2016 NFL Draft Scouting Notebook for Week 4

Give this son of Missouri all your flyover state jokes, I can handle them, because we're going to talk about corn this week. Yes, corn. And it's draft-related, I promise.

What else is new in the land of the NFL draft? Fans in Chicago and New Orleans are boarding the quarterback train and we're only three games into their respective seasons, so which quarterbacks are worth tracking? I'll give you my current top 10. We're also going to look at the names to know when you watch college football this weekend and how injuries are already reshaping the draft landscape.

The Scout's Report

— When Cal met Washington last weekend, 23 NFL scouts were on hand, according to one of those scouts who texted me from the press box. And for you rumor-crazy Chicago Bears fans, I did also hear from scouts that general manager Ryan Pace brought four scouts with him to the game. Feel free to connect those Jared Goff dots if you'd like.

— I promised we were going to talk about corn, and we are. Corn Elder. He's a lights-out cover corner at the University of Miami. Scouts are raving about him, and for good reason. Per Pro Football Focus, Elder is the top-ranked cornerback in the nation so far.

— Ready for your weekly Jared Goff update? One scout I spoke to this week said, "Don't assume Goff will come out. He loves Cal and could stay four years."

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

— Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller had received some praise as a potential Round 1 cornerback, and he was just outside Round 1 on my rankings. But Fuller has suffered a season-ending torn meniscus, according to a team statement released on Twitter. An meniscus injury is a shorter rehab timeline than an ACL, but the junior cornerback has a big decision to make regarding next season.

— Christian Hackenberg has been a polarizing topic for draft fans given the struggles at Penn State this year, but ESPN's Trent Dilfer compared him to Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman this week.

— Michigan State left tackle Jack Conklin suffered what appeared to be a knee injury in Week 4, and he's not expected to be out for the season, according to Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press. However, head coach Mark Dantonio hasn't released any information regarding Conklin's specific injury or his timeline for return. Conklin currently sits as a top-15 player and the No. 3-ranked tackle on my board.

— Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright is injured again—this time it's an ankle injury. Should that worry fans when it comes to the NFL draft? "The guy [Wright] is small and can't stay healthy. You bet your ass people should worry," is what one area scout told me this week. Wright has missed time with knee and ankle injuries in 2015.

— Duke strong safety Jeremy Cash was a top-tier prospect before the season, but his Week 4 performance against Georgia Tech is a game every scouting department in the country will study. Against the Yellow Jackets' option offense, Cash (6'1", 205 lbs) notched one sack, three quarterback hits, two quarterback hurries and six solo tackles in my charting of the game.

Five Names to Know

5. No. 20 RB C.J. Prosise, Notre Dame

The former wide receiver has been a huge playmaker for the Fighting Irish after moving to running back this season. Prosise (6'0", 220 lbs) has the build of a running back but the hands of a receiver, which makes him equally dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

4. No. 90 DE Shaq Lawson, Clemson vs. No. 78 T Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame

In the four games I've charted this year, Ronnie Stanley hasn't allowed a sack or a pressure. That could change when he meets one of the best edge-rushers in college football Saturday night. Lawson has speed, power and the frame (6'3", 270 lbs) to set Stanley up with the countermoves he's not had to battle this year.

3. No. 5 QB Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

The Texas Tech offense produces big numbers each week, and playing against No. 5 Baylor should allow Mahomes another spotlight game to show off his skills as a passer. Just a sophomore, Mahomes isn't yet a top-tier draft prospect, but he's a player to keep an eye on.

2. No. 7 QB Nate Sudfeld, Indiana

Speaking of quarterbacks, Nate Sudfeld and Indiana aren't expected to put up much of a fight against Ohio State, but the final score doesn't matter much when scouting players. Sudfeld against the Ohio State pass rush is something to absolutely focus on this weekend. 

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

1. No. 55 LB Jordan Jenkins and No. 84 LB Leonard Floyd, Georgia

A tip for aspiring scouts: Pay attention to marquee matchups. Georgia has one of those this weekend against Alabama, and that game will be a scouter's delight. Linebackers Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd both have first-round potential and will get a great test against the Crimson Tide offensive line.

