Updated 4/26/11

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. Robert Quinn 95 (North Carolina)

2. Von Miller 93 (Texas A&M)

3. Ryan Kerrigan 90 (Purdue)

4. Akeem Ayers 87 (UCLA)

5. Aldon Smith 87 (Missouri)

6. Justin Houston 85 (Georgia)

7. Brooks Reed 80 (Arizona)

8. Sam Acho 77 (Texas)

9. Dontay Moch 76 (Nevada)

10. Ricky Elmore 74 (Arizona)

11. Jabaal Sheard 71 (Pittsburgh)

12. Chris Carter 70 (Fresno State)

13. Steven Friday 69 (Virginia Tech)

14. Thomas Keiser 64 (Stanford)

15. Bruce Miller 61 (UCF)

16. Cliff Matthews 53 (South Carolina)

17. Rodney Gnat 52 (Louisville)

18. Ugo Chinasa 51 (Oklahoma State)

19. Eddie Jones 49 (Texas)

20. Brian Duncan 44 (Texas Tech)

21. Justin Trattou 42 (Florida)

22. Cheta Ozougwu 42 (Rice)

 

 

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. Brandon Graham (Michigan) 87                 

3/1/10: Graham wasn’t expected to run well but a 4.69 40 at 6-1 268 showing some surprisingly athleticism. He also put up 31 reps of 225 pounds.

1/30/10: Graham had a huge Senior Bowl week. It started out bad when he measured up at just over 6 feet and with the shortest arms of any defensive lineman, but he really impressed in practice and even more so in the game. He won Senior Bowl MVP with 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, a tackle for a loss, and 5 tackles. He was disruptive on almost every play and had more signature plays than any other player. He really hustled and earned a lot of praise from the commentators. He chased down Jarrett Brown, the fastest quarterback on either roster, from behind, something that will only show up on the stat sheet as a tackle. He’s a former linebacker, with an excellent motor and an excellent pass rushing repertoire, but he’s also extremely stout and disruptive against the run. He can play both 4-3 left end and 4-3 right end, in addition to rush linebacker. The commentators compared him to LaMarr Woodley of the Pittsburgh Steelers and I think that comparison is dead on. I think he cemented himself as a 1st round pick. 

1/27/10: Measuring in at just over 6 feet at his weigh in isn’t good, but he’s making scouts forget about his lack of height, with his play at practice this week. He has a very solid base and looks like a legitimate defensive line player in the NFL. His form against the run needs to be improved, but he has shown great speed rushing moves in addition to being one of the best young bull rushers at the Senior Bowl. If he can impress in coverage, he could be a 1^st round pick as either a defensive end or rush linebacker.

With 29 sacks in the last 3 years against Big 10 competition, Graham is a pass rushing machine, but despite his size, he isn’t great against the run. He’s best fit as a rush linebacker at the next level and I can’t see him fitting all schemes. His 40 time isn’t great either so he’ll be viewed as a bit of a tweener by the scouts and that could drop him down in the 3^rd round. He has first round upside as a rush linebacker though despite his lack of height and timed speed, assuming he can transition to a new position well and hold up in pass coverage

2. Everson Griffen (USC) 85

3/1/10: Griffen put on about 10 pounds this season bulking up to 273 and there were some concerns about how he would carry the weight. After he ran a 4.64 40 today, those concerns should be gone. He also put up 32 reps of 225 pounds.

It’ll be interesting to see what he runs at the combine. He’s rumored to be able to run a 4.5 40, but he also put on 10 pounds of muscle this season so I’m not sure he can still run that fast. If he can, his stock could soar even though he never really did anything of note at USC in 3 seasons. 7 sacks this year after 9 combined in his first two years show good improvement and his run blocking form got a lot better this season with the added weight, but if his 40 time suffers, he may only be looked at as a left end, rather than a right end or rush linebacker. He’s still a major project either way.

3. Jerry Hughes (TCU) 83

26 sacks in the last 2 years for TCU for a guy just learning the defensive end position, after playing running back for most of his football career, is amazing, but he may be maxed out bulk wise at 257 pounds and he doesn’t have ideal height at 6-2. He’s a better fit as a rush linebacker, but he can play on the line some, though he’d be a liability against the run. He has a great motor and has shown plasticity and ability to learn new positions in the past. He also has good hands because he’s played on the offensive side of the ball before, but I’m not sure about his ability in pass coverage.

4. Eric Norwood (South Carolina) 82

He has experience playing standing up at South Carolina, despite being a defensive end, and he has looked dropping back into coverage on occasion as well so those are major pluses for rush linebacker prospects that can be so unpredictable. He also has 30 sacks in his 4 year career at South Carolina and had 7.5 this year, so he’s a good pass rusher as well, though not a great one. He’s versatile and can play 4-3 strong outside linebacker and maybe even some 3-4 middle linebacker. His 40 time for his weight could keep him out of the first round.

5. Jason Pierre Paul (South Florida) 79                         

2/27/10: Weighing in at 6-5 270, JPP looked like an absolute physical freak. I can’t wait until his 40 yard dash. He hasn’t performed on a high level yet, but the upside is certainly there

He’s a junior college legend, but didn’t impress in his first season in Division I with only 6.5 sacks. He’s a really fluid athlete who is comfortable dropping into coverage and he did get into the backfield a lot, though his sacks total was low, so I think he has a good future as a rush linebacker and he does have huge upside, but if he can’t dominate Division I, how can we expect him to the dominate the NFL. He can also play as a 4-3 defensive end, but I think he’s a better fit at rush linebacker.

6. Jermaine Cunningham (Florida) 77                        

2/27/10: As if he wasn’t already my favorite mid round sleeper, Cunningham measured in at 266 pounds today showing that he has the ability to play in the trenches in any 4-3 scheme. This defensive end class gets thin in the mid rounds so Cunningham could be looking at early 3^rd late 2^nd now.

He doesn’t have amazing athleticism, but he has an amazing motor and that’s really half of the battle. He would fit very well as a rush linebacker or a cover 2 defensive end. I think a lot higher of him than most places do and he’ll probably be drafted in the 4^th round at the highest, but he has borderline 2^nd round skills. His fundamentals are very sound.

7. Sergio Kindle (Texas) 74

He’s former top 10 pick prospect, but he only managed 6 sacks this year without Brian Orakpo drawing double teams across from him, after having 10 sacks last year. He’s still a highly rated defensive prospect and would make a great rush linebacker with his athleticism and the fact that he already played some outside linebacker in college so he has experience with his hands off the ground and dropping back into coverage. He’s a solid tackler and big hitter as well so he can play some strong outside linebacker in a 4-3.

 

8. Ricky Sapp (Clemson) 73

A low sack total, but a high amount of tackles for losses, so there are indications that can grow into an elite pass rusher. He’s small at 245 pounds, but has experience playing outside linebacker, in addition to defensive end, and didn’t look bad in coverage, so he definitely has a huge upside as a rush linebacker. He can also play some outside linebacker in a 4-3, but he’s mostly a rush linebacker or pass rushing specialist.

9. Austin Lane (Murray State) 66

1/27/10: First he showed up looking great at his weigh in, weighing in at 265 pounds at 6-6, adding a necessary 8-10 pounds to his frame, and to back that up, he’s looked great on the field in practice showing that this small school kid can hang with the big boys. He has the athleticism to play rush linebacker in addition to defensive end.

The level of competition is an issue for him, but he certainly looks the part of an NFL pass rusher. He has a good refined repertoire of passing moves, but he lacks elite size and doesn’t have very fluid hips. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not he projects as a rush linebacker at the next level because he’s a little small for the trenches in the NFL.  

10. Willie Young (NC State) 66

He had eight sacks this season and has good long arms and athleticism, but at his size, 250 pounds, he’s probably only a nickel rusher in 4-3 systems, so he’ll have to try to convert to rush linebacker and I’m not yet convinced he can. He’s poor against the run, even for his size and his 40 time (4.68-4.72) isn’t going to blow anyone out of the water. 

11. Jason Worilds (Virginia Tech) 64

3/20/10: I rarely care when a player runs a faster 40 at his Pro Day than his Combine, but Worilds’ 4.47 makes me take notice. He ran a very solid 4.61 at his Combine, but a 4.47 at 6-1 254 puts him on a completely different level. He didn’t do much last year, but he has experience playing rush linebacker and has amazing athleticism. His athleticism is right behind that of Jason Pierre Paul and Sergio Kindle and his production was only slightly less than either of theres. He could sneak into the 2nd round, but, like Kindle and JPP, I have him ranked lower than he could go because I like to see a player actually produce on the college level before I use a pick in the first 3 rounds on him.

