“There is always a next step.”

With these words, University of Toledo’s Eric Page ended his decorated college career and entered the 2012 NFL Draft. It was a career littered with accomplishments and awards. With 306 receptions in 3 seasons (and the NCAA record in sight), Page was not only a finalist for this year’s Paul Hornung Award, given to the game’s most versatile player, but also a 2010 first team All American kickoff returner, who also returned punts, was used in the running game, and threw 4 TDs. Page is the definition of ultra-productive, saving his best season for last, being named 1st team All MAC at 3 positions, recording 125 receptions, and ripping through Ohio State’s defense for 12 catches, 145 yards, and 2 TDs.

As for the next step, Page projects as a versatile slot receiver and dynamic return man. At 5’ 10” 180 lbs, he’s small by NFL standards, but is similar in size and build to fellow Toledo Rocket, Saints’ WR Lance Moore, and should have a similar but better pro career. Though short, Page is solidly put together and has demonstrated sustained toughness and durability. He’s a quick twitch athlete with elite quickness and developed agility and balance. Though he lacks the elite speed to consistently stretch the field vertically, he exhibits explosiveness and a top level short area burst that lets him reach top gear rapidly and turn short passes into big plays on a consistent basis. Keeping a low pad level, he accelerates out of breaks, displaying a fluid, sudden change of direction that allows him to separate from defenders both pre and post-catch.

Page showcases good hands, and will make the tough catch, hanging on after absorbing a hit, though in heavy traffic his catching is inconsistent. He looks the ball all the way in, generally plucking it away from his body, with few careless drops. A small wingspan minimizes his catching radius, but he tracks the ball well in the air and will make catches outside his frame. He isn’t a natural leaper but demonstrates plus body control and effectively uses his body to shield defenders on slants or ins in the 3 step game. Page is fearless in going over the middle, and has no problem concentrating on the ball with a LB or SS lurking for the Sportscenter hit.

As a WR, he displays little wasted motion coming off the line, then sinks his hips well to make sharp, precise cuts. His ability to change direction without slowing down helps him gain separation from DBs coming out of breaks. He does struggle at times against press coverage, not utilizing a variety of moves to disengage from physical CBs and can be jammed or rerouted if the D-Back gets his hands into Page’s chest. Toledo coaches lined him up all over the formation, helping him get a free release by slotting him or often running him in motion. Similar strategies, as well as improved skills, will allow him to be successful at the NFL level.

In route, Page maneuvers well through traffic, working the shallow and intermediate zones, and has an instinctive understanding of coverages, knowing how to settle in the soft spots. For a small WR, he’s an effective red zone target, with a genuine nose for the endzone. He struggles against a double team, at times isn’t patient enough on double moves, and has limited route tree experience. He primarily runs slants, swings, quick outs and crossing routes, and may well be college football’s “King of the Bubble Screen.”

After the catch, Page is explosive and elusive in the open field, utilizing first rate burst and change of direction to make tacklers miss in space. He sees the whole field and takes advantage of cutback lanes, making him a legitimate big play threat. He’s not a punishing, powerful runner, but he will run through some arm tackles, and when you’re not expecting it, will jack someone right in the grill with a stiff arm. In addition, he is an elite return man, who uses those open-field running skills to terrorize opponents’ special teams coordinators. As a blocker, he doesn’t shy from contact, but size limits his effectiveness here. He’s not strong enough to physically control DBs, and sometimes get his pad level too high, but generally is a sound shield blocker who doesn’t take plays off.

Overall, I really like Eric Page as a highly productive slot receiver and explosive kick returner. Others have compared him to Wes Welker or Steve Smith, but he’s not as strong or as polished a route runner as Welker, and he doesn’t possess Smith’s raw speed, but like these receivers, he is a dynamic playmaker with the potential to flip field position or rip off a big gainer every time the rock is in his hands. Look for Page to fly off the draft board in the late 3rd to early 4th round.

The NFL team that snags Page will get not only a talented playmaker, but also a team leader, with the respect of opposing players and coaches, and a genuine sense of humor. When asked why he chose to forgo his senior season at Toledo and enter the draft, he replied “I’m not going to get any taller.” There may not be any inches in his future, but for Eric Page, there is always a next step. He’s come a long way, having only started playing WR full time in 2009. Now, 3 years, 300+ receptions, and 35 TDs later, it’s going to be a long, long time before anyone in college football catches this rocket man.

1. Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck – QB – Stanford   A no-brainer pick for the franchise in the midst of a massive overhaul. The Bill Polian-Peyton Manning era is officially over in Indianapolis and whether Manning remains the starter or not, the future of the Colts will depend on the success of the Stanford prodigy. There won’t be any suspense surrounding the first pick in April, this one is already set.

2. St. Louis Rams

Matt Kalil – OT – USC   Many experts feel this pick will be up for sale with teams pushing hard for the next highest ranked signal-caller, Robert Griffin III. If the Rams keep this pick, they will be using it to aid Sam Bradford. Many expect the team to seek out a true #1 wide receiver here, but Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon is not in the elite Calvin Johnson/A.J. Green league. No offensive line allowed more sacks during the 2011 season and Matt Kalil provides St. Louis with an elite blind-side protector for the foreseeable future.

3. Minnesota Vikings

Riley Reiff – OT – Iowa   The Vikings are stuck between a rock and a hard place here. They will be shopping this pick to the highest bidder, presumably a team that would like to move up for Baylor’s Robert Griffin. If they are unable to trade out of this spot, it makes sense that the Vikings would attempt to supplement young Christian Ponder by drafting a receiver or offensive lineman. In this scenario, Minnesota reaches for one of the class’ elite pass blockers. Reiff steps in right away and provides a huge upgrade at left tackle.

4. Cleveland Browns

Robert Griffin III – QB – Baylor   It seems as if the Browns have been rebuilding perennially since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999. At the root of their struggles: a tumultuous and mediocre history at the Quarterback position. Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner, has the physical and mental tools to buck the trend in Cleveland. In addition to his ability to stretch the field with his arm, “RG3” possesses the speed the offense so desperately lacks.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trent Richardson – RB – Alabama   The argument could be made that the Buccaneers already have their franchise back in LeGarrette Blount, but don’t be shocked if the bowling ball from Alabama proves too tempting with this pick. Richardson is in an elite class in terms of running back prospects, possessing a rare combination of balance, power, vision, and burst. Tampa Bay and new head coach Greg Schiano would like to return to their smash-mouth roots and this pick gives Josh Freeman an incredibly potent weapon.

6. Washington Redskins

Ryan Tannehill – QB – Texas A&M   From my desk here in Ohio, I can almost hear the collective groan of Redskins fans and casual mock draft readers as they see this pick. Hear me out on this one: last year, very few expected four quarterbacks to come off the board in the first twelve picks. Washington is in dire need of a talented, young player under center and Ryan Tannehill fits the Mike Shanahan mold. Though he spent two years at wide receiver at Texas A&M, Tannehill possesses the necessary size, arm strength, mobility, and natural feel for the position needed to develop into an effective starter at the NFL level.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

Quinton Coples – DE – North Carolina   If I were to list the names that currently comprise the Jacksonville defense, you would find yourself in awe with the mediocrity of the group. The Jaguars do have several solid players on that side of the ball, but few standouts. To say Quinton Coples would be an upgrade at left defensive end over free agent Leger Douzable would be a great understatement. Coples, a bit of an underachiever in 2011, has the length, power, quickness, and versatility to be a terror in the NFL if he is able to conquer the mental aspect of the game.

8. Carolina Panthers

Morris Claiborne – CB – LSU   With Cam Newton on board, Carolina certainly seems to be a franchise heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, however, their defense is filled with gaping holes everywhere from the line to the defensive backfield. After suffering key injuries early, the Panthers managed to finish only 28th in the NFL in total defense. Morris Claiborne is a steal here and as safe a pick as you could ask for. Though he lacks former teammate Patrick Peterson’s combination of size and athleticism, Claiborne may be the better true cover corner at this point.

9. Miami Dolphins

Justin Blackmon – WR – Oklahoma State   The Dolphins’ two top priorities with this pick are likely to be: 1) a franchise quarterback, 2) the best available pass-rusher. With Justin Blackmon on the board here, Miami will be forced to reconsider. While Brandon Marshall is still a formidable primary target, the team’s offense sure would look a heck of a lot better with a reliable and explosive #2. Blackmon is not a burner, but he is a polished route runner with suddenness, size, an understanding of coverages.

10. Buffalo Bills

Courtney Upshaw – OLB – Alabama   While no one knows for sure what defensive scheme the Bills will be running next season, the fact remains: adding a pass rusher will be the team’s top priority. Whether it is standing up or with a hand on the ground, Courtney Upshaw is among the most gifted edge rushers in this draft. His performances both at the Senior Bowl and in the National Championship reinforced Upshaw’s status as one of this draft’s best overall defenders.

11. Kansas City Chiefs

Jonathan Martin – OT – Stanford   The Chiefs caught the injury bug especially badly during the 2011 season, losing key contributors Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry for the season early on. Luckily for Kansas City, their window of opportunity is far from closed in the competitive AFC West. If the team is able to come to terms with free agents Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Carr, the eleventh pick will be free to pursue an offensive lineman. With Branden Albert holding down the left side, Martin would face the responsibility of taking over for Barry Richardson on the right.

12. Seattle Seahawks

Brandon Weeden – QB – Oklahoma State   As I pass this notion along, I am gearing up for the worst. How can you justify taking a 28-year-old with a pick as high as twelfth overall? Simple: the Seahawks need a quarterback and Brandon Weeden can play. While Seattle is sure to make a strong push for free agent Matt Flynn, they must come out of the draft with a signal-caller should he sign elsewhere. Weeden is everything you want in a quarterback both physically and mentally. When it is all said & done, he may wind up with a career much like Kurt Warner’s.

13. Arizona Cardinals

David DeCastro – OG – Stanford   Whether or not the team won more games than many expected, the first year of the Kevin Kolb experiment in Arizona has to be considered a massive failure. To protect their huge investment, expect the Cardinals to address their struggling offensive line sooner rather than later. Ideally you would like to land a franchise left tackle with this pick, but David DeCastro is rare amongst offensive guard prospects. He could start from day one and give the team a stalwart on the line for years to come.

14. Dallas Cowboys

Michael Brockers – DL – LSU   Many will be clamoring for the Cowboys to select the highest rated defensive back on the board, but at this point that appears to be too much of a reach. By using this pick to address holes in their defensive front, Dallas figures to improve against the run and give All-Pro linebacker Demarcus Ware more space to maneuver. In Brockers, the team gets a high upside lineman with all the physical tools necessary to become a dominant force.

