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.

twelve283 wrote:

TheBrownTown wrote:You reckon Hill will go in the first round now? 49ers and Patriots could be options?

He's made himself some money so far today no doubt, he's only helped himself. I think he can go in round 1, it's going to come down to how each team views him, interviews, what they see on film. When you watch him you can see he's got the physical tools, big, strong, fast(didn't think he was quite that fast) but the GT offense limits what you can take away about the other aspects of his game, route running, adjustments/reading the defense. He just didn't get the chance to demonstrate these things on a consistent basis at GT, that's the difficulty when evaluating him.

I think Demaryius Thomas's recent success will help Hill considering Thomas had the same concerns coming out of college about the system he was in

TheBrownTown wrote:
I think Demaryius Thomas's recent success will help Hill considering Thomas had the same concerns coming out of college about the system he was in

It might be worth noting that it was Josh McDaniels who selected Thomas in the 1st for the Broncos and now he's back in NE.

How much does the Combine matter when the draft comes around?

Teams will surely have done scouting, watched videos etc during the NCAAF season so I find it rather strange that a 40 metre dash will elevate a player up the draft.

Just wonder what everyone else thinks?

I think the game tape tells the story.

However the combine encourages you to go back and look at prospects who either stood out or under performed, check the tape again and re-evaluate your thinking on them.

Also its great to get the precise measurables because it will help in breaking ties on your draft board.
For some players in very specific systems its your only chance to see them run certain types of routes. I'm thinking shotgun QBs, Georgia Tech WRs etc. To be honest just in general it is nice to see players to something one after another on a direct comparison basis.

As such your board should shift around, but the the major sorting should always be done on game tape... unless you are the Oakland Raiders in which case you may as well set up the combine time sheet as your draft board... I'm going to miss Al Davis' drafting

mikeygnfl wrote:How much does the Combine matter when the draft comes around?

Teams will surely have done scouting, watched videos etc during the NCAAF season so I find it rather strange that a 40 metre dash will elevate a player up the draft.

Just wonder what everyone else thinks?

"It's all part of the puzzle" is probably one of the most common lines you'll hear with regards to how much the Combine matters. Most FO personnel when asked how they use the Combine as an evaluation tool and how much it matters to the process have indicated that mainly it's just confirming what was observed on the film and by the area scouts. Jerry Reese was on NFLN the other day saying exactly this. He also mentioned that they [NY Giants] don't hurt a player with the Combine or all star games.

crazy_dave23 wrote:However the combine encourages you to go back and look at prospects who either stood out or under performed, check the tape again and re-evaluate your thinking on them.

This is exactly right when a performance differs from what was observed on film.

Each team is probably going to put a different amount of emphasis on the various drills and the measurables depending on all sorts of factors. Some teams likely do put a high value on the measurables and in these cases a player could gain significantly from having a good workout. A the end of the day they are another set of metrics to go along with what can be seen on tape.

The most important parts of the Combine however might be the medicals and the interviews according to many GM and HCs. Making a good first impression, what can the player show you on the chalk board, demonstrating football IQ as they say, how the player might fit in your system and working through character concerns and possible red flags.

Coming to Indy, you look forward to getting to know these guys, finding out what makes them tick. Do they love football? Do they enjoy what they’re doing? How do they fit in your system and with your organization? So this is a good time.

Mike Shanahan.

Having a good Combine can only help a prospect. This is an interesting point from Greg Gabriel ex. Bears DCS,

if a prospect has a strong workout at Indy then he doesn’t have to redo his workout at his pro day, but rather just do position drills for the coaches present. It ends up taking a lot of pressure off of the player at the pro day.

I think this would be a real benefit for, not only the players, but also FO personnel when evaluating them.

NFL Video Jerry Jones talking about interviews and medical: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combine/09000d5d82732094/Jerry-Jones-all-for-all-access

Some quick thoughts from Mike Mayock: http://blogs.nfl.com/2012/02/26/enter-the-draft-guru-mayock-dishes-on-2012-class/

Tony Pauline Risers and Sliders: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tony_pauline/02/26/combine.wr.te/index.html?eref=writers

The most important parts of the Combine however might be the medicals and the interviews according to many GM and HCs.

This makes the most sense to me.

