Julio Jones: Too good to fall?

For the latest mock draft projection click here.

The draft isn’t a perfect science. Unexpected things happen.

This latest projection may prove to be the most inaccurate I’ve compiled so far yet if one of the bolder moves actually happens, it’s worth the discussion we’ll have today.

The first eye catching pick is probably Jimmy Smith at #8 to Tennessee. At the moment everyone is down on Smith because of character concerns but it’s impossible to watch Colorado tape and not think this guy has a shot at going in the top ten. The Titans have been anything but predictable this off season and it could be argued cornerback is their second biggest need after replacing Vince Young. With the top two quarterbacks off the board in this scenario – do they entertain the prospect of drafting Jake Locker or Ryan Mallett at #8 or will they look elsewhere?

Smith has elite potential. We can talk about character and make a legitimate case for a substantial fall if the allegations are serious enough. Yet the old adage goes, “only one team has to buy in” and I don’t see why that won’t be the case here.

Von Miller at #11 – this is the area I’d feel more comfortable grading him personally. I understand everyone else sees him as a consensus top five pick, but that was never the case actually during the college football season. He has tremendous potential as a speedy pass rusher and undoubtedly was one of the most enjoyable prospects to watch during 2010-11. Yet I still have this nagging doubt about his ability to carry that into the NFL. Can he play rush 3-4 OLB? Is he more of a 4-3 OLB? How teams answer that question will determine whether he actually goes as high as the consensus believes.

Nick Fairley at #14 – huge talent who dominated throughout 2010 for Auburn. Then you look at the draft board and see several 4-3 teams who would be a logical destination for Fairley, but which one actually pulls the trigger? He’s a popular pick for Tennessee, yet they have much greater needs at quarterback and cornerback. It’s not an opinion most people will agree with, but I wouldn’t be stunned if he’s a player teams would be willing to draft throughout the top-ten yet there’s always someone else they prefer left on the board.

Ryan Mallett at #15 – Miami needs a quarterback and that isn’t discussed enough in the draft world. Chad Henne was given a big opportunity to fill that void and failed. They have a very good receiver in Brandon Marshall and need someone who can get him the ball. Mark Ingram is the popular pick at #15 and while he is a very exciting talent, is Miami’s biggest issue a lack of potency at running back? Mallett has to be a consideration for Minnesota at #12 and Miami at #15.

Corey Liuget at #17 – may suffer if Nick Fairley falls a bit. Legitimate top-15 pick and a viable alternative to Julio Jones for St. Louis at #14 if Fairley’s off the board. New England’s 3-4 scheme isn’t a tight fit for Liuget, but the Patriots may think he’s too good to pass and you know they’ll work him into that system.

Julio Jones at #21 – I really like Julio and in terms of talent he’s a sure-fire top-15 pick. However, receivers can fall. Jones’ athletic performance at the combine was sensational and he made major improvements to his consistency in 2010. It really wouldn’t surprise me if he went in the top-10 picks, but is a fall into the teens or early 20’s out the question? This is probably his floor.

Ryan Kerrigan drops out of the first round in this projection. This week he reached 274lbs which is around 15lbs more than he weighed at Purdue. He’s clearly trying to convince teams he can play that base 4-3 RE position. I’m not sure he’d be trying to keep adding weight at this stage of the process if he was still hoping to play in a 3-4. With a number of rising prospects at his position (Reed, Sheard, Houston etc) he may struggle to stick in that 16-32 range.

I’ve gone back to Jabaal Sheard for the Seahawks at #25. His stock is rising more than most at the moment and it’s not hard to see why. He’s got great speed and explosion off the line, a nice repertoire and he holds up well against the run. It’s a discussion we’ve had many times on here about the value of the LEO and whether Seattle should be spending a pick on that position. Over the next few days we’ll use this latest mock to see what scope the Seahawks possibly have to move up or down to target different positions/prospects.

Wednesday links and other mocks

Wes Bunting at the NFP has the Seahawks taking Ryan Mallett in his latest projection.

Albert Breer uses a pro-college scout to form a mock draft that has Seattle grabbing Adrian Clayborn at #25.

Todd McShay’s latest mock draft for ESPN has Jake Locker staying in the North West.

Round two is available for ESPN insiders. The Seahawks take Clint Boling (OG, Georgia) which seems like a positional reach with more talented players left on the board.

McShay and Mel Kiper also have a new podcast out this week.

Evan Silva has a tweet indicating Ryan Mallett scored a 26 on his wonderlic test (24 is the average).

