Week 10 NFL Draft random observations

Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder had a game against North Carolina that was more up than down. it was a solid bounce back after some average games recently. Ponder does a nice job of placing the ball over the top, especially near the sideline. Still, he passes tend to flutter and his arm strength isn't totally there. He seems like a solid second-round prospect who can develop.

LSU defensive tackle Drake Nevis put together another impressive game on Saturday. Officially he only had one sack against Alabama, but he was routinely splitting double teams and collapsing the pocket. On the year he has six sacks, with 12.5 tackles for a loss. Impressive for a somewhat undersized defensive tackle. The man he was going after, Greg McElroy, was impressive. I still think he projects as a solid backup in the NFL.

Scary thought? Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is getting better. Against Arizona Saturday night, Luck had a presence. Making calls at the line and putting a great touch on the ball, Luck's 23 for 32 for 293 yards was impressive. Over the last four games, he's completing 74.5 percent of his passes.

Conversely, Arizona's Nick Foles struggled. Returning from injury, Foles completed 28 of 48 passes for 248 yards with a touchdown and an interception. But watching Foles throw, he rarely throws deeper than 15 yards. That sort of throwing won't cut it in the NFL.

How good is California's Cameron Jordan? He is quickly rising in my mind, and likely in the minds of NFL personnel men. On Saturday, he led the Golden Bears to a victory over Washington State with 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a half and a forced fumble.

We mentioned Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea in our Saturday watch notes, and he lived up to the hype. He had two sacks against UCLA and was disruptive throughout the day. Paea might be a top 20 pick.

Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon is a joy to watch. He picked apart a suspect Baylor defense. But what was most impressive was Blackmon's ability to get open. He has makes little head moves while running a route that help him gain separation. The redshirt sophomore is ready for the NFL.

It's hard to imagine massive Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor being picked in the first three rounds of the draft. He's a big body in the middle at 6-foot-4, 355 pounds. But he was routinely managed by single blockers. A guy his size should be more disruptive. He doesn't have Terrence Cody's quick feet.

Alabama's Mark Ingram is having sort of a down year. His vision is still sound, as he showed on a nifty spin move against LSU Saturday. But he's not breaking as many tackles as last season. Yes, he had 97 yards rushing, but he was never dominant. You have to wonder if he's still not 100 percent following surgery and if he might be better served coming back for his senior season.

Arkansas tight end DJ Williams has really rounded out his game this season. He had five receptions for 67 yards against South Carolina. But it was his blocking that was most impressive. He's still a work in progress there, but is much improved over last season.

How about that Michigan/Illinois game? What a joke.