Updated 4/12/11

QB RB FB WR TE OT G C DE RLB DT 3-4 DE NT MLB OLB CB S K P

Scoring System 

100 Once in a decade prospect 
95-99 Elite talent 
90-95 Solid top 10 pick 
85-90 Solid first round pick 
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd 
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick 
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick 
65-70 3rd-4th round pick 
60-65 4th-5th round pick 
55-60 5th round pick 
50-55 6th round pick 
45-50 7th round pick 
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp 
30-40 Career practice squader 
20-30 No NFL future 
0-20 No football future 

 

1. Rahim Moore 79 (UCLA)

2. Aaron Williams 77 (Texas) 

3. Deunta Williams 75 (North Carolina)

4. DeAndre McDaniel 74 (Clemson)

5. Jeron Johnson 68 (Boise State)

6. Quinton Carter 63 (Oklahoma)

7. Tyler Sash 62 (Iowa)

8. Eric Hagg 59 (Nebraska) 

9. Marcus Gilchrist 57 (Clemson)

10. Shiloh Keo 56 (Idaho) 

11. Will Hill 55 (Florida)

12. Ahmad Black 53 (Florida)

13. Joe Lefeged 52 (Rutgers)

14. Jaiquawn Jarrett 51 (Temple)

15. Chris Conte 51 (California)

16. Da’Norris Searcy 49 (North Carolina)

17. Nate Williams 48 (Washington)

18. Chris Prosinski 48 (Wyoming)

19. Duke Ihenacho 47 (San Jose State)

20. Mark LeGree 46 (Appalachian State)

21. Chris Culliver 46 (South Carolina)

22. Jerrard Tarrant 45 (Georgia Tech)

23. Jermale Hines 45 (Ohio State)

24. Mike O’Connell 44 (Iowa State)

25. Jonathan Nelson 42 (Oklahoma)

 

 

 

QB RB WR TE OT G C NT DT 3-4 DE DE RLB OLB MLB CB S K P

Updated 4/17/10 

100 Once in a decade prospect 

95-99 Elite talent 

90-95 Solid top 10 pick 

85-90 Solid first round pick 

80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd 

75-80 Solid 2nd round pick 

70-75 Solid 3rd round pick 

65-70 3rd-4th round pick 

60-65 4th-5th round pick 

55-60 5th round pick 

50-55 6th round pick 

45-50 7th round pick 

40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp 

30-40 Career practice squader 

20-30 No NFL future 

0-20 No football future 

 

1. Eric Berry (Tennessee) 98

3/2/10: Of all the good things we could say about Berry, freakish athleticism was not one of them. That is no longer the case as he ran a 4.40 at 6-0 211, benching 19 reps, and flying 43 inches into the air. He’s still a risk in the top 3 because of his position. If he were drafted in the top 3, he’d absolutely have to be a perennial Pro Bowler, otherwise it was a waste of a pick. That being said, he’s one of the few safeties I’d say is deserving of a top 5 pick and if the Chiefs didn’t need a left tackle so badly, he’d be a lock to go 5^th overall. He still could if Russell Okung is off the board at 5.

Berry didn’t have as many picks this year, 2, as he had in his first 2 years at Tennessee, 12, but that barely will effect his stock. He’s a real ballhawk in the defensive backfield and patrols zones very well with excellent instincts, but he also has above average coverage skills for a safety and has spent some time at cornerback, in addition to free safety and strong safety. He hits hard, but because of his size, 5-11 200, he projects as a free safety at the next level. In his NFL career he is going to break up plenty of passes, get plenty of tackles, picks, etc and could be the first defensive back to go in the top 3 the last 13 years this year if Tampa Bay falls in love with him.

2. Earl Thomas (Texas) 87

Undersized and has poor tackling form, but he hits hard and his fundamental tackling issues can be corrected. He’s only 20 years old, but he had 8 picks this year showing his ballhawking abilities as a free safety. He has decent coverage skills too and could be looked at as a cornerback, though he has more value as a safety. His only issue will be at 5-11 190, fighting through the physicality at the line of scrimmage on running plays, and also, as is the case for someone who plays as wildly as he does at a small size, injuries in the future could be a concern.

3. Taylor Mays (USC) 82                    

3/2/10: First he came out and ran an unofficial 4.24, tying Chris Johnson’s record and making Al Davis rise from his grave a few months early. However, officially he was listed at 4.41. Now, thanks to some work with modern technology, comparing Mays’ run side by side with other low 4.3 high 4.2 runs, it’s apparent that both times were wrong and Mays really did run somewhere around a 4.31 (ish?). This is good, but this was exactly what we were expecting from him.        

1/30/10: He looked alright against the pass in this game and actually had a nice interception, which is good because one of the big knocks against him is he doesn’t make enough plays on the ball in the air. However, after a dismal week in practice, I can only categorize his entire Senior Bowl week as neutral. I still think he’ll go in the first round.

1/27/10: He has only backed up what we’ve seen from him this year. He can’t cover anyone. He doesn’t play the air in the ball and he doesn’t wrap up his tackles. Some have said he may have to move to linebacker at the next level.

Would have been a lock to go #7 to the Raiders last year, assuming his 6-3 230 4.3 measurables lived up to their expectations at the combine, but returned to school and that may have been a mistake. He was really exposed in coverage this year and will need Al Davis bailing him out to go in the top 15, though I think he stays in the first round. National media has come down on Mays this year, but not enough. He plays way too out of control and doesn’t wrap up tackles well and his coverage skills are very poor. Unless he gets some good coaching, not out of the question, his upside may be as a Roy Williams type safety or a cover 2 linebacker. His potential though is that of a bigger Troy Polamalu though.

4. Chad Jones (LSU) 81

3/2/10: A 4.57 isn’t bad at 221 pounds, but he measured in 10 pounds skinnier than expected and didn’t appear to be any faster. He also struggled somewhat in drills and only put up 9 reps on the bench press. He’s still an early 2^nd rounder in my book, though, but barely.

The top strong safety in this draft class, he hits like a linebacker at 6-3 235, but also has experience starting at cornerback for a National Championship team as a freshman so you know his coverage skills are at least decent. He doesn’t have Taylor Mays’ measureables, particularly great timed speed, but he is a better strong safety prospect than Mays and should be drafted first, though I doubt he will be.

5. Morgan Burnett (Georgia Tech) 79

3/18/10: Burnett didn’t work out at the Combine, so he needed a strong Pro Day. A 4.42 40 at 6-1 209 and a 39.5 inch vertical show his athletic potential. He could be a late 1^st round or early 2^nd round pick in any other year, but this is one of the strongest safety classes in the last ten years so he could fall to the late 2^nd. Still, these measurables but him in the running, in a big way, with Nate Allen and Chad Jones to be the 4^th safety off the board.

Might get lost in this strong safety class, but 227 tackles and 14 picks in 3 years is something to give a closer look, especially when you combine it with great athleticism at 21 years old. Burnett is on the big side for a safety, but can still play both safety positions well. However, if need for safeties is weak this year, he could slip to the 3^rd round.

6. Nate Allen (South Florida) 77

A very fundamentally sound free safety with 10 picks in the last 3 years, he has great instincts and takes good routes to the ball and at 6-2 he’s above average height wise for a free safety. But, like Burnett he could get lost in this safety class.

7. Myron Lewis (Vanderbilt) 77        

3/2/10: Kind of like Chris Cook, a cornerback with free safety size who had questions about his athleticism and speed. A 40 time alone won’t kill all of those concerns, but a 4.45 at 6-2 203 certainly helps as he tries to get drafted on day 2.

Suffers from the Sean Smith dilemma, is he a big, slow corner or just a safety. How NFL scouts answer that question could be the difference between 2^nd and 3^rd-4^th round for him. It may help him some that Sean Smith did a decent job in his first year as a starter this year for the Miami Dolphins. The 6-3 205 Lewis had 169 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 5 sacks, and 10 picks in his 4 year career at Vanderbilt.

 

8. Reshad Jones (Georgia) 75

Had first round potential going into the year, but had some injuries to deal with this year and also struggled in coverage more than scouts were expecting him to. He’s a bit of a safety tweener, small at 6-1 210 for a strong safety, but not fast or instinctive enough to play free safety well and regularly.

9. Darrell Stuckney (Kansas) 73

He was on the cusp of being a first round prospect this year, but disappointed with only 1 pick and 2 pass deflections. For someone who had not established himself as an elite prospect, that could be enough to drop him down into the mush of indistinguishable safeties in the 3^rd or 4^th round range. He’s strong against the run, but his size isn’t that of a strong safety so I’m not sure which safety positions he’ll play in the pros.

10. Myron Rolle (Florida State) 72     

3/2/10: He had two questions around him coming into this draft preseason: is he committed to the sport and how would he fare after a year away from the game? He answered the first questions alright and, from his interviews, appeared committed, but a 4.68 40 at 6-2 215 shows he may not be quite in football shape yet.  

1/30/10: He didn’t play a ton or have any signature moments, but he really did show that he is still in great shape on the plays when he did play and in his interview he really seemed committed to the sport. Both of these are good things for him. There was never an issue about his ability to play the game, just about how he would bounce back physically after a year off, and about his commitment.

1/26/10: Good to see he stayed in shape in his year away from football.

A big question mark after taking a year off of football to study at Oxford. He has top 15 pick talent, but taking a year off of football, isn’t unclear how he’ll respond. We’ll get a chance to see him at the Senior Bowl next week and his stock could end up anywhere from a 2^nd to 5^th round prospect based off of the results of his Senior Bowl week, his combine, and his workouts. There’s also a possibility that he’s not fully committed to football as he has aspirations of being a neurosurgeon (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and that’s a red flag to NFL scouts, but just showing up to the Senior Bowl could cool that red flag a bit

11. Chris Cook (Virginia) 65                         

3/2/10: He has free safety size, but he’s looked like a natural corner in this draft preseason, impressing as a big corner in the Senior Bowl and during Senior Bowl practices. A 4.43 40 surprised me a ton at 6-2 212 and is just the cherry on top for a guy who is quietly moving himself up very quickly. He could be a 3^rd rounder.

1/30/10: I was confused about why he was invited to this game, but he proved me wrong making some nice plays and being a very tough physical cover guy. He’s still a tweener, not fluid enough to play cornerback, but not quite big enough at 6-1 210 to be a free safety, but I can see him getting drafted in the late rounds.

He’s a bit of a tweener as a free safety and a cornerback, too small for safety, not fluid enough to play safety, but he has good upside at two positions.

12. Major Wright (Florida) 64

He’s an amazing athlete, as is everyone at Florida, but the on the field production didn’t match up with that. He has upside, but right now he’s not much more than that.

13. TJ Ward (Oregon) 62

A very tough run stopper and a huge hitter, but at his smaller size, I’m not sure how that will translate to the NFL. He struggles in coverage and doesn’t have good coverage speed. He’ll be a solid depth safety at the next level.

14. Robert Johnson (Utah) 59

A fluid ball hawking safety who played some cornerback last year. He had 6 picks last year, but his tackling could use some work and he’s not great against the run.

15. Kam Chancellor (Virginia Tech) 58

May have to switch to linebacker because of his 6-3 230 frame. He’ll be a liability in coverage at the next level, but had a very productive college career and has potential as a depth safety, a linebacker, or a special teamer. 