15. Philadelphia Eagles

Luke Kuechly – ILB – Boston College   It is no secret that both Philadelphia fans and coaches were appalled at the play of their linebackers during the 2011 season. The team juggled through rookie starters and was unable to find consistent production anywhere. For the Eagles, it may be time to invest earlier at the position. Luke Kuechly is a tackling machine. Though he has trouble shedding blockers, he has displayed tremendous instincts and range throughout his career at BC.

16. New York Jets

Michael Floyd – WR – Notre Dame   With reports that the Jets locker room was in complete turmoil late last season, expect some significant roster moves this offseason. Rex Ryan is putting his neck out for Mark Sanchez and it is likely that the team will put an emphasis on finding starting talent at running back, wide receiver, and offensive tackle. Michael Floyd is a tremendous talent with bona fide #1 potential. Though he comes with some character red flags, New York may be willing to set aside their concerns if they must replace both Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress.

Senior Bowl Diary: Day 2

Senior Bowl Diary: Day 3

Today at the Senior Bowl can be described with 3 blurry pictures:

After a tornado warning and torrential downpour, practices went inside and essentially boiled down to walkthroughs. In other words, very little scouting.

Fortunately, I got onto the escalator at the same time as a man who as it turns out is the agent for the hot ticket of the week, Joe Adams. We struck up some good conversation and he altered my perspective on the “greed” of the sports agent industry. While he may be an expert at buttering people up as part of the job, he seemed to genuinely care about the well-being of Joe Adams – his one and only client this draft.

After hearing about and speaking to Adams, it’s hard not to root for him. He is soft-spoken, likes video games (mostly NBA2K or Call of Duty), and doesn’t party. He is training in Fort Lauderdale with Chris Carter and his 40 time is reportedly 4.25 right now. After watching him this week, I don’t doubt it. When I asked him about Adams’s stock, the agent said that he came in here as a 3^rd rounder (about where I had him) and is now in the 2^nd round (where I now have him) or maybe late 1^st with a good combine.

While the agent said every team has been asking, he particularly singled out the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots as being huge fans of his. Even Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham has said to Joe Adams (sarcastically) that he would love to even have him on the team to play both ways – wideout and corner.

Brandon Weeden also came up in the conversation and Joe Adams said that he LOVES Brandon Weeden. I always like when a player compliments another player and who would know better about how good a quarterback is playing than a wideout?

Speaking of player endorsements, Senio Kelemete was one of the few players to answer honestly when asked who impressed him most out here. As opposed to the usual “well, everyone down here is good” the Samoan offensive tackle/guard said that Virginia DE Cam Johnson was very tough to defend with his explosive first step. Thanks a lot Senio, now I need to watch Cam Johnson more (who I neglected this week unfortunately).

The Senior Bowl practices were a very new and exciting experience for me. Thanks to Draft Breakdown for sending me down here!

Senior Bowl Diary: Day 2

Today at the senior bowl was quite an eventful day. Keeping with my trend of having no trend with my Senior Bowl reports, I’m going to break up my overall impressions by squads because today the experience in each was vastly different.

NORTH

Maybe it was because it is the morning practice, but the North side’s Day 3 was a bit of a snoozer. Instead of spending time showcasing player talents, the Vikings coaching squad spent a majority of the time doing walk-through.

The signal callers were consistently sloppy, with the exception of Kirk Cousins. He had a very good day, arguably the best quarterbacking performance that I have seen this week. Cousins was especially adept at finding the spaces in the zone defenses. There was nice pace on his throws and he seemed settled and confident. The Spartan is likely rising up many draft boards right now but I’m still not sure that I would spend earlier than a 3^rd rounder on him. If someone expects him to become the face of their franchise they might be sorely disappointed. Just a sidenote but a few moments ago I walked by a man conversating with Cousins and they seemed to be doing a memory test with cards. The first card was an Ace of Spades.

Making Cousins look even better was the poor play of Kellen Moore and Russell Wilson. While it didn’t help that the Centers were having snap issues (primarily the new guy Rishaw Johnson, who got extra work after team drills) they were not looking good. His windup is long, he is robotic, and his arm strength is lacking. I was very low on Moore coming in, seeing him in person I have trouble even seeing him getting drafted.

The best wide receiver on the North side was Marvin McNutt in my opinion. He did well at adjusting to the ball in the air and finding the soft spot in the zone. Unlike some of the receivers here, he’s good at playing the ball in the air. Speaking of, T.J. Graham is one of the players that doesn’t have great aerial skills. His shiftiness and route running will need to be from the slot but he’ll need to work on his press technique. A player who stood out to me was Emil Igwenagu. His height (6’1) may be a problem at TE but he looks to have versatility and either way, has nice ball skills for a man his size. He might be this year’s Charles Clay who I loved last year out of Tulsa.

One receiver who I have a very love/hate relationship with right now is DeVier Posey. His smoothness in and out of breaks is something else but dang it Posey, catch the ball! He uses his hands but doesn’t extend them like you want and seems to lose concentration – naturally causing drops and double catches. As a result of the drops, he will sometimes take the weak way out and catch it with his body. Poseyyyy!!! *shakes fist*

After practice, I spoke a bit with Brian Linthicum. He was held out of yesterday’s practice with a right shoulder injury. Admittedly, I didn’t get to watch him much but he discussed how his one off the field incident (being arrested for a fight) was the only time he has been in trouble in his life. He seemed sincere and wanted to show this week that he can block as well as be a vertical threat.

Chris Polk still failed to impress. But I had a discussion with some people over just how much a running back can even showcase one’s self in this type of a format where there isn’t even real tackling. I can’t say that I strongly disagree.

I wish that I had a ton to say about defensive players but there weren’t many chances to shine. Jamell Fleming played tough and Leonard Johnson likes to hit. After practice speaking with Johnson’s people, they told me that they weren’t letting Johnson play press coverage enough and considering that’s one of his strength, no argument here.

Other notes that I don’t feel like putting in paragraph form:

Brian Quick doesn’t use his size to his advantage and I don’t know if he likes contact.

LaVonte David is very small, if he switched numbers with Dennard, I don’t know if many would notice.

Billy Wagner was very solid and moves well in coverage for a larger LB.

SOUTH

Now for some real football discussion (JK, but seriously). The south practices are much more high paced, feature more hitting, and lets the players showcase their abilities. Their coaches are also more vocal, with the exception of Mike Shanahan – who I don’t think has even talked to a player yet.

I watched the quarterbacks sparingly, but nothing that I saw stood out much though I did hear that Ryan Lindley had his best practice of the day. The feedback about Weeden/Foles was more of the same.

The players who stole the show were the cornerbacks and the two lead dogs were Brandon Boykin and Janoris Jenkins. Each of them played phenomenally. Boykin showed that the physique isn’t all show and at one point jammed Dwight Jones at the LOS so hard that Jones nearly gave up. It was pure annihilation and did I mention that he will probably run in the 4.4 range? I would confidently say that he’s looking like a 1^st rounder and can’t wait to watch more tape on him. As for Jenkins, he played tight coverage all day and showed an elite closing ability. He also has swagger which you can’t teach.

As you would imagine when the cornerbacks looked this good, the receivers really struggled. Dwight Jones and Jeff Fuller got out-physicalled by small cornerbacks while failing to show any inch of separation.

One exception was Juron Criner. He has the best ball skills of the wideouts on the South team. Some of them get lost when the ball is in the air but Criner doesn’t. I spoke to a man who has known Criner his whole life who told me of his rebounding ability in basketball back in the day. I can’t see that. The concerns with Criner seem to be speed related and he is training with Michael Johnson ‘s people in Texas to work on it. Also speaking with Criner after practice, one can’t help but root for him.

Keenan Robinson showed some real explosive pass rushing ability in linebacker versus running back pass protection drills. He showcased a gorgeous swim move and showed nice hip flexion for a physical specimen and at 6’3 240 there is room to grow. As good as he looked in that drill, his teammate Emmanuel Acho looked just as bad. He was stonewalled by a running back in a drill where the linebacker has a clear advantage. He looked unexplosive.

Others:

Jake Bequette is playing outside linebacker and is not looking good.

Will Vlachos is arguably the worst player here.

Just as players are getting into the rhythm of things, the week is nearing a close *sniff*. Tune in for the final Senior Bowl Diary tomorrow!

Senior Bowl Diary: Day 1

Today at practice we finally got to see both teams play – and in ideal weather. The sun was shining and even though there was a bit of a nip in the air the field conditions were perfect. It was a great sign especially after a slippery Monday. Full pads allowed for many players to state their cases – who stood out and who dropped the ball? Here are some of my rambling observations.

NORTH

None of the North quarterbacks really stood out to me. But I did keep an eye on footwork early on and it’s unanimous that Russell Wilson is the most natural in his dropback. His steps are natural, light, and unforced. If this was beach football, he would hardly leave a footprint. His height and arm are still obvious concerns but the fact that the footwork is often the last thing to click for a young QB is a nice sign for Wilson. Kellen Moore I was not impressed with in the slightest and can’t get over how much he doesn’t look like an NFL QB. Kirk Cousins looked okay, not particularly good or bad. He has shown the arm to make all of the throws but hasn’t gotten into rhythm yet.

With running backs, Doug Martin had the best day. After Trent Richardson, he may be the safest back in the draft and has shown punt return ability to boot. Chris Polk continues to underwhelm, showing no explosion and some lumps in pass protection. He has some stock salvaging to do.

DeVier Posey looked smooth as usual but puts the ball on the ground way far too often. Completely random: He’s a lefty. So if he makes a left-handed highlight catch at some point in his career adjust your reaction accordingly. Brian Quick had a really nice catch in traffic but I haven’t seen him use his size to his advantage as much as someone his height should. Marvin McNutt is the best receiver on the North team but just had to drop a beautifully thrown fly route from Kirk Cousins – which happened to be one of the last things he did before practice ended thus leaving a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. Consistency issues are still there.

I’ll admit that I didn’t keep an eye on the trenches too much, but a guy who stood out is Kendall Reyes. At the weigh-in he showed that he’s large but doesn’t carry any extra weight. He stuffed the run well and showed that he can move too, pursuing a ball-carrier 20 yards down the field at one point.

I like the competitiveness of Leonard Johnson. He’s passionate and will vocally react. He’s small and will get beat by larger receivers but he’s growing on me. Scrappy is how I would describe him. Someone who is not growing on me is Alfonzo Dennard. While he did make a nice play as gunner on special teams, he doesn’t excel at turning and running with receivers. Getting beat deep by Alshon Jeffery should have been a warning sign but you’re really seeing it first-hand now at practice. Maybe being on such a great defense covered up some flaws in Dennard’s game.
George Iloka had the highlight of the day with a diving interception and has opened some eyes with his play and size. But to me he seems really stiff and can get exposed while in man coverage. His stock is rising but I figured that is worth noting that an important part about his game still needs refining.

