The New York Times takes an in-depth look at the 2009 Kentucky Wildcats
DD.comment: Kentucky's Jeremy Jarmon is one of three prospects that has declared for 2009 supplemental draft. Scouts have measured him at 6' 3", 280 pounds and pegged his 40 time in the 4.75 to 4.79 range, which is very good for a full-sized defensive end. According to our sources, Jarmon projects as a 4th to 6th round pick in the supplemental draft, as long as he doesn't stumble in pre-draft workouts and interviews.
Virginia's top cornerback prospect, Vic Hall, might move to quarterback this fall.
DD.comment: Hall is currently considered a latter round/free agent cornerback prospect by scouts, mostly because he's not real big (5'9", 180) and scouts question his foot speed -- believe he runs high 4.5's or low 4.6's. As is usually the case, no one can accurately project cornerbacks this early because their draft value is almost always directly tied to their post-senior year 40 times. Don't forget, there is no such thing as a "possession cornerback" in the N.F.L.
DD.comment: When we listed the top 20 senior small school wide receiver prospects last week (6/23) we mentioned how strong that group was -- loaded with potential N.F.L. prospects. This group, in contrast, is not considered that good, as none of the running back prospects listed above has a real good chance of being drafted, right now (obviously things can change)... Hampton's LaMarcus Coker is probably the most physically gifted small school running back, but scouts will not rate him as high as he deserves to be due to all the serious off-field issues that got him bounced from the University of Tennessee....William Ford is not a big back (5' 9"), but he possesses excellent speed, is a tough runner and can help out as a return specialist....Jordan Paula of S.D.S.U. is a fascinating prospect as a classic fullback/H-Back. He's fairly athletic for a 6'3", 250 pounder and runs the 40 yard dash in the 4.54 range. While he's currently considered a free agent type, he could be a prospect a team like the Minnesota Vikings could utilize as a blocking fullback/H-Back -- think a Jim Kliensasser or Jeff Dugan type?
DD.comment: Skelton is the only prospect in the group above that seems to have a good chance of being drafted as a quarterback. According to our scouting source, that has watched game film on him, he's very raw at this point, but he's a prospect with some upside potential due to his N.F.L. size, strong arm and nimble feet. He currently carries a latter round projection (5th-7th) from scouts....Texas State's Bradley George is very similar to Skelton in terms of size and athletic ability, but the former minor baseball player is already 27 years old, so some scouts believe his upside potential is much more limited. At this point, he's regarded as a free agent prospect....Quarterbacks Kellen Lewis and Armanti Edwards have a pretty good chance of being drafted as wide receivers/kick returners due to their speed and athletic ability...Curtis Pulley might also get a look at wide receiver, if he doesn't make it as a quarterback. He's (6'3"), has decent speed (4.6) and he did play some wide receiver at Kentucky...Ryan Perrilloux is considered a latter round/free agent type prospect by most scouts. Obviously, his history of off-field problems at L.S.U. will not help his draft stock. Also, if scouts are correct about his 40 time (4.90), he'll be considered too slow, at his size (6' 2", 230), to play any other position in the N.F.L., except for quarterback.
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last updated: 06/28/09
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North Carolina State linebacker/N.F.L. prospect Nate Irving suffers broken leg and collapsed lung in a car accident.
The Helena Independent Record takes a closer look at new Montana Grizzlies' quarterback Justin Roper.
DD.comment: Check out Mr.Roper's high school exploits in basketball, swimming and track. He's very agile and athletic for a man his size (6'6"), which is why we expect N.F.L. scouts to keep a very close eye on him the next two years.
DD.comment: While it might be in vogue to bash the Heyward-Bey pick, we really can't join in too much because we've had him ranked high for a while. Check out the list below (from June 26th, 2007 blog) where we ranked the top-sophomore-to-be receivers:
Very Early Top Sophomore Wide Receivers Watch List (06/07/2007): [Loosely Ranked]
Darrius Heyward Bey ~ Maryland
Percy Harvin ~ Florida
Oderick Turner ~ Pittsburgh
Kenny Britt ~ Rutgers
Hakeem Nicks ~ North Carolina
Richard Sherman ~ Stanford
Brian Hartline ~ Ohio State
Sam Shields ~ Miami-Florida
Dominique Douglas ~ Iowa
Austin Collie ~ Brigham Young
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DD.comment: Actually, we think we did a good job with that group of receivers, in retrospect. Only six wide receivers that left school after their junior years wound up being drafted two months ago. All six made our top 10 way back in 2007! Matter of fact, if you take away Oderick Turner, who's stock has really plunged since his great freshman year, we got all the '09 first round junior receivers (Crabtree and Maclin were sophs) in the order they were selected: Heyward-Bey first, followed by Harvin, Nicks and Britt. Also, we might have been the only people on the planet that had both Hartline and Collie ranked that high at any point during their college careers. Both wound up leaving as juniors and were early day two picks. And from all early indications, the Dolphins and Colts are very happy they drafted Brian and Austin.
On the flip side (negative), three of the players we had in the top 10 will most likely never play wide receiver in the N.F.L. Richard Sherman and Sam Shields, who showed so much potential as freshmen, have been moved to cornerback heading into their senior years. Both are seen as marginal N.F.L. prospects at this point...Dominique Douglas' promising career has been derailed by serious legal problems. He was released from jail recently and said he hopes to play D-II ball, but he's done a lot of damage to his career and playing in the N.F.L. seems like a long shot now.
P.S: Our 11th ranked wide receiver on that June, 26th, 2007 list (of 30 soph WR's) was Eric Decker of Minnesota, who could be a day one selection in the 2010 draft. We also had top prospect Brandon Lafell on the list, even though he did not play a lot as a freshman.
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last updated: 06/26/09
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Former Texas Tech wide receiver Eric Morris could turn out to be a triple threat for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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In-depth look Central Michigan quarterback Dan Lefevour, who believes he can drafted in the top 2 rounds.
