2015 NFL Draft Rankings: Center
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015 NFL season is officially over, so it’s time to ramp up the NFL draft coverage here at BGO. I will be ranking the top draft prospects at every position over the next few months as well as updating my mock draft every couple of weeks. If you have any issues with my rankings, feel free to let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
2015 NFL Draft Position Rankings:
Defense: DT | 3-4 DE | 4-3 DE | 3-4 OLB | OLB | ILB | CB | SS | FS
Offense: C | OG | OT | TE | WR | RB | QB | FB | K | P | RT
2015 Center Rankings:
1.) Hroniss Grasu, Oregon (6’3 | 297 | 5.12)
Scouting report – Quick off the ball with the athleticism to get to the second level. Grasu is a little undersized, but has a good base in pass pro and has been able to stone bull-rushes from much bigger DTs. Grasu started all 40 games in his career at Oregon, is a natural leader and has unusually long arms and huge hands. He’s been good since day 1 with the Ducks and has very few flaws in his game. Grasu seems like a guy who could step in the lineup as a rookie and be an above-average center for the next ten years.
Projection: 2nd-3rd round
2.) Cameron Erving, Florida Sr (6’6 | 308 | 5.28)
Scouting report – Versatile player who has the ability to play four of five offensive line spots at the next level. His versatility will make him the #1 center on most draft boards, but it’s not his natural position. After left tackle, Center is the most important position on the line in my opinion and players who can recognize defensive schemes and make play calling adjustments at the line of scrimmage have more value to me than pure athletes at the position. Erving could eventually grow into the position but he was a tackle up until last season and I think it will take him a year or two to fully understand the center role. Athletically he’s the best prospect at the position with the ability to be dominant in both run and pass blocking. In the short-term Erving is a great athlete who will excel at the blocking aspects, but the mental aspects of the position will come with more experience. In time he may be the best center in this draft, but in the short-term I’d rather have Grasu.
Projection: 1st-2nd round
3.) Reese Dismukes, Auburn ( 6’3| 296 | 5.27)
Scouting report – Three year starter for Auburn, who lacks the ideal physical traits of a top-tier lineman but has arguably been the most productive center in college football the last two seasons. Dismukes is a classic warrior in the trenches who excels at opening holes inside for his running backs while keeping the pocket clean for his QB to step up. There are very few flaws in Dismukes game; he’s a brawler who has the technique to set a good base in pass pro and the aggressiveness to win the short yardage battles at the line of scrimmage. He got pushed around a bit at the Senior Bowl and needs to get stronger to deal with larger NFL DTs, but should develop into a quality starter by the end of his rookie deal.
Projection: 2nd-3rd round
4.) Andy Gallik, Boston College (6’3 | 304 | 5.20)
Scouting report – My two favorite traits in centers are the intelligence to make play calls at the line of scrimmage and a fiery nature in run blocking. I’m basically looking for Olen Kruetz 2.0. Gallik doesn’t have the natural strength of Kruetz, but he shows flashes of his leadership skills and aggressive nature. He’s also lacking the foot-speed or dominant strength of some of the top centers but makes up for it with impeccable technique, a solid understanding of angles, and the competitiveness to win most 1-1 battles.
Projection: 3rd-4th round
5.) Max Garcia, Florida (6’5 | 305 | 5.24)
Scouting report – Tall center with good durability and the versatility to play multiple positions if needed. Garcia played center, guard, and tackle during his time at Florida and held his own at all three. He was a late addition to the Senior Bowl but had a solid week and boosted his draft stock. Garcia has a tendency to play with a high pad level at times and doesn’t have much mobility, but gets good push in the run game, uses his hands well, and anchors in pass pro.
Projection: 3rd-4th round