Blacks Post Combine Top 25 rankings

Top 25 Ranking (Post Combine)

The scouting combine has come and gone and with players moving up and down in terms of their draft stock I feel like it’s about time to show my post combine rankings for the 2013 class.

1. Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M

2. Sharieff Flyod, DT, Florida

3. Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama

4. Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

5. Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama

6. Ezikiel Ansah, DE, BYU

7. Dion Jordon, DE, Oregon

8. Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

9. Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State

10. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

11. Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU

12. Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

13. Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

14. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee

15. Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M

16. Johnthan Cooper, OG, North Carolina

17. Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri

18. Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

19. Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas

20. Matt Barkley, QB, USC

21. Manti Te’o , ILB, Notre Dame

22. Datone Jones, UCLA, DE

23. Zavier Gooden, OLB, Missouri

24. Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee

25. Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

I am currently working on a mock with explanations as of right now and should have it out some time next week. 

Black Scouting Report- Desmond Trufant, Cornerback, Washington

 

Desmond Trufant

College: Washington

Position: Cornerback

Height: 5-11

Weight: 184 lbs

Position Rank: 4

Projected Round: Late 1^st to mid-2^nd round

The talented Washington Cornerback, Desmond Trufant is considered to be one of the top defensive backs in this year’s draft. Trufant who has two brothers already in the NFL, Marcus with Seattle and Isaiah with the Jets, had an outstanding week at the senior bowl and wasn’t too bad during the game neither. He was a first team all-Pac-12 defensive back this year, and is definitely one of the most experienced cornerbacks coming out of this year’s draft with his 47 starts at Washington. He is competitive and corner, who will get physical with wide receivers at the line of scrimmage no matter the size disparity.

 

Plays on the ball

Desmond Trufant in 47 games only had, 6 interceptions which for a Pac 12 DB where the passing game is the life and blood of so many teams in the conference, is really disappointing. He is a very passive corner who tends to play the receiver over making plays for the ball.

 

Vs. the Run

Trufant, from what have seen of him, recognizes run/pass quickly. He is one of the better corners in this year’s draft in with this recognition. He doesn’t shy away from making tackles in run support and will fight way through blocks and does a nice job of fighting under blocks to blow up screen passes or keep contain on outside runs.

Experience and Instincts

If there is one positive about playing in 47 games in college, it’s the experience you gain over time. From his tape as a freshman to his senior year, you could tell the dramatic change in his instincts. He also is very good at timing his jumps and defending the ball from its highest point from the wide out.

Conclusion

Overall I could see Turfant going into the Top 25 if he has an outstanding combine and pro day. Right now Trufant looks like he’s pegged into going at the end of day 1 or a early day 2 pick. Trufant is amongst the top corners in a draft filled with good quality depth and talent on the defensive side of the ball.  

Blacker Scouting Report – Manti Te’o LB Notre Dame

Manti Te’o  Scouting Report.

Measurables

Height: 6 -1

Weight: 248

40 Time: 4.75

Manti Te’o vs Miami 

Manti Te’o vs. Stanford

Strengths:

• + Plays the Game with Passion
• + Smart
• + Can read an offense pre-play
• + Can follow the flow and attack downhill
• + Great Leadership
• +  Solid Tackler
• + Good Blitzer

Weaknesses:

• – Takes bad angles to the ball
• –  Not elite in coverage against backs and TE
• -Can get engulfed by lineman
• –   Worry about his speed
• –  Mental health?

Summary – Te’o is one of the more polarizing players in the country. What he lacks in raw athletic ability he makes up for in amazing instincts and leadership.  When you watch game film of Te’o you realize he is always around the ball, Te’o had 7 Interceptions this past season and when you see those interceptions a lot of them are Te’o being in the right place at the right time and make an amazing play on the ball. Manti can be exploited in coverage; he got lost in the NC game vs. Alabama and allowed a TD to Michael Williams. He also got totally destroyed by Alabama’s line (as did the rest of the of Notre Dame) which could be a worry because that is the caliber of OL he will be playing the NFL.

Overall – Te’o is a solid LB, he won’t be a stud in the league but he has the ability to play SAM and MIKE in the 43 and play ILB in the 34. I don’t see him being as effective as a 43 WILL.  Te’o obviously has some other issues to workout, the whole cat fishing and fake girlfriend cover up is a red flag. How he explains that in interviews will be interesting to say the least.  I think Te’o is a good LB but is not the elite LB he was built up to be in the collegiate ranks. That being said he should still be  at least a 2nd round pick

Draft Value –   Late 1^st to Mid 2^nd.

