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
Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State As we outlined in the rumormill, Hyde has teams grading him as a first-round pick. He may not go on Thursday night, but he is viewed as an impact player who can instantly change the effectiveness of an offense. Hyde is a power runner, but teams also like his receiving ability. He could go late in the first round and shouldn’t last long if he makes it to Day 2.
Xavier Su’a-Filo, G, UCLA There doesn’t seem to be much of a debate any more about the top-ranked guard prospect for the 2014 NFL Draft. Su’a-Filo (6-4, 307) settled it with a great performance at the Combine. Many teams view him as a plug-and-play draft pick as a starter at right or left guard. Over the long term, the athletic Su’a-Filo should be a starter at left guard. He also could play some left tackle if there was an in-game injury. Su’a-Filo could go late in the first round but shouldn’t last long on Day 2. He looks like a very safe pick to develop into a good starter.
Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech WalterFootball.com has spoken with teams picking in the early 20s, and they have Fuller as a player who they could end up drafting. He had an excellent Combine performance but also has a lot of good tape from his career with the Hokies. Fuller is the consensus third-rated cornerback, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for him to move up and be the second corner to go off the board on draft day.
Jason Verrett, CB, TCU Verrett has helped himself since the end of the season. Teams were very concerned about his size, but the 5-foot-9, 190-pounder has been able to successfully add 20 pounds to his frame. Even with that massive weight gain, Verrett has maintained his speed and showed that off with an impressive pro-day performance. As a result, some teams have bumped up his grade from a third-round pick to a second-round pick. Verrett has a lot of good tape and is a well-rounded slot cornerback. He should go no later than Round 2.
Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois There are some pundits who are projecting Ward to the first round. That seems like a stretch as the 5-foot-11, 193-pounder is very undersized, but he looks solid as a top-60 selection. Ward is one of the best pass-coverage safeties in this draft class, and that makes him an in demand prospect. With his ability to play nickel corner, he offers defensive coordinators a lot of flexibility. It isn’t out of the question for Ward to go early on Day 2.
Charles Leno, OT, Boise State There is a lot of buzz around Leno, and a lot of teams are showing interest in him. The 6-foot-4, 303-pounder is a good athlete for his size with some long arms. Leno may not be able to stay at tackle in the NFL, but he could be an interesting candidate to move inside to guard. A lot of teams have had success moving college tackles to guard. Leno should go in the early rounds of Day 3, but he also could get some second-day consideration.
Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU The 6-foot-3, 243-pound Van Noy had a good pro-day performance. He looked good in the bag drills and showed nice athleticism. Van Noy had a dip in production as a senior, but teams game-planned to limit his big plays. Teams that run a 3-4 defense could use Van Noy as an inside linebacker and a pass-rusher off the edge. Van Noy’s strong pro day and Combine should help him to go no lower than the middle of the third round.
Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia There has been a lot of positive buzz about Murray in recent weeks. Some analysts have stated that they think Murray could be the best quarterback to come out of this draft class. After a late-season ACL tear, he is planning on being close to 100-percent healthy for a pro-day workout in mid-April. Murray’s stock could continue to rise if he performs well at his workout.
WalterFootball.com reached out to sources from around the NFL, and they said that Murray is being graded out as a fourth- or fifth-round pick. They think that the demand for signal-callers and the number of quarterback-needy teams could cause some franchise to overdraft him. Ergo, Murray could be selected sooner than expected.
2014 NFL Draft Stock Down
Richard Rodgers, TE, California At one point, Rodgers was in contention to be the fifth-rated tight end behind Eric Ebron, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Jace Amaro and Troy Niklas. Considering those four could easily go in the first two rounds, that could have pushed Rodgers down in during second day of the 2014 NFL Draft. However, he hasn’t tested well and had a rough performance at the Combine with a slow 40 time (4.87) and weak bench press (16 reps). Rodgers looks like a mid-third-day pick.
Storm Johnson, RB, Central Florida There are a lot of mid-round running back prospects for the 2014 NFL Draft, and one prospect who hasn’t held up well under the scrutiny of intense film study is Johnson. Sources have told WalterFootball.com that teams have serious concerns about Johnson’s fumbling issues. He had a lot of fumbles running to his left and didn’t show the ability to hold the ball securely in both hands. That could lead to more fumbles as a pro. Johnson also had some poorly timed fumbles in 2013. His Combine performance was just average as well.
Johnson is viewed as a late-round pick. He probably should have returned to school to get better before going pro.
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