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2009 Prospect Position Analysis -2
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Position rankings by Wes Bunting of The National Football Post

Analysis by Alen1

 

Much like the United States of America, the National Football League has a stock market, that runs from February through April. During the three-month period in the stock market, college prospects will lose and gain money, much like the millions of stock holders across the country. However, they’re losses and gains will depend on physicals, interviews and specific drills that display the players physical abilities. While players are working out at the API training center, eating nutrition’s to gain a specific weight that’s looked for by NFL teams, building up muscle mass as well as being taught how to interview properly and sell themselves to thirty-two NFL teams across the country, draftniks worldwide prepare their own scouting reports, mock drafts and positional rankings - much like Wes Bunting from NationalFootballPost.com. Wes Bunting of the NFP has done weekly positional rankings and I am hoping to leave some of my thoughts on his rankings as well as some of the players included and omitted on/from the list.

The first positional ranking that Mr. Bunting has done is the Quarterbacks and they are listed as the following:

Quarterbacks
 

1. Mark Sanchez: USC (6-3, 225)
2. Matthew Stafford: Georgia (6-3, 236)
3. Josh Freeman: Kansas State (6-6, 248)
4. Nate Davis:20Ball State (6-2, 218)
5. Graham Harrell: Texas Tech (6-2, 205)
6. Stephen McGee: Texas A&M (6-3, 216)
7. Rhett Bomar: Sam Houston State (6-2, 216)
8. Pat White: West Virginia (6-0, 192)
9. Nathan Brown: Central Arkansas (6-1, 214)
10. Curtis Painter: Purdue (6-3, 222)

The first ranking that stands out to me is the very first one. Mark Sanchez as the top overall rated Quarterback. Sanchez has the tools that the NFL looks for in its Quarterback. He has good pocket presence, a good arm, played in a pro style offense and displayed good accuracy. However, he does have one thing going against him and that is him only having very few starts at the collegiate level. A recent study done showed that Quarterbacks who have less than 35 starts at the college level haven’t had a great amount of success at the next level. Is USC’s Mark Sanchez the next one to fail to live up to the hype? Whomever is pondering taking the star Quarterback must do their homework. Moving on, Matthew Stafford should be at the top of the list in my opinion. While Stafford does struggle with accuracy at times and questionable decision making, he has shown a lot of potential  by displaying a big arm- which garners attention from NFL owners such as Al Davis; just look at Jamarcus Russell - as well as playing in a pro style offense much like Sanchez of USC. The next name on the list is Kansas State’s Josh Freemen. He might be the ‘boom or bust’ player at the Quarterback position. He can be anywhere from a twenties first round pick to a early second rounder, depending on the teams that fall in love with him. Freemen also have a live arm and great stature at the Quarterback position but has short to intermediate accuracy issues. He tends to force throws, leading to bad decisions and ultimately turnovers. He threw double-digit interceptions in two of his three seasons at Kansas State and has drawn comparisons to former Viking and Dolphin Daunte Culpepper. Furthermore, Nate Davis would be ahead of Freemen on my list. Davis has a very strong arm and very good accuracy despite not having his hands on the laces of the ball when throwing; some call it untraditional and should be corrected, I say if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it. Davis has won a handful games at Ball State but there are concerns that come along with him. Davis suffered from a learning disability which led to him struggling to grasp Ball State’s playbook as fast as others but eventually got it down pat and has had no problems of note. Another concern that comes with Davis is his height. Is he really 6’2”? 6’2” is a bit small for a Quarterback but the same was said about Drew Brees and he’s shorter. However, there are rumors that Davis could be 5’10”! At 5’10”, he would be awfully small for an NFL Quarterback and his stock would start to plummet, much like the stock market in the depression era. Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell set all kinds of passing records at his alma mater, playing out of a spread offense. Harrell has displayed great pocket presence, standing like an I in the pocket, and has displayed tremendous accuracy down field throughout his collegiate career. However, the real test came in Senior Bowl practices when Harrell was asked to take snaps under center, something he had done very little of, and read the defense prior to the snap while under center. Harrell struggled mightily with a number of fumbles and was eventually given an assigned center so he can take the snaps and display some of his tools in the Senior Bowl. Unfortunately, that didn’t go the way he hoped as he struggled throwing with an interception as well as multiple one-hoppers. Harrell who was once considered a possible third round draft pick has seen his stock go down to the fifth round.

