Draft Bulletin

Casey Matthews, MLB, Oregon

Over the course of the year I have not been overly impressed with Casey Matthew's play. He obviously has good size and athletic ability but he has lacked instincts and playmaking ability. This past week in the civil war that all changed. It was by far the best game I have seen him play this year. He really affected the game. He did a good job blitzing and pressuring the QB. He played with high effort and good balance. He didn't stay blocked and did a good job corralling Jacquizz Rodgers. Rodgers is a tough back to tackle and you need to be disciplined. While Matthews hasn't really shown that discipline during the year, he did a really good job last week. If he can continue to play this way he will turn into a good player on the next level.

Week 13: Orie Lemon, MLB, Oklahoma St

Orie Lemon has gotten stronger and stronger as the season has progressed and he ended the regular season with a really strong effort. Lemon finished with 12 tackles and really helped contain a potent Oklahoma rushing attack. Lemon missed last year with a torn ACL but looks like he is starting to regain his speed. I was curious to see if he could get to the outside and stop the fast Sooner runners and he was able to all game. He has good size and really good instincts. He is the heart and soul of the defense and their play drops when he isn't in the game. He gets good depth on his drops in coverage. He has been a little under the radar but he is really climbing the draft board.

Week 12: Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue

Throughout the season Ryan Kerrigan has been underrated. This past week he didn't put up big numbers but he was constantly affecting the game. Kirk Cousins did a good job of getting rid of the ball quickly. He had to because Kerrigan was in his face all game long. It didn't matter who blocked him or how they tried to block him, the result was always the same- pressure on the QB. Kerrigan lines up on both sides of the line, neither D.J. Young or J'Michael Deane could block him; nor could TE Charlie Gantt, nor could the G when they pulled him over to block him. Like I mentioned last week, I am amazed at what an effect he can have on the game despite the fact that there really isn't anyone else on the defense that scares you at all. While he didn't put up big tackle totals this week he did apply a lot of pressure and made the offensive linemen jittery. There were at least three false start penalties by the linemen lined up against him. He is a beast and should be a top 10 pick.

Week 11: Mike Mohamed, ILB, California

The Cal Bears did a really good job containing LaMichael James and the Oregon offense. One of main reasons they were able to do that was the play of Mike Mohamed. Mohamed played a really smart game. James is really shifty and feasts on overaggressive LBs that often overpursue the play. Mohamed did a real good job not overpursuing and funneling James towards help. He came away with 16 tackles but the most positive thing is that the majority of these tackles were close to the line of scrimmage and not downfield. He did a really solid job keeping blockers off his body, fighting through the block and making a sure tackles. While Mohamed isn't overly fast and is a little stiff, he has good instincts and his ability to take on blockers will make him a productive player on the next level.

Week 10: Michael Hodges, ILB, Texas A&M

Michael Hodges helped lead the Aggies in their big upset against Oklahoma. The defense was huge, especially towards the end of the game to help preserve the vistory. Hodges led the team with an astounding 19 tackles with 2 sacks. He also combined with Von Miller to stop Oklahoma on fourth and goal from the one late in the fourth quarter. Hodges has been a tackling machine all season long. He is a little undersized and lacks athleticism. At times he struggles to get off blocks and isn't overly flexible or quick; however, he makes a ton of plays. He is smart and plays with a high motor. While he won't get drafted he makes too many plays to be completely ignored. His production has moved him into that possible free agent range.

Week 9: Mana Silva, S, Hawaii

In a big game against Idaho and Nate Enderle, Hawaii dominated. Idaho took the opening possession and took the ball down the field on a drive that ended in a field goal. That would be the last points they would score until about 2 minutes left in the game when the game was well decided. Mana Silva was solid against the run and the pass. He ended the game with 9 tackles and one INT. He has good size and speed. He did a good job coming up quickly against the run. He is physical and did a solid job tackling. He has the speed to get from sideline to sideline. Silva has had a solid year and is moving up the draft board.

Week 8: Doug Hogue, OLB, Syracuse

Doug Hogue was a difference maker for Syracuse as they upset West Virginia. Hogue set the tone with an INT on the first series of the game that led to a Syracuse field goal to take the early lead. Hogue would come away with another INT later in the game in addition to 10 tackles. He was also in on a couple of key sacks late in the game. He also pressured the QB to make a bad pass that almost resulted in an INT. He showed good recognition on a swing pass where he got out and tackled Noel Devine for a loss. He has showed good speed and hands. He is a little undersized but has gotten bigger than last year. The former RB is starting to become more comfortable at the LB position and his production is starting to match his athletic ability.

