October 29, 2009

How do you rate former Florida State Seminole and current Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle as a pro prospect?

Robert
Portland, OR

     By now just about everyone is familiar with Myron Rolle and his story.

     One of the top recruits in the country coming out of high school, Rolle went on to become a three-year starter for the Seminoles and emerged as one of the best safeties in the ACC. That is only half the story though. In a day and age where some Florida State football players are allegedly only reading at a second grade level Rolle is a true student-athlete. As impressive as he was on the football field Rolle’s achievements in the classroom are even more remarkable. After graduating with a pre-med degree in just 2 ½ years Rolle, who carried a 3.75 GPA, was awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Rolle could have returned to Tallahassee for his final season of eligibility with the Noles or entered the 2009 NFL Draft but he instead decided to take advantage of that scholarship and pursue a masters degree in medical anthropology at Oxford University.

     However, Rolle is now gearing up to make his return to the gridiron. Even though Rolle has been attending classes in the United Kingdom he has also been diligently working out to maintain his agility, speed, quickness and strength. In fact, Rolle has been making trips to Orlando, FL to work with respected trainer Tom Shaw and he plans to return to the United States in December to begin prepping for the draft full-time. Rolle has reportedly already been extended an invitation to participate in the Senior Bowl, which he plans to accept, and it would be a shock if he wasn’t invited to the Scouting Combine as well.

     So back to the original question: What type of player is Myron Rolle?

     In all honesty Rolle has been a little overrated as a pro prospect over the years and he isn’t going to be a first round pick like many thought. Rolle possesses very good size at 6-2 and 218 pounds but there are serious questions about his speed, to the point where many scouts feel he will have to make the conversion to outside linebacker at the next level. Now Rolle’s camp contends that he has been consistently running in the 4.4 range recently and if he can duplicate that time in pre-draft workouts it will give his stock a major boost. Despite Rolle’s shortcomings in coverage he is tough, physical, hard working and obviously extremely smart so he will score off the charts when it comes to the intangibles. After not playing for over a year it will be interesting to see just how much rust there is but the Senior Bowl will provide Rolle with an opportunity to alleviate those concerns. Right now I would label Rolle as a mid-to-late round pick with the caveat that he could absolutely shoot up draft boards in the coming months.

     One way or another Myron Rolle is an extraordinary young man who is destined for greatness, whether it be on the field, off the field or both.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

What do you think of Clemson RB C.J. Spiller? He looked like a Top 10 pick against the Hurricanes last weekend.

Juan Carlos
Miami, FL

     C.J. Spiller is having a fantastic senior season and his stock is definitely on the rise. At this point Spiller appears to be a first-round lock and there is even a chance that he could come off the board somewhere in the top half of round one.

     With that said I still have some reservations about Spiller as a pro prospect and in my opinion he would qualify as a bit of a luxury pick. I will be the first to admit that Spiller is a dynamic all-around player who is capable of breaking a game open as a runner, receiver and return man. Nobody is faster with the pads on than Spiller and he is a threat to score every time he touches the ball from anywhere on the field. However, Spiller still hasn’t shown that he can pound the ball between the tackles and he prefers to bounce everything outside. That might work at the college level but, as Reggie Bush will attest, it’s not so easy in the NFL. There is a good chance that Spiller will only be a situational guy in the pros, a la Leon Washington or Felix Jones, and while there is nothing wrong with that I just don’t see many teams that can afford to invest a first round pick on a part-time player.

     Spiller is easily the top senior running back prospect in the country and he will undoubtedly be a first round pick but in my opinion teams looking for a primary ball carrier should look elsewhere. Maybe he'll change my mind at the Senior Bowl.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

This seems to be a rather weak inside linebacker class. If Alabama's Rolando McClain comes out where do you see him going? Also given his build and athleticism would he be a better fit inside or outside at the next level?

Jared
Portland, ME

     I’m glad you asked this question because Rolando McClain isn’t getting nearly enough attention for being the top prospect that he is. In fact, don’t be surprised if McClain competes to be the first linebacker selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.

     One of the catalysts behind a stout Crimson Tide defense, McClain will most likely be a first round pick if he opts to come out early. A versatile ‘backer who could project inside or outside in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme at the next level, McClain possesses an ideal blend of size (6-4, 250) and speed (4.6) and he also earns high marks for his leadership ability and intangibles. A good all-around player who excels both in coverage and against the run, McClain really is the total package and in some ways he reminds me of a poor-man's Aaron Curry.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

If you were to take the top five players at each position which has the most talent for this upcoming draft?

Tim
Grand Rapids, MI

     The “X” factor with that question are the underclassmen and since we don’t yet know which juniors and redshirt sophomores will come out this year I will, at the risk of being accused of copping out, base my answer strictly on the senior class.

      After looking at my rankings this basically came down to three finalists and while there is also a lot of talent at defensive end and linebacker I have to give the nod to the defensive tackles. Not only do you have the quality at the top with Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh and two other likely first rounders in Alabama's Terrence Cody and Syracuse's Arthur Jones but there is also a considerable amount of depth. In fact, I’d venture to say that there are as many as ten senior defensive tackles with a good shot at being selected in the top three rounds.

     We’ll see if that answer changes after the underclassmen deadline in January.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown