Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.
[Dynasty] 2014 Draft Prospects (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Xue
- Start date
offdee
Footballguy
I was suprised as well. In a mock draft about a month prior to this draft taking place I projected him to go at pick 1.03.
Guess people were scared off of the minimum 2 year wait for a WR. Although a number of RB's went high that will have to wait at least 2 years for.
Also, both EJ Manuel and Geno Smith went before Teddy Bridgewater....thought that was interesting.
Last edited by a moderator:
cstu
Footballguy
Fales is the most overlooked. He's still pretty raw and might not be able to start right away, but he has 'it' when I watch him play. I think Belichick has him penciled in right now as Brady's replacement.
Here are players that went before him:jonboltz said:
Devy players already claimed: Barkley, Wilson, Lattimore, Woods, Hunter, Jones, Allen, Davis, Graham, Ball and Watkins.
1.01 - Tavon Austin, WR, Rams
1.02 - Gio Bernard, RB, Bengals
1.03 - Le'Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
1.04 - Cordarelle Patterson, WR, Vikings
1.05 - DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Texans
1.06 - E.J Manuel, QB, Bills
1.07 - Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals
1.08 - Eddie Lacy, RB, Packers
1.09 - Geno Smith, QB, Jets
1.10 - Zach Ertz, TE, Eagles
1.11 - Marquise Lee, WR, USC
1.12 - Marcus Wheaton, WR, Steelers
1.13 - Aaron Dobson, WR, Patriots
1.14 - Jonathan Franklin, RB, Packers
2.01 - Christine Michael, RB, Seahawks
2.02 - Quinton Patton, WR, 49ers
2.03 - Zac Stacy, RB, Rams
2.04 - Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
2.05 - Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville Cardinals
I was amazed that in a 2QB league Bridgewater was picked after RBs and WRs who have gone into backup situations, and after Geno Smith who is less talented and in a bad situation. If Bridgewater has a good season this year and goes top 5 in the 2014 draft, he'd be the 1.01 in a 2QB league, and I've nabbed him at 2.05 a year early. Colour me delighted.
And given his relatively easy schedule, Bridgewater should put up big numbers again this year.
Last edited by a moderator:
MAC_32
Footballguy
Not crazy at all. Could be a qb heavy first round again next year.
Faust
MVP
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...rd-clowney-matthews-again-have-linemen-on-top
2014 Big Board: Clowney, Matthews again have linemen on top
2014 Big Board: Clowney, Matthews again have linemen on top
Faust
MVP
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/22278381/freaks-list-the-20-craziest-athletes-in-college-football
Bruce Feldman
Freaks List: The 20 craziest athletes in college football
Since we're 100 days from the actual start of the college football season, it's time for our annual Freaks List. We've been doing it for a decade, focusing on the top workout warriors or players who amaze their teammates and coaches with what they can do in the weight room, on the track or in some other "wow" aspect of athleticism.
Among the Freaks to make this list: Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson and last year's No. 1 guy: SMU's Estonian shot putter-turned-pass rushing/kick blocking terror Margus Hunt. With a big thank you to coaches, players and sports information directors around the country, here is the 2013 Freak List. As you'll notice, it's bigger than ever. (I considered any players who are already on campus and will be eligible this fall.)
1. Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina, DE: Like just about everything else that Jadeveon Clowney does athletically, his workout numbers are jaw-dropping but nothing (not even this) illustrates just how freakish the South Carolina DE is better than the Tendo.
The what?
The Tendo is an electronic power and speed analyzer (a speedometer of sorts) invented in Slovakia and has been around for about a decade in the U.S. strength and conditioning community.
"It's become one of the go-to tests in the strength industry," said Bert Sorin, owner and VP of Sorinex Exercise Equipment, the sole North American distributor of the Tendo. "It's changed the way a lot of people are training. Now you have a quality approach instead of just reps. You can see what kind of force is produced."
