Next in our series of all-college conference rosters is the Pac-12 Conference. Take a look at what the 2017 roster looked like here, Pac-12 NFL Roster 2017. After looking at the pool of players, we decided to go with a 3 wide, single back base offense and a base 4-3 defense.
The Criteria
The criteria is very similar to last year with 3 main differences. The addition of a player on their 5th year extension, the spreading of rookie deals throughout different rounds of each draft, and making sure each college in the conference is represented.
- The roster must be under the current salary cap of $177.2M
- We use an even spread of rookie deals roughly based on league averages: 8 from 2017, 6 from 2016, 5 from 2015, and 1 player from the first round of the 2014 draft that is on their 5th year extension (where applicable)
- These rookie deals will also be spread throughout different rounds of that years draft, to better simulate an actual roster
- We will include one rookie from each round of the draft (were applicable)
- Each college in the conference will be represented
- We will have a well rounded roster that includes role players and special team
The Offense
Quarterbacks
| QBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | Sam Darnold | |
| GB | NYJ | |
| $20.9M | $5.5M | |
| California | USC |
With all due respect to Andrew Luck and Alex Smith, there is only one choice for the starting QB of the All-Pac-12 team, Aaron Rodgers. His $20.9M cap hit is also only middle of the pack when it comes to veteran QBs. Though that cap number will greatly increase over the next few years after signing a 4 year $134M extension this August. Backing him up is our 1st round pick of the roster, out of USC, Sam Darnold. Darnold would get an opportunity to sit for a few years behind Rodgers (like he did with Favre).
2 roster spots filled, 51 left
$26.4M Spent | $150.8M Left
Running Backs
| RBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Marshawn Lynch | Ty Montgomery | Phillip Lindsay |
| OAK | BAL | DEN |
| $4.453M | $880K | $485K |
| California | Stanford | Colorado |
| Royce Freeman | ||
| DEN | ||
| $729K | ||
| Oregon |
We start the running backs out with Beast Mode. It came down to him and Christian McCaffrey, but we decided to use our 1st round pick in 2017 elsewhere. Playing the role of receiving/3rd down back will be the Packers’ Ty Montgomery. Then we get to the future of this position. Royce Freeman, our 3rd round pick of this roster, was taken by the Broncos with the expectation of taking over the lead back role, insert UDFA from Colorado, Phillip Lindsay. Lindsay impressed enough to earn the bulk of the carries and has continued to impress throughout the season. He currently sits 6th in rushing yards as of week 8 (just one spot ahead of #2 overall pick Saquon Barkley) and his 5.7 yards per carry is best among backs with at least 90 carries. Lindsay would be the change of pace for Lynch and serve as the future of the position. This makes Freeman more of a depth add and special teams contributor. However going forward after this season, Lynch and Montgomery would be dropped and Lindsay and Freeman moved up along with our 2019 2nd round pick (see Mock Draft below).
4 roster spots filled, 47 left
$6.547M Spent | $144.253M Left
Wide Receivers
| WRs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Keenan Allen | Brandin Cooks | Juju Smith-Schuster |
| LAC | LAR | PIT |
| $9.65M | $5.4M | $954K |
| California | Oregon State | USC |
| Nelson Agholor | De'Anthony Thomas | Maurice Harris |
| PHI | KC | WAS |
| $2.984M | $720K | $630K |
| USC | Oregon | California |
| Matthew Slater | ||
| NE | ||
| $2.025M | ||
| UCLA |
Wide receiver was one of the hardest positions to chose from, as there are a lot of quality receivers from the Pac-12. At the top, we decided to go with the Chargers top receiving threat, Keenan Allen. Starting opposite him will be our 2014 1st round pick from Oregon State, Brandin Cooks. Moving into the slot in this 3 wide offense is the Steelers’ Juju Smith-Schuster. Providing depth and playing the other slot in 4 wide sets is former Trojan, Nelson Agholor. Playing the role of returner and coming in as the occasional deep threat is former Oregon Duck De’Anthony Thomas. Then we have the Redskins’ Maurice Harris, who will provide depth to the outside and contribute on special teams. Finally we end the WR corps with the best special teamer in the league, the Patriots’ Matthew Slater.
7 roster spots filled, 40 left
$22.363M Spent | $121.89M Left
Tight Ends
| TEs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Zach Ertz | Marcedes Lewis | Will Dissly |
| PHI | GB | SEA |
| $4.938M | $2.1M | $643K |
| Stanford | UCLA | Washington |
| Xavier Grimble | ||
| PIT | ||
| $630K | ||
| USC |
The #1 tight end spot came down to 2 players, and to save over $6.5M of cap space, we chose to go with the Eagles’ Zach Ertz over Gronk. Filling the #2 TE spot and providing a veteran presence to the offense is former Bruin Marcedes Lewis. Backing them up is our 4th round pick of the roster, Seattle’s Will Dissly. We round out the tight ends with the Steelers’ Xavier Grimble.
