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Draft Bulletin |
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Draft Bulletin |
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Draft Bulletin Blog
Sun August 22, 2011
Comments
The supplemental draft is finally here. The Terrelle Pryor drama is over. For the record I think that the NFL is making a huge mistake letting him into the draft. I agree that Pryor was not in an ideal situation and with the crazed Ohio State fans it would not have been a good decision to come back. The thing that consistently gets overlooked by the national media is that Terrelle Pryor put himself in that situation. If he doesn't do the things he did, then it would have been business as usual. He created the bad situation and sometimes you have to pay for your mistakes. The NFL has opened pandora's box by bending the rules to let him in. In the future they are going to have a hard time keeping out disgruntled players. But enough on that...lets get to the scouting reports: Torez Jones, CB, Western Carolina- Skinny with decent height. He has decent feet but really lacks speed. Doesn't back down from contact but is so skinny he struggles to get off blocks and to tackle. He is too small for S and probably not enough speed for CB. Has decent hands for INT. Not likely to get drafted and a real long shot to get an invite to a camp. Caleb King, RB, Georgia- King has always had a lot of hype but play hasn't matched it. He is a one speed back who doesn't have great acceleration. He is a little stiff and has plenty of wasted steps in the hole and when cutting. Gives good effort and battles for yards. He doesn't go down real easy but also doesn't do a great job of making defender miss. Gives good effort as a blocker but is only marginal productive in that area. At times is a little slow to find defender to block and at times struggles to keep block. Reportedly has a questionable work ethic and he actually looked a little better early in his career. He is a marginal prospect who could be a backup but I like Chad Spann and Darren Evans better and they went undrafted but he will still have a chance to be a late round pick. Keenan Mace, DT, Lindenwood- Played in the Indoor Football League this past season. Has good size, really good motor and is athletic. Does a good job keeping his feet moving. He is really raw and needs technique work. Tends to play too high and doesn't always show good play recognition. Played against lower level competition and has good strength which he used to overpower blocker. He won't solely get away with that in NFL. Was signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys but was ruled ineligible. He will likely be undrafted again but might get selected late if team falls in love with his athleticism and wants to steal him from the Cowboys. The type of player who will likely be a practice squad guy who will take a couple years to develop. Michael McAdoo, DE, North Carolina- Did not play at all last year due to NCAA suspension for improper benefits. Looks the part with long arms. He has a good first step and runs well. Was never a starter but was part of the rotation of a very talented DE position. He is more of a pass rusher and tends to struggle to hold point of attack against the run. Has good potential but didn't play last year due to suspension and was just recently deemed eligible for draft so he hasn't had a chance to work out for scouts. Would be really risky to draft a player that hasn't played in over a year and you haven't had the chance to work him out especially with a short preseason; still someone might roll the dice in the late rounds. Most likely to be undrafted but would likely get a chance as a free agent. Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio St- Really good physical specimen. Has good size and height and is really athletic. He is a long strider who has good speed but also has good acceleration and some make you miss ability. He can really make plays with his feet and is a weapon in that aspect. The problem lies in his ability to throw the ball. He has decent arm strength but is a mess mechanically. He bounces back and forth between looking like a mechanical robot and being lacksidasical with no mechanics at all. This causes him to be highly inaccurate. At times you will get glimpses of greatness when everything comes together but those glimpses are small. Overall his upper body and lower body are rarely working together. He will miss receivers significantly and will throw a number of passes in the dirt. His receivers have helped him out a lot over his career and he has completed a lot of passes that he won't get away with on the next level. For instance he has thrown a number of deep balls that his receivers have somehow come down with but the reality is that he gets too much air under it and too often throws it up for grabs when pressured. One disconcerting thing is that when pressured he seems unsure of himself and doesn't know where to go with the ball despite being in the same offense for three years. In fact there has been very little improvement in his game during his three years. He still struggles with accuracy, struggles to read defenses and doesn't seem to have a good handle on the offense. He is often not on the same page as the receiver and he doesn't show any leadership skills. His play reminds me a lot of Vince Young, except Young was really productive in college and Pryor hasn't been. He has a ton of potential but I have a hard time seeing him as a starting QB on the next level. I wouldn't spend more than a late round pick (actually I would probably pass) on him but it is likely that a team that falls in love with his potential will use a mid round pick on him. Tracy Wilson, S, Northern Illinois- Physical player who likes to deliver big hits. He is much better against the run versus the pass. Has good size, decent speed and is a good tackler. Does a good job avoiding and getting off blockers. Has good hands for INT and decent instincts. He struggles in transition and is a little stiff. He also doesn't help his cause by often being high in his backpedal. He could help on special teams, which is where he is going to have to be productive to make a roster. Probably a long shot to get drafted but likely to get an opportunity as a free agent. This will be an interesting supplemental draft because there is some talent here. Much like the undrafted free agents they will struggle with condensed time frames. This will make all the players more risky which might make teams less likely to pull the trigger and surrender a draft pick.
Fri April 29, 2011
Comments
Winners:
New Orleans Saints: They once again got really good value with Martez Wilson and Johnny Patrick in the third round.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Da'Quan Bowers in the second round could be a steal even if he has a short career and Mason Foster was really good value in the third round. Both fill needs and will make the defense better.
Houston Texans: I really like the transformation to the 3-4 with the addition of Brooks Reed. Reed and Conner Barwin could be a good OLB duo, especially with J.J. Watt and Mario Williams at DE. Trading up to get Brandon Harris was a real good move. He will really help their struggling secondary and was good value late in round two.
Wasington Redskins: I really hated the Jarvis Jenkins pick but the thing that I liked is that they kept trading down and gathering more picks. This team has a ton of needs and if they draft well they can really change their team for the better on day three. I really thought they got good value in the third round with Leonard Hankerson. Losers
Arizona Cardinals: I hate to see teams chasing picks on a position but obviously they aren't happy with Beanie Wells and draft Ryan Williams. I like Williams but felt there were better choices there like Brooks Reed or Akeem Ayers. Rob Housler is intriguing but they typically like TEs who can block so I am not sure how they are going to utilize him. Maybe they split him out wide but this team really needs some OL help and hasn't gotten any yet.
New England Patriots: Little bit of love and hate. Love the picks of Ryan Mallett in round three and I like the pick of Shane Vereen. Really didn't like the pick of Stevan Ridley, probably my least favorite of day 2. I also was not a big fan of Ras-I Dowling, especially with similar and more durable Aaron Williams still on the board. Surprises and Thoughts
-I am really a big fan of Jonas Mouton but was really surprised to see him drafted in round 2. -Surprise players who are still available- RB Kendall Hunter, RB Jordan Todman, G/T Marcus Cannon, DT Christian Ballard, MLB Quan Sturdivant, LB Greg Jones and OLB Chris Carter. -Perfect fits- DT Stephen Paea with the Bears, CB DeMarcus Van Dyke with the Raiders and DT Drake Nevis with the Colts. .
Thurs April 28, 2011
Comments
Winners:
New Orleans Saints: They got really good value with both picks. Cameron Jordan and Mark Ingram will both be really good players.
Detroit Lions: Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh is a very intriguing DT pair.
Indianapolis Colts: They finally get a T to protect Peyton Manning.
New York Jets: Really good value for Muhammad Wilkerson and he fits that scheme perfectly. Losers
Carolina Panthers: It wasn't a surprise but I just don't like it. You can look at previous posts for the reason.
Kansas City Chiefs: I had Baldwin going to the Chiefs in the second round, which is where they could have gotten him. He is the most questionable first round pick this year.
Atlanta Falcons: I like the idea of getting a player like Julio Jones to help put you over the top but they gave up an awful lot for a guy that is injury prone and who at times suffers from drops. If you give up that much he better be flawless, and you better win.
New England Patriots: I am all for bringing in a lot of players to stir competition but I think that they are really going to regret trading out and not taking Mark Ingram. Surprises and Thoughts
-I really like Von Miller and Corey Liuget but I have to wonder if these teams are the best fits for their talents -I think that with the current situation in the NFL, teams that needed QBs really reached for them. -James Carpenter being drafted in the first round was a mild surprise but even more surprising was that Gabe Carimi was still available. -Still not a fan of the new draft format and I am sure that neither is Da'Quan Bowers. Now instead of being anxious for an extra hour or so, he gets to be anxious for an entire day and an hour or so.
Wed April 27, 2011
Comments
DE
Underrated: J.J. Watt, Wisconsin; Brooks Reed, Arizona Overrated: Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma Boom or Bust: Allen Bailey, Miami (Fla); Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson Sleeper: Greg Romeus, Pittsburgh; Sam Acho, Texas Undrafted Sleeper: Markell Carter, Central Arkansas; Marc Schiechl, Colorado School of Mines DT
Underrated: Terrell McClain, South Florida; Muhammad Wilkerson, Temple Overrated: Jarvis Jenkins, Clemson; Adrian Taylor, Oklahoma Boom or Bust: 1 Year Wonders: Nick Fairley, Auburn; Corey Liuget, Illinois; Marvin Austin, North Carolina Sleeper: Lawrence Guy, Arizona St; Kenrick Ellis, Hampton Undrafted Sleeper: Zach Clayton, Auburn; Kelvin Jackson, North Texas OLB
Underrated: Chris Carter, Fresno St; Bruce Carter, North Carolina Overrated: Justin Houston, Georgia; Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut Boom or Bust: Dontay Moch, Nevada; Mark Herzlich, Boston College Sleeper: Jonas Mouton, Michigan; D.J. Smith, Appalachian St Undrafted Sleeper: Travis Brisco, Urbana; Craig Robertson, North Texas MLB
Underrated: Greg Jones, Michigan St Overrated: Akeem Dent, Georgia Boom or Bust: Colin McCarthy, Miami (Fla) Sleeper: Chris White, Mississippi St Undrafted Sleeper: Orie Lemon, Oklahoma St CB
Underrated: Josh Thomas, Buffalo; Johnny Patrick, Louisville Overrated: Brandon Burton, Utah Boom or Bust: Jimmy Smith, Colorado; Ras-I Dowling, Virginia Sleeper: Buster Skrine, UT- Chattanooga; Cortez Allen, Citadel Undrafted Sleeper: Julian Posey, Ohio; Dante Barnes, Norfolk St S
Underrated: Jaiquawn Jarrett, Temple; Jerrard Tarrant, Georgia Tech Overrated: Quinton Carter, Oklahoma; Deunta Williams, North Carolina Boom or Bust: Robert Sands, West Virginia; Will Hill, Florida Sleeper: Mana Silva, Hawaii; Brian Lainhart, Kent St Undrafted Sleeper: Chris Adingupu, Prairie View A&M; Eugene Clifford, Tennessee St
Tues April 26, 2011
Comments
QB
Underrated: Christian Ponder, Florida St Overrated: Ricky Stanzi, Iowa Boom or Bust: Cam Newton, Auburn Sleeper: Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin Undrafted Sleeper: Ben Chappell, Indiana RB
Underrated: Delone Carter, Syracuse; Bilal Powell, Louisville Overrated: Roy Helu Jr., Nebraska; Anthony Allen, Georgia Tech Boom or Bust: Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech; Derrick Locke, Kentucky Sleeper: Taiwan Jones, Eastern Washington; Chad Spann, Northern Illinois Undrafted Sleeper: Armando Allen, Notre Dame; Allen Bradford, USC WR
Underrated: Tandon Doss, Indiana; Greg Little, North Carolina Overrated: Jerrel Jernigan, Troy; Terrence Toliver, LSU Boom or Bust: Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh; DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss Sleeper: Edmund Gates, Abilene Christian; Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa Undrafted Sleeper: Greg Ellingson, Florida International; Jesse Poku, Eastern New Mexico TE
Underrated: Allen Reisner, Iowa Overrated: none Boom or Bust: Weslye Saunders, South Carolina Sleeper: Julius Thomas, Portland St Undrafted Sleeper: Collin Franklin, Iowa St T
Underrated: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh; James Carpenter, Alabama Overrated: Joseph Barksdale, LSU; James Brewer, Indiana Boom or Bust: Nate Solder, Colorado; Tyron Smith, USC Sleeper: Kevin Hughes, SE Louisiana; Derek Newton, Arkansas St Undrafted Sleeper: Byron Stingily, Louisville; Byron Bell, New Mexico G
Underrated: John Moffitt, Wisconsin; Mike Berry, Auburn Overrated: Stephen Schilling, Michigan; Andrew Jackson, Fresno St Boom or Bust: none Sleeper: David Arkin, Missouri St; Will Rackley, Lehigh Undrafted Sleeper: Julian Vandervelde, Iowa; Maurice Hurt, Florida C
Underrated: Stefen Wisniewski, Penn St Overrated: Kevin Kowalski, Toledo Boom or Bust: Brandon Fusco, Slippery Rock Sleeper: Colin Baxter, Arizona Undrafted Sleeper: Taylor Boggs, Humboldt St
Thurs March 31, 2011
Comments
It is appearing more and more likely that the Panthers are going to draft a QB with the first overall pick in this year's NFL draft. I know that in today's game it is hard to pass up a QB if you have the top pick in the draft. Just look at recent history, since Peyton Manning was selected first overall in 1998, 10 out of 13 number one picks have been QBs. There is no guarantee that being first overall pick as a QB will lead to success. Included in that list of ten are Tim Couch, David Carr, Alex Smith and JeMarcus Russell. None of those guys were very productive. Also in that list are Matt Stafford who hasn't really done a whole lot yet due to not being able to stay healthy, so the jury is still out on him. Also on that list is Sam Bradford, who looks really promising, but it has only been one season. Michael Vick has had an up and down career due to his off the field issues. It is also important to note that none of those teams (with the jury still being out on the Rams and even the Lions) were elevated to a playoff type team. The Texans didn't improve to near that level until they swapped first round picks and traded two second round picks to the Falcons to get Matt Schaub. The Falcons eventually had to use a high draft pick to draft Matt Ryan. Out of the 10 QBs taken first overall only three have been solid to elite- Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Carson Palmer. So even though it is appealing to take a QB with the first overall pick, it hasn't work out very often. Here is where this organization is on a slippery slope. They just selected a QB high in the draft last year in Jimmy Clausen. It became obvious early on that Clausen was going to need some time to develop. There is not a single QB in this year's draft that is ready to step in and be the QB from day one. Both Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton have special raw skills but they both need a lot of developmental work before they can begin to contribute to a team. In an ideal world, they would both benefit from sitting and learning their first year. One would argue that maybe Clausen could be the starter this year and then there could be an open competition next year. In the NFL, you can really only have one developmental QB at a time. If you try to develop two guys at once then neither guy is going to get the full attention that he needs and the reality is that neither QB is going to fully develop. You have to make a decision and go all in on one guy. So if the Panthers select a QB with the first overall selection, Jimmy Clausen has to go. The trouble with that is that every team knows that Clausen is no longer the man and he hasn't showed any real success in the NFL yet. This means that the Panthers will have to sell at a discount. It is bad business to draft a player in the second round and then turn around and trade him a year later for a fifth or sixth round pick. They could hold onto Clausen and not invest any time in developing him but the reality is that down the road they will likely get no more than a fifth round pick for him in return. The other issue is that the Panthers are chasing high picks after high picks. They spent a second round pick on a QB last year and now might spend one on a first round pick, for a one player position. Investing all these high picks in one position means that they aren't investing picks in high caliber talent for other positions. This often catches up to organizations down the road. As they invest all their efforts in one position, the rest of the talent starts to deteriorate. I know that new head coaches like to get their own QB in place but that doesn't mean that that is always a good idea. A good coach should be able to take the talent available and move the organization in the right direction. The best way to do that, in my opinion, is to surround Clausen with talent and see if he can develop. I believe that the best option for the Panthers is A.J. Green. I believe that the second best option would be Marcell Dareus so that they could help shore up their defense, which is another way to try to help protect a young QB.
Fri March 25, 2011
Comments
Aaron Williams, Texas: Poor Decision. Aaron Williams was one of three CBs that played this past season for the Longhorns. Often lining up against the slot receiver, he might have improved his draft stock by returning to school and being the main man. Williams has good size and athleticism and might very well work himself into the first round but he could have returned and solidified that first round position. Brandon Harris, Miami (Fla): Decent Decision. It is kind of surprising that a Miami Hurricane would fly under the radar but that is kind of the situation with Harris. He is really athletic and plays at a high level. He looks like a first round talent but it seems like talent evaluators need time to study him more. In time he could move into a solid first round selection, which would make his decision to declare a good one. Brandon Burton, Utah: Poor Decision. Brandon Burton has made some pretty big play over the course of the season but he hasn't been consistent in his play and he has struggled some against top competition. He really struggled against Notre Dame's Michael Floyd and Boise St's Austin Pettis. While he has some buzz initially, I think it will damper during the evaluation process and Burton might end up being a mid round pick. Patrick Peterson, LSU: Good Decision. This decision was a no-brainer. Peterson is one of the top players in the draft if not the top one. There is no way to improve his stock from what it is now. Will Hill, Florida: Terrible Decision. Hill really didn't have that great of a season. He has had some buzz in the past but wasn't really impressive this year. I was really shocked that he came out early. Combine that with potential off the field concerns and Hill may slide to the latter rounds. Rahim Moore, UCLA: Decent Decision. Rahim Moore didn't have a real great season compared to the previous season. He didn't get his hands on a lot of balls and he missed a number of tackles. If he had returned to school he might have been able to solidify a first round grade with a good season. On the flip side though, Moore enters this draft and becomes the highest rated S which is hard for a S to pass up. It isn't often that a S gets drafted in the first round so it is possible that his draft stock wouldn't be much different. Robert Sands, West Virginia: Poor Decision. Physically, Robert Sands is kind of a freak. He is really tall for a DB but has good athleticism. The question is whether or not that translates into the NFL. I think that he would have been better off playing another year and then playing in an all-star game to prove he could do it. Right now there is some boom or bust to his projection which might cause him to slide a little on draft day. Tyler Sash, Iowa: Decent Decision. Initially I was kind of surprised that Sash declared for the draft but after analyzing it a little bit, it isn't a bad decision. Sash is a heady player who has a nose for the ball. He gets some help from his teammates which were mostly seniors. The Iowa defense will undergo a big overhaul. Playing with so many new players might affect his play, so it may be good for him to enter now. Jerrard Tarrant, Georgia Tech: Poor Decision. Jerrard Tarrant has some athletic ability but was really under the radar. He would be better served to return to school and put together another solid season to generate some buzz. If he would have returned to school and developed more as a S, it would have increased his stock. Javes Lewis, Oregon: Terrible Decision. This was one of the biggest head scratchers. Lewis lost his starting position before the season began. Instead of competing to get his position back or instead of at least transferring to another school to get more playing time, he enters the draft. Scouts like to see players compete, not sure if Lewis will get a shot or not.
Wed March 23, 2011
Comments
A while back I went to the Northern Illinois Pro Day. The main attraction was obviously RB Chad Spann, who attracted the attention of numerous pro scouts including Chargers GM A.J. Smith. Chad Spann wanted to "let everyone know that I am not a 4.6 guy". He did not disappoint. He ran between a 4.48 and 4.53, which was really good considering the conditions. Due to weather, the workout was moved into a local recreation center. What would be called "turf" was more like really old, worn out shag carpet. It was hardly the type of surface you would like to run on to impress pro scouts. Combine that with the fact that there wasn't a lot of length to the center which meant that about 20 yards (if that) after the end line of the forty was a brick wall for everyone to run into. Many players visibly pulled up near the end in preparation for the wall. Spann did not visibly pull up at the end of his runs but I don't know that I can visibly see a hundredth of a second pull up. So considering the conditions, it was a real good forty run for Chad Spann. He also looked really good in running drills and did a decent job in receiving drills. His workout supported my belief that he is more than worth a late round draft pick. Other players of note: Alex Kube ran a really good forty- somewhere in the 4.4s. He also did good in the other workout drills. He worked out with DBs (he is an undersized LB who is trying to show that he can play S as well as being a great special team player). In those drills he looked really stiff, like a LB trying to play DB but he did show good hands. Speaking of DBs, Chris Smith really struggled all day. He didn't run well, really struggled with the 3 cone and shuttle. He looked alright in DB drills and also caught the ball well. One other DB who had a decent workout was former NIU S David Bryant who spent this past season working on getting healthy. He posted respectable numbers for a big, physical S. Just a note, this pro day occurred right before the lockout.
Wed March 23, 2011
Comments
We are back!! Sorry for disappearing for a while. My computer died and our backup files were incomplete. Everything should be back to normal. Jurrell Casey, USC: Poor Decision. Jurrell Casey had a decent year but not a spectacular year. He also isn't someone who will dazzle people at the combine. He figures to be a second round pick at best. If he had gone back to school and had a better season, it could have helped his draft stock. Muhammad Wilkerson, Temple: Poor Decision. Muhammed Wilkerson comes into this process underrated. He is a little on the raw side and lacks some consistency. These things might keep him in the second round. If he would have come back to school and continued to develop he would be a sure fire first round pick. Lawrence Guy, Arizona St: Poor Decision. Lawrence Guy is a really good player who is a little under the radar. He had a pretty effective season despite battling injuries this past year. He isn't an elite pass rusher and hasn't gotten a lot of exposure. Arizona State's defense figures to be really good next year and he could have gotten more exposure if he had returned to school. He could have developed into a late first or second round pick as opposed to a third or fourth round pick. Corey Liuget, Illinois: Decent Decision. Corey Liuget comes in with a lot of buzz. He had a really good year and finished the year strong. There will be some questions about him being a one year wonder and there will be some concerns about whether he can keep the weight off. Right now he is a dominant player who is really athletic when he is in shape, which he is right now. Sealver Siligi, Utah: Terrible Decision. Unlike Liuget, Sealver Siligi comes in with no buzz. He had a decent year but really doesn't look more than a rotational guy. At this point he may or may not get drafted, maybe 50-50. Not exactly where you want to stand when you declare early. Nick Fairley, Auburn: Good Decision. Nick Fairley had a really dominant year and has the look of a top-10 player. There will be some questions about being a one year wonder but he is too talented to slide very far if at all. Zane Parr, Virginia: Poor Decision. Zane Parr has great size but lacks great explosiveness. He also didn't dominate on a consistent basis. He looks like a late round prospect or maybe even an undrafted free agent. Again, not exactly where you want to stand when you declare early. Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson: Good Decision. Da'Quan Bowers had a dominating season and has the look of a top-10 pick. Marcell Dareus, Alabama: Good Decision. At times throughout his career, Marcell Dareus has been dominant and has the look of a top-10 pick. He has had a successful career and has very little left to prove as a college football player. J.J. Watt, Wisconsin: Good Decision. Comes into this process a little underrated. He is really athletic for someone his size and 3-4 teams will probably drool over him. He is a complete player who affects the game in many ways; whether it is sacking the QB, stopping the run or blocking kicks. Aldon Smith, Missouri: Poor Decision. Aldon Smith will be a first round pick, so it is hard to argue against that but he was injured a good part of the season. He is still a little raw and doesn't have a ton of experience. If he would have returned to school and continued to develop, he could be a future top-10 pick. He is really athletic and will workout well and might be able to get near that spot but that might be considered a reach in this draft. Robert Quinn, North Carolina: No Decision. Robert Quinn didn't have any options. He had lost his college eligibility so he had to enter the draft. He is really athletic and will be a first round draft pick. The combine and his workouts will be key due to the fact that he didn't play this past season.
Fri Feb 11, 2011
Comments
Akeem Ayers, UCLA: Good Decision. Akeem Ayers had a very productive college career and is extremely athletic. He could have benefited some from returning to school and continuing to develop but the reality is that he figures to get drafted somewhere in the middle of round 1, which is about where he would get drafted if he returned to school. Thomas Keiser, Stanford: Bad Decision. Thomas Keiser entering the draft was definitely one of the surprises of the declaring period. While he does benefit from a weak LB class, it still wasn't a good decision to come out early. Keiser is a tweener, lacking the size for DE and lacking some athletic ability for OLB. He is stiff and really struggles to get back in coverage. He is a former DE so he could have benefited from going back to school to continue to learn the OLB position, or adding bulk to move back to the DE position. He looks more natural at DE but lacks the bulk needed to stay there. It is not a good idea to enter the draft early when there is uncertainty about what role you can play on the next level. While the weak LB class may help him get drafted, it still would have been better to return to school. Justin Houston, Georgia: Good Decision. Justin Houston is strictly a 3-4 OLB. Despite his lack of versatility it was a good decision to enter the draft. He had a great year and his stock is on the rise. The thing that is really in his favor is that teams are often looking for pass rushers off the corner and there are a number of 3-4 teams that need a passrushing OLB at the bottom of round one. This makes it highly unlikely that he will slide out of the first round. Going back to school would not increase his stock at all. They would continue to use him as they have been which means he would still be viewed as strictly a 3-4 OLB and he would lose some of his supporting staff to graduation which might lead to more attention from opposing teams next year. Martez Wilson, Illinois: Decent Decision. Martez Wilson rebounded well from his neck injury that caused him to miss most of the previous season. Wilson has a lot of versatility which will help him in the draft because he can fit any scheme and is therefore a consideration for every team. He could have returned to school and proved his durability and increased his notoriety. He is almost a little under the radar but with a productive combine and pro day he could possibly work his way into the first round. He would have lost some of his supporting staff up front if he had returned to school with Corey Liuget entering the draft and some other players graduating. He figures to be the top rated MLB and one of the top rated OLB in the draft which will likely see him getting drafted in the late first/early second area, which makes entering the draft a decent decision. Click here to see Linebacker rankings: OLB / MLB
Wed Feb 2, 2011
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Torrey Smith, Maryland: Decent Decision. Torrey Smith has good ability and had a productive season. He might have had a better season next year with another year to work with young QB Danny O'Brien but there was also uncertainty with a new coaching staff coming in. Randy Edsall ended up being the coach which probably would have worked out fine for Smith but he would have had to learn a new system. While his draft stock might have improved if he went back to school, it wouldn't have improved by much. Right now he figures in that late first, early second round area and might have ended up in that area next year as well. DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss: Bad Decision. A couple of years ago it looked like DeAndre Brown was going to be a stud but then he suffered that horrific broken leg in the New Orleans Bowl. Brown doesn't seem to be all the way back from that injury. He hasn't been as explosive or productive. He would have been much better served returning to school and proving that he is completely back from the injury. Making this even worse is the fact that he has often been criticized for his lack of effort and at times appears to be a little bit of a diva. These are issues that teams take very serious today. Brown believes that he can just show up to the combine and make everything better but the reality is that there is too much damage and the only way to fix it would have been to return to school and put in a solid season on and off the field. Tori Gurley, South Carolina: Bad Decision. Tori Gurley declaring for the draft really caught me by surprise. He is a decent prospect but doesn't have elite ability and he is missing a golden opportunity. Just about everyone on that offense is returning, including dominant WR Alshon Jeffery who is just getting better and better. This upcoming season teams are going to have to game plan for Jeffery all season which would have given Gurley an entire season of good matchups. Tandon Doss, Indiana: Good Decision. Tandon Doss declaring for the draft also caught me by surprise but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. This past season Indiana had one of the best QB and WR groups in college football, the problem was that they didn't have an offensive line that could block anyone. QB Ben Chappell stood in there and took a beating but made good throws despite getting hit play after play after play. Honestly I don't know if I have ever seen a football player take that big of a beating throughout a season. Well Chappell graduates and neither of the potential replacements are likely to stand in there, take a beating and make good throws. The front runner for the job, Edward Wright-Baker is a good athlete and is likely to run the ball a lot. Combine that with the fact that there is a new coaching staff and you can understand why Doss declared for the draft. The biggest issue for Doss is that he isn't well known across the country, but scouts know him and he is likely to go in the top half of the draft. Julio Jones, Alabama: Good Decision. Julio Jones entering the draft to me seemed like a no-brainer. He would have done well for himself if he would have stayed at Alabama but his QB is graduating and he seems like a lock in the first round. A.J. Green, Georgia: Good Decision. A.J. Green entering the draft was another no-brainer. He also could have done well for himself by returning to Georgia, especially with the continued development of their special QB Aaron Murray, but Green has an outside chance of being the top pick in the draft. He is certainly a top 5 prospect and even though WRs tend to slip on draft day, I find it highly unlikely that he will drop out of the top 10. Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh: Poor Decision. I know I might be in the minority here. Jon Baldwin has a lot of talent and raw ability and yes there was inconsistency at the QB position but he really didn't have that great of a year. For me, bigger than the lack of ideal production was his inconsistent effort and concentration. He catches your attention with some big, athletic plays but there isn't a single area of his game that you can say he consistently does a good job at. In his scouting report I will address those things more in depth. The reality is that there is a team that might roll the dice on talent but he would have been better served going back to Pittsburgh, even with the coaching changes, and being more consistent. Randall Cobb, Kentucky: Good Decision. We often talk about having only so many hits in you when we talk about RBs but Randall Cobb has been used like a RB throughout his college career. While he isn't really small, he isn't all that big. In addition to catching passes, he also returned kicks, ran a lot of reverses and played a lot in the wildcat. He has had the ball in his hands a lot and has taken a lot of hits. He has really good athletic ability and can help a team in many different ways which is why he is likely to get drafted in the top half of the draft. Combine all this with the fact that there will be a lot of turnover at the skill positions at Kentucky and you can see why it makes sense for Cobb to enter the draft. Darvin Adams, Auburn: Poor Decision. Darvin Adams served as Cam Newton's security blanket much of the season. Adams has good ability but isn't at that elite level. Cam Newton leaving probably helped Adams make the decision to leave which is understandable but Adams could have really benefited from coming back to Auburn. He could have really elevated his stock if he returned and got stronger and more consistent. Jamel Hamler, Fresno St: Bad Decision. The biggest surprise of the receiver group was Jamel Hamler. Hamler had a decent season and he does lose his QB to graduation but he would have been better served returning to Fresno St. He has decent ability but not elite ability. He put up decent numbers but not elite numbers in a conference of marginally talented CBs. Against the two best CBs he faced on their schedule, he was a non-factor. He has some ability but when you are debating whether or not you will get drafted; it would be better to return to school, put up solid numbers and get invited to an all-star game to prove your worth. Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame: Decent Decision. Kyle Rudolph's season was cut short by injury and while it is usually better to return to school and show that you have recovered, it makes sense for Rudolph to enter the draft. As long as he can prove that his recovery is going smoothly, he will be fine. There really isn't a solid all-around TE with no question marks in this draft. So even though Rudolph has injury concerns he still shoots to the top of the rankings. He figures to be in that late first to second round area which is probably where he would be even if he returned to Notre Dame for another year.
Fri Jan 28, 2011
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Jordan Todman, Connecticut: Good Decision. Jordan Todman has been a productive workhorse throughout his college career. RBs have a limited number of carries in them so it tends to make sense when solid college RBs who have had a lot of carries declare early for the draft. Todman definitely falls into that category. He is a talented RB who figures to be a lock in the top half of the draft. He also loses a couple of offensive linemen that were key for the running game. Shane Vereen, California: Good Decision. Much like Todman, Shane Vereen was the main ballcarrier for California. He also looks like he could be a lock in the top half of the draft. Vereen has good size and athleticism but has taken his fair share of hits because he has carried the ball a lot and doesn't always avoid contact. Darren Evans, Virginia Tech: Bad Decision. Darren Evans played this season after missing the past year due to injury. There is a good chance that he will be better next year than he was the past year due to the surgery being another year behind him. Evans was the first Virginia Tech RB to declare but there was the general feeling that Ryan Williams was going to enter the draft which would have allowed Evans to be the main RB or at least share carries with David Wilson. In either case he would have had the opportunity to increase his draft stock, especially if he regains some of the explosiveness he lost due to the injury. Mark Ingram, Alabama: Good Decision. This past year might not have gone as Mark Ingram expected but it still makes sense to enter the draft early. Ingram has shown special ability and has carried the ball a lot and because he is a physical back, he has taken a lot of hits. He figures to get drafted in the first round so it makes sense to leave early. John Clay, Wisconsin: Good Decision. John Clay is a big back who has carried the ball a lot throughout his college career. He is a big, physical back who has a somewhat upright style which has left him exposed to a lot of hits. In addition to this he loses a couple key offensive linemen and Wisconsin is loaded at RB. With James White and Montee Ball, Clay was sharing a lot of carries this past year which stole away some of his effectiveness because he tends to get better with more carries. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech: Poor Decision. Ryan Williams struggled through this past season due to injuries. There were flashes of brilliance but overall it was a disappointing season for Williams. His teammate Darren Evans had already declared for the draft before he made his decision. He knew that he could return and be the main guy but bypassed that opportunity. It would have helped his stock tremendously if he would have been able to come back healthy and have a productive year. Jamie Harper, Clemson: Bad Decision. Jamie Harper split carries this past season with Andre Ellington. I was surprised that Harper declared. He has split carries throughout his career and while he has been a solid RB, he hasn't been elite. With all these underclassmen entering the draft early it has really made this a somewhat deep RB class, especially in the second tier area. While being at the top of the second tier could put you in the second or third round area, if you fall to the end of the second tier you could find yourself going in the sixth round. Compared to everyone else in the second tier, Harper has a lot less carries. He would have benefited from going back to school and gaining more experience. Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh: Poor Decision. Dion Lewis didn't have the type of year that he had hoped for after exploding onto the scene the previous season. While some of that can be attributed to losing your QB and your three interior linemen to graduation, there is still going to be that stigma of being a one year wonder. If you combine that stigma with lacking ideal size Lewis may take a hit on draft day. He would have been better served returning and proving beyond a doubt that he wasn't a one year wonder. While he did finish the season strong and there was uncertainty about the coaching staff, he would have benefited from another year. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon St: Good Decision. I really thought that with his brother James coming back, that Jacquizz would stay in school so that they could play together one more year. I understand the decision to enter the draft early though. Jacquizz has been the workhorse at Oregon St and while he is strong, he is undersized. He didn't have as good of a year as he had hoped for but much of that can be attributed to the fact that teams really loaded up the line of scrimmage after James Rogers went out with his injury because Oregon St no longer had a deep threat to keep teams even. He still showed the quickness and toughness that makes him a good RB. The biggest issue is his size but it isn't like he is going to grow a lot over next year, so considering his wear and tear it makes sense for him to enter the draft. Mikel Leshoure, Illinois: Good Decision. Mikel Leshoure has really finished the season with a lot of buzz. He put up huge numbers on the bottom half of the schedule and he really has the look and skills that NFL teams like today. He is a big and physical runner, so he takes a number of hits. He looks like he will end up in the first to second round area so it makes sense for him to enter the draft early. Stevan Ridley, LSU: Bad Decision. Stevan Ridley is a bigger back that wasn't real known before this season. This season he carried the ball a lot but didn't really put up huge numbers, rushing for over 100 yds only a handful of times. I was really surprised that he decided to declare. Also not working in his favor is that he doesn't look like he will be able to create a lot of buzz at the combine. To me he looks like he might be in that second tier but on the back end of that tier. He could have really benefited from going back to school and trying to improve his numbers which would have seemed likely due to the fact that almost everyone on that offense will be back next year. Taiwan Jones, Eastern Washington: Poor Decision. Usually the NFL Draft Advisory Committee is really conservative with their draft projections which is why I was really surprised that Taiwan Jones got a second to third round projection. He has been their workhorse for a couple years now but there are some serious questions about his game. There are questions about the level of competition (which I will address more in his scouting report) and there are questions about whether he can run between the tackles or if he is able to pass protect. The Senior Bowl is tailor-made for a prospect like Taiwan Jones. At the Senior Bowl he could answer those questions on the field and he would have gotten an invite for the Senior Bowl. As it stands now, it is all a projection and he is in that deep second tier. It is likely that teams that run zone blocking schemes may be high on him but it would have been better to go back to school (especially with almost everyone coming back on offense) and go to the Senior Bowl to solidify his stock. Henry Hynoski, Pittsburgh: Poor Decision. I know that a number of players were unhappy with the forcing out of Dave Wannstedt and that there was uncertainty about who the new coach would be but leaving early was not the best move for Henry Hynoski. The main issue is that this draft has a lot of talented FBs and there aren't a lot of teams that utilize a FB these days. Hynoski is a talented player and in most years he would have been the first FB taken; as a matter of fact if he had returned to school he would have likely been the first FB in next year's draft. This draft includes Stanley Havili and Owen Marecic, so Hynoski would have probably fared better if he would have returned for his senior year. I know there is a new coaching staff but Todd Graham is a creative coach who would have found a way to utilize Hynoski just like he did with Charles Clay. To check out complete RB and FB rankings click here.
Mon Jan 24, 2011
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Tyron Smith, USC: Bad Decision. Tyron Smith might very well skyrocket up the draft board because he possesses really good athletic ability but it is also just as likely that he may end up getting stuck in the late first, early second round area. While he has good athletic ability and potential, he really lacks bulk. He could have benefited from going back to school to try to add another year of bulk. He reminds me some of William Beatty coming out of college. He has talent but with his lack of bulk teams will wonder if he won't be able to contribute right away, which could negatively affect his draft stock. Nick Claytor, Georgia Tech: Terrible Decision. When I heard that an option offense tackle declared early for the draft I thought it was a joke. This is by far the worst decision amongst those that declared. This was a bad decision in so many ways. First off, he wasn't even a starter for the entire season so there is less than a year of experience to assess. Second, the skill set for the option attack is much different from the skill set for the NFL. The option requires tackles to be quick and to be able to run. Claytor fits this mold and lacks the bulk required for the NFL in addition to not having experience in things like pass protection. Claytor could have really benefited from returning to school and maybe trying to put on some more bulk, but most important would be getting more experience and then having the opportunity to go to an all-star game where he could work on the skills needed and have the opportunity to show everyone that he can play in an NFL system. By declaring early, he doesn't get this opportunity.
Sat Jan 22, 2011
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It is that time of the year when we look at whether or not it was a good or bad decision to enter the draft early. Here is also our yearly disclaimer: Our decisions are based solely on football analysis. We can not fully understand outside factors that individuals may be considering when making this decision like family situations or money issues. As we give our analysis for a group of positions we will also be updating the positional ranking for that position to include the underclassmen. Here are our good decision/bad decision analysis for QBs. Blaine Gabbert, Missouri: Bad Decision. This decision has looked better over time but remember that this decision was made back when everyone and their brother thought that Andrew Luck would enter the draft. Gabbert has a lot of tools but could have used some more experience. With that being said he would likely be a first round pick no matter who entered the draft early due to his potential. As a college football fan it would have been nice to see him return because I believe that Missouri would have had the talent to challenge for a National Championship but now with Gabbert and Aldon Smith leaving that seems very unlikely. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas: Good Decision. Unlike Gabbert, Mallet made his decision after Andrew Luck made his announcement. Mallett has tremendous potential and will surely put on a clinic during the combine and at his pro day. When watching him on film, there are some major things that he will need to improve upon like his accuracy and his ability to make plays with people in his face but he has a special arm and can make any throw. He is also older than most junior QBs because he had to sit out a year due to transferring. He could easily go in round 1 but it will all be up to who individual coaches like because there are a bunch of closely rated QBs who all bring something a little different to the table. Cam Newton, Auburn: No Decision. Cam Newton didn't really have a choice with the NCAA hot on his trail. This is unfortunate because he could have really used another year of experience. So he goes into the NFL with really only one year of experience and he played in a system that didn't require him to make a lot of "NFL" type throws. He is blessed with a ton of ability and potential. He can really make things happen with his feet and has a decent arm with decent accuracy. In my opinion he is a more talented Vince Young. He could have really used another year of experience but at least he got to leave with a National Championship and a Heisman. To check out complete QB rankings click here.
Wed Jan 19, 2011
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Players that caught my eye: RBs: Anthony Stewart, Central Missouri; Baylen Laury, SE Oklahoma WRs: Terrance Moore, California (PA); Jessie Poku, Eastern New Mexico; L.J. Castille, Delta St C: Taylor Boggs, Humboldt St DL: Marc Schiechl, Colorado School of Mines; Steve Wesley, North Alabama; Mike Price, WV Wesleyan The unquestioned player of the game was Marc Schiechl who was unblockable off the edge. He gave Cameron Bradfield of Grand Valley St fits and he is one of the better Tackles in Division II. Despite lacking size he played with good leverage and had too much speed for anyone to handle.