16. Quentin Scott (Northern Iowa) 56

He could be this year’s Michael Mitchell, that small school athletic hard hitting safety that comes out of nowhere to get a relatively early pick. Al Davis doesn’t need safeties this year so Scott is unlikely to go in the 2^nd round, but with his 6-4 224 and highlight reel of hits, the kid his teammates have nicknamed Taylor Mays could very well be taken in the 4^th or 5^th as a flier. He projects longterm as a strong safety or linebacker, but he has the speed and fluidity to potentially play other positions in the future and, unlike Mays, he was actually pretty decent in coverage last year, albeit against much weaker competition than Mays faced in the Pac-10.

17. Larry Asante (Nebraska) 55

A very overrated safety, he was a tough hitter on the colligate level and a great strong safety against the run, but he’s undersized so that may not continue on an NFL level and, if it does, it could spell a career full of injuries for him, as smaller safeties like Bob Sanders have had. He’s not as small as Sanders, but he’s certainly undersized. He’s also often lost in coverage and has horrible instincts with his back to the end zone.

18. Kyle McCarthy (Notre Dame) 52

19. Kurt Coleman (Ohio State) 51

20. Chris Maragos (Wisconsin) 50

21. Barry Church (Toledo) 49

22. Justin Woddall (Alabama) 47

23. Aaron Webster (Cincinnati) 47

24. Nick Sanford (San Diego State) 46

25. Michael Greco (Central Florida) 45

26. Robert Vaughn (Connecticut) 45

27. Cody Grimm (Virginia Tech) 42

28. Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith (UTEP) 40

 

 

Running Back

Virginia Tech

5-9 211

Draft board overall prospect rank: #33

Draft board overall running back rank: #3

Overall rating: 81 (early 2^nd)

40 time: 4.45

3/23/11: Coming into 2010, Ryan Williams was being mentioned as a potential Heisman candidate and someone who could potentially unseat Mark Ingram from his throne atop the running back draft board for 2011. Williams was coming an amazing year, by any standards, especially as a redshirt freshman in the ACC. He rushed for 1655 yards and 21 touchdowns on 293 carries and caught 16 passes for another 180 yards and another touchdown.

He was the whole package at running back. He had good size and speed. His pass catching and pass blocking, for his age, was very, very good. He had a good running style, but then he got hurt in 2010 and kind of faded away. He only managed 447 yards on just 110 carries, with 10 catches for 109 yards, and 10 total touchdowns, thanks to a lingering hamstring problem.

Many draft experts expected him, as a redshirt sophomore with 2 years of eligibility left to return for 2011. Williams was a projected 2^nd or 3^rd round pick and those type of players don’t often come out as mere redshirt sophomores. However, he came out anyway. He proved his health at The Combine, running decent with a 4.55, and excelling in all the drills. He really proved himself to be the whole package at running back once again. He improved on his 40 at his Pro Day, with a 4.45, which is very good for his size.

He’s still looking at the 2^nd round, but he’ll probably go in the top half of the 2^nd round, somewhere in the first 50 picks of the draft. For his age, he’s a very refined and complete player. He doesn’t have a lot of tread on his tires with only 403 carries, which is very good for him. If he can stay healthy, his career could last about a year or so longer than most running backs, because he didn’t take that big of a beating in college.

However, the injury concern is still there. Injury prone running backs are a huge turn off to NFL scouts. There’s also the issue that he flat out didn’t run well even before he got hurt this year. A lot of that can be attributed to his line play, but 40 yards on 20 carries against Boise isn’t good. Neither is 91 yards on 20 carries against lowly James Madison. He came on later in the season with a “vintage Ryan Williams performance” 142 yards on a mere 14 carries against Miami, but he wasn’t really right for most of the year.

