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by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

• Ohio State junior guard Justin Boren has turned into one of the more dominant interior linemen in college football. He's a very strong in the run game and is quick off the snap. Playing against Michigan, the team which he transferred from following the 2007 season, look for Boren to play with a lot of heart and tenacity.

• The run-stuffing ability of Ndamukong Suh will be on full display Saturday. Kansas State likes to run the ball and Suh can have yet another banner day. Not that Suh needs to do anything else to improve his stock, but don't be surprised if he gets at least two tackles for a loss and collapses the pocket all day.

• There might be no hotter player in the nation than Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Against USC last week, he made highly touted safety Taylor Mays look downright silly jumping over him and breaking his tackles. Gerhart may have a hard time breaking the tackles of Cal's Tyson Alualu, one of the most aggressive interior linemen in the country.

• Florida State might not be as good on defense this year, but the Seminoles still do a good job of pressuring opposing quarterbacks. That means Maryland left tackle Bruce Campbell could do well for his draft stock by having a dominant day. The junior is one of the more athletic tackles in the nation but has been injured parts of this season.

• Earlier this week we talked about underrated Tulane wide receiver Jeremy Williams, but he's not the only solid Green Wave prospect. Don't forget about running back Andre Anderson. He's one of the most consistent running backs in the country, but possibly not a No. 1 running back. What he is, though, is a quick and strong back.

• C.J. Spiller is asserting himself as the best running back in the nation. The Tigers have won five-straight games and Spiller is the big reason. In those games, he's rushing for 95.2 yards per game. He's an all-around threat and unbelievably fast. Spiller is looking like the next Chris Johnson, but more on that next week.

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Gators facing possible mass exodus to NFL

by Mocking Dan on Nov 20, 2009 4:00 PM EST in 2010 NFL Draft Comment 0 comments

by Bill Haber - AP

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Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel writes for quite possibly the best-named blog on the Internet -- Swamp Things. It's all things Florida athletics.

Earlier this week he had this post about seven Gators possibly entering the NFL. Head coach Urban Meyer said he has "seven juniors who are NFL quality players." While he wouldn't say which seven, six are pretty obvious.

The best is clearly cornerback Joe Haden. He should be a lock to go pro and a possible top 15 pick. He could start in the NFL right now.

Defensive end Carlos Dunlap sure has a lot of natural ability, but he's had a down season. He'll probably go pro but shouldn't. He has a basketball player's frame, which doesn't always equate to the NFL -- just ask Gaines Adams.

Tight end Aaron Hernandez may be undersized at 6-foot-2, but he's an elite catcher of the football. He should go pro, but realize his role in the NFL may be similar to that of Chris Cooley and not necessarily Antonio Gates.

Maurkice and Mike Pouncey might be the best players at their position in college. Both should go pro. They're going to very good in the NFL for a long time.

Safety Major Wright never really does anything to stick out. He should return and continue to enhance all parts of his game.

Those are the big six. The seventh could be defensive tackle Lawrence Marsh, running back Emmanuel Moody or defensive lineman Justin Trattou. Considering there's not a clear-cut player among those three, each should return for their senior season.

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Ranking the top 25 draft-eligible sophomores

by Mocking Dan on Nov 20, 2009 8:00 AM EST Comment 7 comments

by Mike Fuentes - AP

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With a possible record number of redshirt sophomores entering the 2010 NFL Draft, it might be a good idea to start thinking about some of the best.

The clear-cut top third-year sophomores are Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett and Texas strong safety Earl Thomas. After them there is a moderate drop in talent, but the top six in the list could all go in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft.

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LeFevour on unbelievable run

by Mocking Dan on Nov 19, 2009 10:15 AM EST in 2010 NFL Draft Comment 10 comments

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

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Yes, it's against Mid-American Conference competition, but Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour is beginning to assert himself as one of the top players in the nation.

Over the last two games he's a ridiculous 49 for 59 passing for 605 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He's had five more touchdowns running the ball.

On the season, he's completing 70 percent of his passes with 2,627 yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions.

LeFevour is a mobile quarterback coming from a spread offense, but he has solid NFL tools. He puts good velocity on his passes and can throw really well on the move. He plays with a lot of toughness and played well earlier this season against Michigan State.

LeFevour is emerging as a solid mid-round prospect in the draft. At the very least he could be a solid backup.

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On vacation – be jealous

by Mocking Dan on Nov 19, 2009 9:15 AM EST Comment 0 comments

Site note: Between today and Sunday night, I will be offline and on vacation.

Four days in New York City sounded like a good idea. So did staying at the New Yorker Hotel. And seeing two Devo shows. And eating giant sandwiches. And doing a bit of networking for "real work."

So, kiddies, stay civil. The site is in your hands so don't break anything. We'll have some content still going up over the next few days and I expect to see plenty of comments.

