Friday, April 27, 2012

Possibilities for Day 3


The NFL draft is very funny. Even the biggest draft geeks can be way off when putting their mock drafts together. That has never been more evident than in this draft, as there have been several prospects who have gone way higher than most thought, and others who have been selected much lower than what had been projected.

I'm as guilty as any, since I had the San Diego Chargers selecting Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead in the fourth round, and he was taken in the second, to the St. Louis Rams. I also had San Diego taking Regina defensive lineman Akiem Hicks in sixth round, and he went in the third, to the New Orleans Saints. In other words, those of us who don't work in an NFL front office, and have no experience in player evaluations, have no idea of what we're talking about.

Nevertheless, there still seems to be a ton of talent available for the start of the fourth round, which will take place tomorrow. Thus far, Chargers general manager A.J. Smith has done a nice job of adding to his defense. Let's hope he'll keep up the good work and select the right players tomorrow.

Below I have compiled a group of players San Diego should probably be interested in taking tomorrow.

Running backs

1. Miami's Lamar Miller: At one point he was projected to be picked in the first round. He rushed for 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns in 2011. He's considered one of the biggest homerun threats in this class.

2. Washington's Chris Polk: One of the most productive running backs in this draft, he finished his college career with 4,049 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. He also caught 79 passes for 683 yards and four touchdowns.

3. Utah State's Robert Turbin: A bigger back at 5-10, 222 pounds, he ran for 3,315 yards and 40 touchdowns during his college career. He also caught 67 passes for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns.

4. Texas A&M's Cyrus Gray: He rushed for 3,298 yards and 30 touchdowns over his four years with his Aggies. He also caught 106 passes for 776 and six touchdowns.

5. Mississippi State's Vick Ballard: During his two seasons with the Bulldogs, he rushed for 2,170 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown.

6. Baylor's Terrance Ganaway: A load at 239 pounds, he rushed for 1,547 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2011. He doesn't appear to be much of a pass receiver, however, as he caught just 12 passes for 133 yards and one touchdown during his four years with the Bears.

7. North Texas's Lance Dunbar: A smaller back (5-8, 205 pounds), he rushed for 4,224 yards and 41 touchdowns during his four years at North Texas. He also caught 97 passes for 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns.

Offensive tackles

1. Ole Miss's Bobby Massie: Some experts thought he was going as high as the late first round, and many believed he was one of the top three right tackles. At 6-6, 316 pounds, most experts believe he can be plugged at right tackle and start immediately. It's mind-boggling that he's lasted this long.

2. Auburn's Brandon Mosley: At 6-4, 315 pounds, he was considered by many to be a second- or third-round talent. In 2010 he transferred into Auburn from the JUCO ranks as a tight end. He's one of the tougher prospects, and most project him to be an eventual starter at right tackle.

3. Florida State's Zebrie Sanders: He was considered a second-round prospect heading into the 2011 season.  At 6-5, 308 pounds he's a better athlete than most at his position. He has experience at both tackle spots. A poor season last fall lowered his stock substantially.

4. Troy's James Brown: Most project this 6-3, 306-pound offensive lineman to play either right tackle or guard. He was a three-year starter at Troy.

5. Alabama-Birmingham's Matt McCants: One of the most under-the-radar prospects in this draft. At 6-5, 308 poiunds, he possesses the natural talent and physical attributes to become a starting left tackle.

Offensive guards

1. Wake Forest's Joe Looney: At 6-3, 309 pounds, scouts believe he has nice quickness for his position and will develop into a good run-blocker.

2. Pittsburgh's Lucas Nix: At 6-5, 317 pounds, he's considered one of the more talented interior lineman prospects. He's expected to excel as both a run- and pass-blocker.

3. Washington's Senio Kelemete: At 6-3, 307 pounds, he played left tackle for the Huskies. He's expected to switch to guard in the NFL. Scouts believe he possesses superior athleticism and fires out of his stance with nice explosion. He also has the ability to pull on trap plays.

4. Miami's Brandon Washington: The 6-4, 320-pound Hurricane has experience at both guard and tackle, but most believe he'll fit better inside at the pro level. He probably needs a year or two to develop into a starter.

5. Memphis's Ronald Leary: At 6-3, 315 pounds he made 38 starts during his four years with Memphis, 32 of them coming at left tackle. He switched to guard out of necessity last year.