According to Sorin, a former All-American hammer thrower at South Carolina in the late 1990s, about 90 percent of top 25 football programs use the Tendo in some variety.
"It measures velocity and power in meters per second," explained Joe Connolly, the Gamecocks head football strength and conditioning coach. "It'll give you a power number, and it's expressed in watts. It takes into account body weight and different things. (Clowney) is in the 8000s and we're talking repetitive numbers in the 8500-range, and there isn't anybody on the team within 2000 of that.
"Clowney has a 8655w peak power reading. The closest number that a teammate has is a 6800w peak power reading. This differential is pretty vast. One major difference is JD can produce this kind of power repeatedly. Nobody else can do that."
Connolly's example: "Clowney first jump: 8655w. Jump two: 8653w. Jump three: 8650w. The rest of the word: Jump one: 6600w. Jump two: 6300w. Jump three: 6000w."
When Clowney arrived in Columbia two years ago as the nation's No. 1 recruit, he was a chiseled 6-foot-6, 238 pounder with explosiveness that had college recruiters raving. He was also "a recipe for disaster," said Connolly. "When he walked in the door he was a Ferrari engine in a Yugo. He was extremely explosive but he needed to stabilize a lot of his joints to help keep him injury free."
Since then Clowney has blossomed into a 275-pound guy who has many seeing him as the first pick in next year's NFL Draft and a viable Heisman Trophy candidate. "His first step was lightning, and that's just who is he and what God gave him," said Connolly. "The difference with him is that he's faster at 275 now. He's even more explosive and powerful at 275, which is frightening."
Clowney was tested by Gamecock coaches the week before South Carolina started spring ball. He vertical jumped 38 inches and clocked a 4.54 40 weighing 274 pounds. A year ago, he ran a 4.58 at 257.
A year ago, Clowney's teammate, Devin Taylor made the Freaks List. A former state triple jump champ, Taylor was a 6-7, 267-pounder who broad-jumped almost 11 feet.
"Devin was fluid and extremely smooth. Clowney is violent," said Connolly. "Devin will play in the NFL for a long time. Clowney is more violent than anybody I've ever seen. There is a violence to his first step. I've never seen anybody with more first-step quickness than he has. He's off the ball while the ball is still in the center's hands. His explosiveness is unparalleled."
Asked if it's realistic to think Clowney could show up next winter in Indy for the NFL Combine and vertical jump 40 inches while weighing 290, Connolly said, "There's no question that is within the realm of possibility.
"The difference is he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. He's always been an average worker. But when you see, 'The draft before my draft is now done,' he's kind of flipped the switch. There's no question he's been very upfront and forward about the different things he wants to accomplish this year, and he realizes that strength and conditioning is a very important factor to getting to those goals."
2. Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota, DT: The 6-6, 312-pound converted tight end vertical jumped 36 inches this offseason when the Gophers tested him. More impressively, the former basketball standout (he used to play AAU ball against first-rounder Royce White) says he can still do a 360 dunk even though he's well over three bills. "But," Hageman adds, "it doesn't look as pretty as when I was 250."
Hageman was a big recruit for former coach Tim Brewster. Then-Gophers hoops coach Tubby Smith once tried to get him to come out for the basketball team, Hageman says. But the big man opted to focus solely on football, where he has blossomed into one of the Big Ten's better D-linemen.
He's certainly the most athletic. Not only does he have the 36-inch vert, but he also has bench-pressed 465 pounds and clocked an electronically timed 10-yard sprint in 1.57 seconds. For comparison sake, no DT at this year's NFL Combine jumped higher than 33 inches, and Terron Armstead, the offensive tackle who ran the blazing 4.71 40 at the combine, did a 1.64 in his 10.
Hageman said watching the combine in February has "motivated me to be even get more serious in the weight room." His goals on the field for 2013: play with better pad level, play with more urgency off the ball and not take plays off.
3. Lache Seastrunk, Baylor, RB: Just being the Bears resident "Freak" is saying a lot. The Bears can go four-wide with a crew of receivers who each have been clocked faster than 4.4. One of those guys, 170-pound Tevin Reese, runs 4.32 and has a 45-inch vertical jump. In fact, Baylor deserves Freak Team status this season.
After hearing some of these super-fast 40 times, I asked Bears strength coach Kaz Kazadi if these are hand-timed 40s or timed electronically, which prompted one of the best quotes I've heard this year:
"They're all electronic," Kazadi said. "We don't hand-time anything. Hand times are for your mama. Your mama don't work here. We're not hand-timing anything around here. We encourage people to come watch our guys work. They take this seriously."
Seastrunk is a testament to that. He's up to 210 pounds after arriving in Waco at 195 a few years ago. "A lot of guys think their speed is predicated on not getting too heavy, instead of getting more power," said Kazadi. "We got to kind of wean 'em off of being too concerned about putting on pounds."
Seastrunk's vertical, which was an impressive 42.5 inches last winter, is now 44.2 inches. He also broad jumped 11-4 -- five inches more than in 2012. His 40 time: 4.36.
It's quite an improve from Seastrunk's days at Oregon when he ran a 4.63 electronic 40 and had a 34.5” vertical two winters ago.
"He's bought into training and taking care of himself," said Kazadi. "That's the No. 1 thing that we've seen with him. It's not just in his physical attributes that we've seen him really mature in. It's the accountability and the reliability. The eye-contact and his awareness --everything has improved. You know he understands what you're saying and he's paying attention."
The former five-star recruit may have been the most improved player in college football over the second half of last season. Seastrunk ran for 1,000 yards last season despite only gaining 95 yards in the Bears' first five games. But the one-time Oregon Duck was spectacular in Baylor's final four games of the season, when the Bears beat No. 1 Kansas State, Texas Tech, No. 23 Oklahoma State and No. 17 UCLA while Seastrunk ran for 637 yards on a 9.1-yard per carry average.
4. Taylor Lewan, Michigan, OT: A projected top-15 pick by many NFL Draft analysts if he had opted to leave Ann Arbor after last season, the towering left tackle returns this fall to anchor the Wolverines line. The 6-8, 309-pound Lewan, who's known for his both his nastiness and his nimble feet to rival coaches, would've put on quite a display had he went to Indy for the combine in February.
According to Wolverines strength coach Aaron Wellman, Lewan has clocked an electronically-timed 4.8 40-yard dash. The Arizona native has also, despite his long arms, bench pressed 275 pounds 21 times and also squats 550 pounds. In addition, this offseason Lewan improved his vertical jump to 29 inches, up from 26 last year.
"He's a great worker and a great leader," said Wellman. "We're lucky he decided to come back. He is so unselfish. He came back to win a Big Ten championship and leave a legacy here."
Wellman said Lewan often will call him or spend time in his office asking him all sorts of questions about training and diet. "The nutrition piece is big for him. Anything related to him becoming a better football player, he asks about."
5. Marqise Lee, USC, WR: The biggest bright spot on what was an otherwise nightmarish 2012 season for the Trojans, Lee isn't the nation's biggest receiver at 6 feet, 195 pounds, but he may be the most dynamic. Last year, he won the Biletnikoff Award after catching 118 passes for 1,721 yards and 14 TDs. Lee also averaged 29 yards per kick return and 8 yards a carry. There's a good chance he also may play defense this year too.
Lee's explosiveness is evidenced by his work with the USC track team as well. He's a 25-foot long jumper and he's also run on the sprint relay team.
"He's gotta be in the top five of the most freakish athletes I've ever been around," said USC WR coach Tee Martin, a former standout QB at Tennessee who also played in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. "He's in there with the Jamal Lewises, the Leonard Littles, the Donta Stallworths and Kordell Stewarts. The things that are so great about Marqise is he's got this great ability to contort his body and to jump and just explode and go from zero to 60 really fast. And the really scary part is he's still so young and is working so hard to get better."
6. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, QB: The guy who became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy has shown he's quite the all-around athlete as he continues his whirlwind bucket list offseason. Just in the past month, Manziel's broken 80 at Pebble Beach and homered in BP in a major league ballpark when he visited the San Diego Padres. Friends say the 6-footer is also capable of throwing down some eye-catching dunks on the basketball court as well. Oh yeah, and he also can do stuff like this too.
The real reason why he cracks the Top 10 on the Freaks List is for something else, though. At first glance, Manziel looks rather ordinary at 6-0, 210, but coaches say in addition to his preternatural wheels, the Aggies star has huge hands, which are a big plus for any QB, especially a shorter one. A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said Manziel's oversized mitts remind him of another play-making 6-foot QB on a team he coached back in his Purdue days -- Drew Brees, who apparently has thumbs the size of croissants.
"Having those big hands not only helps tote the ball in traffic, but he can basically go all through his motion and still pull the ball back," noted George Whitfield, a private QB coach who helps train Manziel. Whitfield also has worked with some huge NFL quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton and Andrew Luck. All three of those QBs have size 14 shoes. Manziel wears 15s.
7. Dri Archer, Kent State, RB-KR: You might as well call Archer Mr. MACtion. The 5-8, 173-pound Archer is the league's most exciting player and may be the quickest man in college football. Despite his diminutive frame, Archer still ran for 1,429 yards and 16 TDs, with a 9-yard average per carry. In eight games Archer had at least one run of 43 yards or longer. KSU strength coach Antoine Sharpe says Archer certainly backs up that home-run style when he clocked electronically a 4.29 40-yard dash.
8. Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State, LB: One of the breakout stars of 2012 in the SEC, the 6-5 McKinney made 102 tackles last season to earn a spot on the Freshman All-SEC team. McKinney, another one of the unheralded recruits who has blossomed in the Dan Mullen era, arrived at MSU two years ago as a 216-pound former QB. Now he's a 240-pounder with a 41.5-inch vertical, up 3.5 inches from last year. He also can do 30 pull-ups, almost double his total from a year ago, according to Bulldogs strength coach Matt Balis.
9. Chris Borland, Wisconsin, LB: The 5-11, 245-pound linebacker -- the 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year -- has had a knack for turning heads from the days even before he was a Badger. In fact, former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema once told me he remembered noticing Borland in one of the Badgers camps. "I'm watching him and he had about five interceptions in about an hour and half of 7-on-7," said Bielema.
Borland does a standstill box jump of 51 inches, said strength coach Evan Simon. "He can also do a standing back flip at will and one time landed one in the splits for fun. He is as solid as two rocks and one of the hardest workers you'll find."
Not only that, Badger insiders say Borland has also been known to kick 40-yard field goals, practice catching balls either with one hand or behind his back out of the jugs gun and can throw the ball about 50 yards on a line.
10. Ryan Carrethers, Arkansas State, DT: A 2012 First Team All-Sun Belt Conference player, Carrethers certainly seems like he could be a force at any league in college football. The redshirt senior, who will be playing for his fourth head coach this fall, isn't just some sloppy, bad-body guy. His 16 percent body fat for a guy measuring in at 6-2, 332 is impressive. As are his 400-pound power clean, his 664-pound squat and 400-pound incline bench press.
"Ryan was a state champion heavyweight wrestler in Tennessee his senior year, which has translated to him being a fantastic defensive lineman that has started for three years on the championship Red Wolves teams," said Jeff Pitman, Arkansas State's strength coach. "Ryan can more than hang with former all freak team members I have coached. Examples are Daryn Colledge at Boise State and Nate Solder at the University of Colorado. Both [players] have had great NFL careers."
