Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

When Marshall and Ohio play in the Little Caesars Bowl, there might not be an excess of talent on display. However, watch for Ohio wide receiver Taylor Price. He was injured in the Mid-American Conference championship game, but is Ohio's leading receiver. A Senior Bowl invite, Price is a good size/speed prospect and could sneak into the top 100 picks with a good offseason.

Marshall tight end Lee Smith is considering entering the draft after he played well filling in for the injured Cody Slate. He had 14 catches in the three games Slate missed and has good size at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds. Smith is a good sleeper to keep an eye on.

Anyone thinking Pittsburgh's Bill Stull might be a good sleeper quarterback, think again. Stull struggled at the end of the regular season, throwing four interceptions in the last two games. Stull is shaky against pressure and relies too often on receiver Jonathan Baldwin. Against a North Carolina defense that gets a lot of pressure, don't be surprised if Stull has another bad day.

Defensive end Greg Romeus is another Panther who struggled toward the end of the season. He came into 2009 as a highly regarded pass rusher. But he's shown this year that he's consistently average. Romeus is only a junior and should consider coming back for his senior year.

Everybody knows North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin can get after the passer. Today, against a top-notch Pittsburgh run offense, his run defending will be tested. Can Austin maintain his gaps and take on double teams? Today could show a lot about Austin as a prospect.

If you're a real draft sicko and already looking forward to the 2011 draft, look out for North Carolina sophomore defensive end Robert Quinn. If he could come out now, he'd be a first-round pick. He's tied for 10th in the nation in sacks and ninth in tackles for a loss.


Most the talent in the Emerald Bowl will belong to USC, but Boston College will have one of the better players on the field in center Matt Tennant. He's very good in space and has excellent footwork. If he can show his strength today, Tennant could be a draft riser.

This is it for Southern California safety Taylor Mays. His draft stock has fallen this year thanks to some injuries and his tackling ability being exposed. There have been constant questions about Mays' ability to track the ball in the air and play sound defense. Sure, Mays can make the big hit, but can he make the routine play?