Dan Kadar at Mocking the Draft has a two-round projection. You can see round one here.

And here’s Kadar’s round two.

Dan Kadar at Mocking the Draft reviews the key pro-days at Florida and Pittsburgh: “One draft riser who will get to show off today is Pittsburgh’s Jabaal Sheard. Projected by many as a 3-4 outside linebacker, Sheard looked good running a 4.68 40-yard dash at the Combine. Still, he didn’t the three-cone drill in Indianapolis, a key drill for linebackers.”

Washington quarterback Jake Locker will reportedly have a workout with the Minnesota Vikings today, according to the NFP.

Rob Rang has an updated mock draft and suggests the Seahawks will consider Ryan Mallett at #25: “The Seahawks appear to be very intrigued with the Razorback’s strong arm. GM John Schneider was on hand for Mallett’s pro day.”

Chad Reuter also has an updated projection and this time the Seahawks take Mike Pouncey: “Pouncey could play guard if Max Unger steps in at center, or vice versa.” Am I the only one who thinks the play of Chris Spencer warrants an extension?

Reuter has Christian Ballard (DE, Iowa) going at #57 in round two. You can see Ballard’s combine work out here.

Walter Cherepinsky has an updated six-round mock draft. The Seahawks take Jimmy Smith and Orlando Franklin with their first two picks.

Dan Kelly at ‘the Seahock blog’ looks at some of the defensive tackle prospects Seattle may be interested in.

It’s easy to forget Phil Taylor (DT, Baylor) is 334lbs.

Muhammad Wilkerson could also be on Seattle’s radar as a capable five technique.

Steve Wyche and Michael Lombardi discuss the impact of the lockout on the NFL Draft.

Wyche’s mock has the Seahawks taking Ryan Mallett at #25.

Mike Mayock looks at boom or bust prospects on the defensive line. Mayock also has some interesting thoughts on Jimmy Smith.

R.C. Fisher reports that Ricky Stanzi scored a 30 on his wonderlic test (24 is considered the average).

Three months ago I published a mock on December 14th. At the time I said I’d review the state of it in March and reflect on how things had changed.

Here are the top 15 picks I projected on 12/14 (I’ve not included the teams because draft order has changed dramatically since):

1 Andrew Luck
2 Cam Newton
3 Da’Quan Bowers
4 Patrick Peterson
5 AJ Green
6 Robert Quinn
7 Marcell Dareus
8 Jimmy Smith
9 Cameron Jordan
10 Nick Fairley
11 Prince Amukamara
12 Tyron Smith
13 Julio Jones
14 Janoris Jenkins
15 Jake Locker

The most notable ‘error’ was projecting Andrew Luck would declare and therefore be the first overall pick. It’s interesting to note that the other high profile juniors projected in the top-15 all declared except for #14 Janoris Jenkins (CB, Florida).

Projecting Jimmy Smith as a top-10 pick was something I stood by throughout the new year despite a distinct lack of attention elsewhere. Some would call it a mistake in hindsight, considering he still isn’t universally expected to go that high. I wouldn’t rule it out, despite everything that’s been said about his off-the-field character. Only today Michael Lombardi quoted a NFL GM who believed Smith may be better than consensus #1 cornerback Patrick Peterson. I’ve made this point many times, against popular opinion, that there’s very little between the two corner prospects in terms of on-field potential. The sky really is the limit for Smith.

“I’ve talked to a lot of teams. He clearly has elite talent. I think he might be the No. 2 CB in this draft.” – Lombardi on Jimmy Smith

Mike Mayock’s also been arguing his cause against the character concerns: “He’s had a lot of people around him go to jail. I want to stress that this kid’s never been arrested.” Will moving away from home and taking to a professional setup get the best out of Jimmy Smith? Time will tell, but I’m still convinced one team is going to roll that dice.

I had Cam Newton posted at #2 and simply moved him up one spot when Luck decided to stay at Stanford. Many people now expect Newton to go first overall.

There’s an obvious error of judgement – no Von Miller. I always liked Miller as a player, but never felt compelled enough to give him a grade in the top-15. It has to be said, he was not trending in that area until the positive media reaction during the Senior Bowl. A lot of mocks are based on ‘trends’ and certainly it’s something I’ve since had to rectify as a mistake. Maybe come April I’ll wish I stuck to the initial grading of a mid-to-late first rounder? Or maybe Miller’s absence from that list above will seriously damage the legitimacy of such an early projection? Personally I wouldn’t spend a top-10 pick on him, but the national opinion claims it’s a certainty someone will.

