Each and every week, on Wednesday nights, I will update The 3-4 readers on movements within my Big Board. Previous week's performances will dictate which players are labeled, stock up/down.
Stock Up
Nick Fairley
Fairley in short has been a beast. His blend of pass rush and run stopping abilities allow him to help Auburn’s front 7 in dynamic fashion. Fairley is big (6’4 300 lbs or so) and is explosive off the ball. A big reason why Auburn’s defense has the 3rd most amount of sacks in the SEC; Fairley has 5 sacks through Auburn’s first 5 games.
Derek Sherrod
Sherrod continues to impress as a top notch tackle, and won SEC Offensive lineman of week 6. 7 knockdowns and solid blocking against the Houston Cougars, gave way to wide open running lanes. Mississippi State totaled over 500 yards of total offense, and more than 400 of those yards coming on the ground. I already knew he pass blocked smoothly and fluidly, however the strength of blocking on the ground really caught my attention. Continues to perform above and beyond my expectations.
Greg Jones
What more can you say, he shut down THE Denard Robinson. Holding Robinson to below 100 yards is a fabulous accomplishment, but riding on the coattails of an impressive victory over Big Ten rival Wisconsin just adds to the luster. The Spartans front seven, led by Jones, is getting the spotlight they deserve. This is a strong defensive unit.
A.J. Green
A.J. the past two weeks, has all but assured me that he most definitely is the best WR the nation. His ball skills are second to none, and his body control is undeniable. Green is a legitimate deep threat, who can stretch the field better than anyone in the country. As the competition gets tougher into the schedule, I’m excited to see Green punch in his ticket as a big-game performer.
Cameron Jordan
The problem with Jordan has been consistency…key word, HAS. It seems Jordan has finally put together all the physical tools and mental aspect of the game to elevate his draft status to become a 1st round draft prospect. This guy is quick off the snap, sets a hard edge, and does a solid job of pursuing plays and scraping down the line effectively. Simply put, Cameron Jordan is a playmaker, and should be regarded here on out as one of the top DE’s in next years upcoming draft.
Stock Down
Robert Quinn/Marvin Austin
Quinn was declared permanently ineligible to play due to illegal interaction with agents, and Austin was kicked off the team by the school’s athletic department. It’s not a matter of their skill ability, more of a question of their integrity, work ethic, drive, and straight common sense at this point.
JaQuizz Rodgers
Rodgers was recently interviewed, and due to his brother’s season ending injury, both plan on returning in 2011 to Oregon State. Therefore JaQuizz will be dropped altogether from my big board.
DeAndre McDaniel
It’s a shame how talented McDaniel is, and yet how poorly he and this Clemson defense have played. I expected more of this top-notch safety however, I have been vastly underwhelmed. Continues to fall further and further; should wow some scouts in the Combine though.
Marcus Cannon
From what Im hearing around the league, Cannon is an intriguing prospect with 1st round talent no doubt. Yet the uncertainty of where he will play at the next level forces me to put a more sure-fire guy in my top 32. I love Cannon and feel he will develop into one of the league’s most dominant guards; Nevertheless, teams will likely pass on Cannon because the lack of strong opposition and uncertainty in where he will play.
Mark Ingram
Bottled up, contained by a ferocious SC defense this past Saturday, Ingram could not spark the comeback for victory he did in ’09. Ingram sprinkles in these bad games just enough to make you wonder about those other 90% of his solid rushing days. He flashes Emmitt Smith running ability some days, and then follows up with a very less than stellar performance. The fact of the matter is, he is the best RB prospect no doubt, but he will not be as beneficial to most teams in the top 10 or so, due to the position he plays.
*Noteable additions to Big Board: Greg Jones, Cameron Jordan, and Nick Fairley
*Noteable dropoffs from the Big Board: Marcus Cannon, Kyle Rudolph, and Brandon Harris
I think you are a bit harsh about Quinn and Austin. This issue of agents offering money should not be blamed on the student athletes. The NCAA, NFL, NFLPA, NFL agents association, everyone involved needs to come together and figure this out. Kids that come from poor backgrounds and are offered $10,000 are going to take it. Period. I personally think that agents should lose their license for a year if they are caught even offering money to student athletes. If there was a way for the student athletes to confidentially tip the agents' union (I'm not sure what their organization is called), I think we would see a huge decrease in these activities.
ReplyDelete