The next five are Quarterbacks who had some success in college but are bit of a project. The first one being Texas A&M’s Stephen McGee. McGee battled a shoulder injury this past season and was limited but in the past years, he has shown a decent arm with good mobility. Moving on to Rhett Bomar of Sam Houston State and formerly of Oklahoma. The once Sooner may be the best Senior Quarterback in the class, displaying a good arm with good accuracy. Pat White of West Virginia State is a dual-threat Quarterback who has shown that he can be a passer at the next level but he might not be one; likely being moved to the wide receiver spot in the future. White has pretty good accuracy to go with a decent arm and great elusiveness in the open field to create long plays. The issue at Quarterback with White is that he has played primarily out of the shotgun in college and doesn’t do a good job of looking off defenders to create separation for his wide receivers down field. On to Nathan Brown, who I frankly haven’t seen too much of but from what I have seen, he has proven that his throws tend to be all over the place and inaccurate. Personally, I’m not a big fan of the kid but I’ve only seen a game or so of him. To round it out, Curtis Painter of Purdue has the ideal size for a Quarterback and was once considered a first day pick but struggled this past season and has seen his stock drop.

Running Backs
 

1. Knowshon Moreno: Georgia (5-11, 208)
2. Chris Wells: Ohio State (6-1, 237)
3. LeSean McCoy: Pittsburgh (5-11, 210)
4. Shonn Greene: Iowa (5-11, 235)
5. Donald Brown: Connecticut (5-10, 210)
6. Jeremiah Johnson: Oregon (5-9, 208)
7. Rashad Jennings: Liberty (6-1, 232)
8. Javon Ringer: Michigan State (5-9, 205)
9. Mike Goodson: Texas A&M (6-0, 198)
10. Andre Brown: N.C. State (6-0 224)

This class of running backs looks to be a good one. Georgia’s very talented Knowshon Moreno heads the list as he has tremendous speed, athleticism and vision. Chris Wells of Ohio State is a big, bruising north to south runner who is light on his feet and is extremely talented but durability issues have hampered him from fulfilling his potential. LeSean McCoy of Pittsburgh was on and off about entering the draft and eventually decided to forego his senior season to enter the mix at running back. McCoy is a great cutback runner who has quick feet and has been very productive at Pittsburgh, breaking the great Tony Dorsett’s records. Moving on, Iowa’s Shonn Greene came out of nowhere to break rushing records and win the Doak Walker award. Greene is a hard nosed runner who keeps his feet moving but lacks a second gear and has elite speed questions. Another concern for scouts is that he reportedly ballooned up to 300 pounds last off-season and battled to stay under the 250 mark, stating he played this past season at the weight of 235 pounds. The concerns continue on as he didn’t have the test scores to get into Iowa at first, settling for a prep school and then making his mark at Iowa. Those concerns scream lack of discipline and commitment. To round off the top five running backs, Connecticut’s Donald Brown is a good player who has put up big numbers at his alma matter and displayed his talents, slashing through defenses with sharp cuts.

To start the second round of five, Jeremiah Johnson of Oregon is a good cutback runner who is also a threat out of the backfield but lacks explosiveness and a second gear to bust a long one in the open field. Rashad Jennings of Liberty is a tough runner who also displays good hands out of the backfield. Michigan State’s Javon Ringer may be the toughest back in this draft, taking on 402 carries this past season and displaying great lower leg strength. However, it seems to have taken a toll on him as he has had knee issues that has affected his draft stock. Once considered a second rounder, Ringer seems to be slipping on draft boards. Texas A&M’s Mike Goodson is a good change of pace back who can take it to the house at any moment. Finally, Andre Brown of North Carolina State has battled through injuries but is still very talented and a guy that you don’t want to meet when he’s running downhill with his shoulders squared.