NFL Comparison: Joseph Addai

 

 

 

Quarterback

Texas A&M

6-4 222

Draft board overall prospect rank: #49

Draft board overall quarterback rank: #4

Overall rating: 76 (late 2^nd rounder)

40 time: 4.65

Games watched: Oklahoma State/Texas A&M, Iowa State/Texas A&M, Texas A&M/Baylor

Positives

·         Freak athlete

·         Former wide receiver (only player in college football history with 4000 passing yards and 1500 receiving yards)

·         Caught 55 balls for 844 yards and 5 touchdowns as a freshman in 2008 (led the team in receiving, no slouch as a receiver)

·         Experience as a wide receiver does help him with some of the mental aspects of the quarterback position

·         Can make every throw as a quarterback

·         Turned around the team in 2010, 3-3 when he took over as quarterback, finished 9-4

·         Mobile, but looks to throw first

·         Uses his legs to buy time

·         Can avoid sacks and scramble for big gains on the ground

·         Pro style experience under Mike Sherman

·         Only scratching the surface on his potential

Negatives

·         Inexperienced, 20 career starts

·         Has only been coached as a quarterback for a two years

·         Lack of elite statistical production (2010: 65.0%/7.0 YPA/13:6, 2011: 61.6%/7.1 YPA/29:15)

·         Disappointed as a senior

·         7-6 record as a senior

·         Blew a lot of big needs as a senior

·         Inconsistent

·         No defining win

·         Not NFL ready

·         Small hands

NFL Comparison: More athletic Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez doesn’t have Tannehill’s history as a wide receiver, but very few do and in almost every other way, they are very similar prospects. Sanchez was one of the most inexperienced quarterbacks to ever get drafted in the first round when he went 5^th overall in 2009 despite 16 collegiate starts. Tannehill has 20, but has similar inexperience problems.

Sanchez was a late riser in the draft process into the top 10 even though he never had elite production (65.8%/8.8 YPA/34:10 as a senior) and even though he was inexperienced because of his tools. Tannehill was slightly less productive and slightly more experienced, but they are similar prospects enjoying similar rises as a prospect.

Tannehill was once a borderline first rounder, but now looks like a top-12 pick lock, going as high as 4^th to Cleveland. Like Sanchez, Tannehill will struggle as a rookie (53.8%/6.7/12:20) and will have an up and down career. Unlike Sanchez, Tannehill probably won’t be fortunate enough to land on a team with as much talent around him as the Jets and thus he will be exposed as a below average quarterback earlier than his 3^rd year (as Sanchez started to get exposed last season with less talent around him).

Sanchez probably needed some time to develop as a quarterback, rather than being thrown out there week 1. Tannehill needs that too and where he lands will determine whether or not he gets that. He’s certainly got all the tools. He’s a freak athlete who could have ended up getting drafted as a wide receiver had he continued on that path. In fact, he was his team’s leader in receiving in 2008 as a freshman, over Jeff Fuller, who could be drafted this season.

As a quarterback, he can make all the throws, but he’s inexperienced and inconsistent. He only made 20 starts and more importantly, he only had 2 years of collegiate coaching at quarterback. He certainly flashes on tape, but he had an inconsistent senior season, blew a lot of leads, and ended up with a 7-6 record. However, he’s only scratching his potential as a passer and can be a solid starter in time, but I don’t think he’s worth a top 10 pick or a guy who can start right away.

 

 

Running Back

Fresno State

6-0 218

40 time: 4.41

Draft board overall prospect rank: #35

Draft board running back rank: #3

Overall rating: 81*

2/28/10: Matthews would have moved up anyway given Jonathan Dwyer’s stink bomb because the two are compared often because both are considered future feature backs. However, that’s not the only reason he’s moving up. A 4.41 40 at 6-0 218 turned a lot of heads. He’s a good pass catcher and a great pass blocker for his age and he also runs extremely well. He could go 28^th to San Diego because he has everything they look for in a back.

1/17/10: He’s a bit of a one hit wonder but with 1808 yards and 19 touchdowns on a 6.6 average, some teams are going to look past that like they did with former one hit wonders Donald Brown and Rashard Mendenhall, who both went in the first round. He runs a bit upright, but he has very refined pass blocking and pass catching abilities for his age and doesn’t fumble often. He has all the makings of a future feature back, though admittedly I’d like to see one more great season on his stat sheet just for him to prove that he can do it again and again, though you can’t really blame him because he was mostly a #2 back or goal line back throughout his first two years at Fresno State.

12/12/09: Preferably I like to see two good years out of a player, especially if he plays in a weaker conference, but one excellent year could be enough to shoot Matthews up to the first round like it did with Rashard Mendenhall in 2008 and Donald Brown in 2009. 

            11/27/09: Ryan Matthews is taking college football by storm this year by going from backup to Heisman Trophy candidate in one year. NFL scouts are also noticing him. I have my doubts about him because he’s only been doing this for one year, but that didn’t stop Rashard Mendenhall and Donald Brown from shooting into the first round in each of the last two respective years and Matthews could also go in the first round this year, if he decides to declare, which I believe he will because of the threat of a rookie salary cap in 2011. I think he has a lot of upside and I am giving him a 2^nd round grade for now just to be reserved on him because of his lack of experience. I prefer when a player has put together at least two good years in college before I call them a sure fire first round pick. There are also some concerns about his strength of competition playing for Fresno State. As for what I see out of him, he has a good combination of size and speed, but he runs too upright and isn’t as explosive as he could be for that reason. He is an extremely shifty runner and makes good cuts and has amazing vision and creativity. He would be a perfect fit for a zone blocking scheme for that reason. He has good hands out of the backfield. He doesn’t break as many tackles as he should at his size and he will fumble a lot because of his running style in the NFL. He needs to learn to protect the ball and lower his shoulders in the NFL. He blocks very well for a college running back and can be as close to an every down back as an rookie is in the NFL right away. He is the complete package, size, speed, good hands, and good blocking, but definitely has some things to work on.

NFL Comparison: Rashard Mendenhall

 

Quarterback 

Arkansas

6-7 247

Draft board overall prospect rank: #55

Draft board overall quarterback rank: #3

Overall rating: 77 (mid 2nd)

40 time: 5.36

4/19/11: A report has come out that Mallett admitted to his drug use in private interviews at The Combine. I’m not moving him down in my mock draft because teams have known about this for months and he’s still getting a ton of first round buzz, but I can’t give this kid a first round grade anymore. You might think it’s just drugs. Plenty of college kids do them. That’s true, but Mallett isn’t just some college kid. He’s a potential NFL franchise quarterback.

Quarterback might be the most cerebral position in all of sports and if your heart and your head aren’t in it, you will fail, even if you can throw the ball 80 yards down field with ease. Just ask JaMarcus Russell. The fact that he did drugs in college shows raises a lot of questions about his commitment. Plus, remember what happened with Aqib Talib, who did drugs in college. He thought he was above the law in college and now a few years later he’s looking about 5 years in jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

This quarterback class sucks. The top 4 quarterbacks are a one year wonder with off the field issues, a druggie, a spread quarterback with just 16 touchdowns to 9 interceptions, and a quarterback who completed just 54% of his passes last year.

There’s a very good chance that we could look back at this quarterback class in 4 years time the way we look at 2007, where the closest thing we got to a franchise quarterback was Kevin Kolb in the 2^nd round (JaMarcus Russelll, Brady Quinn, Trent Edwards, John Beck, Drew Stanton all went in the first 3 rounds). There’s also a very good chance that someone like Colin Kaepernick ends up being the best quarterback from this class, if he’s put in the right situation. 

2/26/11: One of the things I was most looking forward to this week was seeing Ryan Mallett’s interview and if any concrete evidence about his supposed drug use would come up. Mallett was asked about his drug use and this was his response

“I’m not going to talk about that right now. I’ve got the interviews with teams, and when teams need to know what they need to know. I’m going to leave it at.” 

If you didn’t take do illegal drugs, say it. Dispel the rumors right then and there. Make a statement. He didn’t do that. I’m not saying he did drugs or anything, but I don’t like the way he handled the situation and with so many prominent draft scouts saying they wouldn’t touch him, I think it’s finally time for me to drop him.

