Big East- Syracuse

Greg Paulus, QB, Sr- You can tell Paulus hasn’t played football in the past three to four years, as he was previously a point guard for Duke and used his last year of eligibility to play football here at Syracuse. He actually has some upside, but it’s very limited. Part of what makes this so hard to read is his time away from the game, so you just can’t grasp how high his ceiling is. He can throw on the move, is a decent athlete, and has a decent enough arm. I could see a team taking a 7th round flier on him as a developmental prospect, but he’s more likely to be an UFA than anything.

Mike Williams, WR, Jr- Every other media outlet is higher on Williams than I am. He’s just too inconsistent for me, and he has had numerous off the field incidents (including leaving the team mid-season this year). He body catches far too much, and he just looks a step too slow on film. The one positive I will say about him is that he is a willing and able blocker downfield. It’s a lost art at this position, and Williams seems to take pride in doing this well. I’d be very cautious of this one, as he could really be a bust, and I don’t see a big ‘boom’ potential with him either. Note: As an update to this after writing it, I lost any interest I may have had in Williams’ upside when he commented during interviews at the combine that school wasn’t for him but football is. As most of you know, attending college isn’t as much about excelling grade wise as it is learning to be disciplined enough to complete tasks on your own without someone like your parents nagging you. I don’t care if Williams thinks he’ll do better as he likes football and not academics, if he can’t take freaking basket weaving 101 and sports management 102 for three years and just go to class at least, he won’t be disciplined enough to put the work in that it takes to be good at the next level. I will break the suspense now by saying you won’t see him in any mock draft I do, even if I did a full 7 rounds.

Arthur Jones, DT, Sr- It’s good to see some of the early season hype die down on Jones. Some outlets were initially touting him as a first or second rounder, and I don’t see that. I see a solid athlete with potential that just needs to work hard on staying healthy and consistent. He can make some very impressive plays with his quickness underneath, but then he will make you scratch your head wondering where he went as he disappears for the next ten snaps (even against single blocks). He’s a mid rounder at best to me. An interesting note about Jones though: He has a younger brother named Jon ‘Bones’ Jones who is a very impressive up and coming light-heavyweight MMA fighter in the UFC. He’s worth the price of admission if you can find some fights of his online. Extremely athletic and explosive. Jones also has another younger brother who is a DE on the Orange. I know, that doesn’t have anything to do with the draft, but I find it interesting damn it!