NFL Comparison – Perry Riley LB Washington Redskins

Kennan Allen, Wide Receiver, California

Kennan Allen

College: California

Position: Wide Receiver

Height: 6-3

Weight: 210 lbs

Position Rank: 1

Projected Round: Top 15

Kennan Allen is my favorite offensive player this year and may be tied for my favorite player of this year’s draft next to BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. I have followed closely Kennan Allen’s career ever since he was a freshman and he quickly become one of my favorite players in the country. He is an absolutely great route runner and if you combined his quickness, strength, and size he is an extremely lethal receiver at getting yards after the catch. He has the vertical ability, hands, and concentration to catch the ball at its lowest to its highest points. I’m assuming that you must be thinking that if this guy could do it all then why isn’t he getting as much hype as a AJ Green or Julio Jones coming out (by no means am I comparing him to those 2 coming out). Well there are many answers for this, one was that he missed the final 3 games of the season due to knee injury. Another one was that he had to deal with a pretty dire quarterback situation at Cal, where his brother, Zac Maynard, was less than stellar for most of the season for a pretty bad and banged up Cal team.

If Allen’s knee is fine from the injury he suffered in the latter part of the year is fine and if he has a great combine like I am predicting him to be, I could see this Allen securing his spot as the top wideout coming out of this year’s draft and possibly a top 10 selection.

Speed and quickness

From the numerous games I have seen of Kennan Allen, there was always something that separated him from other 6-3 wideouts, and that was his speed and quickness. He has a decent release of the line of scrimmage and knows how to use his feet to get open. And once he catches the ball he is always a threat to gain 10-20 yards more. He was often used in screens in a lot while at Cal for this reason.

Hands

Allen has dependable but not perfect Aj Green type hands. He may drop a few here and there due to a lack of concentration, a problem that many thought Julio Jones had coming out. Look out how its turned out for him.

Deep ball ability

Because of Maynard not having the arm that most college quarterbacks have, Kennan Allen rarely ran deep patterns and when he was involved in one, the ball was usually under thrown. He certainly has the speed and vertical ability to have this part of the game be one of his strengths but this will virtually remain an unknown part of Allen’s game until he’s in the NFL because of the lack of film of him actually running a deep pattern.

Conclusion

Brandon Marshall is probably the best comparison for Kennan Allen as both are big bodied receivers with the ability to make defenders miss with their feet and get yards after the catch with speed and quickness. I might be overrating Allen in the eyes of some, but if feel like if Kennan Allen falls to the right team, I could see him being one of the best receivers

Nigel Malone, Cornerback, Kansas State

Nigel Malone

College: Kansas State

Position: Cornerback

Height: 5-10

Weight: 185 lbs

Projected Round (As of now): late 4th to 5th round

Nigel Malone was one of the players that I had highlighted on before the start of last year’s college football season during our Top 5 Under the Radar College Players video a while back. He lead the conference in interceptions with 7 two years ago while getting another 5 this year. He is California native spent two seasons at the junior college level and, although he isn’t a big fan of the Midwest (which he has made public several times), he decided to transfer to Kansas State over New Mexico. He was one of 4 Kent State players to go to earn invitations to postseason all-star games this year as linebacker Arthur Brown and wide receiver Chris Harper will play in the Senior Bowl and he and quarterback/tight end/h-back Collin Klein went to the 88^th annual east west shrine game where he really rose his stock during that week.

Many scouts reported that he was great in man to man coverage batting down passes all week and shutting receivers down. And during the game he jumped right in front of a pass for pick 6 making the score 21-3 earning him, the game’s most outstanding player on defense. He is a bit undersized but that doesn’t stop him from getting in the faces of bigger and stronger receivers. He’s a very scrappy and tough player that many players would love to add to their team. But because of his size I feel he’s best suited as a slot corner at the next level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmFi9bZ23yY

Malone vs TCU

Man on Man coverage  

Malone, like pretty much the whole K-state team, had a tough time during the Fiesta Bowl as he was beat more times than not during the game when he was in zone and at times man. After re-watching the shrine game I would say that Malone was truly one of the best defensive backs there and showed why he is a great man to man defensive back, which teams like the Steelers, Ravens, Packers, and the Jets can use because of their zone blitz schemes.

 

Ball Awareness

Malone possess above average instincts on the ball. He always seems to be around it at all times even during running plays as there for sweeps on his side. He is more a of a ball hawk then playing it safe type of player which for some schemes and coaches could be troublesome.

Slot coverage

From what little I have seen of Malone in the slot, I have to say he’s looks fine in there. He usually played outside the numbers where he was at time exposed by bigger and faster receivers.

Overall conclusion

Malone was also coached by one of college football’s best coaches Bill Snyder who has a knack of getting his players pro ready. I could see Malone stock rise even more if he has a good pro day and combine to the early mid rounds.

Black- Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah, Defensive End, BYU

Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah

College: BYU

Position: Defensive End

Height: 6-5

Weight: 274 lbs

Position Rank: 2

Projected Round: Top 10

Tape of him against Bosie State

Tape of him against Georgia State

I have found my man crush for this year’s draft class, and like my other man crushes from the past 3 classes, it’s a defensive end. Ezkiel Ansah converted to the Mormon faith and became decided to go to BYU. He wanted to be basketball player and tried out for the team but was cut from both the 2008 and 2009 teams. He then set his sights on to track successfully made the team where he ran a 10.91 in the 100 and then a 21.89. He eventually decided on playing football despite some of the cautions he had for the game. After sitting his first year and playing on special teams his second year, he finally cracked the starting line up his senior year and made his impact felt. He had 62 total tackles, 13 going for a loss, including 4.5 sacks. And then at the Senior bowl, after having a so so week, he absolutely dominated in the game constantly giving tackles hell. After the strong performance he had, his stock, in the minds of many, mine included, sky rocketed.

Athleticism

For those who are in track, running a 21.89 in the 200 is pretty darn good, espically at 240-270 lbs. Ansah is coming in as one of the most athletic defensive ends to come out since Jason Pierre Paul. I can see him easily having Vernon Gholston type day at the NFL combine.

Raw ability

Watching tape of him at BYU, you can tell that this guy still has a lot to learn about the game but definitely has the raw potential/ability to be among the top of the league as one of its best defensive ends. If he is open to coaching from his NFL coaches, Ansah has what it takes to be special.

Size

At 6-5 265+, Ansah has the stout size to play as defensive end in the 4-3 but also has the athleticism to stand up and play in the 3-4 even though I would recommend a team due that due to his inexperience in pass coverage.

Conclusion

I love Ansah and his athleticism he brings to the game. His power and speed is something that if he can harness and refine at the NFL level can be very lethal to QBs and lineman everywhere. Plus as a Nigerian-American I love to see Africans make it in the

Are Former College Coaches Better Drafters? – Blacker

There has been a trend in coaching hires recently NFL, I would guess since about 2009 it has become more popular. Teams hire a collegiate coach straight from the NCAA and make them your head coach.  I think I have noticed a trend with those coaches, the coaches who come straight from a HC job in college to an HC job in the NFL are better drafters and just overall talent evaluators. What I am going to do is look at each of the recently hired straight to the NFL coaches drafting records and see how those players have produced.  Most people look at the amount of hits a coach has but I am going to focus on the misses. What I will call a miss is a player who is not on the team.  I think a good drafter is not just a person who finds home-run value but also finds solid role-playing value as well; for that reason I will not differentiate the hits from this misses.

Another thing to take into account that I will not be noting in this post is the value of the player in reference to the pick that they give.

The first coach I will be looking at is Pete Carroll who took over the Seahawks in 2010

His first draft
1. Russell Okung –
1. Earl Thomas
2. Golden Tate
4. Walter Thurmond
4. EJ Wilson
5. Kam Chancellor
6. Anthony McCoy
7.. Dexter Davis
7. Jameson Konz

In this draft they got both of their starting S in Chancellor and Thomas and arguably the best tandem of S in the league. Golden Tate has shown up this year for them, Walter Thurmond has shown flashes before injury.
Anthony McCoy has been a strong 2nd TE for them. Dexter Davis is on the team not entirely sure about his role

Only Wilson and Konz are not on the team

Misses – 2 

2011
Round 1: James Carpenter, OT
Round 3: John Moffitt, G
Round 4: K.J. Wright, OLB
Round 4: Kris Durham, WR
Round 5: Richard Sherman, CB
Round 5: Mark Legree, FS
Round 6: Byron Maxwell, DB
Round 7: Lazarius Levingston, DE
Round 7: Malcolm Smith, OLB