DD.comment: Connecticut also has outstanding linebackers with fast-rising juniors Scott Lutrus and Lawrence Wilson, as well as the improving Greg Lloyd Jr.
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Ted Miller of ESPN looks at Dexter Davis, Arizona State's weight room Warrior.
DD.comment: Scouts have Davis at a shade over 6' 1" and 250 pounds, so he really can be considered a DE/OLB tweener.
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Heather Dinich of ESPN.com Counts down the A.C.C.'s top 30 players: Clemson's C.J. Spiller (#1)
DD.comment: Links to most of Heather's top 30 players are on the Spiller page.
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Rivals.com's College Football Post-spring Power Rankings:
DD.comment: We'd like to mention Phil Steele College Football Preview is a great source for college football fans and possibly the best for F.C.S. preseason information. We sincerely hope that fans who enjoy that level of play support them by purchasing a copy to help in their sales, which might lead to them doing a F.C.S. only magazine in the future.
Middle Tennessee State has suspended Eldred King following his admission that he hit his girlfriend.
DD.comment: This is not a insignificant story for draft followers. As we noted in June 15th's blog, King was considered a potential draft pick by N.F.L. scouts due to his outstanding speed.
Earlier today we asked our readers to help us out with a technical issue -- battling a "mirror site", which could be hurting our website. We want to thank all the readers that have E-Mailed us and given us advice on what to do. In particular, we'd like to thank Peter and Karen in New York City, who actually tracked down the person that put the site up in the spring of 2007...We still would love more input, particularly from tech experts who know how much (if at all) this "mirror site" negatively effects us. But, again, we thank all that have helped us so far.
The Deseret News takes an in-depth look at Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Austin Collie.
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USA Today takes an in-depth look Central Michigan's dual-threat quarterback Dan Lefevour.
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Speedy University of Colorado wide receiver Josh Smith can only transfer to U.S.C.
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With the emergence of Jake Sharpe at tailback, Kansas has shifted valuable runner Angus Quigley to linebacker.
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Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson feels comfortable carrying the load.
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Bleacher Report: Is Georgia Tech sophomore Roddy Jones the A.C.C.'s best A-Back?
DD.comment: Tech is absolutely stacked in the backfield. Not only do they have the fast-rising Jones, but bullish tailback Jonathan Dwyer, who gained over 1,600 total yards from scrimmage last season, seems to possess next level talent. If that's not enough, junior fullback Lucas Cox can block as well as his older brother (who plays for the K.C. Chiefs) and reminds us a little bit of Peyton Hillis of the Broncos when he's running the football.
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Draft Daddy's Top 12 Senior Tight Ends (loosely ranked, with stats links):
DD.comment: Scouts currently have Jermaine Gresham as the highest ranked tight end in the senior class by a fairly wide margin. He possesses the athletic ability and hands to be a receiving threat down field, as well as the size (6' 6"/256) needed to be an effective blocker at the line scrimmage. While Gresham needs to improve his blocking a bit, his combination of size and athletic ability is rare in this class, which is loaded with smaller H-Back types...Another player strikingly similar to Gresham, in terms of size and speed, is Jeron Mastrud (6' 5", 249) of Kansas State. Keep an eye on him, he's a player scouts really like a lot....Andrew Quarless also possesses solid size/speed numbers, but he's been dogged by off-field issues and has never been real productive as a receiver, so he's currently regarded as a latter round prospect...Cody Slate of Marshall might be the fastest and most athletic in this group (timed in the high 4.5's/low 4.6's), but he only weighs in the 220 pound range, so he will likely fit in as a H-Back or inside receiver at the next level.
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Draftdaddy.com has come a long way in a relatively short period of time (since 2004) -- many N.F.L. scouts and big-time player agents have personally told us they read our site daily. We've also been told by football sources that several scouting execs from some of the top teams in the N.F.L. frequent DD.com, mostly looking for valuable prospect info and news links in the blog. In addition to this, we've caught the eye of ESPN.com (invited to cover their pre-draft party), NFL.com and many mainstream papers -- Dallas News, St.Louis Post and several others.
With all this mind, we know things can be much better for us, especially if we could get some "non-content issues" straighted out this summer. One of the things we need to address head on is a potentially serious problem we are having with this DraftDaddy.com mirror site. While we are not sure how much damage this "mirror site" is doing to us, we have no reason to believe it's helping our cause. At this point we'd like to ask two things from our readers:
1) If the person that set up the mirror site is out there and reading this blog note, please consider taking it down. Again, we don't want to get into specifics, but we did not ask for it to be put up and we have every reason to believe this mirror site is having a negative impact on us and washing away a lot of the hard work we've put in to build this site up.
2) We'd like to ask any of our readers with knowledge on this subject (impact of mirror sites) to please contact us via E-Mail and give us some opinions on how much this mirror site effects us and how we can best handle the situation going forward. We can be reached at nfldraftdaddy@gmail.com. Any input would be sincerely appreciated.
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last updated: 06/23/09
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The Los Angeles Times reports U.S.C. quarterback Mitch Mustain is dealing with academic eligibility issues.
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While football is still his priority, Washington quarterback Jake Locker will meet with the L.A. Angels.
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The Chargers have cut undrafted rookie Jeremy Childs, who left Boise State early thinking he would be drafted.
DD.comment: This is a strong group. We'd say the top 5 or 6 prospects listed above are currently considered draftable by N.F.L. teams. After that, the next 5 or 6 listed are on cusp of being draft worthy. Obviously a strong senior year and good workouts are required for all these small school prospects, if they hope to be drafted or sign as priority free agents.
Also, I'd like to thank my friend Josh Buchanan for his help putting together this list. Content wise, Draft Daddy is basically a one man show most of the year and it can become overwhelming at times. But Josh's help has been invaluable the last few years for me. I can't even begin to thank him enough....We are not sure if Josh has posted his last article on the Net or not, but if he ever gets the desire to do draft related stuff again, he's more than welcome here. In addition to being a great contributor to this site, he became a very good and trusted friend. I sincerely wish him the best of luck going forward and hope he keeps in touch from time to time.
