When it comes to draft classes, 2010 is not shaping up to be one of the more memorable ones. There is no prize pony in the bunch, rather a bunch of question marks. Some of the top names have experienced injuries and some haven't performed up to expectations. Some seem talented, but there are questions of character. A few top names like Locker, Keenum and Mallett stayed in school.
1. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
There's something to be said for this QB draft class when the top QB hardly played in his last season of college ball. Sitting out may have been the best thing for Bradford as a lot of the top rated QB's (i.e. McCoy, Snead, Hiller) seemed to hurt their draft status more over the course of the year. The primary concern will focus around Bradford's shoulder, which we are assuming will heal more like Drew Brees' shoulder injury over say, Chad Pennington's shoulder injury. If Bradford can perform well in his pre-draft workouts, then he should be the first QB off the board.
2. Colt McCoy, Texas
I questioned McCoy's toughness after the National Championship game when he was injured and didn't even try to come back into the game with a title on the line and a back-up Freshman running the offense. I stand by that criticism and normally I would drop McCoy down a few spots because of it. Unfortunately, there's nobody in my mind that proved themselves worthy enough to overtake McCoy in this spot. I wouldn't be surprised to see the second QB come off the board in the second round of this draft.
3. Tony Pike, Cincinnati
Pike spent most of the season launching up draft boards as Cincinnati continued to thrive with him at the helm. However, an injury allowed his back-up, Zach Collaros, to come into a few games and play very well - perhaps suggesting that Pike's success was more a product of "the system" than his own talent. Pike has a tall stature and probably has to put some meat on his bones. He is a bit lanky and this can make his delivery look a little on the slow side. He also comes off as a bit stoic on the field - not so much a fiery leader.
4. Max Hall, BYU
I like this kid. Critics knock his arm strength, yet in the Las Vegas Bowl, Hall battled 40 mph winds to the tune of 19-30, 192 yards, 3 TD's, 0 INT's. Hall also has a great attitude and I love that he called out Utah fans after defeating the Utes. Hall seems like a real guy - not an interview robot programmed with cliches and passivity like some of the other top candidates. He is a football player and not some prima donna. I realize that I have him ranked higher than most guys, but from what I have seen this is a guy I would want on my team.
5. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
There's a lot to like about this kid in addition to his record setting career. He seems like a hard worker and a tough player. My concerns for LeFevour revolve around the success he had running the football at Central Michigan. It's one thing to run on MAC defenses, but I question whether LeFevour has the speed to do so at the pro-level. If you take away the run-threat, LeFevour becomes much less scary for defenses. I think he has a chance to succeed at the next level, but he will definitely be a project and will not have an immediate impact.
6. Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State
I like this kid too. Coming into this season, Robinson expected to be throwing the ball to Dez Bryant - who could have been the most talented WR in college football before he was declared ineligible by the NCAA. Losing Bryant combined with battling a few injuries sustained through the season hurt Robinson's statistical output. Robinson seems like a gamer though and his performance in the Senior Bowl, where he was healthy and surrounded by better talent, was impressive. This was enough for him to move up my board, though I still don't see a fifth QB being selected until the 3rd or 4th round.
7. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame
Clausen will certainly get drafted higher than where I have him ranked. While I do see talent and athleticism in Clausen's play, my concern is for his attitude. Clausen seemed content with putting up impressive passing stats despite his team's extremely disappointing play over his career. On many occasions where he had the chance to rally his team late in a game, he failed. To me, the black eye he sustained in a late night bar fight is even more concerning. A kid with an NFL future getting into a late night bar fight is not a sign of intelligence. Do you think you'd ever see Peyton Manning or Drew Brees in that situation? And either none of his teammates were hanging out with the kid after a game, or they were unwilling to protect their starting QB. That says even more. Above all, a starting NFL QB needs to be a team player, and I have serious doubts as to whether Clausen has that quality - he seems to feel entitled to an NFL job, which is just not enough. He will probably be selected in the first round of the draft somewhere, but if I were a GM I would have to think twice before putting my reputation on the line for this kid.
8. Tim Tebow, Florida
The exact opposite of Clausen. Tebow doesn’t have the tools but has all the intangibles. Tebow's flaws as a QB are just too big for me to ignore. The poor mechanics, the running-style, his opinionated social stances... Tim Tebow comes with a lot of baggage and not much growth potential. I'd sooner take a pass on him unless he was sitting there on Day 2 of the draft and I had some specific ideas on how I might use someone with Tebow's skill set.
9. Darryl Clark, Penn State
I wasn't giving Clark very much credit coming into this draft. But as I watched him play in the mud against LSU, leading the Nittany Lions to victory against a very tough opponent, I felt Clark had an overwhelming sense of professionalism about him. He may not be perfect in terms of the tools, but he has seemed to make the most of his experience at Penn State. Nobody will be drafting this kid to be their immediate starter, which is perfect for him. This kid could develop as a tremendous back-up and eventually earn his way on the field down the line.
10. Jevan Snead, Ole Miss
What happened to this guy? After leading Ole Miss to a successful 2008-09 season culminating in a bowl victory, scouts were pinning high hopes on Snead to become a top draft selection this year. Twenty interceptions later and we're all having second thoughts. Where was the maturity and improvement that we expected to see? Was Snead pressing - trying too hard to live up to lofty expectations? Or is there something more to this story - as in maybe he is just not as good of a decision maker as was originally thought. Snead's decision to come out this year may have as much to do with what he wouldn't have his senior year at Ole Miss - namely his best receiver (Shay Hodge) and one of the best playmakers in college football (Dexter McCluster) - than whether or not he still had something to prove.
11. Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State
The kid that pulled off the biggest upset in college football history deserves more of a look than he has been getting. With the Wildcat offense continuing to emerge as an NFL system, someone with Edwards' speed and play-making ability should be given a fair shot to become a Brad Smith / Josh Cribbs / Pat White type of player. To that extent, a lot of eyes will be on the stopwatch when Edwards hits the combine. Unless his 40 time is unimpressive, I would not expect Edwards to go undrafted - someone out there is either running a Wildcat or thinking about running a Wildcat and Edwards seems like the best man in the draft for that job.
12. Thaddeus Lewis, Duke
I like this kid too, though I don't necessarily envision him being selected in this draft. Duke isn't exactly a football powerhouse, but they have been improving and Lewis has been a big part of that. This season Duke posted victories over NC State, Maryland and Virginia. On the season, Lewis threw for over 3,000 yards, 20 TD's and 8 INT's. He posted these numbers with his primary target being a 5'9" Sophomore. Having attended Duke, you know he's a smart kid and having shown so much improvement, especially in his senior season, I think he'd be at least worth a look if not a late round pick.
13. Mike Kafka, Northwestern
Kafka seems like a very competitive guy on the field and I really wanted to rank him higher because I always felt like he was a fun guy to watch. Then the Outback Bowl happened and he threw 5 interceptions against Auburn. Kafka redeemed himself a bit in the East-West Shrine Game, but it was just not enough for me. He's a kid that threw a lot of short passes and seemed to disappear somewhat in some big games (128 yards vs Penn State and 72 yards vs Iowa).
14. Jarrett Brown, West Virginia
I am not really sure why I hear Brown's name in the draft conversations at all, but I felt as though he showed some poise and a strong arm at the Senior Bowl. His one full season as the West Virginia starter wasn't all that impressive statistically after a strong performance against East Carolina early in the year. But Brown is not competing on statistics anymore and will have to hope that someone
15. Tim Hiller, Western Michigan
By the end of last year, Hiller had put himself on the map as potentially the next Bruce Gradkowski - the QB out of the MAC Conference that has a great college career and then becomes a solid NFL player. But Hiller seemed to regress his senior season, posting his worst career QB Rating. When you play in the MAC, you need to step up consistently or else you risk falling by the wayside. Hiller seems to be a casualty of his own undoing and I would be surprised if a team selected him.
16. Sean Canfield, Oregon State
I have seen a lot of Canfield and I can't quite put my finger on why scouts might think he has NFL potential. Oregon State's offense was led by a great RB in Jacquizz Rodgers, who put up 1,440 yards on the ground. While defenses keyed on 'Quiz, Canfield sometimes found success. But my last impressions of him were a poor showing in the Las Vegas Bowl, which might have been excused by the 40mph winds if Max Hall hadn't outperformed him by so much. Also, he was unimpressive in the Senior Bowl - perhaps even less so than Tim Tebow. Oregon State QB's always throw me for a loop - I never liked Derek Anderson, then he made the Pro Bowl for the Browns, and then he stunk again. So go figure...