SOUTH

Nick Foles has not had a great week so far. The indecisiveness continues and he’s just not looking natural right now. He has the arm, the size, and looks good throwing the ball while warming up, but things have not clicked. In my opinion, like Blaine Gabbert should have been, he’s a 3^rd rounder who has to sit and learn. Brandon Weeden has been the best QB at the Senior Bowl – very comfortable in his reads and the RPM on his passes makes catching the ball easier for his wideouts.

Chris Rainey got work at WR/RB, and looked good at both. His routes were crisp, but I still would like to see how he catches the ball in the air, something he wasn’t asked to do often in college. If the only way he can catch the ball is with his feet on the ground then his catching radius goes down massively. Also before getting caught up in the flash, I need to see him block. The rest of the running backs looked average except for Lennon Creer, who looked rusty. He did just arrive in town but when the coaches get on you for quitting on a play, that’s not good.

I really want to like Antonio Allen. He’s a gamer and has the swagger that you like in defensive backs, but he wastes motions too often when covering space and doesn’t have super change of direction. Even the slightest wasted move at safety could mean 6. That may be correctable though, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Jake Bequette got work at outside linebacker and looked out of place. In agility drills he probably would get a C- from me, and I’m a lenient grader. It could be because he’s thinking more than playing but he looks much better with his hand down.

Quinton Coples dominated at the point of attack. He is so good at re-establishing the line of scrimmage and played with the mean streak you would expect from a guy who sets out to “destroy everybody.” I don’t know if he’s ever going to become any more than a 10+ sack guy but he’s playing himself back into top 10 considerations with his disruptive play. My comparison to Calais Campbell is looking good right now.

The only other guy who looked as overpowering as Coples today for the South was Courtney Upshaw. His first punch is so strong. While he can struggle to disengage when a big lineman gets their paws on him, if he’s the one to initiate contact it’s game over. His ability to set the edge at either DE or OLB is going to be coveted. If I had to compare him to someone it would be the immensely underrated Jarrett Johnson, with slightly better pass rushing ability.

As you would expect from reading the comments about Upshaw/Coples, the offensive linemen didn’t do great. Jeff Allen, Matt McCants, and Zebrie Sanders (whose agents should be furious that he’s playing RT instead of LT) especially had difficulties, primarily in run-blocking.

With Melvin Ingram, I feel like I’m missing the boat. He’s a good player, and is super versatile but I would not confidently select him in the 1^st round unless that team has very few needs. A team like the Jets that will move him around would be ideal. One thing that Ingram is a master at is taking advantage of weaker offensive linemen – even more reason to move him around. But if a team drafts him expecting him to stick at one position and make Pro Bowls, I think they’ll be let down.

I have huge redflags about Marquis Maze. For the 2^nd practice in a row, he ran around with his shirt hanging out. I don’t know why, but that irks me. And after practice, I spoke with him and he was still complaining about his height measurement. 28 hours later, you just got done with an exhausting practice and you’re still complaining about your height measurement? C’mon man! If there’s something you should be complaining about, it’s your (over)weight. Okay, that’s probably the meanest I’ll ever be to a prospect because I hate judging the character of people that I don’t know well. Still, I think he has some growing up to do at the next level.

Lastly, I love Casey Hayward. He was physical in tight coverage but QBs really wanted to test him today and to no avail. Hayward held Jeff Fuller in check after Fuller opened some eyes on Day 1. He won’t get much love because he’s not a burner and he’s not a highlight film, but I can think of no better way to describe Casey Hayward than exceptionally solid.

Other notes:

Zach Brown said that he is going to aim for a 4.35 forty yard dash prior to the NFL Combine and work from there.

Terrance Ganaway played a bit of FB.

Kevin Zeitler played some Center.

Cordy Glenn slid over to LG.

LaVonte David in coverage versus Michael Egnew – advantage Egnew.

There is so much going on at one time that it is information overload. As a result, there are many players who I just couldn’t get a good look at and wouldn’t be confident in commenting on or stealing from someone else’s notes. If you have a player in particular who you would like information about, hit me up on Twitter and I’ll take a closer look.

Georgia Offensive Lineman Cordy Glenn

How was your first day of practice?

Good. Pretty good, I thought I did pretty good for not knowing what to expect. I was just trying to pick up on some of the things the coaches wanted out of us. I think this next practice I’ll be more prepared and more ready to know exactly what’s going on and what we’ll be doing.

You were at left tackle in practice today, is that where you see yourself in the NFL?

Honestly man, I just wanna play for a team and get drafted. I can play left tackle or guard, I’m pretty good at both.

You don’t have a preference?

Nope.

Is there a specific defender who has stood out to you yet as a really tough matchup?

(Pauses) Specificly? Well, everybody here is good, I don’t know.

What are your goals this week?

Just get better at everything, doing what the coaches say. Just take in the teachings and try and get better.

With the level of competition, do you rise to the occasion?

Yea, I love competition. I love competing.

How much are you looking forward to the game on Saturday?

I’m just looking forward to going out there and having some fun with these guys. Showing these guys what I can do in a game format it’s gonna be a great experience for me.

Marshall Defensive End Vinny Curry

How was your first day?

My first day so far was good, man. It felt good to get back in pads, run around a little bit, run around with the rest of them.

Did they try anything new with you that you hadn’t done before?

Everything was basically the same. Football is football. I learned some things technique wise, it was great.

What did you think of the coaches?

Loved the coaching staff. Everything, everybody so far are straight forward guys.

Did you know any of them previously?

No, yesterday was the first time we met.

Are there any offensive tackles who you’re looking forward to matching up against this week?

All of them, all of those guys. I’m just looking to line up against the best of them and try my best.

Do you have any draft day plans?

Not really, haven’t really got that far yet.

North Carolina Defensive End Quinton Coples

How was the first day of practice?

Great. It was fun. Unfortunate weather with the ground, but it was a great day.

What has this experience been like so far?

It’s different. I’ve never experienced something like that before. But overall it’s definitely a good experience. I appreciate everything that has happened so far.

I have to ask because it’s staring me in the eye, how much did that tattoo (branding) on your arm hurt?

My brand? It didn’t hurt at all. Never had any pain. Offensive linemen like to hit it but it doesn’t hurt any.

You worked against  Zebrie Sanders today and at Florida State, talk about what kind of player he is.

He’s a great young guy, he’s definitely gonna have a great career, NFL-wise.

What kind of feedback are you getting?

Great feedback. Everybody so far just wants to know my general background, how I was raised.

What teams have shown the most interest so far?

(Smiles) All of them.

As far as 3-4 defense or 4-3 defense goes, do you actually have a preference? What do you think your best position is?

I don’t have a preference. I probably am best in a 4-3 because I practiced it most throughout my collegiate career. But overall I’m willing and ready for whatever.

Any advice from former teammate Robert Quinn?

I talked to him two days ago, he said I have to kill everybody. I have to beast it and destroy everybody. That’s the type of defensive linemen mindset we have, it’s never like “Go out and have a good day today” it’s just “Destroy and kill everybody.”

At any point did you get frustrated with the team this season?

Nah, I didn’t get frustrated. We dealt with some adversity, we had some situations that were unfortunate for us. We had a lot of young guys and we kinda struggled. I think we had a successful season we definitely didn’t win as many games as we wanted to but I think we competed at a high level.

What do you want to show scouts out here?

Versatility and that I’ll do anything to get to the Super Bowl.

Any feedback on where you’re going?

I’m not worried about that, I’ll let my agent handle that. I just have to go out there and do my best and compete.

Any special draft plans?

Nope, just hoping to get drafted.

What about your first paycheck? What do you plan on buying?

Hopefully buy an apartment or somewhere to stay at in the city.

Those were the first 3 athlete interviews I’ve ever done. You can see a clear improvement from one interview to the next! Huzzah. Thank you Evernote app, and thanks to those guys for taking time to let me interview them.

Time to go to bed for more Senior Bowl goodness tomorrow. If you have any questions or recommendations please feel free to send them my way!

Adams is #75, lines up at left tackle

Monday practices started off with Weigh-Ins. Official measurements will be posted soon. Looking at shirtless dudes can give a pretty solid grasp of their physique and possibly hint at their work ethic (in the gym at least). Not all players were comment worthy but here are some of the notes that I jotted down about random players as they came up.

(Alphabetical order)

OT Mike Adams OSU

Extremely long, really cool tattoos (sorry, I had to)

CB Brandon Boykin UGA

Jacked, probably has the lowest body fat percentage of all the prospects in Mobile

LB Zach Brown UNC

Hearing that he runs a 4.4 I was expecting him to be more of a gym rat but he just appeared to be normal, not overly jacked and obviously not out of shape.

DE/DT Quinton Coples UNC

Like his teammate Brown, not super toned. In fact, Coples had a smidge of belly fat.

QB Kirk Cousins MSU

For a quarterback, he’s surprisingly toned but a bit on the thin side.

DE Jack Crawford PSU

Appeared to be carrying a few extra lbs

QB Nick Foles Arizona

Large frame, did a shrug and a Justin Beiber hair-flip after hearing he’s 6’5

WR Jeff Fuller TA&M

Long and lean

RB Terrance Ganaway Baylor

Thick. Not fat, not toned, just very thick

RB Dan Herron OSU

Solidly built, has a “BOOM” tattoo on his right bicep

S George Iloka BSU

Tall, toned, very healthy 222 lbs

DE Melvin Ingram SCAR

Very underwhelmed. Carries quite a bit of baby fat

CB Janoris Jenkins UNA

Wirey, I was surprised he weight 191 but it’s all muscle/bone

CB Leonard Johnson ISU

Very strong neck, healthy 198 lbs

RB Doug Martin BSU

Another short guy with a strong neck. Very lean/compact looking RB.

DT Mike Martin UM

Stole the show, I heard multiple talent evaluations whisper the word “Hulk”

WR Marquis Maze UA

No tone at all, clearly dislikes the weight room

OLB Shea McClellin BSU

Lacks tone/bulk

QB Kellen Moore BSU

I thought he was a kicker, not even joking.

OL Kelechi Osemele ISU

Wide shoulders, long long arms

RB Chris Polk Washington

Underwhelming. Most RBs are toned or cut, Polk is clearly not a gym rat. Very normal looking.

DT Brandon Thompson Clemson

Healthy 311 lbs, doesn’t carry too much extra weight

DT Kendall Reyes UCONN

Solid fitness level, not fat at all for a 300 lbs

DE Courtney Upshaw UA

Very cut but shorter than I expected, his arm measurement wasn’t good either

DT Billy Winn BSU

I was going to list Winn as a DE/DT but he was looking very chunky so either he wants to play DT or doesn’t care about his body that much.

OG Kevin Zeitler Wisconsin

Had his ankles taped for some reason, probably to avoid ankle sprains while walking

As for practice, we had to choose either North or South (only a 1 time thing) so I went with South, where the team worked out at a Fairhope Stadium. It rained heavily before practice so the field was sloppy and in poor shape. I focused mostly on the QBs, DBs, and WRs because the players were only wearing top-pads.

