, Zach Martin was seen as a reliable left tackle for Notre Dame. Despite not possessing classic NFL offensive tackle measureables, the Dallas Cowboys picked him -- presumably over Johnny Manziel -- in the first round, and he was named the team's starting right guard.After that, Martin took off. He played like a polished veteran all season and routinely punished defensive linemen and linebackers with surprising power, balance and agility … sounds a lot like the plug-play-(and maybe) rookie All-Pro Erving.
