2017-18 CFB SEASON / '18 NFL DRAFT

[Phase 3]

Hopefully there’s like 4 QB’s selected in the top 8...which is not entirely out of the question with Darnold, Rosen, Allen...and some QB desperate team might fall in love with Mayfield or Lamar Jackson. That could mean that one of Barkley, Nelson, Chubb, Fitzpatrick, or Edmunds could be available at #9...those are my top 5 non-qb’s in this draft. I’d be thrilled with any one of them.

[ChrisPozz]

When I watched the combine I checked off some ones that I wanted to go back and watch what I could of them from during the year. I just got done watching a bunch of Washington C/G Coleman Shelton. Didn't have a lot good to say about him initially and......I still don't.

Highly rated kid coming out of high school. Has experience at every position on the line. Got playing time all 4 years. Played 3 positions during his sophomore year. Then moved to center. 3-year starter. He does a lot of things OK but I see nothing that he does great?

Hand work is OK. Gets himself set up OK. Head, arms, legs and feet usually are tied together well. I trust what he's seeing. Now a bunch of the uh-oh. He gets overpowered quite a bit and doesn't look strong (didn't bench at the combine). Looks like just another guy physically. A lot of his physical/body metrics are all-time low. For my preferences a lack of length can often hurt you and he's not very long. And I can see how it could hurt him in other schemes that aren't so length reliant. Doesn't look comfortable on an island. Doesn't look comfortable pulling. Doesn't finish a high percentage of his blocks. Guys too often get off him and get back into the play.

I wouldn't draft him at all after seeing him again with the combine stuff to kind of cap it off for me.

[I_am_1z]

Saquon Barkley - RB - Nittany Lions

Saints coach Sean Payton told the MMQB's Peter King that Penn State RB Saquon Barkley is the best RB prospect he's seen in 25 years.

King adds another team he spoke with handed Barkley a perfect grade, only the fifth in the last 20 years. That is quite a statement. Payton was a focal point in trading a future second-round pick to acquire Alvin Kamara last offseason, so his running back evaluations should be heavily respected. To put 25 years in perspective, that is a higher grade than Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Trent Richardson, Darren McFadden, Reggie Bush, Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Jamal Lewis, Edgerrin James, Ricky Williams, Curtis Enis, Ki-Jana Carter, Marshall Faulk and Garrison Hearst. Every one of those names was selected in the top five.
Source: The MMQB

Mar 5 - 9:08 AM

Peterson still the best RB prospect I ever watched, but Barkley's up there. Might be second for me.

He’s going as far back as 25 years. If I were to go back that far for me I would rank them like this:

1.) Adrian Peterson
2.) Ricky Williams
3.) Garrison Hearst
4.) Leonard Fournette
5.) Todd Gurley
6.) Kijana Carter
7.) Saquon Barkley / Ezekiel Elliot
9.) Reggie Bush
10.) Dalvin Cook

**Willis McGahee could have been in the top 3 hadn’t it been for the devastating knee injury he sustained. I’m no doctor but I still don’t think he was ever the same after that injury. He lost some explosiveness.

Everyone please ignore Bingo for anything he says about SQBK. He didn't think Barkley was the best back in the nation coming into any of the past three seasons. He also insinuated there were multiple backs as good or better than Barkley. I'm not allowing him to get away with jumping on the bandwagon now. Again, please disregard anything Bingo says about SQBK

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Peterson still the best RB prospect I ever watched, but Barkley's up there. Might be second for me.

He’s going as far back as 25 years. If I were to go back that far for me I would rank them like this:

1.) Adrian Peterson
2.) Ricky Williams
3.) Garrison Hearst
4.) Leonard Fournette
5.) Todd Gurley
6.) Kijana Carter
7.) Saquon Barkley / Ezekiel Elliot
9.) Reggie Bush
10.) Dalvin Cook

**Willis McGahee could have been in the top 3 hadn’t it been for the devastating knee injury he sustained. I’m no doctor but I still don’t think he was ever the same after that injury. He lost some explosiveness.

