Q&A: Draft guru Chris Trapasso breaks down NC State prospects, part I

Chris Trapasso covers the NFL Draft for CBSSports.com, and this week he updated his big board, which has eight NC State players in the top 267. Sitting at No. 1 on the board is Wolfpack star defensive end Bradley Chubb.

The Wolfpacker caught up with Trapasso this week to get his thoughts on each NC State player. Here is part I of that Q&A:

How does Bradley Chubb stack up in this class? Does he make the case for being the best defensive player available?

"I have him No. 1 overall on my entire board, so obviously I have him at the best defensive player. I have him just ahead of [FSU safety] Derwin James. The two best players in this draft are Bradley Chubb and Derwin James. I don’t really see any flaws in his game. I don’t think you have to hope that he gets more athletic or you have to hope that he adds some strength or hope he adds some pass-rushing moves. He has all of that right now.

“And another facet of that is that he is not a situational pass rusher that has to come off the field in obvious running situations. He has the size, the length and the strength to be a three-down defensive end in the 4-3, 3-4, doesn’t matter. He’s someone that kind of reminds me of Cameron Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, somewhere in that range. He might not be an 18-sacks-every-season player, but he’s going to get a lot of sacks, be good against the run and be an awesome pass rusher.”

How does he compare to Myles Garrett, who was No. 1 overall last year?

“I don’t think he’s as freakishly athletic as Myles Garrett is. We’ll see at the combine. I think they are going to be similarly sized, but what Garrett did last year at the combine — and I think he was 6-4, 275 and that’s what Chubb has been listed at all season — I don’t think [Chubb] is going to run as fast and do as well in the broad jump and vertical jump and all that, but I think he’s close.

“I think Cameron Jordan has been an underrated defensive end for a long time, but this year there was some thought he could get some defensive player of the year consideration. I thought when I watched tape that he was the most impactful player on the field in most games. I think with Bradley Chubb you get someone that is at worst Ryan Kerrigan, at most likely will be a Cameron Jordan-type player.”

What are your thoughts about the other defensive linemen?

“Obviously that was a really hyped defensive line. Going back to the film and at the senior bowl, that really was an outstanding group outside of Chubb even. I think [defensive tackle] B.J. Hill, to me, is probably the best suited for the NFL. He’s a little bit of an old-school guy that I think he’s going to be better against the run right away, but I think he’s strong enough and uses his hands well enough that he can get some pass rush. I don’t think a team that picks him is going to say they hope they can get eight or 10 sacks for him. They are going to draft him for what they can get on first and second downs.

“I kind of see [defensive tackle] Justin Jones in a similar way, but he’s a little smaller and not as wide, so he offers a little more pass-rushing help.

“Speaking of the combine, for [defensive end Kentavius] Street, I think that’s where he will need to shine, and I think people will expect that he will shine. He has a unique body type in that he’s 6-2 or 6-3 and a little under 300 pounds. I think why he will get drafted and what he needs to do in the NFL will be to prove that he’s really versatile and be able to play in an odd-man front, even-man front, at defensive tackle, at nose, at the end spot.

“I probably would rank them Hill, Jones and then Street, but I think with a good combine Street could really open some eyes with what he can do athletically and in terms of being scheme-versatile.”

Would you put the odds at very high that all four defensive linemen would get drafted?

“Yes, I would be surprised if they all not drafted. Street came in as probably as the most well-known name behind Chubb going into the season. I personally didn’t like his film as much as the other two, but I think it was certainly good enough to be drafted, especially if he does well at the combine — which I’m expecting he will. There’s no way on that defensive line, coming into the season after a pretty good 2016 season, he does well at the combine and doesn’t get drafted.

“I think all four will be picked for the draft.”

Offensively, running back Nyheim Hines came out early. Where do you project him at the next level and where he might be able to find himself in the draft?

“I have him right now as a mid-fourth-round guy just for he is a little bit undersized, did come out early, but [has] that speed. He’s someone if you look at what now would be called the traditional third-down back, I think you would want someone that can catch the screen pass and hit a 70-yard touchdown or if blocking is perfect can hit that really long play.

“I was really surprised going into it watching his film, his pass protection for how small he is, is really good. Coaches want to see that right away, and that will help you get on the field. I have him as my No. 11 or No. 12 running back , but if he runs something in the 4.3s, which I think he could with all that track background and how fast he looks on the field, could move up a little bit.

“But this is such a loaded running back class that’s probably the one thing that could cause him to fall a few rounds. He’s a very solid third-down back that could be that home run hitter.”

Is there value in his special teams and kick returning?

“I think so. I guess when you get into that third round, fourth round, teams start to look at that, but I think more than anything he was a really good running back for that team last year. Again, his speed not only on the kick returns, which he does have value there too, but what will get him drafted is what he was able to do as a runner, even in between the tackles, and as I said his pass protection, if it’s third down and you have four wide receivers out there you can put him in the backfield and not feel like you have a liability in terms of being that extra blocker.”