Mid-Season Pac-12 2014 NFL Draft stock: Mariota and Hundley have top pick potential

1. Marcus Mariota So. QB Oregon

2013 Stock: Up

Mariota's stock has exploded so thus far in 2013. As the leading Heisman candidate quarterbacking what might be the nation's best team, he has showed uncanny decision making with 15 touchdowns to an astounding zero interceptions. His completion percentage has been low at times, but that has a lot to do with dropped passes. He has also been deadly as always on the ground with his 4.4 speed already putting up stats that would be nearly all-conference level for a running back. Mariota is beginning to look like he might be the best quarterback on the board in the draft this year amongst a very solid crop and there are a lot of teams that should be at the top of the draft that desperately need a new signal caller. If he declares, Mariota could be in serious consideration for the top pick by a team like Jacksonville or Tampa Bay.

2. Brett Hundley So. QB UCLA

2013 Stock: Up

Hundley probably has the best pure physical tools of any of the quarterbacks who are considered to be the top of the class as he already has an NFL body, arm and speed that is close to Mariota's. The fact that he has the Bruins undefeated has bolstered his stock, but he will be under the microscope against what are probably the best defenses he will face all season in Stanford and Oregon. What separates Mariota and Hundley by just a hair is that Hundley is a little less prolific and more prone to interceptions, but he also plays with a lot less talent around him on offense. Also like Mariota, it's unclear how serious he is considering declaring for the draft, but he would be a serious contender for the top pick of the draft if he does.

3. Anthony Barr Sr. LB UCLA

2013 Stock: Steady

Barr looked like a surefire Top 5/10 pick going into the season as the kind of pass-rushing, hybrid linebacker/defensive end that NFL teams covet so much right now and he has every bit looked the part thus far in 2013.Barr has played well on a solid Bruins defense and is doing everything he needs to do to uphold his high standing on draft boards. Barr should be the first defensive player taken after Jadeveon Clowney which means he could go as high as the second pick. The only thing that might end up dropping Barr is the needs of the teams with the top draft picks, as many desperately need quarterbacks and could pass him up due to needs.

4. Marqise Lee Jr. WR USC

2013 Stock: Down

2013 has gotten off to a rough start for Lee due to injuries, poor quarterback play and the general ineptitude of the USC offense. Lee has just a fraction of the numbers he had halfway through last season, most noticeably a lack of touchdowns (just one), but most of that has to do with the aforementioned injuries and quarterback struggles. His struggles thus far have really hurt his stock, probably dropping him at least 10 to 15 spots, but I think teams will be able to see that most of it has to do with outside factors and will focus on just how devastating he was in his first two seasons. Lee should be either the first or second receiver off the board after Sammy Watkins, but I could see him falling due to injury and production issues if he doesn't rebound in the second half of the season.

5. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu Jr. CB Oregon

2013 Stock: Up

Ekpre-Olomu came into the season as a borderline first round pick, but appears to be solidifying himself as a guaranteed first round guy with his play thus far in 2013. He isn't big or a blazer, but he's as strong of a run defender at cornerback as there is in the country and he has great aggressiveness, ball skills and uses his physicality to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. He is probably a mid or late first rounder right now and has the potential to be the first corner off the board in a corner class that lacks superstars.

6. Trent Murphy Sr. LB Stanford

2013 Stock: Up

Almost a bigger and stronger but less athletic Barr, Murphy is the kind of hybrid linebacker/defensive end that can be a nightmare to a defense with his ability to rush the quarterback, knock down passes and brutalize running backs. He might have the most "nasty" out of any of the Pac-12 prospects in the draft and I think teams will take notice of that. He seems to be hovering on the edge of the first round, but I think he's a guy that a team will fall in love with in the middle or end of the first and take.

7. Scott Crichton Jr. DE Oregon State

2013 Stock: Steady

There are a lot of really good pass-rushing defensive ends in the Pac-12 this year and of the pure defensive end ones, Crichton's NFL stock might be the highest at the moment. He has great athleticism for a defensive end and is also very strong in the run game for a pass-rushing defensive end - something not always there with college defensive ends who get sacks. He doesn't have ideal size for an NFL defensive end so that might drop him towards the end of the first or early second, but pass rushers are such at such a premium right now I would bet he goes in the first if he ends up declaring.

8. Bishop Sankey Jr. RB Washington

2013 Stock: Up

No player in the Pac-12 has probably raised their draft stock this season more than Sankey who is currently leading the nation in rushing and close to the top in rushing touchdowns. He isn't particularly big, flashy or fast but he is a tough runner with a knack for breaking tackles and getting the most out each carry and that's precisely what NFL teams look for in ball carriers these days. Running backs are going later and later in the draft each year and it's a very weak class for the position so if he can keep his production up and ends up declaring, he could easily be the first back taken in the draft, probably late in the first or early in the second.

9. Austin Seferian-Jenkins Jr. TE Washington

2013 Stock: Down

No player in the Pac-12 has probably hurt their draft stock in the 2013 season more than Seferian-Jenkins. He missed Washington's opener due to an off-season DUI that had already hurt his stock and has seen his production drop substantially so far as the Husky offense seems to be targeting him less than it did in 2012. He was once seen as a potential Top 10 pick, but now it's possible that he could slip out of the first round if he decides to declare and might not even be the first tight end taken in a very weak class for the position.

10. De'Anthony Thomas Jr. RB Oregon

2013 Stock: Down

Thomas has always been one of the hardest guys in the country to peg as far as NFL Draft stock goes due to the fact that he is one of the quickest and most dynamic players to ever play college football but is incredibly small and doesn't really play a defined position. Thomas is probably too small to play running back at the next level, but could be used as a general offensive playmaker the way he is at Oregon. Some think he could be a Top 10 pick, but others think that his downsides could drop him all the way to the second or third round, and those doubters have gotten some aide in an ankle injury that has sidelined him the past three games and the struggles of the Rams' Tavon Austin who has similar skills. With all of these complications, I honestly have no idea where he could go, but I would be shocked to see his pure speed and quickness get passed up for very long.

Other top prospects

Morgan Breslin Sr. DE USC

Ka'Deem Carey Jr. RB Arizona

Brandin Cooks Jr. WR Oregon State

Josh Huff Sr. WR Oregon

Will Sutton Sr. DT Arizona State

David Yankey Sr. G Stanford