11. Travis Swanson, Arkansas, center: Arguably the nation's top center, the 320-pound Swanson has already wowed the new Razorbacks coaching staff. Swanson has been clocked by the Hogs staff in the three-cone drill at 7.39 seconds. (Former Texas A&M star Luke Joeckel, the second pick in April's draft, ran it in 7.40 while Eric Fisher, the first overall pick, did it in 7.59 seconds.) "His movement ability is second only to (Cleveland Browns All-Pro left tackle) Joe Thomas out of linemen that I have worked with in the last 12 years," said strength coach Ben Herbert, who came over from Wisconsin.
12. Justin Jackson, Wake Forest, OLB: A linebacker who minors in dance, Jackson's nifty footwork is also quite evident on the field and in all the drills Wake Forest tests in. The 6-1, 230-pounder has been timed in the 40 at 4.44 and a broad jump of 10-8 to go with a hang clean of 400 pounds.
13. Donte Moncrief, Ole Miss, WR: The Rebels have had more than their share of dynamic wideouts over the past few years with Mike Wallace and Dexter McCluster, but Moncrief is a different type of Freak. He's 6-3, 228 pounds and yet still can run a 4.44 40, vertical jumps 39 inches and broad jumps 11-1, according to Rebels strength coach Paul Jackson.
14. George Atkinson III, Notre Dame, RB-KR: The reserve Irish running back has good size at 215 pounds to go with blazing speed. Last year, he ran a 10.36 100-meter dash at the Big East track championships. Even though it was a wind-aided time, it wasn't much over the legal-limit and shows a gear Notre Dame football fans hadn't seen much of in a few years.
15. Colt Lyerla, Oregon, TE-RB: When Chip Kelly lined up the 6-5, 250-pounder at running back it was quite a sight. Lyerla was quite the weapon with surprising wheels for a guy that size, especially when it comes to his hops. He had vertical jumped 35 inches (second-best all-time among Oregon tight ends) and touched a team-best 11-3 in the jump reach. But
Last edited by a moderator:
Concept Coop
Footballguy
What are you thoughts? Where does he fall short in your opinion? He's interested due to his physical gifts, but I don't know much about him.
My biggest concern is he doesn't make plays. I saw too many plays he should've made and he dropped or lost a contested battle with a DB. With his Height/wingspan, he should be making more of those plays. Then factor in this is vs college DBs and i'm not overly high on his NFL prospects of being a FF difference maker. Kinda reminds me of Jeff Fuller. Looks like tarzan, plays like Jane.
JohnnyU
Footballguy
I like that he's up to 210 lbs and if he maintains his speed, I couldn't be happier. I know you're not a fan of Seastrunk, but he may be a gold mine.
Increasing size and maintaining athletic ability is great. I'm always open to changing my mind about a prospect, but none of this changes my concerns: spread offense helps his numbers, ability to break arm tackles, don't see great agility, consistently puts up good numbers and running mindset(Reggie Bush syndrome). If he improves in those areas, he could very easily be a RB I like.
werdnoynek
Footballguy
Xue
Footballguy
Charles Sims to transfer or enter Supplemental Draft:
http://www.houston.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1507995
http://www.houston.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1507995
Xue
Footballguy
Three things I don't like about Marqise Lee:
When catching underhand, it's much harder to extend and catch away from your body. Lee does track the deep ball very well over the shoulder, though. Something Woods wasn't very good at.
Doesn't show very good strength when contested, especially in the end zone.
- Looks faster with the ball in his hands than without.
- Catches "underhand" too much, even on fades.
- Average ball skills on contested passes.
When catching underhand, it's much harder to extend and catch away from your body. Lee does track the deep ball very well over the shoulder, though. Something Woods wasn't very good at.
Doesn't show very good strength when contested, especially in the end zone.
Faust
MVP
JohnnyU
Footballguy
MoveToSkypager
Footballguy
I don't find them credible either, but they are local numbers.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Baylor claims that everything is electronically timed.
I've watched almost every game of Lee last season so I feel confident replying.
