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It's that time of year, again. NFL Draft time! The Draft is coming up next week, so we might as well examine where our beloved former Tigers may or may not be heading in this year's version of the draft.
Only three Tigers received an invite to this year's NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Those were Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams, and Rudy Ford. Rudy didn't participate in every event as he continued to rehab an injury that kept him out of the Iron Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. The one event he did take part in - the bench press - he tied for the top score of the combine at the Safety position.
Lawson and Adams performed in most of the events. Adams had a good showing, but nothing spectacular. Lawson, however, showed out on the bench press and the 20-yard shuttle run, where he was a top performer. He put up more reps on the bench press than any other defensive end with 35. That was also tied for the top of the entire NFL Combine at that exercise.
Those aren't the only Tigers who may find their way onto a roster spot next Fall, but they were the only ones at the Combine and the only ones projected to be drafted by CBS.com. NFL.com graded 6 former Tigers with only Lawson and Adams earning any sort of a ranking that would indicate they'll be drafted or have anything resembling a pretty good NFL career.
| Overall Rank | Name | Position | Position Rank | Height | Weight | Projection | Grade |
| 42 | *Carl Lawson | DE | 6 | 6-2 | 261 | 2 | 5.6 |
| 80 | Montravius Adams | DT | 7 | 6-4 | 304 | 2-3 | 5.6 |
| 263 | Johnathan Ford | FS | 10 | 5-11 | 205 | 7-FA | 5.1 |
| 372 | Joshua Holsey | CB | 42 | 5-10 | 190 | –– | NR |
| 391 | Jeremy Johnson | QB | 19 | 6-4 | 232 | –– | NR |
| 476 | Alex Kozan | OG | 28 | 6-3 | 309 | –– | 4.9 |
| 527 | Robert Leff | OT | 37 | 6-5 | 302 | –– | 4.9 |
| 550 | Xavier Dampeer | C | 18 | 6-3 | 308 | –– | NR |
| 755 | Tony Stevens | WR | 100 | 6-4 | 212 | –– | 4.9 |
| 909 | T.J. Neal | ILB | 43 | 6-0 | 236 | –– | NR |
| 994 | Marshall Taylor | CB | 98 | 6-2 | 195 | –– | NR |
So, what's likely to happen? Lawson and Adams will definitely get drafted. SBNation.com's Mocking The Draft has only Carl Lawson possibly being chosen in Round 1 and that's late to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rudy Ford should get a late look or picked up as an Undrafted Free Agent. There's a good chance Robert Leff or Alex Kozan earns a late round pick. That's probably about it, though.
One wild card to look out for is Jovon Robinson. Will the former Auburn running back get a look? I doubt he gets drafted, but he could very well earn a roster spot, somewhere. We'll keep an eye out for him, too.
We'll have a bit more on the players most likely to get drafted next week as the draft gets closer. We'll examine their projections, what teams they might go to, and what chances they have at making an early impact on their projected teams. That's assuming I can find the information I hope to find, anyway.