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The body of the 2012 NFL Draft was not anywhere near cold when the internet started to be hit with a flood of mock drafts for the 2013 draft. At least one of these mock drafts had included a Kansas State Wildcats, linebacker Arthur Brown, in their first round projection. Even if he does not go that high it would continue the unbelievable streak of a WIldcat being picked in the draft for 19 straight years as Bryce Brown somehow continued the streak this year.
Even though spring football just ended for K-State and there is a whole college football season to look forward to let's take a look at which Wildcats have the best chance to be drafted a year from now.
Collin Klein
The most interesting draft prospect on the roster might be quarterback Collin Klein as the chances of him getting selected solely as a QB is very unlikely but he could find a way to be taken in the late rounds. He provides good size, 6'3" 225lbs, and is athletic as he proved with his rushing statistics last season as well as previously playing wide receiver.
A team might take a shot with him late as a special teams player and have him make a position switch while allowing the team to have some roster flexibility on game days with Klein as the de facto third quarterback on the roster. Right now it would still appear that Klein will go undrafted next year but if he impresses with workouts maybe he can sneak in the 7th round range.
Braden Wilson
Even though fullback is not a position that will get drafted early it is likely that Wilson will be taken by a team somewhere in the middle to late round range next season. In a list posted on www.nfl.com ranking the Top five players by position, Wilson ranks as the #3 fullback prospect. He is an above average blocker with the ability to occasionally sneak out of the backfield and catch the football.
Chris Harper
Here is another player where his workouts following the season will likely be more important that what the game film shows. It would appear that Harper is poised to have another very strong season as the Wildcats likely go to receiver and safety valve for Klein. While Harper has great hands the main question will be his overall speed and quickness and this is where the workouts come into play. If he can prove to NFL scouts that he is fast enough then he might be another player to get a late round look from an NFL team.
Arthur Brown
Barring injury or some unforeseen event you can bet that Arthur Brown will be the first K-State Wildcat to hear his name called in the 2013 NFL Draft. His stock is high enough right now going into his senior season that the guys over at mockingthedraft.com even included him in their first round mock draft for next year. The 2013 season will give Brown another year to work on his strength and give NFL teams a second consecutive year of game film from which to study from. While not a sure fire 1st rounder look for Brown to get picked up in the first couple of days of the draft.
Nigel Malone
As everyone knows by now, Malone burst onto the scene last year for K-State after coming in as a junior college recruit. He led the team with seven interceptions last season and was named a Thorpe Award semi-finalist. While it is hard to say exactly what he runs in the 40 yard dash all reports indicate it is sufficient enough for the NFL. Assuming that Malone comes back and has another strong year and shows the same kind of ball hawking ability it is a good guess that some team will pick him up in the middle rounds as good cover corners are at a premium in the modern NFL.