2014 Draft Prospect Thread

[p8ryts]

This is interesting:



https://twitter.com/SigmundBloom/status/423502446640381952

I personally think that any QB needy team that passes on Bridgewater is crazy.

I've followed Bridgewater for two years. Quick release, strong arm, reads defense, throws short and long, and plays hurt. They talk about the upper body he looks bigger than Johnny Manziel. I can't see Johnny lasting as long as RGIII did. I started watching Bortles last year also. Hoped he would be available for Pats in round 2, not even get out of the top ten.

As manx says, any QB hungry team that passes on Bridgewater is incompetent. The Texans should take him, the Browns should trade up to get him, the Jags should pick him and if he lasts past Cleveland I will think they are all crazy. I had him slotted as Brady's successor last year but he played too well.

 

[patsfaninpa]

Here's a pretty good Matt Miller has about 2014 draft. Risers/Sliders, Top 50 and some other nuggets.

2014 NFL Draft: Matt Miller's Scouting Notebook for Conference Championships | Bleacher Report

 

[manxman2601]

Interesting that Scouts inc has Timmy Jernigan ranked 7th overall, Kiper had him going 14th in his last mock and Daniel Jeremiah has him ranked 6th overall.

 

[mayoclinic]

Interesting that Scouts inc has Timmy Jernigan ranked 7th overall, Kiper had him going 14th in his last mock and Daniel Jeremiah has him ranked 6th overall.

That's what happens when you have a dominant performance in a national championship game.

OTOH, Jernigan had to come off the field for almost a full quarter. His stamina, conditioning and therefore his dedication may be questioned. I had him going late 1st in my latest mock, with a team trading up for him. I could see him going in the same range that Sharrif Floyd (also projected as a top 10 pick last year before slipping to 23) did. But I expect that Louis Nix, Ra'Shede Hageman and Jernigan will fight for position among the top 3 DTs, and it may come down to what kind of player teams are looking for. They have 3 distinct games and skill sets.

 

[manxman2601]

That's what happens when you have a dominant performance in a national championship game.

OTOH, Jernigan had to come off the field for almost a full quarter. His stamina, conditioning and therefore his dedication may be questioned. I had him going late 1st in my latest mock, with a team trading up for him. I could see him going in the same range that Sharrif Floyd (also projected as a top 10 pick last year before slipping to 23) did. But I expect that Louis Nix, Ra'Shede Hageman and Jernigan will fight for position among the top 3 DTs, and it may come down to what kind of player teams are looking for. They have 3 distinct games and skill sets.

I personally think Nix could fall into the latter reaches of the first round. I don't think he's a lock to stay on the field for passing downs. What impressed me about Jernigan was his stoutness against the run in that Championship game - thought he was more of an upfield guy only before that.

If Hageman performs at the combine I think he goes top half, maybe even top 10 if rumours of a 1.57 10 yard split come close (that's Dion Jordan/Ziggy Ansah fast) which puts Jernigan nicely in place for the Bears and the Cowboys. If he falls past them then I could see him falling further. I personally would then have Tuitt going ahead of Nix after that.

 

[mayoclinic]

I personally think Nix could fall into the latter reaches of the first round. I don't think he's a lock to stay on the field for passing downs. What impressed me about Jernigan was his stoutness against the run in that Championship game - thought he was more of an upfield guy only before that.

If Hageman performs at the combine I think he goes top half, maybe even top 10 if rumours of a 1.57 10 yard split come close (that's Dion Jordan/Ziggy Ansah fast) which puts Jernigan nicely in place for the Bears and the Cowboys. If he falls past them then I could see him falling further. I personally would then have Tuitt going ahead of Nix after that.

This is such a strong and deep draft, there will be incredible jockeying for position over the next few months.

Bucky Brooks' top 5 list at NFL.com:

Top 5 2014 NFL Draft prospects by position: Quarterbacks - NFL.com

It's a fairly solid list, and gives some sense of how good this draft is:

- Lache Sestrunk and Devonta Freeman don't make Brooks' top 5 at RB.
- Kelvin Benjamin, Allen Robinson and Jordan Matthews don't make Brooks' top 5 at WR.
- The top 5 OTs and top 5 interior linemen are all worthy of a top 40 pick.