Joe Adams definitely stood out today with two acrobatic diving catches. Hopefully we can see him on a dry field tomorrow but looked shifty, aggressive, catches with his hands. The crowd ate him up too.

On one play, Nick Foles had Clemson FB Craig Diehl beating his man on a wheel route, hesitated, and checked it down. After that play, safety Antonio Allen (playing in cover-2 over the top) yelled “Throw that (expletive that rhymes with spit)!” Had he thrown it earlier, he had Diehl, but Foles was gunshy.

Patrick Edwards had a case of the dropsies, having two of the most blatant drops of the afternoon. He looked smooth in his routes though, very good waist bend.

Zach Brown look good in coverage early on, deflecting away the first two throws his way (which would have been for minimal gain either way).

Janoris Jenkins attempted to play press coverage on Jeff Fuller and he had the press at first but ended up on the ground. I’m not sure if it was due to the slippery footing or if Fuller forced him down. Either way, I don’t know if Jenkins is going to earn his bread by pressing Fuller, who looked much better than I expected today.

The quarterbacks as a whole were a bit sloppy. None of them really stood out. Ryan Lindley in particular looked a bit uncomfortable dropping back from center. His footwork seemed sloppy. Brandon Weeden had some pretty looking throws and was the quarterback who got first reps. Nick Foles came up short on one throw in particular which slipped on the grass 5 yards short and skipped into a cameraman on the sideline. It’s tough to be critical on these guys throwing to guys they aren’t familiar with but they all seemed very gunshy and indecisive. Maybe that’s something which is normal for Senior Bowl practices becauase this is the first I’ve attended.

I’ll try to get more notes on the linemen tomorrow but that’s all for now. Hopefully you guys are enjoying my Senior Bowl coverage. There’s so many things happening at once that it’s information overload.

In case you aren’t already, follow me on Twitter and get live updates from Mobile.

WR Joe Adams, Arkansas – Can he play receiver?

It may seem like an odd question but if Joe Adams wasn’t a special teams stud this invite to Mobile may have never happened. Consistent hands catching would go a long ways because you know Adams will make people miss if he can get the ball with room to run.

OLB Zach Brown, North Carolina – Will he show that he is more than just a physical specimen?

Zach Brown will easily be the most athletic linebacker in Mobile, but at times he appears to just be running somewhere fast without a purpose. How Brown performs in a new situation could allow him to emphasize that he has the natural feel for the game and instincts required to be a 1^st round pick at linebacker.

DE Andre Branch, Clemson – Can he hold his own with his hand down against NFL offensive tackles?

Branch was a monster this season and has quickly risen up draft boards, but there is a split on whether he can play end in a 4-3 or if he’s better suited to stand up as a 3-4 outside linebacker. A strong showing against a senior offensive tackle class not lacking in girth could push Branch into the 1^st round.

DE Quinton Coples, North Carolina – Does he have the mental toughness to make it in the NFL?

I want to know what’s going on in Coples’s head. He really struggled this season and appeared to have lost his cool on several occasions. Once considered a top 10 prospect, Coples can salvage his falling draft stock with a consistent week of practice.

QB Kirk Cousins, Michigan State – How is the arm strength?

Cousins has the leadership of former Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey, but can he make the NFL throws that Dorsey couldn’t? If Cousins can show that he has the arm to succeed in the NFL, he could come off the board as early as the 2^nd round.

QB Nick Foles, Arizona – Does he have “it”?

Nick Foles has the size and has the arm but at times, he seems like just a guy. Nick Foles will need to step up this week in a leadership role to prove that he is worth the 1^st round pick that some draftniks are hyping him up to be.

OLB Lavonte David, Nebraska – Can he fight off blocks?

David will have the best linebacker instincts in Mobile but his size and lower body strength could become an issue. How he responds when an offensive lineman gets their paws on him could help shed some of the doubts about David.

WR Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M – Where was he all season?

Fuller was considered a 1^st round prospect by many but after weeks of inconsistency and inability to fight for separation, his stock plummeted. In his last two games, Fuller began to show glimpses of the guy people expected to see. If he can prove he turned a corner and generate separation he can prove that he’s not an aging Roy Williams.

OT/OG Cordy Glenn, Georgia – Where will he play?

In Georgia Glenn played Left Tackle and held his own against the next guy on the list, but many feel he won’t be able to stick there at the next level and he’s much more suited to be a guard. If he can show the athleticism to protect the edge then his draft stock will surely benefit.

DE/DT/OLB Melvin Ingram, South Carolina – Is he a jack of all trades, master of none?

Ingram was on an absolutely loaded defensive line with the Gamecocks. He is viewed by many as a 4-3 DE but several of his sacks came from the inside at DT taking advantage of less athletic guards. Complicating matters even more, some feel like he has the athleticism to stand up in the 3-4 defense. Will Ingram shine particularly bright at any one spot?

QB Ryan Lindley, San Diego State – How consistent will he be?

Lindley will make the “oooh” and “aaaah” throws during the week and someone will compare the zip on his passes to Aaron Rodgers. But in college he has also been known to throw a couple of head-scratchers too. That just won’t cut it in the NFL. If Lindley can alleviate some concerns of inconsistency that will majorly improve his stock in the always over-drafted QB crop.

RB Doug Martin, Boise State – Does he have a 2^nd gear?

Martin is ranked by many as the 2^nd or 3^rd best running back of the draft class. At times, Martin can bore you to death with how solid he is. We all know he can make people miss, but in order to justify himself as an early pick he’ll need to show that he has the 2^nd gear that a similar prospect Mark Ingram hasn’t been able to find in New Orleans yet.

WR Marvin McNutt, Iowa – Will be minimize the mistakes?

If you judged everyone based solely on highlights, you may think that McNutt is the best WR in the draft. But McNutt has had several blonde moments at Iowa and keeping the mistakes to a minimum will improve the stock of one of the best aerialists in the draft.

OG Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State – Where will they put him?

At Iowa State, Osemele was protecting the blindside but has shown that he can be a bit heavy in the feet. If the coaches put him at the guard spot many project him to land at in the NFL, it will be interesting to see what he does when he gets his hands on some of the best prospects.

RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati – Can he do the dirty work?

Pead has shown an ability to burn the defense with a big play, doing so this week shouldn’t really be a surprise to anyone. In order to have longevity at the RB position in the NFL, you need to catch and block. Doing so can turn Pead into more than just a change of pace type of running back in the eyes of many scouts.

RB Chris Polk, Washington – How much wiggle does he have?

It may seem like a simple question, but in a class that features some serious burners at the RB position, Polk can separate himself from the 2nd tier if he shows a high level of agility and can break a few ankles in Mobile.

RB Chris Rainey, Florida – Can he take a beating?

At Florida, Rainey found himself on the injury report quite often with bumps and bruises. Everyone knows that he has impressive speed but no team will risk an early pick if they aren’t sure that their investment can survive. Weighing in at more than 170 pounds would be a good start.

WR DeVier Posey, Ohio State – How much will his stock change?

Posey has easily the most volatile stock of anyone in Alabama. A bad week filled with poor interviews could slide him down to day 3, but a strong showing could make him one of the first 5 WR selected in April. He has the talent.

WR Nick Toon, Wisconsin – Can he gain separation?

At times in Wisconsin, Toon failed to show the quick twitch ability to get space between himself and defenders. He has the NFL pedigree but so did Brian Robiskie, and he couldn’t get separation in the NFL either.

OT Zebrie Sanders, Florida State – Left tackle or right tackle?

Sanders began his year at FSU holding down the right tackle spot, but when Andrew Datko went down with an injury, Sanders shot up draft boards when he performed even better on the left side. His agents should beg the coaches to put him at the blind side this week.

DT Alameda Ta’amu, Washington – Can he move?

Ta’amu couldn’t be budged in college. While in some ways that is a compliment, it also means that he could lack the ability to disrupt or show lateral movement. If he wants to make some money this week, he’ll make a case that he’s more than just a clog in the middle.

LB/DE Courtney Upshaw, Alabama – Does he possess natural pass rushing ability?

The situation is ripe for the picking as the offensive tackle class in Mobile has a bit of a vulnerability in pass protection. With NFL teams dieing for an elite pass rusher to step up before April, Upshaw can hop into top 10 consideration by showing that he can get around the edge in a hurry.

QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State – How fast does he respond to coaching?

It’s no secret that Brandon Weeden is 28 years old. Just how early he gets picked in April will greatly depend on how soon he can play for his new team – and how soon he can play for his new team will be reliant upon how much of a knowledge sponge he is.

Mike will be at the Senior Bowl practices this week, so keep your eyes peeled for more coverage.

1. Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck – QB – Stanford   A no-brainer pick for the franchise in the midst of a massive overhaul. The Bill Polian-Peyton Manning era is officially over in Indianapolis and whether Manning remains the starter or not, the future of the Colts will depend on the success of the Stanford prodigy. There won’t be any suspense surrounding the first pick in April, this one is already set.

2. St. Louis Rams

Matt Kalil – OT – USC   Many experts feel this pick will be up for sale with teams pushing hard for the next highest ranked signal-caller, Robert Griffin III. If the Rams keep this pick they will be using it to aid Sam Bradford. No offensive line allowed more sacks during the 2011 season and Kalil gives St. Louis an elite blind-side protector.

3. Minnesota Vikings

Riley Reiff – OT – Iowa   The Vikings are stuck between a rock and a hard place here. If they are unable to trade out of this spot, it makes sense that the Vikings would attempt to supplement young Christian Ponder by drafting a receiver or offensive lineman. In this scenario, Minnesota reaches for one of the class’ elite pass blockers. Reiff steps in right away and provides a huge upgrade at left tackle.

4. Cleveland Browns

Robert Griffin III – QB – Baylor   It seems as if the Browns have been rebuilding perennially since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999. At the root of their struggles: a tumultuous and mediocre history at the Quarterback position. Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner, has the physical and mental tools to buck the trend in Cleveland. In addition to his ability to stretch the field with his arm, “RG3” possesses the speed the offense so desperately lacks.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trent Richardson – RB – Alabama   The argument could be made that the Buccaneers already have their franchise back in LeGarrette Blount, but don’t be shocked if the bowling ball from Alabama proves too tempting with this pick. Richardson is in an elite class in terms of running back prospects, possessing a rare combination of balance, power, vision, and burst. Tampa Bay would like to return to their smash-mouth roots and this pick gives Josh Freeman an incredibly potent weapon.

6. Washington Redskins

Morris Claiborne – CB – LSU   No team went through a more disappointing roller coaster ride of a season than the Redskins. It is do or die time for Mike Shanahan, who must find stability at quarterback and a way to generate wins. While there is no value at the position here, the draft’s elite cornerback is on the board. While not blessed with the same physical ability, Claiborne is actually a better pure cover corner than former teammate Patrick Peterson at this point.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

Justin Blackmon – WR – Oklahoma State   After year one, the jury has to be out on Blaine Gabbert as the team’s future under center. To succeed, however, the Jaguars will have to help him by adding at least one impact receiver early on draft weekend. Blackmon is widely considered to be this class’ best at the position. Though he may lack elite size and speed, he enters the NFL physically prepared and a polished route runner.

