October 22, 2009

Who is a better prospect: Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy?

Kevin
Tarpon Springs, FL

     That’s like asking what’s better, chocolate or vanilla.

     There really isn’t a wrong answer!

     The general consensus coming into the season was that Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy was a superior pro prospect but Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh has just been so impressive that it’s now a dead heat. In fact, Suh has leapfrogged Taylor Mays and will be my #1 ranked senior prospect the next time I update the rankings.

     It’s basically a 1A and 1B type of situation but if you put a gun to my head right now I’d probably lean ever so slightly towards Suh. Either way it looks as though McCoy and Suh are destined to be among the most coveted prospects available for the 2010 NFL Draft and both are legitimate Top 5 overall talents.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

I am a Washington Redskins fan and it looks like they are going to have a Top 10 pick in the upcoming draft.

Their offensive line is full of old veterans (Chris Samuels, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas) who were once good players but are now past their prime and young guys (Stephon Heyer, Chad Reinhardt) who look like they have no business being on the field. What blockers could the Redskins use their first round pick on in April?

Robert
Woodbridge, VA

     There is no question that the Washington Redskins are among the league’s most disappointing teams and it certainly does look as though they will be picking in the Top 10 this year. The offensive line was already a major concern for the Redskins but the retirement of Chris Samuels has taken the situation from “problematic” to “desperate”. Russell Okung of Oklahoma St. and Trent Williams of Oklahoma are the top two senior blockers for the 2010 NFL Draft and while they aren’t elite, franchise left tackles in the mold of Jonathan Ogden or Orlando Pace both should figure in the Top 10 mix. The top two juniors are Bryan Bulaga of Iowa and Anthony Davis of Rutgers but even though both are reportedly leaning towards coming out early neither is considered to be Top 10 material at this point.

     Despite their obvious and glaring needs up front don’t be surprised if Washington uses their top pick on a quarterback. Jason Campbell has not lived up to expectations and will be a free agent next offseason so Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who loves to make a splash, may ignore the teams issues along the offensive line in favor of a franchise signal caller such as Washington’s Jake Locker, Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford or Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

Any elite kick / punt return prospects in this class?

Duke
Vancouver, BC

     After Devin Hester exploded onto the scene teams became more willing to use premium draft picks on prospects whose greatest impact would come on special teams. That isn’t as trendy of a move these days but there are a couple of prospects that stand of good chance of being selected based purely on their return abilities.

     Leading the way is Trindon Holliday of L.S.U., who was actually given a mid-round grade by some scouts heading into the season. At just 5-5 and 161 pounds Holliday is extremely undersized and that will put a cap on how much he will be able to contribute on offense but his quickness and 4.30 speed should help him earn a job as a return specialist. Florida’s Brandon James is bigger than Holliday but not by much, checking in at only 5-7 and 185 pounds. A jack-of-all-trades for the Gators, James offers a little more offensive upside than Holliday but he too will have to make his mark on special teams at the next level.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

What do you think of all the sophomore wide receiver prospects, specifically Julio Jones, Michael Floyd and A.J. Green? Are these guys as elite as they seem to be or is most of it just hype at this point?

Justin
St. Paul, MN

     Even before they stepped foot on their respective college campuses that class of pass catchers was receiving (no pun intended) a lot of attention and fanfare but so far they have lived up to the hype. In fact, A.J. Green of Georgia, Michael Floyd of Notre Dame and Julio Jones of Alabama all look like future first round picks.

     The cream of the crop is Green, who has really come into his own this year after an impressive freshman campaign. Not only is the 6-4, 207 pound Green leading the Bulldogs in receiving by a substantial margin but he is racking up 97.4 yards per game, averaging 16.6 yards per catch and has also scored 6 touchdowns in 7 contests. As impressive as Green’s statistics are Floyd was dwarfing them before getting knocked out with a broken collarbone. Through three games the 6-3, 220 pound Floyd had caught 13 balls, 5 of which went for scores, and was averaging an eye-popping 27.5 yards per reception. Floyd will have to answer questions about his durability and speed but he might be the best wideout in Fighting Irish history, which is really saying something. Playing in the Crimson Tide’s conservative, run-heavy offensive system Jones hasn’t been nearly as productive as Green or Floyd but you can make the argument that he is even more physically talented. Checking in at 6-4 and 210 pounds, Jones is an outstanding athlete with great ball skills and he has already become a bit of a local legend down in Tuscaloosa.

     Green, Floyd and Jones are all just true sophomores so they won’t be eligible to enter the NFL Draft until 2011. However, it will be fun watching them dominate the college ranks for another year and a half and when the time does come NFL teams will be absolutely clamoring for the opportunity to select them.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown