The 2013 Prospect Thread

[mayoclinic]

Updated CB rankings from Walter Football:

WalterFootball.com: 2013 NFL Draft: Cornerback Rankings

 

[mayoclinic]

Wes Bunting of the NFP profiles South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore:

Is Marcus Lattimore still the draft

 

[mayoclinic]

Updated S rankings from Walter Football:

WalterFootball.com: 2013 NFL Draft: Safety Rankings

I think Eeic Reid and TJ McDonald will end up the top 2.

 

[mayoclinic]

Oregon St. CB Jordan Poyer was arrested after a bar fight:

Report: OSU CB Jordan Poyer arrested following alleged bar fight - CBSSports

Damn, he had his bar fight 11 months too soon. :violent: Poyer (6' 190#) would have made a nice 7th round pick. He's probably a day 2 talent.

 

[mayoclinic]

NE Patriots' Draft breaks down Oregon vs. Arizona from 2011:

Scouting the 2013 NFL Draft: Oregon vs Arizona (2011) | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2013 NFL Draft

Of particular interest are their comments on Dion Jordan:

#96 DE Dion Jordan

-lined up at multiple positions in this game. DE in 3 and 4 man fronts, OLB and even covered the slot a few times
-press coverage on WR, drove him into running play
-used long arms to create space
-tried to run thru RT, but had little push
-quick on his feet
-would much rather run around contact
–has speed and club/slap as his pass rush repertoire. Needs to add creativity in selection to prepare for next level
-shows nice burst and sideline to sideline speed
-Saw ball carrier, but couldn’t get off block

Overview: Impressed. Jordan can rush the passer from many spots on the field. Quickness is a plus, along with his length. Would like to see him add some good weight this offseason, added strength would increase his chances of being a stellar prospect.

Sounds like Jordan has impressive athleticism and agility for such a long prospect, but needs to get much stronger. The "would rather run around contact" part concerns me a bit. But is skill set and upside is intriguing.

 

[mayoclinic]

A useful resource for identifying potential prospects of interest - Phil Steele's pre-season all-conference teams:

http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/AllSEC.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-Big12.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-BigTen.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-Pac-12.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-ACC.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-BigEast.pdf

John Jenkins and Jesse Williams are the 1st team DTs for the SEC. And Johnathan Hankins and Kawann Short are the 1st team DTs for the Big-10. Damn. But the real value is that Steele goes 4 teams deep on offense and defense, which really covers a lot of potential prospects. And he includes non-draft eligible prospects - 6'6" 258# Austin Seferian-Jenkins from Washington gets the nod for 1st team all-Pac 10 at TE over Joseph Fauria and Levine Toilolo, for example. Good stuff.

There are lists for other conferences, BTW. I've just listed the majors.

 

[ZoisKing]

Updated S rankings from Walter Football:

WalterFootball.com: 2013 NFL Draft: Safety Rankings

I think Eeic Reid and TJ McDonald will end up the top 2.

TJ McDonald looks very promising. He doesn't look to have elite burst, but he does anticipate well and makes a lot of plays on the ball. He'd be an excellent center fielder for any defense.

I'll hold back too much opinion on other prospects until I get to see more video. I do like Mathieu as I've stated before. Such a playmaker. Awesome prospect who will always have to deal with size limitations. If he slides, then you move up to grab him in the 2nd and be happy.

 

[ZoisKing]

A useful resource for identifying potential prospects of interest - Phil Steele's pre-season all-conference teams:

http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/AllSEC.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-Big12.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-BigTen.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-Pac-12.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-ACC.pdf
http://www.philsteele.com/Pdf/2012PreseasonHonors/All-BigEast.pdf

John Jenkins and Jesse Williams are the 1st team DTs for the SEC. And Johnathan Hankins and Kawann Short are the 1st team DTs for the Big-10. Damn. But the real value is that Steele goes 4 teams deep on offense and defense, which really covers a lot of potential prospects. And he includes non-draft eligible prospects - 6'6" 258# Austin Seferian-Jenkins from Washington gets the nod for 1st team all-Pac 10 at TE over Joseph Fauria and Levine Toilolo, for example. Good stuff.

There are lists for other conferences, BTW. I've just listed the majors.

Nice find. Very nice.

Will keep track of this list as the season progresses.

One name seems to stand out as not being included in the SEC positional breakdowns....

 

[mayoclinic]

One name seems to stand out as not being included in the SEC positional breakdowns....

