Top 5 NFL Draft Prospects in Citrus Bowl

By Brad Berreman

2015 Citrus Bowl: Top 5 NFL Draft Prospects

Citrus Bowl, Missouri Tigers, Minnesota Golden Gophers — On Thursday, New Year's Day, the Missouri Tigers and Minnesota Golden Gophers will take the field in Orlando for the Citrus Bowl.

Here are my top five NFL Draft prospects to watch in the game.

Mitch Morse, OT, Missouri

Mitch Morse Missouri Tigers

5. Mitch Morse, OT, Missouri

Mitch Morse Missouri Tigers — Morse is a late-round prospect at best, but his versatility could lead to him being drafted and allow him to stick at the next level. He played center and both tackle spots for the Tigers, though he may be best-suited to playing guard in the NFL.

4. Markus Golden, DE, Missouri

Markus Golden Missouri Tigers

4. Markus Golden, DE, Missouri

Markus Golden Missouri Tigers — Golden has 8.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss this season, as part of a prolific defensive end duo with Shane Ray. Golden is not as physically gifted as Ray, but he will be drafted fairly early next spring and could be an immediate contributor.

3. David Cobb, RB, Minnesota

David Cobb Minnesota Golden Gophers

3. David Cobb, RB, Minnesota

David Cobb Minnesota Golden Gophers — Cobb has set a single-season school record with 1,545 rushing yards this season, along with 13 touchdowns, after topping 1,200 yards on the ground as a junior in 2013. He is likely to go off the board somewhere around the third round, but a big game against Missouri could set the stage for Cobb to rise quickly up draft boards.

2. Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota

Maxx Williams Minnesota Golden Gophers

2. Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota

Maxx Williams Minnesota Golden Gophers — Williams is a redshirt sophomore, but reports suggest he will declare for the draft and his place on this list works under that assumption. He was a finalist for the Mackey Award this year, and with a better quarterback throwing him the ball Williams could become a star at the next level.

1. Shane Ray, DE, Missouri

Shane Ray Missouri Tigers

1. Shane Ray, DE, Missouri

Shane Ray Missouri Tigers — Ray led the SEC in sacks (14) and tackles for loss (21) this season, though he did miss most of the conference championship game after a hit on Alabama quarterback Blake Sims was ruled to be targeting. He is expected to declare for the draft a year early, likely soon after Thursday's game, and based on his upside Ray is likely to be a top-10 pick.

Teams in this article »

Minnesota Golden Gophers

•

Missouri Tigers

Share On Facebook

Share