2014 Draft Prospect Thread

[manxman2601]

After the Combine one of the Twitter Draftniks I follow went back to check if the athleticism translated onto the field. He felt that while the athleticism is there, CJ seemed to play slower. This could just be due to not being instinctive due to lack of reps in the passing game. Any thoughts?

I still can't get over his combine performance because it's certainly not there on tape. But, he's more than capable of being a chain mover, a redzone threat and a dominating blocker and for a 3rd round price, I think that's fine. If you want to eat up big chunks on offense he's not the guy but if you want a guaranteed conversion on third down, well he could be that guy. He doesn't do everything, but the things he does well, he does damn well.

 

[mrscruff]

I still can't get over his combine performance because it's certainly not there on tape. But, he's more than capable of being a chain mover, a redzone threat and a dominating blocker and for a 3rd round price, I think that's fine. If you want to eat up big chunks on offense he's not the guy but if you want a guaranteed conversion on third down, well he could be that guy. He doesn't do everything, but the things he does well, he does damn well.

And BB has stressed in the past that they look at what prospects (or any player) can do and not what they can't.
And I agree, give me a chain mover and third down machine in the 3rd round and that is good enough for me.

Where do you stand with Troy Niklas in comparison to CJ?

 

[manxman2601]

And BB has stressed in the past that they look at what prospects (or any player) can do and not what they can't.
And I agree, give me a chain mover and third down machine in the 3rd round and that is good enough for me.

Where do you stand with Troy Niklas in comparison to CJ?

I never fell in love with Niklas but that was because I was comparing him to ASJ. He sits between ASJ and CJ for me. Niklas looks more athletic on tape and has many of the assets of CJ and I see Niklas as a second rounder, CJ as a third or even fourth. I have a first round grade on ASJ.

 

[mayoclinic]

Matt Peshek is currently working on his DT analysis, but had this comment on Josh Norris' Twitter page:

Watching Will Sutton reminds me how much I liked Chris Young from Arizona State last year. Good in coverage as a hybrid S/LB, 7.5 sacks too

Young is a 6' 244# LB who has played both MLB and WILL. He's a late round/UDFA projection, but he has a nice combination of skills and ST ability. Here's one profile:

2014 NFL Draft Scouting Report - Chris Young, OLB Arizona State - With the First Pick - NFL Scouting Reports, College Football, and the 2013 NFL Draft

Someone to keep an eye on.

 

[ATippett56]

Matt Peshek is currently working on his DT analysis, but had this comment on Josh Norris' Twitter page:



Young is a 6' 244# LB who has played both MLB and WILL. He's a late round/UDFA projection, but he has a nice combination of skills and ST ability. Here's one profile:

2014 NFL Draft Scouting Report - Chris Young, OLB Arizona State - With the First Pick - NFL Scouting Reports, College Football, and the 2013 NFL Draft

Someone to keep an eye on.

From the 2014 Mock Draft Thread:

Collegiate UDFAs (potential diamonds in the rough):

Lorenzo Taliaferro, RB - Coastal Carolina (276)
Quincy Enunwa, WR - Nebraska (308)
Ted Bolser, TE - Indiana (332)
Zach Kerr, DT - Delaware (305)
Beau Allen, DT - Wisconsin (414)
Jamil Merrell, DE - Rutgers (411)
Kenny Anunike, DE - Duke (429)
Chris Young, ILB - Arizona State (344)
Caleb Lavey, ILB - Oklahoma State (362)
Anthony Hitchens, OLB - Iowa (325)
Jonathan Dowling, FS - Western Kentucky (284)
Nickoe Whitley, FS - Mississippi State (303)
Brock Vereen, SS - Minnesota (336)
Brandon Dixon, CB - Northwest Missouri State (318)
Keith Reaser, CB - Florida Atlantic (345)

 

[Username]

Been looking at safety, seeing as Browner is going to play CB.

I think Ty Zimmerman is a good middle round pick. He's very smart, disciplined, excellent play recognition, good size, solid against the run and a strong tackler.

He seems to be a bit lacking in athleticism, but I'm sure his smarts compensate for that.

 

[mayoclinic]

Interesting top 100 list from Ethan Hammerman at Draft Mecca:

Draft Mecca

I don't agree with all of it, but he has some nice positional classifications (EDGE player, Off-Ball LB, etc.), and there are some interesting rankings:

- Ra'Shede Hageman at #5 overall
- Kyle Fuller at #12 overall
- Jimmy Ward as the #2 safety, and #20 overall; Calvin Pryor at #51
- Troy Niklas as the #2 TE, and #21 overall
- Jeremiah Attaochu as the #3 EDGE prospect (ahead of Anthony Barr), and #23 overall
- Marcus Martin at #27
- Telvin Smith at #31
- Aaron Lynch at #37 overall - I don't agree with this one at all
- Phillip Gaines at #50, ahead of Justin Gilbert (#53 overall)
- Seantrel Henderson at #63
- Antone Exum at #65
- Trai Turner at #84
- Kelvin Benjamin at #85, and Kony Ealy at #87
- ASJ at #93, just ahead of Richard Rodgers (#94) and Jake Murphy (#100)

It's a provocative list.

