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
Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn It is difficult for elite prospects in the top 10 to rise, but Robinson has been doing that recently. There have been more projections of Robinson going as a top-two pick, and he seems very unlikely to get out of the top five. Robinson is getting a lot of interest from St. Louis, which holds the second-overall pick, and a portion of the team’s staff is traveling to work out Robinson at Auburn. Jeff Fisher hasn’t been inclined to draft offensive linemen in the first round during his career, but Robinson could be too good for the Rams to pass up.
Marcus Smith, DE, Louisville Smith is a player who has had a lot of late buzz. He didn’t have a big impact as a sophomore and junior, but in his senior season, he almost led the nation in sacks – finishing .5 sacks behind Stanford’s Trent Murphy. Not only did Smith cause a lot of havoc as a pass-rusher, he did decently well as a run-defender. The 6-foot-3, 252-pounder is being viewed as a 3-4 outside linebacker for the NFL, but there has been a lot of talk lately that Smith could end up being a late first-round pick.
Terrence Brooks, S, Florida State WalterFootball.com has heard from NFL sources that like Brooks a lot. While many teams need safeties, Brooks hasn’t received a lot of attention among the second-day safety prospects. Washington State’s Deone Bucannon and Northern Illinois’ Jimmie Ward have been highly discussed, but WalterFootball.com knows teams that prefer Brooks over those two prospects. It wouldn’t be surprising if Brooks goes higher than expected, and the third round looks like the lowest he could fall.
Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State While WalterFootball.com knows some teams prefer Brooks, others are hot for Bucannon. He is taking a lot of pre-draft visits around the NFL. There are a number of teams that need a safety on the second day of the 2014 NFL Draft, and that could cause Bucannon to end up being selected higher on Day 2. Some pundits say that Bucannon should be a first-rounder. That is a stretch, but for the second-day of the 2014 NFL Draft, Bucannon looks to be in demand.
Kareem Martin, DE, North Carolina Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about how this class is weak at the defensive end position. The need for defensive ends who can get after the quarterback is as strong as ever, so as a result, Martin is rising. WalterFootball.com has heard that Martin could end up being a second-round pick from league contacts. He went under the radar, but his Combine numbers were very good and not much behind Jadeveon Clowney. Martin has a great athletic skill set with upside. He improved as a senior and could be a nice value selection this May.
Terrance West, RB, Towson Another player who is receiving a ton of interest on the pre-draft-visit circuit is West. The 5-foot-11, 223-pounder has a nice mix of size and speed. Teams view him as having the ability to develop into a three-down back. Some believe that West could be this year’s Alfred Morris or Zac Stacy. Because so many teams are interested in West, he may not make it to the third day of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Larry Webster, DE, Bloomsburg Webster is also racking up the frequent-flyer mileage this spring. A lot of teams are bringing in the small-school pass-rusher for pre-draft visits. He had 13.5 and 12.5 sacks the past two seasons with three forced fumbles and an interception. Webster totaled 88 tackles in that time.
The 6-foot-6, 252-pounder has good length and showed some serious speed with a 40-yard dash of 4.58 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine. That 40 time was only .05 seconds slower than Jadeveon Clowney. Webster has the frame to add weight and be a base end in a 4-3 defense. Thus, he’s very intriguing prospect who could sneak into Day 2.
2014 NFL Draft Stock Down
David Yankey, G, Stanford Sources reached out to WalterFootball.com and said that their team views Yankey as a third- or fourth-round pick. Not everybody holds that view as some teams view Yankey as a second-rounder. The fact that some teams have mid-round grades on Yankey could help trigger a draft-day slide for him. At one time, he was considered the top guard prospect and a potential late first-round pick, but now it sounds like the highest that Yankey could hope to go is the second.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville The talk of Bridgewater dropping has continued to pick up steam. WalterFootball.com spoke with an NFC executive from a playoff team that could use a backup who said that Bridgewater is a “fourth-round guy.” Another scouting director from a top-20 team said that Bridgewater was graded as a second-round pick months ago and they haven’t changed his grade. The odds of Bridgewater going in the first round seem to be narrowing quickly. It looks that he will most likely be a second-round pick.
Dee Ford, OLB, Auburn Months ago, sources told WalterFootball.com that Ford was grading out as a late second- or third-round pick, but they believed that a team might reach on him late in the first round. Recently, it appears that the odds of that have decreased as more believe that Ford could fall to the second day. Ford (6-2, 240) is undersized and won’t be able to stay at defensive end in the NFL. He’s also had some medical concerns in recent months. It looks increasingly likely that Ford could end up going around where he is being graded.
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