Mon Jan 10, 2011
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BCS National Championship Game: Oregon vs. Auburn 8:30 PM ET ESPN
The BCS got it right. This is the matchup we have been looking forward to for half the season. This figures to be an exciting high scoring affair so buckle your seatbelts. There isn't a faster, more dynamic offense in the country than Oregon. I know they are second in time between plays but the reality is that Oregon has been involved in a lot of blowouts where they slowed down and milked the clock in the fourth quarter. They are really the fastest operating team and they are fast during the play. They are led by super quick sophomore RB LaMichael James and dual threat sophomore QB Darron Thomas. To keep James fresh they will rotate in sophomore RB Kenjon Barner who also has good speed. WR Jeff Maehl leads the receiving corp but look for WR D.J. Davis to get some looks because at times the Auburn defense has struggled with big, physical WRs. The only concern for the Oregon offense is stopping themselves. Their offense is a hurry up, timing type offense which could be out of sync early in the game due to the layoff. This happened last year in the Rose Bowl against Ohio St when the offense just wasn't clicking. Auburn's defense is led by junior DT Nick Fairley. Fairley will need to be a disruptive force. In the three games that the Oregon offense "struggled" all three teams had a disruptive DT the affected the timing of the offense- Arizona St with Lawrence Guy, California with Derrick Hill and Oregon St with Stephen Paea. While the Auburn defense doesn't have the team speed of Arizona St or California, it does have the speed of Oregon St. The Auburn LBs are going to play a big role in determining the outcome of this game. Auburn has really struggled with RBs out of the backfield and with really fast and athletic players. If LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner catch a lot of balls in the open field, Auburn might be in trouble. While the Auburn defense has struggled at times, the team has been carried by Heisman Trophy winner junior QB Cam Newton. He has literally been unstoppable this season. He has been extremely dangerous running and throwing the ball. The Auburn offense also has some speed with freshman RB Michael Dyer, sophomore RB Onterio McCalebb and WR Terrell Zachery. The Oregon defense has shut down some teams during the year but none of those teams had very good offenses. In games against good offenses they have given up points. Auburn has a number of size advantages, the offensive line has more bulk than the Oregon defensive line and the Auburn WRs have more height than the Oregon DBs. The key for the Oregon defense, and it hasn't been accomplished at all this year, is to slow down Cam Newton. The teams that Auburn has "struggled" to score against the most are teams that have a defensive lineman that attracts some attention and a solid tackling MLB or bigger S who can spy Cam Newton. This is true in every game except Georgia- Mississippi St, Clemson, LSU and Alabama. While Oregon's defense is not as good as any of these teams, they aren't too far from the model. Look for MLB Casey Matthews to spy Newton. The key of this game could very well be underrated DT Brandon Bair. Bair lacks bulk but he is really strong and hard to move. In addition to that he is fairly active and has a big wingspan. If Oregon can keep Cam Newton in the pocket, Bair might be able to use his long wingspan to get an arm on Newton to slow him up when he takes off to run which might give some of his teammates time to close in on him. The other key of the game might be the plus/minus of Oregon sophomore CB Cliff Harris. Harris is aggressive and likes to gamble. He will gamble and lose and he will gamble and win and he is a dynamic return specialist who can take it the distance at any time. The question will be whether he ends up positive or negative in his big plays. These games are usually determined by who isn't as rusty after such a long layoff. Hopefully both teams come out sharp because this figures to be an exciting game. Auburn has had a tendency to dig themselves a little hole and let Cam Newton help dig them out. They can't afford to do that against Oregon because they may never be able to catch up with how well Oregon can score. Early in the season I believed that Oregon was the best team in the country and nothing has changed my mind on that. I think that Auburn is going to have trouble with LaMichael James out of the backfield and that they don't quite have the firepower to stick with Oregon, but it figures to be a close high scoring game for the ages. I would like to take a second to address a misnomer. There is the belief that the PAC 10 doesn't play defense and therefore the Oregon numbers are inflated. This is false, the PAC 10 does play defense and here are some thing to consider. In the bowl games, Stanford gave up 12 points to Virginia Tech which was Virginia Tech's lowest point total of the season. Washington gave up 7 points to Nebraska, which was their second lowest point total. Arizona gave up 36 to Oklahoma St but that was the 4th lowest point total for Oklahoma St on the season. During the regular season, Oregon gave up 13 points to Tennessee which was the second lowest point total. Notre Dame's lowest point total came against Stanford and their third lowest point total came against USC. Teams that didn't even make a bowl game- Arizona St gave up the lowest total that Wisconsin had scored up until the Rose Bowl game against TCU. TCU's 3rd lowest total points came against Oregon St and the lowest point total for the season for both Texas and Houston came against UCLA. While the Oregon defense isn't close to the best in the PAC 10, it is important to note that the PAC 10 does play defense and the point totals that Oregon puts up game to game is impressive and legitimate. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Oregon: WR Jeff Maehl #23 WR D.J. Davis #10 LT Bo Thran #69 RG C.E. Kaiser #68 C Jordan Holmes #54 DE Kenny Rowe #58 DT Brandon Bair #88 DT Zac Clark #99 WLB Spencer Paysinger #35 MLB Casey Matthews #55 CB Talmadge Jackson III #37
Auburn: RB Mario Fannin #27 WR Terrell Zachery #81 WR Kodi Burns #18 LT Lee Ziemba #73 LG Mike Berry #66 RG Byron Isom #57 C Ryan Pugh #50 DE Antoine Carter #45 DE Michael Goggans #49 DT Zach Clayton #98 DT Mike Blanc #93 OLB Craig Stevens #46 MLB Josh Bynes #17 CB Demond Washington #14 S Zac Etheridge #4 K Wes Byrum #18 P Ryan Shoemaker #17
Sun Jan 9, 2011
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Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Nevada vs. Boston College 9:00 PM ET ESPN
Boston College rides a five game winning streak into the game against underappreciated Nevada. This matchup will feature strength against strength- Nevada's rushing offense against the Boston College rush defense. Nevada is led by the two headed monster of QB Colin Kaepernick and RB Vai Taua. They will often run behind massive G John Bender who presents a little size mismatch. Sophomore MLB Luke Kuechly will work on clogging the middle while also trying to contain Kaepernick. One special treat in this game will be watching the final college game of SLB Mark Herzlich who has been recovering from cancer. He has an interesting matchup against TE Virgil Green who is one of the main receiving threats in addition to junior WR Rishard Matthews. Boston College will also rely heavily on the run with junior RB Montel Harris. He is likely to run a lot behind their massive G Thomas Claiborne who also presents a size mismatch up front. Boston College relies on the run because their QB play has been inconsistent. A really good matchup to watch will be LT Anthony Castonzo when he is lined up against DE Dontay Moch. Moch has tremendous speed off the corner but is also a little undersized for the DL. These teams are very similar except for the QB position. Nevada has one of the best players in college football this past year in Colin Kaepernick which gives them the edge in this game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Nevada: QB Colin Kaepernick #10 RB Vai Taua #34 WR Malcolm Shepherd #19 TE Virgil Green #85 T Jose Acuna #79 G John Bender #62 DE Dontay Moch #55 DE/LS Ryan Coulson #58 WLB Kevin Grimes #31 CB Doyle Miller #6 K Ricky Drake #46 P Brad Langley #48
Boston College: FB James McCluskey #36 WR Ifeanyi Momah #3 LT Anthony Castonzo #74 RG Thomas Claiborne #78 DE Brad Newman #47 DE Alex Albright #98 DT Damik Scafe #55 SLB Mark Herzlich #94 LB Mike Morrissey #53 CB Chris Fox #25
Sat Jan 8, 2011
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Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky 12:00 PM ET ESPN
This game seems like a shell of itself. Kentucky will be without senior QB Mike Hartline due to suspension. Pittsburgh is in a state of chaos. Head coach Dave Wannstedt was forced to resign and decided not to coach the team in the bowl game. Pittsburgh hired a new coach who was then promptly fired and currently do not have a coach for the future. Two other coaches left to go coach at Rutgers. Pittsburgh's star player, senior DE Jabaal Sheard will not play due to having surgery on his elbow for an injury that is rumored to not really be significant enough to miss a game. They will also be without a starting DT due to injury. There are some players left. The most exciting being Kentucky junior WR Randall Cobb who is bound to get the workload with Hartline out. Cobb can make plays from everywhere on the field- at WR, in the return game or from the wildcat. This game will feature explosive undersized RBs in Kentucky RB Derrick Locke and Pittsburgh sophomore RBs Dion Lewis and Ray Graham. Pittsburgh will try to pound the ball behind big junior FB Henry Hynoski. It will be interesting to watch the big FB battle with leading tackler and undersized junior LB Danny Trevathan. Kentucky has been fairly good against the pass but will be tested by junior WR Jon Baldwin. Pittsburgh has a lot of talented players but have not played real well. It has been a really disappointing season for them. You combine the fact that Baldwin, Lewis and Hynoski are all seriously considering leaving school early for the draft with all the craziness that has gone on there this year and you have to wonder if the players have checked out already. With this in mind, Kentucky gets the edge in this game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Pittsburgh: LT Jason Pinkston #77 C Alex Karabin #61 CB Ricky Gary #26 SS Dom DeCicco #31 K/P Dan Hutchins #30
Kentucky: RB Derrick Locke #20 FB Moncell Allen #30 WR Chris Matthews #8 RT Brad Durham #75 DE DeQuin Evans #55 DT Ricky Lumpkin #53 DT Shane McCord #92 LS J.J. Helton #65
Fri Jan 7, 2011
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Cotton Bowl: LSU vs. Texas A&M 8:00 PM ET FOX
This is a pretty even matchup. Texas A&M ended the regular season as one of the hottest teams in college football. In fact, they have not lost since they have inserted junior QB Ryan Tannehill into the starting lineup for Jerrod Johnson who never fully recovered from offseason surgery. The Aggies rely on a strong running game with junior RB Cyrus Gray carrying the load. They will need to run the ball well because LSU is very good against the pass. They have one of the best CBs in junior Patrick Peterson who is sure to matchup against Tannehill's favorite target, junior WR Jeff Fuller. C Matt Allen and his mates will need to do a good job of controlling the middle of the LSU defense that is led by DT Drake Nevis and MLB Kelvin Sheppard. LSU's offense relies heavily on junior RB Stevan Ridley. He will need to have a monster game because the LSU passing game has been really inconsistent throughout the year. Complicating matters for LSU is that they will have to find a way to slow down OLB Von Miller. LSU doesn't really have anyone who is capable of stopping him on his own, the thing to watch will be whether Miller can contain and bring down junior QB Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson is big and can run with the ball and Texas A&M struggled some against Robert Griffin III although Jefferson is not nearly as good as Griffin is. This figures to be a close game and I give the Aggies the edge because they are a more balanced team and I don't have a lot of confidence in Jefferson making the big throws he will need to make in order for LSU to win the game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
LSU: RB Richard Murphy #18 WR Terrence Toliver #80 LT Joseph Barksdale #78 DT Drake Nevis #92 DT Lazarius Levingston #95 MLB Kelvin Sheppard #11 S Jai Eugene #4 K Josh Jasper #30 P Derek Helton #38
Texas A&M: QB Jerrod Johnson #1 WR Terrence McCoy #11 C Matt Allen #70 DE Lucas Patterson #77 OLB Von Miller #40 ILB Michael Hodges #37
Thurs Jan 6, 2011
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GoDaddy.com Bowl: Middle Tennessee St vs. Miami (OH) 8:00 PM ET ESPN
Middle Tennessee St has been a tough team to figure out this year. They have good talent but have struggled to perform at the level they are capable of playing at. In some aspects, this team goes as QB Dwight Dasher goes. He missed the beginning of the season due to suspension and has been nicked up during the season. He has been inconsistent throughout the season but maybe with the time off he is more healthy. Dasher really makes things happen with his feet, so watch undersized but talented junior MLB Jerrell Wedge spy him. In order for Middle Tennessee St to have a chance of winning this game they will need a good and productive game from Dasher, especially with how well the Miami defense has played against the run at the end of the season. On the other side of the ball, Miami (OH) is led by WR Armand Robinson who could pose problems for the Blue Raiders secondary, who is a little undersized. The Blue Raiders will try to counter with DE Jamari Lattimore who has a lot of quickness off the edge and will give the RedHawks trouble in pass protection. Look for Miami to pound the ball with RB Thomas Merriweather, Middle Tennessee St's defense is a little undersized and has struggled some against teams that are willing to run the ball. Miami has played really well this season and figures to win this game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Middle Tennessee St: QB Dwight Dasher #9 RB Phillip Tanner #21 WR Garrett Andrews #80 RT Mark Fisher #74 DE Jamari Lattimore #11 DE Emmanuel Perez #91 DT Dwight Smith #47 DT Jarrett Crittenton #45 MLB Antwan Davis #52 CB Rod Issac #6 FS Jeremy Kellem #20 SS Kevin Brown #33
Miami (OH): RB Thomas Merriweather #34 WR Armand Robinson #11 RG Nate Williams #70 CB Brandon Stephens #24 SS Jordan Gafford #22 K Trevor Cook #19
Tues Jan 4, 2011
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Sugar Bowl: Ohio St vs. Arkansas 8:30 PM ET ESPN
This is an interesting matchup and I have honestly gone back and forth on this one. This game will feature strength on strength, the high powered Arkansas offense against the good, veteran Ohio St defense. Arkansas junior QB Ryan Mallett will try to get the ball to his favorite targets, junior WR Joe Adams and senior TE D.J. Williams. Adams figures to draw coverage from CB Chimdi Chekwa which will be a really good matchup. Arkansas shows good balance on offense with sophomore RB Knile Davis running behind a huge offensive line. One good mathcup in the trenches will be LT DeMarcus Love against DE Cameron Heyward. Arkansas figures to put up some points so the key to the game will be the Ohio St offense and more particularly the play of junior QB Terrelle Pryor. If Pryor can throw the ball well enough to keep the Arkansas defense honest, then Ohio St will be in good shape. This game can go either way but Ohio St has a veteran group who has been to BCS games before while Arkansas has not and I believe that Terrelle Pryor will play well enough for the Buckeyes to win. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Ohio St: RB Brandon Saine #3 WR Dane Sanzenbacher #12 LG Justin Boren #65 RG Bryant Browning #70 DE Cameron Heyward #97 DT Dexter Larimore #72 WLB Ross Homan #51 MLB Brian Rolle #36 CB Chimdi Chekwa #5 CB Devon Torrence #1 FS Jermale Hines #7 FS Aaron Gant #8 K Devin Barclay #23 LS Jake McQuaide #96
Arkansas: FB Van Stumon #44 TE D.J. Williams #45 TE Ben Cleveland #86 LT DeMarcus Love #65 RT Ray Dominguez #73 LG Wade Grayson #71 DE Damario Ambrose #58 OLB Anthony Leon #1 S Rudell Crim #4 K Alex Tejada #2 LS Rhett Richardson #59
Mon Jan 3, 2011
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Orange Bowl: Stanford vs. Virginia Tech 8:30 PM ET ESPN
Stanford is the best one loss team in the country and Virginia Tech hasn't lost since the second week of the season. This game will be a fun matchup. The Stanford offense has a deep playbook and likes to run out of a bunch of formations. The Virginia Tech defense likes to be aggressive while keeping opponents guessing. It will be a fun to watch sophomore QB Andrew Luck try to beat Bud Foster and his defense. Stanford has a really good balanced attack that features underrated sophomore RB Stepfan Taylor. The Stanford offensive line is physical and good. The key matchup in the trenches will be C Chase Beeler against DT John Graves. When motivated Graves has been really good but he hasn't always played real hard. They will need a good effort from him to help slow down the running attack so that they don't have to commit DBs to the line of scrimmage to stop the run. The Stanford receiving corp is average. The things that makes this passing game go is Andrew Luck's decision making and his ability to make perfect throws to receivers even when they are covered. Stanford will benefit from getting junior WR Chris Owusu back who gives them a deep threat. The Virginia Tech offense features one of the most improved player in football in QB Tyrod Taylor. He has really improved throwing the ball but his ability to run might be a big key in this game. Virginia Tech's running game lacks depth with sophomore RB Ryan Williams not 100% and fellow sophomore RB David Wilson being out for the first quarter because of discipline reasons. One of the most important matchups in this game may be Virginia Tech C Beau Warren against Stanford NT Sione Fua. Warren is a little undersized but is crafty. Fua is really powerful. If Virginia Tech struggles with Fua they may really struggle. One interesting thing to note in this matchup is in looking at each team's loss during the season. Stanford lost to Oregon who features a QB who is similar to Tyrod Taylor with his ability to run. Stanford really struggled to stop Oregon QB Darron Thomas and may struggle with Taylor. The only good passing attack that Virginia Tech faced was Boise St. I am a big believer in Stanford and believe that Andrew Luck and the balanced offensive attack will be too much for Virginia Tech. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Stanford: FB/ILB Owen Marecic #48 WR Ryan Whalen #8 WR Doug Baldwin #89 TE Konrad Reuland #88 RT Derek Hall #53 LG Anthony Phillips #71 C Chase Beeler #72 DE Brian Bulcke #95 DT Sione Fua #92 CB Richard Sherman #9 K Nate Whitaker #39 LS Zach Nolan #56
Virginia Tech: QB Tyrod Taylor #5 RB Kenny Younger #31 TE Andre Smith #88 C Beau Warren #60 DE Steven Friday #82 DT John Graves #91 CB Rashad Carmichael #21 SS Davon Morgan #2 K Chris Hazley #97 P Brain Saunders #30
Sat Jan 1, 2011
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TicketCity Bowl: Northwestern vs. Texas Tech 12:00 PM ET ESPNU
Northwestern is not the same team without junior QB Dan Persa and they will be without him again for the bowl game. Northwestern will try to get the ball to junior WR Jeremy Ebert, especially with a lack of depth at the RB position. Texas Tech QB Taylor Potts likes to throw the ball around, especially to senior WRs Lyle Leong and Detron Lewis but the key to this game might be RB Baron Batch. Northwestern has given up a ton of yards on the ground this season. With no Dan Persa, Texas Tech is the favorite in this game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Northwestern: WR Sidney Stewart #5 RG Keegan Grant #63 DT Corbin Bryant #98 OLB Quentin Davie #41 MLB Nate Williams #44 CB Justan Vaughn #26 K Stefan Demos #1 LS John Henry Pace #58
Texas Tech: QB Taylor Potts #12 QB Steven Sheffield #1 RB Baron Batch #25 WR Detron Lewis #17 WR Lyle Leong #19 DT Colby Whitlock #93 WLB Bront Bird #20 MLB Brian Duncan #57 CB LaRon Moore #28 S Franklin Mitchem #26
Outback Bowl: Florida vs. Penn St 1:00 PM ET ABC
This will be Urban Meyer's final game and you never know how many more seasons Joe Paterno has left. Both teams have great coaches, both teams had 7-5 records and both teams had uncertainty at the QB position through the season. Penn St will focus on running the ball with RB Evan Royster who will follow G Stefen Wisniewski. Florida has had some trouble with teams that are able to run the ball. It might be an even bigger challenge if senior DTs Lawrence Marsh and Terron Sanders are unable to play. In addition to that, the Gators will also be without their top CB, junior Janoris Jenkins and might be without defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Penn St has also had some trouble stopping the run during the season. Look for freshman QB Trey Burton and their bundle of RBs to run behind their large OL. The Florida OL is huge and talented but have been really inconsistent. They might also miss G Maurice Hurt who has been one of their more consistent blockers. With all the off the field issues and all the players who may miss the game, combined with the fact that Penn St often plays really well in bowl games gives Penn St the advantage. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Florida: RB Emmanuel Moody #21 WR Carl Moore #9 T Marcus Gilbert #76 G Maurice Hurt #74 G Carl Johnson #57 C Mike Pouncey #55 DE Justin Trattou #94 DE Duke Lemmens #44 DT Lawrence Marsh #90 DT Terron Sanders #92 LB Brandon Hicks #40 LB A.J. Jones #16 S Ahmad Black #35 P Chas Henry #17
Penn St: RB Evan Royster #22 WR Brett Brackett #83 RG Stefen Wisniewski #61 C Doug Klopacz #68 DT Ollie Ogbu #85 OLB Bani Gbadyu #15 MLB Chris Colasanti #48 K Collin Wagner #36
Capital One Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan St 1:00 PM ET ESPN
This is one game I am excited about. This is a good matchup and has some really good one on one matchups as well. The key to this game might come down to QB play. Both teams have really good defenses and are solid against the run. Both coaches are good defensive minds and will likely have good game plans to stop the other team. The best matchup in this game will be Alabama junior RB Mark Ingram and sophomore RB Trent Richardson against Michigan St MLB Greg Jones. The RBs are really good but Michigan St has shut down some power running attacks during the season. On the outside Alabama junior WR Julio Jones will likely be matched up against CB Chris L. Rucker. Rucker is very physical and will not back down to Jones. Michigan St also has a good running attack with their 3 headed monster in the backfield. They will look to try to get some yards against the likes of junior DE Marcell Dareus. Michigan St will miss junior WR B.J. Cunningham but Alabama will also miss junior SS Mark Barron. Michigan St might have the edge on special teams, especially with junior kick returner Keshawn Martin. This will be a really close game but like I mentioned before it might very well come down to QB play. I think that Michigan St might have a hard time pressuring the QB, which will give Greg McElroy more time to find his receivers downfield; giving the edge to Alabama. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Alabama: QB Greg McElroy #12 TE Preston Dial #85 LT James Carpenter #77 DE Luther Davis #96 SLB Chavis Williams #55
Michigan St: FB Nick Bendzuck #42 WR Mark Dell #2 TE Charlie Gantt #83 LT D.J. Young #59 RT J'Michael Deane #77 C John Stipek #66 DE Colin Neely #89 SLB Eric Gordon #43 WLB Jon Misch #36 MLB Greg Jones #53 CB Chris L. Rucker #29 SS Marcus Hyde #11 P Aaron Bates #18 LS Alex Shackleton #56
Gator Bowl: Mississippi St vs. Michigan 1:30 PM ET ESPN2
Michigan has one of the most exciting players in college football in sophomore QB Denard Robinson. As Robinson goes, so goes Michigan. Mississippi St has a really good defense and has experience against explosive QBs. They held Auburn QB Cam Newton to his worst yards per carry total of the season. DE Pernell McPhee, MLB Chris White and OLB K.J. Wright will try to contain Robinson. On the other side of the ball, Mississippi St will try to control the ball with junior RB Vick Ballard. The Michigan run defense has been really poor and Mississippi St figures to run behind talented LT Derek Sherrod quite often. Mississippi St should be able to contain Denard Robinson and come away with the victory. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Mississippi St: FB Patrick Hanrahan #35 TE Brandon Henderson #85 LT Derek Sherrod #79 C J.C. Brignone #70 DE Pernell McPhee #90 OLB K.J. Wright #34 OLB Emmanuel Gatling #48 MLB Chris White #50 K Sean Brauchle #37 P Heath Hutchins #38 LS Aaron Feld #46
Michigan: TE Martell Webb #80 LG Stephen Schilling #52 DE Greg Banks #92 WLB Jonas Mouton #8 MLB Obi Ezeh #45 CB James Rogers #18
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. TCU 5:000 PM ET ESPN
TCU is a really good team but this is really not a good matchup for them. The TCU defense has played really well all season led by DE Wayne Daniels and sophomore MLB Tanner Brock, but they have not seen an offense as physical as Wisconsin. Wisconsin will try to hold onto the ball and run behind their big OL led by LT Gabe Carimi and LG John Moffitt. Carimi against Daniels will be a really good matchup to watch. On the other side of the ball, TCU will have to find a way to contain junior DE J.J. Watt. If TCU can buy some time to throw the ball they might get a huge day from WR Jeremy Kerley. Kerley could also affect the game on special teams as a return specialist. Wisconsin has struggled at times covering kicks. This will be a fun game but in the end I think that Wisconsin will milk the time of possession and keep the high powered TCU offense out of synch to come away with the Rose Bowl victory. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Wisconsin: QB Scott Tolzien #16 WR Isaac Anderson #6 WR David Gilreath #85 TE Lance Kendricks #84 LT Gabe Carimi #68 LG John Moffitt #74 C Bill Nagy #76 OLB Blake Sorensen #9 MLB Culmer St. Jean #15 CB Niles Brinkley #29 SS Jay Valai #2
TCU: QB Andy Dalton #14 WR Jeremy Kerley #85 WR Jimmy Young #88 WR Curtis Clay #2 WR Bart Johnson #6 TE Evan Frosch #84 LT Marcus Cannon #61 RT Zach Roth #70 RG Josh Vernon #78 C Jake Kirkpatrick #76 DE Wayne Daniels #96 DT Cory Grant #57 CB Jason Teague #27 FS Tejay Johnson #3 SS Colin Jones #28 SS Tyler Luttrell #17 S Alex Ibiloye #9
Fiesta Bowl: Connecticut vs. Oklahoma 8:30 PM ET ESPN
Honestly, this won't be much of a game. Oklahoma is one of the best teams in college football and Connecticut is just decent. Connecticut will try to pound the ball with junior RB Jordan Todman behind their big offensive line that features RG Zach Hurd. Oklahoma will stack the box, meaning QB Zach Frazer will have to make some plays in the passing game for Connecticut to have a chance. Oklahoma has a ton of firepower between RB DeMarco Murray and junior WR Ryan Broyles. Connecticut doesn't really have the speed and athleticism on defense to slow down the Sooner attack. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Connecticut: QB Zach Frazer #10 FB Anthony Sherman #49 RG Zach Hurd #78 LG Mathieu Olivier #66 SLB Scott Lutrus #32 MLB Lawrence Wilson #8 MLB Greg Lloyd #95 LS Derek Chard #93
Oklahoma: RB DeMarco Murray #7 RB Mossis Madu #17 WR Cameron Kenney #6 WR Brandon Caleb #8 RT Eric Mensik #69 DE Jeremy Beal #44 FS Quinton Carter #20 SS Jonathan Nelson #3
Fri Dec 31, 2010
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Car Care Bowl: South Florida vs. Clemson 12:00 PM ET ESPN
This game will be a defensive battle. Both teams have struggled on offense, in particular the QB position. Clemson's Kyle Parker has struggled down the stretch and South Florida's B.J. Daniels is not 100%. The South Florida defense is solid and is led by underrated DT Terrell McClain. While not overly explosive, they play well as a team. Clemson's defense is loaded with talent as is led by junior DE Da'Quan Bowers. South Florida will have to be creative to find a way to slow him up because they don't have anyone who can do that individually. This game could very well go down to one explosive play, which gives Clemson the advantage. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
South Florida: RB Mo Plancher #3 FB Richard Kelly #43 WR Dontavia Bogan #81 TE Kevin Gidrey #45 LT Jamar Bass #63 RT Jacob Sims #64 C Sampson Genus #62 DE Craig Marshall #94 DE David Bedford #58 DT Terrell McClain #97 SLB Jacquian Williams #57 CB Mistral Raymond #16
Clemson: LT Chris Hairston #61 DT Jarvis Jenkins #99 CB Marcus Gilchrist #12 CB Byron Maxwell #36 SS DeAndre McDaniel #2
Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Miami (Fla) 2:00 PM ET CBS
Both teams are really inconsistent and you never know what team is going to show up. Junior QB Jacory Harris gets the start for Miami and like his team he has been very inconsistent as well. He will try to get the ball to WR Leonard Hankerson against a secondary that has played really well at times this season. Secondary play might be the key to this game. Notre Dame will have a chance if their secondary can get some turnovers. On the other side of the ball we see one of the better one on one matchups of the bowl season between two juniors who may opt to leave for the draft early. Notre Dame's best weapon in WR Michael Floyd will likely be mirrored by CB Brandon Harris. This game is tough to call; not only are the teams normally inconsistent, you also never know how Miami is going to respond to losing coach Randy Shannon who was really like a father figure to the players. It is a completely different animal to lose a father figure versus an ineffective coach who had lost most of the team. Due to this I give Notre Dame the edge in this game even though on paper Miami looks like the favorite. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Notre Dame: RB Robert Hughes #33 WR Duval Kamara #18 RT Taylor Dever #75 LG Chris Stewart #59 DT Ian Williams #95 OLB Kerry Neal #56 ILB Brian Smith #58 CB Darrin Walls #2 CB Gary Gray #4 S Harrison Smith #22 K David Ruffer #97