8. Carolina Panthers

Michael Brockers – DT – LSU   The Panthers and rookie phenom Cam Newton made quite an impression on the league in 2012, but wins did not pile up for the team. While Carolina now possesses an explosive and exciting offense capable of lighting up the scoreboard, their defense is left with gaping holes. Among their greatest areas of need: defensive tackle. Brockers, while not an elite prospect, may be regarded as the best at his position come April.

9. Miami Dolphins

Courtney Upshaw – OLB – Alabama   In a perfect world, the Dolphins could sit tight and add a franchise quarterback with this high first round pick. Unfortunately there is a substantial drop-off in talent after Robert Griffin comes off the board. Expect Miami to make a push for the Baylor star, but if they are unable to trade up there are other holes the team could address. Upshaw is among this class’ top pass rushers and appears as NFL-ready as they come, with the ability to play inside or out in a 3-4 scheme.

10. Buffalo Bills

Melvin Ingram – DE/OLB – South Carolina   While no one knows for sure what defensive scheme the Bills will be running next season, the fact remains: adding a pass rusher will be the team’s utmost priority. Whether it is standing up or with a hand on the ground, Melvin Ingram is among the most gifted edge rushers in this draft.

11. Kansas City Chiefs

Dre Kirkpatrick – CB – Alabama   Depending on what happens to star receiver Dwayne Bowe in free agency, the Chiefs may feel some pressure to add a wideout with this selection. Assuming Bowe stays on board, the next area Kansas City would look to address is the secondary, which struggled this past year. Dre Kirkpatrick is a steal outside the top ten picks and provides the size at cornerback this team so desperately lacks.

12. Seattle Seahawks

Luke Kuechly – LB – Boston College   Ok, so maybe the last time the Seahawks targeted a linebacker in the first round it didn’t work out. With both Leroy Hill and David Hawthorne free agents, it looks like it is time for Seattle to revisit the position high on draft weekend. Luke Kuechly may very well be the anti-Aaron Curry. What he lacks in athleticism, he more than makes up for with rare instincts and tackling ability. Simply put: he has a nose for the ball and will be an impact player at the next level behind a solid front.

13. Arizona Cardinals

Jonathan Martin – OT – Stanford*   Whether or not the team won more games than many expected, the first year of the Kevin Kolb experiment in Arizona has to be considered a massive failure. To protect their huge investment, expect the Cardinals to address their struggling offensive line sooner rather than later. Martin is an exceptional athlete for the left tackle position and is among this class’ most proficient pass-blockers.

14. Dallas Cowboys

Devon Still – DL – Penn State   Many will be clamoring for the Cowboys to select the highest rated defensive back on the board, but at this point that appears to be too much of a reach. By using this pick to address holes in their defensive front, Dallas figures to improve against the run and give All-Pro linebacker Demarcus Ware more space to maneuver. While Still played three-technique primarily at Penn State, he is an ideal fit for the 5-technique in a 3-4 scheme.

15. Philadelphia Eagles

Kendall Wright – WR – Baylor   Perhaps the first real shocker of the day comes with the Eagles springing for a wide receiver in the draft’s opening round. Many will tell you DeSean Jackson has one foot out the door in Philadelphia and to ease the loss: Andy Reid goes after the most explosive player on the board. Kendall Wright is a picture perfect fit alongside Jeremy Maclin and comes without the ego of his predecessor.

16. New York Jets

Lamar Miller – RB – Miami   Not making the playoffs after two consecutive trips to the conference championship may be humbling for coach Rex Ryan. What will upset Ryan most about the 2011 season: the futility of the Jets’ ground game. Once a smash mouth team, New York ranked near the bottom on the NFL in rushing and yards per carry. Lamar Miller is a huge change of pace in that backfield, possessing the quickness and burst to energize the offense.

Have any thoughts or questions about Ryan’s rankings? Be sure to drop a note in the comments below or over at the Draft Breakdown message board.

A

Summary

Griffin is a redshirt junior quarterback. He has started for Baylor since his true freshman season (winning the Big-12 Conference Freshman of the Year Award), and accrued his redshirt after tearing an ACL early in his sophomore campaign. The 2011 Heisman Trophy winner is accredited with bringing the Baylor program into the national spotlight, culminating in a 10-3 record this season. Griffin is a dangerous quarterback – capable of blowing the top of the defense with uncanny deep ball accuracy. He’s a fantastic athlete with a slight frame that has not been completely filled out. Has taken huge steps forward each year in his development, even when recovering from injury. He projects to be a top 5 pick.

Mechanics/Release

Fast, ¾ release that doesn’t quite come completely over-the-top. Combined with his height, batted balls could be a concern in the NFL – although it hasn’t been a notable problem thus far in his career. Plays in a read option offense out of the shotgun, which calls for unconventional footwork. However, Baylor calls a handful of plays per game with Griffin under center – they especially love throwing play action passes out of these sets. Griffin displays good fundamentals on these plays – turning his back to the defense and showing them the ball to sell the run action. He has a fluid crossover on his dropback and gains proper depth on the first step. His plant and gather is robotic, however – he doesn’t drive off his back foot at the top of his drop – he’ll simply extend it and pull it back up. The positioning of his feet is correct, but there is no weight transfer, affecting arm strength.

Mobility

Very good speed and is a dangerous thrower when rolling out to his right. Capable of throwing with velocity and accuracy when rolling right even when he doesn’t have his feet set or his hips turned to the target. Has more straight line speed than elusiveness – not particularly slippery as a runner. Faced a ton of zone coverage in college with 22 eyes focused on him and, thus, didn’t have a ton of huge open-field runs escaping vertically against the defense. Can be prone to fumbling when he scrambles.

Arm Strength

Very good arm strength, but not elite. Showed the ability to make throws to the wide side from the far hash in college. Potential for his arm to get stronger in the NFL as he gets bigger and stronger, develops more core strength, and learns to properly drive and transfer his weight on throws.

Accuracy

Deep ball accuracy is superb. As stated, he doesn’t have the strongest arm, but has Philip Rivers-type ball placement on deep routes. Despite not having elite arm strength, receivers rarely have to slow up and wait on his deep ball – he consistently hits the WR in stride. Trusts his WRs and throws the 50/50 ball often and accurately – giving his WRs a chance to climb the ladder and make plays over DBs. Has a tendency to throw behind his target on timing routes to the outside and throws over the middle. Wasn’t challenged by a ton of man coverage – however Oklahoma ran predominantly man against Baylor this season and he responded with some stick throws into tight windows – both deep and over the middle.

Decision Making and Intangibles

Can play very hurried and frenetic at times, and his pocket presence is average at best. Doesn’t feel blindside pressure well, and takes a lot of hits and sacks and is prone to giving up fumbles because of backside pressure. Can be indecisive in deciding whether to scramble or find someone downfield.

However, he’s a very tough player who will make an attempt to keep his eye level downfield and stare down the gun-barrel even after getting hit a lot early in the game (see Oklahoma). Still inconsistent as an anticipation thrower, but he displays the willingness and ability to make stick throws over the middle of the field. Willingness and ability to attack deep forces defenses to cover 100 x 53.

Additional Information

Excels at track – broke many state HS track records and is the holder of the NCAA Midwest Regional 400-meter hurdles record. Participated and advanced to the semi-finals for Olympic tryouts.

Production/Experience

2008: 12 games, 160-267, 60%, 2091 yards, 7.8 YPA, 15 TDs, 3 INTs; 173 rushes, 843 yards, 13 TDs, 4.9 YPC
2009: 3 games, 45-69, 65.2%, 481 yards, 7.0 YPA, 4 TDs, 0 INTs; 27 rushes, 77 yards, 2 TDs, 2.9 YPC
2010: 13 games, 305-454, 67%, 3501 yards, 7.7 YPA, 22 TDs, 8 INTs; 139 rushes, 635 yards, 8 TDs, 4.3 YPC
2011: 13 games, 291-402, 72%, 4293 yards, 10.7 YPA, 37 TDs, 6 INTs; 179 rushes, 699 yards, 3.9 YPC, 10 TDs

Academics

Graduated with a 3.67 GPA in political science. Has considered entering law school.

Awards and Honors

2011: Heisman Trophy winner, 2011 Davey O’Brien Award winner
2010: Semifinalist for Maxwell Award, Semifinalist for Walter Campbell Player of the Year, 2010 Baylor’s Kyle Woods Inspirational Leader
2008: Sporting News and Rivals.com freshman first team All-American, Big 12 gold medalist (400m hurdles), Track & Field All-American (400m hurdles), Baylor Offensive MVP

Prospect Video Clips

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According to multiple reports, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III has opted to forgo his senior season with the Bears and will petition to enter the 2012 NFL Draft.

The 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, Griffin is considered a top-10 pick who could potential go within the first two or three picks.

Now that the dual-threat quarterback has declared himself eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft, the No. 2 pick (currently held by the St. Louis Rams) becomes much more valuable as teams will seek to land the play-making gunslinger. With a number of quarterback-needy teams near the top of the draft, the Rams will be expecting a king’s ransom in return for their spot in line.

Although Griffin’s draft stock will certainly fluctuate as predraft workouts begin, it’s unlikely that he’ll fall out of the Top 10 unless a serious injury arises or a major flaw is discovered in his ability to play quarterback.

During the 2011 season, Griffin threw for 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns and only six interceptions while completing 291 of his 402 passes (72.4% complete). When all was said and done he had compiled a quarterback rating of 189.5 on the season, second only to Russell Wilson’s 191.8. He also wreaked havoc on the ground for the Bears, totaling 699 yards and 10 touchdowns on 179 carries.

This past season, Griffin also punted the ball in emergency situations for the Bears. He averaged 33 yards on three punts, including a long of 39 yards. Although the punting won’t raise any team’s interest in the star quarterback, it is a testament to his versatility and elite athleticism.

Griffin capped off his Heisman-winning 2011 season with a sensational performance against the Washington Huskies in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Although it was considered one of the worst displays of defense in recent college football history, Griffin threw for 295 yards and one touchdown while running for 55 yards and another touchdown in Baylor’s 67-56 victory.

Current underclassmen have until Jan. 15 to declare for the 2012 NFL Draft.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2012 NFL Draft is Jan. 15. So until then, check back here for continuous updates on who has declared.

