Thursday, January 26, 2017

East/West Shrine Game and NFLPA Collegiate Bowl




The draft season officially gets underway with a couple of college exhibition games, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, CA and the East/West Shrine Game in St Petersburg, FL. Traditionally these game feature more of the fringe type, usually from smaller schools or backups/injured players who never had a chance to shine fully in their college career. That being said, these game can be crucial to discovering that later rounds talent that provide depth to championship team. For example, Cowboys 2016 6th round pick CB Anthony Brown came from the Shrine Game. Here's a look at the players who stood out at these two games:

- Eli McGuire, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette:  With no QBs distinguishing themselves in either game, most of the offensive production came from the backs. McGuire is likely a 3rd down specialist in the pros at 5-11 185lbs but he was the best RB at the Shrine game, both catching and running with explosion. Though he runs a bit too upright, McGuire should hear his name called on Day 3 of the draft.

- Taquan Mizzell, RB, Virginia: Mizzell was the best RB at the NFLPA Bowl. Nicknamed Smoke, Mizzell ran for 96 yards on only 9 carries and caught the ball well also. Like McGuire, Mizzell is undersized (5-10 185lbs) and will have to carve out a spot on a roster as a specialist.

- Jalen Robinette,WR, Air Force: Playing WR at Air Force usually means a lot more blocking than catching passes. But at 6-3 220lbs, Robinette could emerge as a diamond in the rough. Robinette also received a call up to the Senior Bowl so he will get more time to showcase his skills.

- Eric Saubert, TE, Drake: Its not often you hear about Drake Bulldogs football, but Saubert has a chance to change that. At 6-5 251lbs, Saubert was a standout at the Shrine game all week in a very talented TE group.

- Blake Jarwin, TE, Oklahoma State: Jarwin was another standout TE at the Shrine game. But unlike some of the others, Jarwin showed a complete package, doing quite well in blocking as well as receiving. With so many receiving TEs in this class that struggle with in-line blocking, Jarwin could find his skill set invaluable to many teams.

- Trey Hendrickson, DE, Florida Atlantic: Perhaps no single player helped himself more than Hendrickson. Scouts raved about him as he dominated OTs all week. With ideal size (6-4 266lbs), speed and strength, Hendrickson could be in the mix for a Day 2 selection.

- Joey Ivie, DT, Florida: Ivie is an undersized DT with excellent quickness and pass rush. Which is exactly the kind of player Rod Marinelli loves at the 3 technique on his DL. Keep an eye on Ivie through the process.

- Josh Tupou, NT, Colorado: Tupou is a mountain of a man (6-3 360lbs) and clogged up the middle at the Shrine game all week. Though unlikely a fit in Dallas, Tupou will be anchoring some DL in the league in the near future.

- Richie Brown, LB, Mississippi St: Brown is a run-and-hit linebacker, as Jason Garrett likes to say, that flew around the field all week. Very instinctive, Brown could emerge as a real contributor at LB.

- Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA: Perhaps the highest rated player coming into the Shrine game, Moreau lived up to the hype and more. At 6-0 194lbs, Moreau dominated his side of the field and could be in the mix as early as the 2nd round.

- Lorenzo Jerome, CB, St Francis (PA): Having 18 career INTs in college, Jerome continued to show a knack for the ball with 2 INTs in the NFLPA Bowl. At 5-10 205lbs, Jerome may get converted to FS in the NFL but has definitely garnered some notice.


Up next, full reports from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL.

NFL Draft Preview from Cliff Dibiase


2017 NFL Draft Preview


Now that Clemson has defeated Alabama in one of the most thrilling finals in college football history, it is time to start looking forward to the 2017 NFL Draft. With the end of the college football season and the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft, it is time to start the amusing guessing game of NFL mock drafts. You know when draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. released his first mock draft that the draft season has begun. Here is a look at some of the stories to keep an eye on in the 2017 NFL Draft.

1. No Quarterback for the Browns

Fortunately, Cleveland fans have an NBA championship by the Cavaliers and a near miss by the Indians in the World Series to keep them content. This Browns franchise is in sorry shape, and it seems like it has been that way forever. They still do not have a quarterback, but there is unfortunately no surefire quarterback prospect in this draft for Cleveland.

With the number one pick, Cleveland will likely take Myles Garrett, a defensive end from Texas A&M. Garrett, who stands at 6’5”, 270 pounds, is an edge rusher who never has a problem getting into the opponent’s backfield. For a Browns team that needs all the talent it can get, Garrett should be able to make an impact from the start of his career.

2. San Francisco 49ers Will Take a Quarterback

This once proud franchise has been in shambles since Jim Harbaugh left. Between Chip Kelly’s disastrous season behind the reins and the serious lack of talent on the roster, it is hard to believe that this team played in the NFC Championship Game just three years ago. That seems like a lifetime ago to 49ers fans who have watched their team turn into a laughingstock. Expect the 49ers to look to right the ship by drafting a Notre Dame quarterback with the number three pick, DeShone Kizer. After all, the Irish magic worked once before with Joe Montana. If the 49ers aren’t sold on Kizer, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky could be the play here.

3. Jonathan Allen

Although Allen came up short in the national championship game against the Tigers, teams will pass on this menacing defensive tackle at their own peril. He absolutely destroys interior offensive lineman, and he can line up anywhere on the line to create matchup problems for opponents. His ability to play well against the run and pass makes him highly versatile. If he slips out of the top 10, some team will be getting the steal of the draft.

4. Desmond King a Heartwarming Success Story

It is rare to see a four-year player get drafted in the top ten of the draft, but Desmond King has a chance to be one of those rare cases. The four-year starter from Iowa was the menace of Big Ten quarterbacks during his collegiate career. He was targeted 172 times at Iowa. He allowed just 79 catches and snagged 13 interceptions. King has the largest and most consistent body of work of any defensive back to come out of college football in recent years, and he just might hear his number called higher than many of the experts predict at this year’s draft.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Underclassmen declarations


This year the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2017 NFL Draft was Monday Jan 16th. The number of underclassmen declaring each year has mostly seen steady growth with a real explosion starting in 2012 and the implementation of the rookie salary cap. Here is a chart of the past 10 years:

Year
Underclassmen leaving
Year
Underclassmen leaving
2016
96
2011
56
2015
74
2010
53
2014
98
2009
46
2013
73
2008
53
2012
65
2007
40









Notably 2015 is an exception to the rise. That year, the NFL advisory board changed how they evaluated and graded potential NFL prospects. Prior to 2015, players were given grades in the categories:

-           In the 1st round
-          As high as 2nd round
-          As high as 3rd round
-          After the 3rd round
-          In no round at all

The board had a pretty solid track record, with a 73.7% accuracy rate. However, nearly 53% of players who received an “After the 3rd round” or worse grade from 2012 to 2014 weren’t drafted at all and the big year of 2014 saw 37% of all the underclassmen go completely undrafted. So the system was changed. Currently, players who submit their resume to the advisory board are give 3 levels of grades:

-          1st round
-          2nd round
-          Neither (and the board advises them to stay in school)

In addition, the number of players from any one school allowed to submit to the advisory board was limited to five. These factors served to curb early entrants in 2015. However 2016 saw the number soar right back to previous levels and 2017 is keeping with that trend.

In the 2017 NFL Draft class, there are 98 underclassmen declared eligible for the draft (with official list from the NFL due out on Friday Jan 20th). These underclassmen have increasingly dominated Day 1 and 2 of the NFL draft. In fact, 20 of the Top 25 prospects and 38 of the Top 50 on www.nfldraftscout.com are underclassmen. Here is the unofficial list of declared underclassmen:



» Jamal Adams
S
LSU 
» Alex Anzalone
LB
Florida 
» Budda Baker
S
Washington 
» Derek Barnett
DE
Tennessee 
» Garett Bolles
OT
Utah 
» Caleb Brantley
DT
Florida 
» Noah Brown
WR
Ohio State 
» KD Cannon
WR
Baylor 
» Gareon Conley
CB
Ohio State 
» James Conner
RB
Pitt 
» Dalvin Cook
RB
Florida State 
» Zach Cunningham
LB
Vanderbilt
» Malachi Dupre
WR
LSU 
» Ukeme Eligwe
LB
GA Souther
» Jerod Evans
QB
Virginia Tech 
» Isaiah Ford
WR
Virginia Tech 
» D'Onta Foreman
RB
Texas 
» Leonard Fournette
RB
LSU 
» Wayne Gallman
RB
Clemson 
» Myles Garrett
DE
Texas A&M 
» Shelton Gibson
WR
West Virginia 
» Davon Godchaux
DL
LSU 
» Chris Godwin
WR
Penn State 
» Jermaine Grace
LB
Miami 
» Derrick Griffin
WR
TX Southern
» Chad Hansen
WR
Cal 
» Charles Harris
DE
Missouri 
» Carlos Henderson
WR
Louisiana Tech 
» Brian Hill
RB
Wyoming 
» Bucky Hodges
TE
Virginia Tech 
» Elijah Hood
RB
North Carolina 
» Malik Hooker
S
Ohio State 
» Marlon Humphrey
CB
Alabama 
» Adoree' Jackson
CB
USC
» Roderick Johnson
OT
Florida State 
» Aaron Jones
RB
UTEP 
» Josh Jones
S
N.C. State 
» Nazair Jones
DT
North Carolina 
» Sidney Jones
CB
Washington 
» Brad Kaaya
QB
Miami 
» Alvin Kamara
RB
Tennessee 
» DeShone Kizer
QB
Notre Dame 
» Jerome Lane
WR
Akron 
» Marshon Lattimore
CB
Ohio State 
» Carl Lawson
DE
Auburn 
» Elijah Lee
LB
Kansas State 
» Marlon Mack
RB
USF 
» Patrick Mahomes
QB
Texas Tech 
» Josh Malone
WR
Tennessee 
» Damien Mama
OL
USC 
» Christian McCaffrey
RB
Stanford 
» Malik McDowell
DL
Michigan State 
» Isaiah McKenzie
WR
Georgia 
» Deon-Tay McManus
WR
Marshall 
» Raekwon McMillan
LB
Ohio State 
» Jeremy McNichols
RB
Boise State 
» Joe Mixon
RB
Oklahoma 
» Al-Quadin Muhammad
DE
Miami 
» Montae Nicholson
S
Michigan State 
» David Njoku
TE
Miami 
» Speedy Noil
WR
Texas A&M 
» Marcus Oliver
LB
Indiana 
» Jabrill Peppers
LB/S
Michigan 
» Samaje Perine
RB
Oklahoma 
» Elijah Qualls
DL
Washington 
» Ryan Ramczyk
OT
Wisconsin 
» Devine Redding
RB
Indiana 
» Cam Robinson
OT
Alabama 
» John Ross
WR
Washington 
» Travis Rudolph
WR
FSU 
» Artavis Scott
WR
Clemson 
» Curtis Samuel
Ath
Ohio State 
» Ricky Seals-Jones
WR
Texas A&M 
» Adam Shaheen
TE
Ashland 
» David Sharpe
OL
Florida 
» Garrett Sickels
DE
Penn State 
» JuJu Smith-Schuster
WR
USC 
» ArDarius Stewart
WR
Alabama 
» Damore'ea Stringfellow
WR
Ole Miss 
» Teez Tabor
CB
Florida 
» Vincent Taylor
DT
Oklahoma St
» Solomon Thomas
DL
Stanford 
» Mitch Trubisky
QB
North Carolina 
» Eddie Vanderdoes
DL
UCLA 
» Anthony Walker
LB
Northwestern 
» Charles Walker
DL
Oklahoma 
» Deshaun Watson
QB
Clemson 
» T.J. Watt
LB
Wisconsin 
» Marcus Williams
S
Utah 
» Stanley "Boom" Williams
RB
Kentucky 
» Mike Williams
WR
Clemson 
» Howard Wilson
CB
Houston 
» Quincy Wilson
CB
Florida 
» Joe Yearby
RB
Miami
» Ishmael Zamora
WR
Baylor



This week starts practices at the East/West Shrine game in St. Petersburg, FL. A full write up of those events as well as a Senior Bowl preview coming next week.