Miami (Fla): RB Damien Berry #20 FB Patrick Hill #30 WR Leonard Hankerson #85 TE Richard Gordon #84 LT Orlando Franklin #74 DE Allen Bailey #57 SLB Kylan Robinson #36 MLB Colin McCarthy #44 CB Ryan Hill #13 CB DeMarcus Van Dyke #8 K/P Matt Bosher #25
Liberty Bowl: Georgia vs. Central Florida 3:30 PM ET ESPN
This is one of the more intriguing matchups of the bowl season. Central Florida is underrated and Georgia is extremely talented. There are two keys to this game. When Georgia has the ball, the key is whether or not Central Florida can pressure the QB or not. Central Florida DE Bruce Miller will line up all over to create matchups where he can pressure the QB. This is important because Central Florida doesn't have the size or talent in the secondary to cover junior WR A.J. Green. Sophomore CB Josh Robinson has talent but gives up a lot of size to Green. If Georgia has time to get the ball to Green, Central Florida will be in trouble. On the other side of the ball the key will be whether or not Central Florida can run the ball. Central Florida has to keep the Georgia defense honest because they don't have anyone who can handle junior OLB Justin Houston off the corner. This could be a close matchup and Georgia holds the advantage on special teams with talented junior kickers Drew Butler and Blair Walsh. Despite all this, my gut tells me that Central Florida will win this game because they are really excited to prove that they belong on the national stage and would love to beat an SEC team. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Georgia: FB Shaun Chapas #49 WR Kris Durham #16 RT Josh Davis #78 RG Clint Boling #60 DE Demarcus Dobbs #58 DE Kiante Tripp #75 OLB Darryl Gamble #50 ILB Akeem Dent #51 CB Vance Cuff #25
Central Florida: WR Kamar Aiken #81 TE Ricky Kay #43 LT Abre Leggins #66 RT Jah Reid #76 DE Bruce Miller #49 DE David Williams #48 DT Wes Tunuufi Sauvao #94 OLB Derrick Hallman #38 OLB Lawrence Young #57 MLB Chance Henderson #54 CB Justin Boddie #23 SS Reggie Weams #40 P Blake Clingan #41
Chick-fil-A Bowl: South Carolina vs. Florida St 7:30 PM ET ESPN
Two 9-4 teams meet in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Bowl. When you consider that 2 of the 4 losses by South Carolina came at the hands of Auburn, their 9-4 record is more impressive. One of the biggest questions entering this game is whether or not Florida St QB Christian Ponder will be able to play, and if so how effective will he be coming off his elbow injury. South Carolina has a good defense and Florida St will need good QB play if they want a chance to win. South Carolina will try to control the ball with freshman RB Marcus Lattimore. Florida St has struggled at times against the run but South Carolina may also be without their best OL in LG Garrett Chisolm due to injury. South Carolina's OL will also try to slow the Seminole pass rush so that they can get the ball to sophomore WR Alshon Jeffrey who presents a size mismatch. With the uncertainty of the Florida St QB situation and Marcus Lattimore's ability to run the ball, South Carolina should come away with the victory. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
South Carolina: FB Patrick DiMarco #47 LT Jarriel King #76 LG Garrett Chisolm #77 DE Cliff Matthews #83 DT Ladi Ajiboye #91 K/P Spencer Lanning #34
Florida St: QB Christian Ponder #7 LG Rodney Hudson #62 C Ryan McMahon #60 DE Markus White #98 SLB Mister Alexander #16 MLB Kendall Smith #29 DB Ochuko Jenije #15
Thurs Dec 30, 2010
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Armed Forces Bowl: Army vs. SMU 12:00 PM ET ESPN
This is one of the intriguing matchups in this bowl season; Army's option attack against SMU's spread passing attack. Although neither team is super great, they will both be excited to be playing due to the fact that neither program has been to a lot of bowls lately. Army will run the option which gave SMU trouble when they faced Navy. However, Navy is a better team than Army and SMU has a lot more time to prepare this time. When SMU has the ball there is a huge mismatch. Army's DBs and LBs do not have the speed or quickness to stay with WR Aldrick Robinson and company. Army will try to hold onto the ball to keep the SMU offense out of rhythm but I think that SMU is just too talented for Army. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Army: DE Josh McNary #44 DT Mike Gann #93 MLB Stephen Anderson #50 CB Richard King #2
SMU: WR Aldrick Robinson #24 SLB Youri Yenga #45 ILB Pete Fleps #52 CB Sterling Moore #2 K/P Matt Szymanski #6
Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas St vs. Syracuse 3:20 PM ET ESPN
The winner of this game will be the team that can run the ball better. Both teams have struggled against the run and both teams possess workhorse RBs. Special teams will also be in the spotlight in this game. Both teams have one of the better LS in college football in Corey Adams and Max Leo. However there will be some issues in this game due to Kansas St missing KR/RB William Powell due to injury. Syracuse will be without P Rob Long while he recovers from surgery to remove a benign brain tumor and will also be without one of their best coverage guys in Brice Hawkes who is suspended. Syracuse will also be without senior DT Andrew Lewis due to suspension and senior S Max Suter due to injury. These injuries will really hurt Syracuse's ability to stop the run. Neither defense has been real solid at stopping the run but Syracuse has really struggled to slow down teams that are dedicated to the run, which gives RB Daniel Thomas and Kansas St the edge. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Kansas St: QB Carson Coffman #14 RB Daniel Thomas #8 WR Aubrey Quarles #89 LG Zach Kendall #59 RG Kenneth Mayfield #67 C Wade Weibert #74 DE Antonio Felder #40 DE Prizell Brown #46 CB Stephen Harrison #8 CB Terrance Sweeney #16 K Josh Cherry #19 LS Corey Adams #42
Syracuse: RB Delone Carter #3 TE Nick Provo #80 RG Andrew Tiller #66 C Ryan Bartholomew #70 WLB Doug Hogue #32 MLB Derrell Smith #25 CB Mike Holmes #35 CB Da'Mon Merkerson #6 LS Max Leo #57
Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs. Tennessee 6:40 PM ET ESPN
The Volunteers backed out of a series against North Carolina for the 2011 and 2012 season only to be matched up with them in the Music City Bowl. North Carolina will need to give QB T.J. Yates time to throw and will need junior DT Quinton Coples to pressure Tennessee freshman QB Tyler Bray. Poor North Carolina has been in a state of turmoil all season and the bowl game is no different. They will be without key contributors during the season due to injury. Out for the bowl game due to injury are: OLB Bruce Carter, RB Johnny White, TE Zach Pianalto and G Alan Pelc. In addition to that, senior RB Anthony Elzy is also suspended for the game. Looking at matchups, North Carolina CB Kendric Burney will have his hands full with the Tennessee senior WRs and freshman Justin Hunter who presents a big size mismatch. With all the injuries and suspensions combined with the fact that Tennessee played really well down the stretch and the fact that they will be playing virtually a home game, gives Tennessee the advantage in this game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
North Carolina: QB T.J. Yates #13 RB Shaun Draughn #20 TE Ryan Taylor #49 RT Mike Ingersoll #66 WLB Quan Sturdivant #52 CB Kendric Burney #16 FS Deunta Williams #27 SS Da'Norris Searcy #21 LS Mark House #61
Tennessee: FB Kevin Cooper #45 WR Denarius Moore #6 WR Gerald Jones #4 TE Luke Stocker #88 LG Jarrod Shaw #74 DE Chris Walker #84 DE Gerald Williams #57 DT Victor Thomas #52 SLB LaMarcus Thompson #42 MLB Nick Reveiz #56 K Daniel Lincoln #26
Holiday Bowl: Nebraska vs. Washington 10:00 PM ET ESPN
Nebraska whopped up on Washington early in the year and while Washington is better than they were then, they are not that much better. Washington's DL is depleted due to injuries and they will struggle to slow down the Nebraska running attack. Washington QB Jake Locker figures to be more healthy than he was for much of the year and will try to throw against the solid Husker secondary. A really good matchup in this game is Washington junior WR Jermaine Kearse against Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara. While Washington will have revenge on the mind, Nebraska is just too good of a team and should win easily. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Nebraska: RB Roy Helu Jr. #10 WR Mike McNeill #44 RT D.J. Jones #73 RG Rick Henry #74 LG Keith Williams #68 DE Pierre Allen #95 CB Prince Amukamara #21 S Eric Hagg #28 S DeJon Gomes #7 DB Anthony West #5 K/P Alex Henery #90
Washington: QB Jake Locker #10 FB Austin Sylvester #47 WR D'Andre Goodwin #11 RT Cody Habben #71 LG Ryan Tolar #65 OLB Mason Foster #40 OLB Victor Aiyewa #41 SS Nate Williams #8
Wed Dec 29, 2010
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Military Bowl: East Carolina vs. Maryland 2:30 PM ET ESPN
This game could very easily be a shootout, or at least East Carolina hopes so. Both teams have dynamic offenses but the key to this game will be the defenses; which defense can get some stops. In the last 5 games, East Carolina hasn't given up less than 42 points in a game. The Maryland defense has played better than that but are much stronger against the run versus the pass. They will have to find a way to stop the high powered aerial connection of junior QB Dominique Davis and senior WR Dwayne Harris. The other side of the ball features another underrated WR in explosive junior Torrey Smith. Smith will be a good challenge for CB Travis Simmons. In the end, Maryland has a stronger balanced offensive attack and defense and should come away with the victory in this one. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
East Carolina: RB Jonathan Williams #2 WR Dwayne Harris #17 LT Willie Smith #69 RT D.J. Scott #66 RG Cory Dowless #75 LG Doug Polochak #63 DT Josh Smith #91 WLB Dustin Lineback #47 MLB Melvin Patterson #9 CB Travis Simmons #13
Maryland: RB Da'Rel Scott #23 WR Adrian Cannon #7 WR LaQuan Williams #3 TE Will Yeatman #88 RT Paul Pinegar #71 DE Drew Gloster #15 SLB Adrian Moten #1 MLB Alex Wujciak #33 SS Antwine Perez #2 K/P Travis Baltz #35
Texas Bowl: Illinois vs. Baylor 6:00 PM ET ESPN
This game will be determined by whoever is able to impose their will on the other team. The Baylor defense at times has struggled with strong RBs and Illinois junior RB Mikel LeShoure is about as powerful a RB as there is in college football. Combine that with the toughness of freshman QB Nathan Scheelhaase and the Baylor defense will have their hands full. Baylor will need a big day from their huge NT Phil Taylor and will need solid tackling from rangy OLB Antonio Johnson. On the other side of the ball, Illinois has really struggled with running QBs and there might not be a better athlete at QB in college football than sophomore Robert Griffin III. Illinois will need a big day from talented junior MLB Martez Wilson in order to contain Griffin III. This game could easily go either way but I feel that Baylor has the edge because of Robert Griffin III and Illinois' inability to stop running QBs all season long. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Illinois: WR Jarred Fayson #11 WR Eddie McGee #10 T Ryan Palmer #78 G Randall Hunt #66 DE Clay Nurse #97 SLB Nate Bussey #18 CB Travon Bellamy #31 P Anthony Santella #87
Baylor: RB Jay Finley #23 TE Brad Taylor #9 LT Danny Watkins #59 DT Phil Taylor #98 OLB Antonio Johnson #7 MLB Chris Francis #36 FS Tim Atchison #8 S Byron Landor #14 P Derek Epperson #38
Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma St vs. Arizona 9:15 PM ET ESPN
This game features a lot of interesting matchups. Everyone who watches college football is now aware of Oklahoma St sophomore Justin Blackmon, who was by far the best WR in football; but he will matchup against Arizona junior WR Juron Criner, who is the best player in college football that most people don't know. Both WRs will go up against decent CBs; Criner will face Andrew McGee who has had a good year and Blackmon will face junior Trevin Wade who has been a little inconsistent at times and will be giving up some size in this matchup. Some of the keys to this game are whether Arizona's talent DEs, Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore, can get pressure on the QB. On the other side of the ball the key will be whether Oklahoma St.'s front seven, in particular MLB Orie Lemon, can shut down the Arizona running game and make them one dimensional. Arizona will also miss C Colin Baxter who is out with an injury. I think that Oklahoma St has more firepower and is just a better team but this game will be a fun one to watch. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Oklahoma St: RB Kendall Hunter #24 FB Bryant Ward #37 WR Bo Bowling #9 DE Ugo Chinasa #91 DT Chris Donaldson #95 DT Shane Jarka #46 WLB Justin Gent #42 MLB Orie Lemon #41 CB Andrew McGee #6 K Dan Bailey #95
Arizona: RB Nic Grigsby #5 TE A.J. Simmons #88 LT Adam Grant #78 RT Phillip Garcia #67 RG Jovon Hayes #57 LG Conan Amituanai #55 DE Brooks Reed #42 DE Ricky Elmore #44 DT Lolomana Mikaele #94 FS Joe Perkins #9 P Keenyn Crier #47
Tues Dec 28, 2010
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Champs Sports Bowl: West Virginia vs. North Carolina St 6:30 PM ET ESPN
West Virginia's defense is really strong against the run. The strength of the NC State offense is the pass. The key of this game will be if West Virginia junior DE Bruce Irvin can apply pressure and contain NC State junior QB Russell Wilson, especially since West Virginia will be missing senior CB Brandon Hogan due to injury. West Virginia played well down the stretch despite an ailing Noel Devine. Devine figures to be a little bit more healthy due to some time off and could be a bigger factor than he has been during the season. One of the good matchups in this game will be NC State MLB Nate Irving trying to corral Noel Devine as well as WRs Jock Sanders and Tavon Austin on reverses. West Virginia is favored to win this game due to playing better down the stretch and being a little more explosive, especially in the return game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
West Virginia: RB Noel Devine #7 WR Jock Sanders #9 RG/C Eric Jobe #61 DT Chris Neild #90 DT Scooter Berry #93 WLB J.T. Thomas #30 MLB Anthony Leonard #45 S Sidney Glover #4 P Greg Pugnetti #36
North Carolina St: WR Jarvis Williams #5 WR Owen Spencer #13 LT Jake Vermiglio #70 DE David Akinniyi #97 DE Michael Lemon #94 DT Natanu Mageo #90 MLB Nate Irving #56 P Jeff Ruiz #38
Insight Bowl: Missouri vs. Iowa 10:00 PM ET ESPN
Iowa is easily one of the more disappointing teams of the season and they come limping into the Insight Bowl due to suspensions to senior WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and sophomore RB Adam Robinson. Missouri is not without suspension either and will miss senior SS Jasper Simmons who was suspended for a second time. Iowa has a lot of talented seniors and juniors but has underachieved all year and really didn't end the season well. Missouri has a lot of talented juniors and sophomores and finished well. Both teams have really good defenses, the difference lies on offense where Iowa is depleted with suspensions and Missouri is led by highly underrated junior QB Blaine Gabbert. Missouri should win this game due to the fact that Iowa is missing two of their top offensive weapons. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Missouri: C Tim Barnes #62 CB Carl Gettis #19 CB Kevin Rutland #20 S Andrew Gachkar #6 FS Jarrell Harrison #11 P Matt Grabner #99
Iowa: QB Ricky Stanzi #12 FB Brett Morse #36 WR Colin Sandeman #22 TE Allen Reisner #82 LG Julian Vandervelde #63 RG Josh Koeppel #67 DE Adrian Clayborn #94 DE Christian Ballard #46 DT Karl Klug #95 WLB Jeremiha Hunter #42 SLB Troy Johnson #48 FS Brett Greenwood #30 P Ryan Donahue #5 LS Andrew Schulze #65
Mon Dec 27, 2010
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Independence Bowl: Air Force vs. Georgia Tech 5:00 PM ET ESPN2
This game is an interesting matchup because both teams are similar in style. Unfortunately for this matchup Georgia Tech will not be at full strength due to a number of suspensions. Leading receiver, sophomore Stephen Hill is academically ineligible. The defense took a big hit with senior LB Anthony Egbuniwe suspended for the first half of the game and two seniors, LB Anthony Barnes and S Mario Edwards suspended for the entire game. Edwards is the biggest and most crucial loss. He is really good against the run and will leave a big hole to fill against Air Force's option attack. One key player for both teams may or may not return from injuries suffered during the season. Georgia Tech senior QB Josh Nesbitt suffered a broken arm and hasn't been cleared to play yet but my play. Air Force senior RB Jared Tew suffered a broken fibula early in the season and may be able to play. All the suspensions gives Air Force the advantage in this game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Air Force: RB Jared Tew #42 FB Nathan Walker #39 WR Kyle Halderman #4 DE Rick Ricketts #90 OLB Andre Morris Jr #36 OLB Patrick Hennessey #44 CB Reggie Rembert #8
Georgia Tech: QB Joshua Nesbitt #9 RB Anthony Allen #18 FB Lucas Cox #36 RT Austin Barrick #73 C Sean Bedford #79 OLB Anthony Egbuniwe #41 MLB Brad Jefferson #51 CB Mario Butler #2 CB Dominique Reese #26 K/P Scott Blair #14
Sun Dec 26, 2010
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Little Caesars Bowl: Florida International vs. Toledo 8:30 PM ET ESPN
This game features two dynamic underclassmen all-purpose receivers in Florida International's junior T.Y. Hilton and Toledo's sophomore Eric Page. Both players have the potential to take it the distance both as receivers and return guys and are worth watching all by themselves. Both teams are teams on the rise and are evenly matched. Offensive line play with be a big factor in this game. Toledo has a size advantage up front and will be in good shape if they can establish the run. Florida International will try to stop the run and make them one dimensional because they match up well against the pass with CB Anthony Gaitor in coverage and DE Jarvis Wilson applying the pass rush. Gaitor matching up against Page will be a good battle to watch. Florida International has played well in the second half of the season and has played good defense which gives them the edge in this game. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Florida International: WR Greg Ellingson #82 WR Ty Frierson #80 C Brad Serini #76 DE Jarvis Wilson #31 LB Toronto Smith #13 CB Anthony Gaitor #7
Toledo: C Kevin Kowalski #69 RG Nate Cole #65 DE Alex Johnson #40 WLB Archie Donald #42 CB Desmond Marrow #3
Fri Dec 24, 2010
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Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. Tulsa 8:00 PM ET ESPN
This game will be a shootout. Both teams can wing the ball around and put up points. This game may come down to which defense can stop the other team's offense and get a turnover. Hawaii has the better pass defense and has opportunistic players like FS Mana Silva. Defense and the fact that they have a more balanced offensive attack with RB Alex Green running so well lately, gives Hawaii the edge in this game. It also doesn't hurt that this game is in Hawaii, which might serve as a little bit of a distraction to Tulsa. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Hawaii: RB Alex Green #25 WR Greg Salas #1 WR Kealoha Pilares #21 WR Rodney Bailey #3 WR/KR Dustin Blount #6 RT Laupepa Letuli #50 RG Adrian Thomas #66 LG Brysen Ginlack #63 DE Elliott Purcell #90 CB Lametrius Davis #2 FS Mana Silva #43
Tulsa: FB Charles Clay #9 WR Trae Johnson #1 DL Odrick Ray #90 LB Tanner Antle #40 DB Charles Davis #24 P Michael Such #35
Thurs Dec 23, 2010
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Poinsettia Bowl: Navy vs. San Diego St 8:00 PM ET ESPN
This is a good matchup between two underrated teams. As usual, Navy does a good job running the option but with QB Ricky Dobbs they can also throw the ball some. In order to be effective throwing the ball they need to be able to run the ball in order to set up the pass. San Diego St has been pretty effective against the run. They also feature a really good and balanced offense with freshman RB Ronnie Hillman and senior WRs Vincent Brown and DeMarco Sampson. In particular the Navy defense might struggle with the speed and athleticism of the Aztec WRs. I believe that San Diego St will win but it figures to be close. Navy has only lost 3 times this year and all of those were close games. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Navy: QB Ricky Dobbs #4 WR Greg Jones #84 DE Billy Yarborough #90 OLB Jerry Hauburger #31 SS Wyatt Middleton #8
San Diego St: FB Brandon Sullivan #23 WR Vincent Brown #80 WR DeMarco Sampson #1 C Trask Iosefa #50 DE Ernie Lawson #99 CB Jose Perez #15 S Andrew Preston #22
Wed Dec 22, 2010
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Las Vegas Bowl: Boise St vs. Utah 8:00 PM ET ESPN
For me, this is easily the most disappointing bowl game. I like both teams but I really believe that Boise St deserves a better bowl game and really wish that they could have the opportunity to play someone from a BCS qualifying conference. It would also have been nice if Utah could have played a team from a qualifying conference as well. I think that Utah is a good team but Boise St is a great team. I believe that Boise St will win easily but that doesn't mean that Utah will lay down without a fight. This game does feature one the more intriguing matchups of the bowl season. Boise St has a pair of talented senior WRs in Austin Pettis and Titus Young. They are both different type of receivers but are both good. Utah's highly touted junior CB Brandon Burton will be faced up against one of these guys or both. Burton is contemplating whether to enter the draft early or not and a good game will really boost his stock. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Boise St: RB Jeremy Avery #27 WR Austin Pettis #2 WR Titus Young #4 DE Ryan Winterswyk #98 CB Brandyn Thompson #13 S Jeron Johnson #23 S Winston Venable #17 K Kyle Brotzman #35
Utah: RB Matt Asiata #4 RB Eddie Wide #36 WR Shaky Smithson #1 WR Jerome Brooks #85 LG Caleb Schlauderaff #72 C Zane Taylor #77 DE Christian Cox #94 SLB Chad Manis #18 CB Lamar Chapman #21 K Joe Phillips #39
Tues Dec 21, 2010
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Beef O'Brady's Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Louisville 8:00 PM ET ESPN
Louisville will try to control the clock with RB Bilal Powell and keep the Southern Miss high powered offense off the field. This game could turn into a shootout but Louisville will try to keep the score down. With both teams being evenly matched it figures to be close. Louisville is going to their first bowl game in a while. Southern Miss is going to their ninth bowl game in a row. That experience plus the fact that they have one of the best placekickers in college football in junior Danny Hrapmann gives Southern Miss the edge. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Southern Miss: TE Johdrick Morris #83 C Cameron Zipp #59 DT Anthony Gray #95 CB C.J. Bailey #2 SS Justin Wilson #8
Louisville: QB Adam Froman #9 RB Bilal Powell #15 TE Cameron Graham #83 LT Byron Stingily #78 MLB Antwone Canady #52 CB Johnny Patrick #19 LS Daniel Weedman #60
Fri Dec 17, 2010
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New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. UTEP 2:00 PM ET ESPN
Former WAC rivals face each other in a game where they meet almost halfway from each other. BYU finished the season off strong, while UTEP struggled down the stretch. For UTEP, QB Trevor Vittatoe and RB Donald Buckram struggled with injuries much of the season. It has been almost a month since they last played so maybe they have had some time to heal. They both are looking for positive games to rejuvenate their stock. The best player on BYU is junior T Matt Reynolds who is still undecided as to whether he will enter the draft or not. Fearless forcast: BYU. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
BYU: DE Vic So'oto #37 ILB Shane Hunter #51 CB Brian Logan #7 S Andrew Rich #22
UTEP: QB Trevor Vittatoe #10 RB Donald Buckram #3 WR Kris Adams #2 TE Jonny Moore #37 RG Rod Huntley #74 DE Robert Soleyjacks #13 SS Braxton Amy #1
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl: Fresno St vs. Northern Illinois 5:30 PM ET ESPN
Two underrated teams face each other in what should be a really good and fun game to watch. Both teams are very physical. Northern Illinois is coming off their shocking loss in the conference championship game and they have lost their head coach, Jerry Kill, who left for the Minnesota job. Fresno St finished the season strong against good competition. Both teams feature underrated players: Fresno St DE Chris Carter and Northern Illinois RB Chad Spann. The key to this game is whether or not Fresno St can stop the Northern Illinois running game. This game is one of my favorite matchups of the bowl season. I really like Northern Illinois but with how the season ended and without their coach I give the edge to Fresno St. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Fresno St: QB Ryan Colburn #15 G Devon Cunningham #79 C Joe Bernardi #74 DE Chris Carter #43 MLB Ben Jacobs #54
Northern Illinois: RB Chad Spann #28 FB Kyle Skarb #34 WR Landon Cox #80 DE Jake Coffman #54 CB Chris Smith #5
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Ohio vs. Troy 9:00 PM ET ESPN
Ohio has turned in a good year despite losing two of their top players, WR LaVon Brazill and MLB Noah Keller, to injury early in the season. Troy's season was not as good as they probably expected but they feature a high powered offense. One of the better matchups on the day will be Troy WR Jerrel Jernigan against Ohio CB Julian Posey. This game is a close matchup but my gut tells me that Frank Solich and Ohio will find a way to control time of possession and keep Troy's offense out of rhythm. Here are some draft prospects to watch:
Ohio: QB Boo Jackson #8 RB Vince Davidson #26 WR Terrence McCrae #11 DE Stafford Gatling #36 DT Ernie Hodge #95 DT Marcellis Williamson #62 CB Julian Posey #9 FS Steven Jackson #42
Troy: RB DuJuan Harris #32 WR Jerrel Jernigan #3 C Tyler Clark #58 DE Mario Addison #7 SLB Daniel Sheffield #39 SS Willard Ross #22
Fri Dec 10, 2010
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Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Allen Bradford, RB, USC: Allen Bradford has struggled to get carries this year but when he does get the opportunity to carry the load he is generally pretty good. This past week against rival UCLA they gave him the ball and he rushed for 212 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 47 yard catch for a touchdown. Both touchdowns came in the fourth quarter to help put away the Bruins. He has really good size and speed. He can break tackles and outrun defenders. Typically he always gain an extra yard or two when getting tackled. He caught the ball well and did a good job blocking in pass protection. Bradford's nemesis has been fumbling and this past week he had the ball in his hands 29 times and no fumbles. Thomas Weber, K, Arizona St: In 2007 as a freshman, Thomas Weber won the Lou Groza Award for being the nation's best kicker. Since then his career has progressively gone downhill. Last year he suffered a serious groin injury. He missed a number of games but also tried to play through the injury. The results weren't good and it is possible that he picked up some bad habits because this year he has really struggled as well. Entering the last two weeks of the season he had made less than 60% of his field goals and only twice had he been perfect on field goals in a game. Against UCLA he was a perfect 2 for 2 and this past week against rival Arizona he was a perfect 5 for 5. He was also a perfect 1 for 1 on extra points in their one point win. Not only was he perfect on field goals, they were not all easy field goals. They were 36, 38, 40, 40 and 52 yards. One of the 40 yd field goals was in overtime to keep the game alive. The other thing is that for the first time in a couple years, the ball seemed to explode off his foot. It is unfortunate that the season is over just when he might be getting back to form. If he can show that same explosiveness in workouts he might get a chance on the next level. Stock Down: Mistral Raymond, DB, South Florida: For the most part I really like Mistral Raymond's game, he is aggressive with good quickness and speed but his hands are really poor. This past week South Florida had a chance to beat Connecticut. Raymond did a good job breaking on the ball but he dropped the easy INT. Connecticut then drove down the field to kick the game winning field goal with 17 second left. This isn't rare thing, Raymond has dropped numerous INTs throughout the year. Raymond is tough to project on the next level because he is playing CB but his game is better suited for S. He lacks size for S and he lacks the hands to be a playmaker. Michael Morgan, OLB, USC: Michael Morgan is blessed with great athletic ability. He has a lanky frame with long arms, runs well and looks flexible. The problem is that he isn't a football player. He is hesitant in his play and really tries to avoid contact. He catches blockers and rarely makes any plays. He finished last week with one tackle and I am not sure where that came from. He shows no aggressiveness and is typically found standing around the pile. He has the physical ability to play on the next level but with his temperament he won't.