Carpenter got injured, Moffit is not starting currently but did start 6 games this year. KJ is a stud LB for Seattle. Richard Sherman is arguably the 2nd best CB in the league and was drafted in round 5. Malcolm Smith and Maxwell have both been solid contributes for Seattle. Doug Baldwin was undrafted but has put up numbers for the Seahawks

Legree is no longer on the team the same as Levingston

Misses 2

 

2012

Round 1. Bruce Irvin DE/OLB West Virginia

Round 2 – Bobby Wagner ILB Utah State

Round 3. Russell Wilson QB Wisconsin/ NC State

Round 4. Robert Turbin RB Utah State

Round 4. Jaye Howard DT Florida

Round 5. Korey Toomer ILB Idaho

Round 6 . Jeremy Lane CB Northwestern State

Round 6: Winston Guy DB Kentucky

Round 7 – JR Sweezy DE  NC State

Rounnd 7 – Greg Scruggs DE Lousiville

Bruce Irvin has been essentially a sack ace for the Seahawks coming in on pass rushing situations and lighting it up. Bobby Wagner had a 140 tackles and 3 interceptions, which are literally All-Pro numbers. Russell Wilson well I assume you already know the amazing season he had. Robert Turbin has been a good complimentary back to Lynch.  Jaye Howard played in 2 games.  Korey Toomer is on the practice squad. Jeremy Lane produced with 15 tackles throughout the season, Winston Guys saw minimal PT during the season. JR Sweezy was drafted as a DE and then switched positions to OG. Sweezy struggled with the transition at first but now has a stronghold on the job. Greg Scruggs produced 2 sacks as a 7th round draft pick.

Overall – Carroll only had 4 misses with a few players that still need to prove themselves to show up

I won’t call any players a miss yet because it is still their rookie year, in all honesty the jury is still out as most of them are still under 25.  But in Carroll’s 3 drafts he has found his 2 Pro Bowl  safeties, 2 starting LB’s, an OG, his franchise QB,  a lock down CB , really solid role players, an Ace pass rusher and a few talented lineman that the jury is still out on.

One thing i have noticed is that a lot of the players Carroll made moves after were players that Carroll coached against while at USC. Sherman and Baldwin went to Stanford, Brandon Browner the Offseason FA pick up went to Oregon State, Walter Thurmond for Oregon.

Could seeing those players in person against him and game planning against them given Carroll even better knowledge than the other coaches?  Scouting players to draft is one thing but scouting players to figure out how to beat them is another. The combination of the two could give coaches like Carroll and edge.

This is also a very small sample size, so let’s look at other coaches who was hired from the NCAA. The natural guess would be Jim Harbaugh but I feel that Harbaugh would be skewing the argument  and since he has only coached for 2 season it will be hard to gauge his players. Harbaugh also inherited a really strong D and didn’t have much work to do with that part of the team. Of course Harbaugh did have his share of questionable calls like AJ Jenkins in the first.

Greg Schiano is the only the other coach currently who was hired straight from the NCAA but he was a rookie coach this year but picks like Doug Martin, Lavonte David, Mark Barron could help. Schiano also drafted 2  former big east rival WVU mountaineers in Najee Goode and Keith Tandy, both of them didn’t produce this year but it will be interesting to see them grow and if Schiano knew something most didn’t.

Looking through the rest of the coaches none with any drafting history were straight from College. I thought about using Chan Gailey but he spent 2 years in between GT and a HC job. Nick Saban and Petrino were options but both of their body works were smaller than Carroll’s as well as the fact they drafted 8 years ago.

Overall, Pete Carroll is the only coach that a somewhat fair assessment can be done. This is a very interesting topic and it is one that I would expect to pick up steam as coaches like Harbaugh, Schiano, Kelly and Marrone build their teams through the draft.

 

Black- Zaviar Gooden, Linebacker, Missouri

Zaviar Gooden

College: Missouri

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6-3

Weight: 230 lbs

Position Rank:

Projected Round: Late 1^st to early 2^nd round

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF_nkE3iqUQ

Zaviar Gooden has not been getting as much recognition as he deserves so far, but watching Gooden on tape, he should definitely be projected higher than the 4^th round grade that he has been given by some. Many scouts say he was the best linebacker of at the senior bowl and he also won practice player of the camp award at Mobile during the week. He is a bit undersized, as he is only 230 lbs but if he bulks up to around 240 lbs he should definitely see his stock rise. If he can do that and run a good to decent 40 time at the combine and or pro day he could come of the board day 1 of the draft.