Very athletic, but lacked the production to match last year with only 4 sacks, though he did have 8 sacks in 2008. He has upside and the athleticism to play rush linebacker, but he’s a project and he could be a nickel rusher as well.

11. Koa Misi (Utah) 63

1/27/10: Believe it or not, Misi played defensive end at Utah. You wouldn’t know it from looking at him play linebacker this week in Mobile. He has shown great fluidity in pass coverage and looked like a natural linebacker. He’s also making a lot of nice hits. That definitely helps his stock as he doesn’t have the size to play in the trenches in the NFL.

He’s an undersized defensive end with a strong motor to make up for it, but he looked like a natural outside linebacker playing that position in the Senior Bowl. He’s a risk because he has to play rush linebacker, a position he didn’t play in college, but I love his motor and I think he could be a solid rush linebacker in the future.

13. Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (Washington) 58

An unknown pass rusher with an unpronounceable name, who has quietly put up 18 sacks over the last 2 years against some good Pac 10 competition. He was a little small before the combine, but bulked up and still managed to shave some time off of his projected time. The elite natural athleticism is not there, but he has the work ethic and the on the field motor to make up for it. He should have a future in the NFL as either a defensive end or a rush linebacker.

14. Lindsey Witten (Connecticut) 56

Started off 2009, with a bang, but ended quietly. He lacks the size to be an every down trench rusher at the next level and the tape is really inconsistent on him. There is some upside here, but not a ton. 

15. Thaddeus Gibson (Ohio State) 56

A very raw and unrefined pass rusher, he got into the backfield a lot last year, but only had 4.5 sacks to show for it and he’s severely undersized at just a few ounces above 240 so he’ll have to make the dreaded position switch to rush linebacker from down lineman, which could be dangerous for him because he’s never played anything remotely like the position. The athleticism and fluidity are there though for him to be a decent rush linebacker if he puts it all together.

16. Brandon Lang (Troy) 55

He’s undersized pass rusher who ran in the 4.9s at the Combine so he may have trouble getting drafted in the first 4 rounds as a future starting type defensive end. He could be a decent nickel rusher in the future, because his 17.5 sacks in the last 2 years are fairly impressive, but the lack of speed and weaker competition makes that less likely. I think it’s safe to say that he won’t be as good as Troy’s last elite pass rusher, DeMarcus Ware.

17. Brandon Sharpe (Texas Tech) 53

18. Antonio Coleman (Auburn) 53

19. George Selvie (South Florida) 52

20. Cameron Sheffield (Troy) 52 

21. Adrian Tracy (William and Mary) 51

22. Dane Fletcher (Montana State) 49

23. Kevin Basped (Nevada) 47

24. Danny Batten (South Dakota State) 46

25. O’Brien Schofield (Wisconsin) 45

26. Chris McCoy (Middle Tennessee State) 45

27. Jarvis Geathers (Central Florida) 41

 

 

Rush linebacker is the position on a 3-4 defense that is most normally responsible for rushing the passer, hence its name. The rush linebacker lines up fairly close to the line of scrimmage, but not on the line of scrimmage, and also far more to the outside than a defensive end, about halfway between the 4-3 defensive end position and the nickelback position. They play standing up, meaning they do not start the play with their hand on the line of scrimmage. They aren’t required to do as much physical run stuffing as 3-4 defensive ends, but they are required to drop back into coverage a lot more. Part of the mystique of the 3-4 defense is the rush linebacker position because offensive players and coordinators simply don’t know if a rush linebacker is going to rush the quarterback or drop back into coverage. Based off that description, the position seems like an ideal position for those smaller college defensive ends that would struggle in the trenches in the NFL. Those smaller ends normally have the fluid athleticism needed to drop back into coverage and the speed to cover and also a set of smooth pass rushing moves to penetrate the backfield from an outside position. So, you’d think with so many teams switching to 3-4 defenses in recent years, smaller defensive ends would be getting excited knowing that there is a position for them in the NFL. Well, as recent history has shown that is not the case. The case has been that, because the rush linebacker position pretty much does not exist in the college game, players have had a hard time transitioning to the rush linebacker position in recent years. In fact, you have to go back to the 2005 draft to find a defensive end that was able to transition to the rush linebacker position with good success (DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman).