 

 

Wide Receivers
 

1. Michael Crabtree: Texas Tech (6-3, 214) 
2. Jeremy Maclin: Missouri (6-1, 200) 
3. Percy Harvin: Florida (5-11,195)
4. Hakeem Nicks: North Carolina (6-1, 210)
5. Darrius Heyward-Bey: Maryland (6-2, 206)
6. Kenny Britt: Rutgers (6-4, 215)  
7. Derrick Williams: Penn State (6-0, 200)
8. Juaquin Iglesias: Oklahoma (6-0 204)
9. Brandon Tate: North Carolina (6-1, 195)
10. Brian Robiskie: Ohio State (6-2, 200)

 Every team in the NFL is looking for the next Andre Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald and the man who seems to have teams drooling over him is Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree. Crabtree displays great body control, upper body strength that is  equivalent to Cardinals Anquan Boldin and good hands. The issues that come along with Crabtree are that he hasn’t ran all the routes on the tree nor has he played in a pro style offense. He has had some success due to opposing defenses being spread out evenly across the field and having man to man matchups because of that. He also has been playing wide receiver a relatively short time and that’s clear when you watch him run routes; he tends to round them off instead of running them sharp like Hakeem Nicks does, which brings me to my next topic. I realize that Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin are dynamic players who can take it to the house at any time but to place them over North Carolina’s Hakeem Nicks is a bit odd in my opinion. Nicks may be the most-ready wide receiver in this draft as he runs great routes, creating separation using his head and shoulders and is very difficult to bring down after the catch due to very good upper body strength and a mean stiff-arm. I would place Nicks right after Crabtree, with Maclin and Rutgers Kenny Britt. Britt gets little attention due to his lower college program but when he does receive attention, he makes the most of it. A physical wide receiver who does a good job of running routes, using his upper body to create separation such as on double moves, and has good hands. He’s also a good red zone target and a  physical blocker who is very willing to hit as seen here . The only concern with Britt seem to be that he may be a prima-donna as pointed out by ESPN’s Todd McShay but I haven’t seen anything to support that claim so it’s a non-issue to me as of now.  Florida Gators Percy Harvin would be next on the list of wide receivers. A electrifying talent that has good hands and is a decent blocker in his own right. The issues that come with Harvin are that he has trouble staying healthy, with constant lower foot injuries.

The next few wide receivers included on the list are Penn State’s Derrick Williams, who is a very good route runner, has good hands and has displayed versatility during his time at Penn State as a kick returner. Oklahoma’s Juaquin Iglesias is a good route runner who will go over the middle but won’t always haul it in, as he tends to drop balls that are right in the bread basket. He also lacks elite speed but displays quickness off the line of scrimmage to beat cornerbacks, as seen against Oklahoma State’s John Lacey. UNC’s Brandon Tate had his season end with a torn ACL unfortunately but prior to that, he was lighting the NCAA up with his all-around game. He was a vertical thread to go along as a kick returner and punt returner, amassing 500+ yards alone in one game early in the season. To finalize the list, Ohio State’s Brian Robiskie gets the last spot and it comes as no surprise. A bit of an underrated player, Robiskie is a good route runner who will show good body control and make difficult catches, however will come up with drops that he shouldn’t make.

Honorable mention goes to BYU’s Austin Collie, who was separated from this group into another one but deserved to be in the consideration for the top ten wide receivers. He’s a hard nosed football player who has a tremendous work ethic, is Quarterback friendly - meaning he comes back to the QB’s once plays break down - and has good hands. He also runs solid routes. An underrated player in my mind.

Slot Receivers
 

1. Mike Thomas: Arizona (5-8 187)
2. Quan Cosby: Texas (5-9, 191)
3. Deon Butler: Penn State (5-11, 168)
4. Sammie Stroughter: Oregon State (6-0, 189)
5. Jordan Norwood: Penn State (5-10, 174)

I didn’t plan on adding this to the list of thoughts but I figured I might as well. Mike Thomas of Arizona has great quickness, good hands and production at the collegiate level. He has a small frame but will be a very good slot receiver at the next level. Texas’ Quan Cosby is not overly impressive but has made big time catches in big time games, look no further than the bowl game against Ohio State in the closing moments. Deon Butler of Penn State is the ‘other’ wide receiver and he is a vertical threat with good hands and quickness. Sammie Stroughter of Oregon State has battled some depression issues but came back this year and picked up where he left off a couple seasons ago, with game-changing plays. Jordan Norwood of Penn State shined in the skills competition as he effortlessly hauled in passes from the JUGS machine and displayed go od quickness.

