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2010 NFL Draft Stock Up
Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati Have to give it to Mr. Pike in this game. He made some very accurate throws. I continue to hype him up as this ultra-intelligent quarterback, and he is.
The problem is he simply has a weak arm. He gets rid of the ball extremely quickly; I LOVE his timing. He makes quick decisions and has a great football IQ. His pump fake needs some work, but he just takes what the defense gives him. Problem is, shouldn’t we expect a highly intelligent quarterback when he is 23 years old? Some team desperate for a franchise signal-caller will take Pike in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Jean Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida When you play this well, you deserve a nickname. We gave Darrius Heyward-Bey “DHB” – Jean Pierre-Paul is officialy “JPP” on this Web site.
JPP simply was dominant against Cincinnati and flashed some serious talent and a competitive attitude. I’m not going to give him a first-round grade until I see another game or two, but he should definitely be on everyone’s radar.
I haven’t seen a defensive end this year that did a better job of lowering his shoulder without losing any speed. JPP can defintely run the arc and he has explosive speed off the edge. He also did a great job with his hands once getting full extension against the offensive lineman before disengaging to make the tackle for a 1-yard gain. It was textbook technique.
I love his hustle and he gives that second effort you look for. He shows an ability to rush from the two-point stance, so the 3-4 teams are certainly going to watch if he can play in space and show some pass coverage ability. I love his flexbility and balance.
JPP looks like a well-rounded player (the anti-Carlos Dunlap), but like I said earlier, I just don’t fall in love with a player after one game of film. All of this said, I can’t wait to see his next game tape. This might be the dominant defensive end this draft is currently lacking.
2010 NFL Draft Stock Down
Kyle Calloway, T, Iowa Calloway looks good on the depth chart at 6-7, 315, but he has no athleticism and has sluggish feet. He’ll be on an NFL roster, but not in a starting role.
Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati Welcome to the new ESPN hype machine that is simply overrated. I doubt Gilyard gets drafted in the first two rounds next April, and it wouldn’t shock me if he fell out of the first four.
I saw the Oregon State tape, and I saw a receiver with average speed and poor ball skills. I saw the same thing on tape against South Florida. On a bubble screen in the second quarter, he showed no explosion or second gear. I doubt he cracks a 4.50 at the Combine.
He is an inconsistent route runner and just has terrible ball skills dropping a couple passes. In the third quarter with 13:30 left, he ran a crossing route and showed everything why I think he won’t make it in the league. One, he is clearly scared to get hit and lacks balls going across the middle. Two, he lacks focus – like I said, bad ball skills. Tony Pike put the ball on the money, but Gilyard was scared to get hit and didn’t focus on the ball. Three, if you fear going across the middle, then you simply aren’t very competitive.
I don’t understand why any team would want Gilyard to be a part of their offense – he doesn’t show up in games as much as ESPN says he does.
George Selvie, DE, South Florida I’m fairly confident right now that Selvie is a late-round pick. When you get shut out against Western Kentucky (no disrespect, I am a WKU supporter of the players and coaching staff) and don’t get any pressure on the quarterback, then you can’t play. I gave Selvie the benefit of the doubt, but after watching the Cincinnati film, he is clearly garbage. South Florida is playing 10 on 11.
All Selvie has is a speed rush. He is very soft and lacks physicality. He is simply invisible on the field. Selvie is a “has been.” Don’t think about him any more in terms of talent until he puts together three or four incredible games. The light needs to come on.
2010 NFL Draft Stock Stable
Russell Okung, T, Oklahoma State Okung continues to dominate and prove why he will be a top-eight draft pick. However, I don’t think he will ever earn my prestigious fifth star for an “elite” grade. I just can’t give a fifth star to a 310-pound left tackle.
Okung has all the tools to be Pro Bowler left tackle. I love his lateral movement and ability to mirror an end. He will get stereotyped by his size for being a finesse lineman, but he is an underrated finisher of his blocks.
He has a mean streak that goes under the radar. He shows great patience in pass protection, but yet is still physical when he needs to be. His technique is still slightly inconsistent because he will bend too much at the waist or let an end get into his body, but I am probably being overcritical to be fair.
Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri Weatherspoon’s instincts and diagnosage skills are off the charts. He might be a bit of a finesse player because he has a tendency to run around blocks instead of take them head on, and he has trouble stacking and shedding offensive linemen. Weatherspoon is an active player and he showed great technique once by staying low and protecting his legs against a chop block to make a tackle. Weatherspoon has a solidified top 20-prospect grade and looks to be a first-round lock.
Bryan Bulaga, T, Iowa I really haven’t been impressed with Bulaga that much this year. He didn’t impress me in the Northern Iowa game with his athleticism and I wasn’t overwhelmed with his Michigan game. To be fair, he probably wasn’t 100 percent healthy in the Michigan game.
Bad news first: Bulaga is on the ground a lot. He seems to play a little top-heavy and he gets his feet out from under him. He took a false step (2nd quarter – 7:00 left) and it cost his team a tackle for a loss.
Bulaga showed great awareness on stunt pickup in the 1st quarter. He showed me some quick feet and did a good job redirecting the defensive end. He is a great run blocker who understands angles – he had a great seal block for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Bulaga seems to lack elite athleticism, but his work ethic, solid quickness/footwork and technique should get him drafted in the top 20 picks in what looks like a good – but not great – tackle class.
Click here to see how this has affected the 2010 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings.
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