2010 NFL Draft: The Best the Big 12 Has to Offer

While we’re patiently waiting for recruiting to wrap up I’ll jot down some thoughts on the best players in the conference, so Barking Carnival and Boomer & Sooner colleagues can come tell me how I’ve lost my mind. 

I’ll just list these guys in order of least likely to bust. There is no way I can miss on the first guy:

Can’t Miss Dudes:

1. DL Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska—Duh. He’s the best I’ve ever seen at the position as a college player, I think.

2. WR Dez Bryant, OSU—He’s faster than Crabtree, catches everything, and most likely already has professional experience. There will be some red flags on his tax return this year, so teams should be aware that he could miss some practice time this fall meeting with IRS auditors. 

I’m not sure Mike Gundy ever required him to learn how to read, so a new playbook could bring up some issues, if it’s not printed in scratch and sniff format. Still, he's a can’t-miss prospect that is physically ready to beat press coverage in the NFL.

3. S Earl Thomas, Texas—haven’t seen near as much of Eric Berry, but I’ll put Thomas’ route recognition skills up against any DB in this class, sight unseen. He’s fast, fearless, and smart. An asset in every capacity of the game, and I don’t think there is a hole in his game. 

He’s a little undersized, and I could see him eventually having Bob Sanders-like health issues after a few years given the way he plays, but he could also be Bob Sanders.

4. CB Perrish Cox, OSU—He’s colored a lot of the same books as Bryant, but I thought he and LSU sophomore Patrick Peterson were the most impressive CBs I saw play last season. I think he’ll run like the wind at the Combine, and dude looks like an NFL player in pads. 

He’s a better prospect/athlete than Aqib Talib of Kansas a couple years back, and a homerun threat in the return game. Uber-competitive, with 10-year lockdown CB physical tools. He’s not scared to light someone up either.

5. TE Jermain Gresham, OU—I’m placing him this high based on the assumption he’s healthy. Gresham is a good enough talent to make OU a 7-5 football team without him.  Not anywhere near the blocker that Brandon Pettigrew was last year, but a much more dangerous weapon in the passing game that can stretch the middle of the field against LBs and safeties.

6. OLB Sergio Kindle, Texas—He’s on my short list that includes Zach Thomas and Adrian Peterson as guys I knew would be playing on Sundays when I saw them play live in high school. Peers were simply flat-out scared of these dudes.

Most folks seem to be listing his pass rushing ability as the reason he’ll be drafted high, but he’s arguably  more dominant as a perimeter run defender than he is a sack artist.  A little stiff in the hips, and will get pants trying to stay in front of NFL backs covering in the flats.

Remember, these dudes are not Christine Michael. They’re Chris Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, and Darren Sproles. He’ll look good against Adrian Peterson.

I like his versatility and straight line speed more than anything. He looked more dangerous to me over the last half of 2008, with easier assignments and his hand on the ground, but everyone seems to view him as a 3-4 OLB.

I’ll still contend that with 10-15 pounds he’s potentially a souped up version of Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, or Elvis Dumerville as a 4-3 end. 

Crazy burst off the snap, and his speed would serve well chasing down running plays from the backside. I actually think he’s a better run defender than Orakpo was coming out and would hold up fine against tackles with some seasoning.  

Kindle is a guy that you don’t want on the other team more than anything else, and I would draft him in the top 10 just as a football player. Then, build my defense around what he did best because this guy can be a weapon in the right capacity. 

I think the wrong thing to do is unwire his aggressive, violent nature by making him stand up as a LB and make more complicated reads. Plus, his array of effective pass rush moves as a standup player are limited. You neutralize all of his strengths as Mike Sherman can attest to. 

There might not be an NFL tackle that can stay in front of his first two steps when firing off with his hand on the ground. 

7. WR Jordan Shipley, Texas—He’s a white guy. Seriously, that’s the only reason I can figure out why he’s not being mentioned higher in the draft. Good speed (or plays fast), great route runner, catches everything, game-breaking punt returner, fearless competitor.

There is no way I would draft Brandon LaFell or Arrelious Benn before Shipley. The MVP of the 2009 Longhorns. What questions do you have about him?

Hole or Two Dudes:

8. DL Gerald McCoy, OU—I’ll be required to defend this, I assume. McCoy is an elite athlete for 295 pounds, and could possibly play as a 3-4 DE. One thing to bear in mind regarding this Big 12 DL class is that outside of Louis Vasquez and Duke Robinson, they haven’t faced many NFL guards in the last couple of years. And, it tends to show up when a Big 12 team draws an SEC outfit in a bowl game. 

McCoy appeared to be a dominator when lining up against guys like Brandon Carter and Charlie Tanner. He got pushed around by Louis Vasquez and Lonnie Edwards. McCoy plays too high in stretches, and strong guards that can match his quickness will knock him around in the run game. 

It’s a technique issue mostly, and can be corrected with coaching, but it could also be an issue, which concerns me to a degree if I’m spending millions and millions of dollars. His ability to rush the passer and execute stunts as an inside player is what people are paying for here. 

9.  OT Russell Okung, OSU—I felt he was a similar athlete to Micheal Oher when seeing them in live action.  Like Oher, I think he’s a right tackle all the way in the NFL.

He never laid a hand on Von Miller pass blocking, and Sergio Kindle whipped his ass in the running game. I know he’ll be seeing those type of dudes every week at the next level. Brandon Pettigrew made him look a lot better than he is, but Okung is still a big, intriguing athlete with a good work ethic at a position starved for that type of potential.  

I don’t recall him doing very much stupid stuff either, and he has leader potential if he pans out.

10. QB Sam Bradford, OU—I never can tell about QBs, and he doesn’t have the physical tools of Josh Freeman. But, when healthy and receiving good protection, Bradford looked like an NFL player to me. All someone has to do is fall in love with him. I hear he might be a Redskin, and I can clearly see that.

This article was written by dedfischer of The Tortilla Retort

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