The NFL Draft is under 48 hours from its start and final preparations are being taken by all parties to get the best plan together for finding the next batch of talent for their team.
While the focus has been on the top-flight players from conferences such as the SEC and Big Ten, we are here to discuss the potential impact that D2 Football can have on the draft by ranking the best available players on our big board.
This is by no means a projection of where each player will get picked or whom will be selected first, but a ranking of the eligible D2 players that are available for teams to select. A projection of draft positions and such will be coming tomorrow in our draft predictions for D2.
Take a look below at the big board and breakdown of the best prospects, and let us know how you think the players should stack up by engaging the conversation on Twitter either at my profile — @zach_prosba — or through the D2 Football page at HERO Sports at @HEROSportsD2FB.
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The Big Board
| Rank | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Shaheen | TE | Ashland |
| 2 | Ethan Cooper | OL | Indiana (PA) |
| 3 | Jordan Morgan | OL | Kutztown |
| 4 | Connor Harris | LB | Lindenwood |
| 5 | Dylan Donahue | EDGE | West Georgia |
| 6 | Grover Stewart | DT | Albany State |
| 7 | Billy Brown | WR | Shepherd |
| 8 | Nate Theaker | OL | Wayne State (MI) |
| 9 | Matt Davis | K | UNC-Pembroke |
| 10 | Collin Bevins | DL | Northwest Missouri State |
| 11 | Titus Howard | CB | Slippery Rock |
| 12 | Garrett Fugate | QB | Central Missouri |
| 13 | Antonio Pipkin | QB | Tiffin |
| 14 | William Stanback | RB | Virginia Union |
| 15 | Shaquille Cooper | RB | Fort Hays State |
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Breakdowns
Adam Shaheen, TE — Ashland
The consensus top player from the D2 crop this year and a likely second or third round pick, Shaheen is the best D2 product since Janoris Jenkins came out of North Alabama in 2012. Labeled as "Baby Gronk", Shaheen told HERO Sports that he has "visited with all 32 teams in some capacity", and that is definitely a sign that he is a sure thing to get drafted early this year.
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Ethan Cooper, OL — IUP
As we see more and more talk pop up on the web with full mock drafts coming out, Cooper has seemingly overtaken Jordan Morgan as the best offensive line prospect from D2 and that should secure him a mid-to-late round pick come this weekend. A guard at the pro level, Cooper has a lot of experience run-blocking with IUP's run-heavy attack.
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Jordan Morgan, OL — Kutztown
Once seen as the best D2 prospect in this year's class before pre-draft workouts began, Morgan has suffered a bit of a slide but should still be drafted on Saturday. A left tackle in school, Morgan is a much better guard prospect than at tackle and his pulling ability that he showed at Kutztown will allow him to jump inside with relative ease as other D2 offensive linemen have before.
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Connor Harris, LB — Lindenwood
The best tackler in NCAA history, Harris is the closest thing to Shaheen when it comes to being a lock to get picked. Likely a special teams player early on, Harris has a chance to step in and become a key depth piece and work his way up the charts in a 3-4 system where he can play the run.
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Dylan Donahue, EDGE — West Georgia
The most talented rusher in this year's crop of D2 players, Donahue could be a seventh-round selection come Saturday if a team sees enough in him to take a flyer. The Montana native had 25.5 sacks in his two years at UWG and at 6-3, has good size to either put his hand on the ground or stand up and rush the passer.
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Grover Stewart, DL — Albany State
Stewart is the best big man on the defensive line in this year's crop, and actually ranks fairly well when compared to the rest of the interior defensive line class, ranked 19th by CBS Sports and given a fifth round grade. The only reason he ranks so low on this list is because big defensive tackles aren't as popular as they used to be in the NFL.
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Billy Brown, WR — Shepherd
The last player on the big board that has a realistic shot at being drafted, Brown could actually slide to tight end at the pro level because he stands at 6-4 and weighs about 255 pounds. Catching 99 passes a year ago, Brown was the best receiver in D2 over the last couple of seasons and any team looking for a red zone or deep threat could take a flyer on Brown.
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Players 8-15
All of the players ranked from slot eight to 15 were great players in Division 2, but unlikely to be drafted. The names that stand out most are Collin Bevins, Matt Davis, and Garrett Fugate who HERO Sports NFL Draft Expert Todd Worly reported is picking up steam. Those three players might be the highest priority free agents from the D2 class and should sign relatively soon after Saturday's rounds are over.
Players are ranked in this area because they either did not test well or have had a history of off-field issues causing them to not be worth a draft pick. But as we saw last year, 21 Division 2 players were signed as undrafted free agents and roughly 30 percent of them were able to make a practice squad. That stat alone should leave some hope that these players are still within distance of making it pro.
