Big 12- Missouri

Denario Alexander, WR, Missouri- Alexander reminds me a lot of Brian Robiskie last year. He has good speed and acceleration as he gets to top speed quickly and can break hard without throttling down. Alexander has good size, runs solid routes, and has good body control when high pointing the ball during his jumps. His hands were suspect at times, especially in the Senior Bowl, but I don’t think that’s a problem The biggest issue Alexander has is that he had to have knee surgery after getting injured at the Senior Bowl. Alexander is already coming off more than one surgery as well from previous years, so his durability is a major concern and this will push his draft value down significantly. If you can get him in the 5th round though, I would consider that a solid value for a guy who could eventually contribute to your team.

Blaine Gabbert, QB, So- It’s Gabbert’s first year starting and the best way to describe him is a work in progress. He has all of the physical attributes you look for in a potential NFL QB: height, weight, athleticism, and arm. He just needs some seasoning as a starter to continue to grow. If he can’t continue to improve, then he may be nothing more than a prototypical player for a position who can’t play that position. He’s someone to watch very closely over the next two years though, as your can’t teach some of the measurables he posses.

Jared Perry, WR, Sr- I never saw anything that stood out on tape with Perry, so I won’t even bother with assessing his draft position. If you don’t stand out when watching a game and you are a WR, then there is more than likely a very good reason for this (and it’s not that Perry was being covered by a stud CB each game I watched).

Derrick Washington, RB, Jr- I like Washington and it’s good to see him back for his Senior year. He has very good speed and good hands out of the backfield. He’s a bit on the short side, but it works for him as he’s low to the ground and gets tough yards. Washington runs well considering Missouri operates primarily out of a shotgun offense. With that in mind, I think he may be a better pro than college player as he will be allowed to take handoffs out of a more traditional backfield set.

Kurtis Gregory, RG, Sr- Gregory is not strong enough at the POA at all, and if you happened to watch what Ndamukong Suh did to him this year, you’d understand what I mean by this. Suh absolutely abused Gregory, but that is not all of what I am basing this on as Suh abused everyone he faced this season. I still don’t think he’s going to offer anything more to a team than depth on the OL.

Carl Gettis, CB, Jr- I really liked what I saw on game tapes from Gettis. He’s big, physical, and he’s a great tackler on the boundary. He’s an intriguing prospect for next year, and he has the make up of a solid Cover-2 corner that can jam guys and use his size to his advantage.

Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Sr- Weatherspoon showed vast improvement this year from last year in using his hands to shed blocks. He still struggles at the POA if he can’t get a clean release, but I like that he actively worked on this element to his game and showed visible improvement. It means he’s coachable at the next level. What you can’t coach is his speed and athleticism. What I liked was that Weatherspoon does a good job of sifting through the trash on the inside though and bursting through the hole to make a play. His explosion is outstanding. He is versatile enough to line up inside in a 3-4, but I think he’d be best suited for a Cover-2 as a WLB who can run free and use his speed to make plays. After absolutely blowing it up at the combine, I expect his stock to soar. Another thing I noticed during the Senior Bowl week that I really liked about him was his leadership ability. He was always the first guy to get guys motivated, and you could hear him talking to his teammates non-stop. It’s the little things like that, when coupled with the athleticism that he possesses, that make him a no doubt first rounder.

Brian Coulter, DE, Sr- Coulter showed some flashes of good pass rush ability. He gets around the corner very quickly and looks like he might fit well into a Cover-2/4-3 as a rush end. I’ve heard nothing else about Coulter, but he’s a name to remember as a potential late round situational pass rusher.

Jasper Simmons, SS, Jr- Simmons is a very good looking SS prospect for next year. He has very good closing speed, and hits like a truck against the run. If Simmons can show the ability to cover TEs next season, and keep up his run stuffing ability, he could push his stock up drastically.

Jaron Baston, DT, Sr- I didn’t see enough production from Baston on film to think that he’s anything more than a late rounder to undrafted.