Thurs Dec 9, 2010
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Top 10 candidates for the Heisman Award: 1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn: I firmly believe that Newton should have been suspended. It is no secret and has always been the case that your friends and family are an extension of you, when it comes to eligibility. Fair or not proof that his father tried to sell his services should be an automatic suspension, whether Cam knew about it or not. Other players in the past have lost eligibility or caused their school penalties in the past for benefits that family and friends have attained without the player's knowledge. Defenders of the decision would argue that there is no proof that any money has changed sides but that isn't what is important. What is important is intent. Going into the recruiting process (especially twice), you know that it is against the rules to demand benefits and that your son will lose his eligibility if you do it. You can still do time for attempted robbery even if you failed to take anything, the same is true here. To me, the ruling stinks of the NCAA trying to do whatever they can to preserve the best national championship matchup and a potential Heisman winner because it will benefit the NCAA financially. It is a ruling they will regret down the road because it is now open season on soliciting benefits during recruiting. It is much harder to prove the transfer of benefits and that the player knew about them which is what they will have to do from now on. With all this being said, Newton was not suspended and was by far the most important player in college football. He should not be penalized for the NCAA's failure to do their job. Newton's statistics are outstanding- #1 in passing efficiency, 1409 yards rushing with 20 rushing TDs, 2589 yards passing with 28 TD passes and only 6 INTs and even 42 yards receiving and 1 receiving TD. While his stats are impressive there was no player in college football who was better able to throw his team on his back and win games. Time and time again Newton preserved his team's undefeated season with his individual effort. Down 17-3 to Clemson at halftime, Newton put together a great third quarter to put Auburn up 24-17. The next week Newton accounted for 5 TDs to beat South Carolina. Once again, they were down at halftime but Newton had a TD run in the third quarter and had 2 TD passes in the fourth quarter to come away with the victory. Against Kentucky they had a good lead at halftime but the Wildcats stormed back to tie the game. Late in the fourth quarter Auburn got the ball back at their own 7 yardline. Newton drove the team down the field to the Kentucky 5 yardline to kick the game winning field goal with time running out. On the drive he converted two crucial third downs and rushed for 54 yards while completing 2 of 3 passes for 20 yards. Against LSU Newton ran for 217 yards and 2 TDs. While he didn't have the game winning TD run late in the fourth quarter, he did start that drive with a 16 yard run of his own before Onterrio McCallebb's 70 yard run. Then there was the signature game against Alabama. After falling 21-0, Newton rallied his team completing 13-19 passes, including 3 TD passes. That is the other special thing, while he beat LSU with his feet, he beat Alabama with his arm. Cam Newton is easily the best player in college football for 2010.
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon: On the other side of the National Championship game is Oregon who has been led by LaMichael James. James has quietly turned in a spectacular year. He is #1 in rushing yards per game with 152.91, #1 in TDs with 22 and #1 in points per game (a category typically dominated by kickers) with 12.00. Only once (against Arizona St) this season was he kept under 100 total yards in a game. It is pretty impressive when you consider all the other weapons he shares touches with: Darron Thomas, Kenjon Barner, Josh Huff and Remene Alston. These weapons however diminish his value a little. While Auburn wouldn't be undefeated without Cam Newton, Oregon could possibly be undefeated without LaMichael James. Fact of the matter is that Newton was more important to his team than James was to his. That being said James had a tremendous year and is worthy of being in the Heisman conversation.
3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise St: With the loss to Nevada Kellen Moore saw his Heisman hopes dwindle. While Boise St should have won, it was a shame and typical of the east coast biased media's response that basically dismissed Boise St and Kellen Moore. Lost in all this was the fact that Nevada is a really good team, just ask California. I wish that media in the east coast would have the intelligence or at least some pride in their work to at least set their DVRs to record games in the west coast. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that Boise St is an elite team, all it takes is to watch a couple games. It also doesn't take a brain surgeon to know that Nevada is a really good team. Every year the media is surprised by teams in the WAC and the Mountain West when they pull off wins against football powers and every year they seem to write it off as a fluke, only to be surprised again the next year and the next year. Well let me tell you a secret: It isn't a fluke! Looking at non-conference games in the WAC, Boise St this year beat Virginia Tech and Oregon St. Two of the three undefeated teams this year lost to Boise St last year- TCU and Oregon, and that was the second year in a row that they beat Oregon. Nevada beat BYU and thrashed California. Fresno St beat Cincinnati and for the second year in a row beat Illinois. Even Utah St almost beat Oklahoma. The argument is that the conference isn't as strong as a whole to other conferences. I agree to that pertaining some conferences but lets take a look at last place San Jose St. San Jose St played Wisconsin tighter than Minnesota did. As a matter of fact San Jose St lost to Wisconsin by the same margin that Ohio St did. Looking at San Jose St's season, Boise St and Utah beat them by a bigger margin than Alabama did. While I don't consider margin of victory overly significant, it shows that these teams are legitimate teams and that the west coast conferences are stronger than the east coast media lead one to believe. To me, Boise St dropping behind all other one loss teams (minus Nevada) and some two loss teams is silly. I like Oklahoma but they have two losses, they played a tight game with Utah St who Boise St demolished and their two losses were against teams lower ranked than the team that Boise St lost to. So in my mind Boise St and Kellen Moore should be much more respected than they are. Moore had an outstanding year with 33 TDs to only 5 INTs. He was #2 in passing efficiency behind only Cam Newton. He completed 71% of his passes and led his team to a tremendous season.
4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: In my mind Stanford is the best one loss team in the country and they are led by Andrew Luck. Stanford has a good defense but the talent on offense is maybe slightly above average. Andrew Luck makes that offense go. The offensive line is solid but Luck is a difference maker. He is really intelligent and can't be beat mentally. He is today's version of Peyton Manning. He completed 70 % of his passes and finished #7 in passing efficiency. He threw 28 TDs compared to 7 INTs. The surprising thing is that he also rushed for 438 yards and 3 TDs, that is almost as much as Darron Thomas of Oregon. Outside of Cam Newton, no other player in college football was more important to their team.
5. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St: Wide receivers don't often get a lot of Heisman talk but the year that Justin Blackmon put together was really special. He led the country with 151.63 yards per game, which was about 23 yards per game higher than the #2 guy. Since 2000, the next closest to Blackmon was Michael Crabtree with 150.93 yards per game and there was only one other player besides Crabtree to have more the 140 yards per game. Blackmon also led the nation in catches per game and TD catches. He didn't have a single game where he was under 100 yards receiving and didn't have a single game where he didn't catch a TD.
6. Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn: While Cam Newton has anchored the offense for undefeated Auburn, Nick Fairley has anchored the defense. With all their close games, they have needed a defensive playmaker and Fairley has been that guy. His stats aren't going to blow anyone away (although they are good) but whenever the defense has needed a play to preserve their undefeated season, it has almost always been Fariley. Fairley is #8 in tackles for loss per game and is #16 in sacks. He also has a ton of QB hurries. He constantly demands double teams and is also able to beat them.
7. Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada: If you read my rant above for Kellen Moore you know that I think highly of Colin Kaepernick and Nevada as well. Kaepernick has been the leader of an explosive Nevada offense. Their only loss this season was a road game at Hawaii which is not an easy place to play. Kaepernick is #3 in Points Responsible for with 20 rushing TDs and 20 passing TDs. He finished the season with 1184 yards rushing and 2830 yards passing. If you put his rushing and passing yards together and it is greater than Cam Newton's combined rushing and passing yards. He help lead comebacks against Boise St and Fresno St when they fell behind early. He was #17 in passing efficiency while also being #34 in rushing yards per game. Only Kaepernick, Cam Newton and Denard Robinson of Michigan appear in the top 40 in both categories.
8. Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue: One of the most dominant and underappreciated players in the country this past season was Ryan Kerrigan. The Purdue defense really lacked talent. They failed to keep opponents under 20 points in all but three games. Due to this lack of talent, Kerrigan was constantly double and even sometimes triple teamed. Despite that, he still caused havoc in opponents backfield. With no help, Kerrigan finished #1 in tackles for loss per game, #2 in sacks per game and #2 in forced fumbles per game.
9. Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma: The high powered Oklahoma offense was led by Ryan Broyles. He was the constant threat that drew all the coverage. Despite all the coverage he still finished #2 in catches per game and #4 in receiving yards per game.
10. J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin: One of the more unique players in college football is J.J. Watt. Wisconsin was looking for a playmaker to replace O'Brien Schofield and they found one in Watt. What makes him so unique is the various ways he can affect the game. On the season he was #3 in tackles for loss per game but he also had 7 sacks, 7 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, 1 INT and 3 blocked kicks. He was able to do a little of everything. One of his blocked kicks was a blocked extra point against Iowa that helped Wisconsin beat the Hawkeyes by one point.
Fri Dec 3, 2010
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Due to being away for the holiday we have another abbreviated version of stock up and stock down. I enjoyed my time at the Duke-North Carolina game. The atmosphere is probably a lot more intense on the basketball court but over the past five years or so, the games on the football field have been really close and this year did not disappoint. Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Sione Fua, DT, Stanford: Fua was rock solid in the middle of the line. He didn't give Jacquizz Rodgers anywhere to run and helped keep Oregon St from scoring. He showed good hands and was really stout at the point of attack. Abraham Kromah, OLB, Duke: Kromah was really active and helped keep Duke in the game. He flows to the ball well and has good instincts. He was in on 20 tackles. He showed good athletic ability and decent speed and was a sure tackler. Stock Down: Kendric Burney, CB, North Carolina: Burney was not the shut down corner you would expect. He was often late to close and really seemed like he lacked awareness. Even when he made a good play it lacked awareness, like his INT late in the game on fourth down. Instead of knocking the ball down and getting the ball in good field position, he intercepted it at the two yard line which led to a Safety. Duke then took the next possession for a touchdown and got back into the game. If Burney just would have knocked the ball down, they could have drained the clock and won easily. Kyle Brotzman, K, Boise St: Brotzman has been pretty solid all year but he hasn't really been in a pressure situation. With the game and season on the line he failed to come through, missing two short FGs. He missed from 26 yards with 2 seconds left in the game and then he missed from 29 yards in overtime. Neither were tough angles, he just flat out missed them. To play and keep a job on the next level you have to make those pressure kicks.
Tues Nov 23, 2010
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Due to the holiday we have an abbreviated version of stock up and stock down. Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Greg Jones, MLB, Michigan St: Greg Jones has been solid throughout his career. He is a tackling machine who has great instincts and does a great job slipping blocks. I really enjoyed this game because Michigan St was battling to stay in the hunt for the conference championship (the reason Greg Jones came back to school) and Purdue was battling to have a chance to be bowl eligible. Both teams played really hard and had a lot to play for. Purdue had the lead entering the fourth quarter and seemed like they had the momentum. As the game got closer to the end you could see Greg Jones' game elevate. It was like there was no way that he was going to lose this game. Great players are able to elevate their game when they need to and Greg Jones showed that he is capable of doing that. Collin Franklin, TE, Iowa St: Collin Franklin had a really solid game even if his team did not. Iowa St really struggled without Austen Arnaud but Franklin's game did not drop off. He has good size and decent speed. He does a good job going after the ball and catches the ball well. He is also a solid blocker. Missouri has been really good defensively but he did a good job sticking to defenders. Franklin has the look of a good all around TE. Stock Down: Ryan Colburn, QB, Fresno St: You like to see players take advantage of opportunities. Fresno St had an opportunity to upset an undefeated team and Colburn had a chance to lead them. Neither of those things happened. Colburn was terrible on the day, completing 6 of 23 passes with no TDs and 2 INTs and 4 sacks. While Colburn didn't get much help and was under constant pressure, neither he or his team rose to the occasion. Markeith Summers, WR, Mississippi: In a tight game against the number 5 team in the country, Markeith Summers was really quite. He caught a pass in the first quarter and didn't catch another one until late in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter catch was a nice one. He showed good speed and went 65 yards for the touchdown, but at the end he dove into the endzone drawing an unsportsmanlike penalty. Mississippi went up by one point with the touchdown but gave up good field position on the kickoff due to the penalty. LSU would then control the ball and score the game winning touchdown with 44 seconds left. Now I would admit that it is very possible that Summers wasn't showing up the defense and might have thought that he had to dive into the endzone to make the score but the reality is that the defender wasn't that close and it was a bad decision either way, one that cost his team the game.
Fri Nov 19, 2010
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Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Jeremy Kerley, WR, TCU: Jeremy Kerley helped TCU jump out to an early lead over San Diego St. He accounted for 168 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs and that was basically all in the first half. After Kerley left the game TCU failed to score another TD and ended up in a tough struggle against the Aztecs. Kerely has good quickness and makes big plays as a receiver and a returner. He is always a threat to take it the distance. Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue: Kerrigan finished the game with 10 tackles and 5 TFL including 4 sacks. The amazing thing is that every week teams gameplan for him and every week he still puts up these numbers and it isn't as if there is another dominate player on that defense to attract some attention. In addition to the tackles and sacks, he had one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. The two forced fumbles give him 14 for his career which marks a new Big Ten record and ties the NCAA record. Ahmad Black, S, Florida: South Carolina has a good, strong running game. Despite being undersized, Black held up really well against the run. He had 16 tackles including 3 TFL. He showed good quickness and an innate ability to sift through traffic to get to the ball carrier. He was physical and did a good job tackling. Chris Carter, DE/OLB, Fresno St: Carter didn't make a ton of plays, partly due to Nevada going away from him often. He plays DE but projects to OLB as a pro. Athletically, he has all the ability to make that transition. He has good speed and quickness. It is rare for DE but he plays with good knee bend and shows really good hips and change of direction. He is explosive enough to get to the QB and has the ability to run down the ball carrier anywhere on the field. He plays with good competitiveness. Stock Down: Virgil Green, TE, Nevada: Green has some speed but is stiff and really struggles to adjust to the ball. He can make the catches but they typically have to be right at him. While he gives good effort when he is blocking, he really struggles because he really lacks bulk. Green is a decent prospect but he really lacks that one good skill that will help him carve out a niche in the pro game. Chris Matthews, WR, and Derrick Locke, RB, Kentucky: These teammates show up on this list for different reasons. Matthews is a good talent and there were some positive things this past week like his touchdown catch, but there were also a number of things that brings concerns. When he did score his touchdown he got penalized for throwing the ball, and this wasn't a Jake Locker type throw, it was a legitimate penalty. Throughout the game there were things that make me worry about his character. He isn't overly focused and at times will have a number of drops. He doesn't show any emotion when he drops a pass. The biggest concern I has was when they scored a TD earlier in the game. The ball carrier ran the ball into the endzone near where Matthews was blocking. Mathews didn't celebrate with his team at all, rather he just walked off the field by himself almost looking like he wasn't happy that he didn't get the ball. Obviously I am not in the huddle but from the outside there may be character concerns. As for Locke, he has struggled to remain healthy and durability is a big concern. This past week he left the game for a while due to injury. He has missed a number of games throughout his career. Jeremy McGee, CB, Mississippi: McGee just really struggled in coverage against the freshman Justin Hunter. He struggled to keep tight coverage on him and when he did have good coverage, he couldn't make a play on the ball. He often lost jump ball situations. Injured Players: There are a number of injuries that could affect draft status. Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh, returned from his back issues only to suffer a torn ACL. Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia, who had been dealing with an ankle injury has been ruled out for the season. This past weekend Austen Arnaud, QB, Iowa St suffered a serious knee injury that will require a total knee reconstruction. Chris Culliver, CB, South Carolina, missed the Florida game with a torn pectoral muscle and may miss more. He has struggled with injuries and suspensions this season. Tragically, Martez Smith along with two other teammates, were involved in a shooting. Smith is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the shooting. We offer the players our best wishes. Southern Miss has created a fund to assist expenses not covered by insurance. A link to the website with information about how to donate can be found on our home page.
Fri Nov 12, 2010
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Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Derek Newton, T, Arkansas St: Newton looks the part with good size and long arms. He has always had some ability and potential and is now starting to put it all together. He looks like a completely different player than he was last year and this past week he helped lead his team to an important conference victory. He has decent feet and battles to maintain his technique. He isn't a finished product as a pass protector but has really improved. He has a tendency to play a little high when he gets tired but it isn't too bad. He did a really good job in pass protection against Jamari Lattimore, who has good quickness around the corner. He is a good run blocker and can really crash down the line and seal the edge. With his current progress he looks like a good developmental prospect. Bo Bowling, WR, Oklahoma St: Bo Bowling stepped up his game two weeks ago when he was filling in for Justin Blackmon, who was suspended. This past week Blackmon was back but Bowling continued to play at a high level. He hadn't had more than 4 catches in any game this season but then caught 8 passes for 92 yards when Blackmon was out and then caught 9 passes for 101 yards this past week with Blackmon back. He is on the short side but has good quickness and has some make you miss ability with the ball in his hands. He catches the ball well and shows good toughness. He has gone from completely off the radar to on the radar. He most likely won't get drafted but if he continues to play like this he could get an invite to camp. Jarred Fayson, WR, Illinois: Fayson has been a reliable target all season. He is what he is. Every game he makes a couple catches. He has good size and catches the ball well. He isn't afraid to catch the ball over the middle of the field. He doesn't typically do anything with the ball after he catches it but he is a decent possession type receiver who may get a look as a late round pick or free agent. Kristofer O'Dowd, C, USC: O'Dowd was a force in the middle of the line. He has good size and is really physical. He isn't always the prettiest but he is really effective and does a good job of finishing his blocks. He had some key blocks to help USC squeak by with a victory. He is solid in both run and pass blocking and is a solid prospect who will get a look around the 2nd to 4th round area. Stock Down: Joseph Barksdale, T, LSU: Barksdale is a large man who doesn't have real good feet. All year he has struggled with speed around the corner. This past week he went up against Alabama which tend to have bigger ends that are more powerful than quick. This would appear to be a good matchup for Barksdale but he still struggled with the bigger DEs when they were lined up over him. Barksdale also struggled to stick to his blocks. His stock has slipped a little due to the fact that he can't play LT but this past week brought on some questions about how effective he could be on the right side. He has good strength but his lack of flexibility and his slow feet might make him struggle even at RT. John Graves, DT, Virginia Tech: Graves has some athleticism and ability but doesn't always play with good technique. Early this season he had played pretty well but this past week he was terrible. He really played uninspired. He looked like he was going half speed. He didn't really fire off the ball and wasn't overly physical. He flat out didn't look like an NFL prospect this past week. He has ability so it brings about questions of laziness, which could explain the inconsistencies of technique in the past. Jay Valai, S, Wisconsin: Valai likes to make those highlight reel type hits but his overall play leaves a lot to be desired. He will make a couple big hits each game but he is an aggressive player who misses a lot of tackles. Generally he misses more tackles than he makes. This was again the case against Purdue. He also isn't very good in coverage. He is so aggressive coming up against the run that he is often out of position against the pass. Making matters worse is that he really lacks height which makes his margin for error less. Josh Nesbitt, QB, Georgia Tech and Dwight Dasher, QB, Middle Tennessee St: Nesbitt and Dasher are both QBs who can run but have really struggled throwing the ball this season. Neither reads defenses very well and are prone to throw the ball up for grabs. Both possess talent but neither has shown any improvement as a passer. Both players are going to have to move to RB to have a chance in the NFL and both have physical issues that might affect them. This past week Nesbitt broke his arm while trying to tackle a player after he threw an INT. He will have to rehab quickly in order to go through workouts to prove that he can make the transition to RB. He will have to show that he can catch the ball and take handoffs before a team may give him a chance. Dasher struggled in their bowl game last year with ankle issues. He missed the beginning of the season due to suspension and is just getting back into the flow of the game. This past week it looked like he may have tweaked his ankle when cutting. He appeared to be walking around with a little bit of a limp and brings about questions about whether or not he has weak ankles. The suspension, possibly durability concerns and a position change is going to be a lot to overcome.
