NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt took a series of questions about the 2015 NFL Draft via Twitter on Friday. A look at five highlights from the exchange:
- Although Brandt views FSU's Jameis Winston as the right short-term answer for an NFL club in immediate need of a quarterback, he sees Oregon's Marcus Mariota as the smarter long-term choice. Coming from a pro-style offense, Winston's learning curve in the NFL figures to be a shorter one than Mariota, who will be making a transition from a hurry-up, no-huddle attack. It's a debate that clubs will have internally from the very top of the draft, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have both the need and the first pick.
- Three underrated draft prospects who should be getting some attention as potential first-round picks, according to Brandt: Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony, Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson, and LSU cornerback Jalen Collins.
- There is some debate over who will be the third quarterback chosen, behind Winston and Mariota. Draft analysts don't expect a third quarterback chosen in the first round. And while Brandt sees Colorado State's Garrett Graysonas the draft's No. 3 passer, he is projecting former Big 12 star Bryce Petty for Round 2 and says his draft arrow is pointing up.
- Brandt sees Indiana running back Tevin Coleman going off the board somewhere in Round 2 and is high on the Hoosiers' 2,000-yard rusher. The game film that makes the difference for Coleman? A 228-yard, three-touchdown explosion against eventual national champion Ohio State behind, as Brandt notes, a poor Indiana offensive line.
- West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White had a spectacular NFL combine and in some circles, has moved ahead of Alabama's Amari Cooper as the draft's top receiver prospect. For Brandt, however, Cooper still ranks at the top, in part because White's college career was a little slower to bloom.
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