Kamerion Wimbley

Wimbley came into the league at 245 pounds so he could not play the defensive end position in the NFL, as he had in college, but with a solid 4.67 40 time, the Browns believed he could make the transition to the 3-4 rush linebacker in Romeo Crennel’s defense and for a while they were right. In his first year in the league, Wimbley had 11 sacks, most among rookies and put himself into consideration for Rookie of the Year. However, in order for me to consider him a success at the position, he would have had to sustain that success and he hasn’t. In the 3 years since, Wimbley has a grand total of 15.5. Not bad, but not great. He wasn’t a complete failure as a rush linebacker, at least not compared to some other rush linebackers.

Manny Lawson

Lawson was 241 pounds when he weighed in at the combine, but with his amazing 4.43 40 time, teams quickly forget about that and viewed him as an elite future rush linebacker. Mike Nolan of the San Francisco 49ers pulled the trigger on him with the 22^nd pick in 2006. However, Lawson proved quickly to be a bust. Lawson managed 8 sacks through the first three and a half years of his career. He did show some signs of hope late last season with 4 sacks in the Niners last 8 games giving him 6.5 for the season, most on the team, but its safe to say he hasn’t been worth the 22^nd overall pick.

Vernon Gholston

Nowhere is there a better example for this article than Gholston. Gholston was a safe pick in 2008. At 266 pounds he could have played defensive end and given his 14.5 sacks as a defensive end in his final year at Ohio State, he probably could have played the position well. He fell to the Jets at 6 in 2008 and since he had top 5 talent and the Jets desperately needed a pass rusher, the Jets took him at 6 and tried to fit him into their 3-4 scheme as a rush linebacker. It was a reasonable decision given his 4.58 40 time at the combine, but in the two years since being drafted, Gholston has not had a single sack and could be cut this offseason.

Larry English

(did not play enough as a rookie for me to use him in this article)

Clay Matthews

Clay Matthews is the one success story with 10 sacks in his rookie year after being drafted 26^th overall. Why did he succeed? He played linebacker at USC. Though USC does not use a true rush linebacker position, they do blitz their strong side linebacker very often and Matthews was that guy. He was essentially playing a 4-3 rush linebacker position at USC and that wouldn’t be as hard to transition from as a 4-3 end position.

I know there isn’t a large statistical sample to use here, since the rush linebacker position is a very modern position that has not been around long, but what has happened to Wimbley, Lawson, and Gholston is a bit startling. Because of that, it would make me at least think twice before drafting a guy like Jerry Hughes or Jason Pierre Paul to play rush linebacker in the first. Instead I would wait until the 2^nd or the 3^rd round to take a guy like Ricky Sapp, Eric Norwood, or Sergio Kindle who have experience playing the outside linebacker position in college in addition to defensive end. Brandon Graham could be safe too because he played some linebacker in high school, though guys who played some linebacker in college seem to be the safe way to go. 

 

 

 

Updated 4/4/12

QB RB FB WR TE OT G C DE RLB DT NT 3-4 DE OLB MLB 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 
<40 No NFL Future 

 

1. Trent Richardson (Alabama) 92

2. Doug Martin (Boise State) 81

3. Chris Polk (Washington) 76

4. David Wilson (Virginia Tech) 75

5. Lamar Miller (Miami) 74

6. Robert Turbin (Utah State) 68

7. Bernard Pierce (Temple) 66

8. Vick Ballard (Mississippi State) 65

9. Terrance Ganaway (Baylor) 63

10. LaMichael James (Oregon) 62

11. Cyrus Gray (Texas A&M) 62

12. Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati) 60

13. Ronnie Hillman (San Diego State) 57

14. Chris Rainey (Florida) 54

14. Dan Herron (Ohio State) 52

15. Antwon Bailey (Syracuse) 51

16. Bobby Rainey (Western Kentucky) 49

17. Brandon Bolden (Mississippi State) 47

18. Tauren Poole (Tennessee) 45

 

 

Updated 4/20/11 

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. Mark Ingram 85 (Alabama)

