2012 College Football / 2013 NFL Draft

[BINGO]

Ezekiel Ansah
Defensive End

SCOUTS GRADE: 90

Grading Scale
Grading Scale 90-100 Grade1st Round Round EquivalentA premier college player with all the physical tools to take over a game and play at a championship level. He demonstrates elite-to-rare NFL potential and rates in the top 5 players nationally at his position. A prospect with a grade of 99 or 100 is rare. Prospects carrying grades between 92-98 are considered mid-to-high first rounders, while prospects grading out between 90-91 are fringe first rounders.
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Height: 6'6"
Weight: 273 lbs
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Overall Rank: 21
Positional Rank: 7
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Scouts Inc. Player Evaluations​

Production
4
2010: (6/0) 3-0-02011: (12/0) - 7-3-0

Height-Weight-Speed
1
Exceptional combination of size and speed. Has a long frame, is naturally well-proportioned and displays outstanding mobility and natural agility for size.

Durability
1
No durability issues to our knowledge.

Intangibles
2
Born in Accra, Ghana. Parents are Edward and Elizabeth. Speaks Twi and Fante, two local Ghanaian dialects. Enrolled at BYU in 2008 and participated on the track team in 2009 before joining football team in 2010. Had never seen a football game on television prior to leaving Ghana for the United States.

1 = Exceptional
2 = Above average
3 = Average
4 = Below average
5 = Marginal

Defensive End Specific Traits​

Pass Rush Skills
2
Highly disruptive pass rusher both inside and outside and he's just scratching the surface. Displays a quick first step. Outstanding natural athlete for size. Smooth mover. Can quickly change directions. Shows elite closing burst to the QB. Has enough speed and natural torso flexibility to threaten with speed and power off the edge. Also a quick penetrating interior rusher who can be highly disruptive in that role. Needs to be more efficient with hands and do a better job of setting up blockers.

Versus the run
3
Has a tendency to let pads rise and can get pushed around when he does. Can get rag-dolled on some double teams. When he stays low and gets his hands inside, he can do a solid job of holding the point initially. Displays ability to strike with initial punch and press the OL backwards. But needs to improve lower body strength and play with more consistent leverage. Must develop a better base. Gets knocked off of feet too often. At his best when on the move. Can quickly penetrate the backfield, has the change-of-direction skills of a 230-pound LB, and he closes like a strong safety. Will still take the bait on occasion and needs to continue to improve his discipline. But has made huge strides in those areas. Is doing a much better job of diagnosing plays and finding the football.

Versatility
1
Rare traits to play multiple positions in multiple schemes. Has enormous potential in this area. Have seen him play NT, DT, DE and OLB. Has also been a difference maker on special teams. Versatility should only improve with more experience playing the game.

Instincts/Motor
2
Plays hard. Bounces back up if he gets knocked off his feet, and will fight to get back in play. Effort is outstanding. Not a natural tough guy but is improving in this area. Starting to see him play with more of an edge late in 2012 season.

1 = Exceptional
2 = Above average
3 = Average
4 = Below average
5 = Marginal

 

[BINGO]

NFL Draft Blog
D-linemen poised to ascend the board
December, 7, 2012 12:28PM ET
By Kevin Weidl

As the college season winds down, the pre-draft process is kicking into gear. That means intense film study has begun and players are starting to stand out.

A few prospects in particular have impressed me recently. The five players below -- listed in order of their current Scouts Inc. grade -- show the potential to rise up the board as the process unfolds, culminating with draft weekend in late April.


Oregon DE Dion Jordan (Grade: 93)
Scouts will clearly be enamored with Jordan's long frame (6-foot-6⅛, 239), and he has the athleticism to show well in pre-draft workouts. In addition, his tape shows a player who can line up across the front seven, rush from a two- or three-point stance, and hold up well in space.

He could add some bulk to his frame, but Jordan still has explosive upper-body power. He dealt with a nagging shoulder injury late in the season, but he's an impact player when healthy and should have time to heal before Oregon's Fiesta Bowl date with Kansas State and a trip to the Senior Bowl.

Jordan is already in the first-round mix and could work his way into the top half of the first before all is said and done.


Sheldon Richardson didn't slow down during the season and is ready to move up the board.


Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson (Grade: 90)
Richardson is the only non-senior on this list and has already announced his intention to enter the draft, and after scouts dig into his film he should start making a move.

I saw Richardson in person when the Tigers played at South Carolina and it was one of the better performances I saw all season. He has impressive quickness and agility for a 6-2⅞, 290-pounder, along with quick hands and a nonstop motor.