Most articles I have read on the Combine performances were suggesting how a good 40 yard run or jump could catapult a player up the draft. I even saw reports on the big Combine winner being RG3 despite him not throwing (I was kind of thinking that the main job of a QB is to throw the ball). I feel to many pundits/ writers get caught up in the hype and just wondered if the hype filtered though to GMs.

And Dontari Poe just ran a 4.87u at 350lbs.

Nick Perry-4.5u flat, 1.57 split at 270lbs.

Shea McClellin-4.65u, 1.59 split at 260lbs.

Andre Branch-4.62u, 1.56 split at 260lbs.

Quinton Coples-4.72u, 1.63 split at 285lbs.

mikeygnfl wrote:

The most important parts of the Combine however might be the medicals and the interviews according to many GM and HCs.

This makes the most sense to me.

Most articles I have read on the Combine performances were suggesting how a good 40 yard run or jump could catapult a player up the draft. I even saw reports on the big Combine winner being RG3 despite him not throwing (I was kind of thinking that the main job of a QB is to throw the ball). I feel to many pundits/ writers get caught up in the hype and just wondered if the hype filtered though to GMs.

I imagine the medicals and interviews are most important, but the drills help too they give you a chance to evaluate all the prospects with hard figures and nothing other than talent/fitness being the reason one beats the other. I think a good 40 yard run isn't what rockets you up the board but it can be what gets you noticed and gets the front offices talking about you and may lead to a revaluation of your game tape, teams shouldn't say "wow he's fast he's a 1st rounder" theres more to every position in the NFL than speed but it does help with many of them and each drill is just a part of evaluating each player, it's not much different to the pro days except they have people they are familiar with throwing them the ball.

As an example Stephen Hill probably wasn't considered being worth more than a mid 2nd rounder by most teams due to the gamble on him, but with that speed and if you were impressed by how he ran the routes or his "football IQ" then the combine can be enough for you to get your scouts to take a look over the game tape again, or have a look yourself if you think they may have undersold him. Another thing could be if it was in your plan to grab him at the end of the second you can guess now that most teams are wondering how they could use that speed, so you have to look back at the tape and see if he's worth making a trade up the board to grab or if you'll just sit and hope he falls.

Derbyblue wrote:As an example Stephen Hill probably wasn't considered being worth more than a mid 2nd rounder by most teams due to the gamble on him, but with that speed and if you were impressed by how he ran the routes or his "football IQ" then the combine can be enough for you to get your scouts to take a look over the game tape again, or have a look yourself if you think they may have undersold him. Another thing could be if it was in your plan to grab him at the end of the second you can guess now that most teams are wondering how they could use that speed, so you have to look back at the tape and see if he's worth making a trade up the board to grab or if you'll just sit and hope he falls.

Stephen Hill is a good example. It will be interesting to see where he gets drafted. Before the Combine he looked a mid/ lower 2nd round, possible early 3rd round pick but I have now seen he appear in the lower reaches of a few 1st round mock drafts.

Just been looking at some combine results and can't believe how badly Vontaze Burfict stunk out the place. He ran 4.93 and 5.10, worse than half the Defensive Linemen! Surely he will struggle to make it into even the 2nd round now?

From what I hear Burfict didn't make a great impression with the media either. Wonder if he falls further than Mallett did.

bambamwillis wrote:Just been looking at some combine results and can't believe how badly Vontaze Burfict stunk out the place. He ran 4.93 and 5.10, worse than half the Defensive Linemen! Surely he will struggle to make it into even the 2nd round now?

His 40 time was worse than 350lbs DL Dontari Poe. He also had the worst broad jump of any LB and the 2nd worst vertical. Either he wasn't in shape or he just didn't give a ****. Major red flag either way. He didn't bench and he didn't run the cone or shuttle. He looked like he pulled up a bit after his 1st 40 run from what I could see.

Lowlandbrit wrote:From what I hear Burfict didn't make a great impression with the media either. Wonder if he falls further than Mallett did.

If he interviewd poorly as well then he's going to have to do some major damage control at his pro day to stop himself from going day 3 IMO. Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports mentions some of the things scouts have said to him about Burfict: http://bruce-feldman.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/31626208/35006810

"I wouldn't touch him," said one scout. "He does have some talent, but he is so undisciplined on and off the field. The guy is completely out of control. There's no way you could trust him. I can't believe they (ASU coaching staff) didn't cut him loose."

"You just scratch your head at some of the knucklehead things he does on tape," said one NFL coach. "It was the same thing over and over and over again with him. He seemed to personify why that team always seemed to underachieve."

Here is my 7 round niners mock, obviously some of you wont care about who the niners get but would be good to know if you think i have the players in the right rounds based on their ability and also whether or not you like the players as these are picks which i would love, some of my favourite college players.

http://wp.me/p28vvj-L

I think you might be being optimistic on Wright at 30, when's the Baylor pro day? I think he'll be out to turn it around on that day.

dunno, It will be hard for him to raise his stock as high as it was, especially because Hill and Randle are now considered possible 1st round receivers

Don't think Wright falls that far. It's the Combine, most of the stuff there is a load of rubbish. Film is how you truely gauge a player.

I doubt he goes top 15 now and that means that the texans and bears are the most receiver needy teams left, the bears need a big target so i doubt they would take him, if he makes it past the texans, the niners will grab him

Bears could end up trading up for Blackmon. How would you grade the receivers?

It would be something like this,no?

Blackmon
Floyd
Wright
Sanu/Jeffery/Hill
Randle.

Lots of speed guys like T.Y. Hilton available later rounds.

Yeah Id say that is the order unless Jeffery or Sanu run 4.5 or less at their pro day's. Criner and toon are probably 2nd rounders and then there is McNutt and Quick. But its that round 3-4 range with Hilton and especially Devon Wylie that I think is exciting.

Thomond wrote:Lots of speed guys like T.Y. Hilton available later rounds.

Hilton would be great for a team looking for a returner. Guy's a real playmaker.

I like Hilton too in th 4th round, I like Wylie just as much though, he is electric when healthy

Decided that starting coursework can wait and looking at doing a mock draft, only just started but here's my first 5 picks for now:
1) Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2) St Louis Rams- Matt Kalil, OT, USC
3) Cleveland Browns- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
4) Minnesota Vikings- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

The Browns trading with Vikings is what I would prefer to happen so there's a bit of bias making me put it down as that trade not with the Rams. Thoughts?

Derbyblue wrote:Decided that starting coursework can wait and looking at doing a mock draft, only just started but here's my first 5 picks for now:
1) Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2) St Louis Rams- Matt Kalil, OT, USC
3) Cleveland Browns- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
4) Minnesota Vikings- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

The Browns trading with Vikings is what I would prefer to happen so there's a bit of bias making me put it down as that trade not with the Rams. Thoughts?

I think the consensus now is that an RG3 trade will be with the rams not the vikings, but all those picks make sense

With the RGIII trade in it's more likely place:
1) Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2) Cleveland Browns- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
3) Minnesota Vikings- Matt Kalil, OT, USC
4) St Louis Rams- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

Still working on the rest, I can already tell it's going to be a terrible mock draft.

That top five looks good although if Blackmon doesn't run well at his pro-day I could see the Rams going for Claiborne

Every draft looks terrible to a fan of one team and great to another

Here is a list of my favourite players this year, late rounders included

http://wp.me/p28vvj-2G

Updated Big Board:

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Dre Kirkpatrick, DB, Alabama
Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Fletcher Cox, DL, Mississippi State
Riley Reiff, OL, Iowa
Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
Nick Perry, DE, USC
Melvin Ingram, LB, South Carolina
Donta Hightower, LB, Alabama
Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College
Quinton Coples, DE, UNC
Michael Brockers, DL, LSU
Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
Devon Still, DL, PSU
Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia
Dontari Poe, DL, Memphis
Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
Mark Barron, SA, Alabama
Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama
Peter Konz, OL, Wisconsin
Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
Brandon Thompson, DL, Clemson
Kevin Zeitler, OL Wisconsin
Stephon Gilmore, DB, South Carolina

Again I just want to make the point that the prospects included here are those I’ve been most impressed with but they won’t necessarily go in the range in have them, positions are bumped up and down based on value. This big board is simply a list of, IMO, the best talent available.

There are four prospects who were not ranked in my previous big board:
Fletcher Cox, DL, Mississippi State
Michael Brockers, DL, LSU
Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia
Stephon Gilmore, DB, South Carolina


It’s almost too close to call between Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd. Floyd said he wanted to run in the 4.4s in Indianapolis-mission accomplished. He didn’t look that fast during the season but he reportedly shed some weight for the combine and a running in the 4.4s at 6’3, 220lbs is a good time. One of the other things I think Floyd has over Blackmon is he had experience working in Charlie Weiss’s pro-style offense, running the type of routes he will encounter in the NFL. Blackmon on the other hand ran mostly slants, dig and hitch routes at Oklahoma State. Floyd has the better physical tools to go down the field and compete for the ball. It’s still very close between them though, Blackmon is a tidy receiver who is strong after the catch. I’m desperate for his pro day numbers.

Janoris Jenkins has moved up my board, I still have a tough time looking past the off field stuff but his talent is beginning to outweigh the character concerns. He’s 5’10, 193lbs which some might say is a little small but his 32 inch arms and physical nature make up for it IMO. He had one of the fastest 40 time at the combine among the DB group. You have to go back and look at his games for Florida where he faced off against the likes of AJ Green and Julio Jones. Green is on record as saying Jenkins was one of the best DBs he faced in college and called him a top 5 talent, better than Patrick Peterson.

I still Michael Brockers’ frame and his ability vs. the run but his combine workout left a lot to be desired, he didn’t look as athletic as I thought he might. I’m still trying to figure out just how much upside he has.

Kendall Wright supposedly ran a 4.61 40 time at the combine but there is no way he’s anywhere near that slow on the field, they had real problems with the 40 times this year with often big discrepancies between 1st and 2nd attempts. I’ll wait and see what he comes up with at his pro day. He’s got the potential to be a more explosive receiver than either Floyd or Blackmon but can he show up consistently at the next level?

Fletcher Cox might be a tad high. I’m still not 100% convinced that I rate all aspects of his game highly enough to put him inside the top 10 but I think if you put him in the right system and play to his strengths he could make a significant impact. I think he could potentially be the first DT off the board if scouts don’t get carried away with Dontari Poe’s measurements.

South Carolina’s Stephon Gilmore just squeezes into the top 32. He’s got some versatility in that he has experience at both CB and Safety. Good combine. He’s got no problem coming up and making a big hit, but he’s not a consistent wrap up tackler and is inconsistent against the run. There are plenty of corners who make a good living in the NFL who are just as poor in these areas so it just depends what your expectations are.

niner wrote:Every draft looks terrible to a fan of one team and great to another

Here is a list of my favourite players this year, late rounders included

http://wp.me/p28vvj-2G

I think Matt Kalil just entrenched himself as the #1 OT prospect with his combine performance. Devon Wylie is an intriguing player, I want to see his shuttle and 3cone.

Wylie is really explosive, as a 4th or 5th round pick, i think he could play slot receiver and be a pretty good return man.

I would say Blackmon and Floyd are the clear top two WRs and the it wouldn't surprise me to see any of Wright, Jeffery, Sanu, Hill and Randle to be drafted in any order from the bottom of the 1st round and the top of the 2nd round.

Regarding the RG3, reports suggest that the Rams will definitely trade and are looking at picking up Claiborne which will mean they are most likely to trade with the Browns and pick Claiborne up at 4th ahead of the Buccaneers. They could then still get one of the above WR at either 22nd, 33rd or 36th if they trade with Browns.

mikeygnfl wrote:I would say Blackmon and Floyd are the clear top two WRs and the it wouldn't surprise me to see any of Wright, Jeffery, Sanu, Hill and Randle to be drafted in any order from the bottom of the 1st round and the top of the 2nd round.

Regarding the RG3, reports suggest that the Rams will definitely trade and are looking at picking up Claiborne which will mean they are most likely to trade with the Browns and pick Claiborne up at 4th ahead of the Buccaneers. They could then still get one of the above WR at either 22nd, 33rd or 36th if they trade with Browns.

WHAT!! Both firsts and the second round picks for 2 spots, you must be kidding me!!! Also it would be pick #37 Bucs pick 4th and Browns 5th in round 2.