Quarterbacks

Robert Griffin III, Baylor (1st)
Andrew Luck, Stanford (1st)
Brock Osweiler, Arizona State (2nd-3rd)
Darron Thomas, Oregon (5th-6th)
Barrett Trotter, Auburn (6th-UDFA)

Running Backs

Alvester Alexander, Wyoming (6th-UDFA)
Edwin Baker, Michigan State (6th-7th)
Mike Ball, Nevada (7th-UDFA)
Jamison Berryhill (6th-UDFA)
Bryce Brown (5th-7th)
Jewel Hampton, Southern Illinois (6th-UDFA)
Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State (3rd-5th)
LaMichael James, Oregon (2nd-3rd)
Lamar Miller, Miami (1st-2nd)
Bernard Pierce, Temple (3rd-4th)
Trent Richardson, Alabama (1st)
Darrell Scott, USF (4th-6th)
Robert Turbin, Utah State (4th-6th)
David Wilson, Virginia Tech (2nd)

Wide Receivers

Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State (1st)
Chris Givens, Wake Forest (3rd-4th)
Dorian Graham, Syracuse (4th-6th)
Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech (3rd-4th)
Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina (1st-2nd)
Aldarius Johnson, Miami (5th-7th)
Damaris Johnson, Tulsa (6th-UDFA)
Eric Page, Toledo (3rd-5th)
Rueben Randle, LSU (2nd)
Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers (1st-2nd)
Tommy Streeter, Miami (2nd-3rd)

Tight Ends

Dwayne Allen, Clemson (1st-2nd)
Orson Charles, Georgia (2nd-3rd)
Tiree Eure, Minnesota (5th-7th)

Offensive Linemen

David DeCastro, Stanford (1st)
Matt Kalil, USC (1st)
Peter Konz, Wisconsin (1st-2nd)
Jonathan Martin, Stanford (1st)
Bobby Massie, Ole Miss (6th-UDFA)
Ken Plue, Purdue (4th-5th)
Riley Reiff, Iowa (1st)
Brandon Washington, Miami (2nd-3rd)

Defensive Linemen

Michael Brockers, LSU (1st-2nd)
Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State (1st-2nd)
Marcus Forston, Miami (3rd-4th)
Max Holloway, Boston College (6th-UDFA)
Chandler Jones, Syracuse (2nd-3rd)
Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma (1st-2nd)
Jonathan Massaquoi, Troy (4th-6th)
Whitney Mercilus, Illinois (1st)
Donte Paige-Moss, North Carolina (5th-6th)
Nick Perry, USC (1st)
Dontari Poe, Memphis (1st-2nd)
Olivier Vernon, Miami (5th-7th)
Jerel Worthy, Michigan State (1st)

Linebackers

Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State (1st-2nd)
Dont’a Hightower, Alabama (1st-2nd)
Luke Kuechly, Boston College (1st)
Terrell Manning, NC State (4th-5th)

Defensive Backs

Morris Claiborne, LSU (1st)
Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina (1st-2nd)
Cliff Harris, Oregon (4th-5th)
Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech (2nd-3rd)
Janzen Jackson, McNeese State (5th-6th)
Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama (1st)
Josh Robinson, UCF (2nd-3rd)
Johnny Thomas, Oklahoma State (3rd-5th)
Phillip Thomas, Syracuse (4th-6th)

As of right now, the first 20 selections have already been matched with their corresponding team based on final regular season records.

Let the early-to-mid-round mocking begin!

1. Indianapolis Colts (2-14)
2. St. Louis Rams (2-14)
3. Minnesota Vikings (3-13)
4. Cleveland Browns (4-12)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)
6. Washington Redskins (5-11)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)
8. Carolina Panthers (6-10)*
9. Miami Dolphins (6-10)*
10. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
11. Seattle Seahawks (7-9)*
12. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9)*
13. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)
14. New York Jets (8-8)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. San Diego Chargers (8-8)
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders, 8-8)
18. Chicago Bears (8-8)
19. Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
20. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
21. Denver Broncos (8-8)**
22. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)**
23. New York Giants (9-7)**
24. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta Falcons, 10-6)**
25. Detroit Lions (10-6)**
26. Houston Texans (10-6)**
27. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)**
28. Baltimore Ravens (12-4)**
29. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints, 13-3)**
30. San Francisco 49ers (13-3)**
31. New England Patriots (13-3)**
32. Green Bay Packers (15-1)**

*- Position will be decided by coin toss
**- Position will be decided by result of 2012 NFL Playoffs

During an on-campus press conference, Barkley made his decision to forego the 2012 NFL Draft and return for his senior season clear to a crowd of raucous Trojan faithful.

“I have firmly decided to forego the NFL Draft in 2012 and finish the exceptional and unique journey that I’ve had here at USC,” Barkley announced.

For the past two seasons, the USC football program has been at the mercy of a BCS Bowl ban as part of the sanctions stemming from the “Reggie Bush/illegal gifts” fiasco. Now that the ban has been lifted, the Trojans will be in prime position to push for a PAC-12 crown as well as a berth in one of the coveted BCS Bowls that the program became so accustomed to prior to the dropping of the banhammer.

Despite playing for pride and not much else, the Trojans excelled this year, ending the season with a 10-2 record. Although they lost to Stanford, they were the only PAC-12 team that managed to topple the conference champion Oregon Ducks. If they can stay on the same path while adding more talent to the equation, we could be looking at a USC football team similar to the ones that dominated the mid-2000s.

“I know in my heart that I have not yet finished my journey as a Trojan football player,” Barkley said. “Our USC football team has been through some tough times and we have persevered. But the 2012 team has some serious unfinished business to attend to, and I intend to play a part of it.”

With Barkley returning to school in 2012, look for this USC team that’s expected to return 16 starters to be near the top of the 2012 preseason polls when that time comes. As for those quarterback-needy NFL teams, you better start looking elsewhere for your next franchise gunslinger.

Merry Christmas, Lane Kiffin!

Summary

Jonathan Martin is an excellent, experienced all-around left tackle who has been tasked with protecting Andrew Luck’s blindside, as well as the hopes of many moribund NFL franchises, for the past three seasons. While perhaps not quite the athlete of top-10 pick Matt Kalil, Martin is above-average physically and looks completely natural and comfortable playing left tackle. While I hate to use the term “finesse” for any offensive lineman, Martin’s game is more about agility, technique, and quickness than power. If he decides to declare, Martin should hear his name called in the top-20 picks of the NFL Draft.

Pass Blocking

Martin is solid in pass pro, using excellent anticipation and quickness off the snap to gain advantages on
the defender. He does a great job keeping his feet moving and maintains balance while engaged with a
defender. There are times when his initial drop-step is too shallow, and therefore he doesn’t get enough
depth when trying to ride an edge rusher around the pocket. Martin has a solid but not overpowering punch.
He possesses adequate anchor strength but has to fight to keep stronger bull rushers at bay.

Run Blocking

Martin is a good run blocker who uses excellent agility to beat defenders to the point of attack and wall off
their attempts at getting to the ball carrier. He is a natural bender who, for the most part, keeps his pad
level low and maintains leverage advantages. He plays with a bit of a nasty streak and sustains his blocks
throughout the action. Martin does a good job chipping an initial defender, then locating his second read and attacking. He seals the edge very well, even moving outside the right tackle on occasion when plays are called
to that side.

Awareness

Martin is an intelligent player who recognizes blitzes early and seems to understand his assignments in both pass protection and in the run game. He locates critical defenders well, and understands when to shed his current block and attack someone else.

Hand Placement

Martin does a good job of fighting for hand position, but needs to improve strength in this area. When engaged with a stronger defender, he can struggle to both shed the defender when needed and keep his hands in an advantageous position. He has an adequate initial punch and does a good job keeping his arms extended and engaged in pass protection. Martin uses his hand rather than catching defenders with his body.

Mobility

Martin is an above-average athlete with nice agility but only average foot speed to get down the field. While
not asked to pull a ton, when he does he is nimble and can get around the edge with ease. He does not
necessarily excel as a second level blocker, although the effort is always there. Martin has quick feet and is
lightning quick off the snap, one of his best qualities.

Footwork

Overall, Martin has good footwork, but at times his steps can get too choppy in pass protection and his
drop-step too shallow. When engaged in run blocking, he keeps his legs churning and can effectively ride his
defender out of the play. He is light on his feet and keeps a nice wide base with good balance.

Additional Information

Martin graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood, Calif., and was only ranked as the No. 44 offensive tackle nationally by Rivals.com as well as the No. 52 overall player in California. SuperPrep ranked him No. 95 among California/Hawaii/Nevada prospects.

Production/Experience

2011: Has played and started in all 12 games.
2010: Played and started in all 13 games.
2009: Played in all 13 games with 11 starts at LT.

Academics

Majoring in classics.

Awards & Honors

2011: Playboy Preseason All-American First Team; named to the Rotary Lombardi Award preseason watch list.
2010: All-Pac-10 First Team
2009: All-Pac-10 honorable mention; Second Team Freshman All-American by College Football News.

Disagree with our scouting report? Think we’ve left something out? Maybe you’ve seen something we just haven’t. Thanks okay! Leave your own scouting report using the comments feature at the bottom of the page. We at Draft Breakdown value your opinion and we’d love to hear it. This feature is available on all of our scouting reports, articles and blogs. Help keep Draft Breakdown a one stop shop for all your NFL Draft needs!

Auburn’s close call partly was due to the inspired play of Bobby Wagner. The instinctive Utah State linebacker made plays all over the field, including behind the line of scrimmage. He finished the game with 10 tackles, along with a sack and an additional tackle-for-loss.

And that was only the start of a great season for Wagner. The now three-time All-WAC ‘backer reached an entirely new level of production, notching 140 tackles, 4 sacks, and 10.5 tackles for loss. More importantly, he exhibited skills that will make him a quality starter at the next level.

Rather than a prospect who thrives by beating down lesser teams, Wagner has done some of his best work against high quality competition. Though only listed at 6’1″, 232 lbs., Wagner possesses very long arms, which allow him to keep blockers at bay. As a result, BYU’s big offensive linemen failed to faze him.

The same was true in the Auburn game, in which he exhibited another valuable commodity, pass rush ability. Most linebackers merely are blitzers: they get to the quarterback when given unobstructed access to the quarterback. Wagner, on the other hand, has flashed the potential to be a true pass rusher, a defender who uses his length and quick hands to win one-on-one matchups with offensive tackles.

The Aggies ultimately failed to secured upset victories in both matchups, but Wagner may be able to notch a surprise win on draft day. With his impressive skill set, it’s possible that he could come off the board before much more heralded prospects. In fact, the folks at NFL Draft Scout have him rated as their 50th overall prospect, ahead of a very big name in Vontaze Burfict.

Draftniks who want to get a look at Wagner will have a great opportunity Saturday evening in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Until then, here’s video of Wagner vs Auburn:

According to The Oregonian, James has decided to forgo his senior season and will declare for the 2012 NFL Draft. Considering the lack of longevity of NFL careers for running backs, another year in college without much else to prove would be a poor decision for one of the nation’s most talented runners.