What will be most beneficial, though, is filing me in on what goes down on Saturday. Watching a game? Leave some notes about who is looking good or bad and why. And keep the mocks coming!

Enjoy the games as the college season winds down and the NFL year goes into overdrive. In the coming weeks the site will really start to take off with content. After a quick recharging of the batteries, it'll be time to really get to work here at Mocking the Draft.

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"No, we haven't talked about it at all," offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said after Tuesday's practice. "He needs to be here another year for sure to make sure he continues to grow and improve. You've seen so much improvement here lately. He wants to make sure he keeps growing and improving and then that'll be something we can talk about at this time next year."

Arkansas offensive coordinator on sophomore quarterback Ryan Mallett going pro

3 days ago Mocking Dan 2 comments 0 recs

First-round quarterbacks not among division leaders

by Mocking Dan on Nov 18, 2009 4:19 PM EST Comment 18 comments

Former Browns and Ravens scout Daniel Jeremiah is making great points about taking quarterbacks in the first round today on his Twitter page.

Here's how he started the discussion:

Here's some food for thought...of the 8 division leaders, 6 of them are run by QBs not taken in the first round...

The two teams with first-round quarterbacks are Indianapolis (Peyton Manning) and Cincinnati (Carson Palmer). Both were selected first overall. Here are the other six teams:

• Minnesota Vikings - Brett Favre - Second round
• New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees - Second round
• Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton - Fourth round
• New England Patriots - Tom Brady - Sixth round
• Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo - Undrafted
• Arizona Cardinals - Kurt Warner - Undrafted

Jeremiah also offered this nugget:

of the 8 last place teams in each division, 6 of them are run by 1st rd QBs

Interesting. But it should also be noted that the last four Super Bowl winners -- Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Steelers again -- were quarterbacked by players they took in the first round.

The last good bit here from Jeremiah was his advice:

Long story short.. In a new situation, I would only take a QB in rd 1 if I felt STRONGLY about him.. go vet and draft one in later rds

So now that leads us to the 2010 NFL Draft. How strongly do people feel about the likes of Sam Bradford, Jake Locker, Jimmy Clausen or even Colt McCoy? Each has plenty of concerning aspects to their game. But three of them -- Bradford, Locker and Clausen -- seem like first-round players. Are they really players who could lead their teams to the top?

But projecting the success of college quarterbacks sure seems like explaining the plausibility of time travel. It's eye-crossing, confusing stuff. So, the real point here (if there is one) is make sure you're following Jeremiah on Twitter. His tweets will certainly get more interesting as we approach the draft.

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Jeremy Williams is the best receiver you might not know

by Mocking Dan on Nov 18, 2009 10:00 AM EST in 2010 NFL Draft Comment 5 comments

Tulane wide receiver Jeremy Williams (20) catches a second quarter touchdown in front of Army defenders Donovan Travis and Antuan Aaron (3) during an NCAA college football game in West Point, N.Y., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

about 1 month ago: Tulane wide receiver Jeremy Williams (20) catches a second quarter touchdown in front of Army defenders Donovan Travis and Antuan Aaron (3) during an NCAA college football game in West Point, N.Y., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

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He plays for a team that is consistently one of the most mediocre in the nation. He's rarely on television but always among the nation's top stat men.

He is Tulane wide receiver Jeremy Williams. But just how good is Williams?

Well, he's good enough to get invitations to both the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game. He's good enough to average nearly 100 yards receiving a game on the nation's 94th best offense.

In 10 games this season, Williams has 1,555 all-purpose yards with 992 receiving, 156 rushing and 407 on kick-off returns. His all-purpose average of 155.5 yards a game is good for 16th nationally and he has six total touchdowns.

Williams is 11th in the nation in receptions per game with 7.2 a contest. Williams first and foremost makes his name with good hands.

The big question about Williams, and what could drop him in the draft, his a balky knee. He played in only five games in 2008 because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It's the same injury he suffered as a freshman. He also had a hand injury last season.

But the knee injury hasn't seemed to slow Williams much. He's still good in and out of his cuts and reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in the low 4.5 range.

His leaping ability is at the pro level and he does a really nice job of catching the ball at its highest point.

Williams' agility is evident. Otherwise, he wouldn't be asked to return kicks. His quickness is excellent and it helps him get off the line with ease.

"We are really pleased for Jeremy because he has worked extremely hard to put himself in position to receive invitations to both the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game," Tulane coach Bob Toledo told reporters Tuesday. "He worked very hard rehabbing during the offseason to overcome the two injuries he suffered last year and he did a great job of preparing himself for a really good senior season. I think he will have a great career in the NFL."

Williams compares favorably in his playing style to Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason. He's just a heady player who knows how to read a defense and get open.

To top things off, Williams gives a great effort as a blocker. That's what could get him on the field immediately at the next level.

At the very least, it makes him one of the best hidden gems in the nation.

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