East Roster

Mike McLaughlin, MLB, Boston College- The biggest problem with McLaughlin is his size. McLaughlin is very short, and this will hurt him at the next level as he will have to run around blockers since his arms are going to be shorter than the blockers. He has good instincts, plays hard, and tackles well, but he’s also limited in pass coverage because of his less than ideal athletic ability. It will be interesting to see how he takes on blockers in this game, and if he’s able to disengage from them and make the tackle. I think ideally he will have to move to a 3-4 ILB position to help cover up some of his short comings, but he has the ability and should be drafted late at worst.

Freddie Barnes, WR, Bowling Green- Barnes is the real deal. He has the best hands I have seen in college since Fitzgerald. He just plucks the ball out of the air effortlessly and away from his frame. He’s a very savvy receiver as well, and really understands coverages and how to find soft spots. He does a good job with head fakes as well. He does not have ideal size, and he’s not a blazer, but I think he’s just a solid overall receiver. It will important to watch how Barnes handles transitioning to a different offensive scheme with a different QB. I think this former QB will do just fine, and may end up being one of the stars of this game. A big game could push him into the late second or early third, and I think he’s worth a gamble at that point.

Chris Chancellor, CB, Clemson- Chancellor is good against the run, but I’m not sure how smooth his hips are in transition from his back peddle. He will be playing against some very good receivers in this game, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the challenge in coverage (as he proved on film to me that he can handle the run game well for the position).

Kavell Connor, OLB, Clemson- He’s another short OLB. The good part is he’s always around the ball, but he seems to not have the best athleticism. He struggles breaking down in space against faster backs, but he still finds a way to get in on the play. I’m actually really interested to see what his 40 time is as he seems a bit slow on the field. Other than that, he’s got great instincts, good technique, uses his hands to shock blockers well, and is just a decent all around player. If he can continue this success here, and run well at the combine, I think his stock will continue to rise into the mid rounds.

Rodger Saffold, OT, Indiana- Saffold has some potential, but he also makes some of the same fundamental mistakes in his technique that are inexcusable at this level. He spends a lot of time on the ground, which means he’s overly aggressive and he’s not keeping a wide base or his hips under him. Being aggressive is good, but not when it gets him into this kind of trouble. If he can show some improvement in this part of his game, it could mean he is listening to coaching and is able to learn quickly.

Willie Young, DE, North Carolina State- Young has a long and linear build, but lacks the necessary bulk on his frame to hold the edge as a down defensive end. The positive though is he was dropped back in coverage a good amount of time with zone blitzes, and he didn’t look bad. He gets swallowed up in the run game because of his lack of size and strength, but he can rush the passer well. When he’s on his game, he looks great locking out blockers with his long arms and disengaging in tome to make plays. He is slated to play down DE here, so seeing if he can hold the point of attack will be critical.

Rahim Alem, DE, LSU- He’s a pass rusher, and a liability against the run. His best fit will be moving to OLB in the NFL, but I don’t know if he will be able to turn his hips and cover. Pay attention in this game at his ability to hold the edge when the offense runs right at him. If he can do this against what will be solid competition in this game, it may go a longer way to proving to scouts that he’s more than just a situational pass rusher or project at the rush OLB position.

Doug Worthington, DT/DE, Ohio State- A nice sleeper pick. He can play the 3-4 DE position as he is longer/taller than your normal DT. The need for this position should improve his draft status, and I think he’s definitely playing out of position as an interior tackle. 3-4 DE is where he needs to play and he might be a better pro because of this. He has good power and decent pass rushing. He even chases the play well. He’s going to be a good value, and I don’t think this game will do much to show that as he will be playing DT once again.

Jim Cordle, RT, Ohio State- I didn’t think Cordle was a good prospect as a tackle, and this may be why they are listing him as a center on the roster. So this game will be very interesting to watch and see if he had the versatility to play another position, which may secure him a spot in the late rounds.

Andrew Quarless, TE, Penn State- He’s just like the recent breed of TEs: tall, good quickness, and only interested in catching passes. I think he’ll be a better pro than a college player because they don’t seem to run much more than short routes with him. He runs good routes, has good hands, and is a good pass catching weapon. He is a liability as a blocker though, but he does have a bigger frame to work with. That’s something to watch carefully in this game and see if he can process and produce with good NFL coaching, even if just for a week.

Kevin Haslam, RT, Rutgers- Has the ideal size, long arms, and decent feet, but he needs to get a good deal bigger and stronger. I would hesitate to draft him as he needs a lot of work and time to develop, but he has the frame to put weight on and potentially end up playing a swing tackle spot. If he can handle himself well in the pass game against bevy of top notch speed rushers, I think that will help his stock a good deal, especially for a team drafting in the late parts of each round that has the luxury to let him sit and get bigger/stronger.

Justin Woodall, FS, Alabama- I like Woodall. He plays the run aggressively, and is a solid last line of defense as a tackler. I’m interested to see his timed speed, and how he opens his hips while running with a receiver, as he played primarily over the top in a deep centerfield zone for the Tide. If he does have trouble with deep coverage, I think he’s versatile enough and strong enough in the run game to move to SS.

Kyle Calloway, RT, Iowa- He has flashes of brilliance coupled with head scratching plays. He will struggle with the speed rusher, as he bails far too quickly with his shoulders, which allows DE’s to cut back to the inside with power moves and beat him easily to the inside. That’s the bad though, and there is a lot to like about him. He does a great job of flipping his hips around on run blocks to wall off the defender and create a crease for the back. He is also very good at blocking the second level as he gets there quickly, breaks down well in space, and gets his hands in position. With good coaching on his slide step, he could develop into a very good starting RT at the next level. Once again, with the speed rushers at this game, a solid game could boost his stock to the late second or third round range, or a bad game could push him down to the 5th or 6th round range

Javarris James, RB, Miami- James looked solid as a Sophomore, then disappeared last season as a Junior. He’s a bit of a long strider so he does not get up to top speed until after he’s through the hole and up field. James does however get tough yardage still in the short area as he has better power than you would think with his long strides. I don’t think he’s a bell cow back because of his lack of initial burst, but he’s a deceptively elusive runner. Can continue to build value with a big game here and a solid 40 time. And yes, he’s related to Edgerrin’s (cousin).

AJ Trump, OC, Miami- He does a good job of walling off the DL by getting his hips into position to create a seam. He’s not overpowering at the POA though, but he doesn’t need to be. He uses good leverage and hand placement to make blocks and seal tackles off. He’s probably no better than a 5th rounder or so, but he will get a chance here to be surrounded by a better group of guards than he was at Miami.

Greg Hardy, Ole Miss, DE- Hardy is perhaps the biggest enigma in this entire draft. Go no further than last year’s Florida game, where he almost single handedly beat the Gators with one of the more dominating performances I saw by a DL last season. He has ‘buyer beware’ written all over him due to past injury concerns, off the field incidents, and several problems with discipline. I think the injuries have hurt him most. He was very slow off the ball at times this year, and this is something to watch in this game. I’m concerned the injuries have taken a step away from his elite outside speed…but…he has a lot of technique and field awareness to make up for it. He’s very aware of the field and does a good job of bailing on screens and covering the back. He has shown he can drop into the zone if needed. He’s got first round ability in a third round package. A big game here could push him back into the whispers of being a late first rounder, and no worse than a second rounder. If he has trouble accepting coaching during the practice week, or gets shut down by the less than stellar crop of LTs in this game, then his stock will steadily spiral out of control. More and more teams are hesitating to take guys with as many question marks as Hardy has.

Nate Byham, TE, Pittsburgh- He’s the best blocking TE I saw this year. He’s not flashy and will probably go in that mid to late round area, but he will have a long career because of his ability and willingness to do what most of the new breed of TEs won’t do. He’s a great value pick, and he can potentially showcase his receiving skills in this game as well.

Darian Stewart, SS, South Carolina- Stewart started off at corner, and I thought he looked poor and would make a better safety, and lo and behold he ended up moving to SS in the middle of the year. He’s a natural fit for SS as he’s a good hitter, a strong tackler, has good enough speed, and his stiff hips won’t hurt him as much at this position. His experience at both positions will help, but he’s not a coverage guy as much as he is a versatile weapon in the box.

Chris Scott, LT, Tennessee- Scott has some potential, but is more of a RT due to his feet. He shows good balance in his pass sets, and he can move the pile in the run game as well. I think this game will show a lot as he will more than likely be asked to stay at LT, and if he can hold his own on an island, it should improve his stock. If he doesn’t hold up, he still has value as a RT.

O’Brien Schofield, DE/OLB, Wisconsin- Schofield played a down DE position at Wisconsin but he absolutely has to play rush OLB in the 3-4 in the NFL. He needs a lot of technique work and gym time to better hold the point against the run, but he’s a very good pass rusher. He did drop occasionally in some zone blitzes, and did respectably. I could see him going in the late second because of his pass rush skills, and no later than the third round, but he’s a work in progress due to the change in position.

Kam Chancellor, FS, Virginia Tech- Those of you who have followed my coverage since the word document days will know I loved Chancellor’s potential since I saw him as a Freshman. Having said this, he’s gone from one of my favorite players to a guy who I don’t think will be drafted until the late rounds. He looks a lot bigger this year, and it seems to have affected his speed. He still has upside though, and I cannot forget what I have seen from him in the past. It just may be that he will need to move closer to the line as a SS or even as a WLB in a cover two because he has the size and frame to continue to get bigger. His timed speed will be a big deal, and holding up in this game to me will tell me if he has a chance at FS or if he will definitely be a project at SS or OLB.

Sergio Render, OG, Virginia Tech- Render is hands down the best run blocking guard I have seen this year. The problem is his pass blocking is about as bad as his run blocking is good. It makes for a tough grade on him because he’s so up and down. He will need some serious work on this part of his game, so he may be a potential starter, and he has great potential because of his ability to dominate in the run game. It will be interesting to see how he holds up in pass pro in this game without Ed Wang next to him (who played tackle next to Render for the past 2-3 years). It’s a difficult task for guards and centers in this game to get accustomed to the players on either side of them, so when they stand out in these games, it’s usually a very good sign of future potential at the next level.