- Regular season comes to an end; top 20 draft spots to be decided … By the end of the day we will know the dozen teams that have qualified for the NFL’s postseason as the regular season wraps up. We’ll also know the order for the first 20 picks at the 2015 draft. Tampa Bay can wrap up the top pick with a loss to New Orleans in one of today’s early games. Tennessee could also finish with a 2-14 record with a loss to Indianapolis, but the Buccaneers have already clinched the strength-of-schedule tie breaker with the Titans. However, whether either wins or loses today, Tampa Bay and Tennessee are guaranteed one of the first two picks this coming April 30th as both have considerably weaker SOSs than any of the three teams with 3 wins. For the record, Jacksonville, which would have had the 3rd pick were the draft held last week, will be at Houston later today, while the Jets which would have picked 4th will be at Miami; #5 Oakland will be at Denver; Washington which would have had the 6th pick hosts Dallas, and #7 Chicago will be at Minnesota. All of those games will be at 1 PM ET with the exception of the Raiders at Denver. The full, updated weekly draft order will be posted after tonight’s Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game.
- Canes RB to enter draft, others stay … Miami junior RB Duke Johnson is expected to announce at a noon press conference that he will be entering the 2015 draft. The 5-9, 205-pound Johnson who ran for over 1,600 yards this past season and is expected to be a second-round pick at the upcoming draft. The NFL s still waiting to hear from several other Miami underclassmen about whether they plan to enter the draft including LT Ereck Flowers who has a chance to be one of the first 2-3 offensive linemen off the board this coming spring. At the same time, thanks to long-time GBN correspondent LP for the heads up as Southern Mississippi junior DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches has announced that he plans to enter the 2015 draft. The 6-2, 305-pound Nunez-Roches was an All-CUSA First-Teamer this past season in which he had 58 tackles including 14 for loss and three sacks; he‘s considered to be a mid-round prospect for this year‘s draft. Meanwhile, Rutgers junior WR Leonte Carroo announced after the Knights bowl win over North Carolina that he will return for his senior season. Same for Notre Dame G/T Nick Martin who had been considering entering the draft. Underclassmen have until January 15th to file paperwork with the NFL to be included in this year’s draft.
- Other college comings and goings … Nothing has yet been announced formally, but it appears to be close to a done deal that Jim Harbaugh will be coaching his last game in San Francisco later today and will be moving on to take over the Michigan program. Meanwhile, Florida junior QB Jeff Driskel is believed to be on the verge of transferring to Duke for his final year when he would get a chance to be tutored by Blue Devils head coach David Cutcliffe, one of the most noted QB-gurus in the game. Driskel, who would be eligible immediately because of the NCAA’s graduate transfer rule, is thought to be a mid-round prospect for the 2016 draft, but has the tools to move higher with a good senior season. North Carolina junior WR Quinshad Davis underwent surgery after suffeing a broken leg during the Tar Heels’ 40-21 loss to Rutgers in the Quick Lane Bowl and will miss spring practice, but team officials expect him to fully recover and be available when camp begins next summer. The 6-4 Davis had 41 catches for 470 yards and six touchdown receptions as a junior and his 21 career TDs shares the school record with former first rounder Hakeem Nicks.December 27