Fri Nov 5, 2010
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Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Roy Helu Jr, RB and DeJon Gomes, CB, Nebraska: Nebraska won a big game against Missouri and Helu and Gomes were big factors for their offense and defense. Helu put up monster numbers with 307 yards rushing and 3 TDs. All his TD runs were long but unimpressive. Helu has always had good speed and if you give him a huge hole he can get some yards. Fact of the matter is that on all these plays he had enormous holes to run through and he didn't get touched at all. Helu's biggest issue has always been finding the hole and being able to gain positive yards when confronted with a defender. The reason he appears on this list is because late in the game, for the first time I have seen; he did a really good job of finding the hole and lowering his head and getting positive yards. His production finally matched his ability. As for the defense, Gomes was really solid in coverage all game. He lined up against the slot receiver which is often one of the best Missouri receivers. He knocked down a number of passes and didn't allow very many catches. He had an INT on a deep ball. He was also solid against the run and was a sure tackler. Mark Dell, WR, Michigan St: As the season has gone on, Dell has developed into a really consistent performer. In the past we have seen glimpses from time to time but he was never real consistent. This past week he came away with 8 catches for 98 yards. He has had at least 50 yards receiving in the past 6 games. In a senior class that is filled with inconsistent receivers, Dell is starting to carve a niche as a reliable possession receiver who could potentially help a team right away as a number 3 receiver. Greg Salas, WR, Hawaii: Speaking of consistent performers, Salas has at least 7 catches in every game this season. This past week he caught 11 passes for 168 yards. While he doesn't play in a conventional offense, those numbers are still impressive. Salas has good size and change of direction. He is strong and is hard to bring down in the open field. He is also a good blocker. He did have a couple of drops but he shows good toughness over the middle. Bryant Ward, FB, Oklahoma St: He doesn't get to play a ton because they run so much single back sets but he tends to make an impact when he is in the game. This past week he had a number of really good blocks. He didn't get any carries but had a catch where he looked natural catching the ball and taking it upfield. While he won't get drafted, if he keeps performing this way he could possibly get a look as a free agent. Stock Down: Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia: Dowling continues to miss time with injuries. Over the past year and a half it seems like he is always hurt or less than 100% So far this year he has only played in four of eight games and of those four he has only started one. It would be hard to spend a high draft pick on someone who hasn't been able to play much. Nate Enderle, QB, Idaho: Last year it looked like Enderle could develop into a good prospect but it just hasn't happened. With the season on the line this past week he turned in a very average performance. At times he is pretty accurate but will out of nowhere make terrible passes. He struggles to find a rhythm and likewise so does his team. They struggle to stay in rhythm long enough to put the ball in the endzone which is why they failed to score a touchdown with him and the controls. Enderle ended the day with 0 TDs and 2 INTs even though it should have been 3. He has good size but isn't overly mobile and struggles to get away from pressure. He has way too much movement in his upper body which affects his consistency and accuracy. Whether it is moving his arms up and down or patting the ball, his upper body isn't quiet and smooth. Mossis Madu, RB, Oklahoma: I think that Madu is a good RB but lately he has struggled a little with fumbles. This past week he didn't see the field and he has now been dropped on the depth chart. Freshman sensation Roy Finch has taken over the number 2 duties and doesn't look like he is going to give them back. Charles Clay, FB, Tulsa: Clay is a tremendous athlete. He has good size and is really fluid. At times they line him up at WR and he looks natural out there. The problem has been holding on to the ball. He drops too many passes and doesn't always secure the football when he runs with it.
Thurs Oct 28, 2010
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Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Mike Berry, G, Auburn: Mike Berry had a great game in a critical matchup against LSU. He did a really good job containing Drake Nevis and even pancaked him once. Eventually in the second half, Nevis consistently lined up on the opposite side of the line, away from Berry. Berry also did a good job getting to the second level and sealing off Kelvin Sheppard to create good running lanes. He did a decent job pulling and while he isn't real quick he typically lands a block. Allen Bailey, DE and Damien Berry, RB, Miami (Fla): Damien Berry has been solid all year and this past week had his fourth straight 100 yard rushing game. Berry runs hard and is the emotional leader of the team. He has decent vision and feet and typically gets positive yards. He has good hands and makes plays in the passing game. He isn't overly flashy but is really productive. We have been critical of Allen Bailey in the past but he was a dominant force this past week. Granted Mike Ingersoll is not the greatest pass protector in the world but Bailey beat him like a drum all game long. Bailey came into the game with only 2 sacks on the season but came away with 3.5 sacks against North Carolina. He was able to beat Ingersoll with power and speed and made plays all over the field. Ben Chappell, QB, Indiana: Ben Chappell earns this spot for one thing, toughness. No, his team didn't win; no, he didn't have a great game statistically and yes, he threw a couple poor INTs but my goodness I don't think I have seen a QB get hit so much. The OL play for Indiana was terrible. Pass rushers were constantly rushing through unblocked. It seemed like almost every pass play Chappell took a hit, and they pass the ball a lot. Chappell attempted 48 passes in all and when he wasn't passing he was typically running a read option play where he also would get hit. I would estimate that Chappell got hit around 90% of their plays and despite that, he never flinched. Chappell consistently stood in the pocket and made throws with people closing in on him. He kept competing and fighting. It was like a football version of a Rocky movie minus the victory at the end, but in reality there was a little victory in the end: NFL personnel will never have to wonder about his toughness. Chappell is a good player who has good size and arm strength. He isn't overly athletic but he is smart and is still able to get yards running because he typically makes good decisions. Marcus Barnett, WR, Cincinnati: Marcus Barnett was nowhere on NFL radars when the season began but he has gotten an opportunity to fill in for injured Vidal Hazelton and this past week he really showed something. Barnett ended up with 9 catches for 174 yards and a TD. He almost had two TDs but stepped out of bounds right before diving into the endzone. The TD that did count was one of the most telling plays. With the game on the line on a critical fourth down Barnett came away with the TD grab to keep his team alive. Granted he got away with a push off but on a team with Armon Binns and D.J. Woods, he is the player they went to in crunch time and he delivered. At this point in time, Barnett isn't much of a prospect but with his performance this past week he went from not being on the radar to being on the radar, and he seems to be developing as the season wears on. Stock Down: Adrian Taylor, DT, Oklahoma: I don't really know what the deal is with Adrian Taylor. Last year he was a really good, explosive player and then he broke his leg in the bowl game. So far this season he hasn't regained that explosiveness but this past week he looked horrible. I don't know if he was injured or if he is still trying to recover from the broken leg but he couldn't even run last week. He limped around the field making no impact at all. He got credit for an assisted tackle but I didn't even see that. If this is due to complications from the broken leg still, then Taylor is going to see his draft stock tumble. He was once a potential first round pick but if you only saw him play last week, you would think that he was a marginal free agent. Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M: Von Miller has few peers when it comes to athletic ability. All you need to see is his knocked down pass at the goal line this past week to see he is a tremendous athlete. While he is a great athlete, he is not always a good football player. As last year's sack total can attest, he is really explosive off the corner. The trouble is that everyone knows that and puts together a plan to slow him up. Teams have figured out how to slow him up enough to be able to get their hands on him and push him around the QB. There has been no adjustment to this by Miller. He continues to try to run around the corner. He doesn't show any counter move at all. To be successful in the NFL you can't be a one trick pony. The other concern I have seen in the past few weeks is that he is really soft. He isn't physical at all. He doesn't stick anyone or jump onto piles or take on blockers. He tends to run around contact and at times his effort seems a little up and down. Based on athletic ability he is unquestionably a first round talent but does he love football enough to become a football player. Mitchell Evans, S, Indiana: I love Mitchell Evans. I enjoyed watching him at WR last year and think he has the talent to be a good S but we are more than halfway through the season and he still doesn't look real comfortable yet. He has had some nice moments but this past week wasn't one of those. Twice he lacked awareness and got beat for TD catches. He also missed a number of tackles on the afternoon. Terrence Toliver, WR, LSU and Mario Fannin, RB, Auburn: I grouped these players together because I thought that they had both landed on the stock down category before but after looking I noticed that Toliver had been considered a number of times but didn't actually make the final stock down players. The Terrence Toliver rollercoaster continues. A couple of weeks ago it looked like he was turning the corner but then in a big game against Auburn he goes missing. Toliver only came away with 3 catches for 25 yards, which is not what you want to see from one of your star players. While not all the throws his way were pinpoint accurate, elite players make all the catches. While all the throws weren't perfect, he did have two crucial drops on passes that were perfect. As for Mario Fannin, he now looks to be in his proper place on the depth chart as the third RB. In a big game against LSU he only carried the ball three times and on one of those he fumbled the ball away again.
Thurs Oct 21, 2010
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Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Mike Hartline, QB, Kentucky: Mike Hartline led Kentucky in their upset of South Carolina. He has a calm demeanor and is in complete control of the offense. I believe that he completed his first 10 passes, this after completing his first 14 passes the previous week. The past couple of weeks he has been really efficient, both throwing and running. He has displayed good leadership abilities and does a good job protecting the ball. He does a good job feeling pressure in the pocket and knows when to run and when to throw. He only has adequate arm strength but has a decent release. These past few weeks have put him on the radar as someone who might get a chance on the next level. Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: Armon Binns has landing on our stock down in the past but this past week he looked like the solid prospect everyone envisioned before the season started. Binns had 8 catches for 175 yards and 3 TDs. While he had some long TD catches against blown or poor coverage it was some of his shorter receptions that caught my eye. He still isn't the best route runner in the world but he did a good job of positioning his body between the ball and defender. While he has been pretty passive, this past week he really attacked the ball. With his size and speed, attacking the ball is almost all he needs to do to be successful on the next level. Scott Tolzien, QB and John Moffitt, G, Wisconsin: In Wisconsin's huge win over Ohio St they were able to move the ball and control the game. The were solid running the ball and passing when they needed to. Tolzien showed good leadership and made big throws when they needed it. He was very efficient throwing the ball, completing 13 of 16 passes. Moffitt helped spur the run game. He was able to consistently seal off the second level. Whether it was Ross Homan or Brian Rolle he was constantly engulfing Ohio St LBs. Moffitt has great size and showed decent agility and good strength. Anthony Castonzo, T, Boston College; Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, WR, Iowa; Jeremiha Hunter, OLB, Iowa and Carl Gettis, CB, Missouri: There were too many good performances this past week to just choose a few. Castonzo was rock solid against Florida St. He showed a good punch and didn't get fooled by fakes. He was solid in run and pass blocking. He was really dominant in this game and looked like a future first rounder. Johnson-Koulianos has really been solid all year. He has been one of the most consistent senior WRs and he turned in another solid effort against Michigan. He had 4 catches for 70 yards and 3 TDs. He has good size and speed. He is constantly able to get separation and once he catches the ball he is able to get good yards after the catch. He also does a good job blocking. Hunter was all over the field. He was a tackling machine ending up with 13 tackles. He has good instincts and flows to the ball well, although at times he gets caught trying to avoid blocks rather than fighting through them. He is solid against the run and the pass and is a sure tackler. Gettis flashed good athleticism and made a number of plays. He came away with 8 tackles but it is his good size and athleticism that makes him a potential draft pick. Stock Down: Ross Homan, OLB, Ohio St: Homan really struggled in this game. Eventually he got hurt and left the game but before that he was getting run over by the Wisconsin OL, especially John Moffitt. He really struggled to get off blocks and wasn't able to hold up at the point of attack at all. Markeith Summers, WR, Mississippi: Summers has some size and athletic ability but he really struggled this past week. They threw him a lot of jump balls and he dropped a ton of passes. I can't remember the last time I saw someone drop so many passes. Athletic ability doesn't do you any good if you can't catch the ball. Phillip Livas, WR, Louisiana Tech: Livas has struggled with a hamstring injury and concussions. Those ailments don't help his cause any but either does his play on the field. He obviously is lacking explosiveness. He is no longer a starter and when he does touch the ball he doesn't make much of a positive impact. This past week he fumbled the ball which led to a short TD drive for Idaho. Later he dropped the kickoff and let it roll out of bounds at the 6 yard line. To his credit he did have a TD catch later in the game but near the end of the game he had a terrible run out of the wildcat which led to negative yards. Lucky for them it didn't affect the kicker but it could have. California Senior defensive players: Ok, Chris Conte shouldn't be on this list because he actually played a good game but the rest of the defensive seniors played a lackluster, uninspired game. USC ran them up and down the field like they were a high school J.V. squad. Cameron Jordan, Derrick Hill, Keith Browner, Mike Mohamed, Darian Hagan and Bryant Nnabuife all really struggled and made little impact. Of note is that Mohamed really struggled to get off blocks and Nnabuife struggled in all aspects.
Thurs Oct 14, 2010
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Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Drake Nevis, DT, LSU: Nevis is really explosive and was too much for Florida to handle. He has outstanding quickness and a number of times he met the RB when he was getting the handoff. He plays hard and is low to the ground so he is really hard to stop and move. He makes a bunch of plays behind the line of scrimmage and is constantly wrecking havoc. Colin Baxter, C, Arizona: Stephen Paea is a big time player and Baxter did a good job containing him. Baxter did a solid job of positioning and has quick feet to stay with Paea. He did a good job anchoring in pass protection and was able to seal Paea off on running plays. Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville: This past week Powell put up 204 yards rushing and scored 2 TDs. He had put up 157 yards the previous week and had 153 yards against Kentucky earlier in the season. These big numbers have put him on the radar. Powell is a big back with good speed. He is more of a one cut and go type back. He also has good vision. While he had big holes to work with in this game he has been consistent and figures to work himself into a potentially draftable prospect. Terrence Toliver, WR, LSU: Toliver is starting to improve and late in the game he was the dominating go to receiver that people have imagined he would become. He came through with a number of catches including scoring the game winning TD on a fade route. He has good size and speed. In this game he showed some make you miss ability and was able to get yards after the catch. This past week in football it seemed like everywhere I looked underclassmen WR were making an impact. Those making a positive impression were: A.J. Green, Julio Jones, Alshon Jeffery, Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Juron Criner and Randall Cobb. Stock Down: Colin McCarthy, MLB, Miami (Fla): He has struggled all season but he really struggled against Florida St. McCarthy looked a little hesitant and struggled with Rodney Hudson and Ryan McMahon. At times he looks like he is trying to juke the blocker and often ends up taking himself out of the play, leaving a big hole for the runner. This happens time and time again. He also struggles with being over aggressive when chasing a play and ends up overpursuing and missing the tackle. He has a lot of ability and production but his play and production on the field have been terrible. Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy: He really didn't make much of an impact in their biggest game on the schedule. He had a couple catches but almost everything was underneath like a shuffle pass. He didn't get many opportunities downfield and didn't really get much separation. He might have been a little banged up but this was the most important game of the season. Due to his size, he is bound to be banged up from time to time and elite players still find a way to make an impact. Of concern is that he dropped a number of really easy passes. Ricky Lumpkin, DT, Kentucky: In a big game against Auburn he was down right terrible. He made no impact at all. He ended up on the ground about 80% of the snaps he was in on. He would either overextend and fall on his face or he would get driven back and land on his back. When he wasn't on the ground he was either getting pushed backward or was tied up on a block. He was never even near the ball. James Rodgers, WR, Oregon St: It was totally a freak thing, but hurting his knee and missing the rest of the season will hurt his stock. It isn't fair but due to his size there will be questions about his durability and missing the season with a knee injury after missing a game and a half with a concussion isn't going to make those concerns go away.
Thurs Oct 14, 2010
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Now that we have reached the half-time point of the season it is time to look at who are the top candidates for the Heisman Award and who are the top newcomers. Top 10 candidates for the Heisman Award: 1. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise St 2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
3. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn 4. Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio St 5. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan 6. Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska 7. Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA 8. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford 9. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St 10. Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada
Most Improved: Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan Top Newcomer, J.C. Route: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn Top Newcomer, Redshirt Route: Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska Top Newcomer, True Freshman Route: Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
An ode to the college football announcers:
Best Crew: Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit They have the best chemistry and both are very good. In an industry where there are a lot of announcers who like to be loud and excited all the time, they have a good sense of when to be excited and when to be even-keeled.
Best Analyst: Todd Blackledge Has very good insights into the game. Does his homework and it is all about the game, not about him.
Worst Crew: Craig James, Jesse Palmer and Rece Davis Easily the least enjoyable football experience. We get to watch a game while we listen to Craig James and Jesse Palmer try to one up each other. They don't even do the starting lineups because it would steal time away from these guys. I am amazed they can fit everyone in the booth with their big heads, but then again maybe there is some room because Jesse Palmer paints on his dress shirt every week. I'm not a fashion expert but he looks ridiculous.
Worst Analyst: Curt Warner The former RB sounds like a great guy but he might be in the wrong profession.
Worst Sideline Reporter: Jason Gesser This is a special award. You wouldn't think that it would be hard to be a somewhat adequate sideline reporter but watching Gesser might make you rethink that notion. He doesn't pay attention so he isn't ready or doesn't hear when they go to him, and when they do get a hold of him he is unprofessional and talks like he is talking to his buddies in the bar, and he likes to make up words.
Fri Oct 8, 2010
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Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard, DEs, Iowa: Both players really showed up big and proved why they will both be first round picks in the draft. Clayborn is a freak of nature. He has unbelievable change of direction for a man his size. He is big and can run to the sideline to make a tackle. He constantly applied pressure and disrupted the running game despite often being double and sometimes triple teamed. Ballard also has good quickness and has more speed than Clayborn. He has a good nose for the ball and seems to always come up with big plays. He plays with good pad level and has good instincts. Both Clayborn and Ballard are unique in the fact that they are both big enough and athletic enough to play anywhere along the DL. Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami (Fla): Up to this point he has been good but not great. This past weekend he was great. He came away with 7 catches for 147 yds and 3 TDs. He really showed good toughness and concentration over the middle of the field. He also does a good job shielding the defender from the ball. He possesses really good size and athleticism and this past weekend he caught the ball well. He also does a good job blocking. Mason Foster, OLB, Washington: It seems like he has a magnet for the ball. Officially he came away with 10 tackles but it seemed like more. Foster is always around the ball and is a sure tackler. He has good size and speed. He doesn't always do a good job of taking on blocks but he plays with great effort and finds a way to get off the block to make the play. He makes plays all over the field and has been very consistent so far this year. Sometimes on passing downs they will line him up at DE and he does a decent job rushing the passer. Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M: I know, you think I accidentally put him in the wrong category, but I didn't. Johnson has taken a beating in cyberworld to the point where many don't view him as a draftable prospect. While his numbers weren't exactly pretty, they don't tell the real story. People have been beating him up for his decision making but if you really watch the film, I only saw three plays that jumped out at me as being bad decisions. All were late in the game: the first was the pass to no one over the middle that Tolu Moala knocked down and probably should have intercepted; later he threw to his left into double coverage, the only reason it wasn't intercepted was because it was such a good throw but it was still a bad decision; last was the final INT. Three bad decisions in 62 pass attempts is not horrible decision making. He actually did a good job of knowing when to throw the ball away and when to run with it. But he had 4 INTs, you say. The first two weren't entirely his fault, the first one he got hit as he was throwing and the second one was the spectacular play by Ugo Chinasa when he tipped the ball to himself. Chinasa was there because the lineman missed the chop block. The third INT was when he was pressured and the ball came out of his hand funny and floated in the air. It was the right decision, he had the WR open for a big play, it was just a poor throw. The final INT was a poor decision and poor throw. The fumble was also a bad play but what gets lost in all this is the rest of the game. Johnson made big time throw after big time throw. He was consistently throwing receivers open. He was really accurate and was making good decisions. Don't forget, he did throw 5 TD passes. While Johnson has been getting beat up, Jake Locker has been getting a lot of praise. Watch both games, Johnson makes a ton more NFL type throws than Locker did. Now I am not saying that Johnson is a better prospect than Locker, he isn't but there was an awful lot to like from this game that gets hidden by the stats. Johnson isn't a top of the draft type prospect (I have never felt that he was) and has a long way to go: at times he gets lazy and long with his release, he needs to do a better job feeling pressure, some deep balls have a little too much air under them and cut down on turnovers because even if they aren't entirely his fault they are still inexcusable. In a senior QB class that has really failed to impress, he has shown some skills that will help solidify himself as a developmental prospect. Stock Down: Gabe Carimi, T, Wisconsin: Carimi really struggled in pass protection this past week. He gave up two sacks, one wasn't really his fault because the RB picked him from the defender but the second one he whiffed on the block. In addition to that he showed slow feet and could have been called for holding numerous times. While he struggled in pass protection, he did do a good job run blocking including out in space. Fact of the matter is that he looked a lot more like a RT than a LT and it is rare for a RT to get drafted in the first round. Curtis Brown, CB, Texas: Curtis Brown is a good CB but this past week against Oklahoma he looked like the weak link in the secondary which is not good when you are trying to be the top CB in the draft. He gave up a number of big plays and didn't look like a shutdown corner at all. Talmadge Jackson III, CB, Oregon: He ended last year playing at a pretty high level and was looking to work his way into that elite or top group of CBs but he hasn't picked up where he left off. For the second week in a row he gave up a lot of catches. He typically doesn't give up a lot after the catch but he gives up a lot of catches that go for first downs. When he does have tight coverage he has really struggled to make a play on the ball and still ends up giving up the catch. This past week he was confused on where to line up and let his guy score a TD. Not exactly what you expect from a senior or an upper echelon player. As it stands right now he is probably an undrafted free agent. Siona Fua, DT, Stanford: Fua had been playing really well so far but he really struggled this past week against Oregon. He often seemed confused and struggled with down blocks. He really struggled to stay square to the line of scrimmage, often getting turned and driven out of the play. He particularly struggled with Carson York. He was not only confused, he lacked awareness and often didn't seem to know where the ball was. Fua has good size and athletic ability and has been really good this year but maybe Oregon found a chink in the armour.
