Pro Football Articles Opinion & Fantasy – Football Diner

NCAA Scouting
Where will they go?
by Paul Emery
April 21st 2010
 
It’s always difficult to gauge where certain prospects will be taken as many of the decisions are based on the combine interviews and medicals that don’t make it into the public domain. But who are the wildcard prospects that could go anywhere?
 
Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame. With Sam Bradford the likely number one pick, anyone wanting a QB will look to Clausen with a considerable drop off in talent before Colt McCoy. The two teams who on the surface seem to be likely landing spots for him actually may not be. Clausen has very small hands and there is a question as to whether he can play in bad weather therefore Cleveland and Buffalo may not consider him. But if these two teams do not take him, will he slide to late in the first round or will someone trade up as the Jets did last year for Mark Sanchez? One wildcard could be the Rams taking Bradford and the Browns taking Clausen with the two then swapping QB’s after the Browns selection. I base this on the talk that the Browns want to trade up to take Bradford, but with the Rams also needing a QB surely they wouldn’t risk a pre-draft trade and then see someone trade up with Kansas City or Seattle to take their QB before they come on the clock? It will depend on how sold the Rams are with Bradford as their franchise QB.
 
CJ Spiller RB Clemson. Spiller is very talented, but seems to be carrying the tag of a player who can’t carry the load despite Chris Johnson’s NFL success. He may be seen as a luxury pick and just where will someone be able to justify such a pick? He’s a top 10 talent, but may find himself a mid to late first round pick he would certainly be attractive to a playoff type team and could prove to be a difference maker in a team’s quest for the Super Bowl.
 
Jason Pierre-Paul DE South Florida. JPP is very raw and although he possesses upside, there is high risk in selecting him. His Combine workout revealed someone who is more of a straight line type, which may well put some teams off. The key question is can a team needing immediate pass rush help expect to get this from selecting JPP? Possibly not so it could see him falling.
 
Carlos Dunlap DT Florida. Dunlap’s stock has been sliding as scouts have studied him fully. He’s a player who makes some big plays and thus stands out when you’re not closely watching him. However, as a Junior entry into the Draft careful study was then required and a player who runs hot and cold was revealed. With a DUI before the SEC Championship further damaging his stock his combine interviews will be a key factor in where he will be selected. He’s an excellent athlete and does have talent, so one would assume he will be taken at some point on Day Two.
 
Sergio Kindle OLB/DE Texas. Kindle has experience at OLB and DE thus he will be of value for 4-3 and 3-4 teams. He could also project to 4-3 LB as former Longhorn Brian Orakpo did last year in Washington. However, Kindle’s DUI in 2007 and reported character concerns make him a gamble. He’s a top 15 talent, but how will he react with a big contract? Again, his combine interviews will determine his slot.
 
Dez Bryant WR Oklahoma State. Bryant missed the majority of the season after being suspended by the NCAA after lying about having dinner with Deion Sanders (presumably prime steak was on the menu!). There are also rumours floating around about his character. But are they over inflated by the media? Denver recently hosted Bryant for a pre-draft visit and Coach McDaniels reported to the media that Bryant came over very well with Denver having just traded away talented but troubled Brandon Marshall would they replace him with someone who carries a similar tag? Bryant has certainly visited several NFL teams, a sign that many are unsure about him, but who will pull the trigger?
 
Perrish Cox CB Oklahoma State. Cox was rated as a first round talent by some but after his suspension for Oklahoma State’s Bowl game (missed a curfew), questions were raised. There has been rumour flying around suggesting he didn’t react well to the continual questioning on this subject at the Combine and if these rumours are true he could end up as a Day Three pick.
 
Tim Tebow QB Florida. Some rate him as a first rounder others wouldn’t waste a draft pick on him. If Jimmy Clausen comes off the board early, West Coast offense teams will probably look to Colt McCoy if in need of a QB but other teams might look more to Tebow with the stronger arm of the two. Tebow will need time he needs to learn to read defenses and continue to work on his throwing motion. I would look to a team who has a veteran starter at QB and a stable organisation who can afford to be patient and let him develop.
 
Brandon LaFell WR LSU. LaFell was rated as a top 5 pick by some during the season, but he has been a faller as the off-season has gone along. LaFell’s decision to skip the Senior Bowl was the first minor concern. Then the Combine showed he had very small hands thus explaining the number of passes he dropped in college. As the process has unfolded, a poor work ethic rumour has also surfaced. It’s not a great WR class, which helps him, but he would appear to be someone who will fall but how far?
 