 

Tackling

For someone his size, Gooden is a very good tackler. From the tape I have seen from him, he wasn’t would wrap and bring down the ball carrier on first contact and really didn’t have many missed tackles.

Size

His size is what is keeping Gooden from being a golden NFL prospect. He will need to bulk up a lot more before the combine and pro day without losing his speed and quickness.

Coverage ability

Because of his athleticism and instincts Gooden has superb coverage skills that should give him a lot of versatility on defense.

Finial thoughts

Gooden should be able to play the will in a basic 4-3 set but can also play the mike in Tampa 2 or cover 2 scheme. He is one of my favorite prospects in this year’s draft and should be taken somewhere in the mid to late 1^st round based of talent and intangibles alone.

Blackers Senior Bowl Prospects to Watch – Offense

It’s that time of year, one of my favorite times of year. It is the Senior Bowl. The annual gathering of some college footballs best senior players, they come together to duke it out and fight for their name as well as their draft position.  I am going to give you a few of the prospects that I think should be watched carefully. A big week can help their draft stock and a poor one can ruin it.

Ryan Nassib QB Syracuse – His name as come up a lot in recent months, the rise of the Syracuse program has a had a lot to do with him and players like him. Nassib posseses a lot of the tools that you look for in a QB. He has a strong arm and has some accuracy. The kid is a gunslinger. What I am looking for from him is some fine tuning in his mechanics as well as his ability to read a defense and throw touch passes to the sidelines. With a good showing here Nassib could shoot up draft boards and with the value of QBs in todays game he could even be a Top Ten pick.

Other(s) to watch – Zac Dysert QB Miami of Ohio

Mike Gillislee RB Florida – Gillislee was the Offense on a Florida team that had a case for the NC game but got stomped by Louisville. When Mike was on the Florida Gators were tough to beat. Gillislee isn’t the typical get to the outside and burn players Florida back like Rainey or Demps. Gillislee posses the ability to run in between the tackles with power. He has a great build at 5-11 207  and that could surely make him an every down back in the NFL.  GIllislee is not just power but he is constantly overlooked for what I believe is one of the best 2nd gears  in the country, He has a burst that is unmatched and should be fun to see him play this week

Other(s) to watch – Stephan Taylor RB Stanford , Robbie Rouse RB Fresno State

Ryan Swope  WR Texas A&M – The rise of Johnny Football did not happen alone, he also had one of the best senior WR’s in the country.
People take one look at Swope and see that he is white and immediately relegate him to being a slot WR and comparing him to the Wes Welkers of the game. However, Swope posses the size at 6 ft 204 to be an outside WR, Swope displays reliable hands, a high football IQ and very very deceptive deep speed. I am looking to see Swope match up versus the great CBs of the Senior Bowl and display that he has the ability to be an outside WR. If Swope shows that he will have bumped his draft stock up at least a round.

Other(s) to watch – Terrance Williams WR Baylor,  Aaron Dobson WR Marshall . Mychal Rivera TE Tennessee

Lane Johnson OT Oklahoma–  With lineman like Taylor Lewan and Jake Matthews going back to school it has left  a hole to be filled.  Lane Johnson is a tall , athletic OT who actually was a QB and a TE at one point.  I am looking to see if Lane can handle himself in the 1 on 1 drills, Lane has lacked the mean streak you like to see from a OT especially one that could be a LT, dominating the  1 on 1 drills would be major for him. I am also looking to see if his footwork and other mechanics have  improved over the season. Lane needs to show up big because after Joeckel and Eric Fisher the next spot for an OT is open and a good showing would be monumental for Lane.

Other(s) to watch –  Kyle Long OT Oregon, Justin Pugh OT Syracuse,  Dallas Thomas OG/OT Tennessee

Blacker – Matt Barkley USC QB Scouting Report

The Golden boy of college football, Barkley came into the year ranked very highly and seemed to be a shoo-in for the #1 overall pick. USC seemed primed to make a NC game run, however, those dreams came crashing down as USC lost early to Stanford and then proceeded to lose 4 out of their last 5 games of the year.  Barkley’s USC career ends in a disappointing fashion to say the least. However, his draft stock still is up in the air.  Barkley possess a lot of the intangibles a team would look for in franchise signal caller but also lacks the tools that would make him a stud in the NFL.

Pre-Combine Measurables:

Height: 6 – 2

Weight: 230 lbs

40: 4.84

Scouting Video #1 – Matt Barkley vs Cuse

:45 – makes a bad presnap read and nearly throws an INT

1:33 – should have taken sack

1:46 – Climbs the pocket well, however needs to feel that pressure and find an escape route

2:00 – throw is off his back foot but still shows accuracy

2:17 – could have lead Woods better and gotten an extra 10 yards

2:40 – Nice strong throw to the sideline

2:50 – shows great poise under pressure and makes a smart decision

3:15 – recognizes one on one coverage pre snap and makes a impressive throw to Woods

4:20 – Not the smartest throw, had Lee coming off a curl at the bottom of the screen, he had sometime could have stepped up and gone through progressions

4:25 No pressure at all and makes an absolutely horrid throw, had the whole middle of the field to work with, should have lead Woods towards the deep center part of the field. 6 points if he does so.

5:22 – bad ball placement could have put the ball in front of WR, however catch should still have been made.

Scouting Video #2 – Matt Barkley vs Oregon Ducks

0:05 – Strong throw while on the run

0:19 – might be his best throw of the season 52 yards opposite sideline.

0:55 Had no sense of the pressure , released the ball due to pure luck

1:20 – Beautiful throw, great touch on that

1:45 – WTF

2:00 –Read preplay, good throw

2:40 – Throws  58 yards in the air, still not elite arm strength but it is NFL caliber, long developing play and had all the time in the world

3:15 – Nice job avoiding the rush

4:18- locks onto lee and nearly gets sacked, does not move through progression at all. Touchdown on the play but not what should be taken from the play

5:00 – It is better to take a sack or throw away than to force that

5:10 – steps up perfectly, eyes down field, delivers a strong accurate throw to Aguiliar. Touchdown

6:24 – Odd stance in the throw, you would like to see him step into that and to throw from a neutral position

7:23 – Good job avoiding pressure, very poor throw

8:00 – plain inaccurate

9:25 – Throw into triple coverage he was asking for trouble

10:00 – 5 step drop, should have seen Woods fall  and then adjusted accordingly. He made his decision to throw before the play. Lucky that  there was a PI was called ( there should have been no PI)

10:26 – what….

10:44 – ends up working out but that throw should not behind the WR

11:35 – Biggest mistake of the game. Look at the situation, it is 4^th and 5 in the biggest game of your career so far. Indecisive if he wants to throw to Lee, which is okay but he does not go through his progressions, tunnel visions onto Lee and then forced a throw that was nearly picked off. You want to see him go through progressions or throw to Lee on immediately.  Did not execute the play.

Strengths

• Mechanics are sound
• Field General
• Reads defenses incredibly well presnap
• Avoids the pass rush well
• Controls the pocket and steps up well
• Can throw on the move
• Generally Accurate in short and intermediate game
• High Character

Weaknesses

• Not the strongest arm, leaves a lot to be desired
• Deep Ball accuracy
• Decision Making is not up to par
• Tunnel Vision- Locks onto WRs and waits for them to beat the CB
• Does not go through progressions
• Forces ball to WRs
• Ball placement can be suspect
• Has not played well in Big games

Conclusion – Matt Barkley might be the most popular QB in the nation. Barkley brings a good understanding of the game as well as all the intangibles and awareness needed to be a successful QB in this league. Where he lacks is in his decision making and his arm strength. Coming into the year those were what needed to be improved and he made marginal improvements.

I view Barkley has a 2^nd round QB prospect and that is the talent level I think he is at. However, the NFL is a QB driven league and his value will be inflated due to that. I think you see Barkley go Top 25 picks in the draft. There is a chance teams pass on Barkley and he does fall to the 2^nd round however. Barkley really hurt his stock by staying a year; he could have easily gone behind Griffin or Luck if he declared last year.

NFL Comparison – All of his tools match up with former Trojan Mark Sanchez.  Sanchez was taken 3^rd overall.  Chad Pennington and Matt Cassell are other adequate comparisons