In my last article, I opened by talking about how important a fit is to a prospect. This is perhaps most true for the prospects that are raw in certain nuances of their position. These players, who can almost be looked at as pieces of clay, are heavily dependent on the sculptor. On one hand, the sculptor can produce something beautiful, such as Vulca’s Apollo from Veii, and on the other hand, you might get something that looks like it came out of a high school ceramics class. Or even worse, something a toddler mashed together with Play-Doh.

A piece of clay that every offensive coach wants work with is one that is 6’4, 215 pounds, can run a 4.36 40 yard dash, and posts vertical leaps and broad jumps of 39.5 and 133 inches respectively. Of course, we aren’t talking about just a piece of clay at this point, Keep Reading…

Every year, so much emphasis is placed on pre-draft lists. From big boards to positional rankings, it’s something everyone does, and it’s something everyone wants to see. Before I go any further, let me just say that I’m not making a case against this exercise. First and foremost, it’s a fun thing to do. Secondly, I don’t think it’s a frivolous pursuit at all. If your objective is to make the rankings as accurate as possible, it forces you to do the proper amount of film study. If your putting your name and your “reputation” to it, I highly doubt you’re just watching one 4 minute cut up. Thus, you really learn a lot about the class by doing these lists. Perhaps more importantly, this pursuit gives you a base to look back on, a base to see your mistakes, and thus, to become a better evaluator of talent later Keep Reading…

On the same day that the Penn State football program got pummeled into the ground, another Big Ten school took a significant blow.

Confirmed by Michigan head coach Brady Hoke himself, starting running back Fitzgerald Toussaint has been suspended after being arrested and charged with driving under the influence this weekend.

“Fitz made a poor decision and has been suspended indefinitely because of that action,” Hoke said in a statement. “There are expectations that come with being a student-athlete at the University of Michigan and those responsibilities were not met in this instance.”

According to SalinePatch.com, Toussaint was arrested around 11:45 p.m. on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. After being pulled over due to a traffic violation, a breathalyzer revealed that the Michigan runner was over the .08 legal BAC limit. He was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while impaired.

As made evident by the “indefinitely” part of Keep Reading…

Of the few prospects available during the 2012 Supplemental Draft, former Baylor wide receiver Josh Gordon has received the majority of the pre-draft buzz. And for good reason…

Not only is he a tremendously talented player, but he possesses the potential to develop into a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver at the next level. He’s a gifted athlete with the soft hands and elusiveness after the catch that NFL teams covet. The 6’3’’, 220-pound receiver reportedly runs a 4.3 40-yard dash and has star-caliber upside.

Some scouts have even said that he’s better than his former Baylor teammate Kendall Wright, who was drafted No. 20 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Many scouts predict that Gordon won’t get past the third round of the draft, but any interested teams will certainly be wary of the risk involved. More often than not, supplemental draft picks fail to Keep Reading…

Matt Waldman, who owns the Rookie Scouting Portfolio website (which produces a fantastic and incredibly in-depth guide on skill position prospects for the NFL Draft), is hosting a fun team-building project.

There is a salary cap and all players are assigned a specific value.  You have complete freedom to pick a 53 man roster and explain the reasoning behind your selections, what type of scheme you’ll run, etc.

I put together a fast break, no-huddle offense centered around Four Verticals and am running Pete Carroll’s 4-3 Under defense.  I’ve got the best QB in football and maybe the best cornerback trio the league has ever seen.

Here’s a link to my Roster and the Q&A, respectively.

If you want to build your own team and submit it to Matt, here’s the Project Menu page.