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last updated: 06/22/09
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Closer look at fast rising West Virginia University wide receiver Alric Arnett.
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The Baltimore Ravens have released undrafted rookie quarterback Drew Willy.
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Nevada-Reno tailback Vai Taua (#38).
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Central Michigan defensive end Frank Zombo (#39).
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Texas El-Paso quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, (#40).
DD.comment: It's surprising that Miami's recruiting coordinator was candid enough to say they based much of their recruiting on Net recruiting sites. We've had a theory that too much reliance on the "star-ratings", by the traditional powers, has really helped some formerly sad-sack programs: While the Miami's of the world chase after recruits that get lofty ratings from a solitary person sitting in a cubicle, who has never seen them play in person, programs like Vanderbilt, Stanford, Kansas, Northwestern, Connecticut, Boise State and Minnesota, that were going nowhere fast, went out and got a bunch of 2-star guys that were/are productive, hard working and absolute terrors on the football field.
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Draft Daddy's Top 20 Senior Wide Receivers (with Stats links):
Preston Parker ~ Northern Alabama University (Ex-Florida State)
DD.comment: The prospects above are loosely ranked. The problem with doing a list like this so far ahead of time is so much can change by next spring. Also, in order to shave the lists down, we always have to leave off many worthy candidates who aren't currently high on the radar of scouts, but have a chance to significantly raise their draft stock as seniors...Random Notes: Jacoby Ford is currently considered one of the top 5 (overall) wide receiver prospects by N.F.L. scouts. We moved him to slot receiver because that's were we think the smallish (5' 9") Clemson speedster (4.35) best fits -- sort of a Eddie Royal type? He's joined by 5 other quality receivers that might be best served as slot receivers at the next level...As fast as Ford is, scouts believe 5' 7" Kansas State receiver/return specialist Brandon Banks is faster -- he been timed in the 4.29 area by league talent evaluators!....Illinois' Jeff Cumberland is a fascinating prospect. He's almost 6' 5' and 250 pounds, but scouts believe he runs in the high 4.4's or low 4.5's, so he's currently listed as a "wide receiver" by most N.F.L. teams. Nonetheless, he might eventually project as a H-Back or tight end if he gains weight or does not run as fast as expected. Either way, Jeff's a player to keep a very close eye on this fall...Prolific Kerry Meier (6' 3", 226) isn't as big as Cumberland, but speed concerns might eventually push him to H-Back, a position his older brother, Shad, played in the N.F.L. for six seasons. In addition to being a quality receiver, Meier is Kansas' backup quarterback, so he's a versatile athlete, even if he does "only" run in the mid-to-high 4.6's, as scouts expect.
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last updated: 06/21/09
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Former Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis will play at Division II Valdosta State this year.
DD.comment: N.F.L. teams currently have Lewis rated as a 6th to 7th round type prospect, at wide receiver. According to our scouting sources, his measurables (size, speed) are very similar to Julian Edelman's, former Kent State quarterback who was selected in round 7 as a wide receiver by the Patriots.
DD.comment: In terms of immediate draft potential, 350 pound Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor is the player to watch from the link above, as N.F.L. teams seem to love these jumbo-sized defensive tackles that display some agility.
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New York Giants rookie wide reliever Ramses Barden made right call to play football.
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It been a very hectic off-season for University of Texas' star quarterback Colt McCoy.
Closer look at North Carolina State's fast-rising sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson, who could be a future M.L.B. draft pick.
DD.comment: Wilson seems to be a better football player than baseball player, at this point. A quick look at his stats in both sports makes that quite clear. His lack of ideal height, however, complicates things. High impact 5' 10" (or shorter) second baseman in Major League Baseball are common; 5' 10" quarterbacks in the N.F.L. are very rare.
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Even though North Carolina State starts Russell Wilson at quarterback, Mike Glennon appears to have a bright future.
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Baltimore running back Ray Rice readies for a breakout second season in the N.F.L.
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In-depth look at 84 year old Dave Campbell, who's been putting out Texas Football since 1960.
DD.comment: Lightning fast Clemson star C.J Spiller is the top rated tailback in the senior class, by a wide margin, according to our N.F.L. sources. He's been rated as a first rounder going into his senior year, which should not surprise draft followers, as C.J. claimed he got a first round projection from the N.F.L.'s Draft Advisory Panel in early January...After Spiller, L.S.U.'s Charles Scott and Stanford's Toby Gerhart come into the mix. Both players are believed to possess similar size/speed ratio's and posted almost identical rushing and receiving stats as juniors. DD.com was probably the only football site on the Net to rank Gerhart among the top 10 tailbacks in his class the last few years, but we get the feeling that will change soon...LaGarrett Blount of Oregon and Anthony Dixon of Miss. State are also full-sized runners that N.F.L. scouts like. Blount is a JUCO transfer who came up big for the Ducks last fall, and he'll most definitely be asked to do more as a senior...Mid-major F.B.S. stars James Starks and Lonyae Miller of Fresno State are talented medium sized backs that have scouts intrigued. Main difference between the two, right now, is Starks is a prolific receiver out of the backfield, while Miller did not a catch a ball last season. That will have to change if Lonyae wants to elevate his stock...Stafon Johnson of U.S.C. is a talented back, with a decent mix of size and speed, but it will be hard for him to showcase his skills on a team loaded with so many talented running backs.....As far as the last few slots, we could have gone with 15 different players, who have received similar projections, but in attempt to add some quicker athletes, with excellent hands, we rounded this early group out with Keiland Williams and Jake Sharpe, a versatile pair that can serve as 3rd down backs and help out on special teams. While Williams is bigger, runs with more power and could be more durable, Sharpe has has been more of a receiving threat and is probably faster. Scouts believe Jake runs in the high 4.4's, but K.U. coaches claim the workout warrior runs in the 4.3's. If this is true, his measurables and stats would be similar to C.J. Spiller's.
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last updated: 06/19/09
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If any of our readers are avid Division II football fans and want a great preseason publication, we suggest they check out D2Football Preview.
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Mike Hart expects Michigan tailback Brandon Minor to have a breakout senior season.
DD.comment: As we noted earlier, Minor is currently considered a draftable prospect by scouts -- 5th to 7th rounds. In our opinion, he will need to run faster than his perceived 40 time (low 4.6's) and show better hands (only 9 career catches) to improve his draft stock.
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Florida State seniors Richard Goodman & Dekoda Watson -- and seemingly every other F.S.U. player? -- claim they recently ran sub 4.40 40's.
DD.comment: The only F.S.U. senior scouts expect to run a sub 4.5 is cornerback Patrick Robinson, who is currently considered a 2nd to 3rd round prospect. All these other times for the senior prospects seem way too fast. Also despite the recently reported fancy 40 time, Goodman is facing serious legal problems, which could haunt him for many years -- lowered draft stock, civil lawsuits, ect.
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Ted Miller of ESPN.com looks at Oregon Ducks' cornerback Walter Thurmond, who is currently considered a 3rd to 5th round N.F.L. prospect.
DD.comment: Gil beat us to the punch, we talked to some N.F.L. sources recently and had a similar list of top running backs which we should've posted last night, but ran out of time to blog and decided to post it early next week (when traffic goes up). We'll post it soon, but for now we can say our top 6 prospects are very similar to Mr. Brandt's. After that, our list is vastly different, perhaps because scouts are not so sure what to make of this group after the top 5 or 6?...Gil is absolutely correct that most scouts have Minor and James in their top 10, but those are two guys we don't have in our top 10. Neither has been officially timed, but scouts are not expecting either to run fast. We also have to wonder if Javarris James, who doesn't get significant touches behind Graig Cooper, is overrated a bit by scouts because he's the cousin of N.F.L. star Edgerrin James? Looking at Jarvis' rushing stats, they are not special (even when he's healthy) and his measurables are expected to be mediocre -- 5' 11', 199, estimated 40 time in the 4.6's....Fresno State's Lonyae Miller is a bit unknown, right now, but he's an example of a player we'd clearly rate higher than James.
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Former St. Cloud State defensive end Ryan Kees hopes to stick with the Detroit Lions as a rookie free agent.
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U.C.L.A. wide receiver Dominique Johnson is transferring to Cal Poly, while tailback Raymond Carter is leaving for Colorado State.
DD.comment: The productive Bear Woods has received a 7th round/free agent type grade from scouts heading into his senior season. He's listed at 5' 11" and 240 pounds, but his exact 40 time is unknown at this point....Amazingly, Troy has six senior starters on defense that are on the radar of the N.F.L.scouts. The top prospect, by a wide margin, is defensive end
Brandon Lang, who some believe is in the mold of former of Trojan stars DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora. He's currently projected as a 2nd to 3rd round type, but he could elevate to first round status with a big senior season, coupled with excellent pre-draft workouts. After Lang, undersized, but productive defensive end Cameron Sheffield and cornerback Jorrick Calvin pop up in the 3rd to 5th round range, although neither seems to possess great measurables.
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Is young L.S.U. quarterback Jordan Jefferson headed for a breakout season?
Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at S.M.U. wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (#41).
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Wyoming free safety Chris Prosinski (#42).
DD.comment: We thank Adam for all the nice words about Draft Daddy. A few years ago we linked a article in which Wyoming coaches claimed Prosinski could be another John Wendling for the Cowboys. So far Chris looks outstanding and should get even better before he's done, but Wendling is a tough act follow. Not only was he a great college safety, but he had above average speed for a N.F.L. safety prospect and freakish leaping ability. Wendling is currently regarded as a Pro Bowl caliber special teams player for the Buffalo Bills, but hopes to see more time at safety this fall.
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Colorado State guard Shelly Smith (#43).
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Former U.N.L.V. wide receiver Casey Flair hopes to catch on with fledgling Las Vegas U.F.L. team.
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JUCO wide receiver Hayo Carpenter hasn't played at Minnesota yet, but he is already receiving preseason honors.
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Tony Pauline of TFY Draft has posted a BLESTO/National Grades Overview: Defense
DD.comment: Another player worth noting is San Jose State's Justin Cole. He's played some defensive end for the Spartans, but we've been told both scouts currently rank him in the late second, third round area as a inside linebacker...Roddrick Muckelroy of Texas was given a very similar projection, but he's listed as a outside linebacker.
DD.comment: Keep a close eye on this kid. According to our league sources, both of the N.F.L.'s major scouting services have given him a solid draftable grade heading into his senior year -- 3nd to 5th round? Boston College's Matt Tennant is the only other pure center currently ranked as high by scouts.
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N.F.L. Draft Parody: How former Franklin & Marshall linebacker James Gregory go undrafted?
DD.comment: While it's not likely he would be drafted, Blake, who began his career at Louisville, could be a candidate for the upcoming supplemental draft and try to catch on as a free agent.
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The Sporting News Q&A University of Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike.
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Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco had to be talked out of playing baseball at the University of Delaware.
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Michigan transfer Justin Boren is a vocal and intense player on Ohio State's offensive line.
DD.comment: We used info from some of our league sources for these rankings, but we are not only ranking these players based on what others have told us. For example, we have Tony Pike ranked higher than scouts based on his size, arm strength and potential...Scouts have Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy as the clear cut top two quarterbacks in the senior class, at this point. No one else is close....The next two, according to our sources, are Dan Lefevour and Jarrett Brown. Both are currently in the 3rd to 5th round range. Brown is a fascinating prospect. He rarely played behind Pat White at W.V.U., but we've been told scouts like his size and arm strength and think he's someone that might surprise as a senior...After that Pike, Tim Hiller and few others (Reesing, Hall and Skelton) have received similar middle-to-latter round projections...Finally, we were told Big Ten quarterbacks Daryll Clark and Juice Williams both got 6th to 7th projections from one N.F.L. scouting service, but were given free agent grades by the other scouting service. So opinions slightly vary on the pair.
