2012 Draft Prospects

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List of underclassmen who have declared for the 2012 NFL Draft:

QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
QB Brock Osweiler, AZ State
QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
QB Darron Thomas, Oregon
RB Trent Richardson, Alabama
RB Lamar Miller, Miami
RB LaMichael James, Oregon
RB Robert Turbin, Utah State
RB Ronnie Hillman, SD State
RB Bernard Pierce, Temple
RB David Wilson, VT
RB Mike Ball, Nevada
RB Chris Polk, Washington
RB Darrell Scott, USF
RB Edwin Baker, Michigan State
RB Alvester Alexander, Wyoming
RB Jewel Hampton, Southern Illinois
WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
WR Tommy Streeter, Miami *
WR Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina
WR Chris Givens, Wake Forrest
WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech
WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers
WR Rueben Randle, LSU
WR Eric Page, Toledo
WR Damaris Johnson, Tulsa
TE Dwayne Allen, Clemson
TE Orson Charles, Georgia
OL Matt Kalil, USC
OL David DeCastro, Stanford
OL Brandon Washington, Miami
OL Riley Reiff, Iowa
OL Peter Konz, Wisconsin
OL Jonathan Martin, Stanford
OL Bobby Massie, Ole Miss
DT Marcus Forston, Miami *
DT Dontari Poe, Memphis
DT Jarel Worthy, Michigan State
DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State
DT Michael Brockers, LSU
DE Nick Perry, USC *
DE Oliver Vernon, Miami
DE Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
DE Chandler Jones, Syracuse
DE Donte Page-Moss, UNC
DE Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma
DE Max Holloway, Boston College
DE Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy
LB Donta Hightower, Alabama
LB Vontaze Burfict, AZ State
LB Luke Kuelchy, Boston College
LB Terrell Manning, North Carolina State
CB Morris Claiborne, LSU
CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama
CB Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech
CB Cliff Harris, Oregon *
CB Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina
CB Josh Robinson, UCF

Very early look at the 2012 draft prospects plus some youtube videos to wet your appetite.

Senior quarterbacks to keep an eye on include:

Nick Foles, Arizona, 6’5, 245lbs
Ryan Lindley, San Diego State, 6’4, 218lbs
Kirk Cousins, Michigan State, 6’3, 205lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3rsj3fjoOQ
Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M, 6’4, 220lbs
Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, 6’6, 235lbs
John Brantley, Florida, 6’3, 220lbs

Top underclassmen:

Andrew Luck, Stanford, 6’4, 235lbs
Landry Jones, Oklahoma, 6’4, 220lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8FpwaR-GUo
Matt Barkley, USC, 6’2, 220lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAdo1OyqiPc

If the top underclassmen all declare (chances are they wont) then the quarterback class looks pretty well stocked but even without them there is some depth to the class.



Michael Floyd, Notre Dame, 6’3, 228lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyfcBD_fZjU
Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M, 6’3, 215lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXJ4FcW8Nug
Juron Criner, Arizona, 6’4, 210lbs
Greg Childs, Arkansas, 6’3, 217lbs

Top underclassmen:

Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina, 6’4, 232lbs
Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State, 6’1, 208lbs
Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers, 6’2, 218lbs

Much deeper class in 2012 than this year as beyond AJ Green and Julio Jones there weren’t many big guys who could run. Next year’s class however has a number of such types as well as others I haven’t mentioned.


Big year for offensive tackles?

Mike Adams, Ohio State, 6’8, 305lbs
Al Netter, Northwestern, 6’6, 310lbs
Nate Potter, Boise State, 6’6, 295lbs
Matt Reynolds, Bringham Young, 6’6, 322lbs
Andrew Datko, FSU, 6’6, 305lbs

Top underclassmen:

Matt Kalil, USC, 6’6, 295lbs
Jonathan Martin, Stanford, 6’6, 305lbs
Riley Reiff, Iowa, 6’6, 300lbs

There should be some good options for teams looking to improve their protection at the OT position even without the top underclassmen. There will probably be better depth in 2012 than there was this year as well.


