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2013 NFL Draft Prospects Thread...........
I thought we might have one thread that would allow us to compile some news reports on various prospects. No doubt there will be one or more Combine specific threads to but those tend to die shortly after the Combine. I thought we might keep this one alive as we approach the draft with news and updates on prospects as they develop.
This might end up being a good reference thread over the next couple of monts so if the staff feels it deserves a "sticky" be my guest.......or not. 
Draft Rumblings - What NFP is hearing from around the NFL.
Russ Lande tells you what he is hearing from NFL personnel prior to the Combine. Russ Lande
February 19, 2013 Share
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The Combine kicks off in a few days, which officially showcases the “underwear Olympics.” While there is no doubt some valuable information is gleaned from the medical and interview portions of the Combine, the workouts lead to more mistakes than you can imagine. When I have spoken to scouts and personnel executives over the years, one thing I have constantly heard is that if you helped the Draft before the Combine and Pro Days you would see fewer mistakes drafting. This time of the year is when the teams that draft well are able to separate themselves from those that do not because teams that draft well do not put as much stock in the Combine workouts and fall in love with certain prospects. With all that being said, below is what I have heard from scouts over the last few weeks.
1. Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas, Junior (6000 E, 226 E and 4.45 E): Much attention has been on running back Marcus Lattimore’s recovery from his knee injury, but two years ago Knile Davis was viewed as a premier prospect on the same level as Lattimore. While Davis’ struggles to stay healthy and protect the ball are real issues that will keep him from being a very high draft pick, we hear that he is a player that many teams believe still has star potential. Unlike most 220+ pounds backs, Davis is natural catching the ball, is a dangerous open field runner who can make tacklers miss and can out-run angles to score long touchdowns. During draft meetings, scouts and coaches alike have raved about Davis’ quick cutting ability, burst of acceleration and home run hitting speed. Obviously, Davis’ leg/ankle that was injured two years ago will need to pass medical tests and he must try and convince teams he will do what it takes to overcome the fumbling issues he had at Arkansas, but with his upside we’ve been told he could be drafted significantly higher, possibly in the second or third round, than many expect.
US PRESSWIRELouisiana Tech offensive tackle Jordan Mills prepares to slide out of stance.
2. Jordan Mills, OT, Louisiana Tech, Senior (6053, 353 and 5.35 E): After an impressive week of practice at the Senior Bowl many NFL personnel people who had not evaluated Mills yet were excited to do so. Unfortunately, the results have not been as good as one would have expected after seeing Mills in Mobile. Despite displaying quick feet and good athleticism in practice, on Louisiana Tech film he showed stiff hips and lacked the feet to be considered a left tackle in the NFL. He did not show the quickness to slide out in time to protect the corner consistently and struggled to re-direct to handle explosive change of direction pass rush moves. Still viewed as a strong/powerful linemen who blocks with excellent aggressiveness/competitiveness, Mills will likely be a third or fourth round pick by a team looking for a rookie who can start at right tackle, but he will not make the move into the second or late first round as some predicted after his showing in Mobile.
3. Alex Okafor, DE, Texas, Senior (6045, 261 and 4.85 E): While LSU’s Barkevious Mingo and BYU's Ezekiel Ansah are causing some debate in draft rooms, Alex Okafor is causing perhaps more than any other defender. Numerous scouts have told us that when they evaluated him off 2012 game film, they agreed with our assessment that he plays upright too often, lacks good flexibility and struggles to defeat pass blocks to pressure the quarterback consistently. However, after a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl where he flashed top level athleticism and consistently won in one on one drills he got NFL people excited. We hear that Okafor is now in the middle of the classic debate between those who did not like his play on film and those who feel that he is a gifted talent who can be coached to be the player he flashed the ability to be at the Senior Bowl. Although every scout we spoke to viewed him as a third day prospect based on film evaluation, nearly all of them tell us they believe he will at worst be a second round pick and could even end up as a late first rounder.