This isn’t just an exercise for me to say ‘I told you so’ (I’m aware it reads that way so far). More errors creep in as I run through the rest of the top-32.

16 Allen Bailey
17 Mike Pouncey
18 Stephen Paea
19 Mark Ingram
20 Anthony Castonzo
21 Akeem Ayers
22 Brandon Harris
23 Gabe Carimi
24 JJ Watt
25 Adrian Clayborn
26 Ryan Kerrigan
27 Derek Sherrod
28 Brandon Burton
29 Justin Houston
30 Drake Nevis
31 Von Miller
32 Nate Solder

I mocked Allen Bailey as the 16th overall pick (a popular trend at the time) despite writing in my blurb: “I’m not convinced by Bailey. He looks the part of a NFL pass rusher, but he doesn’t always bring it. Teams will have to weigh up potential vs production.” I probably should’ve shown more faith in that conviction and given Bailey the middle round grade he’s probably received from most NFL teams.

Another mistake? Brandon Burton (CB, Utah) was a player I projected to bolt into the first round talk, which has never really happened. I still like Burton, but he’s certainly never trended as high as that and he didn’t pull up any trees at the combine.

The Von Miller pick at #31 sticks out like a sore thumb.

I wish I’d had more confidence to project Jabal Sheard in that range during the season. He stood out on film and it wasn’t until early February that I placed him at #25 for Seattle. I’ve since touted the possibility that Brooks Reed could be another LEO option in round one. Neither of these suggestions were greeted in the most positive light at the time but over the last fortnight both prospects have gained a lot of first round momentum.

JJ Watt’s potential was probably under estimated in December and there’s no Ryan Mallett – I think he’s done enough during the off-season to since solidify a home in round one.

Projections made in December should never be taken seriously. I wouldn’t even recommend taking present-day mocks that seriously (especially my own). It’s still reassuring to a certain degree to note the top-32 picks weren’t a million miles away from what we expect to see now in March.

I also wanted to draw attention to an interesting projection I read earlier today courtesy of GMjr.com. Mocks that present possibilities and create talking points are often more interesting than those that pertain to predict the exact outcome. A lot of projections are based on trends – as mentioned previously – and (again) how many people had Von Miller in the top ten before the media told us it was a possibility during the senior bowl?

Although there’s always a danger of trying to be too different, the draft never follows a predictable path. GMjr’s mock sees things different to most. Marcell Dareus #1 overall? It certainly fills a need in Carolina, but are they not focused in on a quarterback by now? Anthony Castonzo in the top ten – to Dallas no less? Regulars to this blog will note my preference for placing Jake Locker with Washington at #10, but perhaps more interesting than anything else is the placing of AJ Green and Julio Jones.

Green drops all the way to #14 to St. Louis. As a result, Julio Jones falls all the way to…. #25 – Seattle.

Is it realistic? Maybe. Jones’ stock is rock solid at the moment after a stunning combine, but receivers can fall – especially if Green does suffer an unlikely drop out of the top-ten.

It might be worth tempering any hopes or expectations that Julio could suffer such a  fall – GMjr also has Christian Ponder in round one, a big non starter for me. I guess we’ll see. Ponder’s sudden rise still troubles me slightly. This is what Mike Mayock had to say on Path to the Draft this evening:

“I saw him throw at last year’s Manning Passing Camp and I was not impressed whatsoever.”

Yet Mayock acknowledges he’s since improved his stock, potentially as high as a late first round pick. That cannot be based on Ponder’s performance during 2010 which was generally poor. He only passed for 200+ yard three times and had two noticeably poor games against Boston College and Oklahoma. Can a prospect really improve his stock that much at the Senior Bowl and throwing in shorts at the combine? Especially one that’s reportedly had three arm surgeries in the last 16 months?

Like I said, I guess we’ll see.

Wes Bunting from the NFP has posted this piece citing some interesting insider information. It’s worth a read. 

There’s definitely a lot of validity to what Bunting is reporting and I wanted to look at three claims in particular. 

“Pittsburgh DE Jabaal Sheard is the one guy who scouts seem to try to be keeping under the radar, as he’s quietly moving up draft boards. He had an impressive workout, showcases natural explosion off the snap and from what I’m hearing NFL teams aren’t real concerned with his character.” 