LB has the potential to be the class of the draft, provided some of the top underclassmen declare:

Courtney Upshaw, Alabama, 6’2, 260lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6DGTN-_qxU
Chris Galippo, Southern California, 6’2, 250lbs
Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh, 6’2, 250lbs
Tank Carder, TCU, 6'3, 237lbs

Top underclassmen:

Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State, 6’3, 245lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxQEkLHo0F4
Donta Hightower, Alabama, 6’4, 258lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyeXZTTcz8E
Shayne Skov, Stanford, 6’3, 243lbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieo_ansbJmA
Manti Te’o, Notre Dame, 6’2, 245lbs
Luke Kuechly, BC, 6’2, 235lbs

I have included these prospects in particular because they are versatile and are moved around the defense regularly, particularly Upshaw, Hightower and Lindsey who are used at ILB, OLB and DE.

crazy_dave23 wrote:Nice one again twelve.

Two points.... Chris Givens, WR out of Wake Forrest who you have listed as intriguing. I haven't really heard the name and was expecting Mohammed Sanu is as the 5th receiver in Mayocks list. What makes you think of him as intriguing?

Oh I just meant it was interesting that Mayock has him rated that high as I don't think i've seen Givens that high annywhere else. I don't have any notes on him which probably means I haven't watched him, just noticed that he's an underclassman (redshirt junior) which is probably another reason I don't have any notes.

Quick recap of the south squad PM practice I just watched.

RB vs. LB (coverage)

#47 Zach Brown stood out for me in this drill, moves well and had no problem sticking with his man and got his hands in to break up a pass.

#31 Sean Spence on the other hand looked poor, failed to press his man off the LOS and was beat in coverage repeatedly.

DB vs. WR

#19 Casey Hayward showing good coverage skills, stays with his man and got his head around to locate the ball in the air.

#5 Dwight Bentley looked good at times, had an interception, but would have been called for DPI on at least two occasions if the plays had occured in the NFL.

#87 Jeff Fuller let a pass hit his chest and bounce into the hands of Bentley. Charles Davis said he liked Fuller a lot last year but then went on to say he'd lost some physicality this year and needed a big week.

#4 Joe Adams showed good searation skills with a quick inside move which took him away from the defender and I can see him in the slot in the NFL.

#82 Juron Criner came out of a break and made a really nice adjustment to an off target pass, catching it with one hand with the DB right there.

DL vs. OL

#6 Melvin Ingram looked the best of the pass rushers, staying low and beating his man round the corner, also showed an impressive spin move to beat his man inside.

[quote="twelve283"]

bambamwillis wrote: that said, i'm always going to be sceptical about quarterback prospects shorter than 6'0. On top of that he doesn't have the biggest arm from what i've seen when watching Boise State.

I've always found this thing about a QBs height fascinating. I read a good article somewhere before that used maths and statistics to examine the effect of a QBs height and weight and the influence this had on their production in the NFL. As it turned out, there seemed to be little correlation between height and the likelihood of a QB posting good numbers in the NFL. If there was any sort of optimum height then it was 6'2" but this was likely skewed by the fact that Favre, Montana and Steve Young were all 6'2". If you exclude them, then there's little correlation.

If there was any correlation at all then it was that heavier QBs were less likely to throw interceptions. Also, if you go by the numbers, then smaller, heavier QBs seemed to post the best numbers!!! There may be absolutely nothing in any of this but what it did show is that there is clearly an awful lot more to being a good QB than being big and heavy. If you've got a small QB who is smart and makes good decisions then you can design a system that helps him be successful. Set up your blocking schemes so that your linemen are creating good passing lanes for him. Roll him out so he's not throwing over the heads of the linemen.

RE: QB height, there are advantages to being on the taller side as a quarterback but in saying that a QB prospect who is <6'0 isn't guaranteed to be a failure in the NFL. The thing about QB height is, outside of the obvious advantages such as better field vision, higher release point, etc, is that it usually equates to a better physical skillset, arm strength, ability to spin the football and scouts get hung up on these things for a reason.

I meant to mention this last night but I noticed that Mayock has former Tennessee S Janzen Jackson in his top 5 Safety rankings which I thought was interesting. Jackson has character concerns including drug issues but if you ignore all that he's a top 100 talent at least IMO. Might be orth a punt in the late 6th/early 7th rounds.

