1.2    Jacksonville    Geno Smith    QB    West Virginia

1.3    Oakland    Dee Milliner    CB    Alabama

1.4    Philadelphia    Star Loutilelei    DL    Utah

1.5    Detroit    Eric Fisher    OT    Central Michigan

1.6    Cleveland    Dion Jordan    OLB    Oregon

1.7    Arizona    Lane Johnson    OT    Oklahoma

1.8    Buffalo    Tavon Austin    WR    West Virginia

1.9    New York Jets    Barkevious Mingo    OLB    LSU

1.10    Tennessee    Sharrif Floyd    DT    Florida

1.11    San Diego    Desmond Trufant    CB    Washington

1.12    Miami    Sheldon Richardson    DT    Missouri

1.13    Tampa Bay    Tyler Eifert    TE    Notre Dame

1.14    Carolina    Xavier Rhodes    CB    Florida State

1.15    New Orleans    Ezekiel Ansah    OLB    BYU

1.16    St. Louis    DJ Fluker    OT/OG    Alabama

1.17    Pittsburgh    Cordarelle Patterson    WR    Tennessee

1.18    Dallas    Chance Warmack    OG    Alabama

1.19    New York Giants    Tank Carradine    DE    Florida State

1.20    Chicago    Arthur Brown    LB    Kansas State

1.21    Cincinatti    John Cyprien    S    South Keep Reading...]]> Pick    Team             Player            Position    School
1.1    Kansas City    Luke Joeckel    OT    Texas A&M

