Three and Out College Football Preview: Draft Focus with Ty Macdonnel

Each and every week we take a moment to go over the upcoming college football weekend with www.withtehefirstpick.com ‘s editor Ty Macdonnel. Here is what he had to say about the prospects to watch in Saturdays games.

Travis Lewis or Zach Brown?
Zach Brown for me, but it is very close. I just like Brown’s ability to get to the quarterback better and I think he could transition into a 3-4 OLB or work in the 4-3. But both have ability to be very good pros though, in my opinion.

Jerel Worthy or Brandon Thompson?

This one is easy for me because I am a big fan of Jerel Worthy. However, to be honest I have only had the chance to watch Brandon Thompson play one game earlier this year and he didn’t catch my eye. But I have heard good things about his game and I will check him out a few more times. But for now I am going with the Spartan.

Cyrus Gray or LaMichael James?

This is a tough one as both have some similar attributes and both have had excellent production at the college level. For me it will depend on who the team is that is drafting. I think Gray can play in most NFL offenses and can be a better between the tackles runner at the NFL level. I am not sure if he will prove to be an every down back, but he will definitely have an impact as a third down back. However, if an offensively explosive team drafts LaMichael James and figures out how to use him properly he could be a really valuable weapon. He has the ability to be better than Darren Sproles or Reggie Bush in both the passing game and as an edge runner. But if a team with a stagnant offense drafts James to be the centerpiece in their offense going forward, I think they will be disappointed. So to answer the question Gray is a safer bet for the majority of teams, but there are five or six teams with great offenses who should rank James higher than Gray and who could provide him with the opportunity to become a star. This is similar to the CJ Spiller situation when the Bills drafted him two years ago. He has been misused and now is receiving the “bust” label. But imagine if he had fallen to a team like the Packers, Falcons, or Patriots? He would probably be a star.

Who is a player you think should consider declaring after this year that was not really considered a 2012 N.F.L. draft prospect before the season started?

I am going to go with Alabama tackle DJ Fluker. I know he isn’t a player who is really off of the radar, but coming into this year as a red shirt sophomore, most thought it would be a long shot for him to declare for 2012. However, he has continued to show that he is a powerful player in the run game and he has improved in pass protection as well. I think if he does declare that he will be the second best tackle in the draft after Matt Kalil and could go in the top ten.

Who’s going to win the “suck for luck” this year?

Great question and one that is tough to answer because there are a number of teams in the conversation. Right now there is six teams who I think are in the convo: Colts, Chiefs, Seahawks, Dolphins, Vikings, and Rams. It is still very early in the season and a lot can change between now and January, but of that group of six it is hard for me to see the Colts and the Chiefs not being the worst of the bunch. The Dolphins and Vikings aren’t contenders by any means, but they have to much talent not to win some games at some point. The Rams and the Seahawks play in the worst division in all of sports so they will have the opportunity to win a couple games. But as for the Colts and the Chiefs I just don’t know where their wins will come from. The Colts are dreadful offensively without Manning, and although they have a few great defensive players they don’t have a great enough defense as a whole to win games on their own. The Chiefs have so many injuries and bad luck being thrown their way right now that the could be destined to have some good Luck come to them in April. It will be interesting to watch but I think it will be the Colts who have the first pick in 2012.

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