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http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2014/12/auburn_linebackers_kris_frost.html#incart_2boxAUBURN, Alabama -- Two of the top three tacklers on Auburn's defense are considering leaving a year of eligibility on the table and entering the draft.
And they play the same position.
Both Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost, the Tigers' pair of starting linebackers in Auburn's 4-2-5, are contemplating early entry to the NFL Draft, and both players have submitted their names to the NFL Draft Advisory Board for evaluation.
"We've both been talking to each other through this whole entire process," Frost said on Thursday. "It kind of feels like recruiting all over again. We've both been weighing out the options of coming out early or staying."
Handed the keys to Auburn's linebacker corps this season, McKinzy and Frost both made strides playing roles that essentially equate to an inside linebacker's role in the 3-4.
McKinzy, who led the Tigers in tackles as a sophomore, ranks second on this year's squad with 82 tackles, and Frost is third on the team with 75 tackles after being given the chance to start full-time after sharing the role with Jake Holland as a sophomore.
Both linebackers produced a lot more big plays than the Tigers have gotten out of the position in recent years. McKinzy had 1.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a recovery, and his team-leading 10 tackles-for-loss are the most for any Auburn linebacker since Karlos Dansby posted 13 in 2003.
Frost finished second on the team with nine tackles-for-loss, added 2.5 sacks, forced three fumbles and picked off a pass of his own.
According to Frost, those numbers prompted he and McKinzy to submit their names to the NFL's Draft Advisory Board.
"How the season's gone for me personally," Frost said. "At this point, you've got to look at your competition, look who's coming out, and look at your options."
Auburn has already lost wide receiver Sammie Coates, who decided to enter the NFL Draft after graduating last week, and fellow receiver D'haquille Williams is contemplating making the same move. Coates and Williams are possible first or second-round picks, according to most draft analysts.
But despite taking a few steps forward this season, neither of Auburn's linebackers are expected to be near the top of the position's draft class this season.
In October, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper ranked his top 10 players for the 2015 Draft at every position, and neither Frost nor McKinzy was listed among the 20 players named at either inside or outside linebacker.
CBS Sports, which partners with NFLDraftScout.com, appears to agree with Kiper, ranking McKinzy as the sixth-best inside linebacker and Frost the 14th-best outside linebacker in the 2016 Draft, after both have gone through their senior seasons.
With the NFL Draft Advisory board working under new rules this season, prospects who submit their names for evaluation will receive either a first-round grade, a second-round grade or neither, which is essentially a recommendation to return to school.
If the draft experts are correct, neither Frost or McKinzy is likely to earn a first or second-round grade when the NFL returns their evaluations in the next couple of weeks.
At this point, though, both linebackers are still mulling their options.
"It's all about how we feel, going into this bowl game how we play, what's right for us, what's the right business decision for us and our families," Frost said. "I can't really speak for him, but I know he's going to make the best decision for him -- as I am."
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