 

[patchick]

Interesting top 100 list from Ethan Hammerman at Draft Mecca:

Draft Mecca

I don't agree with all of it, but he has some nice positional classifications (EDGE player, Off-Ball LB, etc.), and there are some interesting rankings

Thanks, it's always interesting to see a genuinely fresh take.

I have now seen Marcus Martin mocked in every single possible round, from 1 to 7.

 

[mayoclinic]

Thanks, it's always interesting to see a genuinely fresh take.

I have now seen Marcus Martin mocked in every single possible round, from 1 to 7.

Technically it's not a mock, but I get your point.

Josh Norris from Rotoworld also has a top 100 list from a few days ago, which is similarly original, and quite different:

NFL Draft: Norris' Top 100 - Rankings - Rotoworld.com

- Dominique Easley at #8 overall and Will Sutton at #13 (Aaron Donald at #12); Timmy Jernigan at #45
- Jace Amaro at #14 overall, ahead of Eric Ebron (#15); Troy Niklas and ASJ #38 and #39, respectively
- Bashaud Breeland (#42) ahead of Justin Gilbert (#43); Phillip Gaines at #80
- Kony Ealy at #46, Aaron Lynch at #50
- Kevin Pierre-Louis at #56
- Marcus Martin at #74
- Justin Ellis at #76 and Zach Kerr at #98
- Colt Lyerla at #89, Richard Rodgers at #96
- Trai Turner at #91, ahead of David Yankey (#93)
- Stephon Tuitt at #94

I think it's interesting and instructive to compare this kind of less formulaic lists. They're good examples of how widely prospect rankings will differ in such a deep and strong draft. An awful lot of the top-100 picks on this list are gong to be day 3 picks.

 

[Luxusdk]

Only one list there matters - Mike Mayocks - and as close to draft as posibel

 

[patchick]

I think it's interesting and instructive to compare this kind of less formulaic lists. They're good examples of how widely prospect rankings will differ in such a deep and strong draft. An awful lot of the top-100 picks on this list are gong to be day 3 picks.

It's a VERY deep draft, yet IMO not much richer than usual at the top end. As always, you hit a plateau by pick #20 or so. So as always, Pats fans start thinking "trade down."

 

[ATippett56]

It's a VERY deep draft, yet IMO not much richer than usual at the top end. As always, you hit a plateau by pick #20 or so. So as always, Pats fans start thinking "trade down."

The 2014 NFL Draft may very well be tough to trade down, considering the overall depth.

 

[manxman2601]

Interesting top 100 list from Ethan Hammerman at Draft Mecca:

Draft Mecca

I don't agree with all of it, but he has some nice positional classifications (EDGE player, Off-Ball LB, etc.), and there are some interesting rankings:

- Ra'Shede Hageman at #5 overall
- Kyle Fuller at #12 overall
- Jimmy Ward as the #2 safety, and #20 overall; Calvin Pryor at #51
- Troy Niklas as the #2 TE, and #21 overall
- Jeremiah Attaochu as the #3 EDGE prospect (ahead of Anthony Barr), and #23 overall
- Marcus Martin at #27
- Telvin Smith at #31
- Aaron Lynch at #37 overall - I don't agree with this one at all
- Phillip Gaines at #50, ahead of Justin Gilbert (#53 overall)
- Seantrel Henderson at #63
- Antone Exum at #65
- Trai Turner at #84
- Kelvin Benjamin at #85, and Kony Ealy at #87
- ASJ at #93, just ahead of Richard Rodgers (#94) and Jake Murphy (#100)

It's a provocative list.

If you think that's provocative, you should see his mock drafts. In the last one I saw, he had Atlanta taking Aaron Lynch at #6.

And Hammerman was the guy that got me onto Jimmie Ward before the season even started.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Some prospect reports to chew on:

Shrine game winners:
Shrine Game Winners: Day 3

Tre Boston a value pick at safety?

Under the radar kids:
NFL Combine: Under-the-radar storylines

Ethan Westbrooks anyone?

Unheralded prospects:
Ten unheralded college football prospects to watch | NFL.com

Bene Benwikere! Try saying that 10 times fast?

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Technically it's not a mock, but I get your point.