Scouting Report: Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame

Throughout the 2016 draft season, one draft prospect will be highlighted each week with a first-look scouting report. 

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

No. 9 Linebacker Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame (6'3", 240 lbs)

Strengths: Jaylon Smith is scheme-versatile, having lined up at middle and outside linebacker for Notre Dame. He's also been asked to go outside and cover slot receivers and tight ends with notable success in coverage. He's a fast player pulling the chain to attack the run behind the line of scrimmage and shows the quick recognition skills to get a jump on the ball. He's a powerful tackler in the open field and has the speed to chase down ball-carriers outside the hashes. He's built like an NFL linebacker but has the frame to add 10 pounds without losing flexibility. He stacks up blockers well (see the Texas game) and uses his length to keep blockers off his body. Smith was named a captain in 2015 as a junior. He has impressed on film as a run defender inside and outside the hashes, as a pass-rusher on blitzes and when coming off the edge and has held up in man and zone coverage. 

Weaknesses: It may be a coaching point, but Smith will hesitate at times reading the inside run play. Looking back at his 2014 film, he would miss tackles by going low and allowing backs to hop over his arms. He doesn't have the classic size to play inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

Pro Comparison: Patrick Willis, retired

Not since my days watching Patrick Willis wreak havoc on the SEC has a linebacker showed the athleticism, strength, instincts and three-down skills that Smith displays weekly. And like Willis, he's a lean-bodied, long-armed freak playing middle or outside linebacker. Smith currently sits at No. 2 overall on my big board and is the top-ranked linebacker.

The Big Board

Fans, scouts, coaches and analysts. We're all fascinated and consumed with quarterbacks. And when you look around the NFL right now, there are many teams looking to upgrade at the position. Here's a very early look at the top 10 passers for the 2016 draft class and where their draft stock is as October gets underway.

Player	School	Round Projection
10. Brandon Doughty	Western Kentucky	Round 5
9. Blake Frohnapfel	UMass	Round 4
8. Gunner Kiel	Cincinnati	Round 4
7. Cody Kessler	USC	Round 3
6. Jacoby Brissett	North Carolina State	Round 3
5. Carson Wentz	North Dakota State	Round 3
4. Connor Cook	Michigan State	Round 2
3. Cardale Jones	Ohio State	Round 2
2. Christian Hackenberg	Penn State	Top 10
1. Jared Goff	California	#1 overall

Parting Shots 

9. One game not mentioned above is the Big 12 matchup between West Virginia and Oklahoma this weekend. There will be plenty of prospects on the field, but these three are the ones I'll be focused on:

• FS/LB K.J. Dillon, WVU—Dillon is a natural athlete with great instincts, and he's shown the ability to play single-high safety or come down into the box to play the run.
• SS Karl Joseph, WVU—Joseph is tough as nails, but his lack of elite size (5'11", 197 lbs) will be a major question mark for his NFL success. Can he cover well enough to play in the slot?
• LB Eric Striker, Oklahoma—Striker is tiny for the outside linebacker position (6'0", 222 lbs) and may need to make a transition to a safety role in the pros. 

8. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has experienced his share of struggles in the past, but his four-interception Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 really highlighted how his development had stopped. Or even regressed.

I often play the "If I Were the GM" game, and when looking at the 49ers roster, I see three areas that have to be addressed with either a big free-agent pickup or a top-three-round draft pick. They are: quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback.

The 49ers decided not to draft Marcus Peters (off-field issues) in the first round of the 2015 draft, and that move is currently haunting them. That's not to say Peters would have the same success in San Francisco that he's seeing in Kansas City, but it definitely makes you wonder. And with Kaepernick's new contract essentially working out as a year-to-year deal, the team can and should move on from him this summer if he doesn't show marked improvement over the next 14 weeks.

