NFL teams spend millions of dollars every year on scouting operations in order to make sure they are in position to select the absolute best talents available on an annual basis at the NFL Draft. Meanwhile, college football teams are tasked with constantly replacing the talent they lose on an annual basis and some teams are clearly in better position to do that than others. The first round picks get the majority of the attention but the reality is that NFL rosters are made up largely of players that were selected from rounds three through seven along with undrafted free agents. Here is a look at the top replacements for players selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
QB: Max Browne
USC Trojans
The Trojans will move on from Cody Kessler with Browne ready to lead their offense after two years as the backup. Browne went 8-of-12 passing for 113 yards in limited snaps for USC last season, but he has good enough arm strength, accuracy and intelligence to think that he can hold down the starting job next season. Freshman quarterback Sam Darnold will push hard for the No. 1 job but Browne is talented enough to get the nod for the Trojans out of the gate with experience another important factor that he has on his side.
At any rate, there is a lot of pressure on Browne to deliver the goods right from the get-go. Remember that USC starts the season playing against Alabama on a neutral site and Browne is likely to be the starter. He’s going to have to be on-point if the Trojans are to get that win. We’ll know very early on whether USC is actually back in the playoff picture or whether this will simply be another in the string of disappointing seasons.
DE: Demetrious Cooper
Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State’s tough defense was a big reason why they won the Big Ten and reached the College Football Playoff. They lost some key pieces including defensive end Shilique Calhoun who was selected in the third round by the Oakland Raiders, but they have capable replacements locked in beginning with Cooper sliding in to the hole left by Calhoun. Cooper had 22 tackles, five sacks and 6.5 tackles for a loss last season and those numbers could rise in a full-time starter role. The 6’5’’, 252-pound edge rusher will be a major impact player and a big reason why the Spartans’ defense continues to perform at a high level.
DT: Caleb Brantley
Florida Gators
The Gators have become a defensive line factory for the NFL with defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard joining that list after the Chicago Bears selected him in the third round. Florida is projecting that Brantley is next in line to make the jump to the NFL after making a strong impression last season. The redshirt junior had 29 tackles with three sacks while starting 10 games and he is slated to have a much bigger role this year now that Bullard is gone. The Gators still have a formidable defense with Brantley among the key cogs that will make the biggest impact up front.
DE: Torrence Brown
Penn State Nittany Lions
It’s been a rough couple of days at Happy Valley with more news of the Joe Paterno-Jerry Sandusky scandal surfacing. Fans just want to focus on football – as hard as it is – and the good news is they’ve had some good stories come out of spring ball.
Carl Nassib had a breakout season at Penn State last year when he led the FBS with 15.5 sacks. It was a strong enough season to convince the Cleveland Browns to take him with the 65th overall pick and that production will not be easily replaced by the Nittany Lions. Fortunately for Penn State, they do have Nassib’s understudy ready to step in with Brown. The 6’3’’, 257-pound end is an absolute beast coming off the edge and he played every game as a redshirt freshman last season. Brown registered 11 tackles and 5.5 tackles for a year ago. His numbers should be even better with a bigger role and another year to develop.
