Saturday NFL Draft watch notes

by Dan Kadar on Nov 20, 2010 9:36 AM EST in 2011 NFL Draft

If you haven't seen Troy wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan, today is your chance. The Trojans take on South Carolina on ESPN, a great showcase for Jernigan. He can do just about anything once the ball gets in his hands. He's not quite as dynamic as Dexter McCluster, but he's a similar kind of player.

Adrian Clayborn and Cameron Heyward should try and step their game up today as Iowa takes on Ohio State. Both have to be aware that they're probably getting a similar grade by many NFL teams.

Has Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett surpassed Washington's Jake Locker as a quarterback prospect? In a win, Locker had several errant passes Thursday night. Mallett could push himself ahead today against Mississippi State.

A player who could screw up Mallett's tempo is Bulldogs middle linebacker Chris White. He is an aggressive linebacker who is the key to the Mississippi State defense. it will be interesting to see if White is asked to cover Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams over the middle.

If you haven't noticed, Texas A&M's Von Miller has is tearing it up of late. He has three sacks in his last three games and six on the year. It's not what a lot of people expected, but it shows that Miller can step up when it matters. Right now, his draft stock is what matters. To improve it, he needs to get at least one sack today against Nebraska. And he needs to hold the edge against talented quarterback Taylor Martinez.

Prince Amukamara can give his draft stock a boost today. He'll matchup with A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller, the best receiver no one talks about. Fuller is a physical marvel at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. On the year, he has 61 catches for 923 yards and 11 touchdowns. Don't be surprised if he enters the draft. But his physical style plays into Amukamara's, so it will be a good matchup.

Playing next to Gabe Carimi, it's easy to overlook Wisconsin guard John Moffitt. But Moffitt is among the handful of best natural guards in the nation. Moffitt is experienced and powerful as a run blocker. He's not a mobile interior lineman, but doesn't have to be.

You have to feel bad for Wake Forest's offensive line. Why? Because Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers is going to destroy them today. I'm interested to know what everyone thinks of the powerful junior defensive end. We may have a scouting report on him sometime next week.

One of this year's better small-school prospects is Appalachian State safety Mark LeGree. He has good ball skills and is top--notch in zone coverage. He may need to play closer to the box against Florida today. If he does that and excels, people will begin to take note.

The opinion of Miami wide receiver Leonard Hankerson is varied. Some people think he has a second round ceiling while others think he's only a fourth wide receiver. He faces a solid test today against Virginia Tech's Rashad Carmichael. The Hokies' corner is solid in off coverage, which could prohibit Hankerson from making deep grabs.

The Stanford offensive line has been very good all season, but hasn't seen a power end like Cal's Cameron Jordan. If Jordan can collapse the pocket, he'll disrupt Andrew Luck's timing. If he can't, it will be a long day in this rivalry game.

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Gabe Carimi once again improving his draft stock today

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by -Primetime21- on Nov 20, 2010 1:13 PM EST reply actions

Yea I like what he is doing today.

One thing though is because of there style it is hard to really gage his Pass blocking because pressure is taken off the line when you have a QB like they have that runs so much.

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by TheAngelsColts on Nov 20, 2010 1:45 PM EST up reply actions

I agree

I do think he has great footwork thought. The nice thing about watching him is that Moffitt plays right next to him so you get to take a look at both of them, and they’re both very impressive on that side of the line. If nothing else they open up massive holes in the run game.

by -Primetime21- on Nov 20, 2010 2:01 PM EST up reply actions

Carimi is a guy who will play as a rookie and do well. Maybe not a Pro Bowl player, but a solid starter.

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by Dan Kadar on Nov 20, 2010 4:06 PM EST up reply actions

I dont know about you guys

But I saw him as generally lacking much footspeed, balance, and lateral mobility. He was on the ground far too much for my taste. Powerful guy, but I only see him as a Guard in the next level.

by birds'n'raiders on Nov 20, 2010 4:49 PM EST up reply actions

but I only see him as a Guard in the next level.

I think he can play RT and be all right, but inside at Guard he could be an Allen Faneca type.

The player I would like least at #9 would be my sister’s cat, Captain Creamsicle. She does have a great work ethic and agility, but I’m really concerned that at 9 lbs., she’s too small to play safety in the NFL. She also bites way too often on play action and is easily distracted by someone waving string in the crowd. Lastly, her wonderlic score was pretty awful, answering "meow meow meow" for most of the questions- Dr. Brackish Okun

by mob16151 on Nov 20, 2010 9:29 PM EST up reply actions

Ah he can still play LT.

I think his footspeed is fine but he does need to work on his balance and keeping his feet underneath him on pass downs in particular. If he does that he will be a day one starter in the NFL.

