FROM WES BUNTING:
With a trio of all-star games wrapped up and the NFL Combine quickly approaching, the stock values of certain prospects continue to fluctuate on draft boards. Players will have more opportunities to shine the next couple of weeks, but the word “stock” will be used more frequently in the league’s draft world. Today, the National Football Post begins its weekly “Stock Watch” series.
MOVING ON UP…
Frantz Joseph, ILB, Florida Atlantic
Joseph has been one of the country’s most productive middle linebackers the past two years. He finished the 2008 season with a staggering 154 tackles and nine TFL (tackles for loss). Joseph is a physical, thickly built linebacker who does a great job attacking downhill and sniffing out the play. He plays with a mean streak and is a vicious tackler inside. He was a standout at the Texas vs. the Nation Bowl, consistently shooting gaps all week in practice and showcasing a real nose for the ball. He won MVP honors in the game and recorded an interception and a fumble recovery. Joseph is not a great athlete, but he displays impressive closing burst and somehow finds a way to make plays on all areas of the field. He was left off the NFL Combine list but should have plenty of time to get ready for his pro day. If he runs well (in the 4.75 range), it wouldn’t surprise me so see him in the mix as a possible third-round selection in April.
Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
Ayers came out of nowhere in 2008 gave himself a chance to be drafted. But now, the one-year starter is putting himself in position to possibly hear his name called late in the first round. Ayers was a bit of an unknown before the season started, but he was a real force on the Tennessee defensive line, finishing with 49 tackles and 15½ tackles for loss. However, Ayers took his game to another level at the Senior Bowl, showcasing the type of pass rushing ability to be a real factor at the next level. He recorded two sacks in the game and gave offensive linemen fits all week in practice. If Ayers can prove he’s the kind of 4.75 speed athlete we think he is, he has a real shot at moving into the first-round mix.
Jarron Gilbert, DE/DT, San Jose State
Gilbert was absolutely brilliant as a senior, finishing the season with 52 tackles, 9½ sacks and 22 TFL. He’s a long, rangy defensive lineman with an impressive combination of power and burst for a player his size. At Shrine Game practices, he was a man among boys, consistently firing off the ball, controlling blockers and making his way into the backfield. His blend of length, burst and power make him a perfect fit as a DE in a 3-4, and he’s arguably one of the most attractive five-technique linemen in the draft. I fully expect Gilbert to run well at the Combine and create even more buzz going into his pro day. He currently looks more like a solid second- or third-round pick, but a strong showing at the Combine might allow him to sneak into the late portion of round one.
FREE FALLING…
Alex Boone, OT, Ohio State
Boone, once considered the next Orlando Pace at Ohio State, has fallen on tough times lately. There have always been concerns about his overall athleticism and ability to handle speed off the edge, but after a very average Shrine Game performance, things got worse. Earlier this month, Boone was arrested in Los Angeles on a charge of public intoxication and, according to police, jumping on cars in the apartment complex where he lived. He was tasered twice. Boone was also convicted of drunk driving in 2006. Even before his latest arrest, he was no longer considered a possible first-day pick. It’s likely he’ll have to wait until the late portions of the draft to see if his name is called.
Morgan Trent, CB, Michigan
Trent, who at one point was considered among of the nation’s top 10 senior cornerback prospects in some NFL draft circles, has seen his stock fall dramatically. He possesses good size (6-foot-1) and had some of the fastest 60-,100- and 200-meter times in the country coming out of high school, but his straight-line speed doesn’t translate well to the football field. He lacks smooth footwork in and out of his breaks and struggles changing directions on all levels of the field. He has never seemed to polish his back-pedal and struggles flipping his hips and staying with receivers out of their routes. He had only an average showing at the East-West Shrine Game and was consistently turned inside out against the competition at the Senior Bowl. Trent looks best suited for some type of Cover-2 scheme where he won’t be asked to play much man. He should hear his name called in the draft, but don’t expect it to be sooner than the second day.
Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech
Johnson entered the year as the nation’s top-rated senior defensive end and graded out as a potential high first-round pick. He still has a shot to hear his name come off the board in round one because of his amazing combination of size, length and explosion off the edge. However, he has never been able to translate his elite triangle numbers into the production you’d expect. Johnson struggles consistently against the run game and is simply a pass-rush threat at this stage. After the season, he pulled out of the Senior Bowl in order to prepare for the Combine and now seems to be falling in the eyes of scouts. I expect him to run very well at the Combine, which could raise his stock again. But as of now, he looks more like a borderline first-round pick based mostly on his upside and potential.
Your profiling of the likes of Robert Ayers and Jarron Gilbert is what makes this site unique, original and worth reading. Most other sites just reoder the same pool of names. Keep up!
Alex Boone=Tommy Blake...it's a shame when top talents like this head down the wrong path.
PatsRule09: Thanks a lot, we have a lot more coming in the next couple weeks, I want you to know all about these guys come draft day. Ayers and Gilbert are both big time players that because of their situations aren't getting the kind of media love they deserve.
Brett: GREAT Call, at one point both looked like first round picks during early points in their career's, now it is going to be a struggle to even get drafted. Boone will have some very difficult interview sessions with NFL teams in the coming weeks.
Thanks Wes for the great info...is Larry English worth a first rounder, at this point?
Ayers isn't really a shock, he just nbeeded more production to comnvince others that his game can amtch his attributes.
He should be moving up in a deep draft for linemen.