I’ve been projecting Sheard as a round one pick since February 23rd – when I touted him as an option for the Seahawks at #25. When you watch tape of Sheard it’s not difficult to see why he’s very much an option for teams perhaps even earlier than Seattle’s pick. He’s got a good combination of size and speed, he’s a capable edge rusher and he holds up well against the run. His performance at the combine (including a 4.6 forty yard dash) will only boost his stock. 

If you’re looking for a surprise riser on April 28th, it sounds like Sheard is one to keep an eye on. Josh Liskiewitz said as much recently for Scout.com.

“Talked with a scout the other day who said he thinks Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett is a lock for round one. However, at the same time he said he would take Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick any day in the second round over using a first on Mallett.”

 Bunting has been one of Mallett’s biggest critics, ranking him fifth amongst quarterbacks. A lot of people are down on Mallett and some have (unfairly in my opinion) graded him as low as the third round. For a long time I had the Arkansas QB falling into the early second round, but I think he did enough overall at the combine to convince at least one team he’s worthy of a first round pick. Miami and Jacksonville have to be considered at #15 and #16. We can’t rule out Seattle at #25, or teams moving up/down into that mid/late first region. 

But after a period where Mallett’s stock took an absolute pounding in the media, it seems like his stock may be back on the rise. The scout Bunting spoke to may prefer Kaepernick in round two, but it’ll only take one team to buy into Mallett’s talents – and whatever anyone says, he does have talent. 

“‘Mark Ingram is just too talented to fall out of the first round’ was a comment I got from one talent evaluator when his name was brought up. ‘Someone will either trade back in the first or take him over a need, but the guy is just too good to fall into round two.'” 

This is one of the toughest projections to make when trying to compile a mock draft. Ingram has undoubted quality but pairing him with a team isn’t easy. Some teams who we would logically see as comfortable at the position may have Ingram clearly at the top of their draft board. Buffalo believed CJ Spiller was too talented to pass last year, despite much greater needs on their roster. Denver spent the first of two round one picks in 2009 on Knowshon Moreno (one of the few picks I mocked correctly that year, but a surprise overall). Whether those moves were deemed worthy or not, there’s no reason why another team similarly won’t pull a slight shock by drafting Ingram early. 

He should go in the 10-22 range based on talent, but it may not necessarily be to a team who currently owns a pick in that range.

Mike Mayock says Christian Ponder is a first round sleeper. Ponder is the trendy quarterback at the moment but personally I think he’s being hugely over rated. I wrote about this subject in more detail here.

Mayock also offers his top-16 prospects in this year’s class. I really don’t ‘get’ how Von Miller is being rated this high (2nd overall). Nobody had him graded that high during the 2010 college season and there was no great surprise when he didn’t declare for last years draft. I like Miller, but second best available player in this class?

Gil Brandt says running back Anthony Allen improved his stock at the Georgia Tech pro-day.

Brandt also passes on information that California defensive lineman Cameron Jordan was asked to drop into coverage and run some linebacker drills during his pro-day. Jordan weighs over 280lbs.

The Miami pro-day has been re-scheduled for March 25th after the original event had to be stopped early due to poor weather conditions.

For a full pro-day schedule click here. LSU will host their event on Monday.

Mike Sando wonders whether the lockout will exacerbate the quarterback situation in Seattle, with Matt Hasselbeck unsigned.

Brandon Adams has an interesting piece on Hasselbeck’s future and his performance in the playoff win over New Orleans.

When I watched Purdue defensive lineman Ryan Kerrigan, I didn’t see a LEO pass rusher on tape. He played in the 260lbs range in college and was a fun player to watch – relentless, maximum effort and big time production (32 sacks between 2008-10).

Even so, he never flashed a consistent burst off the line or pure edge speed. He looked like an effort guy playing with OLB size. The way he performed lent itself to the right end position in an orthodox 4-3, but not necessarily Seattle’s unorthodox LEO.

He added weight before the combine, showed up at nearly 270lbs and honestly – I didn’t expect a good forty time.  Then he ran an eye catching official 4.71, but has also been clocked in the late 4.6’s. You can’t ignore those numbers because according to the times, he’s not a great deal slower than more obvious LEO candidates like Brooks Reed, Robert Quinn and Jabal Sheard.

Scouts tend to pay more attention to the ten-yard split posted by defensive lineman, because essentially they aren’t going to be running forty yards very often in a game. Do they have a quick burst? Will they be able to get out of a stance and explode? The National Football Post had this article in 2009 on the subject:

“The 10-yard split is a vital time gauge for every position in the NFL, but it’s arguably more important for edge pass rushers than other positions. Pure pass-rushing specialists who rely on their first step to gain an advantage on offensive tackles need to display explosive first-step quickness out of the stance. Therefore, the timing of a pass rusher’s 10-yard split is an excellent indicator of how quickly he can explode off the ball and cover the ground needed to get after the quarterback.”

The article lists some of the faster ten-yard splits from the 2009 draft class, with Clay Matthews unsurprisingly listed at the top. What did surprise me was the time they gave – 1.49 seconds. I haven’t seen that time paired with Matthews before and I was under the impression he ran a 1.58. The article itself describes anything over 1.6 seconds as ‘average’, yet most of the 2011 class posted times in that range.

Indeed the general information for ten-yard splits appears inconsistent and tough to diagnose. In doing research for this piece I noted Ryan Kerrigan listed with a 1.61, a 1.64 and a 1.65. I’ve seen Brooks Reed credited with a 1.58 and a 1.62. Chris Long (Kerrigan is tentatively compared to Long) is given a 1.53 in 2009 by the NFP piece which seems a bit too quick.

Surely there has to be a better way of tracking all this information officially? It’d certainly be more helpful to judge these guys and compare.

Let’s give Kerrigan the benefit of the doubt and say he ran a 1.61. Do you buy into his potential based on the relentless approach and the college production? He’s not a slouch off the edge, but he’s certainly more effort than pure speed.

To see Kerrigan’s combine work out, click here.

Game tape vs Ohio State courtesy of the brilliant Aaron Aloysius:

One of the reasons I’ve tried to bring some perspective to Ryan Mallett’s draft stock is really only because not many other people appear willing to do so.

Pat Kirwan isn’t one of those people.

Most of you will be aware of Kirwan and his close ties to Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll. He recently had a chance to sit down with the Arkansas’ quarterback and it makes for interesting reading:

“The NFL is starving for quarterbacks. This is a throwing league, and good teams are averaging close to 40 pass attempts a game. Where are the rare signal callers talented enough to do what every offensive coordinator wants and every defensive coordinator hates? Few and far between. No one is perfect, but when it comes to the 2011 draft class you can’t deny that Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet is an interesting candidate. Sure, he has some issues surrounding him that will cause some teams to back off. But when it comes to throwing the ball down the field, he might be the best of the bunch. I have had three separate opportunities to sit down with Mallett and dig a little deeper each time. And I have to tell you, he gets more intriguing each time. There’s risk, but there also could be a big reward.”

It’s a really good read for anyone who is prepared to acknowledge Mallett’s issues on and off the field, while also appreciating the positives that aren’t always discussed.

Will Brinson reports nine teams have organised a private work out with Auburn quarterback Cam Newton – including the Seahawks.

Mike Mayock runs down the prospects he grades in the late first round. With the Seahawks picking 25th overall, these are the guys Mayock expects to go in that range.

And here’s Mayock’s 17-24. He has Jake Locker at #20 and Cam Newton at #21.

Mayock and Charles Davis talk about the key pro-days that took place this week at Auburn and Alabama.

Rob Rang has news from the Miami pro-day which was cut short due to poor weather conditions.

Jimmy Smith’s stock took the jump I expected before the combine, but seems to have dropped again as reported character concerns linger in the background. Everything I saw from Smith in 2010 suggested he had elite potential. Here’s his combine work out.

Marvin Austin raised a few eye brows with his combine performance – here’s why.

Dan Kelly has a nice piece on the ‘Pete Carroll offense’. I’d recommend checking out Kelly’s blog, it’s new and definitely worth adding to your regular reading.

Another new Seahawks blog that has become a daily staple for me is Brandon Adams’ ’17 Power’. He follows up his recent piece on the Patriot’s much discussed draft policy with a look at how Bill Belichick would handle the Seahawks this off season.

Brian Baldinger has a top-ten mock draft. Gabe Carimi will not be a top ten pick.

Todd McShay has a few thoughts on Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft for ESPN:

Cameron Jordan – meet Jordan Cameron:

Sometimes I’m asked about small school prospects and potential sleepers in the mid-late round range. I don’t have access to tape from smaller schools, but I’d recommend following Matthew Elder on twitter for some really solid input on those players.

I tend to use the combine to see who catches the eye. It’s not ideal because I’d never let a combine performance dictate an opinion over tape, yet that’s essentially what I have to do with small school prospects. It is good, however, to see how these guys mark up against the top prospects at each position.

