Draft Central | 2019

Smith was an all-state selection his senior year at North Crowley High School. He played in the final four games of his first season in Tulsa, starting twice at left tackle while still redshirting to maintain a year of eligibility. Smith garnered first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2020, starting all nine contests on the blindside. Smith was suspended in the 2021 season opener for his role in the team's brawl with Mississippi State in the previous year's Armed Forces Bowl. He started the remaining 12 games at left tackle, receiving second-team all-league accolades. -- by Chad Reuter

Williams was considered an elite junior college prospect after earning first-team JUCO All-American honors at Northeast Mississippi Community College in 2018 (28.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks). His pass rush skills translated to the SEC in 2019, as the Montgomery, Alabama, native led the Rebels with six sacks among his 37 total tackles (9.5 for loss). He also intercepted a pass and forced a fumble in 12 appearances (eight starts). Williams was suspended from the team in July 2020 after he was charged with sexual battery. He was reinstated to the team in September of that year after the charge was dropped. He started six of 10 games played in 2020, posting 39 tackles, eight for loss with a team-high four sacks on the year. Williams garnered 2021 third-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-SEC honors by ranking fifth in the FBS with a school-record 12.5 sacks (among 57 total tackles, 16 for loss) and tying for 10th in the country with four forced fumbles in 13 starts. -- by Chad Reuter

Tolbert was a two-star recruit out of Mobile's McGill-Toolen High School, and he didn't get a chance to prove himself during his first year at his hometown school because of an injury suffered in preseason camp. He played in all 12 games as a reserve the following year (5-60-12.0) before breaking out as a sophomore. Tolbert led the Jaguars in 2019 with six receiving touchdowns and 19.3 yards per reception (27-521 in 12 starts). His play in 2020 really grabbed scouts' attention, as he ranked seventh in the FBS with 1,085 receiving yards (64 receptions, 17.0 per rec., eight scores) to earn first-team All-Sun Belt notice. Instead of heading to the NFL, Tolbert stayed at USA to work with transfer passer Jake Bentley (South Carolina, Utah), who he already knew through working with Mobile-based quarterback trainer David Morris. His efforts paid off, as he was named the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and first-team all-league after setting school records with 82 receptions and eight touchdowns in 12 starts. Tolbert ranked sixth in the FBS with 1,474 receiving yards (18.0 per rec.) and also set school career records with 178 receptions and 3,140 receiving yards. -- by Chad Reuter

Ferguson was a four-star prospect and top five tight end recruit nationally but stayed in his hometown to play with the Badgers. Though he redshirted in 2017, he impressed coaches enough with his work in practice that he earned the team's Offensive Scout Player of the Year Award. Ferguson only started two of 13 games played the following fall but was quite productive (36-456-12.7, four TDs). Big Ten coaches named him second-team all-conference after he topped the Badgers in receiving in 2020 (30-305-10.2, four TDs). Ferguson was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021, catching a team-high 46 passes for 450 yards (9.8 per rec.) and three scores in 13 starts. The grandson of former Wisconsin head coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez followed his brother, Joe, who went on to play safety at Wisconsin, in playing at Camp Randall. His father, Brad, played football at Nebraska and married Alvarez's daughter, Dawn. -- by Chad Reuter

Waletzko (WOLL-etz-go) played in nine games as a true freshman for the Fighting Hawks, starting the final five contests at left tackle. Waletzko started the first six games of 2019 at left tackle, but missed the second half of the year due to a knee injury. Healthy for all seven games of the abbreviated 2021 spring season (the school did not play in the fall due to COVID-19), he garnered second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. Waletzko was a first-team pick in 2021, starting 10 games at left tackle before an upper-body injury sidelined him. The team captain caught a five-yard screen pass in the season opener against Idaho State. -- by Chad Reuter

Bland began his collegiate career at Sacramento State after being named a medium-school second-team all-state pick at Modesto's Central Catholic High School. He played in the team's final seven games as a true freshman (five tackles) and then started 10 games in 2018 (44 tackles, three for loss, one interception, team-high five pass breakups). Bland was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection in 2019, posting 43 stops, 6.5 for loss, intercepting two passes and again pacing his squad with eight pass breakups. The school did not play in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, so Bland transferred to Fresno State to complete his career in 2021. Bland started the final nine games for the Bulldogs (45 tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups) and appeared in all 13 contests. -- by Chad Reuter

Clark was a four-star recruit out of Southern Lab High School in Baton Rouge, where his family moved after Hurricane Katrina forced them to relocate from New Orleans. He started three of 15 appearances for the national champs in 2019 (50 tackles, four for loss with 3.5 sacks) one year after playing in 12 contests as a reserve his true freshman season (one tackle). Clark was awarded the special No. 18 jersey before the 2020 season (he was No. 35), a tradition that honors players who display "selfless attitude that has become the epitome of being an LSU football player," according to the LSU media guide. Others who've worn No. 18 include quarterback Matt Mauck (who won a national title), tight end Foster Moreau, fullback Jacob Hester and pass rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, among others. Clark had to help make up for the departed Jacob Phillips and Patrick Queen that season, starting five of 10 games played (63 tackles, four for loss with one sack). His 2021 efforts put him squarely in the sights of scouts and gained him first-team All-SEC and Butkus Award finalist accolades. Clark ranked fourth in the FBS with 135 tackles, led the Tigers with 15.5 tackles for loss (with 5.5 sacks), intercepted one pass, broke up three others and forced two fumbles in 12 starts. He opted out of the team's bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. -- by Chad Reuter

After receiving all-state honors in football and winning a state wrestling title at Bloomington High School (Ill.), Ridgeway signed with in-state FCS program Illinois State. After a redshirt season, he promptly displayed FBS-level talent, starting 10 of 11 games played to garner Freshman All-American and Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team honors in 2018 (30 tackles, two for loss). Ridgeway was an honorable mention all-conference performer in 2019 (50 tackles, three for loss, two pass breakups in 15 starts). He was voted a first-team All-MVFC pick after the spring 2021 season, tying for the team lead with 22 tackles (three for loss) in the team's four games, while also intercepting a pass. He transferred to Arkansas for 2021. Ridgeway missed the season opener after having an appendectomy but started 11 of the next 12 contests, recording 39 tackles, a career-high four for loss with two sacks. -- by Chad Reuter

Harper played in 11 games as a reserve his redshirt freshman season (five tackles, one blocked kick) and then played in 34 games with just three starts over the next three years: one in 2018 (44 tackles, five for loss with 2.5 sacks, one interception returned for a score), 2019 (34 tackles, five for loss with three sacks) and 2020 (37 tackles, 5.5 for loss with three sacks, one interception). Harper finally got his chance to be a full-time starter in 2021, posting 96 tackles, 11 for loss with six sacks and two pass breakups in 14 starts. Devin's brother, Thomas, is a defensive back at Oklahoma State. -- by Chad Reuter