As round one ended, it was clear that the Pac-12 North had a lot of depth. Although a lot of Pac-12 South and SEC players were drafted, five players from the North were drafted in the first round, which was a nice showing for the Pacific Northwest (all of those players were from Washington (3) and Oregon (2)).
Oregon’s Marcus Mariota was the highest Duck ever drafted with the second pick overall. Lots of questions remain if he can translate well to a NFL style of offense coming from the spread from college. It will be interesting to see how the Tennessee Titans use him and if he will start right away. The Titans open their season on the road at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; it will be a great matchup if the number one pick Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota square off.
Washington’s Danny Shelton was drafted 12th by the Cleveland Browns. The 6-2, 339 defensive tackle will give the Browns another run stopper to help the defensive line. Arik Armstead was the next Duck taken at 17th by the San Francisco 49ers. The 6-7 defensive end, who is more of a hybrid end, will give the 49ers a good edge rusher. He could become an elite edge rusher in the near future.
Marcus Peters, the troubled cornerback from Washington, was selected 18th by the Kanas City Chiefs. Peters is a very talented corner that should make the Chiefs’ defense better, if only he can keep out of trouble off the field. Shaq Thompson was the third Husky taken in the first round by the Carolina Panthers. He is a unique fit for the Panthers as he played both SS and LB in college. Playing alongside Luke Kuechly should help Thompson’s growth in the NFL, also the fact that he won’t have to be taken out on passing or running plays as he can play coverage as strong safety or linebacker. This will help him succeed and have a long NFL career.
Other notable Pac-12 North players drafted were Washington’s Hau’Oli Kikaha by the New Orleans at the 44th pick; he gives the Saints an outside linebacker that can blitz. Oregon State’s Sean Mannion, who broke the Pac-12 record for passing yards with 13,600 yards, was drafted by the Rams with the 89th pick. Mannion gives the Rams a great back up plan if newly required Nick Foles can’t come through. Mannion has the prototypical size for a NFL quarterback. He also played a pro-style offense under Mike Riley at Oregon State. He could prove a lot of critics wrong this season or in the next few years.
The later rounds saw multiple Ducks drafted, including Oregon lineman Jake Fisher taken 53rd by the Cincinnati Bengals. You can expect him to make an immediate impact, along with fellow lineman Hroniss Grasu at pick 71 by the Chicago Bears. He gives them an athletic center who will be used will on sweeps and zone style blocking. Being taken as the 241th pick in the last round must have been a heartbreaker for former Ducks’ corner Ifo Ekpre-Olomu by the Cleveland Browns. Teams could have been worried by the season ending ACL injury that cut his final college season short or lack of size. The Browns got a steal here as Ekpre-Olomu brings great ball coverage skills and speed. The Cleveland secondary got a whole lot better with this pick.
At the end of the NFL Draft, it was the usual number of USC players picked. It was nice to see the Pac-12 North have a strong showing and prove not all talent for the next level is down south. Look to see the trend grow as pro teams discover that the Pac-12 North is well stocked with pro talent.
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