1.2    Jacksonville    Geno Smith    QB    West Virginia

1.3    Oakland    Dee Milliner    CB    Alabama

1.4    Philadelphia    Star Loutilelei    DL    Utah

1.5    Detroit    Eric Fisher    OT    Central Michigan

1.6    Cleveland    Dion Jordan    OLB    Oregon

1.7    Arizona    Lane Johnson    OT    Oklahoma

1.8    Buffalo    Tavon Austin    WR    West Virginia

1.9    New York Jets    Barkevious Mingo    OLB    LSU

1.10    Tennessee    Sharrif Floyd    DT    Florida

1.11    San Diego    Desmond Trufant    CB    Washington

1.12    Miami    Sheldon Richardson    DT    Missouri

1.13    Tampa Bay    Tyler Eifert    TE    Notre Dame

1.14    Carolina    Xavier Rhodes    CB    Florida State

1.15    New Orleans    Ezekiel Ansah    OLB    BYU

1.16    St. Louis    DJ Fluker    OT/OG    Alabama

1.17    Pittsburgh    Cordarelle Patterson    WR    Tennessee

1.18    Dallas    Chance Warmack    OG    Alabama

1.19    New York Giants    Tank Carradine    DE    Florida State

1.20    Chicago    Arthur Brown    LB    Kansas State

1.21    Cincinatti    John Cyprien    S    South Florida

1.22    St. Louis f/Was    Sylvester Williams    DT    North Carolina

1.23    Minnesota    Bjoern Werner    DE    Florida State

1.24    Indianapolis    Jonathan Cooper    OG    North Carolina

1.25    Minnesota f/Sea    Justin Hunter    WR    Tennessee

1.26    Green Bay    Kenny Vacarro    S    Texas

1.27    Houston    Markus Wheaton    WR    Oregon State

1.28    Denver    Matt Elam    S    Florida

1.29    New England    Jesse Williams    DT    Alabama

1.30    Atlanta    Corey Lemonier    DE    Auburn

1.31    San Francisco    Datone Jones    DL    UCLA

1.32    Baltimore    Jamie Collins    OLB    Southern Miss

2.33    Jacksonville    Terron Armstead    OT    Arkansas-Pine Bluff

2.34    San Francisco f/KC    Deandre Hopkins    WR    Clemson

2.35    Philadelphia    Jamar Taylor    CB    Boise State

2.36    Detroit    Cornelius Washington    DE    Georgia

2.37    Cincinatti f/OAK    Alex Okafor    DE    Texas

2.38    Arizona    Jarvis Jones    OLB    Georgia

2.39    New York Jets    EJ Manuel    QB    Florida State

2.40    Tennessee    Travis Kelce    TE    Cincinatti

2.41    Buffalo    Kevin Minter    LB    LSU

2.42    Miami    Menelik Watson    OT    Florida State

2.43    Tampa Bay    Leon McFadden    CB    San Diego State

2.44    Carolina    Keenan Allen   WR    California

2.45    San Diego    Larry Warford    OG    Kentucky

2.46    St. Louis    Sio Moore    LB    Connecticut

2.47    Dallas    Eric Reid    S    LSU

2.48    Pittsburgh    Margus Hunt    DE    SMU

2.49    New York Giants    Dallas Thomas    OL    Tennessee

2.50    Chicago    Gavin Escobar    TE    San Diego State

2.51    Washington    Johnathan Hankins    DL    Ohio State

2.52    Minnesota    Mike Glennon    QB    North Carolina State

2.53    Cincinatti    Johnathan Franklin    RB    UCLA

2.54    Miami f/Ind    Kyle Long    OL    Oregon

2.55    Green Bay    Kawann Short    DT    Purdue

2.56    Seattle    Khaseem Greene    LB    Rutgers

2.57    Houston    Manti Te’o    LB    Notre Dame

2.58    Denver    Alec Ogletree    LB    Georgia

2.59    New England    B.W. Webb    CB    William and Mary

2.60    Atlanta    Robert Alford    CB    Southeastern Louisiana

2.61    San Francisco     Phillip Thomas    S    Fresno State

2.62    Baltimore    Da’Rick Rogers    WR    Tennessee Tech

3.63    Kansas City    Ryan Nassib    QB    Syracuse

3.64    Jacksonville    Tharold Simon    CB    LSU

3.65    Detroit    Zaviar Gooden    LB    Missouri

3.66    Oakland    Matt Barkley    QB    USC

3.67    Philadelphia    John Jenkins    DT    Georgia

3.68    Cleveland    Darius Slay    CB    Mississippi State

3.69    Arizona    Eddie Lacy    RB    Alabama

3.70    Tennessee    Justin Pugh    OL    Syracuse

3.71    Buffalo    Quinton Patton    WR    Louisiana Tech

3.72    New York Jets    DeVonte Holloman    LB    South Carolina

3.73    Tampa Bay    Jordan Poyer    CB    Oregon State

3.74    San Francisco f/Car    Christine Michael    RB    Texas A&M

3.75    New Orleans    Brandon Williams    DT    Missouri Southern

3.76    San Diego    Vance McDonald    TE    Rice

3.77    Miami    Johnthan Banks    CB    Mississippi State

3.78    St. Louis     DJ Swearinger    S    South Carolina

3.79    Pittsburgh    Logan Ryan    CB    Rutgers

3.80    Dallas    Nickell Robey    CB    USC

3.81    Miami f/Chi    Damontre Moore    DE    Texas A&M

3.82    Minnesota    Devin Taylor    DE    South Carolina

3.83    Cincinatti    Tyler Wilson    QB    Arkansas

3.84    Washington    Jordan Reed    TE    Florida

3.85    Indianapolis    Trevardo Williams    LB    Connecticut

3.86    Seattle     Lerentee McCray    LB    Florida

3.87    Green Bay    Stedman Bailey    WR    West Virginia

3.88    New England    Bacarri Rambo    S    Georgia

3.89    Atlanta    Robert Woods    WR    USC

3.90    San Francisco    Dion Sims    TE    Michigan State

3.91    Baltimore    Shamarko Thomas    S    Syracuse

3.92    Houston (Comp)    Zac Dysert    QB    Miami (OH)

3.93    Kansas City (Comp)    TJ McDonald    S    USC

3.94    Tennessee (Comp)    Barrett Jones    OL    Alabama

The state of West Virginia currently only has two Division I programs. That also just happens to be the same amount of NFL players that were born in the state; the great Randy Moss of the San Francisco 49ers and Derek Hardman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Born and raised in West Virginia, it’s also where Aaron Dobson has played all of his football. Attending Marshall University – a quick 45 minute drive from his hometown – Dobson plans on increasing that number of players playing in the NFL from his home state.