4 roster spots filled, 36 left
$8.311M Spent | $113.579M Left
Offensive Line
| OL | ||
|---|---|---|
| T David Bakhtiari | T Mitchell Schwartz | G David DeCastro |
| GB | KC | PIT |
| $11.075M | $7.7M | $5.688M |
| Colorado | California | Stanford |
| G Shawn Lauvao | C Max Unger | T Conor McDermott |
| WAS | NO | BUF |
| $2.391M | $8M | $555K |
| Arizona State | Oregon | UCLA |
| G Joe Dahl | C Isaac Seumalo | |
| DET | PHI | |
| $691K | $855K | |
| Washington State | Oregon State |
Just like with the TEs, we had 2 top choices for the starting left tackle, the Cowboys Tyron Smith and the Packers’ David Bakhtiari. I couldn’t justify Smith’s over $17M cap number and Bakhtiari is having a great season, currently sitting as PFF’s top graded OT as of week 8. Starting at the other bookend is one of the best right tackles in the league, the Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz. Pairing up with Schwartz on the right side is the Steelers’ David DeCastro. This offseason DeCastro restructured his deal to free up $5.092M in cap space this season, allowing us to build this stacked o-line. Starting at the other guard is our weakest point of the offensive line, the Redskins’ Shawn Lauvao. While Lauvao is not as talented as the others on this line, he does provide veteran experience for a small price tag. Lastly, we move to center with the Saints’ Max Unger. Unger just edged out the Falcons’ Alex Mack for the starting spot, mainly for being about $3M cheaper for similar production. Backing up the tackles is our 6th round pick from 2017 out of UCLA, Conor McDermott. Backing up the interior, we have our only Washington State alum of the roster, Joe Dahl, and the Eagles’ Isaac Seumalo.
8 roster spots filled, 28 left
$36.955M Spent | $76.624M Left
Offensive Spending Breakdown
The offense accounted for 57% of the total team salary. The offense has a fairly even spread of wealth, with QB/RB, WR/TE, & OL each taking up about 1/3 of the overall offensive budget.
The Defense
Defensive Line
| DL | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Jordan | Lawrence Guy | Solomon Thomas |
| NO | NE | SF |
| $14.497M | $3.667M | $6.399M |
| California | Arizona State | Stanford |
| Leonard Williams | Haloti Ngata | Dion Jordan |
| NYJ | PHI | SEA |
| $5.928M | $2.725M | $1.907M |
| USC | Oregon | Oregon |
| Tyson Alualu | Josh Mauro | |
| PIT | NYG | |
| $3.625M | $572K | |
| California | Stanford |
We managed to find a lot of good veteran talent for a relatively small price tag, but we’ll start with our one big ticket item, the Saints’ Cameron Jordan. Starting at the other end will be our 1st round pick from 2017 out of Stanford, Solomon Thomas. Moving to the inside, we have the Patriots’ Lawrence Guy and the Jets’ Leonard Williams. Both would be best suited in a 3 technique role in this 4-3 front, so we could end up utilizing one as more of a 2i than a traditional 1 technique. We could also run a fair amount of double eagle, moving both DTs to a 3 technique and rely on this very athletic linebacking corp to not get chased down by the freed up center. When we do need that big body in the middle, we will bring in Eagles veteran Haloti Ngata. Ngata would play a great rotational compliment for this starting d-line. Coming in as a situational pass rusher will be the Seahawks’ Dion Jordan. A former 1st round pick in 2013, Jordan has done well trying to resurrect his career as a situational player in Seattle. We round out the defensive line with the Steelers’ Tyson Alualu and the Giants’ Josh Mauro.
8 roster spots filled, 20 left
$39.32M Spent | $37.304M Left
Linebackers
| LBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Eric Kendricks | Blake Martinez | Myles Jack |
| MIN | GB | JAX |
| $3.741M | $726K | $1.728M |
| UCLA | Stanford | UCLA |
| Mason Foster | Jayon Brown | Devante Downs |
| WAS | TEN | MIN |
| $1.406M | $623K | $504K |
| Washington | UCLA | California |
| Peter Kalambayi | ||
| HOU | ||
| $510K | ||
| Stanford |
We have a young, athletic group of linebackers from the Pac-12. We start with out Will backer, 2nd round pick from 2015 out of UCLA, Eric Kendricks. Moving to the middle, we have current Packers’ Mike backer, Blake Martinez. We then move to our strong-side, Sam backer, 2016 2nd round pick out of UCLA, Myle Jack. Backing them up, we’ve got Redskins veteran Mason Foster and 2017 5th round pick Jayon Brown. We round out the linebackers with our 6th and 7th round picks, the Vikings’ Devante Downs and the Texans’ Peter Kalambayi. Both of which will make significant contributions on special teams.
