Noah Brown, wide receiver, Ohio State
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Noah Brown was extremely explosive at times for Ohio State during the 2016 season. He caught 32 passes for 402 yards and seven touchdowns. That included a four-touchdown performance on the road against then-No. 14 Oklahoma (watch this crazy grab here).
Brown flashed incredible ability, but here’s the problem: He only put up two games of 50-plus receiving yards. And outside of a touchdown against Nebraska, he didn’t find the end zone once in the final quarter of the season.
With Curtis Samuel, a college running back, arguably the better draft-ready wideout, Brown isn’t even the top receiver from his own team to declare for the NFL Draft. Not only that, but he has to try to stand out among players like Clemson’s Mike Williams, Washington’s John Ross, Western Michigan’s Corey Davis and USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster, among others.
Brown could have gone back to Ohio State and been one of Urban Meyer’s premier offensive players next year — all but guaranteeing him a spot in the first round. In the 2017 draft, though, he’ll likely be a mid-round pick at best.