I assume you mean Kwame Geathers. That's the one that stood out to me.

 

[ZoisKing]

I assume you mean Kwame Geathers. That's the one that stood out to me.

Bingo.

Will have to shoot him an email

 

[Snake Eyes]

Side Note: Not to Live In The Past, or anything, but one of favorite Super Binkies from the 2012 Draft Class was playing for the other side in that one: OG Senio Kelemete ~ #56 ~ who lined up as Left Tackle for Washington. Had an absolutely terrific game. GOD, I wish we'd scooped him up.

This sums up my feelings on the issue

 

[mayoclinic]

This sums up my feelings on the issue

Yeah, that one hurt. My biggest disappointment of day 3 was not landing Kelemete.

 

[mayoclinic]

Wes Bunting on Clemson RB Andre Ellington:

Clemson running back Andre Ellington is a dynamic open field runner. He gets up to speed instantly, can routinely outpace angles and is a big play waiting to happen. Plus, he showcases the ability to press space when working the edge and will catch the football well out of the backfield.

I do have concerns about him as an “every down” type back as he lacks ideal power inside, isn’t as shifty as you would expect and tends to get tripped up easily through contact. However, in more of a third down role where you can routinely get him the football in space and ask him to be that big play threat. Ellington certainly has the skill set to be the homerun type X-factor for an NFL offense.

Is Andre Ellington the draft

Reamer's been high on this kid for 2 years now.

 

[patsfaninpa]

Nice find. Very nice.

Will keep track of this list as the season progresses.

One name seems to stand out as not being included in the SEC positional breakdowns....

Phil Steele's College Football Preview is a must have. It's a tad pricey for you cheapos our there. 8.95 last year. Haven't picked this year's up. Goes back 5 years with each team. Schedule and point spreads..cough cough..Current depth chart. Recruiting section. Pre-season conference and All American Picks. Lists top players at each position. Lots of pictures too

 

[mayoclinic]

Phil Steele's College Football Preview is a must have. It's a tad pricey for you cheapos our there. 8.95 last year. Haven't picked this year's up. Goes back 5 years with each team. Schedule and point spreads..cough cough..Current depth chart. Recruiting section. Pre-season conference and All American Picks. Lists top players at each position. Lots of pictures too

Thanks for the info.

BTW, Phil Steele's also publishes a mid-season All-Conference and All-American list. Looking at their 2011 mid-season All-American list, who should show up on the 4th team at CB but Tavon Wilson. Trumaine Johnson, Alfonzo Dennard, Janoris Jenkins didn't make the list. In fact, not even Morris Claiborne made it. And Chandler Jones didn't make it - or the Big East All-Conference list - for the DEs. Phil Steele's also listed Wilson as 1st team All-Conference for the Big 10 at CB. These lists are subjective, but Wilson must have had SOME decent tape to make someone's list.

Phil Steele
Phil Steele

 

[ZoisKing]

Phil Steele's College Football Preview is a must have. It's a tad pricey for you cheapos our there. 8.95 last year. Haven't picked this year's up. Goes back 5 years with each team. Schedule and point spreads..cough cough..Current depth chart. Recruiting section. Pre-season conference and All American Picks. Lists top players at each position. Lots of pictures too

I'll keep an eye out for it. I don't think I've ever seen his college preview guide, though I have seen other guides of his.

 

[ZoisKing]

Thanks for the info.

BTW, Phil Steele's also publishes a mid-season All-Conference and All-American list. Looking at their 2011 mid-season All-American list, who should show up on the 4th team at CB but Tavon Wilson. Trumaine Johnson, Alfonzo Dennard, Janoris Jenkins didn't make the list. In fact, not even Morris Claiborne made it. And Chandler Jones didn't make it - or the Big East All-Conference list - for the DEs. Phil Steele's also listed Wilson as 1st team All-Conference for the Big 10 at CB. These lists are subjective, but Wilson must have had SOME decent tape to make someone's list.

Phil Steele
Phil Steele

Nice find on Tavon Wilson. I would love for him to be a great player for us after all the flack that pick has gotten. Though media draftnuts will forever say he could have been gotten in the 4th round or later.

As for Jones, he really snuck up on a bunch of people. I wasn't even really aware of hiim till late in the process. But when I did start watching him I loved the potential.