What do you guys think of these comparisons to current NFL stars:
Andrew Luck- Eli Manning
RGIII- Mike Vick
Trent Richardson- Jonathan Stewart
Justin Blackmon- Hakeem Nicks
Matt Kalil- Joe Thomas
Ryan Tannehill- Kevin Kolb
Quinton Coples- Carlos Dunlap
Courtney Upshaw- Anthony Spencer
Morris Claiborne- Carlos Rogers
Melvin Ingram- Tamba Hali
http://static.nfl.com/static/content/catch_all/nfl_image/draft_cheat_120302_1600.jpg

Derbyblue wrote:

mikeygnfl wrote:I would say Blackmon and Floyd are the clear top two WRs and the it wouldn't surprise me to see any of Wright, Jeffery, Sanu, Hill and Randle to be drafted in any order from the bottom of the 1st round and the top of the 2nd round.

Regarding the RG3, reports suggest that the Rams will definitely trade and are looking at picking up Claiborne which will mean they are most likely to trade with the Browns and pick Claiborne up at 4th ahead of the Buccaneers. They could then still get one of the above WR at either 22nd, 33rd or 36th if they trade with Browns.

WHAT!! Both firsts and the second round picks for 2 spots, you must be kidding me!!! Also it would be pick #37 Bucs pick 4th and Browns 5th in round 2.

I don't think I put the trade that clear... I didn't mean the Rams would get all that but either 4th and 22nd or 4th and 37th+

I can't see the Rams trading with anyone other than the Browns or the Redskins and the Browns two 1st round picks will probably be the best offer.

I don't really see how claiborne is like rogers

niner wrote:I don't really see how claiborne is like rogers

I'm not sure haven't watched enough of them both to make the comparisons, but I think being compared to Joe Thomas is the biggest compliment going for tackles.

Phew ok, I miss understood your post haven't been keeping up to date with rumours on what we'll have to pay but if it's that much I'd rather suck for another year and grab a QB next year.

Nick Saban talking about the Alabama prospects: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-path-to-the-draft/09000d5d827731b1/Saban-on-Bama-prospects

Derbyblue wrote:Nick Saban talking about the Alabama prospects: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-path-to-the-draft/09000d5d827731b1/Saban-on-Bama-prospects

I like that they mentioned Menzie at the end and I think Mayock is right, Menzie is not a 4.7 guy on the field. I was just as surprised he ran in the 4.7s at the combine. He reportedly ran in the low 4.6s at his pro day which isn't great but it's not awful either. A positional change to safety is probably on the cards, they moved him to safety at the Senior Bowl, he could be a 3rd safety in a big nickel. He's got good size, he's physical, good tackler, he can blitz. I think there's a spot for him on the field.

twelve283 wrote:

Derbyblue wrote:Nick Saban talking about the Alabama prospects: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-path-to-the-draft/09000d5d827731b1/Saban-on-Bama-prospects

I like that they mentioned Menzie at the end and I think Mayock is right, Menzie is not a 4.7 guy on the field. I was just as surprised he ran in the 4.7s at the combine. He reportedly ran in the low 4.6s at his pro day which isn't great but it's not awful either. A positional change to safety is probably on the cards, they moved him to safety at the Senior Bowl, he could be a 3rd safety in a big nickel. He's got good size, he's physical, good tackler, he can blitz. I think there's a spot for him on the field.

I saw Mayocks report from their pro day in another video and he said he had Menzie at 4.60 but he said talking to the scouts and most of them had him in the high 4.5's apparently. To start that video they put up where the Alabama prospects rank at their positions on Mayocks rankings, and they put Menzie as the #4 Safety, so Mayock is obviously seeing the move to FS in his future.

Derbyblue wrote:

twelve283 wrote:

Derbyblue wrote:Nick Saban talking about the Alabama prospects: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-path-to-the-draft/09000d5d827731b1/Saban-on-Bama-prospects

I like that they mentioned Menzie at the end and I think Mayock is right, Menzie is not a 4.7 guy on the field. I was just as surprised he ran in the 4.7s at the combine. He reportedly ran in the low 4.6s at his pro day which isn't great but it's not awful either. A positional change to safety is probably on the cards, they moved him to safety at the Senior Bowl, he could be a 3rd safety in a big nickel. He's got good size, he's physical, good tackler, he can blitz. I think there's a spot for him on the field.