“It’s a blessing to have a chance to play in the NFL,” said Dobson. “I’m one of the few to make it out of West Virginia.”

Despite being blessed with prototypical Keep Reading...]]> Joshua Gleason is going to be sharing his player interviews with us. His fourth one of this draft season is with Marshall wide receiver, Aaron Dobson.

The state of West Virginia currently only has two Division I programs. That also just happens to be the same amount of NFL players that were born in the state; the great Randy Moss of the San Francisco 49ers and Derek Hardman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Born and raised in West Virginia, it’s also where Aaron Dobson has played all of his football. Attending Marshall University – a quick 45 minute drive from his hometown – Dobson plans on increasing that number of players playing in the NFL from his home state.

“It’s a blessing to have a chance to play in the NFL,” said Dobson. “I’m one of the few to make it out of West Virginia.”

Despite being blessed with prototypical build and athleticism for a wide receiver, he was merely a 2-star recruit coming out of high school. Not only were the physical tools there, but so was the production, notching 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a senior in high school.

“It motivates me a lot,” Dobson said on being overlooked. “West Virginia is not that big of a football state. Not many recruits come out of West Virginia that often.”

Dobson was also able to gain further experience and exposure in high school, playing in the Under-19 World Championships, an experience he enjoyed for being able to play with other good high school players and meeting “people from different countries who are picking up on our sport.”

From there, Dobson went on to have an excellent career at Marshall. He finished with 165 receptions, 2,398 receiving yards, and 24 receiving touchdowns, numbers that are all top ten in the Marshall career ranks.

“It was a great time; Marshall was a great fit for me,” Dobson said. “I don’t regret going there at all. I’m still in the same position I wanted to be coming out of high school, with a chance to go to the NFL.”

Dobson listed graduating college first when asked about his favorite moments at Marshall, saying “it’s a great accomplishment.” One of his other memorable moments was one that many around the nation know Dobson for.

On November 26, 2011, Dobson made one of the greatest catches ever seen at the college football level against the East Carolina Pirates. While being blanketed by Pirates corner Derek Blacknall, Dobson went up for a jump ball with just one hand and managed to reel it in.

“It was just instinct,” said Dobson on what is known as “The Catch.” “The ball is in the air and I was just thinking go get the ball. It just kind of landed in my hand perfectly. It was all instincts.”

Gerard Parker, the current tight ends coach at Purdue and former wide receivers coach at Marshall, joked that he is always told that he should say they had some drill where they practiced that, but said “there (isn’t a) drill for the catch he made.”

“Everybody’s reaction was ‘wow, he got that ball,’” Parker said. “I honestly expect him to get jump balls, but not make reverse backhanded catches like that.”

Dobson’s abilities never ceased to amaze Parker.

“His expectations have been held to a level of greatness,” Parker commented. “He has always been a basketball type of guy. When I saw him his junior year, I was surprised how well he can sit down and got in and out of transition.”

Dobson was indeed a former basketball player in high school. According to Dobson, he considered playing college basketball and said “it was a tough decision.”

“As it came down to it, I just thought I would have a better chance of playing at the next level in football,” Dobson continued. “I think I made the best decision to this day.”

Dobson is certainly thankful for the game of basketball though and how it has helped him in football.

“It definitely helps,” said Dobson on being a former basketball player. “The skills in basketball transfer to the football field. Body control, going up and attacking the ball, it definitely transferred from being a basketball player.”

Dobson, whose favorite receivers were Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald growing up, said he enjoys the position because he “gets to make plays.”

