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NFL Draft Buzz
Originally Published: January 4, 2013
Big names headline early-entry list
Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
The deadline for eligible non-seniors to declare for the NFL draft is rapidly approaching, and plenty of big names already have announced their intention to jump to the NFL.
Here is where the draft stock of six notable early-entry prospects stands at this point, including some standout defenders and a versatile offensive skill player.
Damontre Moore piled up 12.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2012.
Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore (96)
I liked the tape I saw of Moore midway through the season, and I believe he has a chance to be a true impact player at the next level.
Moore doesn't have an elite first step and his snap awareness can be inconsistent at times, but he shows good athleticism, is developing an array of pass-rush moves and has the torso flexibility to bend the edge tightly and get from Point A to Point B in a hurry.
He has good size (6-foot-4, 248 pounds) and should continue to grow into his body, and while Moore has the ability to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, his best fit is as a 4-3 end. There is a lot of competition in the defensive end class, but Moore ranks as our No. 2 overall prospect at this point and should be a top-5 or top-10 pick before all is said and done.
Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones (96)
Some players just have an innate ability to create big plays, and Jones is one of them. He is just a notch below a player like the Denver Broncos' Von Miller in terms of first-step explosiveness, athleticism and versatility. Jones does a great job bending the edge tightly with little wasted motion, and he knows how to separate the ball from the quarterback.
Whether he's punching it out or using a tomahawk chop to rip it free, Jones knows how to attack the ball and take it away.
However, NFL teams will do a lot of digging into the neck injury that ended his career at USC and caused him to transfer to Georgia, where he was finally cleared by doctors to play again. Jones is also a bit undersized (6-2, 242) for the hybrid DE/OLB role he played at Georgia, and he has been dinged up during his career.
Jones also has work to do in terms of taking on blocks and playing within a scheme. He can be seen on tape roaming and freelancing at times, and he gets away with it because of his superior athleticism. However, he will need better gap discipline, to learn which shoulder to take on blocks with, and must get bigger and stronger to hold up at the point of attack.
Teams might not feel comfortable taking him in the top two or three picks, but he's a top-notch pass-rusher and it's hard to imagine him getting out of the top 15 overall unless the medical reports become an issue. There are eight defensive players in our top 10 overall, and Jones is in the mix right near the top.
Florida State DE Bjoern Werner (95)
Werner is tough as nails, does a nice job using his hands as a pass-rusher, and continues to improve in terms of setting blockers up and keeping them off-balance with a combination of balance and quickness.
He doesn't have exceptional top-end speed, but Werner (6-4, 255) does force offensive linemen to honor both his inside and outside quickness. And once they get focused on that, he has the ability to bull-rush them back into the pocket.
On top of all that, Werner can hold up against the run and is a relentless player. It's not a perfect comparison, but I do see many of the same qualities that St. Louis Rams DE Chris Long had showed coming out of college. Werner might take a minute to adjust and figure out how to best use his skills, just as Long did, but it's hard for me to imagine him being a bust.
We rank him among the top 10 overall prospects at this point and I feel good about him coming off the board somewhere in the top 20 picks in the first round.
Georgia LB Alec Ogletree (93)
Ogletree might be pound-for-pound the most talented athlete in this draft. You don't see many players his size (6-3, 237) who have his kind of athleticism and range. When he wants to play all out, he can be a dominant force who provides versatility with his ability to hold up in coverage and also rush the passer.
However, Ogletree comes with some off-field baggage, and scouts will have to do a lot of digging to assess his character. On the field, he needs to be more consistent in terms of taking on blocks within the defensive scheme.
There is a true boom-or-bust element to Ogletree, but his ceiling is so high and the potential reward so great that I can't envision him falling out of the first round.
Florida DT Shariff Floyd (Grade: 89)
Floyd made significant improvements to his game, based on the tape I've seen so far this season. He has shown the versatility to play both end and tackle, though he spent more time inside and appears better suited to play there in the NFL.
Floyd is a 6-3, 298-pounder with the quickness to penetrate and disrupt, and he can also hold his ground in one-on-one situations. His instincts and finishing ability are better this season, and Floyd projects somewhere in the late first- or early second-round area in a deep defensive tackle class.
Florida S Matt Elam (87)
He's not a perfect safety, but I love the way Elam plays the game. He comes from a difficult background and plays with emotion and passion at all times.
Elam could improve his consistency as an open-field tackler, but he has good power for his size (5-10, 207) and knows how to jar the ball loose. And while his speed isn't elite, Elam does hold up well in man coverage and brings a lot of versatility to the table.
In a safety class that could see four or five players drafted in the first two rounds, Elam should compete with LSU's Eric Reid to be the second safety off the board behind Kenny Vaccaro of Texas.
Michigan State RB Le'Veon Bell (81)
Bell is a powerful runner with good feet for his size (6-2, 242), the ability to make cuts in the backfield and pretty good lateral quickness. He's also an underrated weapon in the passing game, with the ability to flex into the slot and do more there than most backs his size. That ability to create mismatches is intriguing.
Bell's lack of burst is an issue, though. He takes too long to accelerate out of cuts, and when he is forced to stop and start in the open field, he takes too long to get back to top speed. That means many of his 7- or 8-yard runs in college could turn into 3 or 4 yards when faster NFL defenders are closing in.
I'm interested to see how much that hurts Bell's value on draft day, but in a deep running back class without an elite talent, he still ranks as a late second-round prospect at this point.
Originally Published: January 4, 2013
Big names headline early-entry list
Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
The deadline for eligible non-seniors to declare for the NFL draft is rapidly approaching, and plenty of big names already have announced their intention to jump to the NFL.
Here is where the draft stock of six notable early-entry prospects stands at this point, including some standout defenders and a versatile offensive skill player.
Damontre Moore piled up 12.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2012.
Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore (96)
I liked the tape I saw of Moore midway through the season, and I believe he has a chance to be a true impact player at the next level.
Moore doesn't have an elite first step and his snap awareness can be inconsistent at times, but he shows good athleticism, is developing an array of pass-rush moves and has the torso flexibility to bend the edge tightly and get from Point A to Point B in a hurry.
He has good size (6-foot-4, 248 pounds) and should continue to grow into his body, and while Moore has the ability to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, his best fit is as a 4-3 end. There is a lot of competition in the defensive end class, but Moore ranks as our No. 2 overall prospect at this point and should be a top-5 or top-10 pick before all is said and done.
Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones (96)
Some players just have an innate ability to create big plays, and Jones is one of them. He is just a notch below a player like the Denver Broncos' Von Miller in terms of first-step explosiveness, athleticism and versatility. Jones does a great job bending the edge tightly with little wasted motion, and he knows how to separate the ball from the quarterback.
Whether he's punching it out or using a tomahawk chop to rip it free, Jones knows how to attack the ball and take it away.
However, NFL teams will do a lot of digging into the neck injury that ended his career at USC and caused him to transfer to Georgia, where he was finally cleared by doctors to play again. Jones is also a bit undersized (6-2, 242) for the hybrid DE/OLB role he played at Georgia, and he has been dinged up during his career.
Jones also has work to do in terms of taking on blocks and playing within a scheme. He can be seen on tape roaming and freelancing at times, and he gets away with it because of his superior athleticism. However, he will need better gap discipline, to learn which shoulder to take on blocks with, and must get bigger and stronger to hold up at the point of attack.
Teams might not feel comfortable taking him in the top two or three picks, but he's a top-notch pass-rusher and it's hard to imagine him getting out of the top 15 overall unless the medical reports become an issue. There are eight defensive players in our top 10 overall, and Jones is in the mix right near the top.
Florida State DE Bjoern Werner (95)
Werner is tough as nails, does a nice job using his hands as a pass-rusher, and continues to improve in terms of setting blockers up and keeping them off-balance with a combination of balance and quickness.
He doesn't have exceptional top-end speed, but Werner (6-4, 255) does force offensive linemen to honor both his inside and outside quickness. And once they get focused on that, he has the ability to bull-rush them back into the pocket.
On top of all that, Werner can hold up against the run and is a relentless player. It's not a perfect comparison, but I do see many of the same qualities that St. Louis Rams DE Chris Long had showed coming out of college. Werner might take a minute to adjust and figure out how to best use his skills, just as Long did, but it's hard for me to imagine him being a bust.
We rank him among the top 10 overall prospects at this point and I feel good about him coming off the board somewhere in the top 20 picks in the first round.
Georgia LB Alec Ogletree (93)
Ogletree might be pound-for-pound the most talented athlete in this draft. You don't see many players his size (6-3, 237) who have his kind of athleticism and range. When he wants to play all out, he can be a dominant force who provides versatility with his ability to hold up in coverage and also rush the passer.
However, Ogletree comes with some off-field baggage, and scouts will have to do a lot of digging to assess his character. On the field, he needs to be more consistent in terms of taking on blocks within the defensive scheme.
There is a true boom-or-bust element to Ogletree, but his ceiling is so high and the potential reward so great that I can't envision him falling out of the first round.
Florida DT Shariff Floyd (Grade: 89)
Floyd made significant improvements to his game, based on the tape I've seen so far this season. He has shown the versatility to play both end and tackle, though he spent more time inside and appears better suited to play there in the NFL.
Floyd is a 6-3, 298-pounder with the quickness to penetrate and disrupt, and he can also hold his ground in one-on-one situations. His instincts and finishing ability are better this season, and Floyd projects somewhere in the late first- or early second-round area in a deep defensive tackle class.
Florida S Matt Elam (87)
He's not a perfect safety, but I love the way Elam plays the game. He comes from a difficult background and plays with emotion and passion at all times.
Elam could improve his consistency as an open-field tackler, but he has good power for his size (5-10, 207) and knows how to jar the ball loose. And while his speed isn't elite, Elam does hold up well in man coverage and brings a lot of versatility to the table.
In a safety class that could see four or five players drafted in the first two rounds, Elam should compete with LSU's Eric Reid to be the second safety off the board behind Kenny Vaccaro of Texas.
Michigan State RB Le'Veon Bell (81)
Bell is a powerful runner with good feet for his size (6-2, 242), the ability to make cuts in the backfield and pretty good lateral quickness. He's also an underrated weapon in the passing game, with the ability to flex into the slot and do more there than most backs his size. That ability to create mismatches is intriguing.
Bell's lack of burst is an issue, though. He takes too long to accelerate out of cuts, and when he is forced to stop and start in the open field, he takes too long to get back to top speed. That means many of his 7- or 8-yard runs in college could turn into 3 or 4 yards when faster NFL defenders are closing in.
I'm interested to see how much that hurts Bell's value on draft day, but in a deep running back class without an elite talent, he still ranks as a late second-round prospect at this point.
