Bunting draft rumors 3/19/11

[RS12]

The latest buzz we are hearing throughout the NFL draft landscape. Wes Bunting

March 19, 2011


• From all accounts the reports we are getting back on Alabama DL Marcell Dareus have been good. There haven’t been any real concerns about his weight and as of now he seems like one of the cleaner “top-tier” prospects in the draft.

• The same can’t be said about Auburn DT Nick Fairley. Immaturity issues are the one real negative that keep popping up on his front, potentially keeping him out of the top five.




• Talked to a scout earlier in the week who said don’t be shocked at all if Texas A&M OLB Von Miller or LSU CB Patrick Peterson ends up being the first overall pick. Said both players are gifted athletes and don’t have any baggage attached to their names.

• The more scouts dig, the more I am finding they are turned off on Auburn QB Cam Newton. Citing that he’s a me first guy and has some real character flaws behind the scenes. One scout said he handles himself flawlessly in front of the camera, but when they are off he’s not the same guy.

• Miami LB Colin McCarthy has been removed from a number of team’s draft boards due to medical concerns with his shoulders.

• The more we dig into the character concerns on Colorado CB Jimmy Smith the more negatives that keep coming up. According to an NFL scout Smith is said to have some major character concerns. The majority of the scouts I have talked with think he’s a smart enough kid, but all said he’s a huge risk once he gets into the league.

• A number of coaches throughout the NFL have been turned off by the overall way Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert has handled himself this post-season. They did not like the fact he didn’t workout at the NFL Combine and cited his overall demeanor and body language as turnoffs. The more info I gather on Gabbert the less I feel like he’s being endorsed as a high first round pick. He could end up being the one quarterback to slide a lot further than many think come April.

• Talked to a scout who was in attendance at the Purdue pro day who was really down on Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan, saying that he isn’t a real gifted athlete and is simply too stiff to be viewed as a first round pick. However, another scout I talked with said you simply can’t overlook the guy’s motor and production, and he will be a very good player in the NFL. Overall, I’m finding that there are a ton of different options on Kerrigan at this time.

• After discussing the QB class with a scout this week, he said the one big tiebreakers for all of the top five QB’s could end up being their Wonderlic scores. He said NFL decision makers love to use it as a tool to differentiate QB’s who have close grades. And in a year where the top five are all very similar, it could be more important in separating the class than ever.

• QB Wonderlic scores…
Blaine Gabbert, Missouri: 42
Christian Ponder, Florida State: 35
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas: 26
Cam Newton, Auburn: 21
Jake Locker, Washington: 20

 

[Idgit]

Whole lot of misinformation getting planted here.

 

[LatinMind]

lol if Fairley fell he would be a Cowboy

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

Where does that Gabbert stuff come from?

 

[burmafrd]

makes you wonder. Interesting that he does not mention Peterson's wonderlics as being a negative when others are downclassed to it. I am not all that sure this is worth anything.

 

[Bigdog]

I am hoping that Gabbert gets to us and we trade with the Vikings for their 1st and 3rd so they can leapfrog the Commanders and take him. Then we take Tyron Smith assuming that he has good work out on the 30th. I am also assuming that Dareus, Farley, Peterson are off the board by the 9th pick.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

Sounds like he is down on the QBs. Hopefully he is wrong, although I don't think there are any immediate starters at QB in the draft. They all should take a long while, unless a team has a great line in front of Mallett.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Where does that Gabbert stuff come from?

I've never heard that, either. That may be some of the information planting Idgit was talking about.

 

[TheCount]

I've been kind of wondering why Gabbert didn't throw at the combine myself. Unless you're injured, there's no reason not to unless you're hiding something.

I know some people want to believe Gabbert is miles ahead of Cam as a pro prospect, but I'm having a hard time seeing why that would be the case.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I've been kind of wondering why Gabbert didn't throw at the combine myself. Unless you're injured, there's no reason not to unless you're hiding something.

I know some people want to believe Gabbert is miles ahead of Cam as a pro prospect, but I'm having a hard time seeing why that would be the case.

Some people that are viewed as the top QB in the draft are advised not to due some drills at the combine so they don't hurt their chances. They would rather have a controlled environment at their pro days.

Some people have Agents that pretty much tell their clients not to do the stuff at the Combine...Gabbert has one of those agents. They talked about that during the combine that his agent tells his QB clients not to participate in the drills at the combine and has done so for some time now.

Not saying it is not hiding something...just saying that his agent is of the belief you don't do it. And with what happened with Cam at the combine, it seems to be solid advice.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Might be some misinformation out there, but he's saying the exact same things that have been said about the 2 Auburn players (Newton and Fairley)since last season.

There is no way I would trust either Newton or Fairley with a top 10 pick and top 10 money.

 

[TheCount]

Some people that are viewed as the top QB in the draft are advised not to due some drills at the combine so they don't hurt their chances. They would rather have a controlled environment at their pro days.

Some people have Agents that pretty much tell their clients not to do the stuff at the Combine...Gabbert has one of those agents. They talked about that during the combine that his agent tells his QB clients not to participate in the drills at the combine and has done so for some time now.

Not saying it is not hiding something...just saying that his agent is of the belief you don't do it. And with what happened with Cam at the combine, it seems to be solid advice.

There's also a chance he could have helped himself. I feel like if you believe you're the best in the draft, then you prove it.

Ndamukong Suh said something similar, that he came into the combine and wanted to do every last drill because he had nothing to hide.

You can see how that kind of attitude relates to how Suh plays on the field.

Do you really want a QB that is playing the game not to lose, rather than trying to win?

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

There's also a chance he could have helped himself. I feel like if you believe you're the best in the draft, then you prove it.

Ndamukong Suh said something similar, that he came into the combine and wanted to do every last drill because he had nothing to hide.

You can see how that kind of attitude relates to how Suh plays on the field.

Do you really want a QB that is playing the game not to lose, rather than trying to win?

I am sure you can find QBs that have performed at the combine and have not performed at the combine due to their agent's advice that would be great for your team. The opposite could be true as well.

So I am not to bothered by it actually, especially in this draft as I don't want either in the first.