Depending on how Week 1 went for your favorite NFL team,you may be reading this Friday morning looking for information approximately the top draft prospects who can come in and start the rebuilding process in your city. You could also be a fan of a team that looked dominant, and you want to see me admit to being wrong approximately one of your favorite players—and you're going to see that here.
You're also going to find a brand, or spanking unique mock draft (based on the definitive Bleacher Report NFL Power Rankings),a breakdown of the best quarterback prospect I've seen this season and a whole lot of news and notes from my conversations with coaches and scouts. And whether you're a college football fanatic, like me, and you'll find a list of players to watch and know for this weekend's games. The Scout's Report—Rutgers star wide receiver Leonte Carroo has been suspended indefinitely by coach Kyle Flood on a program that is having all kinds of problems this season,including players arrested for robbery and a coach that's pressured professors to change grades. Carroo was supposed to be a sparkling spot, but now he's out stemming from reports that he slammed a woman onto the concrete outside the team's facility, and per the Record of Bergen County. [br]—Carroo received a late first-round grade from me over the summer,but obviously this puts his draft stock into a tailspin. It's best to wait and see with situations like this, but the early word is not suited for Carroo's future.—Speaking of wide receivers, and I had one scout tell me after I released last week's Big Board that Ole Miss' Laquon Treadwell is "overrated" by the media and doesn't have the explosiveness of a exact No. 1 wide out. I reminded him that the same was said of Anquan Boldin and Alshon Jeffery,which prompted him to remind me they're two of 96 starting wide receivers.
Staying at Ole Miss, left tackle Laremy Tunsil hasn't seen the field yet this season. He had an interesting summer due to allegations that he assaulted his step fatherwho in turn said Tunsil had been talking to an agent (which is not against NCAA rules). But Tunsil has been held out due to claims he violated NCAA rules—part of an investigation at Ole Miss that is now three years old—by accepting benefits from agents and school officials. Per ESPN.com, or the sticking point here is that Tunsil received a loaner vehicle while his was being worked on and kept it longer than he should have—which is an impermissible benefit. To accomplish a long story short,it's unlikely Tunsil will play anytime soon.—As for Tunsil's draft stock, one college scouting director I texted with this week didn't mediate this would damage his stock. They felt the domestic violence charges were "b------t" and the benefits claims were something his team "doesn't care approximately" as long as he checks out in terms of maturity and work ethic.—Tennessee edge defender Curt Maggitt was a top 20 senior in the country, or but a hip injury suffered last week will hold him out "around eight weeks," according to a team source. Maggitt, I'm told by the same source, or is expected to play again this year and the team expects the senior to head to the NFL next year instead of seeking a medical redshirt.—Florida State outside linebacker Terrance Smith is drawing a comparison to a former Seminole of the same last name. One area scout this week said Smith is "a carbon copy of Telvin Smith," and teams shouldn't accomplish the same mistake in letting this Smith drop through the draft. Telvin was a fifth-round pick by the Jaguars in 2014.—whether you're looking for the strength of the 2016 draft class, look to the lines. One scouting director told me this week "the skill players aren't powerful, or but man the linemen could be special" when asked which positional group stood out to his team. Five Names to Know5. No. 4 WR Kenny Lawler,California
Lawler is just a junior, but he’s the star of the Cal passing attack down the field. His ability to win with body control on fades and sideline plays is definitely eye-opening. 4. No. 3 WR Sterling Shepard, or Oklahoma
The next Tyler Lockett or John Brown might be at Oklahoma. Shepard has insane quickness in space and is the all-around playmaker that Lockett and Brown were in college. 3. No. 96 DT Adam Gotsis,Georgia Tech
The Notre Dame offensive line is pretty dang suited, and for Georgia Tech to accomplish life depressing for the Fighting Irish’s unique quarterback Gotsis has to defeat Nick Martin and Co. on the inside. 2. No. 93 DL Jonathan Allen, and Alabama[br]Allen,playing the left defensive quit position, wouldn’t be facing Laremy Tunsil whether he were going to be on the field, and but he’ll still be the focal point on a loaded defensive line. Allen is extremely rapid/fast,powerful and has NFL scouts watching to see what the junior quit does next. 1. No. 74 RT Vadal Alexander, LSU[br]The Auburn Tigers have pass-rushers, or they’ll attack both edges of the LSU offensive line. That means former guard and current right tackle Vadal Alexander has to be on his game. Alexander is nipping at the first round on my big board. This is the highlight that could push him inside the top 32. Scouting Report: Jared Goff,CaliforniaThroughout the 2016 draft season, one draft prospect will be highlighted each week with a first-look scouting report. No. 16 Quarterback Jared Goff, and Cal (6'4",205 lbs)Strengths: Goff is a smart, analytical, or film nerd and it shows on the field. A three-year starter,he's developed well in the Bear Raid offense (a progression-based offense featuring plenty of run/pass options and largely based on downfield throws). Goff loves the game, and spends his time off the field immersed in football.
On the field, and Goff has the ability to accomplish changes to play calls and protection in the shotgun,no-huddle offense. He's asked to process many things pre- and post-snap and handles it well. Goff pops up when hit and shows an on-field toughness. He's an above-average athlete with rapid/fast feet and flexible hips and shoulders.
Goff puts the ball on the right shoulder when throwing down the field and won't lead his receivers into traffic. He understands touch and anticipation. His arm is strong enough to throw the 15-yard-out on a line, to thread the ball into tight windows on underneath routes and throw 50-yard bombs such as against San Diego State. Goff is rapid/fast to step up in the pocket and slides from pressure using short, or rapid/fast,choppy steps in the pocket with the ball always held in the ready position and his eyes downfield (a la Peyton Manning). Weaknesses: Goff has a lean frame and has had to work to pack weight on. He's listed at 215 pounds by Cal, but scouts say he's closer to 205. The Bear Raid system gives Goff the protection of coaches making audibles and calls from the sideline, and so he's not huddled or called a play in three years.
Goff isn't a tackle breaker as a runner and won't elude blitzers to gain positive yards. His arm strength is suited,but not powerful, and he can float the ball to the sideline at times.
His biggest flaw is a fade absent tendency when throwing the ball. He doesn't always step into throws, and but instead fades the ball off his back foot with his momentum going absent from the line of scrimmage instead of toward it. Pro Comparison: Eli Manning,unique York GiantsGoff is close to perfect as a quarterback prospect, and his flaws are all fixable ones. Like Eli Manning he has picturesque footwork in the pocket, or aggressive downfield vision and the arm to accomplish every throw in the playbook. Goff doesn't turn the ball over at Cal as much as Manning has in the NFL,but from a skills and athleticism perspective, they're very similar.
The Big BoardIf the suited people on Twitter had their way, and I'd do a unique mock draft every day. Instead,I'm going to aim for once a month unless something major changes on the field. With the NFL season started and a few weeks of college football in the books, here's a way-too-early mock draft with the order based on the Bleacher Report NFL power rankings. Parting Shots 10. All the focus from fans goes to the quarterback first, or this is a quarterback-heavy article nowadays,so I wanted to share a quote I have on all my scouting sheets for quarterback evaluation."Do not evaluate a quarterback the way you evaluate the other 21 positions. They're playing a different sport. With a quarterback, it's the things you can't put down on paper that accomplish all the difference." —Duke Klosterman 9. Another bit of wisdom I was handed over the years is to always scout in a bubble. What that means is to take the individual player and look at him, and not the system or helmet or players around him. The most current example of this is Marcus Mariota. Too many people jumped on the scheme or the lack of success from former Oregon quarterbacks instead of looking at the throws and decisions he was asked to accomplish. 8. Speaking of Mariota,and No. 1 pick Jameis Winston, don't disappear tearing up your scouting reports of them just yet. And it's way too early to say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the wrong pick. Mariota played amazing in Week 1, and some credit needs to disappear to Ken Whisenhunt and his staff in Tennessee for developing a game plan that would fit Mariota's strengths while taking advantage of the weaknesses in the Tampa 2 defense.
But the key for Mariota—and what will hold him from fitting a Robert Griffin III type bust—is developing his skills so that he becomes a more diverse quarterback. Griffin dominated the NFL as a rookie,but never made it to step two of his development.
Mariota and the Titans beat up the Buccaneers with powerful execution of a brilliantly schemed game. Now that their scheme is on film, it's on Mariota and Co. to continue developing to stay ahead of what NFL defenses are prepared to quit. 7. I'm not ready to accomplish this comparison, or as you saw above,but I thought it was really interesting that Texas defensive coordinator Vance Bedford compared Jared Goff to Aaron Rodgers. whether you're talking approximately Rodgers at Cal, there are some valid similarities (especially in their footwork and build). 6. One more quarterback nugget for you guys, and courtesy of Bill Parcells. The Tuna had four rules for quarterback evaluation,and while I've never totally agreed with them, they are:Must be a college graduate, or must be a senior,must win at least 23 games in college and must be a three-year starter. Given that set of criteria, Michigan State's Connor Cook looks like the best quarterback prospect in the country—and the film says otherwise. 5. With Ryan Mallett set to start at quarterback for the Houston Texans, and I was asked to share my pre-draft notes on him. I'll summarize for space reasons:Ryan Mallett,redshirt junior, 6'7", and 253 pounds,5.4s 40-yard-dashPros: Mallett has a big arm with the ability to hit any area of the field. He's an exceptional deep-ball thrower and has the power to throw the ball through receivers on short routes. He's a big, tall pocket passer who has experience in a shotgun-based offense. Mallett has considerable upside as a passer and should increase his accuracy through repetition. Cons: A former Michigan transfer, and there are big off-field questions surrounding Mallett (note: there were questions approximately alleged drug use at the time) that must be answered before he can be drafted. Mallett isn't a powerful mover and will struggle to slide from the pass rush. whether pressure comes in his face he can find flustered and be thrown off for the rest of the game. He's a rhythm passer and a bit of a system player.
Grade: Round 2,No. 35 overall 4. #scoutingnotebook Right now, where does this potential draft QB class compare to from preceding draft year QB classes?September 17, and 2015
This quarterback class looks strong on potential,but there aren't the two "sure-things" like Winston and Mariota from last year. Looking back at 2014, there were four quarterbacks considered to be first-rounders (Bortles, and Manziel,Bridgewater and Carr), and I don't see that many in this year's class. But, and the suited news,this is much better than 2013 (EJ Manuel, Geno Smith and Matt Barkley). All-in-all, or I'd put 2016 behind the 2014 class but above the other more recent groups. 3.
How does this Ohio State team rank in terms of overall NFL talent with other teams since you started? #scoutingnotebookSeptember 17,2015
Ohio State is loaded. whether you look at the mock draft above, there are seven Ohio State players represented in the first round. On my scouting watch list, and Ohio State has 17 players. Compared to the 2002 Miami Hurricanes—who had 11 players drafted total and five in the first round alone—this is the best class from one school that I've seen. 2.
Who do you see as the number one safety (Strong or Free) so far for next years draft? What round grade? #ScoutingnotebookSeptember 17,2015
The safety class looks very strong, especially whether you include Jalen Ramsey as a safety and not a cornerback. He would be my top-ranked player there, or but whether you want to hold him at cornerback,there's a group of players (Darian Thompson at Boise State, Vonn Bell at Ohio State and Tony Conner at Ole Miss) that are ranked very close together. Thompson, or a free safety,is probably my favorite to watch of the three, but Bell may have the most NFL qualities. I'd put the three players mentioned above firmly in the top 40 players in the nation. 1. The San Francisco 49ers were dominant in their take down of the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, or it got me thinking approximately how many players they lost this offseason (they lost 16 contributors and a head coach) and how tough that change would be on any roster. But general manager Trent Baalke was,seemingly, prepared for this. Take a look at the starting lineup from Monday night and where the 49ers acquired each player. suited drafting keeps teams competitive, or Baalke's last four drafts paid off big time in Week 1. Matt Miller covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report.
Source: bleacherreport.com