I've mentioned janzen jackson a few times on her, just over a year ago, before goldson became one of the better free safeties around right now, he was being mocked as high as 15th in the 1st round to the niners. On the small side but very quick and seems like a playmaker.

Also a bit surprised by mayock having reiff over kalil. They are both good enough to go in the top 5 picks if there is enough need but I thought the consensus was that kalil was the best tackle to enter the nfl sice thomas. I know some say kalil's run blocking isn't on a par with his pass protection but that choice shocked me a little. If its because of that flaw,fair enough but im fed up with tackles who are good run blockers but shocking in pass protection, i'd much rather the opposite and the player having to learn run blocking a little more

This is from twitter: Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout)
"Watched Kellen Moore throw with a current and former NFL personnel guy. One audibly laughed when Moore threw the ball. Not good" He also called him the least impressive guy at the senior bowl and said he can't see him getting drafted.

Seems a bit harsh, saw a couple of Kellen Moore's games and strikes me as a guy who could be at least a decent backup QB, which should be worth a late round pick by someone like the Rams imo.

I caught part of the final full pads practice for the north team yesterday and got a look at all three quarterbacks.

#8 Kirk Cousins looked the most accomplished under centre, not really surprising as he did it at Michigan State, and he had the best arm of the three. He showed very nice touch on a completed pass in 11 vs. 11 drills at the end of practice, under pressure, stepped up and delivered the ball.

#16 Russell Wilson was underthrowing passes in 7 vs. 7 drills, one off target and underthrown on a short pass outside, another deep sideline pass was floated in the direction of #88 Brian Quick which allowed the DB to break it up. Questionable arm strength, accuracy issues and looked shaky under centre but Mike Mayock remains high on him due to his athleticism and ability to make plays outside the pocket.

#11 Kellen Moore had his college production lauded again by the commentators as well as his intangibles, Mayock stating that he was the first out at practice that morning. He also looked shaky under centre and mishandled a snap out of the gun as well, although in fairness on that occasion I think it was a poor snap by the OC (didn’t catch who it was unfortunately). His main problems are he’s small and has no arm, others may think differently but for me it’s a major red flag. Least impressive quarterback at the Senior Bowl, north or South team IMO.

Notable spectators for this practice included Ravens HC John Harbaugh, Jason Garrett, Seahawks GM John Schneider and HC Pete Carroll, Russ Grimm and Mike Tomlin.

What time is the Senior Bowl on tonight?

From the Washington Redskins (@Redskins)
After 3 days in Mobile at #SeniorBowl, who will @Redskins be watching in today's game? Redskins staff, for one, working with young talent.
Among NFL prospects, CB Janoris Jenkins, OL Cordy Glenn, DE Quinton Coples, WR Juron Criner among standouts at Senior Bowl practices.
Really likes how LB Emmanuel Acho of Texas moved as inside linebacker, very fluid moving to the ball. Keep an eye on him in Senior Bowl.
Alabama DE Courtney Upshaw among highly rated prospects, but he seemed to get swallowed up by O-lineman. He could move to OLB in pros.
Not overly impressed with tall WRs Jeff Fuller of Texas A&M, Dwight Jones of UNC, they have body type but struggled at times.
Among QBs, I expect Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden to get first reps, followed by Arizona's Nick Foles then San Diego State's Ryan Lindley. Brandon Weeden seemed to be more mature, refined than other QBs -- he is 28 years old, of course. Had a good rapport with Kyle Shanahan.
Among Senior Bowl running backs, keep eye on Florida speedster Chris Rainey, Miss. State big back Vick Ballard, could be a good 1-2 punch.

9 GMT as far as I know.

Thomond wrote:9 GMT as far as I know.

4pm ET, so 9pm GMT is correct

Any ideas where I might be able to watch it

NFL Network... not sure if its on NFL.com
Thus for us UK people streaming is the only alternative, dunno where

if any of you find a way to view the game, can you tell me on here, thanks

Check your PMs, do you want one Bambam?

Yes please!

Check your inbox.

Glad to see their experts are ready to tell us about the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, wouldn't want to focus on the Senior Bowl just a few minutes before kick off.
Asked some guys for the players to look out for:
Matt Miller @nfldraftscout
@606v2AF Brandon Weeden, Joe Adams, Courtney Upshaw, Janoris Jenkins, Jamell Fleming, Chris Polk, Melvin Ingram

Thomas Melton@TMeltonScouting
@606v2AF Just put up a couple posts with rankings of the top guys here. I'm very high on Doug Martin, Mike Martin, Shea McClellin...