Unfortunately for Dobson though, he had to miss some time this past year with a knee injury.

“It was tough, definitely tough,” remarked Dobson. “It was the first time I didn’t dress out and come play. It was tough being on the sideline and not being able to help my team on the field. I had to be a leader off the field and keep people motivated him.”

Parker mentioned how not having Dobson altered the offense.

“It changed us a little bit,” said Parker. “It changed us from being able to take the top off and throw the ball down the field vertically. We missed the home run hitter.”

Despite being underrated coming out of high school and the injury this past season, Dobson always remains very positive.

Every day, Dobson sends out two tweets. One of them which says “Positive Thoughts… Positive Outcomes,” and the other, “Tgfad blessed,” which means “Thank God For Another Day.”

“Basically, just thinking positive about everything,” Dobson said on his outlook on life. “A lot of negative things happen in life so you can’t get down about it. I just try to stay positive and make something bad a positive. My parents always told me to stay positive and thank the Lord that I have another day on earth.”

Dobson’s family is a big motivator in his life and a main reason for pushing himself to reach his dream.

“Their really supportive of me,” Dobson said. “I love the game, I love competing, I love working hard. I just want to give back to them.”

Parker said that “AD is a good guy,” and commented on how he matured during his time at Marshall, learning the type of work needs to be put into being a great player.

Now Dobson is putting in more work in preparation for the NFL Draft. He attended the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, having a chance to compete with some of the top seniors in the country. Currently, he is training at the IMG Academy with other college football stars such as Sheldon Richardson, Robert Alford, Robert Lester, and fellow wide receiver prospect DeAndre Hopkins. Dobson has befriended other soon-to-be NFL stars while putting in work.

“It’s great being around guys that have the same dream as you,” said Dobson. “Being around guys like that makes you work harder. I’ve made a lot of good friends down here that I think will be friends for years to come.”

Each day, they are up bright and early for breakfast. Then, they have a couple classes, for things such as interview preparation and mental condition. After that, they proceed to do movement workouts, followed by positional workouts, and this all before lunch. After lunch, they hit the weight room, and then are done for the day.

It’s a rigorous day, but one that Dobson understands he needs.

“There is always room for improvement,” Dobson said. “Working on my routes, speed, hands, everything. Always room to improve.”

The NFL is waiting just around the corner from Dobson, and it’s something that Parker believes he is ready for.

“If he stays healthy and gets in there with a good group of a wideouts, I think the sky’s the limit for him,” said Parker.

This upcoming weekend, Dobson will have the chance to continue to show NFL teams his abilities at the Scouting Combine.

According to Parker, there has been upwards of 90 scouts to visit Marshall in order to get a look at Dobson. The Combine still means a lot to Dobson though.

“It’s exciting,” said Dobson. “Only a certain amount of people get invited to the Combine. To be one of the 39 wide receivers to be invited is a blessing. You get to show the coaches and everybody that is watching what you can do and your abilities.”

After watching his former teammate Vinny Curry get drafted last year in the 2nd round to the Philadelphia Eagles, saying that he was “nervous like I was getting drafted,” Dobson is ready for his own big day.

“It’s something I’ve been dreaming of since I was seven years old,” said Dobson. “To actually be in a position to where it’s coming true, it’s exciting. I can’t even really put it into words. Just thanking the man above for keeping me healthy and giving me the chance to play football at the next level.”

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Joshua Gleason is a graduate of Western Illinois University, in which he majored in Broadcasting and minored in Journalism. Joshua has worked in football as a television color commentator, basketball doing radio sideline reporting and color commentary, and baseball as a play-by-play announcer. In addition to broadcasting, Joshua is a journalist covering the NFL Draft and college basketball. He thoroughly enjoys the draft process and has been covering it since 2006. He can be reached on Twitter at @JGleas.

Branden Smith is a rare breed of college football player. Not only blessed with uncommon athletic ability, he was able to play on both sides of the ball for the Georgia Bulldogs, something very rare nowadays in college football.

