cowboyjoe
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THE SCOUT'S NOTEBOOK
http://www.gbnreport.com/scoutsnotebook.htm
by Colin Lindsay, Editor and Publisher, Great Blue North Draft Report
RISING SLEEPERS
April 5, 2012:
While most of the pre-draft attention has been focused on the Andrew Lucks and Robert Griffins of the football world, NFL teams and draft fans alike both dream about finding that special player in the rough. In the end, the vast majority of players with the 'sleeper' label never amount to much, if anything at all, in the pros, every once in awhile one does blossom into a solid contibutor if not a bona fide star. So the search goes on. And this year there seems to be an inordinate number of very good small-school prospects with some potential. In fact, there are probably far too many to name them all. The following, though, are several players from lower-level programs who have yet to generate much national draft buzz, but who have been confirmed as drawing legitimate interest from more than one NFL team.
Perhaps no small-school player has created a bigger buzz this spring than WR Cody Pearcy from unheralded Huntingdon College, a Division III school in Alabama who turned in one of the best pro day type workouts of any prospects this spring; indeed, there were some scouts thta described it as one of the most impressive on-campus workouts ever. In fact, Pearcy reportedly was timed in 4.31 seconds in the 40, had a remarkable 44-inch in the vertical jump and 10-6 broad jump, while posting very quick times in the agility drills including the short shuttle (3.76 seconds) and 3-cone drill (6.67). Here’s the problem though. Pearcy isn’t all that big at barely 5-10 and 161 pounds - and the latter while reportedly soaking wet - plus he was never all that productive in his college career. Pearcy did catch 51 passes last fall for over 1,000 yards, but one normally expects a Division III player to really dominate at that level to figure as more than a passing draft fancy. Still, its hard for the NFL not to notice that pure speed and quickness.
Pearcy is one of several smaller school sleeper prospects who are starting to generate some interest. Old Dominion DT Ronnie Cameron, for example, has received an invitation from more than one team to a pre-draft visit. Cameron is a quick 6-2, 305-pound interior defender who racked up 6.5 sacks and 11 other tackles for loss this past season. Cameron actually originally played at Hofstra, but transferred when the latter program was disbanded. Cameron needs to get stronger, but has good quickness and lateral range; he also has a nice motor and has racked over 70 tackles in each of the past couple of seasons. In fact, he’s a smart, solid character player who is in the school’s MBA program.
http://www.gbnreport.com/scoutsnotebook.htm
by Colin Lindsay, Editor and Publisher, Great Blue North Draft Report
RISING SLEEPERS
April 5, 2012:
While most of the pre-draft attention has been focused on the Andrew Lucks and Robert Griffins of the football world, NFL teams and draft fans alike both dream about finding that special player in the rough. In the end, the vast majority of players with the 'sleeper' label never amount to much, if anything at all, in the pros, every once in awhile one does blossom into a solid contibutor if not a bona fide star. So the search goes on. And this year there seems to be an inordinate number of very good small-school prospects with some potential. In fact, there are probably far too many to name them all. The following, though, are several players from lower-level programs who have yet to generate much national draft buzz, but who have been confirmed as drawing legitimate interest from more than one NFL team.
Perhaps no small-school player has created a bigger buzz this spring than WR Cody Pearcy from unheralded Huntingdon College, a Division III school in Alabama who turned in one of the best pro day type workouts of any prospects this spring; indeed, there were some scouts thta described it as one of the most impressive on-campus workouts ever. In fact, Pearcy reportedly was timed in 4.31 seconds in the 40, had a remarkable 44-inch in the vertical jump and 10-6 broad jump, while posting very quick times in the agility drills including the short shuttle (3.76 seconds) and 3-cone drill (6.67). Here’s the problem though. Pearcy isn’t all that big at barely 5-10 and 161 pounds - and the latter while reportedly soaking wet - plus he was never all that productive in his college career. Pearcy did catch 51 passes last fall for over 1,000 yards, but one normally expects a Division III player to really dominate at that level to figure as more than a passing draft fancy. Still, its hard for the NFL not to notice that pure speed and quickness.
Pearcy is one of several smaller school sleeper prospects who are starting to generate some interest. Old Dominion DT Ronnie Cameron, for example, has received an invitation from more than one team to a pre-draft visit. Cameron is a quick 6-2, 305-pound interior defender who racked up 6.5 sacks and 11 other tackles for loss this past season. Cameron actually originally played at Hofstra, but transferred when the latter program was disbanded. Cameron needs to get stronger, but has good quickness and lateral range; he also has a nice motor and has racked over 70 tackles in each of the past couple of seasons. In fact, he’s a smart, solid character player who is in the school’s MBA program.