Alex Brown@ABXXV25
@606v2AF russell wilson and brandon weeden are the top signal callers to watch. Quinton Coples is single most talented prospect

thanks

Just get NFL Network. It's £3 a month and it's 24/7 uninterrupted HD football.

Don't have the spare time to have 24/7 football.

Two quick picks, will the quarterbacks been changed anytime soon?

What did everyone make of the Senior Bowl?

A few players who impressed me (I'm not going to lie I missed some of the plays and wasn't writing anything down so some things will have slipped by me):
North
Isaiah Pead, mainly for his special team contributions but had one good run where he showed he can be dangerous.
Vinny Curry, got pressure on the quarterback early and his hit on Weeden resulted in an interception.
T.J. Graham, not sure if he was the target (due to where the other receiver was) but remember him getting back well to make a low diving catch from either a overthrown or arguably underthrown pass from Wilson.
Also a special mention for Bradie Ewing who could have put himself on some teams radar's making a good catch off a poor pass (in my eyes) from Kellen Moore.

South
Quinton Coples, was regularly pressuring the quarterback but accoring to guys on twitter he was up against a guard playing tackle. I don't remember that being mentioned by the commentators.
Joe Adams, bounced back well with a couple of good catch and runs to make up for his fumble.
Juron Criner, clearly had a good relationship with his college QB Foles which showed on the TD and good strong hands to keep the ball.

Wasn't overly impressed by any of the quarterbacks but personally can't see Moore being drafted anywhere other than the late rounds, don't think he has the arm strength to make it as a quaterback in the NFL. Wilson showed a good talent to make a play outside the pocket, but will have to learn that sometimes you should throw it through the endzone instead of getting sacked. Lindley did make some good throws on one of his drives which resulted in a FG but in the NFL you want to be getting 6 points when in the redzone or you at least want it to be good defensive play which stops you getting the TD.

PMs have been sent to those who have requested NFL network.
You will be able to watch it constantly now.

thanks

It's tough to evaluate players properly on the laptop. I really wanted to see how the o-line and secondaries got on but its difficult

I watched up to the end of the first half and then gave up but started watching again in the fourth quarter just prior to the Nick Foles touchdown pass. What you can actually take form the game is limited and you’re just looking to see who competes well and wins their individual matchups.

The only quarterback I didn’t get a chance to see in game was Foles, outside of the TD pass, but a got a decent look at the others. On the whole the QB play was underwhelming to put it mildly, I mean considering the soft Cover 1 and Cover 3 looks the defense ran it’s really not so outrageous to say there should have been no interceptions, unless it was a great play by a DB. There should not have been any confusion out there about what the defense were doing and it was simply a case of drop and read who was open then deliver the pass on time.

#16 Russell Wilson had a pass intercepted by #18 Brandon Taylor in the first quarter where he stared down his receiver, failing to look off the deep safety (Taylor) and delivered the pass late where Taylor was able to make a play on it. It was good to see Taylor make a play in coverage as he’s one of the few safety prospects outside of Mark Barron who I would draft in this class, mid round developmental guy. Next possession Wilson had to deal with a series of poor snaps by #78 Rishaw Johnson, who was promptly benched, but managed to make plays outside the pocket by escaping pressure and completing passes to both #81 Gerell Robinson and #83 TJ Graham. The pass to Graham was wayward and probably not intended for him but he did a nice job of working back to the quarterback and making the catch in bounds on the sideline. TJ Graham has showed well this week IMO but there are so many 2nd and 3rd tier receivers of a similar level that he’s kind of got lost in the wash a bit. He has some ST ability as well. Wilson finished the drive by throwing a touchdown pass to #89 Marvin Jones, who got away from #1 Janoris Jenkins, after again leaving the pocket. Mike Mayock showed how much more comfortable Wilson was outside the pocket compared to inside with a compilation of clips in the 2nd quarter. Wilson finished 4/7, 45 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception.