I saw Mayocks report from their pro day in another video and he said he had Menzie at 4.60 but he said talking to the scouts and most of them had him in the high 4.5's apparently. To start that video they put up where the Alabama prospects rank at their positions on Mayocks rankings, and they put Menzie as the #4 Safety, so Mayock is obviously seeing the move to FS in his future.

I just had a look at Mayocks updated top 5 per position rankings;

Guard
1. David DeCastro, Stanford
2. Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin
3. Amini Silatolu, Midwestern State
4. Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
5. Brandon Brooks, Miami (Ohio)

I'm not surprised at all to see Kevin Zeitler rising on draft boards, I was high on him way back in September. I wrote this about Zeitler on page one of this thread:

Was watching for Peter Konz but Kevin Zeitler caught my eye. He looked athletic and as a result was able to recover any time the opposition gained an initial step on him. He adjusted well to stunts and did a good job of picking up the blitz. His athletic ability allows him to get out to the second level and he held his own in run blocking.

Brandon Brooks on the other hand is a guy who I first watched at his all star game and came away impressed.

Rush Linebacker
1. Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
2. Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
3. Andre Branch, Clemson
4. Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma
5. Shea McClellin, Boise State

Shea McClellin was one of my underrated prospects but pretty much everyone knows about him now. I wrote this back in September/October:

I've been impressed by McClellin in both Boise games i've watched so far. High motor player who makes a lot of plays in the run game and really sheds blocks well to penetrate into the backfield and stop the runner. I was really impressed by Adrian Clayborn last year as a run stopper and I see a bit of that kind of ability in McClellin this year. McClellin also shows a lot of versatility as i've observed him line up as a DE, SOLB in both the 34 and 43 and standing up on the LOS in a 425 nickel. I don't think he has great explosion off the snap but he accelerates well round the corner and when rushing from off the LOS.

Safety
1. Mark Barron, Alabama
2. Harrison Smith, Notre Dame
3. Brandon Taylor, LSU
4. DeQuan Menzie, Alabama
5. Phillip Thomas, Syracuse

Along with Menzie, LSU's Brandon Taylor is another new entry. I don't mean to toot my own horn again but I was on to Taylor back in October, wrote this on page one:

Forget Soph Tyrann Mathieu for now, Senior DB Brandon Taylor is the guy you want to watch in the LSU secondary this year. Is able to get downfield and make plays vs. the run and shows good ability and range in both man and zone coverage. One of the more complete safety prospects IMO.

Look for him in the mid rounds. Another unknown LSU DB to watch is nickel CB Ron Brooks, ran a 4.37 40 yard dash at the Combine, smaller corner at 5'10, 190lbs, ST player.

twelve283 wrote:I just had a look at Mayocks updated top 5 per position rankings;

Guard
1. David DeCastro, Stanford
2. Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin
3. Amini Silatolu, Midwestern State
4. Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
5. Brandon Brooks, Miami (Ohio)

I'm not surprised at all to see Kevin Zeitler rising on draft boards, I was high on him way back in September. I wrote this about Zeitler on page one of this thread:

Was watching for Peter Konz but Kevin Zeitler caught my eye. He looked athletic and as a result was able to recover any time the opposition gained an initial step on him. He adjusted well to stunts and did a good job of picking up the blitz. His athletic ability allows him to get out to the second level and he held his own in run blocking.

Brandon Brooks on the other hand is a guy who I first watched at his all star game and came away impressed.

Rush Linebacker
1. Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
2. Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
3. Andre Branch, Clemson
4. Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma
5. Shea McClellin, Boise State

Shea McClellin was one of my underrated prospects but pretty much everyone knows about him now. I wrote this back in September/October:

I've been impressed by McClellin in both Boise games i've watched so far. High motor player who makes a lot of plays in the run game and really sheds blocks well to penetrate into the backfield and stop the runner. I was really impressed by Adrian Clayborn last year as a run stopper and I see a bit of that kind of ability in McClellin this year. McClellin also shows a lot of versatility as i've observed him line up as a DE, SOLB in both the 34 and 43 and standing up on the LOS in a 425 nickel. I don't think he has great explosion off the snap but he accelerates well round the corner and when rushing from off the LOS.

