Dec 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange safety Shamarko Thomas (21) looks up at the scoreboard during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Syracuse defeated West Virginia 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 5’9″

Weight: 213 pounds

Drafted By: Pittsburgh Steelers (4th round, 111th overall)

40 Yard Dash: 4.37

Bench Press: 28

Vertical Jump: 40.5″

Broad Jump: 133″

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.26

Career Highlights (via Syracuse athletics site)

At SU: Four letters … Ranks sixth in Syracuse history for tackles by a defensive back with 263 … 2012 ‘Cuse Award Syracuse Eight Award of Courage winner.

Senior Year (2012): Played in all 13 games, including 13 starts..Team co-captain … All-BIG EAST First Team selection … 2012 ESPN.com All-BIG EAST selection … ECAC Division I All-Star … Ranked fifth in forced fumbles (0.23 avg/g) in the BIG EAST … Started all 13 games … Against Northwestern, tallied two tackles, including a sack for a loss of six yards, and forced a fumble … Against USC, recorded seven tackles, including six solo and one tackle for a loss of one yard, and recorded his first career interception … Against Stony Brook, notched six tackles, including two solo… At Minnesota, recorded a season-high nine tackles, including six solo tackles … Against Pittsburgh, tied his season-high nine tackles which included seven solo tackles and one for a loss of one yard … At Rutgers, tallied six tackles, including two solo … Against Connecticut, he earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for his effort, which included four solo tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception, which he returned 27 yards … At South Florida, notched a team-high nine tackles, including six solo, and recovered a fumble that set up a touchdown … At Cincinnati, earned spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for his career-high 14 tackles, including 10 solo, and forced a fumble … Against Louisville, recorded six solo tackles … At Missouri, he recorded six tackles, including four solo … At Temple, he had six tackles, including five solo … At the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against WVU, he notched four tackles, including two solo and 0.5 for a loss of one yard.

Junior Year (2011): Started all 10 games he played … Against Wake Forest, had 10 tackles, including five solo… Against Rhode Island, collected six tackles, including five solo and 1.0 for a loss of one yard … At USC, made seven tackles, including four solo … Did not play against Toledo and Rutgers due to injury … At Tulane, recorded four tackles and had one pass break up … Against West Virginia, recorded five tackles, including four … At Louisville, had eight tackles, including six solo … At Connecticut, made seven tackles, including four solo … Against South Florida, posted six tackles, including four solo … Against Cincinnati, made six tackles, including five solo and one for a two-yard loss … At Pittsburgh, had eight tackles, including seven solo.

Sophomore Year (2010): Played in all 13 games … At Akron, had five tackles and broke up one pass … At Washington, had two solo tackles, recovered a fumble and had a pass breakup … Against Maine, made five tackles … Against Colgate, tallied six tackles, including an assisted tackle for loss . … At South Florida, had six tackles, including four solo stops and a sack for a loss of 11 yards … Against Pittsburgh, had four total tackles … At West Virginia, had seven tackles, including two half-sacks for a loss of eight yards, the second one on the final play of the game … At Cincinnati, registered a tackle … Against Louisville, made four tackles … Against Connecticut, made six tackles … Against Boston College, posted a career-best 12 tackles, including seven solo stops…Against Kansas State in the Pinstripe Bowl, recorded four tackles, including one tackle for loss.

Freshman Year (2009): ESPN.com All-BIG EAST Freshman Team selection … Played in all 12 games, including seven starts, at linebacker, cornerback and safety … Against Minnesota, recorded three tackles, including two solo … At Penn State, had a solo tackle … Against Northwestern, posted seven solo tackles, had a pass breakup and recovered first career fumble … Against Maine, had two tackles … Against South Florida, posted a solo tackle … Against West Virginia, had four tackles, including 1.5 for a loss of yards, and forced a fumble … Against Akron, posted three tackles, including one for a loss … Against Cincinnati, had four tackles, including one for a loss of yards … At Pittsburgh, tallied three tackles and a quarterback hurry … At Louisville, had five tackles, including four solo … Against Rutgers, recorded three tackles, including 1.5 for a loss of yards and one sack, and had one quarterback hurry … At Connecticut, had five tackles, including one for a loss of yards.

2012 statistics

Scouting Report/Player Notes

When I see Shamarko Thomas play, I see a head hunter. I get a little Bob Sanders vibe out of the All-Big East first team performer from a year ago. Thomas is built like a bullet, short and compact but big and strong. At 5’9″ 213 pounds, he threw up 28 reps on the bench press at the scouting combine, and followed it up with a 4.37 in the 40 yard dash. He has freakish speed and athletic ability, and the college production to go along with it. I think in the NFL, he could be a stud strong safety as well as cover the slot in the passing game. His physicality and quickness will allow him to be successful at a variety of positions in the NFL. Always looking to deliver a big hit, and has phenomenal closing speed. I see this guy as a near-lock for a day two selection, and I think he could be a week one starter as a rookie.

Video Highlights (via YouTube)

Nov 23, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Syracuse Orange offensive tackle Justin Pugh (67) during the third quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Syracuse defeated Temple 38-20. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Height:  6’5″

Weight:  301 pounds

Position Rank:

Drafted By: New York Giants (1st round, 19th overall)

40 Yard Dash:  5.12

Bench Press:  N/A

Vertical Jump:  28.5″

Broad Jump:  8’7″

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Very versatile offensive lineman. Started for three years for the Orange, and will likely be able to step into a starting role as a rookie in the NFL. I think Pugh has the talent to play guard, center, or right tackle in the NFL, but some teams are concerned with his arm length. He is one of the smartest players in the entire draft.

Video Highlights (via YouTube)

Nov 23, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Syracuse Orange wide receiver Alec Lemon (15) during the third quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. Syracuse defeated Temple 38-20. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Height:  6’2″

Weight:  202 pounds

Position Rank:

Drafted By:

40 Yard Dash:  N/A

Bench Press:  N/A

Vertical Jump:  N/A

Broad Jump:  N/A

20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Career Stats

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Video Highlights (via YouTube)

Nov 10, 2012; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange quarterback Ryan Nassib (12) looks to throw a pass during the second half of a game against the Louisville Cardinals at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse won the game 45-26. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-US PRESSWIRE

Height:  6’2″

Weight:  227 pounds

Position Rank:

Drafted By:

40 Yard Dash:  5.06

Bench Press:  N/A

Vertical Jump:  N/A

Broad Jump:  N/A

Career Highlights (via Syracuse athletics site)

At SU: Four letters … 2012 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete … 2012 BIG EAST Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year … 2010 and 2012 ESPN Academic All-District Team selection … Member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll every semester… 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 BIG EAST All-Academic Team selection … Fourth BIG EAST quarterback to pass for more than 9,000 yards.

Graduate Year (2012): Set SU single-season records for passing yards (3,749), touchdown passes (26), completions (284), passing yards per game (288.4), total offense (3,891) … 2012 Pro Football Weekly All-American … All-BIG EAST Second Team … 2013 Senior Bowl selection … His 288.4 yards per game ranked 17th in the nation and led the BIG EAST … Tied for the league lead with six 300-yard passing performances … Ranked 18th nationally and led the BIG EAST in total offense (312.3 yards/game) … Ranks second in SU history and third on the BIG EAST all-time list with 70 career touchdown passes … His 22.6 completions per game ranked 22nd nationally … 2012 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award presented by Fidelity Investments … 2012 Capital One Academic All-District Team selection … Team co-captain.

Played in all13 games, started in all 13 games…Against Northwestern, earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors after setting Syracuse and BIG EAST records for completions (45), pass attempts (66) and passing yards (482) … Against USC, was 30-of-46 for 322 yards and two touchdowns, compiling 455 yards of total offense … Against Stony Brook, recorded his fourth career 300-yard passing game, going 22-of-35 for 335 yards and three touchdowns, accounting for 365 yards of total offense and earning a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll … At Minnesota, he completed 21-of- 31 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown pass, increasing his career touchdown total to 54 … Topped 600 with 21 completions against the Golden Gophers to put him at 615 on the SU all-time career completions list … Against Pittsburgh, was 19-of-30 for 185 yards, accounting for 199 yards of total offense … At Rutgers, threw for 356 yards and one touchdown … Against UConn, completed 14-of-20 passes for 251 and two touchdowns … At USF, was 27-for-40 for 328 yards and four touchdowns and set an SU record with his sixth 300-yard game of his career, earning the ECAC co-Offensive Player of the Week award and a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll … At Cincinnati, completed 23-of-47 passes for 286 yards and one touchdown, and scored a touchdown on a one-yard carry … Against Louisville, completed 15-of-23 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns … At Missouri, completed 26-of-40 passes for 385 yards and two touchdowns and became Syracuse’s career passing yards leader (8,845) and earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll … At Temple, he completed 16-of-28 passes for 215 yards and one touchdowns, increasing his career passing yards total to 9,060 … Against West Virginia in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, completed 11-of-23 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Year (2011): One of 11 players to started all 12 games … Set the Syracuse single-season records for completions (259) and passing yards (2,685) and tied the mark for touchdown passes in one season (22) … He ranked fourth on the single-season completion percentage record list (.624) and second on the passing yards per game list (223.8) … His 2,724 yards of total offense ranks second and his 223.8 yards per game is sixth on the SU single-season record list … His 21.58 completions per game ranked 25th in NCAA statistics … His 223.8 passing yards per game ranked third in the BIG EAST and his 129.9 pass efficiency rating was fourth in the league … Averaged 227.0 yards of total offense per game, which ranked third in the conference.

Against Wake Forest, earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recognition after completing 20-of-28 passes, including 8-of-8 in the fourth quarter and overtime, for 178 yards and three touchdowns in a come-from-behind overtime victory … Against Rhode Island, tied a school record for completions in a game with 29, finishing 29-for-37 for 318 yards and three touchdowns en route to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll honors … At USC, earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recognition with a 25-for-37, 230-yard, one touchdown performance … Against Toledo, completed 16-of-24 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime victory and was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll … Against Rutgers, completed 15-of-32 passes for 169 yards … At Tulane, completed 19-of-34 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown … Against West Virginia, was 24-of-32 for 229 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for a touchdown … At Louisville, finished 22-for-36 for 162 yards and one touchdown … At Connecticut, was 24-of-39 for 275 yards and two touchdowns … Against South Florida, completed 23-of-46 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 30 yards on 10 carries … Against Cincinnati, finished 19-for-38 for 203 yards and a touchdown … At Pittsburgh, was 23-of-32 for 225 yards and one touchdown.

Junior Year (2010): Ranked fourth in the BIG EAST with a passing average per game of 174.6 … Ranked fourth on SU’s passing yards in a season list … His 202 completions set the Syracuse single-season record, which he surpassed in 2011) … Threw at least one touchdown pass in 11 games … His touchdown to interception ratio was 19 to 8 … Tied for fourth on Syracuse’s single-season record list with 19 touchdown passes … At Akron, led Syracuse to its first season-opening victory since 2003, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-27 completions … At Washington, completed 17-of-35 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 39 yards and one touchdown on seven carries …His 28 yard rushing touchdown was the first of his career … Against Maine, set a school record with five touchdown passes … Had a career-high 260 receiving yards on a personal-best 19-of-28 completions …Against Colgate, completed 8-of-15 pass attempts for 169 yards and one touchdown … At South Florida, piloted a 98 yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter and a three-yard touchdown completion to Marcus Sales proved to be the game winner … Also, completed 12-of-22 passes for 129 yards against the Bulls … Against Pittsburgh, completed a career-high 25 passes, completing 25-of-46 for 231 yards and one touchdown…Also, rushed for 14 yards on four carries … At West Virginia, completed 5-of-15 passes for 63 yards and one touchdown … At Cincinnati, completed 16-of-26 attempts for 125 yards and threw two touchdown passes … Against Louisville, completed 19-of-32 pass attempts for 125 yards and threw two touchdown passes … At Rutgers, completed 16-of-31 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown, including engineering a 66-yard, 11-play game winning scoring drive in the fourth quarter … Against Connecticut, completed 20-of-36 passes for 171 yards … Against Boston College, completed 15-of-24 passes for 174 yards … Against Kansas State in the Pinstripe Bowl, completed 13-of-21 pass attempts for 239 yards and three touchdowns, including a career-long 52-yard completion, and had six carries for 16 yards.

Sophomore Year (2009): Played in 10 games … Against Minnesota and Northwestern, played a role in specific offensive packages … At Penn State, was 4-of-5 for 30 yards, including his first completion on his first career pass, a 19-yard connection with tight end Cody Catalina … Against West Virginia, entered midway through the game and completed 7-of-16 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns and gained three yards on his first collegiate run … Against Akron, had four carries for 14 yards … Against Cincinnati, went 7-of-10 for 97 yards and had one rush for six yards … At Pittsburgh, completed 5-of-16 for 21 yards … At Louisville, was 2-of-5 for 21 yards and ran four yards on one carry … Against Rutgers, completed 4-of-6 for 69 yards and had five carries for 12 yards.

Freshman Year (2008): Did not play in any games.