In 2011, James has helped lead the Ducks to another tremendous season that will end with an appearance in the 2012 Rose Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers. Like in 2010, James led the nation in rushing yards per game this season with 149. With only one game to go, James currently has 1,646 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season.

Despite the report, nothing has been officially confirmed by the team or James himself.

If James was to declare himself eligible for the draft, he’d likely be a second-round draft pick. Despite being one of the top running back prospects, the lack of draft value at the position makes it unlikely that he’d go in the first round unless a particular team felt his talents fit them well enough to take him that high.

As of right now, nothing is set in stone. Speculation on James’ draft position won’t really begin until we hear it from the horse’s mouth.

Take a look at who they have going to your team and be sure to leave your comments below. Also, head over to the Draft Breakdown Message Board where you can post your own mock!

	Mike Daneshgar	Aaron Aloysius
1.	Andrew Luck – QB – Stanford	Andrew Luck – QB – Stanford
2.	Matt Kalil – OT – USC	Matt Kalil – OT – USC
3.	Morris Claiborne – CB – LSU	Morris Claiborne – CB – LSU
4.	Robert Griffin III – QB – Baylor	Robert Griffin III – QB – Baylor
5.	Justin Blackmon – WR – Oklahoma State	Justin Blackmon – WR – Oklahoma State
6.	Dre Kirkpatrick – CB – Alabama	Zach Brown – LB – North Carolina
7.	Matt Barkley – QB – USC	Matt Barkley – QB – USC
8.	Trent Richardson – RB – Alabama	Michael Floyd – WR – Notre Dame
9.	Riley Reiff – OT – Iowa	Trent Richardson – RB – Alabama
10.	Zach Brown – OLB – North Carolina	Riley Reiff – OT – Iowa
11.	Courtney Upshaw – DE/OLB – Alabama	Quinton Coples – DE – North Carolina
12.	David DeCastro – OG – Stanford	David DeCastro – OG – Stanford
13.	Jonathan Martin – OT – Stanford	Jonathan Martin – OT – Stanford
14.	Michael Floyd – WR – Notre Dame	Courtney Upshaw – DE/OLB – Alabama
15.	Cordy Glenn – OL – Georgia	Mike Adams – OT – Ohio State
16.	Janoris Jenkins – CB – North Alabama	Dre Kirkpatrick – DB – Alabama
17.	Quinton Coples – DE – North Carolina	Jerel Worthy – DT – Tennessee
18.	Mark Barron – S – Alabama	Cordy Glenn – OL – Georgia
19.	Jerel Worthy – DT – Michigan State	Alshon Jeffery – WR – South Carolina
20.	Dwayne Allen – TE – Clemson	Alfonzo Dennard – CB – Nebraska
21.	Luke Kuechly – LB – Boston College	Luke Kuechly – LB – Boston College
22.	Ryan Tannehill – QB – Texas A&M	Lamar Miller – RB – Miami
23.	Mike Adams – OT – Ohio State	Melvin Ingram – DE/OLB – South Carolina
24.	Lamar Miller – RB – Miami	Brandon Thompson – DT – Clemson
25.	Stephon Gilmore – CB – South Carolina	Peter Konz – C – Wisconsin
26.	Dontari Poe – NT – Memphis	Janoris Jenkins – CB – North Alabama
27.	Alshon Jeffery – WR – South Carolina	Devon Still – DL – Penn State
28.	Chase Minnifield – CB – Virginia	Kendall Wright – WR – Baylor
29.	Kelechi Osemele – OL – Iowa State	Rueben Randle – WR – LSU
30.	Alfonzo Dennard – CB – Nebraska	Vontaze Burfict – LB – Arizona State
31.	Orson Charles – TE – Georgia	Mark Barron – S – Alabama
32.	Billy Wynn – DE – Boise State	Brandon Jenkins – DE/OLB – Florida State

On Monday, Fluker put to bed any rumors of taking his talents to the next level:

“I know there have been a few stories and different things out on the message boards lately about me possibly leaving school early. I want to go ahead and put all of that to rest and make it clear that my intentions are to stay in school. At my position, I still have a lot to learn in order to mold myself into the best offensive tackle I can be. I’ve learned a lot from my coaches in my three years here and I feel like I can only get better with more experience. The most important reason is to finish my degree. Right now, I am on track to graduate next December and that’s one of the things I promised my mother that I would do when I decided to come to the University of Alabama. This is a special place and I’m looking forward to spending another year with my friends and teammates, graduating, and playing in front of the best fans in the country.”

Whether D.J. Fluker slides over to the left tackle position in order to improve his draft stock is still to
be determined. Current starter on the left side Barrett Jones is just a junior and is yet to announce his
intentions for the NFL Draft. There is also some belief around the Alabama program that prized 5-star
recruit Cyrus Kouandjio is the heir apparent to Barrett Jones at the left tackle position.

Even if Fluker plays the right tackle position again next year, barring a huge letdown he will likely end
up as a 1st rounder. In fact, it would create an interesting scenario where the top 2 offensive tackle
prospects (the other being Miami tackle Seantrel Henderson) of the 2013 NFL Draft may both end up
being right tackles, often a much less valued position than left tackles.

Meanwhile, teams with a need at offensive tackle will just have to keep their fingers crossed that other
potential 1st rounders such as USC’s Matt Kalil, Stanford’s Jonathan Martin, and Iowa’s Riley Reiff don’t
follow Fluker’s example and decide to turn pro.

As a result, not many were surprised when Arizona was beat down in September by the same Cowboy squad. In addition to losing by more than three touchdowns, Foles appeared to solidify his draft rep. He simply was a mid/late round system QB: accurate but a very average arm; good in the short game but chronically bad vertically; and, perhaps most damning, not mobile enough to navigate the pocket and handle an NFL pass rush.

However, after some dismissed him, Foles quietly proved his worth. Instead of being a product of the system, Foles succeeded in spite of it. Though the team failed to accumulate wins, he was able to move the chains while saddled with a mediocre surrounding cast.

The Washington game provides a good example of Foles’ underrated overall game. The line play in front of him was inconsistent, and his receivers oscillated between making big plays and drive-crushing ones. The wideouts dropped several catchable balls and ran the wrong routes, with one miscommunication leading to an interception. Nevertheless, Foles put 31 points on the board; with USC’s line and wideouts, it would have been 50.

Unfortunately, Foles often has had pass rushers all up in his grill. It hasn’t always been pretty: at times, Foles will get panicky and lose his accuracy, even missing on easy swing passes. Nevertheless, he’s benefited developmentally from not being able to stand in a cushy pocket. Instead of feeling phantom pressure, he’s managed to cope with the real thing. As DB’s Eric Stoner has pointed out, that experience will be of big benefit to him, especially if he’s forced on the field early in his career.

In addition, Foles possesses underrated mobility. As Chad Reuter’s noted, the Arizona signal caller looks “goofy” out there but moves around fairly well. When improvising, he can get himself in trouble by forcing throws and struggles to throw a tight ball. However, he’s very effective on designed rollouts and shows the ability to sidestep pressure.

Foles’ big 6’5″, 240-pound build allows him to stand tall in the pocket and absorb hits. He’s also able to beat pressure in a Roethlisberger-esque fashion, avoiding sacks by pitching the ball with guys draped over him. Though no one will confuse him with Big Ben, he does enough with his feet to convince teams that his mobility won’t be a Ryan Mallett-esque major liability.

The one area where Foles has not quite exceeded expectations is his downfield accuracy. Despite possessing a good arm, he struggles to connect with his receivers downfield. The lack of touch on his deep ball may be his biggest flaw, one that could mar what should be a very good week for him in Mobile.

The Senior Bowl will afford him a great opportunity to show that he can outperform other QBs when surrounded with equal quality talent. Hopefully, his limitations as a downfield passer won’t offset an otherwise solid week — one that could push him into the late 2nd round.

Summary

Luck is a redshirt junior and has been the starting quarterback for Stanford since his redshirt freshman season. One of the highest touted quarterback prospects in recent years, he would likely have gone #1 overall had he declared after last season and is a virtual lock to be the first off the board this year. A true field general, he has full command of his offense and has been praised by his head coach as essentially being an offensive coordinator on the field. A big, rugged, powerful player with nimble feet and elite instincts for the position. Has the potential to be the foundation of a team’s offense in the NFL.

Mechanics/Release

Luck has a compact, over-the-top release. Does a good job of “crushing pebbles” with his feet while he stands in the pocket scanning the field. Mechanically, he’s very sound, although he does get inconsistent from time to time with his footwork. Will occasionally get in the habit of kickstepping instead of crossing over on his straight dropbacks, and has a strange gather step out of shotgun. Major tendency to raise his back foot upon release – this has more of an effect on his velocity and ball placement than anything.

Mobility

Strong, rugged, and tough runner. Excellent footwork in the play-action game, and can run bootleg effectively to the left and right. Has the awareness to scramble vertically when he recognizes man coverage and horizontally to stretch the defense when they’re in zone. Stanford uses his mobility as the foundation of their play-action passing game.

Arm Strength

Doesn’t have a howitzer but can make all the throws. Shows the ability to crease the ball into tight windows against man coverage, as well as the ability to throw receivers open. Throws with above-average velocity on the run. Poor weight transfer at times results in too many all-arm throws where he loses RPMs on the ball. Displays a good overall understanding of when to crease a throw or when to put touch on the ball.

Decision Making and Intangibles

Two things really stick out with Luck, and they’re what make him such an elite and unique prospect. The first is that he displays an innate feel for pressure in the pocket. He can feel where it’s coming from and make subtle moves in a muddied pocket to buy himself the time for a receiver to get open – all while keeping his eye level downfield.

The second thing is that he’s one of the rare college quarterbacks that’s been taught to make decisions based off of reading coverages, as opposed to going through a pre-determined receiver progression. He also understands how to manipulate the second and third level defenders with his eyes and feet to open up throwing lanes downfield. Will stare down the gun-barrel to make throws under pressure, although he showed some flinching in the pocket and anticipation of pressure against Oregon this year.

The only real complaint I have with him is that he needs to learn that it’s okay to live to see another down. He’ll take a sack or throw blind into coverage on occasion, instead of just throwing it away.

Additional Information

Co-valedictorian of his high school class. Owns virtually every Stanford career passing record, as well as Pac-10 record for highest single-season completion percentage (70.7%, 2010).

Production/Experience

2009: 12 games, 162-288, 56.3%, 2575 yards, 8.9 YPA, 13 TDs, 4 INTs; 61 rushes, 354 yards, 5.4 YPC, 2 TDs
2010: 13 games, 263-372, 70.7%, 3338 yards, 9.0 YPA, 32 TDs, 8 INTs; 55 rushes, 453 yards, 8.2 YPC, 3 TDs
2011 (1 game remaining): 12 games, 70.0%, 3170 yards, 35 TDs, 9 INTs; 43 rushes, 153 yards, 3.6 YPC, 2 TDs

Academics

Majoring in architectural design and engineering.