Week 7: Chris White, MLB, Mississippi St

One of the reasons Mississippi St defeated Florida was due to the fact that the Bulldogs defense completely shut down the Gator offense. The leader of the defense was Chris White who came away with 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. This season White moved inside to MLB and has looked really good all season. He has really good size and good speed. His good instincts always put him around the ball. He is disciplined and does a good job pursuing inside out so that he doesn't overpursue plays. This past week he showed that he has the ability to blitz from the inside. He does a good job taking on blockers and is a sure tackler. White is able to play inside and outside and is really moving up the charts.

Week 6: Nate Bussey, OLB, Illinois

The defensive prospect who made the biggest impact this past week was Drake Nevis but since he has already been a player of the week we defer to Nate Bussey who played a critical role in Illinois' big win against Penn St. Penn St had the momentum early in the game until Bussey read a swing pass and made an athletic play to jump up and tip the ball to himself for and interception and return it for a TD. That play really changed the momentum and Illinois never looked back. Bussey had a solid game outside of that play, he ended up with 8 tackles and really put pressure on the QB. He is a little undersized but has good speed and is all over the field. He typically has good coverage. At times he takes poor angles in his drops and at times he struggles to get off blocks. The area that he is really going to get a look on the next level is special teams. He was again solid on special teams and came away with a big play there as well. Illinois kick returner Jack Ramsey fumbled the opening kickoff deep in their own territory and it was Bussey who jumped on the ball. He makes a number of tackles and blocks on special teams. The fact that he is such a good special teams player combined with his ability to show up big in big games (he also played well against Ohio St) is going to make him attractive to coaches on the next level.

Week 5: Ugo Chinasa, DE, Oklahoma St

Ugo Chinasa was a key factor in Oklahoma St preserving their undefeated season. His biggest play was in the second quarter when Oklahoma St was down 14-0 and Texas A&M was driving down the field in Cowboy territory. Chinasa beat the chop block, jumped up and tipped the pass to himself for an INT. It was a really athletic play and it totally changed the momentum. He was disruptive all game long ending up with 6 tackles, 3 for a loss and 2 sacks to go along with his INT. After the first sack, Texas A&M double teamed him often but he still came away with a number of big plays. He had a big tackle against the run late in the game. Chinasa is really athletic, on one play he dropped back into coverage and made a really nice tackle in open space. He has good size and quickness. He has really long arms and uses them well.

Week 4: Nate Irving, MLB, North Carolina St

Nate Irving missed the past season due to a horrific car accident which he was lucky to survive. He is back this year and doesn't look like he has missed a beat. He dominated Georgia Tech with 16 tackles and 2 sacks. Irving has decent size and really good speed. He makes plays sideline to sideline but he is also very physical at the point of attack. He has good instincts and does a decent job sifting through traffic, although at times he will get caught running around blocks because he trusts his speed so much. He is a sure tackler and is always around the ball. If he keeps playing the way he has been playing he could push his way up into the discussion of being a potential first round pick.

Week 3: Jaiquawn Jarrett, FS, Temple

Jaiquawn Jarrett turned in a solid game against Connecticut where he really looked like a big time S prospect. He has good size and speed. Against Connecticut he used his good speed to make numerous tackles close to the line of scrimmage. He really likes to lower the boom and did a solid job tackling. Despite attacking the line of scrimmage against the run he did a good job in coverage and was hardly challenged. At this point he is a little underrated due to some big name players but make no mistake, he is as good as some of those with more fanfare.

Week 2: Mario Harvey, OLB, Marshall

After getting blown out by Ohio St in week 1 Marshall almost pulled off the upset against West Virginia in week 2 and a big reason why was Mario Harvey. Harvey dominated the game. West Virginia couldn't figure out how to block him. Harvey ended up with 16 tackles, 3 for loss, a forced fumble and a sack. He also seemed to come up big in big situations. Every week they like to talk about him running a 4.3 forty. Personally, I don't think he runs a 4.3 but he is fast. He is short but has good bulk. Unlike a lot of speed guys, he has the ability to be physical and take on blocks. He has good instincts and is always around the ball. This past week he showed some pass rush ability from the DE position on passing downs. Harvey is an underrated player who figures to continue moving up the draft board as the season progresses.

Week 1: Drake Nevis, DT, LSU

LSU faced a depleted North Carolina team in what was supposed to be a crucial matchup. North Carolina was missing a ton of players but one place they were not missing players was on the OL. Still, North Carolina didn't have anyone who could block Nevis one on one. He was a disruptive force in the middle, using his good quickness and power. He was consistently in the backfield causing problems until North Carolina decided to double team him on every play.