2. Mikel Leshoure 84 (Illinois)

3. Ryan Williams 81 (Virginia Tech)

4. Daniel Thomas 77 (Kansas State)

5. DeMarco Murray 75 (Oklahoma)

6. Jordan Todman 74 (Connecticut)

7. Shane Vereen 74 (California)

8. Jacquizz Rodgers 73 (Oregon State)

9. Derrick Locke 69 (Kentucky)

10. Kendall Hunter 68 (Oklahoma State)

11. Taiwan Jones 65 (Eastern Washington)

12. Dion Lewis 65 (Pittsburgh) 

13. Noel Devine 62 (West Virginia) 

14. Da’Rel Scott 60 (Maryland)

15. Delone Carter 59 (Syracuse)

16. Bilal Powell 59 (Louisville)

17. Anthony Allen 56 (Georgia Tech)

18. Roy Helu 54 (Nebraska)

19. Steven Ridley 53 (LSU)

20. Darren Evans 53 (Virginia Tech)

21. Alex Green 50 (Hawaii)

22. Evan Royster 47 (Penn State)

23. Allen Bradford 46 (USC)

24. Brandon Saine 45 (Ohio State)

25. Nic Grigsby 43 (Arizona)

26. Jay Finley 43 (Baylor)

27. Jamie Harper 42 (Clemson)

28. John Clay 42 (Wisconsin)

 

  

 

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

Updated: 4/17/10

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. Jahvid Best (California) 87               

2/28/10: Jahvid Best just ran faster than CJ Spiller (4.35 compared to 4.37). Now what is Spiller better at? Best is the more complete back of the two, the only thing that Spiller could really say was that his speed was on another level. Now that doesn’t appear to be the case. Best is a better between the tackles runner, he’s more explosive. The only real thing Spiller does better is catch passes. I have compared Spiller to a gimmick weapon type guy like Reggie Bush all along and Best to a speed feature back like Jamaal Charles. In a few years, when Best is the better runner, you heard it here. Yet despite all this, Spiller is getting more hype because of his “unofficial” 4.27. It’s unofficial for a reason.

He could fall below CJ Spiller in the draft because of his concussion late in the season, but he’s a more complete player than Spiller. He’s got more explosive legs, he’s a better runner in between the tackles, and his 40 time is probably going to be faster. They are comparable players in terms of pure speed, but Spiller is more of a straight line runner while Best has better running back skills like initial explosion and good change of direction.

2. CJ Spiller (Clemson) 84

Has had trouble staying healthy in college and his career YPC does not suggest good running back skills, but he has a place in the NFL. He’s way too fast and agile to not have one. He can return kicks, return punts, and can serve as a 3^rd down back or wildcat, but unlike Best I don’t think he’s a feature back at the next level.

3. Ryan Matthews (Fresno State) 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.

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.

4. Toby Gerhart (Stanford) 77                                

2/28/10: Gerhart proved that just because he’s white, doesn’t mean he’s not athletic. Gerhart ran a very impressive 4.53 at 6-0 231 and also had a 38 inch vertical and 22 reps of 225 pounds. He likely shot himself ahead of a plummeting Jonathan Dwyer.

He’s a Heisman runner up, but, contrary to popular belief, that does not make him a future star at the next level. He is very slow and doesn’t change direction and he runs really upright and isn’t going to break nearly as many tackles next year against linebackers with refined tackling abilities. He does have good size though and runs with a lot of force and explosion so he should be a solid change of pace back, goal line back, or even fullback if his lead blocking improves, so he has a spot for him at the next level. It just won’t as a feature back or a star.

5. RB Jonathan Dwyer (Georgia Tech) 76              

2/28/10: Dwyer’s workout today proved what his weigh in showed and what people all around the NFL have been saying all week. He’s out of shape. At 5-11 229, Dwyer ran a 4.59, which isn’t awful, but when you consider his second time was 4.69, it looks a lot worse. He also only benched 15 reps, 3^rd fewest of all RBs.

2/26/10: He just looked like a fat guy at his weigh in. He was 5-11 229 which sounds good, but he did not look in shape at all.  

Excellent size, but he put on a lot of weight from last season to this season and looked a lot more sluggish this year as a result, though his stats don’t suggest he struggled. He also played in a weird offense that just isn’t used in the NFL so you have to wonder how he would have fared statistically being overweight and in a normal offense. However, he’s got all the physical tools and is still projected to run a mid 4.4 40 at 235 pounds which is amazing so someone is going to snatch him early on upside alone.

6. RB Joe McKnight (USC) 75

The possible NCAA violations that came up late last season because of a possible incident in which he drove a car that belonged to his girlfriend and not him should not effect his draft stock because he’s simply never going to have anything close to that situation in the NFL. He’s a good kid and I don’t buy that he has character issues. I do buy that he’s not a starting running back at the next level. He’s fast but he’s not Chris Johnson fast and he doesn’t have elite explosion or change directions very well. He’s not elusive. However, he does have good speed and finally put together a good season in college this year after being a top recruit in 2007 and will be a welcome addition to many of the running back committees in the NFL today.