DD.comment: Thompson, who is not real big, but displays excellent coverage skills and is a sound tackler, has received a early 2nd to 3rd round projection from one of the N.F.L.'s main scouting services. The other has him projected a little lower than that.
7 Lesser Known Big School (F.B.S.) Wide Receivers that are on Radar of N.F.L. Scouts
List of F.B.S. wide receivers that might not be well known to the average draft follower right now, but we have confirmed they are all considered draftable prospects by scouts. All these prospects are currently projected as day two picks:
Taylor Price, Ohio University ~ Price is projected as a middle-round selection, after collecting 51 receptions for 694 yards and 5 TD's as a junior. Because O.U.'s offense is more geared towards the running game -- sort of like old school Nebraska, his seemingly modest receiving stats are very respectable for the Solich era at Ohio. Rumor is he runs 4.3's, even though he looks like a 4.5 on tape. His 40 speed has scouts fascinated.
Alric Arnett, West Virginia ~ Scouts have this potentially fast-rising Miami area native currently slotted between the 4th and 6th rounds. Reportedly one of W.V.U.'s fastest players, which is not a surprise considering his background in track. Teammate Wes Lyons is ranked a few rounds behind Arnett (6th to 7th), but at 6' 8" and 235 pounds, his pro future might be at tight end.
Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo ~ Coming off a monster season (104, 1,402 & TD's), he's currently regarded as a latter round prospect (6th-7th round), perhaps due to slight size and speed concerns? Will not have N.F.L. caliber quarterback Drew Willy around anymore, so his gaudy stats might dip a bit in '09. We like this kids talent and think he possesses the ideal skillset to be a solid N.F.L. slot receiver.
Blair White, Michigan State ~ Has gone from a rarely used walk-on to M.S.U.'s top receiver, who flashed big play ability as a junior. At this point, White projects as a latter round prospect (6th-7th), but if he keeps improving at this rapid rate, and can get his 40 time into the low 4.5's, he could be selected a bit higher than he's currently projected.
Eldred King, Middle Tennessee State ~ JUCO transfer became a key cog in the Blue Raiders offense last season and coaches are expecting a lot more from him in 2009. Considering his lack of ideal size, he'll probably need to run real well in workouts and flash some serious special teams skills to keep his current 6th to 7th round status.
Verran Tucker, Cal-Berkeley ~ Former JUCO star showed a nice burst and played well enough in limited playing time (21-362-3TD's) last season to catch the eye N.F.L. scouts. His teammate Nyan Boateng, a former N.Y.C. basketball standout and Florida transfer, is currently rated slightly ahead of him by league talent evaluators.
Kevin Jurovich, San Jose State ~ Former safety became a high impact player for the Spartans in 2007. Missed last season due to a bout with mono, but is now healthy and played great this spring. After his junior year, scouts measured him at a shade over 5' 11" and have him listed running a 4.54/40. Another player that could be ticketed for the slot in the N.F.L.
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last updated: 06/14/09
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Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson takes charge in summer workouts.
Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Louisiana Tech wide receiver Philip Livas (#44).
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Marshall tight end Cody Slate (#45).
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Eastern Michigan quarterback Andy Schmitt (#46).
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last updated: 06/13/09
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Former Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal starting to become an impact receiver for the Toronto Argos.
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Spurned by the Pittsburgh Steelers, safety Anthony Smith eyes fresh start in Green Bay.
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Tony Pauline of TFY Draft has posted a BLESTO/National Grades Overview: Offense
DD.comment: As Pauline alluded to, very few senior tailbacks got good pre-season grades from BLESTO and National, at this point, but plenty of wide receivers were ranked fairly high. Jeremy Williams of Tulane, for example, was rated a little bit higher than we expected, particularly by BLESTO, which currently has him slotted in the top three rounds....Chris McGaha of Arizona State, who is a underrated athlete and has freakishly big hands (considered a great trait for a receiver), was given a fairly early day two projection from National, which doesn't surprise us, but might surprise some.
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Quick Q&A with Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, who expects to have a big senior year.
DD.comment: When you consider at least 5 college football players that have not played baseball since high school where drafted this week, Gerhart should forget about playing pro baseball and just concentrate on improving as a N.F.L running back prospect.
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Closer look at promising West Virginia University junior safety Sidney Glover.
Ex-Kentucky star Jeremy Jarmon training hard, hopes he will be selected in the N.F.L.'s Supplemental Draft.
DD.comment: Jarmon will need to impress in workouts, because it's not a slam-dunk he will drafted next month. While on the topic of Wildcats, only three members of U.K.'s class of 2010 (seniors-to-be) have received solid draftable projections from scouts this spring: Cornerback Trevard Lindley, linebacker Micah Johnson and defensive tackle Corey Peters.
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last updated: 06/12/09
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New York Jets safety Eric Smith has looked great at O.T.A.'s, draws comparison to Ed Reed.
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Will Florida wide receiver Riley Cooper give up football to sign a pro baseball contract?
DD.comment: It would be very foolish if Cooper decided to give up football for pro baseball, after dropping to the 25th round of the M.L.B draft. We were recently informed by a league source that Riley is, as we've long predicted, considered a solid N.F.L. prospect heading into his senior year due to his size/speed ratio and potential. One of the N.F.L.'s major scouting services has him ranked among the top 12 to 15 senior wide receivers and both list him as draftable -- 4th to 7th round....Minnesota Twins draft pick Eric Decker is ranked among the top few senior wide receivers by one scouting service. Only Brandon LaFell of L.S.U. and Marshawn Gilyard are currently rated "significantly" ahead of the Minnesota Gophers stars by scouts.
DD.comment: Playing pro baseball was a no-brainer for Mitchell. He had potential on the gridiron, but was a backup wide receiver for the Tigers and a first round caliber baseball player....We've been told by league sources, by the way, that scouts currently have Holliday ranked as a 3rd to 5th rounder in next years draft. He is listed as a "return specialist".
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Former Kentucky wide receiver Dicky Lyons Jr. talks about his quest to land a free agent contract.
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Can a little known, ex-Canadian high school basketball star make a big impact at wide receiver for the Washington State Cougars?
Carolina Panthers rookie safety Anthony Scirrotto was taken by the Kansas City Royals with their final pick of the 2009 draft.
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Football.com's 2010 NFL Draft Diamond Hunter series: Tulane running back Andre' Anderson
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Promising Carolina Panthers rookie Sherrod Martin transitioning well from safety to cornerback.
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Former Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman still hoping to get a shot to play in the N.F.L.
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Former four-star recruit Ahmad Paige will transfer from Tennessee to Louisiana Tech.
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Shortly after being drafted by the Twins, Minnesota Gophers receiver Eric Decker says he'll be back on the football field this fall.
DD.comment: Here's the bottom line: Despite the "risk of injury" on the gridiron, Decker is a legit first team All-American candidate and a potential day one pick in football. In baseball he was barely a honorable mention All-Big 10 performer and 39th and 27th round pick. Eric has to return to football, when you consider the vast majority of players drafted after round 20 never make the majors and are either totally out of baseball or wind up playing for meal and rent money in lower rung Independent leagues by the time they are 26 or 27 years old.
The New York Jets and quarterback Mark Sanchez reached an agreement on a five-year contract Wednesday.
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The Minnesota Twins have used a 27th round pick (822nd overall) on University of Minnesota Gophers wide receiver Eric Decker.
DD.comment: Twins listed Decker as a centerfielder. While we fully expect many in the Minnesota media will suggest he play pro baseball, Decker and his advisers should realize he's a potential day one pick in football, that was drafted 17 rounds after a Pac-10 quarterback that has never played college baseball. That should blow up the theory that he dropped in the M.L.B. draft only because he hasn't focused on baseball enough.
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The Texas Rangers have used a 25th round pick (754th overall) on Florida Gators starting wide receiver Riley Cooper.
DD.comment: We commented on Cooper in yesterday's blog. Texas drafted him as a right fielder...Here is a short MLB.com video of Cooper taking batting practice.
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ESPN.com: Loss of U.S.C. transfer Vidal Hazelton not a huge blow for Cincinnati Bearcats.
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The Los Angeles Angeles have used a 10th round draft pick (321st overall) on University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker.
DD.comment: As we noted the other day, M.L.B. scouts absolutely love Locker. In 2006 the Angels drafted him as pitcher out of high school. Knowing he will not even consider possibly damaging his N.F.L. arm as a pitcher, L.A. exec
Eddie Bane, who admitted he likes two-sport stars after he selected ex-West Virginia quarterback Pat White, drafted Locker as a center fielder this time around, hoping they can sign him to a minor league contract for the summer.
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Hoping to be another Wayne Chrebet or Wes Welker, Syracuse receiver Chaz Cervino transfers to Hofstra.
Illinois defensive lineman/potential N.F.L. prospect Josh Brent is spending part of his summer vacation in the Champaign County jail.
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Florida State linebacker Dekoda Watson back to full strength and responding well from Tommy John surgery.
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Speedy ex-Houston Cougar running back Anthony Alridge vying for a roster spot with the Washington Redskins.
DD.comment: Article notes Aldridge ran a 4.36 at last year's N.F.L. Combine. We checked the actual official list, which we have saved, and it's true that his best electronic time was 4.36, which is blazing fast. He also ran a 4.39 electronic. The only offensive prospects that ran faster electronic times were: Chris Johnson (1st round, Titans) 4.24 & 4.33; Darren McFadden (1st round, Raiders) 4.33 & 4.39 and Desean Jackson (2nd Round, Eagles) 4.35 & 4.43. The average electronic 40 time at that Combine was 4.57 for the wide receivers and 4.56 for the tailbacks.
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Cal-Berkeley Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best is running full speed and changing directions after January foot surgery.
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College recruiting: Nick Montana, son of N.F.L. legend Joe Montana, commits to play college football at Washington.
DD.comment: We agree with PhillyPhantastico, who commented at the bottom of the link above, that Mamula keeps getting unfairly brushed as an all-time major draft bust.
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Ball State wide receiver Briggs Orsbon (#47).
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Wyoming defensive tackle John Fletcher (#48).
L.S.U. wide receiver Jared Mitchell was selected in the first round of M.L.B. draft (23rd overall) by the Chicago White Sox.
DD.comment: Chi-Sox G.M. Kenny Williams, who's son (Kyle) is a starting wide receiver at Arizona State, played football and baseball at Stanford in the early 1980's, according to Harold Reynolds of MLB.com.
Bill Coats of The Post-Dispatch takes a quick look at St. Louis Rams rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis.
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SI.com: How Rich Brooks ended the basketball monopoly at Kentucky.
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Florida's starting wide receiver Riley Cooper hasn't been with the Gators baseball team for two-months due to a knee injury.
DD.comment: From all the reports we've read, Cooper should be healthy and ready to go once the football season starts. But this is strange, because he supposedly suffered a minor injury back in April, but hasn't returned to the baseball team yet?....Cooper is a player worth noting with the M.L.B. draft coming up this week. After his junior year in high school, he was widely regarded as a likely first round pick in baseball and was even compared, by some, to Northern Florida football/baseball legend Chipper Jones. Things, however, went downhill for him in baseball prior to his senior year in high school. He broke his hand in a road rage incident, missed the season and saw his baseball stock drop because of that. While M.L.B. scouts still love his raw skills and potential, he hasn't played that much -- or real well -- for the Gators baseball team. As far as the N.F.L. is concerned, Riley just needs to stay healthy and put up some decent numbers as a senior. If he does that, he should be on the N.F.L.'s draft radar due to his size/speed ratio and above average athletic ability.