Josh Norris from Rotoworld also has a top 100 list from a few days ago, which is similarly original, and quite different:

NFL Draft: Norris' Top 100 - Rankings - Rotoworld.com

- Dominique Easley at #8 overall and Will Sutton at #13 (Aaron Donald at #12); Timmy Jernigan at #45
- Jace Amaro at #14 overall, ahead of Eric Ebron (#15); Troy Niklas and ASJ #38 and #39, respectively
- Bashaud Breeland (#42) ahead of Justin Gilbert (#43); Phillip Gaines at #80
- Kony Ealy at #46, Aaron Lynch at #50
- Kevin Pierre-Louis at #56
- Marcus Martin at #74
- Justin Ellis at #76 and Zach Kerr at #98
- Colt Lyerla at #89, Richard Rodgers at #96
- Trai Turner at #91, ahead of David Yankey (#93)
- Stephon Tuitt at #94

I think it's interesting and instructive to compare this kind of less formulaic lists. They're good examples of how widely prospect rankings will differ in such a deep and strong draft. An awful lot of the top-100 picks on this list are gong to be day 3 picks.

I've been thinking that Will Sutton is not getting enough attention. He's a very good interior player, not to the level of Donald but still a guy that Mayo would consider a "disrupter" to my eye. Easley is an excellent player when healthy as well, I'd love to see him wearing the Flying Elvis.

I think I like Amaro more than most do here but certainly feel Ebron is the head of the tight end class this year.

 

[Merril Hoge's Tie Knot]

A former scouting director on Easley and Bitonio

NFL prospect focus: Dominique Easley and Joel Bitonio | National Football Post

 

[sircole]

More positive Albert Wilson news Which Small WRs Are Worth Your Rookie Picks? | RotoViz:

Now that we know which measurables we should keep our eye on, let’s take a look at this year’s small WR class.

Odell Beckham Jr. – Beckham is certainly young enough with a rookie age of 22.4. His msTD percentage is 35, which is slightly below the average of the small WR hits. His RZTDR is only at 22% though.
Jarvis Landry – Landry is also has a young rookie age at 22.1 with a great msTD score of 44%. His RZTDR is much higher than even the hits at 40%. Landry had a terrible combine, but he looks to be a great fit as a small NFL WR.
Brandin Cooks - Cooks seems like he’s the premier small WR in this draft class. A rookie age of 21.3, a msTD score of 42%, and a RZTDR of 33%. He’s probably as close to a lock as a small WR can be.
Marquise Lee – Lee is much older than the average small WR hit, only had a msTD percentage of 20, and a low RZTDR of 17%. The red flags are everywhere for Lee.
Albert Wilson – If you’ve been keeping up with my work you know I love Albert Wilson. This is just another test he passes. Wilson has a satisfactory rookie age of 22.5, caught 44% of his teams TDs, and had a RZTDR of 33%. He’s my #2 small WR right behind Cooks.

I know the team has a lot of receivers now, but we are expected to bring in a bunch of UDFAs this year; I'm hoping he will be one of them.

 

[BobDigital]

Some names that might not have been mentioned yet.

Seantrel Henderson - 6'7 330 OT. 5-7 round grade. Prototypical Patriots build. Picking him would allow Cannon to move to full time Guard instead of having to worry about playing an OT. Raw but huge upside.

Seantrel Henderson, OT, Miami (Fla.), NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Larry Webster - 6'6 255 DE 6-FA round grade. Prototypical build. A word that keeps coming up is "learn". He is very raw without much experience and needs to be willing to work and learn but his ceiling is high.

Larry Webster, DE, Bloomsburg, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

De'Anthony Thomas 5'9 174 RB 6-7 round grade. I have mocked him a few times but no ones seems to have jumped on this train yet. Reminds me a little of Kevin Faulk. Can't take a beating and will wear down if over used but is quick, fast and can catch. Back up for Vereen who can make lightning strike on any play

De’Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

 

[mayoclinic]

Some names that might not have been mentioned yet.

Seantrel Henderson - 6'7 330 OT. 5-7 round grade. Prototypical Patriots build. Picking him would allow Cannon to move to full time Guard instead of having to worry about playing an OT. Raw but huge upside.

Seantrel Henderson, OT, Miami (Fla.), NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Larry Webster - 6'6 255 DE 6-FA round grade. Prototypical build. A word that keeps coming up is "learn". He is very raw without much experience and needs to be willing to work and learn but his ceiling is high.

Larry Webster, DE, Bloomsburg, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

De'Anthony Thomas 5'9 174 RB 6-7 round grade. I have mocked him a few times but no ones seems to have jumped on this train yet. Reminds me a little of Kevin Faulk. Can't take a beating and will wear down if over used but is quick, fast and can catch. Back up for Vereen who can make lightning strike on any play

De’Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

They've been mentioned, many times. But the more, the merrier.

 

[Mike the Brit]

1. CJ Fiedorowicz is a fantastic blocker. He's a 3rd OT.

2. He has buckets for hands. Snags pretty much everything.

3. I'm fine with him on day two or early day three. Great backup and complement to Gronk.

See.

#86 C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa vs Ohio St '13 - YouTube

May I officially declare Mr Fiedorowicz my binkie? A big guy who catches the ball and likes hitting people. Works for me.