Thurs Sept 30, 2010
Comments
Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Evan Royster, RB, Penn St: After a slow start of the season this past week we saw the Royster of old. He showed that old quickness and decisiveness that had been missing so far this season. Royster has really good feet and often leaves defenders grabbing air when they go for his legs. He has good patience and balance and runs with good forward lean. This past week he ran for 187 yards against a solid Temple team. Jeffrey Anderson, TE, UAB: Anderson has really good size and athleticism. He has good speed for his size and he was every bit as good as his counterpart in this game, Luke Stocker. He caught the ball well and was really hard to bring down in the open field. He proved to be a good redzone target with two 2-point conversions. He was also solid as a blocker, proving to be a good all-around player. Jason Pinkston, T, Pittsburgh: While the rest of the offensive line was horrible, Pinkston was dominant. He was outstanding in pass protection showing a good punch and solid feet. In the second quarter he completely stoned a blitzing LB. At times he was trying to help the guy next to him while he blocked his own guy. He was solid in run blocking and did a good job sealing the inside on off tackle runs. I was wishing that Miami would like up Allen Bailey against him. To his credit, a couple of weeks ago we had Allen Bailey on our stock down list because he failed to make an impact in a big game. This week Bailey showed up and made a big impact. Owen Marecic, FB/OLB, Stanford: Any player who scores a TD run and then scores on the next play from scrimmage on an INT deserves to be on the stock up category. Marecic is a really good FB who is a solid blocker but he has also done a decent job at LB. He has shown decent instincts and has been pretty productive considering that he hasn't played the position a whole lot. While he is not a top notch LB prospect, versatility is a high commodity in the NFL these days. Stock Down: Orlando Franklin, T, Miami (Fla): I don't know who is in charge of deciding the Big East players of the week but maybe it was a horrible week in the conference or maybe they just don't watch the games at all because Orlando Franklin should not have been the offensive lineman of the week there is absolutely no way that he graded out at 96% The reality was that Franklin really struggled. Early in the game he couldn't handle any quickness or speed off the edge. It was so bad that they had to get him help in pass protection. Franklin really needs to develop a better punch and stop catching pass rushers. He fails to lock out pass rushers and control them. He has good athletic ability and did a decent job run blocking but if scouts only watched this game there is no way they keep him outside at T. Bani Gbadyu, OLB, Penn St: Gbadyu has some athletic ability but seems slow to react and really struggles to get off blocks. Penn St has started rotating the OLB position and his backup seemed to make more plays than he did. Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh: Romeus continues to miss time with injury. While he has played a lot over the course of his career; not playing, especially against top competition, allows a little doubt to creep in. A little bit of doubt in the first round could drop you from say pick 8 to pick 20. There is a big difference in money between those two picks. Romeus might be back on the field soon but he just missed an opportunity to show his ability against probably the toughest competition they have on their schedule. Neal Dahlman, LS, Bowling Green: Dahlman has very impressive zip on his snaps; however, launching a snap over the punter's head through the endzone in a big game is not going to help you get drafted.
Thurs Sept 23, 2010
Comments
Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Lance Kendricks, TE, Wisconsin: I was in Madison for the game against Arizona St and I avoided most of the heckling due to the Pat Tillman jersey I was wearing. I mean really, you can't heckle Pat Tillman. The biggest thing that stood out in this game was that Arizona St didn't have an answer for Lance Kendricks. It didn't matter who they lined up against him he always found a way to get open, even against Omar Bolden who is a pretty good CB. He has been consistent catching the ball and has improved his blocking. He is starting to look like the next great receiving TE threat. Zach Hurd, G, Connecticut: Hurd really had a good game despite his team's woes. He has always been big and strong but this year he has flashed good lateral quickness and quicker feet. While he is not going to move to T, he is able to do a better job in pass protection. He also runs well and can get to the second level. At times he plays too high and seems to wear down some as the game goes on but he is definitely climbing the draft board. Chris Walker, DE, Tennessee: In a big game against Florida, he showed up. He was disruptive and showed some quickness around the corner. In this game he played with good leverage and made some plays against the run. I have viewed him as a tweener and have doubted his ability to play DE because he has struggled against the run. This past week he did a good job and has shown that he has some versatility. Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada: Has always had good tools but always seems to struggle with accuracy and decision making as a passer. This past week against a decent California team he was solid and sharp. He threw the ball downfield with accuracy. He completed 10 of 15 passes and threw for 2 TDs and no INTs. He took care of the ball and made things happen with his feet, rushing for 148 yards and another 3 TDs. He was sharp with the little details like ball fakes. If he continues to play like this, he will really climb the draft board. Stock Down: Jake Locker, QB, Washington: Last week we had stock down for Christian Ponder and Allen Bailey, so to be consistent we have Jake Locker this week. Another player who is in the top 5 discussion who really hasn't played like a top 5 player. Locker will get drafted in the first round but he still has a lot of development to do. In a big game against Nebraska he really struggled throwing the ball. He didn't do a good job reading coverages and made some poor throws. Has a ton of ability but the big concern would have to be the lack of improvement over last year. Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: Went into the season as a top prospect but has failed to play up to that level. He has really good size and good speed to go with it but he hasn't dominated the competition like you would expect. He comes away with some catches but doesn't seem like that go to guy. His team has struggled but he hasn't taken his game to a higher level to help them out. This past week he almost seemed to lack awareness about where he was on the field. Despite his size he wasn't able to come away with some jump ball type throws. He is still a good player but hasn't played at that elite level. Carl Johnson, G, Florida: Carl Johnson is a large man and at times he can be dominating. This past week against Tennessee he really didn't show much effort in the first half. He did a lot of standing around and played pretty soft. He did a better job in the second half but at times still didn't play all the way to the whistle. He has the potential to be a really good player but nothing scares an NFL coach more than a big, lazy guy. Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia and Weslye Saunders, TE, South Carolina: In what has become the weekly suspension category we have Brandon Hogan and Weslye Saunders. Hogan was arrested for a DUI and was suspended. He continues to add to his list of character red flags. He has been disciplined for being out of shape, having academic problems, public urination and now a DUI. Saunders flat out got dismissed from the South Carolina program.
Thurs Sept 16, 2010
Comments
Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Jonas Mouton, OLB, Michigan: For the second week in a row Mouton has dominated. This past week he came away with 13 tackles and 1 INT. He has been all over the field. He has good size, sifts through traffic well and is a sure tackler. Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers: Lefeged was a playmaker on both defense and special teams. For the game he came away with 6 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 INT, and 2 blocked punts. Lefeged has marginal size and athletic ability and did miss a couple of tackles but when you make that many big plays scouts will take notice. He put himself on the radar this past week. Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue: While it has seemed like top prospects have turned in lackluster performances as of late, even against lesser competition; this past week Kerrigan dominated like an elite prospect should. He came away with 12 tackles, 4 for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 sack. Those numbers don't tell the entire story however. Despite being double and triple teamed he was constantly harassing the opponent. He has good size and uses his hands well. He has some quickness off the corner and has a tremendous motor. Stefen Wisniewski, C-G, Penn St: Wisniewski has been a solid player for a long time. The biggest concern to me was that he is a little bit on the light side. This past week he went up against a big and physical DL in Alabama and he held up extremely well. With his good technique he was able to anchor well against the pass rush. He plays with good leverage and understands angles. He also has the athletic ability to get to the second level. After this past week, Wisniewski left no doubt in my mind that he is worthy of being a first round pick. Stock Down: Mario Fannin, RB, Auburn: Fannin left the game with a shoulder injury that might be an issue going forward. The injury however is not the reason he lands on the Stock Down list. He lands here because before the injury he really didn't do anything. As a matter of fact, he really was outplayed by the other two RBs. He had 6 yds on 5 carries. He didn't look explosive and he completely missed the hole on a couple of runs. Not exactly what you would expect from a high ranking prospect. Jeff Wills, T, Minnesota: To be fair, it wasn't entirely Wills fault that Minnesota lost to South Dakota but he really didn't help much. Wills is a large man, tall with a lot of bulk. This past week he really struggled to move. He was slow footed and he plays pretty high. Going against an undersized DL you would think that they would be able to grind it out and control the clock. They had some success but not what you would expect. Wills really struggled to get his hands on the defenders. Once considered a potentially draftable prospect, he didn't even look like someone you would invite to camp as a free agent. Christian Ponder, QB, Florida St and Allen Bailey, DE, Miami (Fla): I have grouped these two together because both players are considered elite prospects. Make no mistake, both players will get drafted in the first round but both players were involved in important games and both are in the running to be a top 5 pick. You would like a top 5 caliber selection to be dominant and be a difference maker in big games. Neither Bailey or Ponder were. Bailey really made little impact. Sure he had a couple of tackles but he wasn't a difference maker who was constantly in the backfield or eating up all the blockers. Granted Ponder doesn't get a lot of help around him but he made a number of poor decisions and at times got locked onto receivers, which once resulted in an INT. Like I said before, these guys are still first round players, they just didn't look like Top 5 players. Elite Kickers Kai Forbath, UCLA and Matt Bosher, Miami (Fla): Both kickers missed field goals they should have made when their teams needed them. Forbath missed his only attempt which was a 49 yd fg. UCLA came out of halftime and had their first nice, long drive. They came away with no points when Forbath missed and Stanford took the ball down the field and scored a TD, gaining momentum and putting UCLA away in an important game. Bosher made a 51 yd fg but missed a 46 yd fg and had a 39 yd fg blocked. The game was still close when Bosher missed his fg. While I realize that neither of these are gimmies, they serve as examples of big pressure situations. Both of these kickers are talented kickers and both will get an opportunity to make an NFL team. For a kicker, the difference between being a fourth or fifth round draft pick and being a priority free agent may lie in their ability to excel in pressure situations.
Thurs Sept 9, 2010
Comments
Here are some players that caught my eye this past week, outside the players of the week: Stock Up: Austen Arnaud, QB, Iowa St: Arnaud is a guy that has always had talent but has struggled with decision making. This past week he came out and looked really sharp. Through the entire game he only made two bad decisions, which unfortunately for him both led to INTs. Outside of those two throws he was masterful. He made good throws, throwing receivers open. He was real efficient, showed good arm strength and really made things happen with his feet. At times he reminded me of Donvan McNabb. Granted he has a long way to go to reach that level but he did a good job sticking in the pocket and then picking up big chunks of yards when he had to run. He has strong legs but can also make the defenders miss which makes he a great dual threat. Next week we will get a better feel for where he is at as a prospect when they face a tough Iowa defense. Chris Colasanti, MLB, Penn St: He came into the season as a relative unknown due to veterans ahead of him but he started week 1 and looked like the prototypical Penn St MLB. He has good size and instincts and flows to the ball well. He is a solid tackler and came away with a ton of tackles. Chad Spann, RB, Northern Illinois: He went up against a good Iowa St team and really played well. Truth be told he should have gotten the ball more because he was pretty dominant. While he didn't get the best blocking up front he was still able to get good chunks of yardage due to his vision and ability to break tackles. When there was a hole he showed a good burst and always ended the play falling forward. Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas St: He really put on a clinic against UCLA. He was able to get yards in all types of ways, whether it was from power, speed or shiftiness. He showed good explosiveness and speed, but also has the ability to make himself small and use his great lateral quickness to make the defender miss. Stock Down: Josh Jasper, K, LSU: In an important game he missed a relatively easy FG and also had a kickoff out of bounds. That is not ideal for a kicker whose only ticket to the NFL is his accuracy. Lawrence Wilson, OLB, Connecticut: Wilson definitely has good athletic ability but for a top prospect he misses way too many tackles. He missed at least five tackles against Michigan and at times ran around blocks and struggled to get off blocks. Jeron Johnson, S, Boise St: The S position figures to be pretty competitive this year and Johnson figures to be in the mix for the top group of safeties. To be in that group though he needs to be more consistent. Against Virginia Tech he was a little hesitant in coverage and his tackling was inconsistent. If he continues to play this way he will end up outside the top group. All Suspended and ineligible players: Big stock down for suspensions- Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina; Charles Brown, CB, North Carolina; Kendric Burney, CB, North Carolina; Greg Little, WR, North Carolina; Weslye Saunders, TE, South Carolina; David Sims, S, Iowa St and Derrick Washington, RB, Missouri. Also stock down to ineligible players- Shaun Draughn, RB, North Carolina; Ryan Houston, RB, North Carolina; Da'Norris Searcy, S, North Carolina; Chris Culliver, FS, South Carolina; Jarriel King, G, South Carolina. I typically don't discuss underclassmen but big stock down to underclassmen with suspensions- A.J. Green, WR, Georgia; Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina; LaMichael James, RB, Oregon; Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama; Washaun Ealey, RB, Georgia; Jewel Hampton, RB, Iowa and Jarmon Fortson, WR, Florida St.
Fri Aug 27, 2010
Comments
1. Jaiquawn Jarrett, FS, Temple 2. Davonte Shannon, SS, Buffalo
3. Chad Spann, RB, Northern Illinois 4. Julian Posey, CB, Ohio 5. Brain Lainhart, FS, Kent St 6. Nick Bellore, MLB, Central Michigan 7. Noah Keller, MLB, Ohio 8. Darius Morris, T, Temple 9. Armand Robinson, WR, Miami (OH) 10. Colin Madison, G, Temple 11. Elijah Joseph, MLB, Temple 12. Ike Nduka, RB, Buffalo 13. Jake Coffman, DE, Northern Illinois 14. Neal Dahlman, LS, Bowling Green 15. Robert Eddins, DE, Ball St 16. Colin Miller, C, Central Michigan 17. Landon Cox, WR, Northern Illinois 18. Bobby Seay Jr, FS, Central Michigan 19. Kyle Skarb, FB, Northern Illinois 20. Juan Nunez, WR, Western Michigan 21. LaVon Brazill, WR, Ohio 22. Brandon Stephens, CB, Miami (OH) 23. Archie Donald, OLB, Toledo 24. Jemail Berry, SS, Western Michigan 25. Ryan Downard, FS, Eastern Michigan
Three Who Could Surprise 1. Ben Thayer, TE, Eastern Michigan 2. Marcellis Williamson, DT, Ohio 3. Eric Davis, C, Eastern Michigan
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Adrian Robinson, DE, Temple 2. Sean Baker, SS, Ball St 3. Chandler Harnish, QB, Northern Illinois
Fri Aug 27, 2010
Comments
1. Rob Housler, TE, Florida Atlantic 2. Greg Ellingson, WR, Florida International
3. Jerrel Jernigan, WR, Troy 4. Dwight Dasher, RB, Middle Tennessee St 5. Anthony Gaitor, CB, Florida International 6. Jeremy Kellem, FS, Middle Tennessee St 7. Tavious Polo, CB, Florida Atlantic 8. Kevin Brown, SS, Middle Tennessee St 9. Jamari Lattimore, OLB, Middle Tennessee St 10. Derek Newton, T, Arkansas St 11. DuJuan Harris, RB, Troy 12. Javon McKinnon, OLB, Arkansas St 13. Esteban Santiago, T, North Texas 14. Bryan Hall, DT, Arkansas St 15. Brad Serini, C, Florida International 16. Alvin Jordan, FB, Louisiana-Monroe 17. Michael Lockley, MLB, Florida Atlantic 18. Orkeys Auriene, CB, Louisiana-Lafayette 19. Rod Issac, CB, Middle Tennessee St 20. Frank Goodin, RB, Louisiana-Monroe 21. Grant Fleming, MLB, Louisiana-Lafayette 22. Lester Jean, WR, Florida Atlantic 23. Craig Robertson, OLB, North Texas 24. Mark Fisher, G, Middle Tennessee St 25. Tyler Clark, C, Troy
Three Who Could Surprise 1. Jarvis Wilson, OLB, Florida International 2. Chris Bullard, OLB, Western Kentucky 3. Theo Smith, OLB, Louisiana-Monroe
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Lance Dunbar, RB, North Texas 2. Alfred Morris, RB, Florida Atlantic 3. T.Y. Hilton, WR, Florida International
Fri Aug 27, 2010
Comments
1. Prince Amukamara, Nebraska 2. Shareece Wright, USC
3. Ras-I Dowling, Virginia 4. Curtis Brown, Texas 5. Jimmy Smith, Colorado 6. Davon House, New Mexico St 7. Rashad Carmichael, Virginia Tech 8. Kendric Burney, North Carolina 9. Charles Brown, North Carolina 10. Marcus Gilchrist, Clemson 11. Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio St 12. Mario Butler, Georgia Tech 13. Johnny Patrick, Louisville 14. Jalil Brown, Colorado 15. Julian Posey, Ohio 16. Chykie Brown, Texas 17. Brandyn Thompson, Boise St 18. Devon Torrence, Ohio St 19. Chris L. Rucker, Michigan St 20. Troy Woolfolk, Michigan 21. Brandon Hogan, West Virginia 22. Cortez Allen, Citadel 23. Korey Lindsey, Southern Illinois 24. Richard Sherman, Stanford 25. Anthony Gaitor, Florida International 26. DeMarcus Van Dyke, Miami (Fla) 27. Marcell Gipson, Wyoming 28. Jason Teague, TCU 29. Talmadge Jackson III, Oregon 30. Anthony West, Nebraska 31. James Dockery, Oregon St 32. Chris Harris, Kansas 33. DeAngelo Wilkinson, Colorado St 34. Ramon Broadway, Arkansas 35. Rudell Crim, Arkansas 36. Justin Rogers, Richmond 37. Kevin Rutland, Missouri 38. Darian Hagan, California 39. Carl Gettis, Missouri 40. C.J. Bailey, Southern Miss 41. Brandon Stephens, Miami (OH) 42. Ryan Jones, NW Missouri St 43. Byron Maxwell, Clemson 44. Jonathan Nelson, Oklahoma 45. Quinton Pointer, UNLV
Fri Aug 27, 2010
Comments
1. DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson 2. Deunta Williams, North Carolina
3. Duke Ihenacho, San Jose St 4. Da'Norris Searcy, North Carolina 5. Ahmad Black, Florida 6. Chris Culliver, South Carolina 7. Jermale Hines, Ohio St 8. Jaiquawn Jarrett, Temple 9. Davonte Shannon, Buffalo 10. Shiloh Keo, Idaho 11. Quinton Carter, Oklahoma 12. Eugene Clifford, Tennessee St 13. Brian Lainhart, Kent St 14. Jeron Johnson, Boise St 15. Johnny Brown, Mississippi 16. Zac Etheridge, Auburn 17. Jasper Simmons, Missouri 18. Nate Williams, Washington 19. Jai Eugene, LSU 20. David Sims, Iowa St 21. Tejay Johnson, TCU 22. Mark LeGree, Appalachian St 23. Jeremy Kellem, Middle Tennessee St 24. Mitchell Evans, Indiana 25. Dom DeCicco, Pittsburgh 26. Brett Greenwood, Iowa 27. Braxton Amy, UTEP 28. Bobby Seay Jr, Central Michigan 29. Jay Valai, Wisconsin 30. Alex Ibiloye, TCU 31. Winston Venable, Boise St 32. Franklin Mitchem, Texas Tech 33. Kyle Theret, Minnesota 34. Davon Morgan, Virginia Tech 35. Kevin Brown, Middle Tennessee St 36. Hiram Atwater, UAB 37. Tim Atchison, Baylor 38. Rajric Coleman, Utah St 39. Jason House, Southern 40. Joe Lefeged, Rutgers