Offensive Tackles
 

1. Eugene Monroe: Virginia (6-5, 315)
2. Andre Smith: Alabama (6-4, 340)
3. Jason Smith: Baylor (6-5, 300)
4. Michael Oher: Mississippi (6-5, 320)
5. Eben Britton: Arizona (6-6, 310)
6. William Beatty: Connecticut (6-6, 310)
7. Jamon Meredith: South Carolina (6-5, 289)
8. Fenuki Tupou: Oregon (6-5, 332)
9. Jason Watkins: Florida (6-6, 317)
10. Augustus Parrish: Kent State (6-5, 300)

This position is one of my weaker ones as I haven’t been able to study much of it due to not having tape on all players listed but I will give my best effort to supply information to all viewers, so here we go. Eugene Monroe of Virginia is a big kid who has good feet and quickness off the line. He does a good job of keeping his hands high and not allowing pass rushers into his chest area, not making him available for a bulrush by the pass rusher. Andre Smith of Alabama is a decent Left Tackle and a pretty good Right Tackle but might be a damn good Right Guard. Smith strugg les with speed rushers off the edge and has trouble recovering once given multiple pass rush moves. He has great athleticism for a man his stature and weight and is immovable once he gets his hands on you. However, the lack of elite feet quickness and the last one being off the line of scrimmage - making him liable to get beaten constantly - makes him a Right Tackle at the next level in my opinion. He’s a tremendous run blocker and would be a fine inline Guard, in other words a Right Guard. Ebon Britton of Arizona has good athleticism and quickness off the line of scrimmage while William Beatty is a bit under-weight at 290 lbs. but has good quickness off the line and does a good job of riding pass rushers wide of the Quarterbacks pocket. Jamon Meredith of South Carolina has great versatility that makes him a attractive player for NFL teams as he’s spent time at Guard and Tackle. A name that isn’t listed on here is Oklahoma’s massive Left Tackle Phil Loadholt. I personally am not a big fan of Loadholt as I find him struggling to move his feet quickly, lack of lateral mobility and he allows defenders to get under him as his stature (6’8”) is a disadvantage to him. I think he will be a RT or a RG at the next level due to his run blocking skills and decent feet.

Offensive Guards
 

1. Duke Robinson: Oklahoma (6-5, 335)
2. Herman John son: LSU (6-7, 382)
3. Tyronne Green: Auburn (6-2, 309)
4. Andy Levitre: Oregon State (6-2, 318)
5. Trevor Canfield: Cincinnati (6-5, 305)
6. Kraig Urbik: Wisconsin (6-6, 323)
7. T.J. Lang: Eastern Michigan (6-4, 312)
8. Seth Olsen: Iowa (6-5, 304)
9. Cornelius Lewis: Tennessee State (6-4, 324)
10. Jaimie Thomas: Maryland (6-4, 331)

Oklahoma’s Duke Robinson also headlines my list of Offensive Guards as he’s a mauler in run blocking, showing a bit of a mean streak and is good at the second level, hitting moving targets. Herman Johnson is quite the opposite in the second level, struggling to hit moving targets which makes me question the LSU staff putting him at LG. He however is enormous and was recorded as one of the biggest babies ever born in the state of Louisiana. Johnson is dominant once he gets his hands on you. Oregon State’s Andy Levitre can play any position on the line and play it well. He’s likely to be a Right Guard at the next level. Others have not been watched on tape yet or have not been recorded.


Centers
 

1. Alex Mack: California (6-4, 314)
2. Max Unger: Oregon (6-5, 305)
3. Eric Wood: Louisville (6-5, 308)
4. Antoine Caldwell: Alabama (6-5, 305)
5. Jonathan Luigs: Arkansas (6-5, 314)
6. Cecil Newton: Tennessee State (6-2, 295)
7. A.Q. Shipley: Penn State (6-1, 297)
8. Alex Fletcher: Stanford (6-3, 302)
9. Brett Helms: LSU (6-2, 282)
10. Jon Cooper: Oklahoma (6-2, 292)

California’s Alex Mack headlines the list of Centers with his dominant run blocking skills and good pass blocking skills. The concern that lies with Mack is that he gets too upright in pass blocking, making him susceptible to overpowering nose tackles but that is something that can be corrected. Unger of Oregon has tremendous versatility, able to play all positions across the board and is very good at the second level. Eric Wood of Louisville also has versatility, spending time at Guard and Center and is noted as dominating stud NT B.J. Raji. Antoine Caldwell in Alabama is a very good run blocker who is always looking to get his hands on someone and is also a good pass protector. A. Q. Shipley of Penn State is undersized at the position and has smaller arms than your typical center but has very good production at PSU. To top off my thoughts on the Center spot, Brett Helms of LSU is a good run blocker who helped open up holes for running back Charles Scott.