4. Dion Sims, TE, Michigan State, Junior (6050 E, 285 E and 4.85 E): With tight ends becoming such a big part of NFL passing attacks, teams are always looking for the next “one” who can make big plays as a receiver. Sims is viewed as the mystery man of this year’s tight end class because he has rare size, good athleticism and soft, natural hands, but is not the player you expect him to be based on his physique. Regarded primarily as a receiving tight end, Sims lacks explosive acceleration and does not have the playing speed to stretch the field and run away from defenders. Many in the media immediately compare big tight ends to Rob Gronkowski, but Sims is not that type of player. He is much more of a smooth, fluid athlete who uses his size to shield defenders and receiving skills to make tough catches, similar to Antonio Gates. However, it is concerning that Sims is not a good blocker. He does not block with good technique or compete at a high level to keep man out of the play. Although many expected Sims would be a first or high second round pick when he declared, we have heard that the third or fourth round is much more likely.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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NFP Grading Scales:
NFP ALPHA GRADING SCALE
A: Rare athletic ability and rare production in college. Has minimum height, weight & speed grades of 8.0. Examples: John Elway and Eric Dickerson. Round 1.
B: Rare athletic ability, but limited college production due to system. Has minimum height, weight & speed grades of 8.0. Example: Irving Fryar. Round 1.
C: Rare athletic ability and rare production in college. Height/weight grade is lower than 8.0 but higher than 6.0. Examples: Barry Sanders (height) and Terry Glenn (weight). Round 1.
D: Outstanding athletic ability and outstanding production in college. Meets minimum height, weight & speed requirements for the position. Examples: Tony Boselli and Fred Taylor. Round 1.
E: Inconsistent players who do not play up to their talent level. Rounds 3-7.
F: Limited athletic ability and good college production. Over-achieving type. Meets the minimum height and weight requirements, but usually lacks speed and burst. Rounds 2-7.
G: Very good athletic ability and very good college production. Does not meet the minimum height requirement for his position. Examples: Sam Mills and Antoine Winfield. Rounds 1-7.
H: Player who is switching to a new position that he did not play in college. Rounds 3-7.
I: Player who meets the height, weight & speed requirements of his position. Players that play to the limit of their athletic ability. The “middle class” of the NFL. Most NFL players come from this grouping. Rounds 1-7.
J: Very good athletic ability and very good college production. Does not meet the minimum weight requirement for his position. Examples: Terry Glenn and DeSean Jackson. Rounds 1-7.
M: Player who meets the height, weight & speed requirements of his position. He either lacks the instincts for the position of has trouble learning. Rounds 3-7.
Z: Major character question marks limit players draft status. Only can be drafted in the seventh round or signed as an undrafted free agent.
NFP NUMERICAL GRADING SCALE
8.5-9.0: Pro bowl player, a true difference maker. Top-10 selection.
8.0-8.4: Highly productive starting player. First round selection.
7.0-7.9: Very good starting player. Second round selection.
6.5-6.9: Very good starting player. Third round selection.
6.0-6.4: Solid starter/very productive backup. Third round selection.
5.5-5.9: Very good backup and very good special teams player. Fourth round selection.
5.0-5.4: Quality backup and good special teams player. Fifth round selection.
4.5-4.9: Backup player/special teams player and project players. Sixth round selection.
4.0-4.4: Backup player and special teams player and project development players. Seventh round selection and high priority free agents.
3.9: Priority free agent.
3.7-3.8: Players with one or more limitations. Backup/special teams-type player. Solid free agent.
3.6: Not recommended as draftable or should only be considered as an adequate free agent signing.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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I'm not a draft guru at all. And I don't follow college football much. But, I never heard of Ryan Nassib. I looked him up on another draft board and they don't even have a scouting report on him. They just gave him an overall grade of "63" as the 7th rated QB in this year's draft.
How can there be THAT great of difference in grading a draft?
Brian Urlacher
Thanks For The Memories
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Originally Posted by
JustAnotherBearsFan99 
I'm not a draft guru at all. And I don't follow college football much. But, I never heard of Ryan Nassib. I looked him up on another draft board and they don't even have a scouting report on him. They just gave him an overall grade of "63" as the 7th rated QB in this year's draft.
How can there be THAT great of difference in grading a draft?