Edmond Gates (WR, Abilene Christian) really stood out to me. He ran a blazing 4.37 forty yard dash (best amongst receivers) and was one of the few people to take anything out of the catching drills showing strong hands. His stock is on the up – so much so that Mel Kiper has even touted the possibility that Gates will go in round two. I think this is unlikely because he’ll be a 25-year-old rookie who hasn’t got elite size (6-1, 192lbs), but with his deep speed it’ll only take one team to fall in love and put him in that higher bracket.

You can watch Gates’ combine work out by clicking here.

It’s been confirmed that the Seahawks met with the Gates during the combine, as well as another small school prospect – Appalachian State corner Mark LeGree.

Edmond Gates video #1

Edmond Gates video #2

Fresno State aren’t necessarily a small school, but they do produce some big-time talent. Ryan Mathews went in the top-15 last year after San Diego made a big move up the board and while there’s nobody going to repeat that in 2011, I’m still a big fan of DE/OLB Chris Carter.

At 6-2 and 248lbs his future may lie as a pure 4-3 OLB project, but if he could add some weight and maintain his speed then he’s a possible LEO down the line. Carter had eleven sacks as a senior, he’s a relentless prospect with excellent edge speed and ran a 4.62 at the combine – only bettered among defensive lineman by Texas’ Sam Acho.

The big issue with Carter will be that lack of size and holding up against the run. He won’t be able to play the LEO on the line of scrimmage at 248lbs because he’ll be a liability on rushing downs. He could be used as a project linebacker and specialist pass rusher, but that limits his stock in terms of which round you’d be willing to take him.

You can watch Carter’s combine work out by clicking here.

The video below not only shows why Carter is a sleeper pick next April, it also shows the limitations of Wisconsin left tackle Gabe Carimi (#68) against the speed rush.

Chris Carter highlights

Buster Skrine (CB, Chattanooga) flashed some skills in Indianapolis and ran a 4.29 forty yard dash unofficially. He also had the best 20 & 60-yard shuttle and the most impressive three-cone. At 5-10 he’s on the cusp of what this team will look for in terms of height at corner but he could do with adding some weight (186lbs). Even so, you wouldn’t draft Skrine with the intention of starting him as a rookie.

You might give him some kick return duties as he’s shown real potential there particularly with that impressive straight line speed. He only has three career interceptions as a senior but he at least flashed some ball skills in the video below. With that speed and the potential to add some bulk, he could give some value to a team in the mid-late rounds.

You can watch Skrine’s combine work out by clicking here.

Buster Skrine highlights

One of my favorite prospects likely to go in the middle rounds is Connecticut running back Jordan Todman. He ran a 4.40 forty yard dash (third among RB’s) and was the Big East offensive player of the year with 16 touchdowns and 1695 yards. At 5-9 and 203lbs he doesn’t have the size to carry the load as much as he did for UConn, but he runs hard and at that speed he’s going to find a home in the NFL. The Seahawks may have bigger needs overall, but with the second pick in round four if you get the chance to draft a player who will probably stick like Todman, I think you make that move.

I could really see two things happening – either he’ll go earlier than expected (R2/3) or he will last until that fourth round range and in a few years we’ll wonder how that happened.

You can see Todman’s combine workout by clicking here.

Jordan Todman highlights

Later today I’m going to look at four ‘under the radar’ prospects – a couple of guys from small schools and two others I think could be mid-round sleepers. Also don’t forget to check out the latest mock draft which you can discuss here.

Mike Mayock was at the Alabama pro-day and had strong praise for Mark Ingram and Marcell Dareus. Ingram runs a better shirtless forty yard dash than former Crimson Tide top-ten pick Andre Smith.

The NFL Network team grade Mark Ingram. It’s a mixed review really and while Ingram is clearly a talented player, he may last until the late first round.

Charles Davis and Michael Lombardi discuss who stood-out in the pro-days so far. Lombardi had strong words of support for Marcell Dareus, while Davis talked up Ryan Mallett. Included in the clip is an all-time classic – Tom Brady’s forty yard dash footage.

Bucky Brooks was at the Wisconsin pro-day, featuring JJ Watt and Gabe Carimi.

Charley Casserly offers a mock draft without Cam Newton in the top ten. The Panthers take Da’Quan Bowers first overall.

Jake Locker was also on set and heads to the chalk board to talk coverages with Trent Green.

Kendall Hunter ran in the 4.5’s during the Oklahoma State pro-day. It was a similar time to the one he clocked at the combine.

Arizona pass rusher Ricky Elmore talks draft to ESPN: