The 2013 Prospect Thread

[EwanSellars]

another late round guy we could get is lerentee mccray olb florida. good add some depth there and also plays a little DE as well

 

[manxman2601]

Not watched him yet but...

#Rutgers TE DC Jefferson impressed me in person after liking his tape. A feisty blocker, I expect him to make an impact as a receiver

That's at least two BB ticks.

https://twitter.com/fduffyEagles/status/291038527095992321

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Seeing how Gronk will be injured from 25-50% of the season I think it makes sense for us to have another playmaking TE.

Ummm, you know this how, exactly?

 

[Snake Eyes]

Ummm, you know this how, exactly?

Just look at how he plays, he is fearless going over the middle and takes extra hits because of it, he always fights for every inch and takes extra hits because of it.



Get me Nick Kasa.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Just look at how he plays, he is fearless going over the middle and takes extra hits because of it, he always fights for every inch and takes extra hits because of it.



Get me Nick Kasa.

OTOH, despite that, he played every game his first two seasons.

 

[Snake Eyes]

OTOH, despite that, he played every game his first two seasons.

And yet he's not available at the critical time in the playoffs, for the 2nd year in a row. Injuries mount up over time, it won't get better for him, you want a TE that can be effective in the passing game to step in if he's injured, I like Nick Kasa but would be open to some other guys depending on the value.

 

[mayoclinic]

Pete Flutak of College FootballNews.com evaluates the draft stock of most of the early entrants:

Scout.com: 2013 NFL Draft early entries: Who's leaving?

The most interesting note to me is Alec Ogletree is a late 2nd round prospect:

Reports are a bit mixed. He can play inside or out with the size and range to do just about anything for a linebacking corps, but he'll likely end up inside in a 3-4 at the next level -- but he's probably not going to see any time in the middle. While he was overshadowed a bit by Jarvis Jones, he's enough of a playmaker to be high on several draft boards. Some creative defensive coordinator will love him.

Particularly if the Pats sign Armond Armstead (who I think could play both outside and inside, as a DE in a JJ Watt/Calais Campbell kind of role or as a pass rushing DT) that decreases the need for an impact DL player. I'd still go for Ziggy Ansah, Johnathan Hankins or Jesse Williams if they fell, or for Jonathan Cooper. But otherwise, I really like the idea of trading back a bit and getting Ogletree (or Dion Jordan if he slips due to a shoulder injury). Add a power player on the DL like Armstead and a space player like Ogletree or Jordan, and the playmaking capability of the defense goes up tremendously.

Flutak also had this to say about one of my favorite early entrants, LSU DB Tharold Simon:

Is he a corner or a safety? While he'll be drafted as a corner, at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds he has the frame and the size to add a little more weight and grow into a top safety. A good hitter with nice range, he's a perfect nickel and dime defender if he doesn't find an immediate role as a corner.

With Ras-I Dowling due back, I think Simon and Dowling would add a lot of depth and playmaking capability to our secondary.

 

[mayoclinic]

Interesting article by Doug Farrar on Oregon prospects Kenjon Barner and Dion Jordan and their training regimen:

Kenjon Barner and Dion Jordan starred at Oregon, but size matters in the NFL | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports

The article claims Jordan was playing at closer to 226# rather than at his posted weight of 243#.

A lot of mocks have Jordan going in the top 15. I personally don't see it. I love Jordan's capability in space, but he has to have a clear impact position to go that high IMHO. Try and draft him as an immediate pass rusher and he could be the next Aaron Maybin. Draft him later on and let him develop as a space player without trying to make him an every down pass rusher, and he could be special.

 

[manxman2601]

This is a bit of a shocker. Hope we don't lose his draft insights.

From Tony Pauline's twitter:

Effective immediately I will no longer be working with SI_com

https://twitter.com/TonyPauline/status/291972569853202432


Hopefully his website will be more regularly updated from now on.

Draft Insider - The Premier Source for NFL Draft Information

 

[mayoclinic]

This is a bit of a shocker. Hope we don't lose his draft insights.

From Tony Pauline's twitter:

https://twitter.com/TonyPauline/status/291972569853202432

Hopefully his website will be more regularly updated from now on.

Draft Insider - The Premier Source for NFL Draft Information

Interesting. I wonder what happened? I'm not a huge fan of Pauline, but he does have scouting contacts, so I like getting his info. Draftinsider has fallen way, way off in terms of the regularity of their updates, as you note.

