When it comes to the 2015 NFL Draft, there are two things that are slowly becoming a consensus as we approach just over a month until the commissioner takes the stage in Chicago: Jameis Winston is going No. 1 overall and USC's Leonard Williams is the most talentedplayer available regardless of position.
Williams' talents are evident and a good reason why he's a near-lock to go within the first few picks. However, who is the player who might be right behind him in terms of having an impact on his new team's defense as a rookie? NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah had one name in mind who could be this draft's Gerald McCoy to Williams' Ndamukong Suh.
"When we look at the most impactful guy outside of Leonard Williams, we look at the same conference because that's Danny Shelton out of the University of Washington," Jeremiah said. "This is what a nose tackle is supposed to look like. You talk about somebody you can't move, he's got stamina to play from start to finish."
Shelton has been a name that a number of scouts have been buzzing about ever since a productive senior season was given an exclamation point with a good week in Mobile, Ala. at the Senior Bowl. The former Husky is viewed as a potential top-10 selection in the draft, but mock drafts have him going everywhere from No. 7 to the Chicago Bears all the way down to the Cleveland Browns with the 19th selection.
There might be another player who is in the conversation with Shelton right behind Williams, however, as fellow NFL Media analyst Charles Davis thinks a Big 12 star is right there with his Pac-12 counterpart.
"Malcom Brown's ability to get up field in the pass rush is a little bit easier than I think what Danny Shelton can do," Davis said. "That ability and his upside coming along, he's getting better as he goes."
Brown is viewed as yet another defensive linemen likely to get taken in the first round, so it's pretty clear that the position is quite deep this year even if a team is unable to land somebody of Williams' caliber.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
