NCAA
Scouting Preview � (Week 6)���� �~� by SteelPerch
This may be the best weekend of the year prior to the Bowl
games for scouting top prospects.� 14 of
the top 25 teams play against each other this weekend, meaning we will get to
see the best players up against each other in many instances. Again I'll
concentrate on Seniors and some Juniors that are likely to come out and focus
will be on positions that are likely needs of the Steelers.�
Ohio State vs Purdue
The best match-up to watch will be Purdue WR Dorian Bryant
(5�10 180) vs Ohio State CB (6�1 200) Malcolm Jenkins.� Jenkins is a Junior, but may be the #1 CB in
all of college football.� He is a bit
big for a CB, so him matching up vs a smallish burner like Bryant should show a
lot for both players potential.� The
next really good matchup will be Purdue�s behemoth LT Sean Sester (6�7 330) and
solid OG Jordan Grimes (6�3 330) vs Ohio State�s Junior DE Vernon Gholston (6�4
270).� Sester is a late round Tackle
prospect and Gholston is a Shawn Merriman type.� The guy is a physical freak who could play either 4-3 DE or 3-4
OLB at the next level.� Not sure if
he�ll come out or not, but he�s a lock to be a 1st rounder when he
does. Ohio State�s LT Kirk Barton (6�6 310) is a very good all around
player.� He should be a 2nd
or 3rd rounder in the draft.�
He�ll be matched up against Purdue DE Cliff Avril (6�3 255).� Avril looks like a decent 3-4 OLB prospect
for the mid rounds.� Ohio State�s other
OT is even better.� Alex Boone (6�8 320)
is massive and talented. �He�s a junior
that will be better served staying in school and then being a 1st
round lock next year.� The best player
on the field may be Ohio State MLB James Laurinaitis (6�3 244)� He has all of the tools and can play ILB in
any scheme at the next level.� He�s a
Junior but likely to come out from what the scouting reports say as he may be
the 1st LB taken in the draft and may get a higher rating than AJ
Hawk did two years ago.
Virginia Tech vs Clemson
There will be some NFL caliber wars in the trenches in this
game.� The player I�m most interested
here is Clemson OT Barry Richardson (6�7 330)�
He�s a huge guy with all the tools, but sometimes lacks desire and plays
lazy.� Think of a more naturally
talented Max Starks.� He could go
anywhere from round 1 to round 4 depending on how he plays this year and does
at the combine.� He�ll match up with DE
Chris Ellis (6�5 255) who is a speed rusher and a good test, and is a mid round
prospect.� On the interior Clemson has
OG Chris McDuffie (6�5 330) who will line up across from Barry Booker (6�4 290)
and Carlton Powell (6�2 300).� Both are
mid/late round prospects and Booker may fit in as a 3-4 DE.� VA Tech has Xavier Adibi (6�2 220) at LB who
is the brother of former Steelers bust Nate Adibi.� He�s a possible 1st or 2nd round pick but
is way too small for the 3-4. On the other side of the ball VA Tech has a good
OT prospect in Dwayne Brown (6�5 305).�
He�s likely a 4th/5th round pick. �
Others to watch:
VA Tech:
Eddie Royal WR (5�11 185) mid round
Justin Harper WR (6�4 215) late round/FA
Josh Morgan WR (6�1 220) late round
Texas vs Oklahoma
The top players the Steelers would most likely have interest
in here are all Texas boys. Tony Hills OT Texas (6�5 300) is a 1st
day pick that is agile and has quick feet, but some question his size and
strength.� The 2nd player to
watch is Texas DT Frank Okam (6�5 320) who looks like a late 1st or
early 2nd rounder right now.�
He could play anywhere on the line in a 3-4 and would add some nice
depth.� The 3rd guy to watch
is Texas WR Limas Sweed (6�5 215).� He
looks to be a solid 1st rounder and would provide the type of
receiver the Steelers have lacked since Plaxico left town.� Sweed should draw CB Marcus Walker (5�11
195) a mid round prospect.� The best
prospects on Oklahoma are WR Malcolm Kelly (6�4 220).� He�s a talented Junior, a likely 1st rounder, but I
doubt he comes out next year.� Another
talented Oklahoma junior is OG Duke Robinson (6�5 335).� He�ll be a 1st day pick when he
comes out, likely not this year though. RB Allen Patrick (6�0 195) is a day 1
pick, but he�d be redundant with Parker on the roster.� Oklahoma TE Joe Jon Finley (6�6 260) is a
possibility as he is a big bodied blocking TE that could fit in the Steelers 3
TE sets as a late round pick.
�Others to watch:
Texas
Derrick Lokey� DT (6�2 290) late round
Robert Killebrew LB (6�2 230) mid round
Marcus Griffen S (6�1 200) day 1
LSU vs Florida
There will be NFL talent all over the field when these two
teams meet up. LSU has an NFL caliber D-line with 1st round prospects DT Glen
Dorsey (6'2 300) and Junior DE Tyson Jackson (6'5 295) dominating the line of
scrimmage. Florida's defensive line is also outstanding with Junior Derrick
Harvey (6'2 265) leading the way. Harvey most likely projects to the NFL as a 4-3
DE, but he may get some looks as an 3-4 OLB. Jackson would be a great 3-4 DE. �The O-lines will have their hands full.� LSU�s guard Will Arnold was a highly rated
prospect but he has a laundry list of serious injuries which has limited his
playing time and will push him to a late round pick.� Florida�s Center Drew Miller is a decent prospect at C with NFL size.
WR�s Early Doucet (6'0 200) of LSU and Andre Caldwell of Florida are two guys
that should be late 1st � 2nd round picks.
Other players to watch:
LSU
Jacob Hester FB (6'0 230) late round
Chevius Jackson CB (6'0 190) day 1
Will Arnold OG (6'4 315) late round
Ali Highsmith OLB (6'1 225) day 1
Matt Flynn QB (6'3 230) mid round
Jon Zenon CB (5'9 180) mid round
Florida:
Andre Caldwell WR (6'0 200) day 1
Tate Casey TE (6'5 240) late round
Drew Miller C (6'5 305) late round
Kentucky vs South Carolina
Well, my man ILB Jasper Brinkley� (6�2 262) is out for the year so we wont get to see him this week
unfortunately. Kentucky QB Andre Woodson (6�5 235) is the best QB in college
football.� We wont draft him but I�m
sure we�ll have to play against him.�
He�ll be throwing to the most intriguing prospect in this game as far as
the Steelers are concerned WR Keenan Burton (6�2 195).� He has good hands and a nice blend of size
speed and leaping ability.
Other players to watch:
South Carolina:
Cory Boyd RB (6'1 215) mid/late round
Kentucky:
Rafael Little RB (5�10 195) mid round
Jacob Tamme TE (6�5 240) mid round
Eric Scott C (6�4 275) late round/FA