Safety
1. Mark Barron, Alabama
2. Harrison Smith, Notre Dame
3. Brandon Taylor, LSU
4. DeQuan Menzie, Alabama
5. Phillip Thomas, Syracuse

Along with Menzie, LSU's Brandon Taylor is another new entry. I don't mean to toot my own horn again but I was on to Taylor back in October, wrote this on page one:

Forget Soph Tyrann Mathieu for now, Senior DB Brandon Taylor is the guy you want to watch in the LSU secondary this year. Is able to get downfield and make plays vs. the run and shows good ability and range in both man and zone coverage. One of the more complete safety prospects IMO.

Look for him in the mid rounds. Another unknown LSU DB to watch is nickel CB Ron Brooks, ran a 4.37 40 yard dash at the Combine, smaller corner at 5'10, 190lbs, ST player.

Either you should be getting paid for spotting these people, OR you should let everyone know the lottery numbers. Your choice.

Georgia TE, and Dolphins 2nd round pick in our mock, Orson Charles was arrested for a DUI in the early hours of this morning.

he's fitting in with nfl players already then

Derbyblue wrote:Either you should be getting paid for spotting these people, OR you should let everyone know the lottery numbers. Your choice.

Have to wait and see how they actually perform in the NFL first.

MockingJay33 wrote:Georgia TE, and Dolphins 2nd round pick in our mock, Orson Charles was arrested for a DUI in the early hours of this morning.

Drowning his sorrows after his pro day 40 time?

twelve283 wrote:

Derbyblue wrote:Either you should be getting paid for spotting these people, OR you should let everyone know the lottery numbers. Your choice.

Have to wait and see how they actually perform in the NFL first.

Then maybe in a few years you should start getting paid for it, either that or you can write for free for v2 journal .

Derbyblue wrote:You might be interested in this from The Bleacher Report, it's their ranking of top 10 prospects at each position, and also predicts a sleeper. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/678587-2012-nfl-mock-draft-ranking-the-top-10-prospects-at-each-position

What a difference a year makes. RG3 not listed, Morris Claiborne not listed and a couple of others.

Looking at redoing my mock draft, hopefully it will be up tomorrow before free agency starts, but here is my top 6:
1) Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2) Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
3) Minnesota Vikings- Matt Kalil, OT, USC
4) Cleveland Browns – Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
6) St Louis Rams - Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

I imagine a lot may disagree with the pick for Cleveland.

fleener ran a 4.45 at 6'6, he won't make it past the 30 spot now if he's still around

niner wrote:fleener ran a 4.45 at 6'6, he won't make it past the 30 spot now if he's still around

You beat me too it, I was just going to post a few results from the pro days. Big fan of Fleener myself, had him in my top 32 pretty much all year, it looked like Orson Charles might challenge him for 1st TE selected due to Charles' greater blocking experience/ability but I think Fleener is off the board first.

Here's a link to Tony Pauline's (SI and Draft Insider) pro day tracker:http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tony_pauline/03/01/pro.days/index.html

David DeCastro, Stanford

Scouts left the workout thinking that while DeCastro does not have a future at center in the NFL he can line up at either guard or right tackle. The latter will most definitely boost his draft stock if enough teams in the top 12 of the draft have a similar opinion.

Like he need his stock boosted more.

Dale Moss, South Dakota State

During the South Dakota State pro-day receiver Dale Moss certainly met, and even exceeded expectations. Moss measured 6 feet, 3.5 inches and 213 pounds, posted a vertical jump of 41.5 inches and broad jump of 10 feet, 10 inches. His forty time clocked at 4.45 seconds then Moss ran an amazingly fast three cone time of 6.32 seconds and 60 yard shuttle of 10.82 seconds. One scout at the workout mentioned in seven years of attending pro day and combine workouts Moss' three cone time was the fastest he's witnessed.

What makes this story so intriguing is Moss was a member of the SDSU basketball team and never played college football until 2011.

twelve283 wrote:David DeCastro, Stanford

Scouts left the workout thinking that while DeCastro does not have a future at center in the NFL he can line up at either guard or right tackle. The latter will most definitely boost his draft stock if enough teams in the top 12 of the draft have a similar opinion.

Like he need his stock boosted more.

Does this only boost his stock because he can be moved around if the RT goes down, or do you think teams will be considering moving the best guard in the draft to RT full time?