During his recruiting, it had been reported that the Georgia coaching staff showed Smith tape of former All-American cornerback Champ Bailey during his time at Georgia when he played on both sides of the ball. It was still a surprise to Smith when he got the chance to play offense for the Bulldogs.

“My freshman year, I was really amazed to be playing as a freshman on both sides of the ball,” said Smith. “My first game against Oklahoma State, it was shocking. They said I Keep Reading...]]> Joshua Gleason is going to be sharing his player interviews with us. His third one of this draft season is with Georgia prospect Branden Smith.

Branden Smith is a rare breed of college football player. Not only blessed with uncommon athletic ability, he was able to play on both sides of the ball for the Georgia Bulldogs, something very rare nowadays in college football.

During his recruiting, it had been reported that the Georgia coaching staff showed Smith tape of former All-American cornerback Champ Bailey during his time at Georgia when he played on both sides of the ball. It was still a surprise to Smith when he got the chance to play offense for the Bulldogs.

“My freshman year, I was really amazed to be playing as a freshman on both sides of the ball,” said Smith. “My first game against Oklahoma State, it was shocking. They said I was going to play both ways, but I didn’t really believe it. I had to see it for myself.”

In the first game of his career, on the road against Oklahoma State, Smith received four touches on the offensive side of the ball, totaling 14 yards. They were just scratching the surface of the type of talent Smith possessed, as teams such as South Carolina and New Mexico State would eventually discover.

Smith would go on to finish his career with 363 rushing yards, averaging over nine yards per carry, three rushing touchdowns, and four interceptions. Over the last five years, only 11 players total have reached at least 100 career rushing yards while recording multiple rushing touchdowns and interceptions, according to Marty Couvillon of cfbstats.com. Of those on that list, Smith is seventh in rushing yards and third in interceptions.

“It was exciting,” Smith said of being able to have a career on both sides of the ball. “It feels good to play on both sides and know you can dominate on both sides of the ball.”

Smith did say that there is more studying required, having to know both playbooks. It was an obstacle he was willing to overcome.

“Since I love the game, I worked hard to learn it,” Smith stated. “If a coach needed me to play offense, I was there. I was there to play any position that was needed. That’s the type of player I am.”

It’s hard to believe that Smith was once only a three-star recruit. That was all before he showed up to a combine in Atlanta and ran a 4.28 forty-yard dash. Nearly instantaneously, Smith was a five-star recruit, and was ranked as the second best cornerback by Scout.com in the 2008 class. He appreciated the hype, but still made sure to make the right decision for himself about where to attend school.

“I was very humble with the hype and took my time with the decision I made to go to Georgia,” said Smith.

Heading to Athens was a wise decision for Smith for more than just being able to show off his talents on both sides of the ball. While the Bulldogs struggled during Smith’s first two seasons, they won 22 of their last 26 games, including going to two SEC Championship games.

This past season, Smith was a part of a unit that was 18^th in the nation in scoring defense, and eighth in pass defense. While Smith’s team-leading nine pass breakups were a big help, there was plenty of talent to go around. In the front seven, the Bulldogs had three potential first round picks in John Jenkins, Jarvis Jones, and Alec Ogletree, while boasting three other draftable prospects in the secondary in Sanders Commings, Bacarri Rambo, and Shawn Williams.

“It’s amazing playing with the talent we had,” Smith said emphatically. “We were one of the best defenses in the nation, and that comes with the coaches too. We just had that connection with each other. If one person messed up, another would be there to help out.”

Smith said the group grew together through hanging out off the field and studying together. While Smith said his career didn’t go quite the way he had planned, he said “things happen for a reason” and that he “wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”

Going into his last game ever at Sanford Stadium, knowing his college career was coming to an end dawned on Smith.

