SB Nation User Blog: Mocking Dan

Arrelioius Benn expected to enter draft today

Mocking Dan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:14:27 -0000

The speculation is that Illinois junior wide receiver Arrelious Benn will announce at a news conference today that he is leaving for the NFL.

Instead of ruminating on this issue myself, check out what Dr. Saturday Matt Hinton has to say. I think it sums up Benn pretty well:

Rare is the talent that can ultimately produce so little -- just seven receiving touchdowns in three years, four of them in losses -- and still go on dripping with such tantalizing potential.

Yes, Juice Williams did have his issues as a quarterback. And Benn was injured parts of this season. But the lack of production is reminiscent of Darrius Heyward-Bey. Which, financially speaking, could be a good thing for Benn.

SI's Don Banks 2009 draft re-do

Mocking Dan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:03:47 -0000

SI's Don Banks 2009 draft re-do

Michael Oher first overall? Third rounders in the first round? Banks provides second-guessing at it's best.

Ten Buckeyes submit NFL Draft paperwork

Mocking Dan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:49:45 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

Browse more photos »

The Associated Press is reporting that 10 Ohio State juniors submitted paperwork to gauge where they might be selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Head coach Jim Tressel wouldn't say which players submitted paperwork, but he did say they were all starters.

That would include defensive ends Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward, linebackers Ross Homan and Brian Rolle, cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence, tailback Brandon Saine, wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher and offensive linemen Bryant Browning and Justin Boren.

"I've gotten a little bit of an early indication and shared it with the kids," Tressel told the AP. "We tried to do that before they went home for Thanksgiving. The NFL was good and got us some early things (so) that way the kids could get home and talk a little bit with their folks."

Clearly the two most intriguing players on Ohio State are Gibson and Heyward. Gibson, who has four sacks, projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker because of his agility and size. For those same reasons Heyward is considered one of the best 3-4 defensive end candidates in the nation.

Heyward leads Ohio State with 5.5 sacks this season and has been impressive against the run.

After the defensive linemen, Boren looks like he is the most ready for the NFL. A transfer from Michigan, Boren is a powerful and nasty interior lineman. He is Ohio State's best run blocker and would be one of the first three or four guards taken.

Saine had somewhat of a breakthrough season with 926 rushing yards, but should return to Ohio State. As it stands, he would likely be taken outside of the top 100 picks.

Sanzenbacher is an intriguing player. He has shown flashes of being a very good receiver this season with 27 receptions for 506 yards and six touchdowns. His hands are solid and he runs good routes. But he only topped 100 yards once in 2009 and had just four catches over the final three games of the year.

Still, Ohio State has a good history of putting out NFL talent at wide receiver. While Ted Ginn and Brian Robiskie haven't had the success some expected, Brian Hartline and Anthony Gonzalez have exceeded expectations.

The remaining players should return to Columbus for another season. They all look like they have pro potential but are raw – particularly the defensive backs.

High strangeness abounds with Vinny Cerrato in town

Mocking Dan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:19:19 -0000

More photos » by Susan Walsh - AP

Washington Redskins football owner Dan Snyder, left, talks to Redskins Executive Vice President of Football Operations Vinnie Cerrato in June. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Browse more photos »

The following is from last Thursday's Washington Post:

According to people within the Redskins organization, owner Daniel Snyder and Vinny Cerrato, the team's executive vice president of football operations, recently attended a University of Texas game to scout quarterback Colt McCoy. Cerrato traveled to conduct an in-person evaluation of Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, a junior who declared for the draft this week.

It is widely known that Cerrato has been to Notre Dame on more than one occasion this season to check out Clausen. Cerrato, a former Notre Dame recruiting coordinator, even interviewed Clausen on his radio show last week.

That's right Redskins newcomer, the vice president of football operations of the team hosts his own radio show. Unreal. The highlights include the weather in South Bend, Clausen's finals and Cerrato asking Clausen to give him a Golden Tate scouting report.

Then there was this doozy:

"Now, evaluate yourself as a quarterback," he told Clausen. "What do you need to improve upon for the next level?"

Let me reiterate that the rumor is that Cerrato makes real personnel decisions for a real NFL team. Supposedly. Probably not.

Oh, and don't forget about Cerrato and Snyder checking out McCoy. How does McCoy respond with the NFL's dynamic duo in the house? By blowing his Heisman Trophy chances in a three-interception performance that almost cost Texas a national championship appearance.

Sure, most could blame McCoy's poor performance on Ndamukong Suh. But people know the truth here. McCoy became so frightened by the thought of becoming the latest Redskins quarterback to be scrutinized by management, he committed NFL Draft suicide. Smart move.

Washington's Jake Locker returning for senior season

Mocking Dan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:38:48 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian congratulates quarterback Jake Locker after the 36-33 win over Arizona in October. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Browse more photos »

Washington junior quarterback Jake Locker will not enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

"After a great deal of careful thought and deliberation, I have decided to return to Washington and play my senior year," Locker said in a release. "I am very excited about this team's opportunities and potential for the upcoming season and I am looking forward to being a part of it."

The potential for Locker is immense. He'll immediately become the No. 1 prospect eligible for the 2011 NFL Draft should he stay healthy. He showed that this season and had the best year of his career.

On the season, Locker finished with 2,800 yards passing for 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 58.2 percent of his passes. He also ran for 388 yards and seven touchdowns. Most impressively, he led the Huskies to five wins after the team went 0-12 in 2008.

From a prospect's standpoint, this could be a sound move by Locker. Although he would likely have been a top 10 selection in April, he'll greatly benefit from another year of head coach Steve Sarkisian's pro-style offense.

Sarkisian will likely look to continue to improve Locker's prescience in the pocket and his sometimes-shoddy throwing motion. Washington is also adding much more talent to help Locker next season. Chief among them is wide receiver Kevin Smith, who Rivals.com ranks as the 26th best athlete in the nation.

One player surely to be happy about Locker's decision to go back to school is Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. The former Heisman Trophy winner has seen the limelight taken from him by the likes of Locker, Jimmy Clausen and even sophomore Ryan Mallett. Now with Locker out of the equation, Bradford's draft stock is sure to rise.

There seems to be no correlation between NFL Draft stardom and returning for another collegiate season, however. Bradford did it and got hurt twice. Matt Leinart did it and got overtaken as the top quarterback in the 2006 draft by Vince Young. Brian Brohm and Andre Woodson returned and seemingly fell further in the draft than they would have had they entered after their junior seasons.

The most obvious recent case of it working out for the player was with Matt Ryan. He was considered by most a second- or third-round talent at Boston College prior to his senior year. After a solid senior campaign, he went third overall to Atlanta in 2008.

Adjust your mock drafts accordingly.

Rock out with your mock draft out: Todd McShay

Mocking Dan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:29:45 -0000

Todd McShay, the leader of ESPN's Scout's Inc., released his on Sunday with little fanfare. The draft is Insider content, but SportsCenter put out his top five picks.

First overall, he has the Rams taking Washington junior quarterback Jake Locker. It seems obvious now that St. Louis should take either the top quarterback or Ndamukong Suh.

McShay has the Nebraska defensive tackle going second to the Buccaneers. At this point in the draft process, Suh seems like the most sure thing among prospects and would fill a need for Tampa Bay.

He fills out the top five sending safety Eric Berry to Cleveland third, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to Detroit fourth and offensive tackle Russell Okung to the Chiefs fifth.

Since this is Insider content, I probably can't talk about too much of it here. But there are few surprises in McShay's mock draft. One of them was Jason Pierre-Paul going in the first round at No. 21. The South Florida defensive end is an ESPN favorite, but that seems a little too high. It's easy to fall in love with his athleticism and size, but the production didn't match the hype this year.

There really aren't too many noteworthy picks in this mock. In fact, to ask people to pay to see a one-round mock draft is kind of an insult. Heck, I'd much prefer some of the four and five round monoliths you guys put together in FanPosts.

With that said, keep your mock drafts coming! They are probably the most popular feature of the site, and that's thanks to you readers. So, keep it up.

Jake Locker highlight reel

Mocking Dan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:38:59 -0000

If you haven't had the chance to see many Washington games and don't know a lot about quarterback Jake Locker, check out this highlight video.

Locker hasn't made his pro intentions known yet. In fact, there has been no update on Locker's status in almost a week. Juniors have until Jan. 15 to declare for the draft.

I’ve always assumed I’m coming back. But there’s a lot of stuff out there. I’m going to make that de...

Mocking Dan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:15:11 -0000

I’ve always assumed I’m coming back. But there’s a lot of stuff out there. I’m going to make that decision after the bowl game and see what happens after that. There’s still information out there to be heard. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Houston quarterback Case Keenum on potentially going pro.

Rutgers' Anthony Davis not thinking NFL Draft – yet

Mocking Dan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:26:07 -0000

With Rutgers playing the second bowl game of the year on Dec. 19, expect to hear from elite left tackle prospect Anthony Davis sometime immediately after.

But before Rutgers plays Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl, don't expect much.

"As it gets closer, it’s in your peripheral, but you’ve got to stay focused," Davis told the New Jersey Star-Ledger.

After the St. Petersburg Bowl, Davis will meet with his family and coach Greg Schiano. It will be an uphill battle for Schiano.

Former Rutgers stars Ray Rice and Kenny Britt left early for the NFL and are seeing immediate success. Davis also saw his friend Eugene Monroe go eighth overall in this year's draft.

What does that exactly have to do with Davis? He's better than each of them. After Oklahoma State's Russell Okung, Davis looks to be the second-best left tackle available for the draft.

This year the second tackle taken, Andre Smith, went sixth overall. In 2008, the second tackle taken was Ryan Clady who went 12th overall to Denver. In 2007, the Cardinals took the second tackle in Levi Brown, who went fifth.

Comparing Davis' talent and upside to those three and the possible needs at the top of the draft order, he too should expect to go in the top 12 picks.

Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks returning for senior season

Mocking Dan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:15:37 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

Browse more photos »

Taking a break from players entering talk, someone wants to come back for the 2010 college football season. That would be Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks.

Although Franks submitted an application to the NFL Draft Advisory Committie, Franks said he'd be back in Norman no matter what.

Franks was named second-team All-Big 12 this season after finishing with 42 tackles and two interceptions.

Fellow Sooners underclassmen defenders Travis Lewis and Jeremy Beal haven't made their professional aspirations known yet. Both submitted paperwork.

"It'd have to be pretty high. I have high standards for myself and everybody wants to go in the first round to take care of your family for the rest of your life," Lewis told reporters. "Whether it's this year, next year or the year after. I've got two more years to play. I think eventually I'll be there.