Other notable college football starters that should be selected in M.L.B.'s 50 round draft:
DB Chad Jones, L.S.U -- Jones is very similar to Cooper -- great baseball prospect coming out of high school, but has mostly concentrated on football in college, so his M.L.B. draft stock has clearly plunged. Likely future is in the N.F.L., as a starting safety.
WR Eric Decker, Minnesota -- Probably a much better N.F.L. prospect than M.L.B. prospect, but if he's drafted high enough in baseball, things could change.
RB Toby Gerhart, Stanford -- First Stanford running back to rush for over 1,000 yards since 1991. Would be a legit Heisman candidate if he went to a top 25 program and focused only on football.
WR Kyle Williams, Arizona State -- Son of respected Chicago White Sox G.M. Kenny Williams. Small, but explosive receiver, that can return kicks and punts. Has definite N.F.L. potential as a slot receiver/return specialist.
QB Jake Locker, Washington -- As we've noted for 3 years, M.L.B. scouts love Locker's potential as a pitcher/center fielder, but he has told them his sole focus is on playing football. Clearly, he expects to be a N.F.L. quarterback.
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last updated: 06/08/09
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Defensive end/linbacker Shantea Green, who is the half-brother of N.F.L. standout Jevon "The Freak" and reportedly runs a 4.46 40, has signed to play football at Old Dominion.
DD.comment: O.D.U. is clearly a start up F.C.S. program that has it's sights set high. Don't be surprised if they make the jump to an F.B.S. conference (Sun Belt?) in a few years....Here is a 7 minute video of Shantea Green aka "Freak Jr."
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U.C.L.A. quarterback/wide receiver Osaar Rasshan to take a medical retirement.
Productive Texas A&M sophomore Ryan Tannehill flourishes on the field and in classroom.
DD.comment: After having such a great freshman season at wide receiver for the Aggies (55, 844 and 5 TD's), in a run friendly offense, it's hard to understand why Tanneyhill is so intent on moving back quarterback.
DD.comment: Unless we are mistaken -- and I don't think we are -- receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Green are true sophomores and will not be eligible for the next draft. Per judge Sonia Sotomayor's ruling in the Clarett case a few years, a prospect must be three years removed from high school to be draft eligible.
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Mike Detillier's notes: Top four senior offensive tackle prospects for the 2010 N.F.L. draft came from Texas high schools.
In-depth Q&A with Minnesota's All-American receiver Eric Decker, who could be selected in M.L.B.'s draft this upcoming week.
DD.comment: Eric is probably being vague about his future plans in the Q&A above, because he doesn't want to hurt his already low draft stock in baseball. But when you consider he was a 39th round selection last year, he would need to make a huge rise up the draft charts in baseball to even have a decent shot at making the majors -- can't imagine too many players picked after round 20 have solid careers. We'd guess, at this point, he's a 2nd to 3rd round type N.F.L. prospect, assuming he has a strong senior year and fares well at the Senior Bowl and Combine. So to us it's no-brainer that he plays football, unless, of course, he craves playing in front of 6,510 fans (Iowa's average attendance this year) a night in the minors, like Jeff Samardzija seems to be stuck doing.
DD.comment: Most of the players on that list should be well known to avid college football. A exception to that might be Jamere Holland, who began his career at U.S.C. and reportedly runs a blazing 4.21 40. He did a decent job for the Ducks last season, with limited touches, but has the potential to do a lot more for a team lacking depth at wide receiver....While on the topic of Oregon receivers, watch out for Jeff Maehl. He's a converted defensive back, who is much more athletic than he's usually given credit for. Don't be surprised if he turns into a Jordan Shipley type performer (all-purpose threat) for the Ducks.
Football.com's 2010 NFL Draft Diamond Hunter series: Morgan State defensive end Justin Lawrence
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U.C.L.A. quarterback Chis Forcier, who claims he runs a 4.35 40, spurns Rick Neuheisel offer to play wide receiver, transfers to F.C.S. power Furman to play quarterback.
DD.comment: Focier is the older brother of highly regarded University of Michigan true freshman quarterback Tate Forcier. As we noted in the blog a few weeks ago (5/18 blog), only four players ran a official sub 4.4 40 (electronically timed) at the most recent N.F.L. Combine -- D.Heyward-Bey, J. Knox, Deon Butler and M. Wallace, so we doubt Forcier is that fast. That said, even if he "only" runs in the 4.4's or 4.50 flat, that's fast enough for a wide receiver with his size, and he should've tried playing wide receiver at U.C.L.A., if his goal is to play for pay some day. If Forcier couldn't start behind center for U.C.L.A., which was devastated by injuries and terrible play at quarterback in recent years, it's unlikely his passing skills will translate well at the next level....Also, when you consider U.C.L.A.'s star tailback the last few years, Kahlil Bell, ran 4.78 and 4.79 at the Combine, Chris had a real chance to make a impact for a Pac-10 program that lacks size, speed and athletic ability at some key position. Either way, good luck to him. Maybe he'll be another Ingle Martin for the Paladins?
DD.comment: Fordham is located in the Bronx, New York. It will be interesting to see if the program can ever get elevated to the point where they can play at nearby Yankee Stadium, which is hoping to attract college football games.
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The Toronto Argonauts have added Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young to their secret negotiation list.
Long time DD.com reader/friend Rafael in California has sent us a lot of great links and info, from so many different sources, the last five years, or so. He recently E-Mailed us a fascinating quote, via ESPN Insider, attributed to K.U. offensive coordinator Ed Warinner, regarding vastly underrated K.U. tailback prospect Jake Sharpe: "He is extremely fast. We'll put the gun on him and he's a legitimate 4.2s guy in the 40. We'll list him at 4.3, but he's unreal. ... He just needs to learn to go. We tell him, 'Go, don't dance.'"
DD.comment: Sharpe didn't arrive at Kansas with a lot of fanfare, but he's quietly turned into a terrific player for the Jayhawks. A few weeks ago he barely missed making ESPN's list of College football's top 10 workout warriors.