Awards and Honors

2011: Maxwell Award, 2011 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, 2011 First Team All America (AFCA, Walter Camp), Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All Pac 12, First Team Pac-12 All-Academic Team, Academic All-American of the Year(CoSIDA)
2010: Heisman Trophy Runner-up, Second Team All America, Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All Pac-10, Second Team Pac-10 All-Academic Team, Orange Bowl MVP
2009: Freshman All-America, Honorable Mention All Pac-10, First Team Pac-10 All-Academic Team

Prospect Video Clips

Disagree with our scouting report? Think we’ve left something out? Maybe you’ve seen something we just haven’t. Thanks okay! Leave your own scouting report using the comments feature at the bottom of the page. We at Draft Breakdown value your opinion and we’d love to hear it. This feature is available on all of our scouting reports, articles and blogs. Help keep Draft Breakdown a one stop shop for all your NFL Draft needs!

I am starting with my beloved Steelers against the Bengals.  The Bengals defense started off playing well as they held the Steelers to a three and out on the first and second series.  The Bengals offense was aggressive to start.  In the first big play of the day, Ike Taylor had blown coverage against AJ Green.  Green glided across the field and Taylor couldn’t keep up which resulted in a 43 yard gain. The AJ Green (6 catches for 87 yards and a TD) vs. Taylor (6 tackles, 3 passes defended and an interception) battle ended up to be the most exciting part of the game.  The Steelers front seven did not get any pressure on Andy Dalton early, but that changed in time.  The Pittsburgh defense had a fantastic stand after the 43 yard AJ Green reception as they had a TD and a field goal nullified due to penalty, then blocked their 2nd field goal attempt.  The Steelers had early issues with the Bengals offense spreading them out which always seems to be an issue with Lebeau’s aggressive defense.   Lebeau’s base defense has four linebackers who are well-versed in stopping the run and rushing the passer.  The weakness is that the LBs are not built to be in pass coverage for long amounts of time.  Early on Rashard Mendenhall had problems finding creases on the line of scrimmage, so Isaac Redman did his best to soften the defense up.  Antonio Brown created a big 40 yard pass play from Ben Roethlisberger to get the Steelers in the red zone.  Mendenhall ended up taking the ball in from the 2 and on the next series it took three carries from the 20 yard line for him to get the ball in the end zone (finished with 16 carries for 60 yards, 2 TDs).

Momentum was rolling the Steelers way as Stevenson Sylvester stripped the ball from Brandon Tate during the ensuing kickoff return and soon after Ben connected with Mike Wallace for a 12 yard TD pass.  His coverage, Kelly Jennings, was nowhere to be found as the Steelers took advantage of the Bengals core of 2nd/3rd string defensive backs (their top 2 corners were out due to injury).  The Steelers defense, in particular, safety Ryan Clark played a bit too aggressive with Jermaine Gresham (3 catches for 37 yards) which helped Gresham make a few plays.  The Bengals tried to offset the Steelers aggressive defense by running Cedric Benson (13 for 52 yards) despite being down by 21 points.  The Bengals rallied back to 21-7 (the AJ Green TD), but Antonio Brown’s 60 yard punt return seemed to take the remaining fight out of the Bengals with the game 28-7.  Andy Dalton sacked three times by James Harrison, got slower getting up after each hit.  The Steelers continued to pound with Isaac Redman (8-51 yards) to slow the game down.  Mike Wallace took a bubble screen 19 yards to pay dirt by getting through 6 tacklers and the life went out of the crowd.  In the 4th quarter, both teams put in their backup QBs and other offensive skill positions to get them some playing time as the game was decided and there was no reason for either team to risk further injury to their starters.

The game of the week in my eyes was the Packers playing the Giants.  This was a welcome back party for Jermichael Finley.  Finley did a great job finding the soft spot in the zone and was benefitted that he was covered by linebackers and safeties.  He finished the game with 6 receptions for 87 yards and a TD.  I am not sure this use of Finley will continue as the Giants seemed ripe to be exposed in the middle of the field.  The Packers struggled to establish a running game other than Aaron Rodgers (4 for 32 yards) as their four running backs finished with a total of 24 carries for 57 yards. The Giants front seven devoured any Green Bay runner that ran at them.  I love it when people on twitter argue, like this week, that James Starks was going to have a breakout game.  The Packers run to keep the defense from sending blitz after blitz at Rodgers, not because they have the blockers or the scheme to sustain a running game.  Their running game worked well enough as the Giants only had two sacks, one was a big hit from Justin Tuck that was caused by Jason Pierre-Paul’s outside pressure.  Rodgers did a great job moving around the pocket, for the most part, rolling out to make big completions down the field (28 for 46 for 369 yards, 4 TDs, and 1 interception).  For most of the game, Jordy Nelson was the forgotten receiver, but Rodgers took advantage of the overactive rush and completed all 4 of his targets to Nelson for 94 yards.  Nelson would lull the DBs to sleep when he got behind them and also came back to Rodgers for a crucial first down.   Donald Driver had one of his best games in the last couple of years (4 receptions for 34 yards and 2 TDs).  On his first TD catch, Driver was all alone in the end zone as his defensive back went up to double cover Finley.  The second TD catch was a toe-tapping clinic that Driver made look like child’s play.  He can still exploit zone coverage with the best of them.  Greg Jennings caught half of his 14 targets to end the game with 94 yards and a hard fought 20 yard TD catch.  Jennings had some concentration issue that resulted in bad drops, but he was more comfortable when Nelson and Finley got passing targets to pull coverage away from him.

The Giants were led by Eli Manning’s 58% passing completion rate, 347 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception.  Clay Matthews was the only Packer to harrass Manning as he finished with a 40 yard interception for a touchdown and was the only Packers defender to register a sack against him.  The Packers failed to apply constant pressure to the Giants passing game which kept them in the game.  In fact, Victor Cruz’s effort (7 catches for 119 yards) kept the Green Bay secondary on their heels.  Even all-pro Charles Woodson had issues containing Cruz, who had an early 42 yard bomb.  The Giants put Ahmad Bradshaw right out there to start the game.  He wasn’t as effective as he has been prior to his foot injury, but he did account for 47 total yards. Brandon Jacobs had 59 yards on 8 carries and on one of those carries he scored on a leap over the Green Bay defensive line seemed to give up.  It was good seeing the thunder and lightning style back in action after the long drought.  The Giants got a flash of what TE Travis Beckum could be with his 67 yard TD reception, but went back to Jake Ballard (3 catches for 47 yards).  Ballard missed a TD catch as he couldn’t get his feet planted while trying to haul in a high Manning lob.  Hakeem Nicks had a quiet first half and then exploded with two second half TD receptions (7 receptions for 88 yards) to keep pace with the Packers.  Nicks was knocked around constantly and at times appeared to be ready to break in half.  Cruz seemed to be stinging the Packers defense like a series of quick gabs while Nicks style was connnecting with painful bodyblows.  This style kept the score close with Rodgers putting the Packers in position for a time expiring filed goal by Mason Crosby for the win.

The big Sunday Night in America had a predictable outcome with the Saints topping the Lions.  Both teams tried to establish the run early in order to slow down the other’s passing offense.  Robert Meachem had a comeback game, after I just dropped him in a league, with 3 catches for 119 yards.  He did a great job stretching the field as he got the Saints out of thier 10 yard line and exploited Eric Wright a few times.  On his 67 yard TD reception, Meachem made Wright look foolish as the DB couldn’t track the ball.  Meachem looked like he was on the same page with Drew Brees which hasn’t happened for the past few weeks.  Mark Ingram took a sweep 14 yards to the right for a touchdown; the Saints offensive line did a great job of sealing the defense off and Ingram went in untouched.  Ingram did a better job of reading his block despite his pedestrian 16 carries for 54 yards as the Lions defensive line did a great job holding the line.  Lance Moore had a small stat line of 2 catches for 23 yards; however, he held onto an acrobatic 20 yard TD reception while being spun by two defenders.  Darren Sproles had 74 combined yards with a 6 yard TD reception.  On that reception, Sproles got free in the flat and used his quickness to make DeAndre Levy look like a high school player.  Drew Brees (72% completion rate, 342 yards, 3 TDs) was calm and poised in the pocket and dictated the pace and style of the game throwing for over 250 yards in the first half to get a lead.  In the second half, Brees slowed down the game and exploited Jimmy Graham’s mismatch vs. the Lions defense.  Graham caught 6 of his 8 receptions in the second half to finish the game with 89 yards.  The truth is Graham makes almost every catch look easy as his hands and body control are better than 90% of the league.

On the other side of the ball, the Lions were self-destructing from almost the very start of the game. Penalites were in the fabric of everything the Lions did as they taunted Saints players, even shoved players and referrees alike.  Kevin Smith made another start for the Lions, but once again did not finish the game as he re-aggrevated his ankle injury.  He finished with 12 touches for 80 yards and scored a short yardage TD.  Smith did his best when he got the ball in space (out in the flat, sweeps, on screens) and appeared to be avoiding contact when he could.  After Smith went down, Maurice Morris much like last week came in and played well.  Morris had 75 yards on 17 touches and caught Matt Stafford’s only TD pass of the day.  Calvin Johnson was kept in check with short passes for most of the day (6 catches for 69 yards) and seemed to be drawing triple coverage for the majority of the time.  This set up rookie Titus Young and Nate Burleson to have bigger nights.  Despite Titus Young having a big yardage night (2 receptions for 60 yards) and Nate Burleson (5 catches for 93 yards)  having the most productive receiving night, each of these players imploded as Young had a costly personal foul and Burleson was called 4 times for offensive pass interference.  Matt Stafford had an average first half with 16 pass attempts for under 150 yards, but exploded in the second half to end with 408 yards by completing 70% of his passes.  I’m not sure if the Lions came overcome their injuries, suspensions, and sloppy play to get their heads back in the playoff hunt.

Unless they go on a four-game winning streak, which is rather unlikely, the Colts have won the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

According to a report from USA Today, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has confirmed his plans to forgo his senior year and enter the 2012 NFL Draft. In an interview with ESPN, Luck made his plans for next year rather clear.

“I think I’m going to hopefully play professional football if a team will have me,” Luck said.

Well unless he undergoes some catastrophic injury during the Fiesta Bowl or any pre-draft games/workouts (knock on wood), I’m sure just about every NFL team would love to have Luck on their roster. Don’t worry, Andrew; you’re safe.

It’s expected that Luck will be taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, which appears to be the possession of the Colts. He is considered one of the best and safest quarterback prospects in recent draft history.

“I thought it was pretty formal or understood when I came back last year, so I have no clue if I’ll make a formal announcement or not,” Luck said.

Sorry Stanford fans who were hoping for another year out of their elite quarterback; the NFL will be enjoying plenty of Luck in 2012.