7 roster spots filled, 13 left
$9.238M Spent | $28.066M Left
Cornerbacks
| CBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Marcus Peters | Ken Crawley | Terrance Mitchell |
| LAR | NO | CLE |
| $1.742M | $632K | $2.667M |
| Washington | Colorado | Oregon |
| Isaiah Oliver | Fabian Moreau | |
| ATL | WAS | |
| $843K | $794K | |
| Colorado | UCLA |
Our top 2 corners are a pair of starters still on their rookie deals, the Rams’ Marcus Peters and the Saints’ Ken Crawley. Filling the nickel role is the Browns’ Terrance Oliver. Providing primary depth on the outside is our 2nd round pick out of Colorado, Isaiah Oliver. We finish out the corners with the Redskins’ Fabian Moreau. Moreau has the ability to step into either an outside or nickel role and can also make plays on special teams.
5 roster spots filled, 8 left
$6.678M Spent | $21.388M Left
Safeties
| Ss | ||
|---|---|---|
| Eric Weddle | Budda Baker | Will Parks |
| BAL | ARI | DEN |
| $8.25M | $1.552M | $655K |
| Utah | Washington | Arizona |
| Dane Cruikshank | Tedric Thompson | |
| TEN | SEA | |
| $552K | $723K | |
| Arizona | Colorado |
Starting at free safety is our only Ute of the roster, the Ravens’ Eric Weddle. Weddle will provide leadership over this young secondary. Starting a strong safety is our last Huskie of the roster, Budda Baker. Backing up Baker is the Broncos’ 6th round pick from 2016 out of Arizona, Will Parks. Backing up the free safety position, and contributing on special teams, will be the Seahawks’ 4th round pick from 2017 out of Colorado, Tedric Thompson, and our 5th round rookie out of Arizona, Dane Cruikshank.
5 roster spots filled, 3 left
$11.732M Spent | $9.656M Left
Defensive Spending Breakdown
The defense accounted for only 37.9% of the overall team budget. Of that, the defensive line took the majority of the money, accounting for 58.7% of the money spent on defense. Pass rusher Cameron Jordan is a big reason for that; his $14.497M accounts for 21.6% of the total money spent on the defense.
Specialists and Head Coach
| ST and HC | ||
|---|---|---|
| K Mason Crosby | P Johnny Hekker | LS Nick Sundberg |
| GB | LAR | WAS |
| $5.25M | $2.679M | $1.068M |
| Colorado | Oregon State | California |
| Head Coach | Ron Rivera | California |
We had 2 choices for kicker on this All-Pac-12 roster. We chose the Packers’ veteran Mason Crosby over the Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn, even though he has the highest price tag out of all the kickers. We had 3 options at punter, but it was an obvious choice to go with the 4x 1st team All-Pro from the Rams, Johnny Hekker. Firing it back to Hekker is the Redskins’ Nick Sundberg
Former Cal All-American linebacker Ron Rivera will handle head coaching duties for this All-Pac-12 team.
3 roster spots filled, 0 left
$8.997M Spent | $659K Left
The Starting 22
Due to the Pac-12 headquarters location, I’ve named this team the San Francisco Sharks.
| Offense | |
|---|---|
| QB | Aaron Rodgers |
| RB | Marshawn Lynch |
| Z | Keenan Allen |
| X | Brandin Cooks |
| Slot | Juju Smith-Schuster |
| TE | Zach Ertz |
| LT | David Bakhtiari |
| LG | Shawn Lauvao |
| C | Max Unger |
| RG | David DeCastro |
| RT | Mitchell Schwartz |
| Defense | |
|---|---|
| DE | Solomon Thomas |
| DT | Leonard Williams |
| DT | Lawrence Guy |
| DE | Cameron Jordan |
| Sam | Myles Jack |
| Mike | Blake Martinez |
| Will | Eric Kendricks |
| CB | Marcus Peters |
| CB | Ken Crawley |
| SS | Budda Baker |
| FS | Eric Weddle |
2019 Draft
New for this year, we are including a mock draft for each team for the 2019 NFL Draft. Each player is within a round of where we have them projected as of the time of this post.
| Round | Player | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byron Murphy | CB | Washington |
| 2 | Bryce Love | RB | Stanford |
| 3 | Andre Dillard | OT | Washington St |
| 4 | Greg Gaines | DT | Washington |
| 5 | Tyler Petite | TE | USC |
| 6 | Jake Browning | QB | Washington |
| 7 | Matt Gay | K | Utah |