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by TheAngelsColts on Nov 20, 2010 9:53 PM EST up reply actions

Liked Michigan's NT

he wasn’t a factor rushing the passer, like Fua was when I saw him, but pretty much every time Wisconsin had a run stopped it was because of Michigan’s NT.

Kendrick is really really good too.

Choke/Clutch is the fetishization of the small sample size.

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by shake n bake on Nov 20, 2010 3:44 PM EST reply actions

Is that Mike Martin you’re referring too? He has great hands.

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by Dan Kadar on Nov 20, 2010 4:05 PM EST up reply actions

yeah, Martin.

Choke/Clutch is the fetishization of the small sample size.

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by shake n bake on Nov 20, 2010 4:12 PM EST up reply actions

Mike Martin may be the one good player on the Michigan defense right now.

Unfortunately he has been battling some ankle issues I believe so he hasn’t been near 100% the last few weeks (he missed the Purdue game).

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by Creasy729 on Nov 21, 2010 2:35 PM EST up reply actions

It will be interesting to see what Stanford’s Owen Marecic does at the Senior Bowl, assuming he is invited. Obviously he’s going to be a special teams asset on some NFL team, but wil lhe be limited to that only?

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by Dan Kadar on Nov 20, 2010 4:17 PM EST reply actions

Running teams use fullbacks.

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by TheRealSlimShady on Nov 20, 2010 9:09 PM EST up reply actions

No kidding. But is Marecic good enough to be an NFL fullback? It’s not like there are a lot openings for that position.

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by Dan Kadar on Nov 21, 2010 1:38 AM EST up reply actions

Yea very few openings.

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by TheAngelsColts on Nov 21, 2010 1:56 AM EST up reply actions

Stanley Havili is a better propect, very do-all kind of FB, reminds one of Mike Alstott.

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by RjTheMetalhead on Nov 21, 2010 12:25 PM EST up reply actions

yea I won't argue with Havili being a better prospect but he can play multiple positions at the next level for sure.

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by TheAngelsColts on Nov 21, 2010 2:35 PM EST up reply actions

Havili isn’t too great at run blocking

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by TheRealSlimShady on Nov 21, 2010 6:05 PM EST up reply actions

Steelers need one, I think. But I don’t really no about many other openings because I don’t study fullbacks.

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by TheRealSlimShady on Nov 21, 2010 6:05 PM EST up reply actions

LOL

I wish we needed one, well I wish we needed one in the sense of our OC accepting one into his offense.

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by Josh Roberts (ESGB) on Nov 21, 2010 10:59 PM EST up reply actions

I say that because you all usually seem to be a running team but Mendenhall isn’t getting many YPC and a stud FB would help your running game out. See Texans, Houston

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by TheRealSlimShady on Nov 22, 2010 1:16 AM EST up reply actions

I know exactly what you mean, just that Bruce Arians, our OC flat out refuses to have a FB on the team.

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by Josh Roberts (ESGB) on Nov 22, 2010 11:13 AM EST up reply actions

Maybe the Giants

If a fullback is a really good blocker. We don’t need an Alstott type. We need a Conner from Kentucky type. Giants seem to find good fullbacks, but they only last two years or so before we notice a dropoff in play. We have a TE handling the position now.

by ct17 on Nov 22, 2010 11:36 AM EST up reply actions

love to get Havilii on the Giants.

haven’t had a real threat at the FB position since Charles Way.

I think he’s fast enough to be more of a Peyton Hillis type of power RB too.

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by Rorschach44 on Nov 22, 2010 11:43 AM EST up reply actions

I almost wish Andrew Luck would stay in college just to watch him get a shot at the Nat. Champ and Heisman

I do hope the BIlls get the #1 pick, Luck might finally be the heir apparent to Jim Kelly they’ve been searching for.

Any Panthers fan (or anyone..) think they should draft Luck if they get the #1? I sure as hell do, Clausen is decent and may be a solid starter one day…but I think he’s at best a tier or 2 below Luck.

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by Rorschach44 on Nov 20, 2010 5:12 PM EST reply actions

I think that no matter who your QB is

you should be going after Luck & that includes NE. I would not be surprised if Belichek traded those two 1st rd. picks & maybe a 2nd to be able to draft Luck. I am not sure if the economics would work or that this will actually happen but with a QB with as much potential & Brady being 33 you could sit Luck for two years, letting him learn & then step in like Rodgers in GB. This would lock down the QB position in NE for the next ten years

by ENsDad27 on Nov 21, 2010 7:54 AM EST up reply actions

that'd be probably over $100mill guaranteed for 2 QBs.