Richardson continued to play hard all season even as his team struggled, continuing to produce and disrupt along the interior. His closing burst, lateral movements and overall athleticism are solid, and he should test well during workouts. Richardson will likely challenge other highly rated defensive tackles for first-round positioning.



NC State QB Mike Glennon (Grade: 87)
With the top two quarterbacks on the board -- West Virginia's Geno Smith and USC's Matt Barkley -- struggling late in the season, Glennon has had a chance to create some intrigue.

He has some limitations in terms of athleticism but knows how to buy time in the pocket, and his size (6-7¼, 225) and arm strength are already turning heads. The Senior Bowl sets up as the perfect stage for showing off his arm, and Glennon can also use that forum and the interview process at the NFL combine to emphasize his intangibles.

He looks like a Day 2 prospect to me, but given the overall weakness of the quarterback class and his combination of tools, it won't surprise me if Glennon works his way into the back end of the first round when the draft rolls around.



Oregon State WR Markus Wheaton (Grade: 80)
Wheaton doesn't have ideal size (5-11½, 182), but he does have track-star speed that should stand out during workouts and all-star showcases. His top gear is elite, allowing Wheaton to stretch the field vertically on the outside and ruin pursuit angles after the catch.

He struggled some in the season finale against Oregon, but Wheaton's overall body of work in 2012 is impressive. He caught 13 touchdown passes and is very smooth when tracking the ball vertically.

Wheaton reminds me of Pittsburgh Steelers WR Mike Wallace, who put himself on the map at the Senior Bowl with his elite speed. The same could happen for Wheaton, who has a chance to get himself into the latter part of the second round.



Kent Sate OT/OG Brian Winters (Grade: 79)
Winters flew under the radar playing in the MAC, but he had a very solid season. He is not a great athlete and is likely better suited to playing guard at the next level, but I like his strength, balance and footwork. Winters (6-3⅞, 302) is a major reason the Golden Flashes averaged 223-plus yards rushing per game.

He will have a chance at the Senior Bowl to show what he can to against other top-flight prospects, and a strong week there could help Winters work his way into the second round before all is said and done.

 

[ChrisPozz]

He's a junior this year. I've seen most of every one of their games the last 5 years. This is from ESPN Stats & Information:

North Dakota State's Grant Olson now at 29 tackles after check of official box score. That's most by any D-I player in game since 2005

 

[CalamityX11]

Manziel wins the Heisman....

 

[Yoshi]

Manziel wins the Heisman....

Congrats to him. Doing what he did and marching into Tuscaloosa and leading his team to victory against a program that is on the verge of becoming a dynasty (if they beat ND) is no easy feat.

 

[BINGO]

NFL Draft Blog
Film study revealing strengths, flaws
December, 7, 2012 PM ET
By Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl

With the college football season coming to a close, NFL scouts are catching their breath before the predraft process begins in earnest following the college bowl games.

Film study is under way, though, and plenty of prospects are turning heads for reasons good and bad. Here are a few who have caught our eye at Scouts Inc. recently and where they currently stand, as well as a look at some non-eligible prospects to keep an eye on down the road.

Productivity is one of the things Johnathan Franklin has working in his favor.


Stock up


UCLA RB Johnathan Franklin (Grade: 62)
Franklin rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the Bruins' three-point loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 title game, marking his sixth game this season with at least 150 yards.

He showed above-average patience and made the most of his blocks late in the season against the Cardinal and USC, and while he doesn't have elite top-end speed, Franklin has shown enough juice to rip off yards when he gets a seam.

Franklin has average power and he's not a bruiser inside, but he's tough for his size and has shown above-average balance when breaking tackles in space. Add in the strides he's made as a receiver, and Franklin's fourth-round stock should begin to rise. -- Steve Muench



Utah State CB Will Davis (Grade: 71)
I recently watched coach-copy tape of Davis against Louisiana Tech WR Quinton Patton (Grade: 66), and I liked what I saw. Davis has a few things to learn in terms of technique and he'll have to temper his use of his hands downfield in the NFL, but he displays quick feet and has the fluid hips to turn and run with receivers.

His movements are clean and his short-area burst is good, and Davis flashed anticipation skills when running with the receiver on a post route and breaking on the ball. He also has solid ball skills and has shown playmaking ability with an interception in each of the last five games of the regular season. Davis figures to get into the Day 2 mix and add some depth to a somewhat thin corner class. -- Kevin Weidl



Stock down

LSU Barkevious Mingo (Grade: 95)
Mingo has the burst, bend and length NFL teams covet in edge rushers, and he will be a first-round pick if he enters the draft as a non-senior. However, "potential" is often a four-letter word in the NFL, and the fact that Mingo hasn't made more of an impact with his considerable physical tools is reason for concern.