#3 Brandon Weeden was 5/6 for 66 yards after his first two drives then had an incompletion, took a sack and followed it with an interception on his next possession. On the sack it was a good job by #99 Vinny Curry who ignored the PA and beat the OT to make Weeden take the sack. Curry had actually showed good awareness a few plays earlier when he got his hands up to tip a pass at the LOS. On the next play Weeden stumbles on his drop, his foot was stepped on by either #71 Cordy Glenn or #61 Will Blackwell who was being pushed back by DL #74 Alameda Ta’amu, and then threw a pass to LB #45 Bobby Wagner who was dropping into the Hook/Curl. Wagner actually had another nice play in the passing game in the 2nd quarter by getting his hands on a pass from Ryan Lindley intended for Juron Criner. Weeden’s second interception came on his one and only pass in the 4th quarter when he severely underthrew a deep pass to the wrong side of the receiver which ended up in the hands of #13 Jamell Fleming. Weeden finished 5/9, 56 yards, 2 interceptions.

#17 Ryan Lindley has the makings of a decent developmental prospect but his accuracy is a bit of a concern as his completion percentage was the lowest of all six quarterbacks at <50%. Two of his more notable plays came on the South team’s final drive. A couple of snaps before the interception he showed good footwork and movement in the pocket to escape pressure and then find # 88 AJ Jenkins on the sideline for a 26 yard completion. He made a very poor decision on the interception with #52 James Michael-Johnson dropping underneath and put it right in the LBs hands. Lindley finished 10/21, 103 yards, 1 interception.

Outside of the early fumble #4 Joe Adams had a pretty good game with 8 receptions for 133 yards. He had a nice catch and run on a simple hitch route in the 2nd quarter which went for 27 yards after he was able to get away from #8 D’Anton Lynn, who made a poor attempt at a tackle. My biggest concerns with Adams as a prospect are that he drops passes due to being a body catcher rather than a hands catcher, he’s not the most polished of route runners and can he beat press coverage consistently. He is good after the catch though and he’s got some return ability.

His partner in crime on the south team #82 Juron Criner also had a nice game with 6 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. He showed he was capable of running nice routes and was complimented by Mayock for doing so on the TD pass to get open in the EZ.

Couple of other things I picked up on from Mayock, firstly he seemed to agree with my thinking that #47 Zach Brown, although someone with a lot of ability, was not a 1st round pick. The two different sides to Browns game showed up in the Senior Bowl last night, on one play he did a good job of identifying the screen pass and flying over to disrupt the play, he also showed his speed and ability to stick with his man in the passing game. On the other hand he was blocked out of a number of plays, which Mayock made reference to in the 2nd quarter and also failed to wrap up on occasion, showing his inconsistency when it comes to tackling. One play in particular that sticks in the mind was when TE #82 Michael Egnew pulled in a pass in the 4th quarter and then breaks a tackle by Brown for yards after the catch. Brown is potentially a good player in the right system, just not a 1st round player IMO.

The second thing I picked up was that Mayock doesn’t believe #15 Alfonzo Dennard is a 1st round player. This was interesting to me as I’ve went back and forth on him many times as I’ve said. The one thing about Mike Mayock is, while he might be hit and miss (as most people are) with regards to certain positions, when it comes to DBs he’s generally on the money more often than not.

On to the NFL scouting combine which starts on the 23rd of February.

I don't really think dennard and brown should be 1st rounders but i think they will still end up going in the 1st 32, dennard only fits a few systems in the nfl though, and that could slot him between 32-40

niner wrote:I don't really think dennard and brown should be 1st rounders but i think they will still end up going in the 1st 32, dennard only fits a few systems in the nfl though, and that could slot him between 32-40

Yup it's certainly possible they go first round, I still like much of Dennard’s game and he didn’t get to show off his physical skills at the Senior Bowl because of the defensive scheme employed.

Yeah, its unfortunate he never got to showcase his physical style, he was never going to look good in a scheme where he can't press as much

Gil Brandt senior analyst at NFL.com top 100 draft prospects:http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82652d45/article/which-2012-prospects-are-first-to-top-charts
Brandt has Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill at #8

8. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
He's very smart, an excellent athlete and has the ability to take off if necessary.

I like this about Kirkpatrick as I could definitely see a move to safety down the line:

21. Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
He's tall for a corner, and people like that. He most likely will fall some after the combine and his pro day, which could result in a move to safety.

Rob Rang's Senior Bowl all-practice teams: http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/13682485/34604680

People are starting to catch on to the underrated Shea McClellin:

OLB: Shea McClellin, Boise State -- Saw a lot of time at weakside linebacker and really impressed.

Rob Rang article on Shea McClellin: http://www.cbssports.com/print/nfl/draft/story/17001034/boise-states-mcclellin-impressing-scouts-with-versatility-at-senior-bowl/rss

McClellin was also one of Mike Mayocks five "football players you find a place for" somewhere in your squad, the others being Arkansas DE Jake Bequette who was transitioning to LB at the Senior Bowl, FB Emil Egwenagu who was getting a lot of attention from scouts for his versatility, HB/FB Brad Smelley, Alabama and Chris Rainey out of Florida.


Russ Lande of Sporting News identifies prospects who potentially hurt their stock at the Senior Bowl: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2011-10/nfl-mock-draft/story/senior-bowl-dish-who-hurt-their-draft-stock-during-practicesAnd those who might have helped their stock: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2011-10/nfl-mock-draft/story/senior-bowl-dish-who-padded-their-draft-status-during-practices


Tom Melton ranks Senior Bowl prospects on defense: http://tommeltonscouting.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/senior-bowl-rankings-defense/ Check out his recent posts for more Senior Bowl content.


Scott Wright of Draft Countdown game report: http://www.draftcountdown.com/features/SeniorBowl/reports/Practices/Game.php

McClellin reminds me a little bit of an undersized ryan kerrigan from last year, not the most physically gifted guy but smart, instinctive and solid

niner wrote:McClellin reminds me a little bit of an undersized ryan kerrigan from last year, not the most physically gifted guy but smart, instinctive and solid

When he measured in at 248lbs at the Senior Bowl weigh-in I was a little concerned about my evaluation because he was listed at 255lbs but then I read this from the Rob Rang article:

Singletary's opinion that McClellin could change his weight so dramatically might sound presumptuous. However, McClellin could be overheard telling two San Diego Chargers scouts, including scouting director John Spanos, that he dropped from 258 pounds only a few days ago to the 248 he weighed in at Monday.

That type of weight fluctuation might sound unhealthy to some. To scouts, it is indicative of an athlete capable of lining up at linebacker in either the 3-4 or 4-3, as well as simply reverting back to his customary defensive end position in a four-man front.

The Mike Singletary quotes from the article are good as well. I would not be surprised to see him go somewhere in the 2nd round, which is a big jump from the 4th/5th round he was projected to when I first started taking an interest.

yeah same with wagner, another guy thought to be a 4th rounder who is quickly rising into the 2nd round

Not sure why Gil Brandt has Tannehill rated as the number 8 overall. I figure the purpose of these boarfs is to dictate sheer skill of player independent of the fact that certain positions invariably get over drafted.

He only played, what, a year and half at QB having previously been a receiver. He has talent etc, but he is not the 8th best prospect right now or going into next season.

If i were a fan of a team who drafted tannehill in the top 15 picks, i'd be very upset, seattle fans may be worried as i think they may be a team that makes sense.

My thoughts on Jayron Hosley

: http://worldsport35.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/jayron-hosley/

So onto the 2012 NFL Combine,

Combine invite list: http://www.macsfootballblog.com/2012/02/2012-scouting-combine-invite-list.html

Brief look at the workouts and drills: http://www.nfl.com/combine/workouts

Anyone watch the college football all star show on espn the other night, makes me hope that a team I follow drafts Fletcher Cox even more

Did everyone see that Dre Kirkpatrick won't be getting charged for the drug incident? Does it do anything to his value?

nope, I still think hes top 25 pick whether he was done or not

Pre Combine news:

From Draft Insider

The buzz around Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict unfortunately continues to be negative. I was told at the Senior Bowl when he showed up for combine training in January, Burfict looked soft and out of shape. Latest word has him completing less than 15 reps on the bench recently and Burfict has been slowed by a leg (hamstring) issue. All that we’ve talked with say the biggest issue surrounding the often times dominant linebacker is work ethic.

