Where Oh Where Are Our Wildcats in the 2015 NFL Draft? Well the answer will surprise you, according to most mock drafts, the answer is almost nowhere.
Seems like our Wildcats will be mostly prowling the free agency market. It is inconceivable to me how a players from a team who went to the Fiesta Bowl, who beat the NCAA National Championship runner-up Oregon Ducks during in the regular season and won the Pac-12 South, would be almost completely snubbed from the 2015 NFL Draft guru’s.
Here is a list of Arizona Wildcat players who are looking to further their careers in the Pro’s:
CURRENT NFL PROSPECTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA Via Scout.com
| NAME | POS. | PROSPECT YEAR | STATUS |
| Chase Gorham | LS | 2015 | Senior |
| Austin Hill | WR | 2015 | Senior |
| Jared Tevis | S | 2015 | Senior |
| Terris Jones-Grigsby | RB | 2015 | Senior |
| Jonathan McKnight | CB | 2015 | Senior |
| Jesse Scroggins | QB | 2015 | Senior |
| Mickey Baucus | OL | 2014 | NA |
| Tra’Mayne Bondurant | S | 2013 | NA |
UA safety Jared Tevis felt pretty positive about how he performed according the Daily Wildcat, ““I think it went well, it was a good day for us; I felt like I showed what I was capable of. I probably could have gotten a little better start to my 40, but everything else felt good. I think I executed well, and I think my training paid off.”The University of Arizona held an NFL Pro Day for their seniors in early March of this year with representatives from 12 NFL teams. Pro Day is when NFL Scouts are invited to come watch and be impressed by Arizona Wildcat football players.
Nov 28, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats safety Jared Tevis (38) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the 88th annual territorial cup at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils 42-35 to win the Pac-12 south title. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
NFL.com’s Mike Huguenin sums up Jared Tevis and what he has accomplished pretty nicely in his article “14 for ’14: Toughest players in college football” (written in 2014):
“Tevis began his career as a hometown walk-on and has developed into one of the most productive — and biggest-hitting — safeties in the Pac-12. He was bothered by a badly sprained ankle in 2012, his first season as a starter, but still managed to play in 11 games and finish third on the team with 82 tackles; he also forced four fumbles. Last season, he missed two games with a knee injury but again managed to finish third on the team in tackles, with 82, and he forced three fumbles. Tevis should contend for all-league honors this fall.”
As far as Austin Hill, did NFL Draft experts see the “Hill Mary” play against Cal last year? Austin Hill was “that” guy! Here is the play just to jog your memory announced by
and sheer joy by
:
Austin Hill made 49 catches for 635 yards and four touchdowns. he was the second leading receiver in 2014. Hill was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist and Arizona’s leading receiver in 2012. Hill has worked out at Michael Johnson Performance in McKinney, Texas, “They got me really ready for all of this, I’m really happy that I chose to go out there. I think they prepared me very well.”
Arizona Wildcats
According to NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt, of the 12 players who participated in the NFL Pro Day, one in particular stood out, “Wide receiver Austin Hill (6-foot-2 1/4, 214 pounds) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 and 4.57 seconds. He had a 36 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-9 broad jump. He posted times of 4.03 seconds in the 20-yard short shuttle and 6.65 seconds in the three-cone drill. He also performed 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.”
Brandt expects Hill will be drafted as early as a third-day selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, others have projected his spot to be somewhere in the 7th round.
As far as former UA offensive lineman Mickey Baucus, “I was a little nervous at the start, just because you don’t know what to expect, but as it went along, it was just like training with the guys again. We’re all rooting for each other, pumping each other up, so it was a good time.”
As far as Terris Jones-Grisby, we found a highlight video starring Terris for the NFL Draft on the New England Patriots website of all things (Patriots.com): 2015 Draft Prospects: Terris Jones-Grigsby, RB, Arizona.
Tra’Mayne Bondurant played through 2014 and made 82 tackles and two interceptions (thanks T.J. VanMarter @tjatua for the assist). According to ArizonaWildcats.com, in 2013 he started and played 12 games at “spur” as part of the 3-3-5 defense, totaled 72 tackles, including 46 solo stops, recorded four interceptions for 79 returns yards and two touchdowns, and also broke up five passes and forced a fumble.
Bondurant was invited to play in the College Gridiron Showcase Allstar Game in January 2015.
ESPN has most of our guys as Borderline Draft Prospects, “These are players that teams like something about, but certainly do not have the full package in terms of NFL talent. A lot of times, teams will take chances on character players or developmental type athletes with this grade. And often, these are players that come from smaller schools or did not standout at the college level. NFL teams are looking for ‘diamonds in the rough’ with this type of prospect. He will usually rate in the bottom third of players at his position and will be considered a late round draft choice or un-drafted free agent.”
Really? C’MON!
We wish every one of these players much luck in their lives and careers, and we want to let them know that we will always be their fans, and of course, to BEARDOWN!