NFL scouts size up UCLA and USC players

[RS12]

QUARTERBACK: USC's Matt Barkley is solid, and is widely expected to go in the first round, but it's Hundley who has the scouts buzzing.

Scout 1 on Barkley: "He's got a very good understanding of the game, and he's a great leader. Physically, he's very average. When he's throwing it across the field on a deep out, the ball sort of hangs in the air. He doesn't have that ability to just drive it. In the NFL, with the corners, they break so much quicker. They see it quicker, they close. A lot of those balls are going the other direction at the next level."

Scout 2 on Barkley: "He's got to be a decision-making, timing passer. That's kind of his game. When he's in rhythm, and he's making good decisions, which a lot of times he's good to very good, he can have success. If a play breaks down, or there's pressure, he's not going to be the kind of quarterback to improvise or make an athletic play."

Scout 1 on Hundley: "He's a big-time guy. I would expect two or three years down the road, he's going to be a high pick. He's got that potential, if he keeps developing. He's been the difference in that offense this year. They're moving the ball, drives aren't stalling. The guy can do it with his feet, he can do it with his arm. He makes those NFL throws. He's got the physical tools that Barkley doesn't have."

Scout 3 on Hundley: "The one thing I'll say is he's the first guy that's actually stayed healthy there in a long time. I'll give him a feather in his cap for that."

•RECEIVER: USC has a couple of standouts in junior Robert Woods and sophomore Lee. UCLA has senior Jerry Johnson, who one of the scouts projected to go in a late round or free agency.

Scout 3 on Woods: "People had put him in a category where he doesn't belong, as an elite-type guy. He's a premier dirty-work, possession-type guy. He's a guy that you go to on third down. He's clutch, he's tough, but he's not the big-play, dynamic guy."

Scout 1 on Lee: "He'd be probably the first receiver taken in the draft this year if he were eligible to come out. He's a difference-maker on the field. He's big, fast, a playmaker. He'd be a top NFL receiver, a No. 1 receiver for an NFL team. He's that good."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/footba...0,182828.story

[xwalker]

Anthony Barr is terrific.

It's amazing that this is his 1st year playing OLB. He looks very comfortable at the position from what I've seen.

He is very fast and an excellent pass rusher. He looks good in coverage and is much better against the run than you would expect based on his size (6-4, 238). Also, he is very good at getting his hands up and blocking passes.

It will we interesting if he declares for the 2013 draft.

[RS12]

Originally Posted by xwalker

Anthony Barr is terrific.

It's amazing that this is his 1st year playing OLB. He looks very comfortable at the position from what I've seen.

He is very fast and an excellent pass rusher. He looks good in coverage and is much better against the run than you would expect based on his size (6-4, 238). Also, he is very good at getting his hands up and blocking passes.

It will we interesting if he declares for the 2013 draft.

Totally intrigued by Barr.

[TheFinisher]

Anthony Barr and Datone Jones for UCLA are legit. I don't know if Barr is going to declare this year but I agree with the scouts' praise of him, every time I've watched a UCLA game this year he stands out. He's extremely fluid and an excellent athlete in space, he's a lot like Von Miller in that way and could probably play OLB in either a 4-3 attacking based scheme like John Fox or Tom Coughlin runs or a traditional 3-4.

[RS12]

And yet, as impressive as Franklin was in this contest, it was actually a former UCLA running back -- junior outside linebacker Anthony Barr -- whose stellar all-around performance may have played just as critical a role in the Bruins beating USC for just the second time in their last 15 games and in doing so winning the Pac-12 South division.

The son of former Notre Dame and Philadelphia Eagles' fullback Tony Brooks, Barr played a hybrid running back/tight end role for the Bruins in his first two seasons with the team, rushing 15 times for 54 yards and a touchdown and catching 12 passes for 82 yards and another score in 24 games (including 11 starts). New head coach Jim Mora and his staff, however, thought that the 6-4, 238 pound Barr (left, sacking Barkley) might be a better fit on the edge on the defensive side of the ball and asked him to make this switch this season. The switch has given UCLA arguably the most explosive outside threat in the conference. Barr entered the game leading the conference with 11 sacks and tied for the Pac-12 lead with 17 tackles for loss among his 54 total stops. Barr was in on several big plays in this contest, as well. None were bigger than his 12th sack of the season, a big hit that sent Barkley to the sideline and forced USC to attempt a field goal. The field goal, which would have cut UCLA's lead to just seven with a little less than two minutes remaining, was blocked, essentially ending the game.

Barr's length and athleticism made him a constant threat for Barkley and the Trojans, Saturday. Barr boasts impressive body control for a man of his size, demonstrating not only the speed to get around talented pass blockers but surprising flexibility to dip under their reach as well as the agility to slip around them when looping inside. He has the length and strength to stack and shed blockers on the perimeter, keeping his containment responsibilities and, perhaps most impressively, showed excellent closing speed to track down USC's speedy tailbacks from behind. Though he only had three tackles against the Trojans, he was in position to force the action back to his teammates. Barr also showed good recognition against the pass, getting his hands up to deflect two of Barkley's passes.

Having not yet finished his first full season at outside linebacker, Barr is far from a finished product, which is why he currently ranks just sixth on NFLDraftScout.com's rankings of outside linebackers from the 2014 draft class.

While raw, there is simply no mistaking Barr's skill-set. A similar skill-set, in fact, is often cited as a reason why another gifted junior -- LSU's Barkevious Mingo -- has earned lofty praise from talent evaluators all season long. Unlike Mingo, who despite his talents hasn't generated nearly as many big plays this season as expected, Barr has been terrific and demonstrated against USC his ability to carry over his big plays when the lights are shining brightest. With only an average class of traditional outside linebackers in the 2013 class, the Bruin defender could elect to leave school early and contend for a spot within the first two rounds.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/b...teal-the-stage

[jcollins28]

People around UCLA seem pretty confident that Barr will come back. I obviously want him back at UCLA. I would love to see the Boys take a look at Datone Jones and Franklin. As for Fauria, I hate to say it because the guy is so likable but he just seems lazy at times. He can completely disappear and he just looks like a guy that is going through the motions at times.