Joseph should move up the way that the Hampton defender made it high into round two last year. Both on Parcell's selection sheet.
Does Gilbert even have the elngth to play tackle? His arms look like a guard. Once your feet are beat all you have left is your hands, so they had better be attached to a long set of arms....
Having watched Michael Johnson in a couple of games, he reminded me of Jarvis Moss-- a very skinny defensive end who couldn't hold the point of attack against the run and ran around people when pass rushing.
Hopefully, Johnson won't be another Quentin Moses or Kalimba Edwards.
Gilbert had plently long arms, also a prerequisite for a 5 tech. I really expect him to leapfrog Tyson Jackson and be the #1 prospect at the position when all is said and done. really hope he is an option when the Steelers get up to pick at 1.32.
Mr. Murder,
Gilbert is a Def. Tackle...
More guys on the rise:
OG TJ Lang Eastern Michigan
QB Brian Hoyer Michigan State
LB Jovan Belcher Maine
DE Zach Potter Nebraska
OL Lydon Murtha Nebraska
OL Jose Valdez Arkansas
OL Colin Brown Missouri
FS Ron Akins Boston College
I did see on Todd McShay's top five QB prospects today #5 was Brian Hoyer.
Not a combine invite but my guy Cecil Newton of TSU #64 will emerge after Pro day as the most athletic center in this class. I know that's saying alot. He's working as hard as a rented mule.Stay tuned.
Per notes from NFLdraftscout, Jarron Gilbert measured: 3505 arm length (35 5/8") with 10 1/4" hands.
Plenty long. Sorry for the off-site plug' gotta cite a source.
....apologies, I thought you meant as an OT. Interior linemen are more about having guns, biceps(he's got that). People get ony your body faster and it's about what you can do when engaged by a blocker. Curl and press rip, and push. Does he have the toughness and leverage? All he has to do is have a car wreck land on top of him every down for run stoppers. Anything past that is gravy, unless you are talking about first day picks.
Another item to consider is the prevalence of pure zone blocking. Will they play within tighter spacing and pull? Will it be pure zone where you basically lock on who is in your blocking track?
A lot of zone guys really don't have to come off blocks a lot. The spacing shapes contact. You can hide some limitations players have in their ability to move on a lateral plane by changing the gap spaces and scheme.
Seems like players from certain schemes that really put linemen out there(Mizzou, Texas Tech)make you have to prjoect where else they fit, this is where pro days might be even more essential. Although I thought those were primarily for seeing what extra a special teams player can bring, or what kind of interview your top picks have. Pro days can confirm value assumptions to justify where you have their selection grade set upon.
The film should have made your mind up before then.
I think one of the greatest sleepers of all time in the 2009 NFL draft will be Dudley Guice Jr a WR from Northwestern State University . He performed extremely well in the Texas vs Nation practices and also did extremely well in the Bowl . Dudley Guice Jr broke the reception record in that Bowl game and almost broke the receiving yard record also.Media is not aware of him running a 4.43 in the 40's. Dudley is working hard for his pro day.
Gartrell Johnson from colorado st....will run a slow 40 im sure but reminds me a lot of another instictive hard running big hearted back from minnesota who dropped to the dallas cowboys in the 4th round....Gartrells gonna be good
Watch for these small school gems too:
- Clark Atlanta DT Richard Washington - size, speed and strength to play inside in 4-3, great against the run, and always disrupting pocket
- Clark Atlanta OT/G Sam McNaulty - Big Sam has some of the best feet for an OL you will ever see...at 6'4", 320 he will likely get moved in to play G but some team will be very happy with him
- Ouachita Baptist WR Julius Pruitt - big WR at 6-2, 220, will have his speed in the 4.4 range, some of the surest hands you'll ever see
WR Dudley Guice has arrived to the 2009 NFL Draft Party with a Bang. On yesterday, 2009 NFL Draft Prospect Dudley Guice, 6’3”, 217 lbs, (www.dudleyguicejr.com ) arguably had the best Pro Day/Combine workout of any Wide Receiver in this year’s class. In comparison to the Wide Receivers, who were invited and competed at the NFL Combine, Guice finished in the top five of the majority of the drills.
Listed below are Dudley’s official results from the Northwestern State University Pro Day.
Combine Drills (New Orleans Saints were present @ Pro Day)
· 40 yard Dash – 4.39 sec (5th) – Has been clocked as low as a 4.35
· Vertical Jump – 39.5” (5th) – Measured at 43.0” while indoors
· Broad Jump – 10.58 (t-4th)
· 3-Cone Drill – 6.61 sec (1st)
· 20 yard Shuttle – 4.01 sec (1st)
· 60 yard Shuttle – 11.5 sec (6th)
( ) denotes Dudley’s numbers in comparison with all WRs that participated in theses drills at the 2009 NFL Combine.
*Dudley will also be participating in LSU's Pro Day on March 16th.
With these results and his outstanding performance at the Texas Vs The Nation Game, Dudley Guice has been tested and has proven that he is talented enough to move up the draft boards to be mention with the other top receivers in the draft. Once considered a Small School Sleeper, Guice has surpassed that tag-line and is now one of the Top Receivers in the 2009 NFL Draft (The Donnie Avery of the 2009 Draft).
For additional information please view Dudley’s website at www.dudleyguicejr.com
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12:14 PM
Man oh man... I remember Boone coming out of high school, next big thing!
That is a shame...nice work Wes