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NCAA Scouting
2013 Draft – General Manager for a Day
by Paul Emery
May 22nd 2013
One final 2013 NFL Draft article from me and something a little different. Much of Draft writing has become more and more geared to predicting what round a player will go in as opposed to who can actually play (and there is a difference see the number of busts each year). There is a place for these articles and indeed the best of them are a great read (Bob McGinn is the best). However, I do wish more sites didn’t go for Wes Bunting style opinion and to heck with the top 100 competition.
So, this article is about picking players out that I believe in the most. From the top and bottom half of each round I’m going to pick the player that I would Draft if I were a GM the ones I will put my neck on the line for. We’ll then see how they get on in their NFL careers.
As a side note, this is going to my last year writing for the Diner outside of perhaps the odd article. Watching 275+ games a year takes up so much time and it’s got to the point where it’s just too much. Too many times this past year I’ve really had to push myself to watch games and it’s become less enjoyable. It has been a good run and I certainly thank everyone who has read and hopefully enjoyed my work.
A few people to say thank you to before I get on with the actual article. Firstly my wife and daughter for letting me spend hours and hours scouting with more time on my hands I can now annoy you both even more! Michael and Richard Lawrence here at the Diner – for the platform, letting me write what I want/when I want and the superb web design! Matt Bitonti over at Draft Daddy for linking many of my articles and his kind words/support over the years I finally worked out how to play the top 100 game Matt, but about 4 years too late for our joint effort unfortunately… Colan Lamont and Jonathon Moar for having me on the Press Coverage podcast twice fingers crossed for your future success! Finally, to everyone on the NFL (UK) forums for the support and kind words. Now let’s get on with this and feel free to play along as well!
Round One Top 16
Kenny Vaccaro FS Texas (Saints). Last year, this was easy (Andrew Luck) but not so this year. I gave some real though to Lane Johnson and Luke Joeckel but in the end I stay true to my board and go with my top rated player. A modern day safety with press coverage ability, he is the perfect answer to the new breed of slot TE’s.
Round One Bottom 16
Justin Pugh OT Syracuse (Giants). I thought long and hard about Jarvis Jones but will his spinal stenosis be a problem longer term? His athletic numbers are also of concern, so there are too many questions. Pugh has great tape and I was high on him all year. Yes, his arms are shorter than ideal but if he doesn’t do the business at tackle, he should still be a top guard.
Round Two Top 16
Cornellius Tank Carradine DE Florida State (49ers). Had it not been for the ACL tear, Carradine would have been a sure fire top 10 pick and possibly my selection above instead of Vaccaro. I enjoyed watching him play as much as any other prospect this year, showing off some Aldon Smith traits. He’s well on his way back from the injury and he should be able to contribute as a rookie.
Round Two Bottom 16
Johnathan Hankins DT Ohio State (Giants). He fell partly due to a drop in production in 2012 but when watching him it was clear he was out of position as a 3-4 DE. Far better in the zero or one technique positions he will benefit from being drafted by a team with depth as he can rotate and stay fresh. He should have a big impact early.
Round Three Top 16
Blidi Wreh-Wilson CB Connecticut (Titans). This is a tough one as there are several prospects in this portion of the Draft I really like. Marquise Goodwin with his speed, Keenan Allen with great tape, the huge upside of Terron Armstead, Brian Winters nasty nature, tiny but tough Leon McFadden, mauler Larry Warford, my top TE Travis Kelce and the highly versatile Sio Moore. But it’s Wreh-Wilson who gets the nod I just have a weakness for CB’s who can press effectively and the UConn man can certainly do that. Galling to me as a fan, as my Jags passed on him a few picks earlier for his college team mate
Round Three Bottom 16
Corey Lemonier DE/OLB Auburn (49ers). The bottom half of the third frame contained far fewer names I really liked with only Stedman Bailey pushing Lemonier. The Auburn man’s production sack wise wasn’t great in 2012 and perhaps he wasn’t the man to drag the team to wins. However, I thought he was almost there and with a little coaching I think he can be a double digit sack guy for the 49ers.
Round Four Top 16
Duke Williams FS Nevada (Bills). There were a few really solid players in this group of the Draft and certainly Barrett Jones should start for 10 years. Alex Okafor fell lower than expected, but I didn’t like him as much as Williams. Tyler Wilson could end up starting for the Raiders as a rookie, I think he fell because of his small hands certainly that will have put cold weather teams off. But Williams is the pick. I’ve been watching a fair bit of Nevada for three years and he stood out every single time. He showed some man coverage ability and indeed some scouts apparently think he can play CB, the ideal modern day safety plus he can hit!
Round Four Bottom 16
Quinton Patton WR Louisiana Tech (49ers). A very easy selection as Patton stands head and shoulders above anyone else. It would appear he fell on Draft day because he’s over confident/brash you have guys with multiple failed drug tests going before someone who is brash? On tape he stood out consistently his 21 catch effort against Texas A&M; made a 4 hour game worth the effort!
Round Five Top 16
Quanterus Smith DE/OLB Western Kentucky (Broncos). Very tough as there’s not much that stands out in this class. Jesse Williams is the best player, but for him to fall this far his knee problems must be a real concern So I’ll take my second gamble on a player with a recent ACL tear in Smith. He had three sacks against Alabama (two on D.J. Fluker) and although he wasn’t consistent, he can dip and rip so in the absence of anyone who stands out, I’ll roll the dice.
Round Five Bottom 16
Zac Stacy RB Vanderbilt (Rams). Neck and neck between Stacy and Brandon Jenkins (DE/OLB, Florida State) but with a couple of pass rushers with injury concerns already, time go for someone a bit different. Last year I missed on the latest late round RB to rush for 1,000+ yards in Alfred Morris I’m betting on Stacy doing it this year and he lands in a perfect situation in St Louis.
Round Six Top 16
Rufus Johnson DE/OLB -Tarleton State (Saints). My niche hobby within my scouting hobby is small schoolers. Sometimes you see a good player but often you don’t and waste 3 hours. I just have a feeling about Johnson he needs to get a bit stronger, but he understands leverage and can set an edge. I like the scheme fit with Rob Ryan as well. Ranked as a D+ grade by one major website that did pick by pick grades so a slight protest in there as well on that grade!
Round Six Bottom 16
Cobi Hamilton WR Arkansas (Bengals). Pretty much Tyler Wilson’s only receiver this year and he still put up big numbers (90 receptions). Against third rounder Logan Ryan in the Rutgers game he torched him for 303 yards and 3 scores. They ran the same time at the Combine yet Hamilton played much faster, pulling away from Ryan consistently. I have no idea why 90 catches in the SEC means a slot this low, but I’ll take him!
Round Seven Top 16
Michael Mauti LB Penn State (Vikings). Another medical question mark, but at this stage risk very much meets reward. A real leader off the field for Penn State during troubled times he really backed that up on the field with some excellent performances. He will be fine in zone coverage the Vikings and you just can’t count this guy out.
Round Seven Bottom 16
Reid Fragel OT Ohio State (Bengals). I gave strong consideration to Aaron Mellette, but Fragel has more upside for me. He has shorter arms than ideal, but really came along nicely technique wise plus has some real nasty to his game. A surprise he didn’t go earlier than this, but he finishes things off very nicely!
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