NCAA Scouting First Round Analysis by Paul Emery April 23rd 2010
1. Rams Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma after dangling the pick, they go ahead and select their franchise QB. Now can he stay healthy?
2. Lions Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska Lions get the best prospect in the Draft nice system fit to boot.
3. Buccaneers Gerald McCoy DT Oklahoma Another nice system fit McCoy would have been the top DT in the Draft most other years excellent penetrator.
4. Redskins Trent Williams OT Oklahoma Redskins see Williams as a better zone blocking scheme fit than Russell Okung. Has work ethic concerns.
5. Chiefs Eric Berry SS Tennessee Chiefs decide to go away from Left Tackle and will leave Albert there. Berry can be moved around and is an exciting weapon.
6. Seahawks Russell Okung OT – Oklahoma State very easy pick for the Seahawks. Walter Jones is rumoured to be retiring and the consensus number one rated OT falls into their laps.
7. Browns Joe Haden CB Florida Haden’s stock didn’t seem to recover with the media after his poor Combine showing. But when it mattered on Draft day it did as the Browns pull the trigger and hope he can lock down one side of the field.
8. Raiders Rolando McClain LB Alabama not the Raiders usual type of pick. McClain is big and strong but not the fastest. A very nice pick though fits the Raiders aggressive style of defense.
9. Bills – C.J. Spiller RB Clemson Bills pull a minor surprise by ignoring a huge hole at Left Tackle to go with the exciting Spiller. Marshawn Lynch’s time appears to have ended in Buffalo with this pick.
10. Jaguars Tyson Alualu DE California the first major surprise of the Draft Alualu wasn’t even rated as a first rounder by many media types. Played as a 3-4 DE in college, but projects as John Henderson’s replacement. High motor player with excellent character the Jags hope he will play alongside Knighton for many years.
11. 49ers(From Bears through Broncos) Anthony Davis OT Rutgers 49ers decide to take no chances and trade up to get Davis. A little like Michael Oher last year he’s inconsistent, but with Coach Singletary driving him I think this is a great fit and he could be the best OT in this class. The pick is, however, not without risk.
12. Chargers(From Dolphins) Ryan Mathews RB – Fresno State Chargers know Mathews won’t fall to them with Spiller going so early so aggressively move up to get a replacement for LT. Mathews can be the bell cow and allow Sproles to stay fresh.
13. Eagles(From 49ers through Broncos) Brandon Graham DE Michigan the Eagles give up two third round picks to move up to get Graham. Powerful player who is a fine pass rusher and isn’t bad against the run either.
14. Seahawks Earl Thomas FS Texas the Seahawks were disappointed to miss out on Eric Berry so they take Thomas here. Thomas is a classic centre fielder who will need to add a little bulk, but could prove to be a fine pick here.
15. Giants Jason Pierre-Paul DE – South Florida another minor surprise. Pierre-Paul is raw and a huge gamble. The Giants can afford to bring him along slowly but he’s a classic boom or bust type.
16. Titans Derrick Morgan DE – Georgia Tech very solid LDE plays the run well and has some pass rush ability, but can disappear at times. Solid pick.
17. 49ers(From Panthers) Mike Iupati OG Idaho 49ers take their second OL. Iupati is a fine player and these two picks will sure up the Niners line for many years to come.
18. Steelers Maurkice Pouncey C Florida Pouncey has some technique issues which might mean he struggles early. He does offer the ability to play Guard as well as Center but he’s no Alex Mack. Decent scheme fit though.
19. Falcons Sean Weatherspoon LB Missouri Weatherspoon can replace Mike Peterson as WLB with his leadership as well as his play. Nice fit.
20. Texans Kareem Jackson CB Alabama surprise to see Jackson go over guys like Wilson and McCourty. Physical press CB but he has very short arms, so can this style of play work at the next level?
21. Bengals Jermaine Gresham TE Oklahoma the Bengals drafted Chase Coffman at TE last year who had durability issues and gamble this year that Gresham’s knee is sound.
22.Broncos(From Patriots) Demaryius Thomas WR – Georgia Tech after initially moving down, Denver moved up two places to take deep threat Thomas. He needs to learn a pro route tree, but has a size and speed combination you can’t coach. Might not contribute much right away.
