National Championship: Oklahoma vs Florida

Oklahoma:

Sam Bradford, QB– Sam Bradford hates Detroit. Now, you may be left asking ‘why does that have anything to do with his evaluation as a player?’ Well, I make this assumption based on the fact that Bradford decided to return to college football for his Senior year. Had Bradford come out, there is no question in my mind that he is the top pick in this draft. None of the unknowns with Stafford and Sanchez, plain and simple, Bradford was and still is the best prospect in this draft (had he come out). I liken him to a young Tom Brady because that’s whose game most closely resembles Bradford’s. He’s one of the most accurate passers I have seen, he has a lightening quick release, and his arm is good enough to make any throw in the pros. I would go as far as saying Bradford is more than accurate, he’s precise. He throws the ball where it should be placed instead of just getting it to the receiver’s frame. Some people knocked the fact that he plays in a shotgun heavy offense, but when taking snaps from under center, his footwork while dropping back was great. This was the same stigma attached to Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco, so look how much of a difference that makes. The only slight knock I have on him is he does have a tendency to stare down the area of the field where his primary routes are. This isn’t a huge deal, as he’s not locking on to the receiver, just the general area. Another year in school will do nothing but help Bradford, and I hope he stays healthy. Unless a team with a franchise QB is picking first next year, I will go on record now and say Bradford will be the number one overall pick in the 2010 draft. I absolutely love this kid.

Phil Loadholt, OT- I said last year that Loadholt needed to work on a lot of things, and lose some bulk, in order for me to believe he could play LT in the NFL. Not only did he not improve or lose weight, he looked even worse than last year. He’s massive and has really long arms, which is ideal for a tackle, but that’s where the conversation should stop. He makes far too many mistakes that an offensive lineman of his age should NEVER be making. Take this little thing that most of you wouldn’t even care about normally (except those of you that played on the line): Loadholt does not anchor his weight on his inside foot on his kick slide. For those of you that have never played offensive line in your life, a kick slide is when the tackle gets out of his stance, and kicks his outside foot back and to the side to shuffle and pick up the outside rush. When you do this the proper technique is to kick your foot out and back, low and against the ground, while sliding your inside foot with you (which you should be heavy on). By doing this you can run a speed pass rusher past a QB and form ‘the pocket’, but the heavy inside foot allows you to stop the inside counter or bull rush. If you saw Loadholt play against Brian Orakpo this year you’ll have seen video evidence of this exact issue. Orakpo is about 60-80 lbs lighter than Loadholt yet he put him on his back several times because Loadholt was heavy on his outside foot trying to counter Orakpo’s outside speed. I could go on and on about his shortcomings (too slow out of his stance, inconsistent hand placement, waist bender, stands up too much, etc), but I’ll make it simple by saying that I do not think Loadholt can play tackle in the NFL. And he may be too tall to play inside at guard. I would personally not draft Loadholt unless he was sitting there in the 7th round still. I just don’t see it in him.

Duke Robinson, OG- Robinson did nothing to change my mind about him from last year. He’s definitely the best OG prospect in this draft, and I think he’s worth grabbing in the second round. He made a couple of dumb mistakes in this game, but one was forgivable (he kept blocking a guy through and over a pile, which was an unnecessary roughness penalty, but what I like to see in my guards). I have seen enough tape on Robinson over the past two years to be very confident in my assessment of his abilities. He’s a difference making run blocker. He gets great hand placement, has a good hand punch, and drive defenders off of the ball. He improved his pass blocking this year and does not reach at times like he did last year. To add to his natural abilities, Robinson has a nasty demeanor on the field. He’s aggressive and he finishes blocks. All of those things together make for a Pro Bowl caliber guard. Wherever he goes, he’s going to be outstanding.

Jermaine Gresham, TE- At times this year it looked like Gresham was a man playing amongst boys. In this game in particular, he overpowered defensive backs, and ran right past the linebackers. He’s a phenomenal offensive weapon, with great hands and the ability to get open no matter who is covering him. He’s an ideal red zone receiver and is almost unstoppable on the jump ball because of his amazing body control. He’s an adequate blocker who goes to the whistle, but he could definitely work on this for next year. If he came out, Gresham never would have made it past Buffalo at pick #11. But if he can show some improvement in his blocking, he can potentially go even higher next year. He’s as NFL ready as a TE gets who still has another year of college competition to go.

DeMarco Murray, RB- With the emphasis on the shotgun formation, it’s tough to get a real read on the talents of a RB like Murray. What is easy to see though is that Murray has great speed in the open field and has very good hands catching the ball out of the backfield. He still has another year to show what he can do, but I like his overall skill set.

Manuel Johnson, WR- Johnson was a bit of a one year wonder and kind of came out of no where this year to have some very impressive games. He has great quickness and speed on the field, but he’s not very physical. I’m very concerned he will struggle to get off the jam at the NFL level unless he really gets stronger and works diligently at using his hands to get away. His speed, quickness, and ability to return kicks help his value though. But I still don’t see him going before the third or fourth rounds due to consistency and the issue just mentioned.

Juaqin Iglesias, WR- Iglesias is different than Johnson in that he’s performed well in his four years playing for the Sooners. The best way to describe Iglesias is a no frills, what you see is what you get WR. He’s a very well rounded prospect who might not be a true difference maker, but he won’t hurt your team either. I could see Iglesias sneaking into the late second, but I wouldn’t expect him to make it past the third round. He’s just too well rounded not to be chosen that high, and I see little bust potential in him.

Gerald McCoy, DT- More so than Gresham and Bradford, I’m absolutely astounded that McCoy did not come out early this year. In my opinion, I firmly believe that we would be talking about McCoy potentially being the first overall pick for the Lions has he decided to leave early. That is how much I like this kid. His potential and versatility are amazing. He’s easily the best undertackle in college football, yet he also have the skills to move outside and play end if needed depending on the defense. He’s extremely quick off the ball and he’s almost impossible to single block on the inside. He’s disruptive in the run game and he’s a difference making inside pass rusher. Gerald McCoy is a dominant player and someone all of you should be watching closely next year. I didn’t see what everyone else saw in Glenn Dorsey last year, and seeing what McCoy did this year proves that I was right. THIS is what a top shelf interior defensive lineman looks like, and he’s the most physically impressive player at this position I’ve seen in the college game since Warren Sapp. He’s a sure fire top ten pick next year, and I personally think he’s top three material.

Austin English, DE- I’m not a fan of English even though a lot of media outlets love him. He’s too small to be a 4-3 DE and will need to move to 3-4 OLB. But I don’t think he has the speed to play that position, and he definitely doesn’t have the strength to anchor as a down end. I like his bookend teammate much better.

Jeremy Beal, DE- I believe Beal is a star in the making. He shows very good speed and pass rush ability coming off the edge, and showed the ability to stand up and play some rush OLB as well. He anchors very well against the run too, and is a very smart defensive end. I think he’s one of the better returning Des for next year, and help add to what will be a very talented and deep position in the draft next year.

Nic Harris, SS- I’m very interested to see what Harris’ 40 time will be at the combine, because I think this will go a long way in saying if he will be a SS at the next level or a WLB. He has good ball skills, closes very quickly, and is a big hitter and form tackler. I think he should be able to play an in-the-box SS position in the league, but I personally think he can be a difference maker in a Cover-2 defense as a WLB. He’s built like Derrick Brooks, and if he put on another ten pounds or so, he could make a name for himself at this position. At worst, I think Harris is a third rounder.

Trent Williams, OT- I’m glad Williams came back because his technique is very sloppy in pass protection. As a run blocker, he’s very good though, and he may even have the feet to play LT. He’s yet another OT to watch closely next year as he has all of the natural ability there to be a potential first day pick. If he can just show that he has the ability to recognize his weaknesses in technique and improve them, he should move up on the draft boards next year.

Florida:

Percy Harvin, WR- Harvin has high first round talent with a third rounder’s injury history. I think Harvin’s game defines what ‘boom or bust’ is. He has game changing abilities with his speed, body control, hands, vision, and run power. But he has had a hard time staying healthy all the way into high school, so it is a legitimate problem when assessing him. What also knocks Harvin down in my book is that he did not play a true WR role at Florida. He played a ‘slash’ role where he took hand offs in the backfield as a RB, ran sweeps and reverses from the slot, threw passes in the wildcat, and ran routes as a traditional WR. His routes need definite work, but he has the explosive speed and change of direction skills to be very good at this with some good coaching. The hard part is that you don’t want to have to invest that much time with someone you are taking in the first round. I don’t know if I would take Harvin until the second round, and that is based 100% on his injury history. But some team that picks between 15-32 will pick him up and use him in a role that best suits his abilities. I could easily see Harvin going to Indy and playing out of the slot while also returning kicks and punts. That would be an ideal situation for him as well.

Tim Tebow, QB- Tebow seems to be a polarizing figure in college football. His name will spark heated debates between people on what he can or cannot do, but ultimately there is always one thing that everyone agrees on: Tebow is one of the best college football players of all time and is a natural borne leader. There is nothing wrong with saying that he won’t be an NFL QB because it’s true. College football history is littered with QBs that fit into this exact same category (Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch of the great Nebraska teams, Andre Ware, etc). Being a leader and great college player does not mean you are destined to be a great pro. It’s a different game, and Tebow’s does not transfer over to the pro level. His mechanics are terrible, his vision is poor when scanning the field, his ball does not get good rpm’s on it, and he’s very inaccurate. But he’s extremely tough, proven to be durable, and is a good runner. I think this combined with his determination will mean he will definitely be able to play another position in the NFL. He’s just not going to ever be a pro QB. I would take a chance on him in the late third to early fourth if I was a veteran team looking for help at either TE, FB, or LB because I think he can play any of these positions in the league. I’m glad he came back for his Senior year, as there was no point in coming out early. He can leave his mark with a fourth season and potentially leave college as the best college football player of all times. I’d be perfectly happy being that if I were him and being a top pro doesn’t have to matter in the end. He’s accomplished enough to deserve that respect.

Louis Murphy, WR- Murphy is very inconsistent and I’m wary that some team is going to over draft him based on his speed. There is no question that Murphy has the speed to be able to contribute in the passing game, but he just doesn’t seem to put it all together on every play. It’s little things like that which drive me nuts, as everyone is fast at the NFL level. I could see him going as high as the third round, but I wouldn’t take him until the 4th or 5th.

Brandon Spikes, MLB- I’m not a big fan of Spikes, and I was very glad to see him decide to come back for his Senior season. Spikes has the prototypical build of an NFL caliber MLB. He has the size, speed, power, tackling ability of a first rounder. But his instincts are poor to terrible at best. Spikes can take come very bad angles and then gets washed in traffic over the middle. It’s because of his speed and athleticism that he’s even able to make some of these plays as he almost always starts off a step behind because he doesn’t read his keys well enough or fast enough. If he can improve in this area, he’s a sure fire first rounder who could fit in any defense as an ILB.

Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps, RBs- Why have I grouped these two together? Well, it’s because they are almost identical players in style and size. Both are shorter, smaller backs with game changing speed. It’s easy to see that both of these players are easily some of the fastest on the entire field. But that’s really all they have. Both guys look to bounce everything outside and try to get the corner on the defense. They cannot run between the tackles as neither have the power to break tackles once they’ve been hit. They will never be more than situational backs in the NFL once they are draft eligible, but that’s not a terrible thing. They’ll be able to return kicks as well. Definitely not first day picks.

Phil Trautwein, OT- I don’t think Trautwein will be able to play LT in the NFL. He might be able to play RT, but he’s still not very talented. He’s a late round pick at best.

Jason Watkins, OT- I like Watkins a bit better than Trautwein as he is a true RT. Again, a late round pick, but he has some potential.

Carlos Dunlop, DE- Dunlop is a very good young pass rusher, but that’s what he is right now, strictly a pass rusher. Dunlop needs to improve his technique and instincts against the run in order to be considered a first round pick. The potential is there though, but he’s a bit more of a project than a prospect right now.

Jermaine Cunningham, DE- Cunningham is a bit more well rounded than Dunlop, but he’s not as good of a natural pass rusher either. So that puts him slightly behind, but he has the potential to develop into a second to third round pick.