1) He definitely shows different gears, but I think this is all the time. Sometimes he's gliding through a route and hits another gear to go by a CB. Sometimes he hits another gear to run by a defender. I don't think he's a 4.3 guy either way.
2) He does catch underhand and body catches too much.
3) I don't think his ball skills as average or less, especially for a player his size.
He's not as sudden a route runner as Woods, but then again he doesn't need to be to be open(Woods does). Compared to Sammy Watkins, I think Lee beats him in every way, but straight line speed.
A few things people might not know about Lee:
1) He's a good run blocker and puts in a good effort downfield. On many of the big plays of other USC skill players, Lee is making great blocks downfield.
2) He's a big time competitor. Part of #1 is his competitiveness. I've seen him get mad at himself for not making a play or scoring a TD. Get mad at other players on his team. Get in the face of defenders, challenging them. He's not afraid of contact, despite not being a big player, it shows when he's trying to get first downs or score.
3) He came from a poor background and it's hard not to cheer for him. Watch this http://vimeo.com/52810696
Sabertooth
Footballguy
So is next year's class expected to be stronger at the QB position? How about RB or WR? I highly doubt it is better at TE, I thought this class looked phenomenal there.
jacobo_moses
Footballguy
2014 Top 5 WRs NFL Draft Class Report
The 2013 College Football Season showcases a talented group of big-bodied senior receivers to keep your eye on for next years NFL draft. Vanderbilt's big play receiver Jordan Matthews and BYU's Cody Hoffman are the top wide receiving prospects in college football. Pittsburg's Devin Street, Tulane's Ryan Grant and Notre Dame's TJ Jones rounds out the talented crop of pass catchers for this up coming season.
Jordan Matthews*, WR Vanderbilt 6-3 205 lb.:
Strength: An explosive receiver that possess nice size and reliable hands. He's intelligently reads defenses and consistently finds the open spot on the field. Matthew is a fluid receiver who flashes big play ability. He plays with both balance and body control and is elusive running after the catch. Runs good routes and shows good timing out of his breaks. A good downfield blocker and is a consistent player.
Weakness: Matthews doesn't possess a quick release off the line of scrimmage and is not a constant deep vertical threat. He needs to learn how to fight through double teams to get open. He also needs to become sharper in his route running as he has a tendency to round off his routes during the play.
Final Analysis: Matthews is a complete receiver who has the ability to be a number one receiver at the next level and is someone to keep your eye on. He's a smart receiver that is blessed with great size, speed and hands that NFL teams covet. Matthews has been a very consistent player for Vanderbilt and brings a good work ethic to all areas of his game. He is projected as a middle-to-late first round pick and could go higher with another productive season.
Cody Hoffman, QB BYU 6-3 215 lb.:
Strength: Hoffman is a productive player that brings good value as a possession receiver for the NFL Level. He is a nice-sized target who does a good job of making receptions away from his body easily adjusting to bad passes. Fluid releasing off the line, quickly gets into breaks, and runs sharp routes. Possesses soft hands, easily adjusts to errant throws, and snatches the pass from the air. Has a burst of speed, which he turns on in a single step. Easily makes receptions in stride and shows good overall awareness.
Weakness: Not very elusive and struggles with getting separation sometimes against corners. Average burst after the catch and doesn't show great acceleration. Tries to do too much when the ball is in his hands at times. Will dropped a few very catchable balls, including easy bucket throw over shoulder. He's been an inconsistent blocker and must improve his effort in this area.
Final Analysis: Hoffman is a big receiver who uses his size well. He is a great threat to have in the red zone as he runs good routes and has excellent hands. He plays physical and shows great potential to be a number two receiver in the NFL.
Other WRs to watch:
Devin Street, WR Pittsburgh: Street is a tall lanky receiver at 6-4 190 pounds. He's been a solid receiver for Pittsburgh the past few seasons. He led the team in receptions in 2012 and is a nice target to have. His height and leaping ability makes him an intriguing prospect for scouts. He lacks the long speed that scouts look for and is projected as a third or forth receiver in the NFL. Street also needs to get stronger.