Jonathan Dwyer RB Georgia Tech. Dwyer is one of the bigger losers at the Combine. Talked about as a late first round type, his performance in Indy was poor. This is more telling for a prospect who is a projection to TB from FB in a triple option offense (in the absence of game tape, one has to use the combine numbers). The Combine painted him as a slow straight liner (poor 40, but then the slowest shuttle time among RB’s at the Combine meaning he struggles to change direction). Breaking news this week has him failing a drugs test at the Combine. On the surface that’s not a concern as it was due to prescribed medication – but that prescribed medication is for Attention Deficit Disorder which opens a different can of worms as to the problems this may cause in learning a pro offense.
 
Jimmy Graham TE Miami (Fl). Graham has played one year of football in college but is a superb athlete who showed some ability as a receiver. In a poor TE class and medical questions with the consensus two top prospects, will someone take Graham higher than expected based on his tremendous upside? He may take a couple of years to develop and indeed may never make the transition (WR Jordan Kent only played two years of college football after playing basketball and was a late round pick by the Seahawks currently with the Rams he only has one NFL reception). It’s not an easy or guaranteed transition for Graham, but that upside might be tough to resist in the second round.
 
Taylor Mays S USC. Mays is a fantastic athlete who can deliver the big hit. But questions regarding his change of direction and man-to-man coverage ability may well see him fall could he even be viewed as a pro WLB?
 
Anthony McCoy TE USC. McCoy is not only a TE who can block, but can also be a reliable receiver. However, there have been concerns about his character (academic issues), which have been highlighted by the news that he tested positive for marijuana at the Combine. Will this see him fall out of the first three rounds and into Day Three?
 
Terrence Cody NT Alabama. Cody’s big problem is that he’s too big. He has battled his weight, even under a top motivator in Coach Saban, only managing to bring it down after the Senior Bowl (money worked when Coach Saban didn’t). Will he eat himself out of the league? Just how badly does a 3-4 team want a two down space eater?
 

Joe Haden CB Florida. A consensus top 10 pick on most draft websites until he ran poorly at the Combine (with a bad back). This sent his stock tumbling. However, he corrected that blip at his Pro Day yet his stock doesn’t appear to have recovered. Did his poor Combine performance send scouts back to tape and then upon further study did it reveal concerns? I’m interested that his stock doesn’t appear to have recovered and wonder if the media in general are just wrong or is there something in the fact that he hasn’t risen back to being viewed as a top 10 pick?
 
Dan Williams DT Tennessee. Williams’ stock has been steadily on the rise in the past year to the point that I’ve seen mock drafts with him going 5th overall as a NT (coming into the year, 5th round would have been generous). Careful tape study does show that he’s not great at holding up against the double team though so are NFL teams viewing him at NT? If not, his stock would suffer and he could up end as someone who isn’t the player the media in general is making out.
 
Linval Joseph DT East Carolina. A somewhat surprising Junior entry but after his superb combine performance and potential at 3-4 NT or DE, could he even be a surprise first round pick?
 
Greg Hardy DE Mississippi. Hardy has top 10 talent, but he has struggled to get on the field in the last two years with ankle problems and then a broken wrist. There are also character concerns to take into account so just where will someone take a chance on him?
 
Brandon Spikes LB Florida. Spikes was regarded as a first round type talent until he ran a very slow 5.05 40 yard dash at his pro day. Spikes 40 time reminds me of former Gator LB Earl Everett another who was regarded as a first round pick until a slow Combine 40 time (4.88) saw him go undrafted. Everett was a different type of player to Spikes and did also have durability concerns but Spikes does have some character concerns (highlighted by the eye gouge this season). His 40 time might see him viewed as a 3-4 ILB only the run on these prospects is usually towards the end of Round 3 or into Round 4, unless you are special like Rolando McClain this year.
 
Ryan Perrilloux QB Jacksonville State. Perrilloux will be a Day Three story will someone take a risk and draft the talented former LSU QB? Looking at his two years at Jacksonville State all was good in his first year, but he was suspended for violation of team rules for the 2009 opener at Georgia Tech. So perhaps he has yet to learn his lesson, but in a thin QB class, his arm and talent does stand out on Day Three.
 
Of course the biggest wildcards in the Draft is not a player, but Raiders President of the General Partner Al Davis. Last year his move for Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey was widely predicted (although his 2nd round pick Mike Mitchell was not in any way, shape or form!) but this year there are many different opinions out there. I’m going add mine to the list and go with the top Height/Weight/Speed type at the Combine and also a LT, which the Raiders need Jared Veldheer OT Hillsdale. At 6’8 and 312 he ran a 5.06 40 yard dash to put that in context that’s about the same time that 249 lb Brandon Spikes ran at his pro day. There’s always the chance that he takes Anthony Davis just to see an A Davis out on the field for his Raiders! One thing is for sure though – there will be surprises from Mr Davis to keep us all on our toes!