This new section highlights which players have improved or worsened their 2014 NFL Draft stock as the draft approaches.
By Charlie Campbell.
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2014 NFL Draft Stock Up
Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina Don’t be surprised if Ebron is in the Stock-Up section in the post-Combine stock report, too. WalterFootball.com has heard that Ebron is going to put up some impressive numbers at the Combine and showcase a dynamic skill set. That isn’t a stretch to believe as he illustrated rare athleticism in college from being a speedy tight end to filling in at defensive end. The talk of Ebron cracking the top 10 should pick up steam after the Combine. Teams already feel he won’t get out of the top 20.
Odell Beckham, WR, LSU Like Ebron, Beckham is expected to be a standout at the Combine. Beckham is a deep threat receiver who is very fast so he should post some impressive times in the 40-yard dash and the cone drills. Scouts have told WalterFootball.com that they believe Beckham is going to go late in the first round and if he somehow falls to the second round, they think he’ll be selected quickly. After the Combine, there could be a lot of talking up of Beckham.
Kapri Bibbs, RB, Colorado State Every team in the NFL is looking for the next Alfred Morris or Zac Stacy. Bibbs is definitely a candidate to be the running back steal of 2014, but with his rising stock, he may not get to the third day of the 2014 NFL Draft. As Ross Jones of Fox Sports highlighted, Bibbs probably would be rated higher if he had played more than one season and against higher competition. He still ran for 1,741 yards and 31 touchdowns in his one year at Colorado State. A strong Combine could send Bibbs into Day 2 of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Josh Huff, WR, Oregon Huff is among the players that helped themselves at the Senior Bowl. Some feel Huff was the best wide out in Mobile, and he definitely showed the ability to be a weapon as a slot receiver in the NFL. Huff is very quick and sudden. He has quick-twitch ability that make him difficult to cover in and out of his breaks. Huff hasn’t gotten a lot of publicity, but he looks like he has a shot at being a top-100 pick. That could rise if he runs well at the Combine – as many are expecting.
David Yankey, G, Stanford Even though Yankey didn’t play at the Senior Bowl, he had a good week. Baylor’s Cyril Richardson struggled, while Mississippi State’s Gabe Jackson was solid, but didn’t dominate. As a result, Yankey has a shot at being the first guard selected, and as you can see in Walt’s mock, some are projecting Yankey to the first round. Yankey may not be a consensus first-rounder across the league, but he could go late in the first round similar to Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler in the 2012 draft. Yankey has the flexibility to play in a zone or man scheme, and that should help him on draft day.
Weston Richburg, C, Colorado State Quietly, Richburg really helped himself at the Senior Bowl. He held up well compared to the other centers and interior linemen. Richburg showed a well-rounded skill set with balance, quickness, strength and intelligence.
Richburg has a real shot of going in the second round given the overall weakness of the 2014 NFL Draft’s center class, while Arkansas’ Travis Swanson is expected to be the first center off the board. A team desperate for a center that can step in and compete for playing time could make a move to get Richburg before someone else is able to snatch him away. He looks pretty secure to go no later than midway through the third round.
2014 NFL Draft Stock Down
C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama Over the past few months, from time to time, there have been projections of Mosley being a top-10 pick. Sources with teams have told WalterFootball.com that Mosley isn’t grading out that highly. They say he’s been overhyped and should be a mid- to late first-rounder. Considering there was an overhyped middle linebacker who fell to the second round last year, Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o, nobody should be surprised. Sources say Mosley’s junior-year tape was better than his senior season when Alabama had him doing too much with checks and audibles. The league has been downgrading linebackers in the draft, so Mosley could be in store for a longer wait on draft day than many are expecting.
Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor Seastrunk was part of a flood of early-entry running backs for the 2014 NFL Draft, and in the early going, he is being viewed as a potential mid-round pick. The passing-driven nature of the modern NFL hurts Seastrunk since he didn’t record a single reception during the 2013 season. He had only nine catches in 2012. Seastrunk has some size, speed and strength, but he needs to show serious receiving ability at the Combine and his pro day to have a shot at going in the second round. Seastrunk could even fall to Day 3.
Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State WalterFootball.com knows sources who really like Carr and think that he deserves to go in the first round. However, outside the top 10, there aren’t many quarterback-needy teams, and Carr isn’t viewed as likely to go in the top 10. Many believe that would be a reach.
Therefore, it’s possible that Carr will fall to the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. There also is the possibility that a team picking early in the second round will trade back into the first round to take Carr. That wouldn’t be bad for him, but he clearly has fallen behind the high first-rounders of Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville This one is nit-picky for a stock down because Bridgewater is still expected to be selected in the top half of the first round. However, WalterFootball.com has learned that Bridgewater isn’t grading out as the top quarterback prospect. As we highlighted in the rumormill, two of the quarterback-needy teams picking in the top five have told WalterFootball.com that Blake Bortles is grading out ahead of Bridgewater and Manziel.
Sources say they have real concerns about Bridgewater’s size and don’t like him as much as Bortles. These sources feel a lot could change in the months to come, but as scouts, GMs and coaches crunch tape, Bridgewater is no longer the consensus top quarterback.
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