2012 NFL Draft Q and A With Mocking the Draft’s Dan Kadar: Draft Stock
Every week Dan Kadar of Mocking the Draft and I have a little Question and Answer session. This week I asked Dan about whose stock is up or down based on their performances in bowl games (the West Virginia Game had not happened yet). The impact of the coaching changes, the insane production of a Houston Cougars Wide Receiver, and the overall state of this draft class.
Here’s what he had to say
1). Bowl season is about over who are three players you think improved their stock and three who hurt it?
Baylor running back Terrance Ganaway helped himself quite a bit in he Alamo Bowl. He showed has the flexibility and speed to break through the line and get into the open field. Jamell Fleming, the cornerback from Oklahoma, looked like the real deal against Iowa in the Insight Bowl. He was handling Marvin McNutt soundly. Fleming is someone I really like as an offseason riser. If he shows well in the Senior Bowl, expect him to go in the first two rounds. Is it a cop out to say Andrew Luck helped himself? Other than an interception, he had probably the best game of his college career in the Fiesta Bowl. Some of the throws he was making, especially on the move, were incredible.
Also in the Alamo Bowl, Washington running back Chris Polk hurt himself some. He had big stats, but part of it was a 56-yard run. The rest of the game, he was fairly pedestrian and had a costly fumble. Wide receiver Michael Floyd struggled against the bump-and-run coverage of Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes in their bowl game. While Rhodes is a very good sophomore prospect, Floyd needs to be better at getting off the line and not letting defensive backs disrupt his route. Pretty much every North Carolina player on defense (other than Zach Brown) hurt themselves in the Independence Bowl. What a pathetic performance where the team largely looked like they didn’t care. You have to wonder if that performance is a reason why middle linebacker Kevin Reddick didn’t enter the draft.
2). What are your thoughts on Patrick Edwards, the SR WR for the Houston Cougars, he has eye-popping numbers, but does he have enough ability that projects well to the N.F.L.?
(Editor’s note: Edwards stats this year are 89 catches for a whopping 1752 yards and 20 touchdowns. Including a 10 catch 228 yards,2 touchdown performance against Penn State)
Edwards is as much of a product of the Houston offense as anything else. He has speed and decent hands, but he’s mostly running slants and easier routes to get open quickly. His size is really going to hurt him as well.
3). I said last week in our Q and A that I thought that this was overall a fairly poor draft class, would you agree with that assessment?
I would agree with that assessment, based solely on the players returning to school. Quickly going over some of the top ones, you’ve got Matt Barkley, Manti Te’o, Brandon Jenkins, Jarvis Jones, and others who would be first-round picks. After Andrew Luck, Matt Kalil and Trent Richardson (if he comes out), there is a dramatic drop in talent. Most of the guys who will be top 10 picks wouldn’t be in most years.
4). What coaching change that has been made do you think will most effect the draft day direction of the team?
Probably the Chiefs and Dolphins firings because they ran a 3-4 scheme. Will they going forward? If they switch, personnel for that will be needed and probably found through the draft. It’s a little hard to say because neither team has hired anyone yet.
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