Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon enters the NFL draft as one of the top available players.
Oklahoma State wideout Justin Blackmon has been the top receiver on several draft boards since the end of the regular season. Pro Football Weekly writer Nolan Nawrocki says that may longer be the case, however. According to one NFL GM, Blackmon could fall as low as the second round on some draft boards due to character concerns.
"I just don't see it," the GM said. "I heard everyone raving about his pro day. Am I the only one who thought it was an average workout? He ran a 4.51 and 4.52 on my watch. The workout itself, I thought, was average at best. I didn't see any twitch or explosion. He has been raised by Dez Bryant. They are both knuckleheads - I've heard the Vegas stories. There are some (red) flags there."
Blackmon reportedly did not fly home with his teammates from the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, and instead flew to Las Vegas. He also elected not to participate in the combine, which may have rubbed some GMs the wrong way. At the very least, there is some indication that Notre Dame's Michael Floyd has moved past Blackmon after running well at the combine while measuring two inches taller and 13 pounds heavier.
Of course, there are still plenty of powerful opinions high on what the prolific receiver did in college. According to another GM:
"I don't know how (Blackmon) gets past Cleveland or Jacksonville," said the GM. "He's a playmaker. He's got that bullshit to him, but almost all of them at that position have it. Look at Michael Irvin and Steve Smith and DeSean Jackson. When (Blackmon) is on the field, he competes. Guys can beat him up off the field, but he has been productive in every big-game competition. He's not in the same class as Julio Jones or A.J. Green. Those guys were more elite athletically. But the kid ran a 4.47 and 4.49 (at his pro day) - he is 4.50 all day on tape."
For more on the 2012 NFL Draft, check out SB Nation's dedicated section and blog Mocking the Draft.
Justin Blackmon is on several draft boards as the best receiving prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft. His resume over three seasons at Oklahoma State is quite impressive, highlighted by two Biletnikoff Awards given following his sophomore and junior seasons. Blackmon didn't do himself many favors at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday, however, reporting in at an inch under his listed 6-1 height, and opting out of the 40-yard dash due to a tender hamstring.
Okla St WR Justin Blackmon says he measured at 6-foot, not 6-1 as listed. Will not run at combine due to tender hamstring.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) February 24, 2012
Blackmon is considered by many to be a Top 5 pick in this year's draft class. Whether he has the top-end speed to be an elite receiver at the next level has been one of his biggest questions from scouts, however. His performance in the 40 was one of the more highly anticipated storylines heading into the weekend. Instead, we will have wait until his Pro Day next week to find out just how speedy he is.
For news and information regarding the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, please stay tuned to this StoryStream. For more on the 2012 NFL Draft, check out SB Nation's dedicated section and Mocking the Draft.
Oklahoma St. Cowboys wide receiver Justin Blackmon is expected to be picked well before the Green Bay Packers are on the board in the 2012 NFL Draft (latest mock draft here), but if he were to tumble through the ranks -- much like Aaron Rodgers did! -- he says he wouldn't mind playing with Rodgers or Drew Brees, both of whom are believed to be great-grandsons of Brandon Weeden's. He mentions Peyton Manning, too, which may actually be more likely, considering Manning's days with the Colts may be drawing short.
Via Sports Radio Interviews, Blackmon with Atlanta's 790 the Zone:
How tough was the decision to leave Oklahoma State?:
"It's very tough. I've enjoyed my time here; Oklahoma State's been real good to me. But I just feel like it's time for me to see what's in store for me at the next level."
Oklahoma St. Cowboys wide receiver Justin Blackmon has selected an agent, hiring Atlanta-based Todd France of France AllPro Athlete Management, Darren Heitner of Sports Agent Blog reports.
France represents several NFL wide receivers, including Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Eddie Royal of the Denver Broncos, Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacoby Ford of the Oakland Raiders, Harry Douglas of the Atlanta Falcons and Golden Tate of the Seattle Seahawks.
In addition to Thomas and Bowe, France has represented recent first-round picks Marcell Dareus (Buffalo Bills), Prince Amukamara (New York Giants), Dan Williams (Arizona Cardinals) and Vontae Davis (Miami Dolphins).
Blackmon is projected to be a Top 5 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, perhaps going as highly as No. 2 overall to the St. Louis Rams. The second overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, Broncos linebacker Von Miller, signed a four-year contract worth a fully guaranteed $21 million.
For more on Blackmon, visit Oklahoma State blog Cowboys Ride For Free. For more NFL Draft, head to Mocking The Draft.
Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon made official after Monday's Fiesta Bowl what many have assumed for months: he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2012 NFL Draft. Leave it the two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award to go out with a bang: he won MVP honors in the game by scoring three touchdowns among eight catches for 186 yards.
No one can accuse Blackmon of padding his stats, either: all three of his touchdowns came with Okie State trailing Stanford. His first two went for a combined 110 yards in the second quarter, and his final touchdown tied the game at 31-31 in the fourth:
The Cowboys and Cardinal would trade two more touchdowns before Quinn Sharp won the game with a 22-yard field goal in overtime, but it was Blackmon who brought his team back into the game and kept them there.
After the game, Blackmon confirmed that his next stop would be the NFL:
"I think I'm gonna go ahead and enter the draft and see what happens after that," he said.
Where will he end up? Many considered him to be the best wide receiver on the board even before he boosted his stock with his monster Fiesta Bowl performance. In SB Nation's most recent NFL mock draft, Ryan Van Bibber predicted Blackmon would go No. 6 to the Washington Redskins. Notre Dame's Michael Floyd and South Carolina's Alshon Jeffrey are a couple of inches bigger, but Blackmon's numbers are simply eye-popping, finishing the year with 121 receptions, 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns.
If any player in the country looks ready to enter the 2012 NFL Draft, it's Oklahoma St. Cowboys wide receiver Justin Blackmon. Not just physically and production-wise -- I mean Blackmon is ready to go.
"Right now, I think (going pro) would be the best thing for me, so that will probably happen," he said a few days ago. He'll also walk with the seniors during this weekend's Bedlam game despite being an underclassman. Doesn't get much more gone than that.
Blackmon will likely be the first wide receiver off the board. He's a Biletnikoff winner who's the favorite to win it again this time around, something no receiver since Michael Crabtree has done. Mock drafts have him going in the top 10, with some placing him near the top five.
For more on Blackmon, visit Oklahoma State blog Cowboys Ride For Free. For more NFL Draft, head to Mocking The Draft.
Vikings Narrow List To Morris Claiborne, Matt Kalil Or Justin Blackmon
The 2012 NFL draft is just one week away. While it seems clear that the No. 1 and No. 2 picks will be quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, respectively, the Minnesota Vikings will have the entire rest of the field of talented prospects available to them when they make the No. 3 overall selection in the first round of the draft.
Most speculation has consistently projected that the Vikings will use their pick to select offensive tackle Matt Kalil, formerly of the USC Trojans. Jeremy Fowler of the Pioneer Press reports that Vikings general manager Rick Spielman has narrowed the team's selection down to three possible choices.
Each of the three candidates would add a huge benefit to a component of their team. It will boil down to whether they most need to upgrade their offensive line, their defense or their passing game.
For all news and information regarding the Minnesota Vikings, please visit Daily Norseman or head on over to SB Nation Minnesota. For lots more on the 2012 NFL Draft, check out Mocking the Draft.
Apr 19 4:40p by Bill Hanstock - 1 comment