The Pats are probably the last team that’d do something like that

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by Rorschach44 on Nov 21, 2010 9:27 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah I know

that’s why I said not sure if the economics would work, but if the new CBA has some limits on rookie contracts….but you are right, it is not going to happen.

by ENsDad27 on Nov 21, 2010 9:38 AM EST up reply actions

Unfortunately Mark LeGree was out of action with a hamstring injury

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by The Earl on Nov 20, 2010 6:09 PM EST reply actions

Anyone not watching the Ohio State game

and think the stats from Pryor look awful or so-so….

his WRs are killing him. Several dropped first downs, below average blocking and just now a dropped sure thing TD (and the WR had no DBs near him).

by Sheffieldbengal on Nov 20, 2010 6:21 PM EST reply actions

oh and Cameron Heyward

hasn’t had much of an impact. Forgot he was on the field… but since i’ve looked out for him i’ve seen nothing

by Sheffieldbengal on Nov 20, 2010 6:22 PM EST up reply actions

Heyward

just got a coverage sack… signs of a good motor at the very least

by Sheffieldbengal on Nov 20, 2010 6:34 PM EST up reply actions

He didn’t impress me and I did watch.

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by TheRealSlimShady on Nov 20, 2010 9:10 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah that drop by Posey

was ugly

by ENsDad27 on Nov 21, 2010 7:39 AM EST up reply actions

clayborn looked pretty good

However, one thing that scares me about him and ballard tho is that everytime there on the sidlines they are sucking wind and it seems that the O has to get at least 2 first downs a drive to keep them fresh. That kinda scares me, leading me to believe Clayborn shouldn’t be a top 10 pick. I realize they are both big but they make terrence cody last year look like a marathon runner

by DBroncs1414 on Nov 20, 2010 7:59 PM EST via mobile reply actions

some of that is that Iowa has the luxury of enough DL depth to give those guys a breather regularly

they have 5 guys who look likely to be drafted right now and a couple guys behind that set have shown something in limited snaps.

Choke/Clutch is the fetishization of the small sample size.

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by shake n bake on Nov 20, 2010 8:46 PM EST up reply actions

I meant that while they were in the bench they were really struggling for air

its a question mark in my eyes, i saw this in the Northwestern game and the Ohio St. game. It has pretty much happened in every game that was on the line, hence them losing close games.

by DBroncs1414 on Nov 20, 2010 10:54 PM EST up reply actions

I have noticed it too

And it does seem to be a coaches’ choice kind of thing. They are rested in the middle of the field, but are always back in when the red zone is approached.

Second, I think everyone is breathing hard, you just cannot tell when they have their helmets on.

by ct17 on Nov 22, 2010 11:33 AM EST up reply actions

Honestly, I know what you're saying, and I think I have a good reason as to why.

As an Iowa fan, I have lived with this through most of the Norm Parker regime. It is the fact that he refuses to bring extra pressure, if you watch the Hawks play (and I’m not saying you don’t, just saying in general) you will notice that it is a 4 man rush 95% of the time, meaning that there are a lot of double teams happening, and it’s continuous throughout the whole game, I have to assume that this gasses those guys more than d-lineman on other teams where they have an extra guy or two coming, which forces the offensive lineman to take on a lot more one-on-ones, and I have to think that taking on constant double teams for 10-12 play drives that last 6-7 minutes is going to make you more tired than if you’re going one on one.

Those guys work harder than a lot of d-lineman I’ve seen (watching Marcell Dareus, he looks like he takes quite a few plays off if you ask me). You don’t see Ballard and Clayborn take many, if any, plays off, and they play to the whistle on every down. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I wouldn’t be too worried about their conditioning, I think they are in a system that forces them to not only take on multiple blockers, but are depended on to get to the QB, rather than take on the blockers and let a LB come free, if that makes any sense.

This is the best explanation I’ve been able to come up with, because I had the same fear at one point, but when I look at it this way it kind of makes sense. They can’t afford to take plays off because they’re the only ones putting pressure on the QB, as opposed to other systems that blitz more, the D-lineman aren’t as exposed.

by -Primetime21- on Nov 21, 2010 2:34 AM EST up reply actions

You may have a point

I’ll try to keep an eye on both of them more, although here in CT dont catch a lot of there games. I still stand by my point that it is a legitimate question ark on both of them and may hurt their draft stocks.

by DBroncs1414 on Nov 21, 2010 3:18 PM EST up reply actions

I’d say Nebraska locked down Fuller pretty well. I wasn’t watching closely enough to see who was on him for most of the game, but Prince/Dennard did a heckuva job. I think he only had one catch, and it was on a great move by him.

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by Omaha Sun on Nov 23, 2010 11:12 PM EST reply actions