2011 NFL Draft: 10 Prospects Whose Stock Is Plummeting

In general, the guys who were supposed to be well on their way to the NFL have been disappointing in D-1 football this season.  Notables like Jake Locker and Marvin Austin among others have seen their stock drop off tremendously throughout the season.  

The eyes of NFL scouts have been on many players in 2010.  A handful of these players, some of them from big-time schools, won't get the chance that they once thought they had.  The opportunity to play in the NFL is a great privilege, but one that starts with the collegiate career.  

While injuries and suspensions have played a part, flat-out poor performances on the field have been the major issue.  From star quarterbacks to defensive backs, many have taken a hit this season—not just on the field, but in their wallets.  

The NFL Combine seems to be more important this year than ever before.  It will really sort out who belongs and who doesn't.  This alone won't be enough to save a lot of these guys, though.  Big bowl games and Senior Bowl performances are also key.  

Here are some notable players whose stock has fallen since the beginning of the season.  

Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 05: Jonathan Baldwin #82 of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers catches a pass against the Cincinnati Bearcats on December 5, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Jonathan Baldwin was the most coveted underclass receiver in college football in the beginning of the season.  A pedestrian season has since dropped off his draft stock and bumped him out of the first round, at least.    

Coming out of Pitt, immediate comparisons to Larry Fitzgerald would come.  Both are very big for receivers and have great hands.  Attempting to compare a college kid to one of the best receivers in the NFL is pretty lofty in itself.  Asking Baldwin to live up to such expectations is a whole lot.

Baldwin still put up solid numbers at 52-810-5.  He still has an opportunity to boost his draft position in Pitt's bowl game against Kentucky later this week.  

Baldwin—and the entire Pitt offense, for that matter—have been plagued all season by poor QB play.

DeAndre McDaniel, S, Clemson

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 18: DeAndre McDaniel #2 of the Clemson Tigers against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

While DeAndre McDaniel has been solid for Clemson this season, he may have benefited from forgoing his senior season.  He had eight interceptions last year and could've easily walked and been an early draft choice.

Now his stock is slipping and he's regretting his choice.  Even so, he still had a good senior year, with four interceptions.  

McDaniel's speed is what's gotten him this type of recognition, he must now use all of his tools to regain his draft status.  McDaniel still has time to impress at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.

Boards were calling for him to be a top-12 draft pick this year.  Though he's still going to be one of the early defensive backs taken, top 12 is a bit of a stretch.

Donald Buckram, RB, Texas-El Paso

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NEW ORLEANS - NOVEMBER 07: Running back Donald Buckram #3 of the UTEP Miners runs for a touchdown past Shakiel Smith #49 and Chinonso Echebelem #24 of the Tulane Green Wave at Louisana Superdome on November 7, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by R

This fifth-year senior is no stranger to injuries.  Injuries derailed his senior season and plummeted his draft position.  Donald Buckram's last hopes are now the NFL Combine and Senior Bowl.  He will rely on some strong workouts as he must show a lot if he is to be drafted.  

His breakout season, unfortunately for him, came last year in his junior season.  Had he walked then, Buckram would have certainly been a worthy draft choice.  He ran for 1,594 yards and 18 TDs.  The talent is there but he must find ways to stay healthy.

During his senior year, Buckram ran for just 335 yards.  Remember, though, that he was injured throughout most of the season.

In one of his last big opportunities at the C-USA Championship Game, he flopped. He ran for just nine yards on six carries.  He followed that up with an equally bad performance at the New Mexico Bowl. Against BYU in that game, Buckram ran for just 10 yards on six carries.  

Brandon Saine, RB, Ohio State

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Brandon Saine #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes makes a move after a catch against Darius Winston #21 of the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisi

Brandon Saine hasn't been what the Ohio State Buckeyes had hoped for this season.  His lack of productivity plagued the offense and put them in tough spots in crucial games.  

Saine definitely has burner speed to make up his for his size.  He will use this to his advantage come draft time.  

Saine played a full season in his senior year but couldn't match his numbers from 2009.  His carries were cut in half this season as he shared carries with Dan Herron.  Herron got a majority of the touches, though. 

Saine was even a "gamble" coming into this season, but now his stock has fallen incredibly.  Having an even better senior year could have done wonders for Saine and his draft position.  

Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa

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TEMPE, AZ - DECEMBER 28: Quarterback Ricky Stanzi #12 of the Iowa Hawkeyes walks off the field after defeating the Missouri Tigers in the Insight Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium on December 28, 2010 in Tempe, Arizona. The Hawkeyes defeated the Tigers 27-24. (P

Ricky Stanzi was expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in this year's draft.  Despite a good season, it won't be enough to keep him relevant come draft time.  

Early on in the season, he was stringing together consistently solid performances that helped his cause.  Then the wheels started to come off and Stanzi went on to put up 3,004 yards and 25 TDs.  

The final stretch of the season may have summed up Stanzi's legacy as a Hawkeye.  He was unable to lead his team from late deficits in those three games as they lost by a combined 10 points.  

Even with a win in the Insight Bowl, Stanzi still played horribly and hurt his draft potential even more.  With several other quarterbacks in free-fall this season, Stanzi had an opportunity to rise above.   

Curtis Brown, CB, Texas

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AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 07: Cornerback Curtis Brown #3 of the Texas Longhorns practices before a game against the UCF Knights on November 7, 2009 at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Texas won 35-3. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Ima

There were big things expected for Curtis Brown at Texas.  Brown disappointed on the field as did the Longhorns in 2010.  

Some felt that Brown might make them forget about Earl Thomas this season, but that never happened.  All of his numbers fell this year as he really hurt himself with lackluster performances.  

Growing pains were to be expected, but this was the worst season that the Horns have had in years.  They won just five games in 2010, though the future is still bright.  As for Brown, he will still be drafted, but not that early.  

Mike Pouncey, C, Florida

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 30: Jordan Reed #11 and Mike Pouncey #55 of the Florida Gators celebrate a touchdown during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field on October 30, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Im

Mike Pouncey had big trouble centering the football early on in the season.  Although he worked these problems out, the offense never clicked as it had in the past and this hurt Pouncey's draft stock.  While playing alongside brother Maurkice, Mike was awesome at guard in the past.

The move over to center to replace Maurkice never went according to plan and really hurt the Gators.  In being the anchor of the offensive line, Pouncey was expected to get his act together and help the offense.  His failure to do so put John Brantley in some rough spots.  

Don't expect him to be drafted as high as Maurkice was in last year's draft.  He will likely fall into the second round come April.

Greg Jones, LB, Michigan St.

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EVANSTON, IL - OCTOBER 23: Greg Jones #53 of the Michigan State Spartans awaits the start of play against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on October 23, 2010 in Evanston, Illinois. Michigan State defeated Northwestern 35-27. (Photo by Jonathan Dan

Greg Jones was disruptive in the middle of Michigan State's defense—in 2009.  Last season, Jones was playing at a very high level and could have went high in the draft.  Jones recorded over 150 tackles as a junior.  

This year has been an entirely different story for him.  

While he's still enjoyed a pretty good season, all of his numbers have dropped off and so, too, has his draft stock.  A lot of this has to do with him being undersized.   At 6'1'' and 240 pounds, he's not very big for a linebacker.  

Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina

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CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 7: Marvin Austin #9 of the North Carolina Tar Heels warms up before the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Kenan Stadium on November 7, 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Marvin Austin was suspended for the entire 2010 season.  Obviously his draft status dropped, but how far seems to be the question now.

Austin accepted both gifts and cash from his agent and saw his collegiate career take a tremendous hit.  After a solid junior season, 2010 was supposed to be the apex for Austin and the Tar Heels.  Austin, along with several other Tar Heels, was suspended during this season, which really hampered the Tar Heels.  Teammate Greg Little also was declared ineligible and shot his draft chances as well.  

Austin was a disruptive force in the middle for North Carolina last year and his presence was greatly missed this year.

But player of Austin's caliber won't be overlooked no matter what.  

Jake Locker, QB, Washington

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 11: Quarterback Jake Locker #10 of the Washington Huskies looks on against the Syracuse Orange on September 11, 2010 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Perhaps no one in college football had a more disappointing season than Jake Locker.  Locker was at the top of his game coming into this season and was expected to be the top quarterback in the 2011 NFL Draft.  That honor now belongs to Stanford's Andrew Luck, who will likely be taken No. 1 overall by Carolina. 

The other quarterbacks like Luck and Cam Newton that stepped up made Locker's season look even worse.  Locker may now become the third or even fourth quarterback coming off the board in April.  

Some of his games were just awful this year.  Losses against Nebraska (the first game) and Stanford were horrible.  Then in other games, like the win over Oregon State, Locker was brilliant.  

His status is now vague, but this dual-threat talent was once compared to Steve Young, which is never a bad thing.