7. Anthony Dixon (Mississippi State) 74

Not the most mobile guy, but he’s agile for his large frame, 240 pounds, and is a very strong and physical runner and he gets his pads down low to the ground when he runs unlike Toby Gerhart and should be able to be a decent running back at the next level and break tackles. However, he’s slower than Gerhart and doesn’t have much upside at all. In fact, one can argue that he ran the ball too much in college, 910 attempts in 4 years, and that will shorten his NFL career. He also has a DUI to his name and that is a bit of a red flag. He’ll be drafted in the 3^rd round range as a kind of, you know what your getting type guy. I don’t see him as a feature back at the next level.

 

8. Dexter McCluster (Mississippi) 73                  

2/28/10: Surprisingly, his 4.55 40 at 5-9 173 doesn’t hurt him that much in my book, but it has to hurt him some considering we were expecting a high 4.3, maybe low 4.4 at worse. However, this is one of those guys who is faster in pads than he is timed and stronger than his size. He should still catch on somewhere in the NFL as that Percy Harvin type player.

2/27/10: How do you bench 20 reps of 225 pounds when you are a mere 173 pounds? That is crazy! This little guy may be small, but he is tough, he is strong, he is committed, and he is damn fast as well. 

A blur of a football player who is a bit undersized. He has lined up at both running back and wide receiver in his career and had 1169 rushing yards and 520 receiving yards last season. He has also lined up as a wildcat so there’s going to be a spot in the NFL for him, though it is not going to be a conventional one. He will play the Percy Harvin role for a team, a slot receiver, return guy, and occasional 3^rd down back and wildcat and will be plenty valuable doing so.

9. Montario Hardesty (Tennessee) 68                        

2/28/10: Hardesty is a favorite sleeper of mine. He could be that mid round running back who takes over a starting job in the NFL. He has good hands as a pass catcher and as a pass blocker and a good combination of size and speed. He has all the things you look for in a feature back. He just needs to put them together. On a day of slow 40s, a 4.49 at 6-0 225 is great. He also led all running backs in broad jump, 10 feet 4 inches, and vertical leap, 41 inches and had 21 reps of 225 pounds.

One of my favorite running back sleepers, a good size, speed combination, and very good hands, both in pass catching and pass blocking. He has everything he needs to be a factor right away and a 3^rd down back at the very least. I see him having the upside as a future starting running back.

10. Ben Tate (Auburn) 63                   

2/28/10: Quietly had a very impressive day with a 4.45 40 at 5-11 220, along with a 40.5 inch vertical, a 10 foot 4 inch broad jump and a position leading 26 reps of 225 pounds. He’s always had the athleticism, but he’s been plagued by inconsistencies in the past so it’ll be interesting to see if he puts it together at the next level because if he does, he’s going to be a good player.

He has the athletic tools, size and speed, to be a good running back and finally had an impressive statistical season this year, but he has a history of inconsistency, even this year and scouts hate players who are inconsistent. He’ll probably get drafted with a mid round pick but I don’t see much of anything special in him. 

11. Jarrett Brown (West Virginia) 61                       

2/28/10: 40 times don’t matter a ton to quarterbacks, but a 4.54 will get you noticed, especially when you’re someone who may have to play another position at the NFL level. He’s a project, but he has upside at multiple positions including quarterback and running back. 

1/30/10: He didn’t have the best game overall, but he showed a lot of potential and physical tools. He’s an excellent athlete and has a running back’s frame, as shown in his weigh in, but he also showed a very good strong arm in the game. He really struggled with his touch and his footwork is very poor, he missed a wide open guy downfield because his feet weren’t set when he threw it, but overall, I like his upside a lot more now that I did before this week, when I saw him as a wildcat only.

1/26/10: Very athletic frame, measurables suggest a move to running back is possible. That’s good because he wasn’t going to make it as a quarterback in the NFL.

He’s certainly a project, but he has upside at two positions. He has the athleticism to play running back, but he also has a strong arm to play quarterback. His mechanics are an issue and he doesn’t have a lot of experience playing the quarterback position and even last year he struggled at times, but the upside is there.

