NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock has finally come in from the coast-to-coast pro-day circuit, and after talking with various coaches, scouts, and general managers, he's gotten a better sense of who is rising and falling in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Not surprisingly, Mayock's list of the top-five fastest risers included wide receivers -- USC's Nelson Agholor (No. 1) and UCF's Breshad Perriman (No. 3) -- but there were a few others that turned some heads the past month, too.
"Second is Mario Edwards out of Florida State. Back in August, he was over 300 pounds," Mayock said. "At the combine, 279 -- 272 at his pro day. Now he looks like a base defensive end who can kick inside on sub-packages. That gets some teams excited. The question is, though, now that you're paying him as a second-round pick, which guy are you getting, the 300-pounder or the 272-pounder with an edge?"
Mayock's remark that some teams are viewing Edwards as a defensive end, probably in 3-4 schemes, is interesting, given that fellow analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Edwards' playing weight and position are what made him such a difficult prospect to evaluate. Edwards has been mentioned as high as a first-round selection but will probably go early on Day 2.
Another pass rusher who is shooting up boards, according to Mayock, is Bud Dupree from Kentucky.
"The tape is inconsistent, but as coaches get involved, they want to work with this piece of clay," Mayock said. "He's got everything you want in a Pro Bowl edge rusher except consistency."
Dupree turned some heads at the NFL Scouting Combine with those raw tools that Mayock mentioned, and it's not hard to see a scenario where he goes in the top 15.
Don't forget Mayock's fifth-fastest riser in the draft, either -- Arizona State's Damarious Randall was just bumped to Mayock's No. 3 safety in the draft, and Mayock believes he is the best man-coverage player at the position.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