23. Packers Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa Bulaga was rated by many as a top 5 prospect but his short arms and lack of Left Tackle athletic ability saw him fall to the Packers. He’s a scheme fit, but might only ever be a Guard.
24. Cowboys(From Eagles through Broncos and Patriots) Dez Bryant WR – Oklahoma State the Cowboys move up to take Bryant a fine talent with character concerns. Big gamble.
25. Broncos(From Ravens) Tim Tebow QB Florida Denver move up to take one of, if not the best college players ever. The big question is can he translate to the NFL? He has much work ahead, but Coach McDaniels believes in his system and that he can coach Tebow to be a success in it.
26. Cardinals Dan Williams DT Tennessee the Cardinals love to sit and wait for people to fall to them they do so again this year with Dan Williams, rated as a top 10 pick by some. I personally don’t think Williams can hold up well enough against double teams to play as a 3-4 NT but time will tell. Doesn’t have the length to be a DE fit for them (unlike Alan Branch) so it’s all or nothing with this pick.
27. Patriots(From Cowboys) Devin McCourty CB Rutgers after moving down twice, the Patriots take McCourty over Odrick. McCourty doesn’t tend to get beaten deep but he won’t make the big play much either. He is the best special teams coverage player in this Draft though, which adds to his value.
28. Dolphins(From Chargers) Jared Odrick DT – Penn State the Dolphins having traded down have Odrick fall to them. Ideal 3-4 DE and these are hard to find.
29. Jets Kyle Wilson CB – Boise State super fit Wilson is smaller than ideal but plays bigger than his size. A gambler. Also has return ability.
30. Lions(From Vikings) Jahvid Best RB California the Vikings drop 4 places into round 2 and get another 24 hours to think about their pick. The Lions must have felt Best wouldn’t have been there on Day Two. He’s a big play threat but has had consistent durability issues.
31. Colts Jerry Hughes DE TCU Hughes is undersized for a 4-3 DE but will be a fine fit in Indy. He’s got pass rush ability and that’s valuable particularly at this stage in the Draft. Excellent character player.
32. Saints Patrick Robinson CB – Florida State this could see Malcolm Jenkins move to FS. Robinson has the speed to cover man-to-man he is a gambler and does get beaten too often, but he has skills which translate nicely to the Saints system which puts a ton of pressure on their corners.
Summary
Best Pick: Ndamukong Suh DT Lions. Suh in my opinion is the best player in the Draft by some distance he’s got no real weakness.
Worst Pick: Tie – Kareem Jackson CB Texans. A press CB in college with arm length that doesn’t translate at the next level. Lacks top speed and might well be a product of Alabama’s system. I had him rated in the 3rd round at best. Tim Tebow QB Broncos he’s a great kid and was a fine college player but McDaniel’s confidence in his system and ability to coach Tebow up is questionable plus they moved up to get him. Tebow needs so much work and might never translate to the NFL.
Best Value: Jerry Hughes DE Colts. I’m surprised Hughes got by a number of 3-4 teams as he translated well to 3-4 OLB. To get a solid pass rusher who will see some time right away is great value.
Worst Value: Tyson Alualu DT Jaguars. Jacksonville out Raidered Mr Davis by selecting a player many thought could sneak into the first round, but certainly not this high. Alualu is a projection from a 3-4 DE in college he has a great work rate and top character, but Jacksonville could have traded down and still got this guy.
Biggest Surprise: Tyson Alualu DT Jaguars. Didn’t see the move predicted anywhere.
Best Players Still on the Board: Two big names who were widely regarded as first round picks – Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame character/leadership/intelligence concerns presumably dropped him could the Vikings be looking at him? Sergio Kindle OLB Texas has a DUI in his past and with Mr Goodell making character very important he’s still on the board. Other names who were thought to have a shot at being taken late in the first round but are still available are Roger Saffold OT/OG Indiana; Daryl Washington WLB TCU; Sean Lee LB Penn State; Golden Tate WR Notre Dame and Linval Joseph NT/DT/DE East Carolina.
NCAA Scouting
