SEC- Auburn

Ben Tate, RB, Sr- Tate’s got very good size and good balance, but he does not have good burst. I think this may hurt him at the next level as the speed is that much faster which might cause him to be stopped for a loss more times than not. His 40 times at the Combine ease these concerns for me slightly. He’s a more complete back than many of the other more regarded prospects, and in my opinion, I see him sliding in to the second round at this point as he has distanced himself from guys like Jonathan Dwyer.

Mario Fanin, FB, Jr- I liked Fanin as a true Freshman, and I have no idea why he’s playing FB. He can play as a single back. He might make for a very good value next year as a versatile back who can block, catch, and run better than a traditional FB.

Lee Ziemba, LT, Jr- Ziemba’s already a three year starter, and someone to watch next year. Good feet and very good at blocking the second level. He looks like an ideal OT for a zone blocking scheme.

Andrew McClain, RT, Sr- McClain has decent power in the run game, but didn’t see enough to feel comfortable slotting him. He’s draftable, but probably late.

Antonio Coleman, DE/OLB, Sr- He’s an edge rusher, and he’s fairly one dimensional too. Coleman’s all about dipping and ripping around the edge and trying to get to the QB with speed. He struggles to set the edges against the run because he’s undersized. He might be able to fit into a Cover-2 that favors speed over size, but I think his best fit will have to be moving to the rush OLB position, but I question if he has the athleticism to be able to drop and cover. To me he’s a fringe 4th rounder because of his ability to rush the passer. His performance in the LB drills at the Combine leaves me even more unsure about his potential to translate at the next level.

Jake Ricks, DT, Sr- Ricks is very up and down. He can make some good plays in the backfield with quickness off the ball, and then he spends the next two plays five yards down the field as he’s being put on skates by an OL. He’s a fringe pick at best, but may go late.

Walter McFadden, CB, Sr- McFadden is hard to read. They play him a lot over the slot in off man coverage. He seemed to always be in the trail position on the receiver, and maybe a half step behind. What made this strange was made a very good play in coverage, got the pick, and absolutely ran away from everyone. So that showed he has decent long speed, but I wonder if his hips are a bit too stiff to be able to smoothly turn and run. He has something there, it’s just a matter of what defense he will fit best in. Because of his size, I think he’d fit well in a defense that likes to play a lot of press coverage.