Thurs Aug 26, 2010
Comments
1. Davon House, CB, New Mexico St 2. Dontay Moch, OLB, Nevada
3. Duke Ihenacho, SS, San Jose St 4. Shiloh Keo, S, Idaho 5. Nate Enderle, QB, Idaho 6. Titus Young, WR, Boise St 7. Austin Pettis, WR, Boise St 8. Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada 9. Jeron Johnson, SS, Boise St 10. Brandyn Thompson, CB, Boise St 11. Chris Carter, OLB, Fresno St 12. Greg Salas, WR, Hawaii 13. Ryan Winterswyk, DE, Boise St 14. Rob McGill, T, Louisiana Tech 15. Vai Taua, RB, Nevada 16. Virgil Green, TE, Nevada 17. Deonte' Jackson, RB, Idaho 18. Phillip Livas, WR, Louisiana Tech 19. Daniel Hardy, TE, Idaho 20. John Bender, G, Nevada 21. Adrian Thomas, G, Hawaii 22. Winston Venable, SS, Boise St 23. Andrew Jackson, G, Fresno St 24. Jeremy Avery, RB, Boise St 25. Joe Bernardi, C, Fresno St
Three Who Could Surprise 1. Spencer Johnson, T, Utah St 2. Sioeli Fakalata, G, New Mexico St 3. Jonah Sataraka, DT, Idaho
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Nate Potter, T, Boise St 2. Robert Turbin, RB, Utah St 3. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise St
Thurs Aug 26, 2010
Comments
1. Adrian Clayborn, Iowa 2. Cameron Heyward, Ohio St
3. Greg Romeus, Pittsburgh 4. Allen Bailey, Miami (Fla) 5. Pernell McPhee, Mississippi St 6. Christian Anthony, Grambling 7. Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue 8. Cliff Matthews, South Carolina 9. Cameron Jordan, California 10. Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh 11. Wayne Daniels, TCU 12. Ugo Chinasa, Oklahoma St 13. Sam Acho, Texas 14. Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma 15. Pierre Allen, Nebraska 16. Ryan Winterswyk, Boise St 17. Kentrell Lockett, Mississippi 18. Kenny Rowe, Oregon 19. Eddie Jones, Texas 20. Brooks Reed, Arizona 21. Ricky Elmore, Arizona 22. Bruce Miller, Central Florida 23. Scott Soloman, Rice 24. Cheta Ozougwu, Rice 25. Markus White, Florida St 26. Jake Laptad, Kansas 27. Clay Nurse, Illinois 28. Karl Klug, Iowa 29. Antoine Carter, Auburn 30. Craig Marshall, South Florida 31. DeQuin Evans, Kentucky 32. Alex Albright, Boston College 33. Justin Trattou, Florida 34. Vic So'oto, BYU 35. Jake Coffman, Northern Illinois
Thurs Aug 26, 2010
Comments
1. Marvin Austin, North Carolina 2. Jerrell Powe, Mississippi
3. Stephen Paea, Oregon St 4. Christian Ballard, Iowa 5. Jarvis Jenkins, Clemson 6. Kenrick Ellis, Hampton 7. Phil Taylor, Baylor 8. Drake Nevis, LSU 9. Colby Whitlock, Texas Tech 10. Adrian Taylor, Oklahoma 11. Ian Williams, Notre Dame 12. John Graves, Virginia Tech 13. Chris Neild, West Virginia 14. Kelly Griffin, TCU 15. Ladi Ajiboye, South Carolina 16. Brandon Bair, Oregon 17. Sione Fua, Stanford 18. Ted Laurent, Mississippi 19. Derrick Hill, California 20. Dexter Larimore, Ohio St 21. Anthony Gray, Southern Miss 22. Terrell McClain, South Florida 23. Ollie Ogbu, Penn St 24. Cory Grant, TCU 25. Guy Miller, Colorado St 26. Lawon Scott, Mississippi 27. Christian Tupou, USC 28. Mike Blanc, Auburn 29. Saia Falahola, Arizona St 30. Lawrence Marsh, Florida 31. Cedric Thornton, Southern Arkansas 32. Terron Sanders, Florida 33. Martin Parker, Richmond 34. Isaako Aaitui, UNLV 35. Ricky Lumpkin, Kentucky
Wed Aug 25, 2010
Comments
1. Charles Clay, FB, Tulsa 2. Dwayne Harris, WR, East Carolina
3. Donald Buckram, RB, UTEP 4. Case Keenum, QB, Houston 5. Mario Harvey, MLB, Marshall 6. Jeffrey Anderson, TE, UAB 7. Aldrick Robinson, WR, SMU 8. Lee Smith, TE, Marshall 9. James Cleveland, WR, Houston 10. Trae Johnson, WR, Tulsa 11. Frantrell Forrest, WR, UAB 12. Bruce Miller, DE, Central Florida 13. Scott Soloman, DE, Rice 14. Cheta Ozougwu, DE, Rice 15. Tanner Antle, OLB, Tulsa 16. Rod Huntley, G, UTEP 17. Anthony Gray, DT, Southern Miss 18. Michael Such, P, Tulsa 19. Braxton Amy, S, UTEP 20. Kamar Aiken, WR, Central Florida 21. Jarve Dean, G, Houston 22. Willie Smith, T, East Carolina 23. Casey Robottom, WR, Tulane 24. Brad Paul, C, Memphis 25. Hiram Atwater, SS, UAB
Three Who Could Surprise 1. Pete Fleps, MLB, SMU 2. Odrick Ray, DE, Tulsa 3. Matt Szymanski, K, SMU
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. DeAndre Brown, WR, Southern Miss 2. Brynn Harvey, RB, Central Florida 3. Damaris Johnson, WR, Tulsa
Wed Aug 25, 2010
Comments
1. Greg Little, North Carolina 2. Niles Paul, Nebraska
3. Armon Binns, Cincinnati 4. Terrence Toliver, LSU 5. Vincent Brown, San Diego St 6. Titus Young, Boise St 7. Leonard Hankerson, Miami (Fla) 8. Ronald Johnson, USC 9. Dwayne Harris, East Carolina 10. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa 11. James Rodgers, Oregon St 12. Austin Pettis, Boise St 13. Jeremy Kerley, TCU 14. John Chiles, Texas 15. Ryan Whalen, Stanford 16. Aldrick Robinson, SMU 17. Mark Dell, Michigan St 18. Matt Szczur, Villanova 19. DeMarco Sampson, San Diego St 20. Greg Salas, Hawaii 21. Greg Ellingson, Florida International 22. Detron Lewis, Texas Tech 23. Jerrel Jernigan, Troy 24. James Cleveland, Houston 25. Keith Smith, Purdue 26. Vidal Hazelton, Cincinnati 27. Jimmy Young, TCU 28. Owen Spencer, North Carolina St 29. Jock Sanders, West Virginia 30. Dane Sanzenbacher, Ohio St 31. Marshall Williams, Wake Forest 32. Gerald Jones, Tennessee 33. Trae Johnson, Tulsa 34. Terrell Zachery, Auburn 35. Graham Zug, Penn St 36. Frantrell Forrest, UAB 37. Armand Robinson, Miami (OH) 38. Brandon Caleb, Oklahoma 39. Scotty McKnight, Colorado 40. Edmund Gates, Abilene Christian 41. Phillip Livas, Louisiana Tech 42. David Gilreath, Wisconsin 43. Cecil Shorts III, Mount Union 44. Jarvis Williams, North Carolina St 45. Carl Moore, Florida 46. O.J. Murdock, Ft. Hays St 47. Jeff Maehl, Oregon 48. Eddie McGee, Illinois 49. Landon Cox, Northern Illinois 50. Markeith Summers, Mississippi
Wed Aug 25, 2010
Comments
1. Weslye Saunders, South Carolina 2. D.J. Williams, Arkansas
3. Luke Stocker, Tennessee 4. Charlie Gantt, Michigan St 5. Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin 6. Mike McNeill, Nebraska 7. Rob Housler, Florida Atlantic 8. Zach Pianalto, North Carolina 9. Jeffrey Anderson, UAB 10. Joe Torchia, Virginia 11. Schuylar Oordt, Northern Iowa 12. Lee Smith, Marshall 13. Stephen Skelton, Fordham 14. Virgil Green, Nevada 15. Allen Reisner, Iowa 16. Kyle Adams, Purdue 17. Alston Umuolo, San Diego St 18. Eric Peitz, Colorado St 19. Cameron Graham, Louisville 20. Evan Frosch, TCU 21. Martell Webb, Michigan 22. Andre Smith, Virginia Tech 23. Greg Smith, Texas 24. Daniel Hardy, Idaho 25. A.J. Simmons, Arizona
Tues Aug 24, 2010
Comments
1. Greg Romeus, DE, Pittsburgh 2. Jason Pinkston, T, Pittsburgh
3. Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati 4. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia 5. Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh 6. Johnny Patrick, CB, Louisville 7. Brandon Hogan, CB, West Virginia 8. Lawrence Wilson, OLB, Connecticut 9. Scott Lutrus, MLB, Connecticut 10. Rob Long, P, Syracuse 11. Vidal Hazelton, WR, Cincinnati 12. Jock Sanders, WR, West Virginia 13. Delone Carter, RB, Syracuse 14. Derrell Smith, MLB, Syracuse 15. Craig Marshall, DE, South Florida 16. Ryan Bartholomew, C, Syracuse 17. Chris Neild, DT, West Virginia 18. Zach Hurd, G, Connecticut 19. Jake Rogers, P, Cincinnati 20. Greg Lloyd, MLB, Connecticut 21. Moise Plancher, RB, South Florida 22. Cameron Graham, TE, Louisville 23. Doug Hogue, OLB, Syracuse 24. Dom DeCicco, SS, Pittsburgh 25. Terrell McClain, DT, South Florida
Three Who Could Surprise 1. J.T. Thomas, OLB, West Virginia 2. Antwone Canady, MLB, Louisville 3. Byron Stingily, T, Louisville
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh 2. Henry Hynoski, FB, Pittsburgh 3. Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati
Tues Aug 24, 2010
Comments
1. Bruce Carter, North Carolina 2. Von Miller, Texas A&M
3. Dontay Moch, Nevada 4. Mark Herzlich, Boston College 5. Ross Homan, Ohio St 6. Colin McCarthy, Miami (Fla) 7. Jeremiha Hunter, Iowa 8. Jonas Mouton, Michigan 9. Lawrence Wilson, Connecticut 10. Michael Morgan, USC 11. Quentin Davie, Northwestern 12. Brian Smith, Notre Dame 13. Eric Gordon, Michigan St 14. Chris Carter, Fresno St 15. Mason Foster, Washington 16. D.J. Smith, Appalachian St 17. Chris White, Mississippi St 18. Spencer Paysinger, Oregon 19. Jason Werner, Purdue 20. Adrian Moten, Maryland 21. Craig Stevens, Auburn 22. Archie Donald, Toledo 23. Doug Hogue, Syracuse 24. K.J. Wright, Mississippi St 25. Malcolm Smith, USC 26. Chris Walker, Tennessee 27. Kendall Smith, Florida St 28. J.T. Thomas, West Virginia 29. LaMarcus Thompson, Tennessee 30. A.J. Jones, Florida
Tues Aug 24, 2010
Comments
1. Greg Jones, Michigan St 2. Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina
3. Kelvin Sheppard, LSU 4. Alex Wujciak, Maryland 5. Josh Bynes, Auburn 6. Scott Lutrus, Connecticut 7. Mike Mohamed, California 8. Nate Irving, North Carolina St 9. Mario Harvey, Marshall 10. Nick Bellore, Central Michigan 11. Noah Keller, Ohio 12. Casey Matthews, Oregon 13. Derrell Smith, Syracuse 14. Brian Rolle, Ohio St 15. Culmer St. Jean, Wisconsin 16. Brad Jefferson, Georgia Tech 17. Jonathan Cornell, Mississippi 18. Brandon Hicks, Florida 19. Gerald Munns, Arizona St 20. Elijah Joseph, Temple 21. Brian Duncan, Texas Tech 22. Greg Lloyd, Connecticut 23. Obi Ezeh, Michigan 24. Stephen Franklin, Southern Illinois 25. Antwone Canady, Louisville
Mon Aug 23, 2010
Comments
1. Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina 2. Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina
3. Christian Ponder, QB, Florida St 4. DeAndre McDaniel, SS, Clemson 5. Quan Sturdivant, MLB, North Carolina 6. Allen Bailey, DE, Miami (Fla) 7. Anthony Castonzo, T, Boston College 8. Greg Little, WR, North Carolina 9. Mark Herzlich, OLB, Boston College 10. Deunta Williams, FS, North Carolina 11. Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia 12. Rodney Hudson, G, Florida St 13. Da'Norris Searcy, SS, North Carolina 14. Colin McCarthy, OLB, Miami (Fla) 15. Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami (Fla) 16. Orlando Franklin, T, Miami (Fla) 17. Jarvis Jenkins, DT, Clemson 18. Rashad Carmichael, CB, Virginia Tech 19. Kendric Burney, CB, North Carolina 20. Charles Brown, CB, North Carolina 21. Marcus Gilchrist, CB, Clemson 22. Graig Cooper, RB, Miami (Fla) 23. Mario Butler, CB, Georgia Tech 24. Matt Bosher, K, Miami (Fla) 25. Chris Hairston, G, Clemson
Three Who Could Surprise 1. Da'Rel Scott, RB, Maryland 2. Nate Irving, MLB, North Carolina St 3. John Graves, DT, Virginia Tech
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina 2. Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson 3. Brandon Harris, CB, Miami (Fla)
Mon Aug 23, 2010
Comments
1. Evan Royster, Penn St 2. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
3. Daniel Thomas, Kansas St 4. Noel Devine, West Virginia 5. Allen Bradford, USC 6. Armando Allen, Notre Dame 7. Mario Fannin, Auburn 8. Graig Cooper, Miami (Fla) 9. Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma St 10. Da'Rel Scott, Maryland 11. Delone Carter, Syracuse 12. Chad Spann, Northern Illinois 13. Anthony Allen, Georgia Tech 14. Donald Buckram, UTEP 15. Baron Batch, Texas Tech 16. Roy Helu Jr., Nebraska 17. Derrick Locke, Kentucky 18. Dwight Dasher, Middle Tennessee St 19. Vai Taua, Nevada 20. Brandon Sullivan, San Diego St 21. Emmanuel Moody, Florida 22. Brandon Saine, Ohio St 23. Vondrell McGee, Texas 24. Josh Adams, Wake Forest 25. Deonte' Jackson, Idaho 26. Jay Finley, Baylor 27. Alexander Robinson, Iowa St 28. Shaun Draughn, North Carolina 29. Matt Asiata, Utah 30. Damien Berry, Miami (Fla) 31. Nic Grigsby, Arizona 32. James Montgomery, Washington St 33. C.J. Gable, USC 34. Derrick Washington, Missouri 35. Ike Nduka, Buffalo
Mon Aug 23, 2010
Comments
1. Kai Forbath, UCLA 2. Alex Henery, Nebraska
3. Matt Bosher, Miami (Fla) 4. Thomas Weber, Arizona St 5. Wes Byrum, Auburn 6. Stefan Demos, Northwestern 7. Nate Whitaker, Stanford 8. Aric Goodman, Colorado 9. Josh Jasper, LSU 10. Devin Barclay, Ohio St
Mon Aug 23, 2010
Comments
1. Ryan Donahue, Iowa 2. Chas Henry, Florida
3. Rob Long, Syracuse 4. Derek Epperson, Baylor 5. Trevor Hankins, Arizona St 6. Jake Rogers, Cincinnati 7. Reid Forrest, Washington St 8. Aaron Bates, Michigan St 9. Chad Cunningham, Tennessee 10. Keenyn Crier, Arizona
Mon Aug 23, 2010
Comments
1. Neal Dahlman, Bowling Green 2. Jake McQuaide, Ohio St
3. Christian Yount, UCLA 4. Max Leo, Syracuse 5. Andrew Schulze, Iowa 6. Corey Adams, Kansas St 7. John Henry Pace, Northwestern 8. Mark House, North Carolina 9. John Stokes, Vanderbilt 10. Jordan Van Royen, Wyoming
Sun Aug 22, 2010
Comments
1. Jerrell Powe, DT, Mississippi 2. Mike Pouncey, C, Florida
3. DeMarcus Love, T, Arkansas 4. Pernell McPhee, DE, Mississippi St 5. Derek Sherrod, T, Mississippi St 6. Terrence Toliver, WR, LSU 7. Cliff Matthews, DE, South Carolina 8. Weslye Saunders, TE, South Carolina 9. Ahmad Black, S, Florida 10. Chris Culliver, FS, South Carolina 11. D.J. Williams, TE, Arkansas 12. Luke Stocker, TE, Tennessee 13. Jarriel King, G, South Carolina 14. Lee Ziemba, T, Auburn 15. Mario Fannin, RB, Auburn 16. Chas Henry, P, Florida 17. Kelvin Sheppard, MLB, LSU 18. Clint Boling, T, Georgia 19. James Carpenter, T, Alabama 20. Drake Nevis, DT, LSU 21. Johnny Brown, SS, Mississippi 22. Josh Bynes, MLB, Auburn 23. Carl Johnson, G, Florida 24. Joseph Barksdale, T, LSU 25. Kentrell Lockett, DE, Mississippi
Three Who Could Surprise 1. LaMarcus Thompson, OLB, Tennessee 2. Zac Etheridge, SS, Auburn 3. Gerald Jones, WR, Tennessee
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas 2. Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama 3. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
Fri Aug 20, 2010
Comments
1. Anthony Castonzo, Boston College 2. Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh
3. Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin 4. Nate Solder, Colorado 5. DeMarcus Love, Arkansas 6. Marcus Cannon, TCU 7. Orlando Franklin, Miami (Fla) 8. Derek Sherrod, Mississippi St 9. Lee Ziemba, Auburn 10. Clint Boling, Georgia 11. James Carpenter, Alabama 12. Joseph Barksdale, LSU 13. Danny Watkins, Baylor 14. Rob McGill, Louisiana Tech 15. Darius Morris, Temple 16. Willie Smith, East Carolina 17. Brad Thorson, Kansas 18. Cody Habben, Washington 19. Cory Brandon, Oklahoma 20. Trevis Turner, Abilene Christian 21. Ray Dominguez, Arkansas 22. Rich Lapham, Boston College 23. Mark Starr, Colorado St 24. Butch Lewis, USC 25. Kyle Hix, Texas
Fri Aug 20, 2010
Comments
1. Rodney Hudson, Florida St 2. Justin Boren, Ohio St
3. John Moffitt, Wisconsin 4. Jarriel King, South Carolina 5. Benjamin Ijalana, Villanova 6. Chris Hairston, Clemson 7. Joel Figueroa, Miami (Fla) 8. Julian Vandervelde, Iowa 9. Carl Johnson, Florida 10. Colin Madison, Temple 11. Stephen Schilling, Michigan 12. Thomas Claiborne, Boston College 13. Bryant Browning, Ohio St 14. Chris Stewart, Notre Dame 15. Mike Berry, Auburn 16. Zach Hurd, Connecticut 17. John Bender, Nevada 18. Will Rackley, Lehigh 19. Adrian Thomas, Hawaii 20. David Arkin, Missouri St 21. B.J. Cabbell, Virginia 22. Rod Huntley, UTEP 23. Andrew Jackson, Fresno St 24. Tray Allen, Texas 25. Byron Isom, Auburn
Thurs Aug 19, 2010
Comments
1. Marcus Cannon, T, TCU 2. Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego St
3. Jeremy Kerley, WR, TCU 4. Wayne Daniels, DE, TCU 5. DeMarco Sampson, WR, San Diego St 6. Zane Taylor, C, Utah 7. Kelly Griffin, DT, TCU 8. Jimmy Young, WR, TCU 9. Jake Kirkpatrick, C, TCU 10. Tejay Johnson, FS, TCU 11. Andy Dalton, QB, TCU 12. Cory Grant, DT, TCU 13. Matt Asiata, RB, Utah 14. Brandon Sullivan, RB, San Diego St 15. Alston Umuolo, TE, San Diego St 16. Guy Miller, DT, Colorado St 17. Eric Peitz, TE, Colorado St 18. Marcell Gipson, CB, Wyoming 19. Jason Teague, CB, TCU 20. Evan Frosch, TE, TCU 21. Isaako Aaitui, DT, UNLV 22. Alex Ibiloye, S, TCU 23. Zac Pauga, FB, Colorado St 24. David Leonard, WR, Wyoming 25. Shaky Smithson, WR, Utah
Three Who Could Surprise 1. DeAngelo Wilkinson, CB, Colorado St 2. Evan Marchal, T, UNLV 3. B.J. Williams, DE, San Diego St
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Matt Reynolds, T, BYU 2. Johnathan Rainey, DE, New Mexico 3. Carmen Messina, MLB, New Mexico
Wed Aug 18, 2010
Comments
1. Stefen Wisniewski, Penn St 2. Kristofer O'Dowd, USC
3. Mike Pouncey, Florida 4. Colin Baxter, Arizona 5. Zane Taylor, Utah 6. Dan Wenger, Notre Dame 7. Chase Beeler, Stanford 8. Jake Kirkpatrick, TCU 9. Ryan Bartholomew, Syracuse 10. J.C. Brignone, Mississippi St 11. Wade Weibert, Kansas St 12. Tim Barnes, Missouri 13. Ryan McMahon, Florida St 14. Colin Miller, Central Michigan 15. Joe Bernardi, Fresno St
Tues Aug 17, 2010
Comments
1. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska 2. Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M
3. Nate Solder, T, Colorado 4. DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma 5. Niles Paul, WR, Nebraska 6. Curtis Brown, CB, Texas 7. Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas St 8. Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado 9. Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor 10. Alex Henery, K, Nebraska 11. Ugo Chinasa, DE, Oklahoma St 12. Sam Acho, DE, Texas 13. Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma 14. Mike McNeill, TE, Nebraska 15. Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M 16. Quinton Carter, FS, Oklahoma 17. Danny Watkins, T, Baylor 18. Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma St 19. Colby Whitlock, DT, Texas Tech 20. Adrian Taylor, DT, Oklahoma 21. Pierre Allen, DE, Nebraska 22. John Chiles, WR, Texas 23. Baron Batch, RB, Texas Tech 24. Chykie Brown, CB, Texas 25. Brad Thorson, G, Kansas
Three Who Could Surprise 1. Jalil Brown, CB, Colorado 2. Chris Harris, CB, Kansas 3. Detron Lewis, WR, Texas Tech
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Aaron Williams, CB, Texas 2. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri 3. Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
Mon Aug 16, 2010
Comments
1. Stanley Havili, USC 2. Owen Marecic, Stanford
3. Charles Clay, Tulsa 4. Robert Hughes, Notre Dame 5. Shaun Chapas, Georgia 6. Marcus Sims, North Alabama 7. Ryan Houston, North Carolina 8. Jon Hoese, Minnesota 9. Kyle Skarb, Northern Illinois 10. Brett Morse, Iowa 11. Preston Dial, Alabama 12. Kevin Cooper, Tennessee 13. Ben Guidugli, Cincinnati 14. Alvin Jordan, Louisiana-Monroe 15. Moncell Allen, Kentucky
Fri Aug 13, 2010
Comments
1. Jake Locker, QB, Washington 2. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon St
3. Kristofer O'Dowd, C, USC 4. Stanley Havili, FB, USC 5. Allen Bradford, RB, USC 6. Shareece Wright, CB, USC 7. Cameron Jordan, DE, California 8. Kai Forbath, K, UCLA 9. Ronald Johnson, WR, USC 10. James Rodgers, WR, Oregon St 11. Colin Baxter, C, Arizona 12. Mike Mohamed, ILB, California 13. Owen Marecic, FB, Stanford 14. Casey Matthews, MLB, Oregon 15. Ryan Whalen, WR, Stanford 16. Michael Morgan, OLB, USC 17. Thomas Weber, K, Arizona St 18. Brandon Bair, DT, Oregon 19. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon 20. Sione Fua, DT, Stanford 21. James Dockery, CB, Oregon St 22. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford 23. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona 24. Ricky Elmore, DE, Arizona 25. Mason Foster, OLB, Washington
Three Who Could Surprise 1. Malcolm Smith, OLB, USC 2. Derrick Hill, DT, California 3. Nate Whitaker, K, Stanford
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford 2. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC 3. Rahim Moore, FS, UCLA
Thurs Aug 12, 2010
Comments
1. Jake Locker, Washington 2. Christian Ponder, Florida St
3. Pat Devlin, Delaware 4. Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M 5. Nate Enderle, Idaho 6. Case Keenum, Houston 7. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada 8. Andy Dalton, TCU 9. Scott Tolzien, Wisconsin 10. Ricky Stanzi, Iowa 11. Ben Chappell, Indiana 12. Mitch Mustain, USC 13. Greg McElroy, Alabama 14. Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech 15. Blake Bolles, NW Missouri St 16. Kevin Riley, California 17. Adam Weber, Minnesota 18. Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech 19. Austen Arnaud, Iowa St 20. T.J. Yates, North Carolina
Wed Aug 11, 2010
Comments
1. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa 2. Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio St
3. Stefen Wisniewski, C, Penn St 4. Greg Jones, MLB, Michigan St 5. Evan Royster, RB, Penn St 6. Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue 7. Gabe Carimi, T, Wisconsin 8. Ross Homan, OLB, Ohio St 9. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, WR, Iowa 10. Jeremiha Hunter, OLB, Iowa 11. Jonas Mouton, OLB, Michigan 12. Chimdi Chekwa, CB, Ohio St 13. Ryan Donahue, P, Iowa 14. Justin Boren, G, Ohio St 15. Charlie Gantt, TE, Michigan St 16. Lance Kendricks, TE, Wisconsin 17. Scott Tolzien, QB, Wisconsin 18. Jermale Hines, FS, Ohio St 19. Christian Ballard, DT, Iowa 20. Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa 21. John Moffitt, G, Wisconsin 22. Devon Torrence, CB, Ohio St 23. Ben Chappell, QB, Indiana 24. Brandon Saine, RB, Ohio St 25. Chris L. Rucker, CB, Michigan St
Three Who Could Surprise 1. Mitchell Evans, SS, Indiana 2. Julian Vandervelde, G, Iowa 3. Dominic Alford, G, Minnesota
Top 3 Underclassmen 1. Rob Brewster, C, Ohio St 2. Josh Oglesby, T, Wisconsin 3. Martez Wilson, LB, Illinois
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