October 1, 2009

Jimmy Graham and Sam Shields have played excellent in their new roles with the Miami Hurricanes so far this season. How good are they and is the NFL in their future?

J.P.
Miami, FL

     The Canes have a couple of very interesting prospects in Graham and Shields.

     Graham, who played basketball for the Hurricanes from 2005-2008, passed up lucrative offers to play on the hardwood overseas so he could try his hand on the gridiron. Graham was obviously rusty after not playing football since his high school days but he earned rave reviews from within the Miami program throughout the offseason. Graham is still extremely raw but he is an outstanding athlete with excellent size (6-8, 260), good speed (4.6) and tons of upside. Graham is just getting by on sheer talent at this point and he has only caught one ball this season, although it went for a touchdown. However, I would not be at all surprised if some team hoping to find the next Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates brings him in as a developmental project in the mid-to-late rounds.

     Shields was a top wide receiver recruit who never realized his potential on offense so he was moved to cornerback as a senior and has shown some flashes. Physically Shields has everything you look for, checking in at 6-0 and 190 pounds with blazing 4.2 speed so he certainly offers a lot of potential. Shields is still very much a work in progress at corner but he has also excelled as a gunner on special teams and that could help his cause on Draft Day. Right now Shields qualifies as a late round possibility but he should shine in workouts and could move up.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

Just watched South Florida take down Florida St. and the Bulls defense looked great. Where do you see Nate Allen going and what are scouts saying about George Selvie?

Kevin
Tarpon Springs, FL

     Even though Nate Allen is one of the two or three best senior safety prospects in the country he doesn’t get a lot of ink. A solid all-around player, Allen is more of a rangy free safety but he isn’t afraid to mix it up and be physical either. Look for Allen to settle in as a solid second, or worst-case third, round value. As for George Selvie, he got a little overhyped early in his career and was never the elite, first round prospect that some made him out to be. With that said it’s hard to ignore his impressive production and athleticism so if he can bounce back from an injury-plagued junior campaign and run well in workouts Selvie could still be a second round pick. Best-case scenario he is a Terrell Suggs type of hybrid who could make a living rushing the passer as a defensive end or outside linebacker at the next level.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

Will any of Notre Dame's offensive lineman be drafted?

J.V.
Los Angeles, CA

     Notre Dame has three seniors starting on their offensive line this year and in my opinion two of them are draftable. Sam Young was a highly-regarded recruit coming out of the prep ranks but even though he has started every game over the past four years he hasn’t developed into the top-flight pro prospect that many expected. In fact, he’s actually overrated at this point. Young certainly has an intriguing blend of size (6-8, 320) and experience but he will be relegated to the right side at the next level and is, at best, a mid-round pick. On the other hand Eric Olsen might be a little underrated. A versatile blocker with experience at both guard and center, Olsen has adequate physical tools and the nasty demeanor that scouts and coaches love. Olsen is probably more of a late round possibility but he could be a nice value for someone there. Paul Duncan, who took over at left tackle for Michael Turkovich this year, has done a solid job in his first full season as a starter and will likely be in some team’s camp he but really isn’t considered to be a draftable prospect at this point. For the future watch out for true sophomore guard Trevor Robinson, who is the most talented offensive lineman on the Irish roster.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

I'm just writing to ask what your opinion is on the state of the college football bowl system. Personally, I love it as is. Where do you stand on the BCS debate?

Jamie
Edmonton, Alberta

     Like most I am not a big fan of the BCS. I agree that no system will be perfect but I just cringe when I think about computers and uninformed / uninterested voters determining the National Champion. The BCS would be a lot more palatable to me if they simply selected a small, qualified group of unbiased voters to handle the rankings. Make it their full-time job to watch every snap of every game then rank the teams. No computers, no over-the-hill retired coaches, and certainly no grad assistants filling out ballots. Ultimately I would love to see them implement some sort of playoff, even if it is just four teams. However, nothing will happen until they can find a way to make a playoff system more profitable than the current arrangement because, as we all know, the NCAA is all about the money.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown