Oregon Football is very well known for it’s quickness, and their ability to turn average recruits into stars. Oregon’s recruiting class has not reached the top ten in years, yet they still send a good amount of quality players to the NFL. By looking at most mock drafts, it seems very possible that for two years in a row we could see an Oregon player go in the top 5. Oregon has sent 5 players to the combine this year, including another quarterback.
First is the coveted prospect, defensive end Deforest Buckner. Buckner wowed scouts at the combine this year by showing he has the biggest hands ever recorded at the combine since 2003, at almost 12 inches. That’s about the size of a piece of printer paper. Also, he is huge. Buckner showed he is almost exactly the same size and weight of Baylor’s Shawn Oakman, who was the center of some memes last year on twitter due to his scary size. He is about 290 lbs and stands at 6 feet 8 inches. Buckner is projected to go in the top five.
An intriguing quarterback prospect is Vernon Adams Jr. Adams is an interesting prospect, since he only played one year of division one football, using his last year of eligibility to transfer from Eastern Washington where he was a star. Adams comes in with a chip on his shoulder because of the concerns a scout may have for him being an NFL quarterback. The biggest and most obvious issue would be size. Adams has small hands and stands just under 5 feet 11 inches tall. It still is possible though, since of course we have Russell Wilson and Drew Brees thriving in the NFL. Despite his height, Adams finished the season with the best passer rating at 179.1. He has shown interest in Chip Kelly’s system in San Francisco and could be a late round pick.
Next is Bralon Addison. Addison is a wide receiver who has dynamic speed, and could possibly play running back in the NFL. He is somewhat like former Duck De’anthony Thomas, who switches between running back and wide receiver with Kansas City. Addison did not play all season when Oregon went to the 2015 title game against Ohio State, and was dearly missed. He and Darren Carrington are by far their best receivers, and without both of them the Ducks had problems catching the ball. Addison is projected to go mid-late rounds as well.
Now for Byron Marshall and Tyler Johnstone. Marshall started off as a running back for the Ducks, and switched to wide receiver mid-way through the 2014-2015 season. Marshall had a huge touchdown in the national championship game against the Buckeyes, and can make plays with the ball in his hands. Marshall is small, at about 5 foot 9 inches. Also, scouts are concerned since he does not stand out at either position, but will be labeled as a wide receiver for now. Marshall is projected to go undrafted. Tyler Johnstone was a core tackle for the Ducks. Tyler kept Marcus Mariota protected and was a huge helping hand in the 2014-2015 Heisman campaign for Mariota. Johnstone is big and strong. He stands at 6 feet 6 inches tall, and weighs 295 pounds. He is projected to go in between rounds five and seven.