I am also hearing Michael Floyd looks good and will run a forty time faster than anyone presently predicts. The good news is Floyd is healthy from the injuries which kept him from attending the Senior Bowl. The better news is he plans on running at the combine, barring any last week tweaks.

A report surfaced on Twitter last week that Alabama safety Mark Barron underwent surgery to repair a double hernia and will be out until July. Sources I spoke with confirmed the report and it was double hernia surgery- at the Senior Bowl word was it was just single hernia. At the same time I was told the recovery should be no more than 4-to-6 weeks, 8 at the most, from the time the surgery was completed.

Some tweets from Albert Breer

Looks like the word is out on Arizona State LB Vontaze Burfict, who'll have serious image recovery work to do when he gets to Indy ...

When I did a mock last month, initially had Burfict at end of Round 1. Sent it to 6 or 7 personnel guys. All told me to take Burfict out

One of these execs thought I was particularly crazy for having him at 31 or 32, and called Burfict a "fake tough guy." Ouch.

Hmmm, could always be a case of personnel guys attempting to sabotage a players staock, get him to drop, lots of negative reports though.

Including this from Mike Mayock:

I'm not a fan at all. I just watched a bunch of his tape the other day. I came away unimpressed. His instincts aren't good. He gets enveloped by bigger bodies and he runs around blocks. I don't see first round at all.

Mayock on Dre Kirkpatrick

He's big and he's long. I'm not sure what he's going to run (in the 40). Some people might even think he could convert to safety down the road,

Mayock on Andrew Luck

When you throw Andrew Luck into that grouping, I think he falls — from an intellect and the whole passion for the game of football — somewhere in that kind of Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan mold,

As far as ability, I don’t think he’s quite in the Peyton Manning mold. But I think he’s close. I think he’s got a little more ability than a Matt Ryan when he came out. But, I don’t put him up there as a once in a lifetime guy. I’m not sitting here telling you that I think he’s going to be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.

He’s going to win the battle in the board rooms. He’s going to sit up with the teams and draw what he knows about the game of football and he will process (the) information from those team and spit it back at them. All of those top teams are going to come away saying ‘wow, I want that guy.

Mayock on Ryan Tannehill

He’s got everything you want. He’s got size, he’s got arm strength, really good athlete. All you have to do is look at his tape as a wide receiver two years ago. He’s a big, fast kid with a really good arm.

Mayock on Alshon Jeffery

Alshon Jeffery does not separate. What those guys run is important. He needs to run somewhere in those mid-4.5s. Big and fast is good. Big and slow is bad. Bottom line is, he has got to run well.

With regards to Jeffery Rookie Draft's Joe Everett tweeted this a while ago:

WR Alshon Jeffery, is training at St Vincents here in Indy. Sources say he's weighing 249lbs + running a 4.88 Forty.

No real confirmation on whether this is accurate or not.

Todd McShay on Vontaze Burfict’s on field discipline, or lack of it:

Scout told me he thinks Vontaze Burfict=17 personal fouls in 35 gms. He's a violent collision waiting to happen but too often out of control

Burfict is really getting slated in the draft community.

I don't know about burfict, doesn't seem very smart, I've read he can play outside and I think he could do well there if he works hard

Yeah, this is Vontaze Burfict: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwJCYhOdazE
But this is also Vontaze Burfict: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_jDyvvg4MY
Someone will give him a chance, but I could see him falling out of the first round.

This time last year, I had seen 4 or 5 of his games and thought he was certain to go in the top 15 but he was horrrible in the two games I had seen of last season

My thoughts on Fletcher Cox and potential sleepers whose status has dropped due to character concerns:


http://worldsport35.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/fletcher-cox


http://worldsport35.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/potential-misses-this-year/

What are peoples views on Alshon Jeffery?

Saw a site the other day that ranked him as the top WR but equally have seen some that have ranked him as a 4th our 5th round pick. Seen some tape of him and he looks talented and appears to have great height and strength for the position but he just seems slow.

Derbyblue wrote:What are peoples views on Alshon Jeffery?

Saw a site the other day that ranked him as the top WR but equally have seen some that have ranked him as a 4th our 5th round pick. Seen some tape of him and he looks talented and appears to have great height and strength for the position but he just seems slow.

