Daily Bruin Sports looks at UCLA football’s draft prospects

The 2015 NFL Draft begins Thursday at 5 p.m. with the first round. The second and third rounds will occur on Friday, starting at 4 p.m. and the fourth through seventh round will begin on Saturday at 9 a.m. All draft coverage will be telecasted on ESPN and NFL Network. Here’s a breakdown of the Bruins eligible to be drafted, and what rounds they are projected to be picked in.

Brett Hundley – QB

Height: 6 feet, 3 inches
Weight: 226 pounds
Key notes: Played in 13 games, started 13. 3,155 passing yards, 22 TDs. 644 rushing yards, 10 TDs.
Projected round: 2nd

UCLA’s all-time passing touchdown leader enters this draft as a projected second-round pick according to CBSSports.com, which is not a whole lot higher than where Hundley was projected to go had he declared for the draft at this time last year. In his 2014 season, Hundley kind of reaffirmed what scouts already said about him: He’s got a quick release and an accurate arm, and he’s one of the better scramblers in his draft class; but Hundley still has yet to prove that he can consistently run an offense from under center and that he can progress through multiple reads on passing plays.

Jordon James – RB
Height: 5 feet, 9 inches
Weight: 193 pounds
Key notes: Played in 13 games, started one. 239 rushing yards, 1 TD.
Projected round: Undrafted free agent

James worked his way into the draft conversation with his standout performance at the UCLA football pro day back in March. James ran a 4.42 and a 4.44 second 40-yard dash, while also putting forth strong performances in the broad jump, vertical leap, bench press and three-cone drill. It’s still unlikely that James gets drafted however, as he’s rated the 571st prospect overall on NFLDraftScout.com.

Anthony Jefferson – SS

Height: 6 feet, 1 inch
Weight: 192 pounds
Key notes: Played in 12 games, started 12. 20 total tackles, 1 INT
Projected round: 5th-6th

This strong safety prospect battled through several injuries during his UCLA career, but worked his way to where it looks like he’ll be drafted this year. Jefferson is a versatile defensive back prospect who may have the athleticism to play cornerback and his pass-read skills are a plus. But Jefferson at times struggled in coverage last year and may lack the explosiveness that’s needed for the next level. Jefferson ran a 4.72 40-yard dash at the NFL combine but redeemed himself with a 4.63 time at the UCLA football pro day in March.

Eric Kendricks – ILB

Height: 6 feet
Weight: 230 pounds
Key notes: Played in 13 games, started 13. 149 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 INT. Butkus Award winner in 2015. Lott IMPACT Trophy winner in 2015.
Projected round: 1st/2nd

Kendricks was the unquestioned leader of the UCLA defense last year, and enters this draft with the potential of being the first Bruin picked. Kendricks showed the ability this year to cover a lot of ground from the inside linebacker position in UCLA’s 3-4 defense under former defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. That appears to be one of his strengths heading into this draft, as Kendricks ran a faster 40-yard dash than Jefferson, clocking in at 4.61 seconds.

Ellis McCarthy – DT

Height: 6 feet, 5 inches
Weight: 325 pounds
Key notes: Played in 13 games, started none. 21 tackles, 3 sacks.
Projected round: Undrafted free agent

McCarthy’s biggest strength is just that: strength. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound D-lineman certainly passes the eye test, and he’ll surely act as an obstruction to opposing quarterbacks on passing plays, even in the NFL. One of McCarthy’s main weaknesses, however, is that he didn’t get to show much of his strengths at UCLA, as he didn’t start in one game last year and finished with only 21 tackles and three sacks.

Owamagbe “Owa” Odighizuwa – DE

Height: 6 feet, 3 inches
Weight: 270 pounds
Key notes: Played in 13 games, started 13. 61 tackles, 6 sacks.
Projected round: 1st-2nd

Similar to McCarthy, Odighizuwa passes the eye test. His height and weight are a plus for the position, as are his wingspan (nearly 82 inches) and his speed (4.62 seconds in the 40-yard dash). Odighizuwa also showed resilience in his career, battling back from two hip surgeries, one of which forced him to sit out the 2013 season. One of Odighizuwa’s one weaknesses, however, is that he was never a standout pass rusher in college, recording six sacks in 2015, 3.5 in 2012 and 4 in 2010.

Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.