12. James Starks (Buffalo) 61              

2/28/10: He lost his 2009 season due to a shoulder injury, but before that he had two straight season of 1000 yards, 3000 career yards, and 53 catches in 2008. He looked very healthy today running a very impressive 4.48 at 6-2 218. He’s a big back that runs well and can catch passes and reminds me a lot of a Tim Hightower type guy.

He has some questions to answer after his shoulder injury, but he was a very productive back before the injury, with good hands for his size. He reminds me of a Tim Hightower type 3^rd down back.

13. LeGarrette Blount (Oregon) 60                     

1/30/10: He probably had the most to prove in Mobile this week, after the incident in which he punched an opposing player earlier this season, but he flashes a lot of what made him an NFL prospect in the first place. He ran with great pad level at 245 pounds and also made nice plays in the open field. He scored once on a very nice 14 yard run, on which he leaped through a defender from about the 4 yard line to get into the end zone, and he almost scored again on a play in which he dragged pretty much the entire South’s defense from about the 5 yard to almost the goal line, setting up a 1 yard quarterback sneak on the next play. The character concerns are clearly there, but he is a load to take down in the open field and he moves well and runs with great pad level for someone of his size. He is, at the very least, a goal line back at the next level if he can control himself on and off the field.

Blount is a big back who plays with a low pad level, but after punching an opposing player last season and getting suspended, he certainly has some questions to answer, but I think, at the very least, that he’ll be a solid goal line back, which teams always need.

14. Keith Toston (Oklahoma State) 59

3/15/10: Normally I don’t pay much attention to improved 40 times, but Totson also lost 8 pounds, from 213 to 205, and as a result of that ran a tenth of a second faster. I like the work ethic and discipline so I’ll move him back up a little. 

2/28/10: When he woke up this morning, running a 4.70 at 6-0 213 was probably not on his to do list. That’s pretty ugly.

Finally had a good year this year in his senior season after splitting carries throughout most of his career. He had 1218 yards and 11 touchdowns on a 5.4 average, though it was in Oklahoma State’s weird offense. His 40 time for his size is not expected to be great, but you can’t deny he has produced good numbers and he’s a very good pass catcher with 22 passes caught this season. He’ll fit into a running back rotation somewhere in the NFL, maybe as a pass catching back.

15. Deji Karim (Southern Illinois) 56

3/15/10: One thing I do like about Pro Days, watching guys I’ve never heard of. Southern Illinois’ Deji Karim had 1694 yards on a 7.4 YPC and 18 touchdowns last year, albeit for a small school, and then he came out and ran a 4.37 at 5-9 210 and then looked very good in his positional drills. He’s an interesting late round prospect with his combination of size, speed, and production. He also caught 17 passes last year, another plus.

Small school, but big upside because of the big power in his legs. Short and stocky at 5-9 210, but runs with a great low pad level, extremely powerful bulldozing over linebackers and has legit 4.4 speed. He was one of the best rushers in the country last year, albeit at a tiny school against weak competition, but we’ve seen many times in the past, backs from small school go on to do big things on the big stage. If you can run, you can run anywhere and this guy can run. I love his upside.

16. Andre Anderson (Tulane) 55

A decent runner, but not a great one with 1880 yards and 15 touchdowns on 412 carries over the last 2 years, and if he gets drafted in the first five rounders, it’ll be as a runner second and a pass catching back first. He has caught 55 balls over the last two years and reminds a lot of people of a poor man’s Matt Forte, who was drafted in the 2^nd round out of Tulane two years ago.

17. Joique Bell (Wayne State) 54

He was the pride of Wayne State for the last 4 years, returning kicks, running the ball, catching passes, en route to having over 6000 career rushing yards. He broke the Wayne State rushing record midway through his junior year and then added an NCAA leading 2084 yards as a senior. However, he may have been overworked as a collegiate back and he lacks speed. His 40 times ranged from 4.65-4.68 and he really looked slow running the ball in the Senior Bowl. He lacks explosiveness and runs too upright to break the amount of tackles he broke in college. At an NFL level, his size, his best asset, will be nothing special, 5-11 219. 

18. John Conner (Kentucky) 49

19. LaMarcus Coker (Hampton) 47

20. Andre Dixon (Connecticut) 47 

21. Charles Scott (LSU) 46

22. Brandon James (Florida) 46

23. Toney Baker (NC State) 45

24. Rashawn Jackson (Virginia) 44

25. Manese Tonga (BYU) 41

26. Conte Cuttino (Stony Brook) 40

For my interview with Conte Cuttino, click here.