Right now I could see around 40+ guys with 1st round grades:

- QB(4): Bridgwater, Manziel, Bortles, Carr.
- RB(0): none, but a few who could sneak in.
- WR(8): Watkins, Evans, Benjamin, Lee, Beckham, Cooks, Robinson, Matthews.
- TE(3): Ebron, Amaro, Seferian-Jenkins. Remote possibility that Niklas could move up.
- OT(5): Robinson, Matthews, Kouandjio, Lewan, Richardson. Some have suggested that Morgan Moses could end up with a 1st round grade.
- OG/C(3): Yankey, Swanson, Richardson. Sua-Filo and Martin are borderline.
- DT(3): Nix, Hageman, Jernigan.
- DE(4): Clowney, Ealy, Tuitt, Murphy. Crichton is borderline.
- OLB(3): Barr, Mack, Shazier. Van Noy is borderline. Bradford could move up.
- ILB(1): Mosely.
- S(3): Pryor, Clinton Dix, Joyner.
- CB(3): Dennard, Gilbert, Verett. Robey is borderline.

That's 40 right there, with another 5-10 who are borderline. There could be as many as 50 players who might have gone in the 1st round in most years.

I think that Nix, Hageman and Jernigan will all jockey for the top DT positions much as Lotulelei, Richardson and Floyd did last year. I see them as somewhat comparable (though not identical by any means):

- Nix, like Lotulelei, does the blue collar work. Lotulelei had a very good year for the Panthers. Nix may well slip a bit given his injury and slightly down senior year, but he's going to be a very good player for whoever gets him. A team like Pittsburgh at 15 wanting to rebuild their 3-4 defense could do a lot worse than to build it around Nix.
- Hageman, like Richardson, is a freakishly athletic guy. The biggest reason I have trouble seeing him go top 10 this year is that the draft is just so talented. It could definitely happen, but there are inconsistency issues to address. I put DE Kony Ealy in a similar position - a guy who could move to the top 10, but this year will be harder than last year, which didn't have 4 1st round QBs and had much less top-end talent.
- Jernigan, like Floyd, is a disruptive downfield guy. I agree with you about Jernigan having a more complete game than Floyd, but the downfield part is what people will focus on.

 

[Luxusdk]

You have 40 ppl as first round value, but where is the strenth of the draft really? For me its second and third - But i wont rule out ppl dropping all the way Down to fourth and Fifth. Would you make sure we picked 3 in the second? 4 picks at days 2 etc etc.

 

[mackenzie45220]

You have 40 ppl as first round value, but where is the strenth of the draft really? For me its second and third - But i wont rule out ppl dropping all the way Down to fourth and Fifth. Would you make sure we picked 3 in the second? 4 picks at days 2 etc etc.

The strength of the draft is basically everywhere. I'm not a huge fan of the inside linebacker crop, I think the safety class is a bit top heavy, the guards are basically the only position that was definitely better in 2013, the tight end class has less talent in the middle rounds. Outside of those exceptions, this class is awesome.

Right now, here are some of my favorite value picks in this class:

1. Daniel McCullers- Sometimes, with a guy like McCullers, versatility is overrated. Specialization is the wave of the future. He is a two gap specialist. You can sub him out on 3rd downs, or frankly, any passing down, and only play him when a run is likely coming, you will love having him on your team. His limitations in stamina and pass rushing ability will make it impossible to keep him on the field for about half of a game. During the other half, he will play like a pro bowler.

2. Jonathan Brown- Instinctive, tackling machine. Poor man's Lavonte David.

3. Tim Cornett- Man is he good.

 

[ATippett56]

Right now, here are some of my favorite value picks in this class:

2. Jonathan Brown- Instinctive, tackling machine. Poor man's Lavonte David.

About 20 pounds too light for Bill Belichick.

Jonathan Brown | Illinois, OLB : 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

Right now, here are some of my favorite value picks in this class:

3. Tim Cornett- Man is he good.

Thanks. An addition to my sleeper list.