He was rated a surefire top 10 pick a while ago, purely because of his comparability to Calvin Johnson. I think you have read some of Matt Miller's stuff, this is an article he wrote prior to the college football season comparing the 2.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/830813-the-tale-of-the-tape-alshon-jeffery-vs-calvin-johnson

I was really excited after reading this at the time, as I had a feeling that the 49ers might be in a position to draft him this year (little did I know). Since then it seems he has taken the hype to his head, with his weight going up and his work ethic being questioned. Now from being compared to Calvin he is looked at like Mike Williams from USC, who bombed out after the Lions took him in the top 10. I have a feeling he will still go in the first 2 rounds, as on talent alone he is a first round pick. Will be interesting to see how he runs at the combine too, and his general conditioning. Could end up being a steal if he knuckles down and lives up to his talent

bambamwillis wrote:

Derbyblue wrote:What are peoples views on Alshon Jeffery?

Saw a site the other day that ranked him as the top WR but equally have seen some that have ranked him as a 4th our 5th round pick. Seen some tape of him and he looks talented and appears to have great height and strength for the position but he just seems slow.

He was rated a surefire top 10 pick a while ago, purely because of his comparability to Calvin Johnson. I think you have read some of Matt Miller's stuff, this is an article he wrote prior to the college football season comparing the 2.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/830813-the-tale-of-the-tape-alshon-jeffery-vs-calvin-johnson

I was really excited after reading this at the time, as I had a feeling that the 49ers might be in a position to draft him this year (little did I know). Since then it seems he has taken the hype to his head, with his weight going up and his work ethic being questioned. Now from being compared to Calvin he is looked at like Mike Williams from USC, who bombed out after the Lions took him in the top 10. I have a feeling he will still go in the first 2 rounds, as on talent alone he is a first round pick. Will be interesting to see how he runs at the combine too, and his general conditioning. Could end up being a steal if he knuckles down and lives up to his talent

How did you guess that? You're correct though I took his top WR ranking off his site but it doesn't say when it was last updated so not really got a clue what he thinks of him at the moment. Is he going to be a bit like Quinton Coples in that it will be up to his teammates and coaches to keep him motivated, but if they do then he can be a star?

The guy is a jump ball specialist, he needs a qb that has a big arm and that can throw it up, if you ask him to run different routes and gain seperation, I just cant see him doing well, I think its a bad sign that he is supposed to still be out of shape just before the combine. This is the time where most players are working religiously to improve their 40 times etc. In the right offense he could make some big plays, but he will look more like a tight end soon

Derbyblue wrote:

bambamwillis wrote:

Derbyblue wrote:What are peoples views on Alshon Jeffery?

Saw a site the other day that ranked him as the top WR but equally have seen some that have ranked him as a 4th our 5th round pick. Seen some tape of him and he looks talented and appears to have great height and strength for the position but he just seems slow.

He was rated a surefire top 10 pick a while ago, purely because of his comparability to Calvin Johnson. I think you have read some of Matt Miller's stuff, this is an article he wrote prior to the college football season comparing the 2.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/830813-the-tale-of-the-tape-alshon-jeffery-vs-calvin-johnson

I was really excited after reading this at the time, as I had a feeling that the 49ers might be in a position to draft him this year (little did I know). Since then it seems he has taken the hype to his head, with his weight going up and his work ethic being questioned. Now from being compared to Calvin he is looked at like Mike Williams from USC, who bombed out after the Lions took him in the top 10. I have a feeling he will still go in the first 2 rounds, as on talent alone he is a first round pick. Will be interesting to see how he runs at the combine too, and his general conditioning. Could end up being a steal if he knuckles down and lives up to his talent

How did you guess that? You're correct though I took his top WR ranking off his site but it doesn't say when it was last updated so not really got a clue what he thinks of him at the moment. Is he going to be a bit like Quinton Coples in that it will be up to his teammates and coaches to keep him motivated, but if they do then he can be a star?

I follow him on twitter and have seen him reply to the forum twitter page before and assumed you ran it .. no stalking honest! Jeffery is dominant with the ball in the air, he is the best jump ball player in the draft and I think he could end up being like a prime Plaxico if he lives up to his potential, great in the redzone and deep balls. If he works hard and is kept in line, then he could be the best receiver in the draft, I think he has the ability to be better than Blackmon

Have you seen the shape he is in though