The Brookings Register
BROOKINGS — South Dakota State’s rise as a program has led them to the top of the Football Championship Subdivision. But the Jackrabbits’ back-to-back national championships have …
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BROOKINGS — South Dakota State’s rise as a program has led them to the top of the Football Championship Subdivision. But the Jackrabbits’ back-to-back national championships have also put them on the map when it comes to NFL talent.
Dating back to 2018, five SDSU alumni have been selected in the NFL Draft, but this could be a banner year for the program. Since the start of the common NFL Draft era with the AFL and NFL merging in 1970, SDSU has had multiple players selected twice with Lynn Boden and Jerry Lawrence selected in 1975 and Pierre Strong Jr. and Chris Oladokun selected in 2022 but they’ve never had three or more players selected in a single draft.
With one week to go, five different Jackrabbits have been projected to be selected in various mock drafts and could signal a wave of new SDSU alumni heading to the NFL. Here’s a look at where those players are projected and when they could hear their name called during next weekend’s NFL Draft.
Of the SDSU players projected to go in this year’s draft, McCormick seems to be the safest. McCormick took advantage of an extra year of eligibility by returning for the 2023 season and while he helped the Jacks win their second straight national championship, he also bolstered his draft stock.
Pro Football Focus lead NFL Draft analyst Trevor Sikkema listed McCormick fifth in his interior linemen rankings in this year’s draft and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him listed eighth among guards in his annual draft guide titled “The Beast.”
McCormick put up solid numbers in the testing process including 32 reps in the bench press during his Pro Day but Brugler believes that he’ll need to work on his pass protection and work on his discipline – he had 10 penalties – at the next level.
“McCormick doesn’t consistently play up to his testing numbers, but he has good eyes and feet in pass protection and outstanding physicality in the run game,” Brugler wrote. “He projects as a Day 1 backup (at all three interior line positions) who can become a starter with more coaching.”
McCormick’s developmental status could intrigue teams to take a flier early on the third day of the draft. The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher and The Sporting News both projected as a fourth-round pick in their latest seven-round mock drafts while CBS Sports’s Chris Trapasso and Pro Football Network have him charted as a fifth-round pick.
Like McCormick, Greenfield’s decision to return to Brookings for an extra season paid dividends for his draft stock. Greenfield was a two-time First Team All-American over the last two years with the Jacks and had a tremendous combine that included a 38.5” vertical jump that was a record for offensive tackles.
But even with the impressive performance a few things are working against Greenfield. This year’s offensive tackle class is extremely impressive and top prospects have pushed him to 22nd in Brugler’s offensive line rankings.
Greenfield will also turn 25 in September, making him older than the average rookie.
“Greenfield must make improvements to his anchor and recovery skills to combat NFL opponents, but he’s a smooth-moving big man who is at his best on wide and mid-zone plays,” Brugler wrote. “He projects as a potential swing tackle in the NFL.”
Brugler believes that Greenfield could be a sixth or seventh-round pick in the draft and Trapasso projected Greenfield as a sixth-round pick joining fellow Jackrabbit Tucker Kraft with the Green Bay Packers (169th overall). With Pro Football Network projecting Greenfield in the fifth round, he has a good chance of hearing his name called in Day 3.
Davis wrapped up his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Jackrabbits and will look to follow the footsteps of Strong, who was selected in the fourth round (127th overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2022 draft.
The good news for Davis is that this year’s class doesn’t have a dominant runner in the way that last year’s class had Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs and Davis enhanced his stock by running a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Those factors have Davis ranked 116th on PFF’s big board but Brugler has him 17th in his running back rankings, comparing him to former Minnesota Vikings and current Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison.
“Davis isn’t a proven third-down option, but he runs tough and balanced with the feet to pick through a defense on early downs,” Brugler wrote. “There is some Mattison to his game and his skill set should project well to special teams.”
Other experts have him going later in the draft with Trapasso projecting Davis to the Arizona Cardinals and Pro Football Network mocking Davis to the New York Giants in the sixth round.
Janke has been one of the most productive receivers in the FCS, putting up at least 800 yards and five touchdowns in each of the past three seasons. While Janke wasn’t invited to the scouting combine, he improved his stock by participating in the East-West Shrine Game and put up a favorable time (4.58 seconds) in the 40-yard dash during his pro day.
Janke ranks 41st on Brugler’s list of wide receivers in this year’s draft but considers him to be a priority free agent as opposed to a late Day 3 pick.
“Janke has only average suddenness and lacks a true A-plus trait, but his route-running savvy and instinctive ball skills are NFL-quality” Brugler explained. “He is a potential draft pick who can make his mark on special teams.”
The Sporting News projected Janke as a seventh-round selection, mocking him to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 224th overall pick.
While most tight ends resemble bigger wide receivers in today’s NFL, Heins was a throwback for the Jackrabbits at 6-foot-6 and 259 pounds. Heins is a capable receiver with 410 yards and seven touchdowns during his senior season but Brugler believes it’s his blocking ability that will help him at the next level.
“Heins has capped potential as a pass catcher but he offers size and competitiveness to fit as a rotational Y for a team that runs heavy “12” and “13” personnel packages,” Brugler wrote.
Brugler graded Heins as a priority free agent and the 21st tight end heading into the draft but Trapasso mocked Heins to the Houston Texans in the seventh round (238th overall).