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A high-ranking Major League Baseball exec told ESPN Insider writer Bruce Feldman that he wouldn't be shocked if some team selected Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in next week's M.L.B. draft.
DD.comment: We aren't sure how much baseball Tim played growing up, but Major League teams have shown in the past that they are willing to select elite athletes from other sports in their 50 round draft, even if that prospect has a limited baseball background. For example, Michael Vick was drafted in the 30th round by the Colorado Rockies in 2001 and he never played baseball in high school or college.
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Josh Buchanan's Top 50 Small School Prospects for the 2010 N.F.L. draft:
Rank. Pos Name, School, Rd. Proj.
1. WR Andre' Roberts, Citadel, 3rd-4th
2. OT Tony Washington, Abilene Christian, 5th
3. WR Donald Jones, Youngstown State, 5th
4. OT Vladimir Ducasse, Massachusetts, 6th
5. DE Austen Lane, Murray State, 6th
6. WR Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State, 6th-7th
7. OT James Williams, Harvard, 6th-7th
8. CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana PA, 6th-7th
9. OG Matthew McCracken, Richmond, 6th-7th
10. WR Kelton Tindal, Newberry, 6th-7th
11. WR Ricardo Lockette, Fort Valley State, 6th-7th
12. TE Clay Harbor, Missouri State, 7th
13. OT Derek Hardman, Eastern Kentucky, 7th
14. WR Pat Simonds, Colgate, 7th
15. OT Edwin "Jared" Veldheer, 7th-PFA
16. WR Bakari Grant, U.C. Davis, 7th-PFA
17. SS Jeromy Miles, Massachusetts, 7th-PFA
18. WR Marc Mariani, Montana, 7th-PFA
19. WR Chris Carter, U.C. Davis, 7th-PFA
20. WR Terrell Hudgins, Elon, PFA
21. WR Harry Von Kann, Kenyon College, PFA
22. OT J'Marcus Webb, West Texas A&M, PFA
23. RB Joique Bell, Wayne State (MI), PFA
24. OLB Larry Hart, Central Arkansas, PFA
25. OT Austin Howard, Northern Iowa, PFA
26. QB Ryan Perrilloux, Jacksonville State, PFA
27. FS Ronald "Terrell" Whitehead, Norfolk State, PFA
28. DE James Ruffin, Northern Iowa, PFA
29. DE Kevin Linehan, Weber State, PFA
30. RB William Ford, South Carolina State, PFA
31. QB John Skelton, Fordham, PFA
32. DE Danny Batten, South Dakota State, PFA
33. QB Trevor Harris, Edinboro PA, PFA
34. CB Kelvin Rodgers, Minnesota St-Mankato, PFA
35. CB Josh Morris, Weber State, PFA
36. TE Scott Sicko, New Hampshire, PFA
37. TE Nate Overbay, Eastern Washington, PFA
38. WR Marcel Thompson, Lindenwood (Mo.), PFA
39. WR Johnny Spevak, Central Washington, PFA
40. WR Preston Parker, North Alabama, PFA
41. QB Curtis Pulley, Florida A&M, PFA
42. QB Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross, PFA
43. OG Chaz Millard, Eastern Illinois, PFA
44. OG Moses Punzal, Portland State, PFA
45. OT Keith Buckman, North Dakota State, PFA
46. CB Jarvis Richards, Youngstown State, PFA
47. DE Taylor Scott, Central Arkansas, PFA
48. OT Casey Knips, South Dakota State, PFA
49. WR Bobby Sewall, Brown, PFA
50. SS Tommy Connors, Southeastern Louisiana, PFA
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last updated: 06/04/09
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Florida linebacker John Jones has decided to transfer to Tennessee State in search of more playing time.
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Florida defensive tackle John Brown, a former 5-star recruit, will transfer to Tennessee.
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Fresno State tailback Ryan Mathews (#49).
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Adam Nettina's 50 Best of the Non-B.C.S. countdown looks at Navy linebacker Ross Pospisil (#50).
DD.comment: N.F.L. scouts are always very candid and concede pre-season rankings are very tough to do because a prospects status can change significantly as a senior -- up or down. It can change even more at post season all-star games and the N.F.L. Combine. As our friend Josh Buchanan has noted, it's a 9 Inning Ball Game and scouts are only in the "first inning", as far as scouting the next class of seniors....Also, according to our sources, we'd say linebackers Clay Matthews and Robert Ayers were the seniors that made the steepest climbs from their junior to senior years, based on Blesto and National pre-season rankings. Both went from projected low rounders (or free agents) to solid first round picks in the 2009 draft.
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last updated: 06/03/09
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Oakland Raiders first round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey is off to rough start in the N.F.L., but expects to turn things around when he's healthy.
Colorado will only allow promising wide receiver Josh Smith to transfer to U.S.C., as he hopes to pursue a career in music (rap) after graduation.
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Former undrafted free agent DelJuan Robinson might start ahead of 2005 first round pick Travis Johnson in Houston.
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Tampa Bay Bucs executive Doug Williams praises Xbox 360 for adding H.B.C.U. teams to their lineup, suggests other video makers should be more inclusive.
DD.comment: Great article, very few college aged writers are as gifted as Adam Nettina is. It does stand to reason that in an a nation that has a real unemployment rate between 13 and 18% many teens will flock to the military academies.
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last updated: 06/01/09
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Quick Q&A with Atlanta Falcons rookie safety William Moore.
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2004 undrafted rookie Dusty McGrorty talks about the tremendous obstacles free agents from small schools face.
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Rookie running back Mike Goodson turning heads at Carolina Panthers O.T.A.'s
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Former University of Minnesota quarterback Clint Brewster has landed at Tennessee Tech.
DD.comment: Clint is the son of Minnesota Gophers head coach Tim Brewster. His younger brother, Nolan Brewster, was a high school All-American and currently plays for Mack Brown at the University of Texas. Brown and Tim Brewster have been good friends for many years, according to media reports, so it's no surprise Clint will be playing for Watson Brown (Mack's brother) at Tennessee Tech.
