Music City Bowl: Boston College vs Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt:

D.J. Moore, CB – I was very impressed when I watched D.J. Moore this year. He’s definitely in the top three for corners in this draft (with Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins and Illinois’ Vontae Davis). His back pedal is top notch, he flips his hips very fast and fluidly, and he’s super explosive out of his breaks. The only knock I have on Moore is that Vandy plays almost exclusively off-man coverage. So when he’s on the line of scrimmage, his jam is not very good. This is easily fixed with some good coaching though, and it would not stop me from taking him anywhere after the first 15-20 picks.

Boston College:

Mark Herzlich, OLB- Herzlich made the right decision to go back for his Senior year and get stronger. Getting stronger and working on shedding blocks is really the only point that he needs to work on to be a complete player. He’s a pure OLB and is versatile enough to play on the outside in a 3-4 or as a SLB in a 4-3. he is very good dropping back against the pass, he has good speed, he hustles and chases plays on the backside, and he can blitz and rush the passer as well. With a bit of improvement, Herzlich will be right there as one of the top LBs in the 2010 class and he’s a definite first round pick.

BJ Raji, DT- Raji is a difference making DT and is the best at his position in this year’s draft. He is very versatile, as he’s big enough to play 3-4 NT, but quick enough to play DT in a 4-3. he can really hold the point against the double team and shows very good strength in tying up blockers at the line. But he also shows very good quickness to penetrate and disrupt plays in the backfield. He’s a complete DT, and one of the top five prospects in this draft regardless of position. With the lack of depth at this position, it only pushed Raji’s stock up higher. He’s a very safe pick in the top ten overall this year.

Ron Brace, DT- Brace is no threat to rush the passer, but that’s not his game. Brace is a space eating run stuffer, who will go much higher than expected due to his ability to play NT in the 3-4. He’s very strong and can anchor against the double team. 3-4 NT’s are very hard to find, so Brace will be a hot commodity near the top half of the second round.