As the season moves forward, consistency will become easier to judge. Already Boise State’s Billy Winn is looking like a very inconsistent player who flashes first round ability, but at times goes missing. From my 20 games watched over the past two weeks, there are lots of prospects who made moves on my board.
Risers
Marc Tyler – running back – USC. Tyler isn’t going to be a super high pick as he lacks top speed. However, he has excellent vision and runs with good lean. He’s very good in pass protection, even against bigger defensive lineman. He did have a fumble in the Arizona State game, which is a concern, but overall he looks like he can form part of a rotation at the next level.
Vick Ballard – running back – Mississippi State. Vick is looking like a good all around back. He looks very quick and also has the ability to break tackles. He is a reliable receiver and gives good effort in pass protection.
Marquis Maze – wide receiver – Alabama. He may not have the gaudy numbers of Ryan Broyles as he doesn’t play in a spread offense, but Maze can still impact a game. His punt return for a touchdown against Arkansas was fantastic and helped turn the game in the Crimson Tide’s favor.
Gerell Robinson – wide receiver – Arizona State. It looks like Robinson is going to eclipse his career high season total of 29 receptions from 2010. He’s a big receiver and has the ability to sit down in the soft spots of zone coverage. He would be a useful big target for a young quarterback.
Markus Zusevics – offensive tackle – Iowa. The spread offense in college is impacting the tackle position as much as the quarterback position. Technique in general seems to be sloppy as short passes don’t require blocks to be held for any length of time. It was therefore refreshing to watch Zusevics and his fantastic technique. He’s not a top athlete, but more than makes up for it by doing the little things right.
Robert Golden – free safety – Arizona. The NFL loves safeties who can cover man to man and Golden is just that sort of player. He has experience at cornerback and the Wildcats still employ him in man coverage at times, where he looks very comfortable. He looks to have loose hips and can change directions smoothly. Clemson’s Marcus Gilchrist was taken with the 50th pick in the 2010 draft and Golden is a similar player, so I would expect him to be taken in this region.
Mark Barron – strong safety – Alabama. Barron looks to be moving better this year. He showed good range in coverage in the Arkansas game and is an explosive tackler.
Brandon Taylor – strong safety – LSU. He’s a prospect who still is somewhat of a flash player, but he’s showing good range. He has the ability to get downhill and make tackles in the run game. He does disappear for large portions of the game, but I think he’s doing enough to push himself into the middle rounds.
Fallers
Ryan Tannehill – quarterback – Texas A&M. Tannehill had a rough outing against Oklahoma State. He threw three interceptions, two of which were because he was staring down his receiver. He looks like he’s a couple of years away from starting in the NFL in a pro style offense.
Isaiah Pead – running back – Cincinnati. Some like Pead as a first round pick. However, he looks to be a one dimensional one cut zone blocking scheme back. It’s possible to draft these types of prospects in the later rounds, so I don’t think his value comes anywhere close to the first frame.
Greg Childs – wide receiver – Arkansas. Childs looks to be a shadow of the player he was before his knee injury. Arkansas insist he is 100%, but he’s not showing any explosion down the field. He has only four receptions from the three games he’s played to date.
Deangelo Peterson – tight end – LSU. Peterson impressed in the opening week against Oregon. However, the past two weeks he has been almost invisible and this lack of consistency means it’s going to be a struggle for him to get out of the later rounds.
Ladarius Green – tight end – Louisiana-Lafayette. Green dropped two catches and struggled as a blocker, even when sealing the edge. He also struggled to get separation at times. He did score a 41 yard TD, but was wide open off a play fake on fourth and one.
George Bryan – tight end – North Carolina State. He has the size to be a good inline blocker, yet he really struggles in this area. He’s a reliable short-medium range receiver, but may struggle to find his way onto an NFL roster if his blocking doesn’t improve.
Bruce Irvin – defensive end – West Virginia. He is playing out of position at DE in a 3-3-5 defense, but even so he failed to show up much against SEC opposition in the LSU game. He was a non factor against the run and only had a couple of good moments rushing the passer.
Julian Miller – defensive end – West Virginia. Miller is really struggling to make any kind of impact this season. He struggles to hold up in the run game and has been a non factor rushing the passer. He came into the season with a mid round grade, but is looking more like a late round/free agent type.
Billy Winn – defensive tackle – Boise State. Winn flashed the ability to penetrate in the season opener against Georgia. However, against Toledo he didn’t show up at all. He’ll need to find consistency quickly to be viewed as a first round pick.
Renard Williams – defensive tackle – Eastern Washington. Rated as a mid round pick by some, Williams was very quiet in the Montana game. He looked heavy and slow, thus more like a later round space eater type.
Josh Chapman – nose tackle – Alabama. Chapman wasn’t on the field much against a wide open Arkansas offense. When he was he showed nothing as a pass rusher and indeed have a minimal impact on the game. Rated as a first round pick by some, it’s doubtful an NFL team will want to invest such a high pick on an old fashioned two down space eater.
Chris Galippo – linebacker – USC. Galippo doesn’t look like he’s athletic enough for the next level. He struggled to get outside the numbers against Arizona State’s spread offense. He also took too many false steps, further delaying his arrival on outside runs and swing passes.
Paul Emery - Paul Emery has been following the NFL Draft since the mid 80's and watches over 250 games a year in order to pick out the best ...
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