MAC Football Recruiting

2015 MAC Crootin' Football Draft: Round 15

After 195 picks, the MAC Crootin Draft finally comes to an end.

By Alex Alvarado@ARAlvarado13 Apr 30, 2015, 12:25pm EDT

Welcome to the final round of our first ever MAC Football Crootin' Draft!

Some big names have been called with our first 182 picks, but who's still out there? Again, we're all picking for different reasons. Building for the future, meeting immediate needs, eye candy, way too many factors are going into this all at once. How will we end our Draft classes? You'll just have to scroll down to find out now won't ya?

183. Eastern Michigan Eagles

ATH- Samuel Beal (WMU signee). Grand Rapids, MI (Ottawa Hills). 247Sports: 78 (0.7948)

Beal's listed as an athlete, which isn't even a position but will play cornerback for PJ Fleck. I thought having a third cornerback this draft wouldn't hurt, especially if one of them is going to be 6-foot-2. A good in-state project where if he'd end up not getting the job done defensively, then oh hey look we've got ourselves another receiver to really create depth there instead; cool beans! -Alex Alvarado

184. Kent State Golden Flashes

OT- Montel Jordan (Akron signee). Deerfield Beach, FL (Deerfield Beach). 247Sports: 76 (0.7856)

To conclude this draft, I decided to take a flier on OL Montel Jordan. The 6-foot-4 315 pound lineman immediately adds solid depth to Kent State's offensive line. Jordan is a solid value in the final round and will compete for playing time after redshirting his freshman year. Once Jordan adjusts to the speed of the game, he could be a solid offensive lineman in the MAC. At Akron, I expect Jordan to push for playing time sooner rather than later. Look for Jordan to turn some heads during his time at Akron. -Mike Karpinski

185. Miami RedHawks

TE- Sam Girodat (EMU signee). Jackson, MI (Lumen Christi). 247Sports: NA (NA)

Role players, role players, role players. The fifteenth-round is for role players. This is certainly not a statement made to offend; role players are extremely important, and it is with that reasoning that I made the selection that I did.

Sam Girodot is a two-star product from small Lumen Christi HS in Jacoson, MI, known for his ability to lead run blocking on tight end formations. Girodat created enough of a threat in the passing game that his run and pass block became that much more effective. At 6'3", 245 lbs., Girodat might struggle against bigger competition, but he is very strong, benching 400 lbs. He is also pretty fast for a tight end, with a 4.70 40. Girodat could cause some matchup problems in special situations down the road, with great lower body technique and decent acceleration off the initial move. Girodat's ferocity would probably fit right in with the line that I have cobbled together in this draft. Every coach would want a kid like Girodat. -James Jimenez

186. UMass Minutemen

RB- Maurice Thomas (Miami signee). Oxford, OH (Talawanda). 247Sports: 84 (0.8267)

No I did not forget running back. There was some crazy depth at this position and UMass has a full house of RBs already so I figured to fill other needs first. Even waiting until the last round I was able to land a three star player by 247's standards. He's listed as a RB/CB but running back seems to be his calling. He is a little thin for running back right now but has good height and you can always add weight but getting taller is not as easy. He can also line up in the slot if need be which could give UMass more freedom in their playbook. Not a power back by any means and is not a track star but does have good burst and should be a solid addition. I'm pretty surprised he was still on the board. -Max Moore

187. Akron Zips

RB- Marquis Young (UMass signee). Fairport, NY (Fairport Senior). 247Sports: 81 (0.8100)

What does getting a 3-star in the 15th round tell you about the depth of this class? Finishing up what is a very successful class, Marquis Young, a top running back from Fairport, NY is our last addition to the team. With the loss of Chisholm, as well as the recent increase in success with teams with more than one go-to-back, The Zips knew Young was going to be the pick if he was still there when we picked. -Russ Johnson

188. Buffalo Bulls

OL/DL- Justin Brandon (Buffalo signee). Indianapolis, IN (Ben Davis). 247Sports: 74 (0.7533)

I've slowly lost my mind with this thing, so I just went and got more beef inside. Justin Brandon has played both sides of the ball, and wherever he ends up is cool with me, because he's a winner, playing two ways this past season for Ben Davis High in Indianapolis. The Giants won the Indiana Class 6A state title in 2014 and finished the year as the #12-ranked team in the nation by MaxPreps. Brandon didn't get a lot of love from the recruiting sites, but even at 275 pounds he was a physical force on both sides of the ball. Watch in his highlight video for excellent foot speed and balance; I don't think he gets pushed backwards once. -Matt Gritzmacher

189. Ball State Cardinals

DT- Logan Slaughter (CMU signee). Mendon, MI (Mendon). 247Sports: 75 (0.7759)

This guy garnered all sort of interest from a variety of MAC and Big Ten schools. We've already scooped up a couple of offensive lineman rated higher than Slaughter, but the O-line has flourished under Coach Lembo, and having a variety of options and skill sets to work with the high-flying Cardinal offense is critical to Ball State's success. Slaughter's quick feet and high upside make for an easy pick this late in the draft. -Keith Scheessele

