The Top 25 Players in the 2011 NFL Draft and Their NFL Comparison
The College Football regular season is over, and in the next two weeks before Bowl Season kicks off, we will be taking very close looks at the 2011 NFL Draft.
And what better way to look at the top 25 players in the 2011 Class than by comparing them to their NFL counterparts? Today we break down the top 25 players and which NFL player they best compare to.
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25. Allen Bailey, DE, Miami (FL) / Glenn Dorsey, DE, Kansas City Chiefs
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Bailey, like Dorsey, is a surprising athlete for his size. Both were known in college for their ability to penetrate the offensive live and create pressure on the quarterback. Also, like Dorsey, Bailey projects very well to the 3-4 defense.
Glenn Dorsey took one to two years to adapt to the NFL and to playing in the 3-4 defense. We expect Bailey to hit the ground running at the position.
24. Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M / James Harrison, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Von Miller has been terrorizing Big 12 offenses for the past two seasons. Miller might not be as dirty as Harrison, but both are feared outside linebackers.
Miller projects best to the 3-4 defense, and like Harrison, he will be somewhat undersized compared to his peers in the NFL. Both players are exceptional athletes and fierce defenders.
23. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama/ Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans
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You will hear many comparisons of Mark Ingram and Emmitt Smith during the off-season. We aren't quite ready to give Ingram that much praise.
A more fair comparison is that of Arian Foster. Both are big, bruising backs with a one-cut mentality. Each back has enough speed to break away from the pack, but they are known for their vision, feet work and ability to break tackles.
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22. Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State / Aaron Smith, DE, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Force either player to move outside in a 4-3 defense, and they would struggle. However, ask them to anchor the edge in a 3-4 defense and you have a Pro Bowl caliber defensive end.
Smith and Heyward are alike in that neither is exceptional at pass rushing, but both are sound technicians and valuable in setting the anchor on the outside in a 3-4 defense.
21. Tyron Smith, OT, USC / D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, New York Jets
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Tyron Smith and D'Brickashaw Ferguson are both undersized, lean, quick offensive tackles. Smith, a junior, will not be considered as high in the draft as Ferguson was, but expect similar NFL careers.
Like Ferguson, Smith needs to put on weight and become better at taking on a bull rush. Where he will succeed immediately is in shadowing speedy defensive ends and outside linebackers.
20. Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama / Albert Haynesworth, DT, Washington Redskins
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Dareus and Haynesworth are both supremely talented. And yet both suffer from a lack of motivation at times.
Dareus has top five potential in the 2011 Draft, but his lack of passion and knack for taking plays off should push him to the 20s. However, like Haynesworth, someone will bite on him way too early.
19. Janoris Jenkins, CB, Florida / Asante Samuel, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
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How do Jenkins and Samuel compare? Both are severely underrated, both are a threat to score when the ball is in their hands and both are very dangerous cover men.
Jenkins excels in man coverage, where he can use his athleticism to shut down No. 1 wide receivers. Jenkins, like Samuel before him, can be an immediate impact in the NFL.
18. Jake Locker, QB, Washington / Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota Vikings
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All of the things you love about Favre and Locker are also all of the things you hate about them.
Locker is known to tuck the ball and run for first downs, but he will also take kill shots from defenders. Locker is a gun slinger who makes plays that other quarterbacks would never dare to try, but he also throws careless passes that can easily be intercepted.
17. Brandon Harris, CB, Miami (FL) / Antoine Cason, CB, San Diego Chargers
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Harris and Cason are so similar, it is actually a little scary.
Cason was a big hitting, strong cover corner that people overlooked. Harris is a big hitting cover corner who locks down his side of the field. One very underrated aspect of both cornerbacks is their ability to score once they have the ball.
16. Julio Jones, WR, Alabama / Jeremy Maclin, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
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When you think of Julio Jones and Jeremy Maclin, one thing comes to mind: big plays. Maclin and Jones are both electric receivers with serious ability to run after the catch, separate from defenders and get vertical.
Jones, like Maclin, can contribute to the NFL immediately as a return man and receiver. Expect big things from Jones early on.
15. Bruce Carter, LB, North Carolina / Jon Beason, LB, Carolina Panthers
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Both Bruce Carter and Jon Beason are undersized, speedy linebackers playing in Carolina. Like Beason, Carter is a sure tackler and a play maker. Beason is a little more versatile in that he can play middle linebacker, but as a play maker and difference maker on the outside; Beason and Carter are twins.
14. Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College / Brian Bulaga, OT, Green Bay Packers
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Castonzo's stock has been up and down this season, something Bulaga never worried about until the actual draft came.
Bulaga is playing all over the Packers offensive line as a rookie, something Castonzo could also do in the NFL. Both look best at right tackle, where their power run blocking skills will be on display.
13. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas / Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers
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Both are big bodied, big armed winners from major conferences. Rivers was knocked by scouts because of his delivery, until Senior Bowl week where he blew everyone away. Mallett has fewer doubters, and as a junior he will not have the benefit of playing in Mobile. However, Mallett will not need the audition in front of the NFL's most important to hear his named called early on draft day.
12. Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue / Tamba Hali, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs
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Kerrigan is a defensive end at Purdue, but we expect him to move to outside linebacker permanently in the NFL.
Hali took a few years to find his groove in the NFL after playing defensive end in the 4-3 for the first handful of years. Now that he's in the 3-4 defense and being unleashed on quarterbacks, he has become a Pro Bowl candidate.
11. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa / Tyson Jackson, DE, Kansas City Chiefs
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Tyson Jackson surprised many people when he was the third overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft to anchor the Chiefs 3-4 defense. Clayborn has a chance to be in a similar situation.
Many consider Clayborn the draft's best senior defensive lineman, and we do not disagree. He is best suited to the 3-4 as a defensive end, but like Tyson Alualu last year, Clayborn could slide down to defensive tackle in a 4-3 too.
10. Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina / DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Dallas Cowboys
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DeMarcus Ware, from tiny Troy State, has become the NFL's best outside linebacker. As a pass rusher, run stuffer and cover man he is unparalleled.
Robert Quinn matches up very well against Ware coming out of college. Both are able to play defensive end or outside linebacker. Both have great size, but also the speed to overtake offensive tackles and run down backs. And both are superb athletes who have a natural ability to make plays.
9. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA / Cameron Wake, LB, Miami Dolphins
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Ayers and Wake are both very active, very athletic outside linebackers who will make an immediate impact in the NFL.
Ayers is a freak at the position; in fact, he reminds us a lot of Wake and Jason Taylor combined. A natural athlete with great football instincts. Ayers will be a force rushing the passer and dropping back into coverage.
8. Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn / Darnell Dockett, DT, Arizona Cardinals
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Dockett and Fairley are similar in size, speed, strength and how disruptive they are to offensive lines. Fairley is a very active defensive tackle who has taken over the SEC this year. For all of the Cam Newton talk, Fairley is being overlooked. But not by NFL general managers.
Like Dockett, Fairley could easily slide outside and play defensive end in a 3-4 hybrid defense.
7. A.J. Green, WR, Georgia / Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
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A.J. Green just might be the best player in college football, but you never hear much about him because of the quiet way he goes about his business on the football field. Sounds a lot like Fitzgerald, who has been known best for being quiet leader and consummate teammate.
The two receivers are also very similar in terms of talent and skills on the field. Big bodied, vertical receivers with great hands; Fitzgerald and Green are both incredibly talented.
6. Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State / Michael Roos, OT, Tennessee Titans
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You do not hear much about Michael Roos, but he is by far one of the best left tackles in football. Sherrod, like Roos, is underrated, but he is widely considered the top left tackle in the 2011 NFL Draft class.
Sherrod is not known for glaring athleticism, a massive frame or exceptional strength. What he does well is block, and that's all that matters in the NFL.
5. Cameron Jordan, DE, Cal / Richard Seymour, DE, Oakland Raiders
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Jordan is revered by scouts, offensive linemen and offensive coordinators. He will not blow you away with any one skill set, but he is quietly a very sound defensive lineman.
Jordan has experience in the 3-4 defense, and that is where he will play in the NFL. Like Seymour, who many considered the NFL's best 3-4 end before being traded to Oakland, Jordan is a disruptive force off the edge and against the run.
4. Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson / Julius Peppers, DE, Chicago Bears
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When looking for an NFL comparison to Bowers, you must find a defensive end with great size, unbelievable speed and agility and an innate ability to make plays on the football. We looked high and low on NFL rosters and could only find one player who fit that description: Julius Peppers.
People forget just how athletic Peppers is and definitely how great he was at North Carolina. Bowers has unlimited potential in the NFL.
3. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska / Darrelle Revis, CB, New York Jets
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If you want a cover man who is going to lock down one side of the field for your NFL team, you will love Prince Amukamara.
Like Revis, Amukamara can completely shut down his side of the field. He's not a big play guy, he's not the best athlete in the draft and he isn't the loudest mouth; he's just one hell of a football player.
2. Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU / Charles Woodson, CB, Green Bay Packers
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Charles Woodson remains the only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy without also starting on offense. Peterson is the 2010 version; he even struck the pose in a big return against West Virginia this year.
Peterson is a dynamic return man, corner and sometimes receiver, a lot like Woodson at Michigan. To succeed in the NFL at a level equal to Woodson, Peterson must become a better tackler.
1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford / Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts
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Peyton Manning entered the NFL during the 1998 Draft, the first year I was employed to write about the draft. At the time, and until recently, Manning was the best NFL prospect I had ever seen in college football.
That changed last year, when Ndamukong Suh started tearing apart offenses at Nebraska. And it changed again this year when I saw Andrew Luck throwing the football.
Luck is everything you would ever want in a quarterback. We have watched 10 games from his last two seasons looking for something, anything, to say bad about him. We found nothing.
Andrew Luck is the perfect prospect.
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