Everyone please ignore Bingo for anything he says about SQBK. He didn't think Barkley was the best back in the nation coming into any of the past three seasons. He also insinuated there were multiple backs as good or better than Barkley. I'm not allowing him to get away with jumping on the bandwagon now. Again, please disregard anything Bingo says about SQBK

You’re such a tool. A freaking clown to be exact. Since you prove to be so clueless... when someone evaluate prospects thoroughly (a to z) you must put everything on the table and evaluate not only the player’s production throughout his collegiate career, but one must also include the combine results as part of the evaluation process as well. Just like we all experienced when we were in college and enrolled in a particular course in which the final grade you earned was based on several factors (Regular Exams, Midterm, Quizes, Attendance, and lastly the finals). He aced the finals—he killed it at the combine, his numbers compared to other players in this year’s draft along with other prospects in years past made me give him a high grade. Honestly, I was being overly generous on his behalf. Dalvin Cook had a much better college career than he did IMO. However, Cook flopped at the combine to some extent. Therefore, his grade (all time RB ranking) took a major blow from me as a result. I literately took 1 minute no more than 2 mins to respond to Clyde’s respond/post and i really didn’t take the necessary time to think it through to form my list. He killed the combine; and I got excited seeing a man 230 LBs running with so much agility. On film he looked like he’s 212 lbs. Therefore, I gave him credit for his athleticism. Never seen a guy that size do that since Ronnie Brown. Production wise, I wasn’t all that much impressed by him even though it was a great career. So because his production was very good and combine results were at an elite status, I had to give him credit and compare him to what I’ve seen in years past; comparisons showed that he’s a little rare. So I gave him a high mark. So STFU about me jumping on the band wagon. There’s still a bunch of backs who I know were better pro prospects than he is. This is the guy that says Tyler Rogers is the best QB in college football for the past 2 years.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Bradley Chubb - DL - Wolfpack

Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman passes along that "several NFL people" whom he spoke with at the NFL Scouting Combine view NC State edge rusher Bradley Chubb as a "better all-around defensive end" than Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett.

Garrett, of course, was drafted first overall by the Browns a year ago. Writes Feldman, "[Chubb] doesn’t quite have the strength of Garrett or the uncanny ability to bend and turn the corner, but [he's] much better at playing the run." The 6-foot-4, 269-pounder matched Garrett's 10-yard split on the 40-yard dash at the combine over the weekend, hitting 1.63 seconds on the stopwatch same as the former Aggie. Three Sigma Athlete had Chubb's composite athletic testing score in the 78th percentile of NFL players.
Source: Sports Illustrated

Mar 6 - 6:18 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Sam Darnold - QB - Trojans

An NFL QB coach who was part of a team meeting with USC QB Sam Darnold told Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman that the signal-caller "wasn't as far along as I thought he was."

Feldman spoke with three quarterbacking coaches and all three had some positive things to say about Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson to go with the expected critiques. Not so with Darnold. One QB coach referred to their meeting with the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder as merely "O.K.," while another was disappointed in Darnold's decision not to throw in Indianapolis. That came as a direct contrast to how Lamar Jackson's combine played out, with elite athlete Jackson opting not to test athletically, but instead just taking part in throwing work. We suspect that L-Jax's approach is one that was more appreciated by NFL teams, especially given that he chose to face criticism regarding his throwing prowess head-on.
Source: Sports Illustrated

Mar 6 - 5:46 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Josh Rosen - QB - Bruins

Three NFL QB coaches who spoke with Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman raved about the intelligence of UCLA QB Josh Rosen.

"[Rosen] came across very well when we sat down with him (at the combine)," one quarterbacks coach said. The two other coaches echoed this opinion, tossing around phrases like "very impressive" and "came across very well." Just about the only demerit that was lodged against Rosen -- at least from these three -- was that he looked somewhat shaky early in throwing drills, short-arming a few slants. Chalk that up to nerves. We're encouraged (though not surprised) to hear that the UCLA gunslinger is coming through as impressive in interviews. The most consistent knock on Rosen as a draft prospect has regarded "character issues."
Source: Sports Illustrated

Mar 6 - 5:36 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Equanimeous St. Brown - WR - Fighting Irish

NFLDraftScout.com's Dane Brugler writes that Notre Dame WR Equanimeous St. Brown is a "prospect with the potential to be a true No. 1 receiver in the NFL."

Brugler likes St. Brown as one of the combine's winners after the 6-foot-5, 214-pounder pumped in 20 reps on the bench press and rolled the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds. Writes the analyst, "Although he doesn’t play as strong as he benched and needs to polish his routes, St. Brown has an intriguing ceiling once NFL coaches get their hands on him." The wideout's a likely Day 2 selection for the spring.
Source: NFLDraftScout.com

Mar 6 - 4:05 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

D.J. Moore - WR - Terrapins

In recapping the NFL Scouting Combine's biggest risers, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. referred to Maryland WR D.J. Moore as "the most impressive wide receiver in Indianapolis."

Moore (6'0/210) was one of the combine's standout performers, posting an NFL athletic profile in the 97th percentile by Three Sigma Athlete metrics. Among his shining marks in Indy, a 4.42-second sprint through the 40-yard dash in addition to huge jumps of 39.5 inches (vertical) and 132 inches (broad). He also aced on-field drills. Kiper believes he's worked his way into the Day 1 mix. We'd agree with that assessment.
Source: ESPN Insider

Mar 6 - 2:15 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Ed Oliver - DL - Cougars

Houston junior DT Ed Oliver announced that he will enter the 2019 NFL Draft and forego his senior season.

Well, this is early. Oliver (6'3/290) makes the announcement nearly two months before the 2018 NFL Draft will take place. While it is early, it's also fairly obvious. Oliver will start the year at or near the top of most teams draft boards. He won the 2018 Outland Award as the best interior lineman, and he's dominated the American Athletic Conference ever since enrolling at Houston. He has a real chance of being the first pick come next April.

[NinerSickness]

Ed Oliver - DL - Cougars

Houston junior DT Ed Oliver announced that he will enter the 2019 NFL Draft and forego his senior season.

Well, this is early. Oliver (6'3/290) makes the announcement nearly two months before the 2018 NFL Draft will take place. While it is early, it's also fairly obvious. Oliver will start the year at or near the top of most teams draft boards. He won the 2018 Outland Award as the best interior lineman, and he's dominated the American Athletic Conference ever since enrolling at Houston. He has a real chance of being the first pick come next April.

...This guy's probably the best DT to come along since JJ Watt IMO.

[I_am_1z]

He’s going as far back as 25 years. If I were to go back that far for me I would rank them like this:

1.) Adrian Peterson
2.) Ricky Williams
3.) Garrison Hearst
4.) Leonard Fournette
5.) Todd Gurley
6.) Kijana Carter
7.) Saquon Barkley / Ezekiel Elliot
9.) Reggie Bush
10.) Dalvin Cook

**Willis McGahee could have been in the top 3 hadn’t it been for the devastating knee injury he sustained. I’m no doctor but I still don’t think he was ever the same after that injury. He lost some explosiveness.

This is the guy that says Tyler Rogers is the best QB in college football for the past 2 years.

Nothing has happened to make me doubt that he isn't. Sam Darnold's down year only put him behind Rogers. Do you even know what you're talking about in regards to Rogers?

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

He’s #2 rated player at the position:

Courtland Sutton - WR - Mustangs

SMU WR Courtland Sutton produced a composite score in the 86th percentile in the NFL Scouting Combine.

Sutton's 4.54 second 40-yard dash score helped -- especially considering his size (6'3/218). He also impressed with his jumps and held his own in the shuttles, making his one of the more complete testers at the position. Rotoworld's Thor Nystrom ranks Sutton at the top of his wide receiver position board, and we're guessing he didn't see anything in his workouts that suggests he'll be dropping from that spot.
Source: 3 Sigma Athlete

Mar 5 - 9:16 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

There’s something about him I don’t trust yet. He’s not even on my top 5.

D.J. Moore - WR - Terrapins

Walter Football reports that Maryland WR D.J. Moore met with the Cowboys, Eagles, Colts and Washington at the NFL Scouting Combine.

All four of these teams have needs at wide receiver, and all four would be great fits for one of the true stars of the combine. The Colts would likely need to trade up from their second-round selection in order to draft the 6-foot, 210-pound wideout. There's a real chance that he ends up being the first receiver to come off the board at this point.
Source: Walter Football

Mar 5 - 10:07 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Unlike most people (fans/media draft outlets) I never considered him to be the draft’s top WR prospect. However, he’s a much better player than what he showed at Lucas Oil Stadium the other day—his performance at the combine shouldn’t be held against him all that much.

However, all throughout the season I just thought that it was weird that his lack of production was always being blamed on his quarterback and offensive scheme (run heavy system). That was true to some extent but also that excuse was being exaggerated far too much. He’s a Nelson Agholor type received IMO, not worth drafting in the top 20. Too much other talent to choose from:

Calvin Ridley - WR - Crimson Tide

Alabama WR Calvin Ridley produced a composite score in the 7.3 percentile during the NFL Scouting Combine.

Wow. Ridley (6'0/189) was considered to be the best wide receiver in the class by a large percentage of analysts coming into Indy, and he still might be. The testing, however, leaves a lot to be desired. He ran a solid 4.43 second 40-yard dash, but he was mediocre in his jumping, and his shuttles weren't spectacular, either. The tape matters more with a player like Ridley, but posting the worst SPARQ score of any wide receiver has to make you at least review the tape again.
Source: 3 Sigma Athlete

Mar 5 - 7:15 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

This is the guy that says Tyler Rogers is the best QB in college football for the past 2 years.

Nothing has happened to make me doubt that he isn't. Sam Darnold's down year only put him behind Rogers. Do you even know what you're talking about in regards to Rogers?

Yeah he’s better than Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubiski, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, Pat Mahomes, etc. We hear you loud and clear!

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

I’m intrigued too:

Marcus Davenport - DL - Roadrunners

UTSA edge-rusher Marcus Davenport produced a composite score in the 79th percentile during the NFL Scouting Combine.

Davenport was consistently among the top performers in his events on Sunday, and while the overall score isn't overly impressive, it's his 4.58 second 40-yard dash and his 1.63 10-yard split that will be most talked about come draft time. He's extremely raw, but a 6-foot-6, 264-pound defender who has shown productivity and posts that kind of run time is going to intrigue everyone.
Source: 3 Sigma Athlete

Mar 5 - 7:35 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Nick Chubb - RB - Bulldogs

Georgia RB Nick Chubb produced a composite score in the 89th percentile during the NFL Scouting Combine.

The only player who had a higher SPARQ score was Saquon Barkley, who had a ridiculous score in the 98.5 percentile. Chubb is known as a between-the-tacklers runner, but he showed that he has quality wheels with his 4.53 second 40 yard dash. He also the second best broad jump among running backs in his 129 yard leap, which is fun. Chubb's injury history is going to scare some, but in terms of pure talent, he's among the best of any tailback not named Saquon.
Source: 3 Sigma Athlete

Mar 5 - 7:53 PM

[ChrisPozz]

Peterson still the best RB prospect I ever watched, but Barkley's up there. Might be second for me.

He’s going as far back as 25 years. If I were to go back that far for me I would rank them like this:

1.) Adrian Peterson
2.) Ricky Williams
3.) Garrison Hearst
4.) Leonard Fournette
5.) Todd Gurley
6.) Kijana Carter
7.) Saquon Barkley / Ezekiel Elliot
9.) Reggie Bush
10.) Dalvin Cook

**Willis McGahee could have been in the top 3 hadn’t it been for the devastating knee injury he sustained. I’m no doctor but I still don’t think he was ever the same after that injury. He lost some explosiveness.

Everyone please ignore Bingo for anything he says about SQBK. He didn't think Barkley was the best back in the nation coming into any of the past three seasons. He also insinuated there were multiple backs as good or better than Barkley. I'm not allowing him to get away with jumping on the bandwagon now. Again, please disregard anything Bingo says about SQBK

The pure talent was evident for me (how could it not be?) But I was in incomplete territory with Barkley as well. He wasn't one of the backs that I wanted to finalize too much of what I thought about him for quite a while. There was no a-ha moment where he became a dude for me, and I still probably put his FLOOR lower than most other people, but I waited longer than most to get to the big words with him - all-time RB prospect, generational, freak, etc..

If someone thought they could use those words for him before this year, well ok. That's fine. I'm not going to hold that against them. I kind of see why the general public would. I can also see why someone else would want to wait longer before deciding some of these with a guy like Barkley either.

I don't feel like getting into anything too personal or addressing too many specific words that might have been said by any one person but if we are talking about not wanting to use those big words about Barkley until later in the year this year, I would be ok defending that take because it's kind of one that I had. Part of that probably ties into what I said about his floor as a prospect, too. I'd put him on my all-time RB prospect list (as I said yesterday) but I also probably have his floor set lower than most, if not all of those other guys as well. For the good and the bad I honestly don't know if I could bring up another name on that list to compare him to. Which again is a credit to him and maybe a little bit of a downer as well.

He'll continue to be a fun name to talk about after the draft depending on where he lands.

[ChrisPozz]

FYI: I meant I would set his floor lower than most, if not all, of MY other all-time RB prospects. Not a lower floor than most of the other running backs THIS YEAR.