The difference is in how NFP grades (or in this case one of their contributors) which is why I like using them. Their grades are based on how they project a guy as a pro playing the position listed for him. They also base them on info acquired from current NFL sources not from college scouting reports.
Some of those other boards base their grades on the guys college performance and nothing much is updated after that. NFP constantly updates these grades and rankings when there is sufficient indications from scouts and NFL personnel guys that a guys stock is rising or falling.
Remember these are pre-Combine grades and rankings. NFP has Nassib graded at 8.6 but also shows his stock falling so we'll see what this looks like afterward. QBs more than any other position will move up or down depending on the Combine and their Pro Days and in some cases a guys performance at the Sr. Bowl lifts him up a round.
Case in point. Larry Warford was graded at 6.3 and 3rd round pick prior to the Sr. Bowl but now Lande has him at 7.5 and a solid second rounder on the rise. Same with Lane Johnson. He graded out at 7.0 prior to the Sr. Bowl and jumped a whole point to 8.0 and now ranks as a top 20 pick. Other will follow a similar pattern after the Combine.
Let's face it brother it's not an exact science. If it was there wouldn't be mistakes like Ryan Leaf and J'Marcus Russell and maybe we'd have drafted Duane Brown in 2008 instead of CWill and we wouldn't still be looking for a LT.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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FWIW here's Gil Brandt's top 100 and here Nassib ranks much, much lower right now. This why these guys in the war rooms still can't seem to have their minds made up before they're on the clock. Even then they're making last minute judgement calls as the seconds tick off. This is kind of why I started this thread. Just to post the news and rankings and ratings as they change and they will right up until draft day.
.2013 NFL Draft: Luke Joeckel, Geno Smith among best prospects
- By Gil Brandt
- Senior Analyst
- Published: Feb. 18, 2013 at 04:46 p.m.
- Updated: Feb. 19, 2013 at 05:50 p.m.
- 0 Likes | 0 Comments
The NFL Scouting Combine is about to kick the draft season into high gear. With that in mind, I thought this would be a good time to put together the first "Hot 100" list of the year.
As those who are familiar with previous editions of this list know, it represents how I think the prospects stack up according to ability -- it is not the order in which I think they'll be drafted. In other words, I'm not saying Chance Warmack will be the third overall pick, but I am saying that he's the third-best player in the class.
Finally, it's important to remember that players will rise and fall based on how they perform at the combine later this week, and they'll likely continue to do so all the way up to draft day.
1) Luke Joeckel, OL, Texas A&M
This long-armed three-year player should be a top talent in the NFL for quite some time. Joeckel reminds me of Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas.
2) Bjoern Werner, DL, Florida State
Werner, a German native, is a very, very good pass rusher. He's one of these guys who is highly motivated, someone who never takes a play off; in that way, he reminds me of Jared Allen. (And I'm not the only one.)
3) Chance Warmack, OL, Alabama
Warmack is very good and will be a factor in the NFL for many years; he should have a Larry Allen-type of career. However, as guards aren't usually drafted in the top 10, Warmack likely will be picked in the middle of the first round. He was an even better college player than the great Steve Hutchinson, who was picked 17th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in 2001.
4) Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
More time will be spent on Smith than on any other player in the 2013 NFL Draft. When I watched him from the sideline during West Virginia's game against Texas, Smith was quick and on the money, though he did overthrow some long balls. If he enters the league with a Russell Wilson-type work ethic, Smith will be OK.
5) Star Lotulelei, DL, Utah
Lotulelei reminds me of Baltimore Ravens veteran Haloti Ngata, who also grew up in Salt Lake City. Lotulelei can collapse the pocket with quickness and power. He needs to dominate every play for four quarters.
6) Damontre Moore, DE, Texas A&M
Moore can play with his hand on the ground in a 4-3 scheme or in space in a 3-4. Oklahoma tackle Lane Johnson did a very good job against Moore in the Cotton Bowl.
7) Eric Fisher, OL, Central Michigan
The long-armed, quick-footed Fisher should play for quite some time in the NFL at a Pro Bowl-level. This youngster has the potential for lots of growth in the future.
8) Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
The big (6-feet-3/4, 200 pounds) corner might not have great speed, but he makes up for it with his physical play and ball skills. He likely learned some useful tricks of the trade from coach Nick Saban.