 

[mayoclinic]

Wes Bunting asks if Pittsburgh junior RB Ray Graham could be the next LeSean
"Shady" McCoy:

- Exhibits “plus” vision, sees lanes open up on the backside and has a great feel in tight areas.
- Runs with a natural base and exhibits the ability to instantly change directions in all areas of the game.
- Is an elite lateral athlete with the balance, quickness and body control to instantly cut back against the grain inside and make a defender miss.
- Looks natural plucking the football out of the backfield. Showcases “plus” hands when asked to adjust to make a play.

When healthy Pittsburgh running back Ray Graham possesses the type of “make you miss ability” and feel as a runner to consistently create big plays in the NFL. He’s coming back from an ACL tear and will need to prove he can be the same type of back he was prior to the injury. However, when healthy there are a lot of similarities in Graham’s game to former Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy.

Is Ray Graham the next LeSean McCoy? | National Football Post

 

[mayoclinic]

NE Patriots' Draft looks at film from last year's Illinois vs. Northwestern game:

Scouting the 2013 NFL Draft: Illinois vs Northwestern (2011) | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2013 NFL Draft

Illinois LB Jonathan Brown has already been discussed as an interesting smaller LB:

#45 LB Jonathan Brown

-Lined up at ILB, OLB and some DE with hand up.
-Also seeing time on special teams – coverage and return.
-Comes on contain blitz, keeps QB Persa inside.
-Tracks ball well from the ILB position, can’t wrap up for the tackle.
-Completely fooled, runs out of the hole following a ghost.
-Tracks the ball much better, closes quickly and lays a big hit on the RB.
-Having trouble fighting through garbage.
-Takes on block, anchors, sheds and makes tackle for short gain.
-Huge hit on Persa, called for roughing.
-Shows power bull-rushing OT, but chip from OG stops him.
-Delayed blitz, runs through RB and able to make the sack.
-Loses contain, can’t shed block from RT.
-Called for unsportsmanlike conduct, ridiculous cheap shot after the play.
-Good push on bull rush against RT, can’t finish sack, QB gets away.
-Sheds block from LG, wraps up on RB.
-Drops into coverage from DE/OLB position, comes up to make open field tackle on QB.
-Great timing, shoots the gap and wraps up for TFL.

Overview: A bit undisciplined at times, but Brown showed that he is a dynamic talent that can be used all over the field. Showed some coverage skills as well as rushing the passer. Brown also showed off some good instincts against the run game.

The other guys of interest are junior DT Akeem Spence and senior DE Michael Buchanon. Buchanon is 6'6" and around 240#. He needs to bulk up and get stronger, but the same could have been said of Chandler Jones a year ago. This review liked Buchanon a lot:

#99 DE Michael Buchanan

-Lined up at DE, standing up.
-Playing on kick block units as well.
-Switches to LDE, bulls over RT and flushes QB into sack. Powerful.
-Tries speed rush, can’t quite turn the corner.
-Active hands, keeping himself clean.
-Sets a hard edge, flashes outside, sheds block to make the play.
-Bends around edge and catches RB from behind – impressive athleticism.
-Nice jerk move, can’t get there in time.
-Exhibits plus change of direction skills, mirroring shifty QB – then delivers hit.
-Very active motor, never content to be blocked – using a wide array of counters.
-Keeps outside shoulder clean, strings out play and lays a hit for the TFL.
-Bends around edge, wraps up for another tackle for loss.
-Loses balance on club move, falls to the ground.
-Very strong tackler, wrapping up and delivering the hit each time.
-Shows good speed working down the line against option, makes another good hit.
-Club move sets up the rip, gets pressure on the quarterback.
-Sets edge, sheds block and lays out the RB for another TFL.
-Incredibly impressive quarter, can’t be blocked.
-Steps with OT on down block, finds ball quickly and shows off great COD skills again sacking Persa.
-Another big hit on QB, an absolute menace.
-Disciplined, locates ball and works down the line to make tackle.
-RT stays with him on spin move, keeps working and trips up QB later in the play.

Overview: One of the most impressive games that I’ve seen in a while from a college defensive end. Looked very balanced and versatile and was utterly unblockable for long stretches in the game. Look for Buchanan to be a riser in 2012.

One more DE to keep an eye on.

 

[mayoclinic]

An early profile of Illinois DE/OLB Michael Buchanon:

Seahawks Scouting Report: Michael Buchanan, DE/OLB Illinois - Field Gulls

It's a good read. Buchanon played the "bandit" role in Vic Koenning's defense, previously played by DeMarcus Ware and Gaines Adams when Koenning was at Troy and Clemson, which requires the DE to stand up a lot.

Again, someone to keep an eye on.