ACC- Miami

Jacory Harris, QB, So- I don’t believe the hype with Harris. He has some of the worst touch I have seen. Harris does not show the ability to know when to throw hard and when to put touch on the ball. He is a solid leader, but he’s not an NFL QB. He does not have the arm, the accuracy, or the ability to read defenses well enough for me to even consider him as a developmental prospect. Harris is only a true Sophomore though, so he has time, but I don’t think he will develop enough even in that time where I would consider him a viable NFL QB prospect.

Javarris James, RB, Sr- 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.

Graig Cooper, RB/RS, Jr- Unlike James, Cooper gets to top end speed immediately. He has great burst out of his cuts and you can visibly see when he turns it from one speed to the next. Cooper holds excellent value in the return game as well, and I think this is where most of his value will lie. He will get every chance to be the ‘man’ next season with James and his shared carries gone. It will be very telling to see if he can hold up physically with more pounding, as he’s not very big. You can’t teach his explosiveness though and that is why Cooper is someone I expect to make some big highlight reel type plays next year.

Travis Benjamin, WR, So- He is a superstar in the making. He covers so much ground with each stride that you can physically see his acceleration. Benjamin is a chore to cover with one DB as his speed is game breaking. He should definitely come out next year in what will be the year of the receiver, and I think he is a potential first rounder. With a better QB, he’d be even more productive, which is scary to think of when projecting him to the next level.

Jason Fox, LT, Sr- Fox has good feet and is a solid pass blocker, but he needs to get bigger and stronger. He gets pushed back far too easily and just does not have the lower body base to drop and anchor against the bull rush. He also does not get the push off the line in the run game, which will only get harder at the next level. Some draft experts have him as high as a third rounder and think he can be a potential starter, but I would be very hesitant to take him before late rounds if I were a team expecting him to start right away. Fox needs time to further develop, and he’s strictly a LT unless it’s a zone blocking scheme, so to me he’s a late rounder at best. Fox also had knee surgery near the tail end of the season and missed the Bowl game, so this pushes his draft grade down further.

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.

Matt Pipho, RT, Sr- I don’t know if Pipho has the feet to play tackle at the next level as far as pass protection is concerned. He’s not bad, but he seems to always fall for the secondary move to the inside. If he can learn to post more with his inside foot, he might have a chance of sticking at RT and could move to OG at worst. He’s a versatile blocker that I think will make his way onto a roster or practice squad, but will face a long uphill battle to stay there. He’s a late rounder at best, if that.

Leonard Hankerson, WR, Jr- I really like Hankerson, and the combo of him and Benjamin is scary. He shows great body control, and he has the big body frame like an Andre Johnson. Hankerson stretch the field vertically and he seems to always win the jump ball. This Miami offense should be excellent next year, and I expect Hankerson to shine.

Jimmy Graham, TE, Sr- Graham came to the U as a scholarship basketball player, and has only played this one year of college football. He shows the things you want in a developmental prospect though, and it’s hard not to make the immediate parallel to All Pro TE and former college basketball player Antonio Gates. Graham is very tall, has a big frame, decent speed, great body control, and is a good leaper. I want him on my team as he has the frame to even potentially work toward being an OT if he can’t cut at TE. Plus he’s the type of guy who will block kicks at the next level. I fully expect him to gain moment as we get closer to draft day, and he should shine at the combine due to his outstanding athleticism.

Dedrick Epps, TE, Sr- Epps has decent size and runs nice intermediate routes over the middle. He can make the tough catch as well and seems to have good hands. I didn’t see much from him in the run blocking phase, but he’s another one of those Senior TE prospects who will slip through the cracks and may provide a nice back up in the later rounds. His upside is limited though.

Darryl Sharpton, MLB, Sr- The only thing in my mind that I question about him is his straight line speed. I think that may keep him from being a good coverage MLB. Other than that, he has the skills of an immediate starter. Great instincts, good lower body power to hold the point, he sheds blockers with his hands, and he diagnoses the play and makes the tackle. He’s just a very good all around MLB, and he can fit in a 3-4 or a 4-3. I think Sharpton would be an outstanding value in the second round, but he may even sneak into the third with some small questions about his overall size and the straight line speed issue I already mentioned. He’d be a down right steal in the third.

Sean Spence, OLB, So- His instincts still need a good deal of work, as he looks lost at times in pass coverage. Spence did look visibly stronger than last year, which is a very good sign, especially since he didn’t seem to lose any of his outstanding speed with the added bulk. While Spence’s instincts are questionable, his athletic ability allows him to make up for his lack of ability to read keys properly. He’s got first round potential written all over him if he can put it all together. He’s the kind of player that would really benefit from spending four years in school, but I could see him coming out early next year if he continues to show improvement like he did between his Freshman and Sophomore year.

Randy Phillips, SS, Sr- Phillips does not come up much in the run game, and drops into deep coverage a lot. While he shows decent speed to stay with the receiver in coverage, he is not quite physical enough when coming forward. He’s a solid tackler, but he does not disengage from blocks well so he can be swallowed up if a blocker makes it to the second level quickly. I’m interested to see what his 40 time will be, as I think he may be a better fit as a FS in the pros. There is some potential there, even if it’s as a solid special teams player.

Sam Shields, CB/RS, Sr- As a cornerback, Shields is not good. He can’t get a jam, he tackles poorly, he’s undisciplined, and I’d say he’s undraftable. As a return man, he has great speed and can really make plays returning kick offs. That should at least get him a look in the last round or two.

Joe Joseph, DT, Sr- Joseph isn’t special overall, but seems to be a fit for a team looking at a one-dimensional run stuffer. He’s all bull rush, and he showed no ability to collapse the pocket against the pass. If you are looking for a guy to lock on a blocker and take him out of the picture, then Joseph would make for a decent value in the last few rounds.

Marcus Robinson, DE, Jr- Robinson shows speed around the corner, but that’s about it. He’s someone to keep an eye on next year as a pass rusher, but he’s not fantastic overall.

Ray Ray Armstrong, S, Fr- Armstrong is the next great safety from Miami. He hits like a truck, covers an amazing amount of ground, plants his foot in the ground and drives to the ball like a bolt of lightning. Armstrong does have a tendency to get a bit out of control and play too fast at times, but he’s a true Freshman, so that will happen. Even if he doesn’t improve in the next two years, he’s a first round pick. If he can improve, he could be in discussion as one of the top safeties to come out since insert safety here: Ed Reed, Eric Berry, etc.