Career Stats

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Nassib is one of the hottest quarterback prospects in this year’s crop of players. In fact, after his pro day performance, he has people thinking first round or bust at this point. Nassib has pretty average size for an NFL quarterback. He’s not really tall, but he’s definitely not too short either. Coming from the Big East, Nassib is one of the most decorated passers in Syracuse history, a school that produced one of the better quarterbacks in recent NFL history in Donovan McNabb. Nassib is not a mobile quarterback by any means, but he has a solid arm and competitive drive. The biggest concerns with Nassib are his ability to make plays down the field as well as his ability to perform when the pocket is collapsing. As previously stated, he’s not overly mobile and can be rushed into terrible decisions when the pocket breaks down. Over the last two seasons, he’s been extremely efficient with the football and while in a normal year he wouldn’t be a first round pick at all, he has a chance to be one of the first quarterbacks selected thanks to a really weak class of players overall.

Video Highlights (via YouTube)

Oct 21, 2011; Syracuse NY, USA; Syracuse Orange tight end Nick Provo (80) reacts after a play against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second quarter at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse defeated West Virginia 49-23. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Measurables:

6’3″ 237 pounds

**No workout numbers yet, coming off of knee injury**

31 3/4″ arms length, 9 1/2″ hands

Scouting Report:

After a huge senior season, Provo suffered a disappointing knee injury that has derailed his pre-draft process significantly. First team All Big East tight end and career receptions record holder for the Orange. Pretty good overall size for an H-back but not ideal size for a position that involves a lot of blocking. Not speedy, but a reliable target in the passing game. I am interested to see more out of this guy, and we’ll have to see where he winds up going in the draft with this knee injury. Definitely had a breakout year in 2011 so a name to keep an eye on for sure.

Nov 26, 2011; Syracuse, NY, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats running back Ralph Abernathy (19) is tackled by Syracuse Orange defensive end Chandler Jones (99) during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE

One of the things that I really look for in defensive line prospects is arm length. Linemen have to be able to extend their arms and use leverage to get the offensive lineman off balance and disengage. Long arms does not equal a great pass rusher, nor does it make a great player, but when you look at some of the best pass rushers in the league like Elvis Dumervil or Jason Pierre-Paul, they have a freakish wingspan.

Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones may have struggled with injuries and inconsistencies in college, but he has a ton of raw talent and athletic ability, and a freakish wingspan. Jones’ arm length measured out at the 2012 Combine at 35 1/2 inches, which was more than 6’7″ Michael Brockers and 6’5″ Akiem Hicks.

Jones’ measurables of 6’5″ 266 pounds were impressive in their own right, and it will be interesting to see if the guy who has a surprising first round grade from Todd McShay shows up on the field in drills and absolutely kills it.

Oct 21, 2011; Syracuse NY, USA; Syracuse Orange defensive end Chandler Jones (99) before a play against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second quarter at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse defeated West Virginia 49-23. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

I’m sure this is not the first time it’s been suggested, and it might even be flat out ridiculous, but Chandler Jones has appeared on Scout’s Inc’s recent top 32 players for the 2012 NFL draft, checking in at 22nd on their list.

Jones missed some time due to injury this past season and that is cause for concern, but Scout’s Inc. notes his ability to rush the quarterback, long arms, athleticism, intangibles, and upside as the best qualities he has going forward, and that sounds an awful lot like a Jason Pierre-Paul draft scouting report.

He is listed right now at 6’5″ 265 pounds and finished this past season with 4.5 sacks in seven games. Pierre-Paul had 5.5 sacks in nearly twice as many games in his final season with South Florida.

Right now, Chandler Jones could be in line to get drafted in the first round based purely off of athleticism and upside, but he at least seems to have the intangible qualities to succeed at the NFL level for a while. He was a member of the AD Honor Roll in 2010 and has a really good athletic blood line.

I’m not saying that Jones will be as productive or dominant as Jason Pierre-Paul, but the measurables are very similar, as well as the fact that a lot of their draft projections are based purely off of athleticism and upside. If Jones has a really outstanding combine athletically and medically, he could be in line to be a first round pick in April.

Syracuse DE Chandler Jones

“Us going 100 percent. Geno Smith is a good quarterback, and if you allow him to sit back and pick defenses apart that is something he will do. He has a lot of guys who complement him like Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, guys in the open field who can make big plays. Our job is not to let Geno Smith sit in pocket and pick us apart.”

That was what Chandler Jones said before last night’s prime time matchup against the West Virginia Mountaineers, and Syracuse was able to deliver in a big way, beating West Virginia 49-23.

Jones had been out for the last few games with a knee injury and is considered one of the better, more underrated defensive end prospects in the country. At 6’5″ 265 pounds, this is a guy who has great size and he was sure to make his presence felt in the Orange victory over WVU last night.

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