Tim Cornett | UNLV, RB : 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

 

[Snake Eyes]

The strength of the draft is basically everywhere. I'm not a huge fan of the inside linebacker crop, I think the safety class is a bit top heavy, the guards are basically the only position that was definitely better in 2013, the tight end class has less talent in the middle rounds. Outside of those exceptions, this class is awesome.

Right now, here are some of my favorite value picks in this class:

1. Daniel McCullers- Sometimes, with a guy like McCullers, versatility is overrated. Specialization is the wave of the future. He is a two gap specialist. You can sub him out on 3rd downs, or frankly, any passing down, and only play him when a run is likely coming, you will love having him on your team. His limitations in stamina and pass rushing ability will make it impossible to keep him on the field for about half of a game. During the other half, he will play like a pro bowler.

2. Jonathan Brown- Instinctive, tackling machine. Poor man's Lavonte David.

3. Tim Cornett- Man is he good.

Do you think Jordan Lynch can make it as an NFL QB?

 

[mayoclinic]

From Jeff Risdon (of DetroitLionsDraft.com, but writing for RealGM):

I’ve been picking the brains of many folks here, both actual NFL employees and fellow draft scribes, and I’m somewhat surprised at the consensus low opinion of Texas A&M WR Mike Evans. If he doesn’t crack 4.55 in the 40, and my sources tell me he won’t, he’s not going to be a first round pick.

There is going to be fierce debate over the top TE in this draft. I’m an avowed advocate of Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro, while others are just as staunchly in support of North Carolina’s Eric Ebron. What I like here is that there doesn’t appear to be a wrong answer, as I think both will be instant impact receivers. If you care more about in-line blocking, you’ll want Ebron, but if you want deep middle route option, you’ll prefer Amaro.

RealGM Football: Encroachment: Tuesday Shrine Game Practice Notes

 

[mackenzie45220]

Do you think Jordan Lynch can make it as an NFL QB?

Not really.

 

[ATippett56]

From Jeff Risdon (of DetroitLionsDraft.com, but writing for RealGM):



RealGM Football: Encroachment: Tuesday Shrine Game Practice Notes

Bills, Jets, Packers, Chiefs (to name a few) should be all over this.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Not really.

How about an Edelperson-like conversion to WR/RB?

 

[manxman2601]

How about an Edelperson-like conversion to WR/RB?

The talk I've seen is RB or safety.

 

[manxman2601]

From Jeff Risdon (of DetroitLionsDraft.com, but writing for RealGM):

If he doesn’t crack 4.55 in the 40, and my sources tell me he won’t, he’s not going to be a first round pick.

RealGM Football: Encroachment: Tuesday Shrine Game Practice Notes

I wondered the same thing today about Darqueze Dennard. Where's the cut off between him being a first round pick because of his clear excellent DB skillset and his value being severely diminished by a possible lack of athleticism?

 

[mayoclinic]

I wondered the same thing today about Darqueze Dennard. Where's the cut off between him being a first round pick because of his clear excellent DB skillset and his value being severely diminished by a possible lack of athleticism?

Dennard's tape is so good - he looks like the second coming of Darrelle Revis. Similar Size (5' 11 1/2" 204 vs. 5' 11 1/4" 200#). He may not put up Revis' ungodly numbers (4.38 40, 6.56 3-cone), but Joe Haden had a notoriously bad Combine and still went #7 to Cleveland in 2010, and has been one of the best CBs in the NFL. I doubt Dennard would fall out of the top 25, probably not the top 20.

 

[mackenzie45220]

Greg Robinson is probably the most powerful run blocking tackle I have ever seen. However, he plays for Auburn. Auburn almost never passes. He gets an "incomplete" as a pass blocker until further notice.

 

[mackenzie45220]

How about an Edelperson-like conversion to WR/RB?

Edelperson? Nah, he doesn't have that kind of quickness.

 

[mackenzie45220]

The talk I've seen is RB or safety.

Safety is a possibility, but it's a little late for that kind of position change. How do we know he can tackle anyone?