Michigan State Spartans Proday Recap: Kirks Cousins Struggles And Does Well!
Yesterday the Michigan State Spartans held their proday. The Spartans have a good number of prospects for the 2012 N.F.L. draft including a potential first rounder in Jerel Worthy (I’m still not buying the Cousins love). There are also a number of intriguing prospects in the later rounds like RB Edwin Baker, WRs B.J. Cunningham and Keswhan Martin, and undersized safety Trenton Robinson. Here is the news from those in the know about Michigan State’s proday. One of the interesting (read: terrible) things about proday reporting is the contradicting information you can get. There are reports Kirk cousins struggle today and other reports that he excelled.
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Daily readers know that Cousins is not my favorite prospect. To me he’s a backup in the N.F.L. or Kyle Orton. He’s not a franchise QB and should not be taken in the first two days of the draft.
Cousins (6-3, 214) has been climbing draft boards since the end of the season because of a great week at the Senior Bowl and an excellent throwing exhibition at the Scouting Combine. But on Wednesday, he took a step backward with an unimpressive workout, according to an NFL source.
Despite throwing to receivers, running backs and tight ends he had worked with throughout his college career, Cousins’ accuracy was off. A surprising number of his throws were off-target, either high or low, and his receivers constantly had to adjust to make tough catches. Wednesday’s performance will definitely concern teams and will likely keep Cousins’ rise from carrying him into the first round.
Worthy (6-2, 308) did not have the great workout he needed to overcome concerns about his inconsistency. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.03 and 5.07 seconds on Michigan State’s slightly fast FieldTurf and completed 28 bench-press reps, but he decided to let the rest of his Combine numbers stand.
In drills, he was light on his feet, looking smooth and quick. However, Worthy looked winded during much of his workout, which should be a concern for any team thinking about drafting him in the first round.
Cunningham (6-1, 211) is not a fast receiver and lacks burst, but he ran sharp and precise routes during the workout. He displayed strong hands, excellent concentration and the body control to make tough catches on deep throws.
Here’s some news on Full back Todd Anderson
Scouts from all 32 NFL teams were on hand Wednesday, including Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.“I think it sends a message to everybody that this is a place that has great chemistry, but not only great chemistry,” MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. “You got guys that can go on and play at the next level. And that’s a positive I think for the program, and it shows where we’ve come.
On Wednesday, fullback Todd Anderson was another Spartan who didn’t attend the combine but took advantage of MSU’s pro day spotlight. He finished with 35 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press and said he’s gotten as many as 45 on a reasonably consistent basis.
“It’s kind of your one shot,” Anderson said. “You can’t have a bad day. It’s kind of a little stressful, because the combine guys can mess up a drill here and there and then come back and redo it. But it’s kind of nerve-racking, especially because you only have one run at things in a couple drills. You just hope to stick it, don’t slip and hopefully they’ll like it.”
Worthy, who has been rated by many as the highest Spartan on a draft board, said some of the NFL teams he met with asked him about Anderson.
Former Michigan State Spartans quarterback Kirk Cousins threw 66 passes during his Pro Day workout, but it wasn’t any particular throw that impressed those in attendance. Instead, it was Cousins decision to lead his own workout that generated the most buzz.
“That’s atypical — most of these quarterbacks are using quarterback gurus,” draft expert Mike Mayock said on the NFL Network’s Path to the Draft. “It was pretty cool to watch the kid throw the ball very well, with better arm strength than I expected, but the fact that he scripted and directed the entire workout was impressive to all the coaches here. I think the more all these coaches get involved with the evaluation process, the more this kid’s stock is rising.”
And now some Mayock thoughts:
Edwin Baker:
“The tailback is only 5-foot-8, but he ran 4.45. The question was, with only 15 career receptions, how were his hands? He dropped two balls, and trust me, he fought catching the ball. That’s kind of tough for a third-down, change-of-pace back. “
Trenton Robinson:
“He’s a guy that ran in the high 4.4s, and in today’s world of the NFL, a pass-first league, he’s going to be an attractive option at free safety.
Here’s another report saying Cousins did well today.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins continues his upward momentum on draft boards. After performing well at the Senior Bowl and combine, Cousins once again looked terrific throwing the ball today. His deep passes were on the money throughout the entire workout, and every throw had terrific velocity. NFL decision-makers on hand were amazed at the way Cousins handled himself today, saying the senior basically ran the workout, organizing his receivers in position drills and coming across as a real field general. His leadership stood out and this bodes well for Cousins, who also come across incredibly well during interviews. He seems like a second-round lock at this point.
Both Spartan juniors who entered this year’s draft stood out. Word is Edwin Baker looked better than anyone during the physical tests, posting a 40 time in the high 4.3s. Baker’s best time at the combine was 4.44 seconds. Jerel Worthy, who did not lift at the combine, completed 28 reps today and was another NFL hopeful from the Michigan State program who impressed future employers in position drills.
Two cornerbacks stood out in Maryland’s workout, as both Cameron Chism and Trenton Hughes ran under 4.4 seconds. Unofficially, Hughes’ best time clocked 4.38 seconds.