Ryan Grant, WR Tulane: Grant possesses great quickness off the line that helps him shake off press and fly by cornerbacks playing off-coverage. Not a big vertical threat but does have a short area burst to his game. He is also very elusive after the catch and can makes defenders miss. Grant is a fluid route runner who plays with good balance and body control. He will need to improve his strength to win battles against bigger NFL corners.
T.J. Jones, WR Notre Dome: Jones is a quick and speedy receiver that displays good sure hands. His skill set fits best as a slot receiver in the NFL. Jones is a tough player that will go over the middle and make tough catches. He needs to improve his route running and awareness. Jones is being counted on to take over as the number one pass option for Notre Dame offense this season. A big year as the teams top receiver could see his draft status increase.
*NUC Alum
NUC/NFL scouting reports include senior eligible players only.
Follow: @tabersmall
Courtesy: Taber Small/ Schuman's National Underclassmen
The 2013 College Football Season showcases a talented group of big-bodied senior receivers to keep your eye on for next years NFL draft. Vanderbilt's big play receiver Jordan Matthews and BYU's Cody Hoffman are the top wide receiving prospects in college football. Pittsburg's Devin Street, Tulane's Ryan Grant and Notre Dame's TJ Jones rounds out the talented crop of pass catchers for this up coming season.
Jordan Matthews*, WR Vanderbilt 6-3 205 lb.:
Strength: An explosive receiver that possess nice size and reliable hands. He's intelligently reads defenses and consistently finds the open spot on the field. Matthew is a fluid receiver who flashes big play ability. He plays with both balance and body control and is elusive running after the catch. Runs good routes and shows good timing out of his breaks. A good downfield blocker and is a consistent player.
Weakness: Matthews doesn't possess a quick release off the line of scrimmage and is not a constant deep vertical threat. He needs to learn how to fight through double teams to get open. He also needs to become sharper in his route running as he has a tendency to round off his routes during the play.
Final Analysis: Matthews is a complete receiver who has the ability to be a number one receiver at the next level and is someone to keep your eye on. He's a smart receiver that is blessed with great size, speed and hands that NFL teams covet. Matthews has been a very consistent player for Vanderbilt and brings a good work ethic to all areas of his game. He is projected as a middle-to-late first round pick and could go higher with another productive season.
Cody Hoffman, QB BYU 6-3 215 lb.:
Strength: Hoffman is a productive player that brings good value as a possession receiver for the NFL Level. He is a nice-sized target who does a good job of making receptions away from his body easily adjusting to bad passes. Fluid releasing off the line, quickly gets into breaks, and runs sharp routes. Possesses soft hands, easily adjusts to errant throws, and snatches the pass from the air. Has a burst of speed, which he turns on in a single step. Easily makes receptions in stride and shows good overall awareness.
Weakness: Not very elusive and struggles with getting separation sometimes against corners. Average burst after the catch and doesn't show great acceleration. Tries to do too much when the ball is in his hands at times. Will dropped a few very catchable balls, including easy bucket throw over shoulder. He's been an inconsistent blocker and must improve his effort in this area.
Final Analysis: Hoffman is a big receiver who uses his size well. He is a great threat to have in the red zone as he runs good routes and has excellent hands. He plays physical and shows great potential to be a number two receiver in the NFL.
Other WRs to watch:
Devin Street, WR Pittsburgh: Street is a tall lanky receiver at 6-4 190 pounds. He's been a solid receiver for Pittsburgh the past few seasons. He led the team in receptions in 2012 and is a nice target to have. His height and leaping ability makes him an intriguing prospect for scouts. He lacks the long speed that scouts look for and is projected as a third or forth receiver in the NFL. Street also needs to get stronger.