7. Writing while watching Thursday Night Football solidified something I thought this summer and throughout the first three games of the season: Brandon Williams is really good. And this isn't just one Joplin native praising a guy who played college ball here. Williams' power, quickness and overall athleticism are awesome, and he's putting pressure on quarterbacks while shutting down inside and outside run plays.

The NFL 1000 series starts soon, and Williams will be the No. 1 nose tackle on the list when we start scouting players.

6. Twitter followers brought up an interesting debate Sunday night as fans of the 49ers were effusive in their praise of former general manager Scot McCloughan. As I've laid out in this space before, I'm a big fan of McCloughan and believe he'll turn things around in Washington if given time. That said, his time in San Francisco was not as magical as fans like to remember.

McCloughan was the team's vice president of personnel until 2008—where he reported to head coach/general manager Mike Nolan—before taking over as general manager when Nolan was fired. McCloughan held the job until March 2010. That means the 2008 and 2009 drafts were his. Here are the picks:

2008 draft	Pick	2009 draft	Pick
Round 1	DL Kentwan Balmer	Round 1	WR Michael Crabtree
Round 2	G Chilo Rachal	Round 2	Traded to CAR for 2010 Rd 1
Round 3	S Reggie Smith	Round 3	RB Glen Coffee
Round 4	C Cody Wallace	Round 4	Traded to CAR for 2010 Rd 1
Round 6	WR Josh Morgan	Round 5	LB Scott McKillop
Round 7	LB Larry Grant	Round 5	QB Nate Davis
		Round 6	TE Bear Pascoe
		Round 7	S Curtis Taylor
		Round 7	DL Ricky Jean-Francois

It's notable that none of these picks are still on the 49ers roster, but even more notable is that of the 13 draft picks McCloughan made, just three (Cody Wallace, Michael Crabtree and Ricky Jean-Francois) are still in the NFL. 

"

@nfldraftscout How many starting QBs do you see coming out of this draft class?

— Kevin Beirne (@KevBeirne) October 2, 2015"

As of right now—and I'm not done studying this class—I see three rookie starters. Jared Goff, Christian Hackenberg and Connor Cook. Cardale Jones and Jacoby Brissett are intriguing potential starters, but probably not in their first year.

"

.@nfldraftscout probably your only kicker-related question ever, but thoughts on Roberto Aguayo. Go this year, if so when taken?

— Chuck Zodda (@ITP_ChuckZ) October 2, 2015"

I normally wouldn't have any idea about kickers at this time of year, but the Florida State star is a top-100 player on my big board. Projecting where he'll be drafted is tough because every team will see his value differently, but I like him in the Round 3-4 range. 

"

@nfldraftscout When you scout this far away from the draft, do you make separate lists for LT & RT or are they just OT?

— Ben Leech (@ben_leechs) October 2, 2015"

During the season, I keep them all grouped together as tackles and just make notes about which players line up on the left and which line up on the right. I'm not a big fan of saying a player is a left or right tackle because that line is really blurring in the NFL, too. I simply look at a player as a tackle, but I will make mention if I feel the player can only handle the right side. Morgan Moses was an example of this coming out of Virginia. 

"

@nfldraftscout How do you deal with season-ending injuries throughout the draft process (Gurley last year, Jack & Fuller this year)?

— Navin Dore (@RaisinMan101) October 2, 2015"

When I first started in this job, I had no idea how to handle injuries, and it seemed like most NFL teams did their own thing there, too. What I've learned to do since then is what one very good drafting team taught me. I look at the player the same if he'll be able to come back from injury in his rookie year. A good example was Todd Gurley, who I still ranked in the top of the first round. If the injury is expected to cause the player to miss his rookie season (like Aaron Colvin or Ifo Ekpre-Olomu), then I'll move them down based on the information I can gain about the injury, their rehab and their expected return to field time.

1. The Scouting Notebook is a little shorter this week, but that's for good reason. A lot of work is going into our weekly NFL draft show that will be coming soon to your Team Stream. And if you love mock drafts, there will be a new two-round mock draft Monday morning and a new Big Board coming out Wednesday morning.

Matt Miller covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report.