I know, the 2014 draft is just a couple weeks behind us. But for me, this is a great time to develop a baseline on many of the upcoming 2015 prospects who are entering their senior seasons. Not all of these players are destined for the first round, but people who only scout the top picks need to challenge themselves a little harder.

While I do have some notes on some of the more prominent rising juniors, I’ll hold onto those until it’s clear they are going to declare early.

Brandon Scherff, T, Iowa--entering his final year with the Hawkeyes, Scherff is a more NFL-ready prospect with a higher ceiling than 2014 #11 overall pick Taylor Lewan of Michigan. In fact, it’s easy to judge them apples to apples, as they faced many common opponents.

I’ve broken down Scherff’s games against Ohio State, Michigan State and Nebraska. All of those teams feature likely first-round (at some point) pass rushers. Scherff’s initial aggressiveness and quickness with his punch without overextending is mighty effective. Where Lewan often lunged out and got too far out in front of his core base, Scherff remains coiled in a position of power until he unleashes the jab. This was most evident against Randy Gregory of Nebraska, a dynamic rising senior who reminds me a lot of Mario Williams. 

The 6’5”, 315 lb. native Iowan’s footwork is very good, though his inside slide needs some cleaning up. He doesn’t have the elite second-level speed of guys like Lewan or Luke Joeckel, either. Yet I’m pretty confident Scherff can emerge as a potential top 10 overall pick next year as long as he doesn’t get hurt.

Cameron Erving, T, Florida State--He made a great decision to return to school after toying with declaring. The Seminole left tackle can be devastating as a run blocker, filled with brute power thanks to great core strength and good foot frequency. Erving does a good job staying square to his mark, which makes it hard to turn the corner on him.

There is still a lot of technical refinement needed, however. He pops upright and stiffens too quickly and readily out of his stance. Both are serious flaws. His hand placement can be high, and at times appears half-hearted. Here’s an example of his high hands and sloppy balance technique against Florida, a play where Ronald Powell’s pressure resulted in an interception:

At this point he looks like a very capable NFL right tackle, but I’m not sold on him at the more premium left tackle spot. I want to see him improve his hand placement and lunge out over his toes less often. He’s going to have a very high profile in protecting Jameis Winston’s back side.

Denzel Perryman, LB, Miami--Anyone who plays LB and wears #52 at Miami is bound to draw Ray Lewis comparisons. That’s unfortunate for Perryman because the bar of Ray Lewis is far too lofty for his current ability.

For those who delved into the last draft, Perryman has a very relatable comparison: Ryan Shazier. If you liked the Ohio State speedster of a linebacker, you will probably like Perryman too. If you disliked how often Shazier got caught up in traffic or reacted a count late to a play, you’re really not going to like Perryman.

In watching games against Virginia, Virginia Tech and Florida, Perryman is a complete tale of two scenarios. When he doesn’t have to deal with any blockers, he flies to the ball like a safety and closes with the power that can evoke thoughts of Ray Lewis. He’s pretty aware in coverage and can blitz any gap effectively. But when he has to deal with a blocker, even a 176-pound wideout can successfully negate him every single time.

It really takes away from his outstanding closing burst and chase speed, which is how Shazier wound up as a first-round pick too. Perryman can fly from sideline to sideline, as he shows in this play against Virginia Tech:

He’s got to develop an ability to shed blocks. Too often he’s the last player moving after the snap too, a critique I used harshly against Khaseem Greene and Alec Ogletree in the ’12 draft. Green went in the second round, Ogletree in the late first, and that’s probably the range Perryman will wind up too. If he can’t improve in his deficiencies, he’ll be a disappointment, a player who makes one or two splash plays a game at the expense of giving up twice that many. Fortunately for him, he’s got a long season to improve.

Derron Smith, S, Fresno State--The first thing that jumps off the screen is Smith’s speed. He’s got lightning acceleration and a playing speed that appears to be in the 4.3 range. He picked off a pass against Wyoming and it looked like he was shot out of a cannon on the return:

 

Here’s another play that makes me bullish on Smith at the next level. It’s a play that demonstrates an ability to make a legit NFL play that not a lot of safeties can consistently make.

Wyoming QB Brett Smith, who was recently cut as a UDFA after declaring early, fails to hide his intention and Smith reads it right away. He flies to the ball, a quick screen to Buccaneers 6th round pick (and likely starting slot receiver) Robert Herron. A lot of safeties can close with that burst, but they cannot gather themselves to finish the play. Smith stays under relative control despite running like a pit bull is chasing him, and he gets the slippery Herron to the ground.

He needs to demonstrate those quick eyes more consistently. Smith is good at keeping one eye on the quarterback and another on his coverage responsibility, but he can take an extra count to react at times. In the process he often takes a false step to try and propel himself even quicker, to a negative effect. Jets fans know this all too well from LaRon Landry.

Consider me highly intrigued after watching his games against USC, Wyoming, and Rutgers.

Danny Shelton, DT, Washington--This is a player I’ve been watching intently since his 2012 performance against Oregon, where he consistently won his individual battles. He’s a massive interior presence at 6’2” and a listed 332, but he has the initial quickness of guys with 30 less pounds.

Shelton has played all the line techniques from a straight 0 to a shaded 3. His best spot at the next level appears to be as a slanted nose in a 3-4 front. His jolting initial punch and surge is capable of collapsing a pocket, even against double teams. He reminds me some of former Detroit Lion Shaun Rogers. Shelton isn’t as quick to shed and isn’t as fast in open field situations, but he brings a more consistent fire than Rogers, a player I liked very much, often did.

Here’s a play against UCLA where he shows his power and his ball awareness. He’s No. 71 and is able to range to the opposite side of the formation to make a play:

There are plays like this all over his games against UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Stanford. Several times, he’s the only Huskies defender moving forward even though he’s usually facing a chip or tandem block, if not an outright double team. The biggest issue he must work on his that he will play with blinders on at times, focusing more on the blocker right in front of him than getting to the ball.

 Heading into his senior season he’s just as good as Star Lotulelei, now starring for the Panthers after being the 14th overall pick in 2013, was at the same point. Don’t be surprised if Shelton winds up being drafted that high in 2015.

Cody Prewitt, S, Ole Miss--In the era of the hulking safety, Prewitt fits right in. He’s a legit 6’2” (unlike the 5’11” Calvin Pryor) and well-built at about 215 pounds. He really packs power behind his pads, too. There is some stiffness in his hips and ankles that is not uncommon for bulkier safeties, but what encourages me is that it didn’t prevent him from making a lot of plays on the ball. He picked off six passes and broke up several others.

Prewitt was absolutely outstanding against Missouri, making plays all over the field and often having to cover for lackluster play in front of him. He consistently demonstrates that he has positional discipline, and that helps him play fast and compensate for his lack of great agility.

It will be interesting to see how he fares in 2014 in a SEC conference that lost five QBs to the NFL. His hands and playmaking instincts are legit, which means inexperienced QB play could create a monster statistical year for the big Rebel. That could vault him a lot higher than the 3rd-4th rounds, where I’ve seen him projected recently. I like him more than that on first blush.