190. Ohio Bobcats

WR- Kyle Belack (Ohio signee). Myrtle Beach, SC (Myrtle Beach). 247Sports: 74 (0.7578)

When in doubt, pick a guy Ohio actually signed! Kyle Belack is a good fit for Ohio, and with a talented group of guys fighting for the QB spot the 'Cats need talented players for them to through to. -Sam Smucker

191. Central Michigan Chippewas

S- Jamari Bozeman (BGSU signee). West Palm Beach, FL (Suncoast). 247Sports: 78 (0.7859)

Bozeman held offers from nearly a dozen schools, and his talents stood out playing against some of the toughest high school competition in southeast Florida. He will definitely have his share of highlight reel interceptions with his great jumping ability and his skillfulness at reading routes. Tackling is still a work in progress, but his other strengths make him someone you want to have in your secondary. Should be an exciting player to watch during the next few years. -Max Lowe

192. Western Michigan Broncos

DT- Marshall Robinson (UMass signee). Mars, PA (Mars Area). 247Sports: 79 (0.7900)

How I got this guy in the final round is beyond me. I may or may not have skipped out on Ikie Caulderon, who would be a transfer safety for the Broncos (playing with EMU this year though) to help out with the secondary, but I think I've got one hell of a defensive line for years to come with Robinson. Seriously, this kid is 6-foot-4, weighs 330 pounds (aka more than any your offensive linemen probably), and is a great late-round addition here to get a project instead of a prospect. But with him, Sam McKnight, Nick Potts and Brian Arp, I think my defensive line would be set for quite some time. -Alex Alvarado

193. Toledo Rockets

DT- Dominic Hill (Kent St. signee). Fort Worth, TX (Boswell). 247Sports: 75 (0.7694)

With the last pick, Toledo has decided to get a little bigger upfront in the front seven. Dominic Hill is a big, violent defender from Fort Worth, TX and I cannot wait to see him in a Rockets uniform. Hill has good size at 6-foot-1 and 275 pounds, and will fit in well to the schemes run here. Hill still being on the board in round fifteen is nearly insane, however the Rockets will welcome him with open arms. -Russ Johnson

194. Bowling Green Falcons

K- Sam Crosa (BGSU signee). Dublin, OH (Dublin Scioto). 247Sports: 71 (0.7100)

There is some controversy here on the actual height and weight of this pick. ESPN and 247Sports have him listed as 5'8" and 140 pounds. However, Scout has him listed at only 5'7" and 130 pounds. Could that inch and 10 pounds be a difference maker? With a kicker you never know.

Placekicker Sam Crosa from Dublin Scioto High School near Columbus is the runner up in this draft's Mr. Irrelevant sweepstakes. Should the reigning Mr. Irrelevant be unable to fulfill his duties... Well you know the rest. Crosa's mom is a yoga instructor and he credits yoga with improving his flexibility. 247Sports has him listed as the 33rd best kicking prospect in the nation. So who knows... -Randy Carpenter

195. Northern Illinois Huskies

LB- Tom Rodrick (UMass signee). Leicester, MA (Leicester). 247Sports: 73 (0.7697)

Mr. Irrelevant goes to linebacker Tom Rodrick. Rodrick will give NIU some more depth at the linebacker position. Rodrick, a UConn transfer, will be attending UMass in the fall and has 3 years of eligibility remaining. With The recent suspension of Lemon, NIU can use all the depth they can get at linebacker. In this hypothetical scenario, Rodrick could compete for a starting spot once Darryl Monroe (my 13th round pick) graduates. At this stage in the draft, Rodrick is a low-risk, high-reward pick. -Mike Karpinski

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We've finally come to an end!

Of course, this doesn't really mena that these are the best 195 players that are coming in to the Mid-American Conference, but they're the first 195 players that we wanted to take in this draft.

UMass ended this on a strong note with three of their newcomers selected in this final round. The only other one to get multiple signees selected was Bowling Green with a pair. Their final totals go up to 13 and 15 respectively. WMU and Miami both had a player taken in this round too, finishing first and second in this Draft with 22 and 19 players drafted overall.

17 was a very popular number. By that, I mean Buffalo, Ohio and Toledo all ended up with 17 players from their singing classes go in the draft, but Toledo was the only one of them to not have player taken in this final round. Below them at with 16 are Kent State and Northern Illinois. Like Bowling Green, CMU ended up with 15 players in the draft to be selected, but they didn't have their sixth player pick until midway through the Round 8 whereas BGSU had six players taken in the first three rounds. Going down the list, EMU had five players taken through the first six rounds then five more once the eleventh and twelfth rounds were over with and eventually finished with 12 players selected with Sam Girodat being picked up in this final round.

Just two schools finished in the single digits with signees taken. Ball State ended up with only eight players taken after having five players selected through the first four rounds; Akron only had four of their players taken in this whole draft with their first linebacker taken in the fourth round.

Round x Team