Defensive tackles

1. Washington Alameda Ta'amu: This 6-2, 348-pounder has everything necessary to play nose tackle in the NFL. It's his effort that comes into question.

2. Nebraska's Jared Crick: The 6-4, 279-pound Cornhusker was considered a first-round talent prior to the 2011 season. Then he missed most of the year with a torn pectoral injury. He looks like an ideal defensive end in a 3-4 scheme. In 2009 and 2010 combined, he had 19 sacks and 32 tackles for losses--excellent production from his position.

3. Alabama's Josh Chapman: At 6-1, 316 pounds he could be another option for nose tackle. He was a key cog in the Crimson's Tide championship defense last year.

4. California's Trevor Guyton: An under-the-rader prospect, this 6-3, 285-pound plugger would be an ideal fit as a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme. He takes on double-teams very well.

Defensive ends

1. Troy's Jonathan Massaquoi: A very productive pass-rusher at Troy, this 6-2, 264-pound quarterback hunter had 19.5 sacks and 31 tackles for losses during his two years with the Trojans. He would be an option at outside linebacker.

2. Bethune-Cookman's Ryan Davis: He dominated his level of competition, as he had 12 sacks and 21 tackles for losses in 2011. At 6-2, 261 pounds he projects to outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

3. Prairie View A&M's Adrian Hamilton: Much like Davis, Hamilton dominated his competition, as he finished 2011 with 22 sacks and 24.5 tackles for losses. At 6-2, 250 pounds, he also projects to outside linebacker in a 3-4.

Linebackers

1. Oklahoma's Ronnell Lewis: He didn't have a lot of production for the Sooners, but there were many who projected him as a second-round talent over the last few months. At 6-2, 253 pounds he possesses superior athleticism and will probably be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

2. North Carolina State's Audie Cole: He has experience inside and outside as a three-year starter for the Wolfpack. He finished his college career with 276 tackles, 32 tackles for losses, 14 sacks, and one interception. At 6-4, 246 pounds he would play inside for a team that employs a 3-4 defensive scheme.

3. Arizona State's Vontaze Burfict: He was considered a top-10 prospect heading into the 2011 season. After a campaign filled with undisciplined play, and a disastrous offseason of miserable pre-draft workouts and interviews, his stock slid down more than any other prospect in this class. But if he could keep his head on straight, he could turn out to be one of the biggest steals. At 6-1, 248 pounds he would be a nice fit as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

4. Nevada's James-Michael Johnson: An ultra-productive talent who had 295 tackles, 37.5 tackles for losses, and 7.5 sacks as a four-year starter for Nevada. At 6-1, 241 pounds he played inside, outside, weak side, and strong side.

Cornerbacks

1. Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard: He was arrested just five days before the draft for suspicion of assaulting a police officer in Lincoln, Nebraska. That's probably why he's lasted this long, as most thought of him as a first-, second-, or third-round talent before that. At 5-10, 204 pounds he's considered one of the tougher cornerbacks in this draft. And if you don't believe that, he'll probably kick your ass.

2. Coastal Carolina's Josh Norman: At 6-0, 197 pounds he's considered a big-play threat, as evidenced with his 13 interceptions and three blocked kicks during his college career. Character and maturity concerns may have lowered his stock.

3. Virginia's Chase Minnifield: He had 13 interceptions during his college career, but knee injury concerns are probably why he's still available. At 5-10, 183 pounds, he's also a bit undersized, although one can make the argument he makes up for it with his athleticism and ball skills.

4. Iowa's Shaun Prater: At 5-10, 190 pounds he was a three-year starter for the Hawkeyes and has experience playing every type of coverage. Although he wasn't an overly-productive ballhawk, one could attribute that to opposing offenses not feeling comfortable with throwing in his direction.

5. Texas A&M's Coryell Judie: Just a shade under 6-0, and weighing 194 pounds, he's an aggressive corner who loves to mix it up. He had four interceptions in 2010 but none last season. He's considered strong in zone coverage and has experience on special teams.

6. Oregon's Cliff Harris: He was considered one of the top cornerbacks and a first-round talent heading into the 2011 season. Then he was suspended for the season-opener after being cited for driving 118 mph on Interstate 5. Then he was dismissed from the team halfway through the season after being cited for driving on a suspended license, without proper insurance, and without a seatbelt. There's no denying his talent, however, as he was one of the Ducks' most dynamic players during the 2010 season, in which he had six interceptions and four punt returns for touchdowns.




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