Other:
Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee
Bill Stull, Pittsburgh
Juice Williams, Illinois
Chris Turner, Maryland
Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic
Joe Cox, Georgia
I have heard all of these names being thrown about as potential draft picks this year. Each have had solid careers, but the next level seems a little out of reach.
Tyler Sheehan, Bowling Green
Levi Brown, Troy
Even though they played for small conference schools, these guys put up some impressive numbers. I hear Levi Brown’s name here and there but Sheehan is truly unsung after posting a great season for Bowling Green. We may see these guys again when the Arena League reopens.
Matt Grothe, South Florida
Riley Skinner, Wake Forest
Todd Reesing, Kansas
If you would’ve told me 2 years ago that none of these three would make it to the NFL, I would’ve cried blasphemy. But after long careers as starting QBs, these guys have all fallen by the wayside. Some will surely get invitations to NFL camps, but their draft stock is very low at this point. I always liked Reesing’s competitiveness, though being sub 6’0” definitely hurts his chances. Skinner posted his best statistical season as a senior, but as a team Wake Forest seemed to regress over his tenure finishing 5-7 this season. Grothe was impressive early on, but injuries plagued his senior season and he never did get a realistic chance to make a last great impression.
John Skelton, Fordham
Matt Nichols, Eastern Washington
Other than the East-West Shrine Game I hadn't seen these guys play at all. I wasn't impressed enough after seeing them over very short stints to put them in my rankings.
Ryan Perrilloux, Jacksonville State
Any kid who has the world at their feet and then throws it away has to be thoroughly checked out before wasting any of your time. Perrilloux showed some great talent at LSU and if I were an NFL team, I might give him a shot after a thorough interview process. But the leash would be very short.
Anyone else I missed? Leave a comment and let me know.
Kafka was injured during the Penn State game and was still "unwell" for Iowa.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that info. You are correct. That is a big mistake on my part.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, that wouldn't affect my current rankings. I like Kafka though. I think having him ahead of guys like Jarrett Brown and Sean Canfield, who a lot of other guys have ranked pretty high, is a testament to that.
I toiled over ranking Kafka a little higher, but when I went looking for tough games where he might have stepped up, I found the low yardage totals in Penn State and Iowa (I had even watched some of the PSU game and forgot he got hurt).
Regardless, there were no other games I could find this year against very tough competition where you could say Kafka was a big standout. If I am wrong, I would love for you to point me to a few. You could probably count the second half of the Auburn game, but it's very hard to overlook the 5 INT's in the first half.
Thanks for the comment.
I wanted to share with you a great highlight video I posted of quarterback John Skelton (Fordham) on YouTube. John has been invited to the NFL combine this year, but because he hails from such a small university, there isn’t much footage of him out there – until now.
ReplyDeletehttp://bit.ly/cqsLS9
A lot of buzz has been generated about John and his 6’5’’, 250-pound frame – but it’s his powerful arm and deceptive speed that I think will make him a success in the NFL. Like all college quarterbacks, he has some learning to do before he’s ready to compete at the highest level, but you can’t argue with the game footage I’ve compiled here. In a year of “weak” quarterbacks, I think John really stands out.
Anyway, I thought you would be interested in the clip, and I think your blog readers would be too. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the post. I agree with you on a number of points. Yes, the QB class is pretty weak. And the video is pretty impressive - but then again, it IS a highlight reel so you don't get a complete flavor. Sometimes you like to see the sacks, fumbles and interceptions too.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong. I just haven't seen enough. The NFL guys get plenty of tape, they got to watch him practice next to some of the competition at the East/West Shrine Game and will get to see him throw at the combine.
One of the worst parts of all this is that if a team out there likes the guy, we'll probably never know until they select him. Teams tend to keep their sleepers to themselves for obvious reasons.
I think he will get drafted. I just don't know if he'll go mid or late-rounds. I've heard good things about Matt Nichols from Eastern Washintgon too, but same deal - I just don't know enough at this point.
Thanks so much for posting the video.