With the bowl season underway the countdown to next year’s NFL Draft is officially underway as scouts across the country continue to evaluate the next class of first round talents. The top defensive players in the country might not get the same amount of attention at the college level as the offensive talent but that will certainly change now that they become eligible for the NFL Draft. Here is a look at the top five defensive prospects in this year’s bowl games.
Darian Thompson, Boise State Broncos
Free Safety
Thompson has all of the physical tools to be the prototypical NFL safety and he is a proven playmaker at the college level that is widely expected to be one of the top safeties off the board in next year’s NFL Draft. In addition to all of the physical tools, Thompson has the awareness, coverage skills and aggression to thrive at the next level and his open-field tackling is very impressive. Thompson was limited to two tackles in this year’s San Diego County Credit Poinsettia Bowl win over Northern Illinois but a big reason for it was that they were afraid to throw the football in his direction. Thompson is a lock to be a first round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and at this point it’s only a matter of figuring out how high he will go.
Tyler Matakevich, Temple Owls
Linebacker
The senior linebacker is just the seventh player in FBS history to record at least 100 tackles in four straight seasons and he added another 12 to his season total this year in a 32-17 loss to Toledo in this year’s Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. Matakevich isn’t the most complete linebacker by any means and he will need to work on both his speed and coverage skills in order to become a starter at the next level but he is an absolute tackling machine and is considered a top-five linebacker prospect looking forward to the 2016 NFL Draft.
Kevin Byard, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Strong Safety
Middle Tennessee’s starting strong safety is considered among the top players at his position for next year’s NFL Draft class and he put on another show in this year’s Bahamas Bowl in a 45-31 loss to Western Michigan. The Blue Raiders didn’t get the win but Byard was excellent as he finished with five tackles and one pass defense. Byard has the size, strength, speed, intelligence and range to be an excellent cover safety at the next level.
Scooby Wright III, Arizona Wildcats
Linebacker
Wright missed plenty of times this season because of injury this season but just in case anybody forgot how dominant he is he returned with an absolutely monster performance in Arizona’s 45-37 win over New Mexico in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. Wright showcased his sideline-to-sideline speed, intelligence and physicality while registering 15 tackles and two sacks in the victory and scouts will be raving about his potential at the next level as one of the top linebacker prospects in the country. Expect him to be one of the first few names mentioned in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Defensive Tackle
The senior defensive tackle capped off his college career in style as he anchored the Bulldogs’ defensive line in a 47-28 win over Arkansas State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Butler finished the game with a pair of tackles and a pass defensed but his biggest impact was off the scoresheet as a massive body that helps take up blockers and clog lanes in the running game. Butler’s 6’3’’, 316-pound frame will be coveted by NFL teams looking for a massive defensive tackle to anchor their line and it will be interesting to see where he goes in the 2016 NFL Draft. With a lot of teams shifting to the 3-4 type of defense over the last few years, players like Butler have become more and more valuable.
