Big 12 Insider: Sizing Up the Conferences Best Draft Possibilities: Part III
In our final installment of our review of the top draft prospects in the Big 12, we will take a look at those prospects from the University of Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Kansas State.
The Big 12 is well known for producing top talent. Just look at how well the Big 12 did in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft last year. Guys like Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford (first pick overall), Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung and Nebraska’s Gerald McCoy helped make the Big 12 “big” in the draft last year.
This year may not see as many Big 12 players taken in such a short stretch in the first round but you can bet that some of the guys that we will talk about here and who we have talked about in the past two parts of our review will be stars in the NFL at some point.
So without further delay, here is a review of those players in the final four schools we have yet to review in out three part series looking at the top draft prospects in the Big 12 for the 2011 NFL Draft.
Blaine Gabbert-QB-Missouri
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Is Gabbert going to be the first player taken in the NFL Draft? Is he going to be the first quarterback taken? Depending on who you walk to there are those that seem to think that he is the best quarterback in the draft and should have a good career in the NFL. Gabbert didn’t do any drills at the combine but at his Pro Day he completed 44 of the 49 passes that he threw and impressed everyone that was there.
There is a battle between Gabbert and Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton heading into the draft for the honor of being the first quarterback selected. There are some that say that Gabbert is a much more complete player than Newton and has a chance of having more success initially than Newton. But then some say that Newton is the better athlete.
Expect Gabbert to be taken early in the draft quite possibly in the top five but most like in the top ten to 15 of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Kevin Rutland-DB-Missouri
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Rutland is not a well known prospect by many as he didn’t have a remarkable career at Missouri but he has some intangibles that teams might like and could turn a few heads. At the combine, Rutland ran a 4.58 40 yard dash and had a 60 yard run of 11.31 seconds. He didn’t do any other drills.
Rutland comes with some nice speed and has good size for the position (he comes in at 5’11” and weighs 190 pounds) and may find his way onto a team with good special teams play. Don’t expect Rutland to get drafted but he will find himself playing somewhere in the NFL as an undrafted free agent where he could end up sticking with a team in the long run.
Aldon Smith-DE-Missouri
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Along with Gabbert, it appears as if Smith is a lock to be a first round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and could end up being one of the most productive defensive players to come out in this year’s draft. At the combine, Smith ran a 4.78 40, had a cone time of 7.19 seconds to go along with 20 reps on the bench press, a 34 inch vertical leap and a 9’10” broad jump.
There are many things to like about Smith. He’s got great pass rushing skills, is very athletic and has the body type that scouts coaches and general managers like in defensive ends. Smith doesn’t have the size that some scouts like to see and does have some problems against the run.
Despite his issues, look for Smith to go somewhere in the middle of the first round of the draft and have a solid career in the NFL.
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Jerrod Johnson-QB-Texas A&M
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You don’t hear Johnson’s name mentioned at all as one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft and he isn’t going to be someone likened to guys like Blaine Gabbert or Auburn’s Cam Newton. Johnson does bring something to the table though in terms of talent.
At the combine, Johnson ran a 4.80 40 yard dash, had a 4.31 second shuttle to go along with a 29 inch vertical leap and a broad jump of 9’11”.
The scouts say that Johnson has one of the stronger arms in the draft and is athletic for the position. But he’s very raw and wouldn’t be able to step in and start in relief in the NFL and may never get to the point where he could be a contributor in the NFL. There may be a team out there that decides to take a late round flyer on him and give him a shot but it wouldn’t be until the seventh round and then it’s much more likely he will go undrafted.
Von Miller-LB-Texas A&M
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Ask any draft expert and they will tell you that Texas A&M’s Von Miller is a sure fire bet to be a top five pick in this year’s draft. There is no other linebacker in the draft that is as NFL ready as Miller is and there isn’t one that is ready to make an impact right away as he is and he will.
Miller’s performance at the combine was very nice as he ran a 4.53 40, had a shuttle time of 4.06 seconds, a 60 yard run of 11.15 seconds, a cone time of 6.70 seconds to go along with a vertical jump of 37 inches, a broad jump of 10’6” and 21 reps on the bench press.
Miller is going to be a solid pass rusher in the NFL and will make an instant impact on the team that drafts him (in rushing the passer). He also brings good mechanics to the position and plays 100 percent all of the time. What Miller struggles with is his change of direction ability and he may not be an every down player.
But Miller is good enough to be a top five pick and will land with someone like the Buffalo Bills or Arizona Cardinals this coming Thursday night.
Daniel Thomas-RB-Kansas State
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Thomas didn’t participate in any of the combine drills but he is still ranked fairly high at the running back position and there are those that feel that he could be a fourth or fifth round pick.
Thomas has the leg drive to break through tackles and gain extra yards and is also capable of getting through the line and getting those tough yards in the middle. He has near fullback like size which would be great in goal line and short yardage situations.
What scouts don’t like about Thomas is that he doesn’t get low enough when he runs leaving him open to injury. He’s a little bit older than some of the other running backs in this year’s draft class and needs to wrap the ball up better. He doesn’t have the leg explosion that would be ideal for a starting running back.
Thomas could be tabbed as mid round pick and may be converted to a fullback if some team wants to go ahead and try that but he will most likely be a change of pace type back and a special teamer to start.
Colby Whitlock-DT-Texas Tech
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Whitlock didn’t have a solid performance at the combine running the 40 yard dash in 5.31 seconds to go along with a 7.73 second cone, a vertical leap of 30.5 inches and a broad jump of 8’9” and this will reflect in the eyes of some NFL scouts and general managers.
Whitlock does do some things well including getting off of the snap in a hurry, playing the run well and keeping himself low enough to effectively take on blockers. He does not have the size that most coaches would want in a starting defensive tackle and isn’t as strong as others in the same position. He’s a project.
It’s not likely that Whitlock is going to get drafted but instead will wind up as an undrafted free agent on a team somewhere in the NFL.
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