Ryan Grant, WR Tulane: Grant possesses great quickness off the line that helps him shake off press and fly by cornerbacks playing off-coverage. Not a big vertical threat but does have a short area burst to his game. He is also very elusive after the catch and can makes defenders miss. Grant is a fluid route runner who plays with good balance and body control. He will need to improve his strength to win battles against bigger NFL corners.
T.J. Jones, WR Notre Dome: Jones is a quick and speedy receiver that displays good sure hands. His skill set fits best as a slot receiver in the NFL. Jones is a tough player that will go over the middle and make tough catches. He needs to improve his route running and awareness. Jones is being counted on to take over as the number one pass option for Notre Dame offense this season. A big year as the teams top receiver could see his draft status increase.
*NUC Alum
NUC/NFL scouting reports include senior eligible players only.
Follow: @tabersmall
Courtesy: Taber Small/ Schuman's National Underclassmen
EBF
Footballguy
Odell Beckham will be a pretty high pick (first 3-4 rounds).
He might not have a great FF upside because he doesn't have conventional #1 WR size or skills, but he's clearly an NFL caliber athlete.
The LSU spring game was basically an Odell Beckham highlight reel. He's #3 in white:
http://youtu.be/sv964q6D-M8?t=1m28s
He might not have a great FF upside because he doesn't have conventional #1 WR size or skills, but he's clearly an NFL caliber athlete.
The LSU spring game was basically an Odell Beckham highlight reel. He's #3 in white:
http://youtu.be/sv964q6D-M8?t=1m28s
MAC_32
Footballguy
It will be better at the top at QB and WR. Probably comparable at TE and RB, maybe a RB or two will emerge but nothing sticks out right now. Tough to expect it to be as deep across the board, but it could be.
MAC_32
Footballguy
At this time last year, EJ Manuel was the same thing. Manuel made some improvements, but he has a long ways to go. Logan can do the same, but unfortunately he will likely be competing in a more QB rich class and could fall to day 2 like Manuel should have/would have had he come out another year.
Still don't understand why Tahj went back to school...
EJ Manuel, at the end of his Junior year, was miles ahead of where Logan Thomas is currently.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Agreed. Not even close to the same.
MAC_32
Footballguy
Big arm, fast, can't read the field, sloppy foot work, poor decision making, poor pocket presence, inaccurate.
Sounds the same to me.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
I know you don't believe in things like "numbers" or "math" but I'm curious...
Manual: 65.3% completion rate, 8.6 yards/attempt, 7.7% TD Rate
Thomas: 55.1% completion rate, 7.2 yards/attempt, 4.4% TD Rate
If there's no difference between these two guys what are your definitions of
?
MAC_32
Footballguy
As you eluded to I'm a lot more concerned about the why than the raw data when it comes to evaluating the pro prospects of current college players. If you're saying you think Manuel did not have the issues I mentioned, and for that matter still has, then I could not disagree more with your assessment.
The skills in the list you compiled aren't binary. EJ can both require improvement on certain aspects (footwork, decision making, etc) while still being MILES ahead of Logan Thomas in those skills.
offdee
Footballguy
Guys who are better prospects than any comparable offensive skill position player in this year's draft:
- QB: Teddy Bridgewater
- WR: Marqise Lee
- WR: Sammy Watkins
- TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (on same level as Tyler Eifert)
- RB: Lache Seastrunk
- RB: Ka'Deem Carey
I put the RB's last because those are the biggest question marks at this time and suppose some could argue that Gio Bernard or Eddie Lacy were better prospects. I tend to disagree.
It's not as deep as this year's crop, but better elite type talent at the top.
- QB: Teddy Bridgewater
- WR: Marqise Lee
- WR: Sammy Watkins
- TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (on same level as Tyler Eifert)
- RB: Lache Seastrunk
- RB: Ka'Deem Carey
I put the RB's last because those are the biggest question marks at this time and suppose some could argue that Gio Bernard or Eddie Lacy were better prospects. I tend to disagree.
It's not as deep as this year's crop, but better elite type talent at the top.