9) Jarvis Jones, LB, Georgia
The competitive Jones, who led college football with 14.5 sacks in 2012, never lets up; he plays like fellow Bulldog Justin Houston, who notched 10 sacks for the Kansas City Chiefs last season. Jones transferred from USC when he failed to get a clean bill of health following a neck injury.
10) Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon
The speedy, quick and athletic Jordan -- a former tight end -- can rush or drop into coverage. He could add weight, however, and his health has been something of a question mark.
11) Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
Ansah, who came to BYU from Ghana as a track athlete, joined the football team in 2010 and became an outstanding starter. He had a poor week of practice ahead of the Senior Bowl, but he wound up being named the defensive player of the game. He should be a very good pass-rusher.
12) Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
Floyd, a strong, three-year player with lots of upside, is a playmaker. He's a lot like Fletcher Cox, the 12th overall pick in 2012 who played well for the Philadelphia Eagles as a rookie.
13) Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
An outstanding athlete for a defensive tackle, Richardson makes me think of a young Warren Sapp coming out of college. He has just one year of major football under his belt, and he needs to play harder on every down, but he has the ability to be good.
14) Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
The former high school quarterback shifted to tight end in junior college before moving to the offensive line in 2011. Johnson really stood out in the Cotton Bowl with the way he handled Texas A&M's Damontre Moore.
15) Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU
Mingo is a better athlete than he is a football player at this point, and he needs work when it comes to defending the run. He is, however, a very good pass rusher, and everyone is looking for very good pass rushers.
16) Keenan Allen, WR, Cal
Allen caught lots of passes at Cal even though he didn't have much of a quarterback throwing to him, and he's strong and quick for the position. A knee injury caused him to miss time in 2012; teams will need to check on his health.
17) Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
He's a size-speed player who catches well and spent some time at running back. Patterson, who spent two years in junior college before arriving at Tennessee, has just one season of experience playing major college football.
18) Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
I think he's every bit as good as Mark Barron, who was picked seventh overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 and went on to have a very good rookie year. The tough Vaccaro is athletic enough to cover the slot receiver; he never slows down.
19) Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia
Ogletree, who started his career as a safety, runs well and has good instincts; he's a very good athlete who can play inside or outside. Players from Georgia tend to do well in the NFL. Teams will have to do more background work on Ogletree, however, given that he was recently charged with a DUI.
20) Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame
Te'o did all of the things that a linebacker is expected to do, up until his poor performance in the BCS Championship Game. He took on blockers, he blitzed, he played in space. He also collected seven interceptions and 113 tackles. The "girlfriend hoax" story, of course, seems to have overshadowed all of that.
21) Johnathan Hankins, DL, Ohio State
The powerful Hankins has size, ability and good range, though he also seemed to have fatigue issues at times. The three-year college player will get a lot better with age.
22) Jonathan Cooper, OL, North Carolina
Cooper is athletic, but the four-year starter needs to get stronger. He doesn't look as big as some NFL guards.
23) Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
Ertz, who has good hands, size and strength, has the potential to create matchup problems for NFL defenses. He is a better receiver than he is a blocker at this point.
24) D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
The long-armed Fluker has the power to dominate defenders. He projects as a right tackle only, as he lacks the feet for playing left tackle.
25) Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
Eifert is very good at making contested catches -- he has more career receptions (134) than any other tight end in Notre Dame history -- and he blocks better than one might think.
26) DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
27) Kevin Minter, LB, LSU
28) Xavier Rhodes, DB, Florida State
29) Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
30) John Jenkins, DL, Georgia
31) Matt Barkley, QB, USC
32) Johnthan Banks, DB, Mississippi State
33) Datone Jones, DL, UCLA
34) Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU
35) Margus Hunt, DL, SMU
36) EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State
37) Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
38) Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
39) Sylvester Williams, DL, North Carolina
40) Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
Harrison: NFL combine primer
Wondering who to watch at the NFL Scouting Combine? Elliot Harrison breaks it down by the draft needs of all 32 teams. More ...
41) Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
42) Jesse Williams, DL, Alabama
43) Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
44) Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
45) Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky
46) Travis Frederick, OL, Wisconsin
47) Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
48) Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
49) Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers
50) Matt Elam, S, Florida
51) Robert Woods, WR, USC
52) Eric Reid, S, LSU
53) Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
54) Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State
55) Vance McDonald, WR, Rice
56) Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
57) Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
58) Marquise Goodwin, WR, Texas
59) Mike Glennon, QB, N.C. State
60) Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina
61) Barrett Jones, OL, Alabama
62) Andre Ellington, RB, Clemson
63) Cornellius Carradine, DE, Florida State
64) Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
65) Johnathan Cyprien, S, Florida International
66) Dallas Thomas, OT, Tennessee
67) Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
68) Kyle Long, OG, Oregon
69) Travis Kelce, TE, Cincinnati
70) Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern State
71) Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
72) Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut
73) Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn
74) Kiko Alonso, LB, Oregon
75) Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse
76) Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State
77) Robert Alford, CB, Southeastern Louisiana
78) Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State
79) Brian Winters, OG, Kent State
80) Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford
81) Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State
82) Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State
83) Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee
84) David Amerson, DB, N.C. State
85) Brennan Williams, OL, North Carolina
86) Oday Aboushi, OT, Virginia
87) Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford
88) Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall
89) Gerald Hodges, LB, Penn State
90) Zeke Motta, S, Notre Dame
91) Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin
92) D.J. Swearinger, S, South Carolina
93) Mike Gillislee, RB, Florida
94) Brian Schwenke, OL, Cal
95) Bacarri Rambo, S, Georgia
96) Kevin Reddick, LB, North Carolina
97) William Gholston, DE, Michigan State
98) Michael Buchanan, DE, Illinois
99) Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
100) Jeff Locke, P, UCLA
Note: South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore was left off the list while we wait to see how he's recovered from serious injury.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Originally Posted by
soulman The difference is in how NFP grades (or in this case one of their contributors) which is why I like using them. Their grades are based on how they project a guy as a pro playing the position listed for him. They also base them on info acquired from current NFL sources not from college scouting reports.
Some of those other boards base their grades on the guys college performance and nothing much is updated after that. NFP constantly updates these grades and rankings when there is sufficient indications from scouts and NFL personnel guys that a guys stock is rising or falling.
Remember these are pre-Combine grades and rankings. NFP has Nassib graded at 8.6 but also shows his stock falling so we'll see what this looks like afterward. QBs more than any other position will move up or down depending on the Combine and their Pro Days and in some cases a guys performance at the Sr. Bowl lifts him up a round.
Case in point. Larry Warford was graded at 6.3 and 3rd round pick prior to the Sr. Bowl but now Lande has him at 7.5 and a solid second rounder on the rise. Same with Lane Johnson. He graded out at 7.0 prior to the Sr. Bowl and jumped a whole point to 8.0 and now ranks as a top 20 pick. Other will follow a similar pattern after the Combine.
Let's face it brother it's not an exact science. If it was there wouldn't be mistakes like Ryan Leaf and J'Marcus Russell and maybe we'd have drafted Duane Brown in 2008 instead of CWill and we wouldn't still be looking for a LT.
That makes sense. I really should follow college football more than I have been. I really don't know much about any of them. Thanks for explaining the differences. It sounds like it's part science, part voodoo & a smidgeon of blind luck 
Hope Emery is good at all 3 
Brian Urlacher
Thanks For The Memories
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Just wondering what the * stands for in the NFP ratings next to the players name. Anyone know ?
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Posts 2 and 6 are great reasons why you don't need to go LG/C in the first 2 picks.
LG Top 10
Top 2 in the top 15
3rd/5th in the 2nd/3rd range
6-10 in the 4th-6th+
Top 10 C's
1st 2nd
2nd 3rd
3rd 5th
rest are below the 200th pick, which is lower then the 6th.
So if the Bears feel the need to drop back to get more picks, by all means do so.
***I could be off by a round w/some of those, but you get the idea.***
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Originally Posted by
omc1969 Just wondering what the * stands for in the NFP ratings next to the players name. Anyone know ?
A college junior who declared for the draft I think. I'll have to look.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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