“It was very emotional, knowing it was the last time I was going to be playing ‘Between the Hedges,’” Smith said. “I dreamed about playing college football and going onto the NFL, and everything just happened so fast. I didn’t really think my four years were going to go that fast.”

Smith said he realized it might be his “last time playing football,” but that’s something he didn’t have to worry about for long.

Smith was able to attend the East-West Shrine Game which is regarded as one of the top two postseason all-star games an NFL prospect can attend. In the game, Smith was able to intercept Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder.  He said it was a great chance to be “playing with some of the best players in college football from different conferences.”

“It taught us how we can work with each other,” said Smith. “Seeing how fast we can learn and how good we can work with another teammate we’ve only known for a week. It was a good opportunity for me to try and increase my draft stock.”

Currently training for the NFL Draft at XPE Sports in Boca Raton, Florida, Smith is working with some of the top prospects and instructors in the nation to try and further boost his stock. Other defensive prospects down at XPE are former teammate defensive tackle John Jenkins, UCLA defensive end Datone Jones, Miami cornerback Brandon McGee, former Miami safety Ray Ray Armstrong, North Carolina State cornerback David Amerson, and LSU middle linebacker Kevin Minter. While Smith is generally regarded as a third day draft pick, he realizes that is making the most of the situation.

“I’m not really a high ranked player right now and it motivates me even more to work harder than some of the higher ranked players,” said Smith. “I’m out here grinding everyday and working with the best players in college football.”

Working at XPE has been a fascinating time for Smith thus far because of the type of athletes he is working with, how they are each treated, and the type of work they are doing.

“They treat everybody the same,” commented Smith. “Whether you’re a big time player or not, they treat everybody as one. It’s a business. We’re working together but at the same time we’re pitted against each other. It’s all about who’s working the hardest, training the hardest, and who wants it more.”

Right now, Smith is currently running his forty in the 4.3 range. They haven’t been going full speed yet on other speed and agility drills such as the three-cone drill or 20-yard shuttle, because they are just trying to get their technique down at the moment, according to Smith. The main thing Smith said he is personally working on is to improve his weight while maintaining the same blazing speed he is known for.

Soon, Smith will have the chance to achieve a dream that began when he started playing football at the age of seven; suiting up in the NFL.

“I’m really excited,” Smith said. “Knowing I’m a step closer to that day, it’s exciting to me. I’ve been working hard all my life to get to the NFL. Most people dream to make it to the NFL, but not everybody can make it. It’s all about who wants it more. Doesn’t matter what round you get drafted in, it’s about who wants it the most. I want it a lot. That’s why I’m working hard and really motivated to grind 24/7.”

Watch out for Georgia’s Pro Day on March 14. It could be a day when Smith records one of the fastest forty times of the draft season.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

If you were to take a look at Malliciah Goodman, you would think he has been playing football his entire life and that it’s fitting he is one of the top defensive end prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft. However, Goodman is still relatively new to the game.

Goodman has only been playing football since the 8th grade. He hasn’t even played football for half of his life, only nine years on the field. Yet if everything goes right, he will probably be on the gridiron for the next nine years as well (at least), and now at the highest level.

“My mom didn’t let me play city league because she didn’t want me to get hurt,” said Goodman on why he didn’t get Keep Reading...]]>

Joshua Gleason is going to be sharing his player interviews with us. His second one of this draft season is with Clemson defensive end, Malliciah Goodman.

If you were to take a look at Malliciah Goodman, you would think he has been playing football his entire life and that it’s fitting he is one of the top defensive end prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft. However, Goodman is still relatively new to the game.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Joshua Gleason is a graduate of Western Illinois University, in which he majored in Broadcasting and minored in Journalism. Joshua has worked in football as a television color commentator, basketball doing radio sideline reporting and color commentary, and baseball as a play-by-play announcer. In addition to broadcasting, Joshua is a journalist covering the NFL Draft and college basketball. He thoroughly enjoys the draft process and has been covering it since 2006. He can be reached on Twitter at @JGleas.