Gophers defensive end Anthony Smith shares the Big Ten Conference lead in sacks, which can serve as a tent pole in both his personal and the program’s overall goal of him being a first- or second-round pick in the NFL draft come April.
If the imposing 6-foot-6, 285-pound edge rusher — who touts seven sacks across seven games — goes that high in the draft, Minnesota will extend its streak of having a player taken in the top 64 picks to seven consecutive years since 2020.
With the college season past its halfway mark, the Pioneer Press asked Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck which players are drawing the most attention from NFL teams.
Fleck mentioned Smith, running back Darius Taylor, wide receiver LeMeke Brockington, tight end Jameson Geers and defensive tackles Deven Eastern and Jalen Logan-Redding.
“Those are usually the top six right away,” Fleck said. “But you get into everybody else.”
Smith and Taylor each have one year of eligibility remaining for 2026, but Smith is not expected to use it. It’s to be determined on Taylor, who is coming off his best game of the season last week when he logged 24 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown in the 24-6 win over then-No. 25 Nebraska.
Fleck then mentioned one Gopher who has received a lot more attention from NFL personnel when they visit the U this year: Devon Williams. The fifth-year linebacker from Dublin, Ohio, leads the team with 56 total tackles and is third with 4 1/2 tackles for lost yards.
“They’re way more curious about Devon Williams now than they were last year, because he’s playing at a very high level right now,” Fleck said. “I think that’s only going to help him.”
Williams sports an above-average overall grade (74.1) from Pro Football Focus; it’s the third highest among U starters behind redshirt junior linebacker linebacker Maverick Baranowski (79.4) and redshirt sophomore safety Kerry Brown (76.0).
In the preseason, Baranowski was among nine Gophers named to the Shrine Bowl 1,000 watch list for top draft-eligible college players. That long list also had Smith, Taylor, Eastern and Geers. Junior offensive lineman Greg Johnson also made the group, which included some surprises in offensive lineman Marcellus Marshall, linebacker Jeff Roberson and Jaylen Bowden.
Marshall has not played well this season, while Roberson and Bowden have rarely played at all.
Eastern was the U’s only member of the Senior Bowl’s Top 300, but PFF has given him an average overall grade (61.9) in 249 of the U’s 427 total snaps. Logan-Redding has been below that mark (54.3) in 174 total snaps.
The NFL’s draft-content complex has boomed in recent years, but Fleck said each player’s NFL draft stock still comes down to one thing.
“What people don’t realize is 90 to 95% of where and how you get drafted and if you play in the NFL is all based on college film,” Fleck said. “I think some people think it has to do with the (scouting) combine or ‘if I don’t get hurt’ or ‘if I just get through.’
“That’s why they always say, ‘tape doesn’t lie.’ Ten percent of it gets divided. Maybe 5% is the combine. Two percent is the interview, another 2% your Pro Day. And then another 1% is something else, but that’s it. Ninety percent of what you do and how you do it (is) all based on that film for 12 (games), who you play against and how well you play. I think that a lot of people don’t understand that.”
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