He has only four sacks on the season, and none of the four is particularly impressive. The speed he showed getting to the quarterback against South Carolina and Mississippi State is excellent, but scouts already knew about that part of his game. -- SM

And while Mingo did a nice job getting off blocks to record sacks in the Towson and Texas A&M games, fellow DE Sam Montgomery flushed the quarterback right to Mingo in the Towson game, and Mingo beat a tight end against the Aggies.

Also take into account that in the Towson game, Mingo faced an FCS tackle who lined up at guard last season, a redshirt freshman making his fourth career start in the South Carolina game, and a junior college transfer in the Mississippi State game.

On the flip side, NFL prospects D.J. Fluker of Alabama and Jake Matthews of Texas A&M both got the better of Mingo when matched up against him. Mingo clearly has first-round talent, but his lack of production against top competition could cause him to slide down the board a bit. -- SM



Alabama S Robert Lester (Grade: 63)
There's no question Lester is one of the veteran leaders on the Crimson Tide defense, and his 14 career interceptions speak to Lester's instincts to break on balls and body control to make plays once he gets there.

However, he was exposed in coverage on the Texas A&M and Georgia tapes I watch recently. Lester shows some tightness in his movements and labors when forced to turn his hips and make a 180-degree change of direction.

That showed up when he dropped down over slot receivers against the Aggies, and when Georgia WR Tavarres King turned Lester inside-out on a double move in the fourth quarter of the SEC title game.

Lester was unable to recover against King after opening his hips on the initial move, and the lack of recovery speed he showed raises concerns about his ability to effectively patrol the deep middle or deep half at the next level. All of that makes Lester a Day 3 prospect in my mind. -- KW



Pac-12 tight ends standing out

Austin Seferian-Jenkins has the look of a future NFL tight end.

Three of the top seven tight ends on our board play in the Pac-12, and all here grade out in the third round or better, including No. 1 TE Zach Ertz of Stanford. Throw in Ertz's teammate Levine Toilolo and UCLA's Joseph Fauria, and you have a solid trio.

This shouldn't be a surprise, though, given that current NFL tight ends like Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez (California), New England's Rob Gronkowski (Arizona), Jacksonville's Mercedes Lewis (UCLA), Seattle's Zach Miller (Arizona State), Baltimore's Ed Dickson (Oregon) and Indianapolis's Coby Fleener (Stanford) all played in the conference.

The tradition should continue in the next couple of seasons as well. Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Oregon's Colt Lyerla both have the tools to develop into top-tier tight end prospects over the course of the next year.

Given the way tight ends are valued in today's NFL because of their ability to diversify passing attacks and create mismatches, you can be sure scouts will keep a close eye on tight ends out West this year and in the years to come. -- SM

 

[BINGO]

2013 NFL Mock Draft: A Sixth Sense | Daily Chicago Sports Tab

32. San Francisco 49ers - Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
It appears the Niners have found their quarterback, Michael Crabtree has developed into a legit #1 receiver, their rotation at running back is solid behind Frank Gore and their defense is loaded everywhere. If there's one area they could use an upgrade and/or depth, it's at defensive tackle; Isaac Sopoaga is 31, and the value available in Short is undeniable here. Listed at 6-3 and 325, Short was very good against the Big Ten this year and would be a solid addition in San Francisco

 

[CalamityX11]

Short at 32? i guess lol.....

 

[uncfan103]

Strange story of the day:

Marcus Lattimore will enter the NFL Draft according to Joe Schad.

 

[CalamityX11]

yeah, saw that.... Lattimore, give the guy credit. He sees AP and he thinks he can do the same thing. I hope he recovers and has a promising and healthy career ahead of him

 

[uncfan103]

yeah, saw that.... Lattimore, give the guy credit. He sees AP and he thinks he can do the same thing. I hope he recovers and has a promising and healthy career ahead of him

I just don't really understand it. He could go back to college, rehab and get healthy, and graduate. He couldve sat out the entire year if he needed too. When do you think he'll be drafted, if at all?

 

[CalamityX11]

I just don't really understand it. He could go back to college, rehab and get healthy, and graduate. He couldve sat out the entire year if he needed too. When do you think he'll be drafted, if at all?

I'll be amazed if it's earlier than the 4th rd TBH, maybe 3rd but I wouldn't touch him until the 4th knowing he needs time to recoup and those first three rounds are pivotal.

 

[uncfan103]

I'll be amazed if it's earlier than the 4th rd TBH, maybe 3rd but I wouldn't touch him until the 4th knowing he needs time to recoup and those first three rounds are pivotal.

Alright

 

[CalamityX11]

Alright

that's my guess. Bingo, Clyde and others are more in depth with projections. I would wait to hear from them.

But if things turn for the better? i could see a rise in his stock, especially with a weak RB class.

 

[BINGO]

that's my guess. Bingo, Clyde and others are more in depth with projections. I would wait to hear from them.

But if things turn for the better? i could see a rise in his stock, especially with a weak RB class.

The thing is, teams (GMs/scouts/coaches) want to see you run. They put so much emphasis on that for the skill players. McGahee didn't really run his forty for the purpose of showing how fast he is, but instead Drew Rosenhaus made him run the forty to show that the leg is healing accordingly and that that injury was not a "career ending" type of thing.

Doctors and GMs (anyone for that matter who saw McGahee play in college) didn't label him as being "injury proned". They saw his injury as a freak accident that could have occurred to any rb. The thing going against Lattimore is the fact that he had sustained a serious injury last year as well. Is that leg fully healthy? Is his upright running style (similar to Adrian Peterson's) going to be a problem in the league? Smaller guys pulling up on him fast to tackle him low - take his leg underneath him to avoid getting run over.

IMHO, I don't think one team doctor is going to put their name on the line with regard to Marcus Lattimore (him being able to come back 100%; and the likelyhood of a similar injury to take place in the future). In addition to that, I don't think he will be able to run for NFL teams anytime soon. As I stated earlier, if you can't show them, they will not put their job on the line. Too much of a risk for anyone to take at this point without being able to answer all of those questions. Therefore, I don't see how a team would select him anywhere near the 4th round. At this time I say the 5th round at the earliest.

 

[freaak]

Lattimore = McGahee Part Deux?

 

[clyde_carbon]

Everyone's already heard about Lattimore, but Ohio St. DT Johnathan Hankins has also declared.

EXPECTED TO ENTER/ENTERING THE DRAFT:
QB Tyler Bray, Tennessee

RB Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
RB Cierre Wood, Notre Dame

WR Keenan Allen, California
WR Stedman Bailey, WVU
WR Justin Hunter, Tennessee
WR Da'Rick Rogers, Tennessee Tech
WR Marquess Wilson, Washington St.

DL Jonathan Hankins, Ohio St.
DL Brandon Jenkins, Florida St.

CB David Amerson, North Carolina St.
CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

RETURNING TO SCHOOL:
QB Logan Thomas, Virginia

WR Devin Street, Pittsburgh

DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh

 

[NinerSickness]

2013 NFL Mock Draft: A Sixth Sense | Daily Chicago Sports Tab

32. San Francisco 49ers - Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
It appears the Niners have found their quarterback, Michael Crabtree has developed into a legit #1 receiver, their rotation at running back is solid behind Frank Gore and their defense is loaded everywhere. If there's one area they could use an upgrade and/or depth, it's at defensive tackle; Isaac Sopoaga is 31, and the value available in Short is undeniable here. Listed at 6-3 and 325, Short was very good against the Big Ten this year and would be a solid addition in San Francisco

That's one of the worst mocks I've seen in a long time.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Word is Michigan St. RB Le'Veon Bell and Tennessee WR Cordarelle Patterson are expected to declare soon.

Would be two intriguing additions to this draft.

 

[uncfan103]

Everyone's already heard about Lattimore, but Ohio St. DT Johnathan Hankins has also declared.

EXPECTED TO ENTER/ENTERING THE DRAFT:
QB Tyler Bray, Tennessee

RB Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
RB Cierre Wood, Notre Dame

WR Keenan Allen, California
WR Stedman Bailey, WVU
WR Justin Hunter, Tennessee
WR Da'Rick Rogers, Tennessee Tech
WR Marquess Wilson, Washington St.

DL Jonathan Hankins, Ohio St.
DL Brandon Jenkins, Florida St.

CB David Amerson, North Carolina St.
CB Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

RETURNING TO SCHOOL:
QB Logan Thomas, Virginia

WR Devin Street, Pittsburgh

DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh

Gio Bernard, Le'Veon Bell, Akeem Spense (DT Illinois) and Jawan Jamison (RB, Rutgers) are probably also "expected to enter". Unless the expected section is only players who have already stated they're entering the draft.