Top Draft Picks Out of Iowa City in the 2012 NFL Draft
The regular season is officially done and bowl season is now upon us. Bowl games reward athletes of a great season but they also give the seniors looking to the draft, one last performance to try and raise their draft stock. 13 guys off the Iowa roster in my mind have a shot of making an NFL squad next season. I’ll give you my top guys coming out of Iowa City, in no particular order, below.
Mike Daniels DT- 6’1 280lbs– Daniels, AKA “the Beast” plays like his nickname. He is powerful up front and has the ability to fill gaps and stop the run, but also has the speed and athleticism to rush the passer and make key tackle for loss. Daniels is a second team all Big Ten selection by the coaches and a first team all Big Ten honorable mention by the media. I expect Daniels to be drafted in the middle to late rounds. He has the ability to make a significant impact at the next level but may be over looked if he doesn’t have a good pro day.
Broderick Binns DE- 6’2 261lbs– Binns is a guy who really jumped into the Big Ten radar during his sophomore year ( 58 tackles 6 sacks) but was bruised by injuries his junior year and really had a down season. His senior year he began the year under the radar and really performed well. With one game left he has 53 tackles and 5 sacks, so with a good game in Arizona he could break his sophomore year numbers. Something to note as well would be Binns was arrested in June of 2011 for driving drunk but has rebounded well from that. Binns can rush the edge and make plays like any defensive end but the thing that sets him back is his ability to bat down the ball for a pass break up. You see that more from defensive tackles. Binns has eight pass break ups this season. I could see him being successful in a 3-4 scheme.
Shaun Prater DB 5-11 185lbs Prater flirted witht the NFL last year but decided to come back for his senior season and I think he benifited from it. He obviously had a down year as far as numbers are concered. He nearly had half as many tackles last year(68) as he did this year(38). Same goes for interceptions, last year he had four compared to one this year. In my opinion getting another year of coaching from the Iowa defensive staff and playing in the Big Ten can only help you. He may not go as high in the draft as he would have but talent wise he is still just as good as he was last year. Prater is a player maker, his one interception this year, was a 89 yard pick six. Prater also is near the top of the list in the country in forced fumbles this year. I expect Prater to be selected between ronds four and seven.
Marvin McNutt WR 6’4 215lbs One of the best wide outs in Iowa football history will be headed to the NFL, likely via the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. McNutt is tall and quick which makes him a valuable threat in the red zone. That probobly explains why he has the most touchdowns by an Iowa receiver in the history of the program. There isn’t much Marvin needs to improve on. He does everything that you as a wide out to do at a near perfection level except for one thing. He has had a few too many drops as of late. It’s a common mistake, he makes his next move before securing the the ball. The good thing is, after a drop, he normally comes back with an amazing catch.
Riley Reiff-OL-6’6 300lbs Saving the best for last. Riley Reiff, someone I know on a personal level. Reiff will likely go in the top ten of the first round even though his draft stock has fallen a bit because of poor play down the stretch. He has given up some sacks of late but I have no doubt that he will get it corrected. He is smart guy and works as hard as anyone. His run blocking ability is rock solid when he is on his “A” game. His pass blocking is even better, (besides the last few weeks) defenders rarely see the edge against him. I have no doubt in my mind he can play left tackle at the next level. He does need to improve his hand placement and lower body strength to be in the “best of the best” category at the next level.