 

[mayoclinic]

Nice write up on Kyle Long by Doug Farrar at Yahoo.com:

Third-and-Long: Kyle Long taking different path to the NFL than father Howie and brother Chris | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports

 

[mayoclinic]

Draftinsider offensive prospect rankings:

2013 NFL Draft Rankings: Offense

 

[manxman2601]

Draftinsider offensive prospect rankings:

2013 NFL Draft Rankings: Offense

Very quickly because I'm off to work. Three things stood out immediately:

Nck Kasa...3rd round. Good.
Travis Kelce...7th round. WTF!!

He also has Terron Armstead as an OG which I think, at least for the Pats, might be his best fit.

 

[mayoclinic]

Very quickly because I'm off to work. Three things stood out immediately:

Nck Kasa...3rd round. Good.
Travis Kelce...7th round. WTF!!

He also has Terron Armstead as an OG which I think, at least for the Pats, might be his best fit.

Those things stood out to me. Some other things that I recall:

- Markus Wheaton ... 4th round
- Reid Fragel ... 3rd-4th round
- Menelik Watson - 4th round

 

[mayoclinic]

Updated top 64 big board from Rob Rang:

Big Board: Thin at skill spots, draft loaded with talent in the trenches - NFL, NFLDRAFT - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

Jesse Williams at 13, Ziggy Ansah 15, Jonathan Cooper 17, Johnathan Hankins 18, Alec Ogletree 19, Dion Jordan 21. That sucks.

OTOH, Margus Hunt at 56, Dallas Thomas at 63 and Markus Wheaton at 64 are good values in the late 2nd range.

 

[manxman2601]

Russ Lande reviews those in the Shrine Game that helped themselves:

NFP Reviews The East West Shrine Game Practices | National Football Post

3. Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas – Pine Bluff (6050, 304 and 4.83): A player that scouts have been telling me about all season, Armstead’s size and natural athleticism jumped out during the first practice. Blessed with quick feet, Armstead’s ability to slide out to protect the corner versus edge pass rushers was impressive this week. Able to pass block with base and leverage, Armstead could stay over feet to maintain pass block after initial contact when he maintained his shuffle. Although he at times made technical mistakes, like stopping shuffle after initial contact and leaning and reaching to make contact, his ability and effort to recover and keep man from blowing the play up was good to see. With his display this week Armstead confirmed what scouts thought of him and has him on the rise. He could be one of the surprises of the Draft as he has a chance to be a second round pick.

Also, I saw it mentioned on twitter that Garrett Gilkey has been spoken of as a 4th rounder by scouts (allegedly).

 

[mackenzie45220]

I realize I haven't really voiced my opinion of Jesse Williams. Obviously, I hate John Jenkins, but Williams is solid. His quickness and strength are elite for his size and he can really penetrate. That being said, he really has tight hips, short arms, and he is really bad at finishing plays in the backfield. He is what I call a "blind penetrator" (Lotulelei also fits this description), a guy who gets into the backfield at all costs and often finds out the ball carrier has already crossed the line of scrimmage by the time he gets there, and he doesn't have the on field awareness to make arm tackles. Oh, and this is one of the reasons I like players who know how to use their hands to shed blocks. They don't need to have their heads facing the ground to get good leverage and penetrate. They can penetrate with their heads up. As a result, they always know where the ball is and excel at making tackles in traffic. Kawann Short uses his hands better than any tackle in this draft class, and that's why he's a TFL machine. Williams is a guy I have around 27. Given that your pick won't be won't be much later, he'd be a solid selection, but he wouldn't be off the charts value.

 

[mackenzie45220]

Oh, and, for next year's draft, Hayed Pullard could be the only 6'0 linebacker takes in the top 15 that I can remember.

 

[mackenzie45220]

Wrote about Dion Jordan: Dion Jordan- 2013 NFL Draft Scouting Report
As cruel as it sounds, I compared him to (gulp)... Jarvis Moss with less character issues. Think about it. Tons of resemblance.

 

[mayoclinic]

Draftinsider's defensive rankings:

2013 NFL Draft Rankings: Defense

Among the rankings of interest:

- William Campbell projected as a 4th round value
- Cooper Taylor listed as a 7th round/UDFA
- Tony Jefferson listed as a 4th round value