2/10/11: Ryan Mallett is one of the biggest draft enigmas in a while. Two draft experts have come out and said they have character concern type stuff on him. Wes Bunting of NFL Football Post has quotes a scout as saying “I got stuff on Mallett that no one even knows about and I wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole.” Albert Breer of the NFL Network backed that up by saying he could drop significantly because of “undisclosed character concerns.” Some mocks have him falling out of the first round completely because of this.

The issue, no one will say what these “character concerns” are. I did some research, but all I could find were a few quotes on message board/forum type site from people who “knew Mallett” that said Mallett frequently used marijuana and often experimented with harder drugs and one person even saying that Mallett deals. However, people who “knew Mallett” could easily be “people who hated Mallett and want to ruin his draft stock” or “people who have never met Mallett and want their 5 minutes of fame.” My conclusion, until I hear something concrete (which we will if there’s something big on him), I’m not holding any character issues against him.

Mallett is my top quarterback in this class, though sort of by default. I’m certainly not sold on him as a franchise quarterback. He’s got crazy upside, but there are a lot of potential “bust” red flags. There’s his terrible footwork and his inconsistent accuracy. There’s his tendency to stare down his first read and his tendency to force things into coverage when nothing’s there. There’s his slower delivery, which could lead to more picks in the NFL than it did in college. There’s the offense he came out of, one that rarely produces NFL quarterbacks. However, he’s got one of the biggest arms I’ve ever seen.

All of his flaws are coachable, unless we find out something big character wise. His completion percentage, despite his poor footwork, was 64.7% last year and he only threw 12 picks to 32 touchdowns, against tough SEC competition. His biggest flaw is throwing when no one’s open. He tends to force things in this situation, rather than putting the ball in a place only his man can get it or simply throwing it away. He doesn’t have the accuracy to thread the needle and he struggles throwing over the middle.

However, as I said, he’s definitely coachable. I think he’s got the highest upside in this class because of his arm strength, though you could say the same thing about Newton. He’s more polished than Locker or Newton as well. I don’t know if I’d use a top 10 pick on him, but he’s worth a top 15, again, barring any solid reports about his character flaws.

NFL Comparison: Jeff George

 

Defensive End/Rush Linebacker

Purdue

6-4 274

Draft board overall prospect rank: #10

Draft board overall defensive end rank: #3

Overall rating: 90 (Top 10)

40 time: 4.67

4/23/11: People who pay a lot of attention to the NFL Draft and the NFL in general will tell you that defensive linemen have been busting at a very high rate in the past decade or so. The reason for this, defensive lineman are normally the most athletic guys on the field with their combination of size and speed and they ride this all through college and a lot of them don’t have great work ethics. Then they get to the NFL, get paid millions and millions, and all of a sudden their motivation is much smaller, considering that their job description is basically to wrestle with 300+ pound guys.

Ryan Kerrigan is different. He’s a highly productive, high motor, strong work ethic kid. He truly loves the game. His motor never shuts off. He played on a bad Purdue team last year as poor offensive play led to the team going 4-8 and he still played every down hard. He managed 13 sacks after 12 the year before and 7 as a sophomore. He’s a highly productive 3 year starter who has never taken a play off.

He’s not the most gifted athletically, but all that means is that he’s had to work harder to get where he is and he can’t rely on his natural athletic gifts. For this reason, I think he has a never low probability of busting. His measurables aren’t terrible either with a 4.67 40 at 6-4 274. He also benched 31 reps of 225. He’s bulked up about 10 pounds from the end of last season, maintaining his speed in the process. This probably eliminates him from being a 3-4 linebacker, but I would have had some doubt about his ability to play the position even if he was in the 260s. He doesn’t have very fluid hips.

He’s going to be best in a 4-3 as a right end, a dynamic, tough to block, tenacious edge rusher with a non-stop motor. He refuses to be blocked. He’s not that sturdy against the run and he doesn’t have a great initial burst, but he’s already a very refined and proven pass rusher. He doesn’t need a lot of work and he won’t get complacent.

NFL Comparison: Chris Long