Cordarrelle Patterson will not escape the first 16 picks

Written by Tiger Hebert

Tonight I watched NFL Network's Game Changers: Wide Receivers.  I know that these shows are designed to put the players in the best light prior to the draft, but I still find this show to be valuable to watch each year.  In tonight's episode they had Kenny Stills, Robert Woods, Keenan Allen, Da'Rick Rodgers and Cordarrelle Patterson.

A lot of people, myself included, have viewed this years draft class to be a down year for wide receivers.  Not that the group won't be good, but that there appears to be a lack on the top end blue chip players.  That may or may not be true, but this episode of Game Changers definitely had guys with the ability to produce at the next level.

The consensus top wide receiver in the group is the Tennessee Volunteers' Cordarrelle Patterson.  At 6'2, 216 lbs Patterson ran a superb 4.42 official time in Indianapolis.  He added a 37" vertical and a 10'8" broad jump to further display his explosiveness.  No one really needed to see his measurables in Indy to know that he is an electrifying playmaker though.  All they would have to do is watch any of his 2012 game tape as he dominated the elite competition that is the SEC conference.  His 1,858 all purpose yards and 10 all purpose touchdowns show that he was Tennessee's most dangerous weapon.

Now there are some concerns with Patterson.  He only played for one year at Tennessee after transferring in from Hutchinson C.C. (JUCO).  Additionally, as he was only at a top tier program for one season, and his route running is far from polished as well as some of the finer nuances of the position, like down field body control when covered.  These are things that he will need to learn from savy veterans at the next level, but if he is committed to his craft he will be fine.

Beyond his obvious physical skills, Patterson has tons of upside.  Scouting reports and film confirms that he is a natural hands catcher and that he does have the body control to adjust to poorly thrown balls.  Coaches have said the Patterson also possess impressive football intelligence, which will be vital for a rookie in one of the NFL's most difficult positions to learn.

Another aspect of Patterson that teams will like is the fact that his swag is off the charts, even compared to the other wide receivers on the show with him.  Confidence will not be an issue for Patterson, which is going to be important with the pressure to immediately produce, that comes with being a top 15 pick.

One other small thing that I found interesting was how he reacted during the dialogue portions of the show.  Steve Mariucci was asking the players how often the went back to the huddle and told their QBs that they were open.  Each of them laughed as they said 100% of the time.  However the conversation continued to how they would react if the ball was completed elsewhere.  At this point a few of the receivers said if it doesn't come to them it was incomplete.  Mostly they were laughing, but Cordarrelle responded twice by saying something to the effect of, "you guys are diva's."  This whole exchange was funny and light-hearted, but I liked his response, because it showed that even though he wants the ball in his hands, that he is a true team-first player.

There is a pro-player comparison that I want to make, but it will surprise people.  Not because it is hard to see, but because it is an NFL player that plays a different position.  In fact, every time I watch Patterson with the ball in his hands, I see player who used to wear an orange jersey and had braids hanging out the back of his helmet.  That player is the former Texas Longhorns' running back Jamaal Charles.  Charles is only 5'11 and 199 lbs, but he is an explosive home-run threat every time he touches the ball.  Despite being bigger at 6'2, 216 Patterson runs with a very similar lean and body control.  His movements in the broken field are strikingly similar to Charles'.  The only thing that I would like to see more of is Patterson getting North-South quicker, because in the NFL those running lanes will close much faster.


I know that many people will find a pro player comparison of a future NFL wide receiver to a current NFL running back to be odd or even useless, but the bottom line is that Patterson is a nightmare when the ball is in his hands like Charles.  He may not rank as highly as Julio Jones, AJ Green or Dez Bryant, but I believe that he could prove to be just as, if not more explosive after the catch than any of them.

Cordarrelle Patterson will not escape the top 16.

Possible destinations: #8 Buffalo Bills, #9 New York Jets, #11 San Diego Chargers, #14 Carolina Panthers, #16 St Louis Rams.

Jarvis Jones disappoints with 4.83s Forty

Louis Bien - Mocking the Draft.com

Georgia Bulldogs outside linebacker Jarvis Jones opted not to work out at the NFL Combine, making his showing at today's pro day all the more important. For a moment, that gamble appeared to have backfired as Jones apparently pulled a hamstring running the 40-yard dash.

Athens Banner-Herald beat writer Marc Weiszer and 247Sports reporter Gentry Estesreported the hamstring tweak as it happened. It doesn't appear to be a huge issue, though, because Jones ran the 40 again without a hitch as Seth Emerson of The Macon Telegraph and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported later.

More: 2013 NFL Draft coverage Bulldogs coverage at Dawg Sports

Unfortunately, Jones probably didn't achieve the time he was looking for. Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald reported Jones at a 4.85 in the 40-yard dash. By comparison, linebacker Alec Ogletree and safety Bacarri Rambo ran 4.53 and 4.50, respectively. Likewise, Jones put up underwhelming numbers in the broad jump, recording 9'3" and 8'7" on his two attempts according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jones did look good in position drills according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.

Jones is the 2013 NFL Draft's third-rated outside linebacker prospect as ranked by SB Nation's Dan Kadar, and projected to go ninth overall in the first round to the New York Jets in Matthew Fairburn's latest mock. As mentioned, Georgia's pro day was important for Jones to establish his physical skills and post strong workout results in front of a host of NFL team scouts who didn't get the answers they were looking for at the combine. Whether he remains in the Top 10 will depend on how much stock scouts put on his Pro Day numbers.

More highlights:

Defensive tackle John Jenkins also ran well, posting a 5.1 in the 40-yard dash according to Ledbetter. Considering he weighed in at 346 pounds at the Combine, NFL scouts had to be impressed.

Cornerback Branden Smith was not invited to the Combine, but he tested very well for pro scouts, running a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash and jumping 10'8" in the broad jump. He led all players among reported scores.

Running back Richard Samuel was also able to show off his explosiveness, jumping 10'5.5" in the broad jump.

Cornerback Sanders Commings tested very well at the Combine, but sat out the bench press portion of the event. On Thursday, he put to rest any questions about his strength by putting up 23 reps of 225 pounds, according to Pauline.

Defensive tackle Kwame Geathers reportedly looked strong during drills, and said afterward that he has dropped his weight down (!) to 335 pounds.

Cornelius Washington showed off his versatility by participating in linebacker and defensive line drills. He apparently performed well enough to get daps from New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

Star Lotulelei medically cleared for Pro Day workout

Giffin Gota - Mocking the Draft.com

As NFL pro days hit their last major push as March winds down, Wednesday's schedule features one of the 2013 NFL Draft's top prospects in Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei.

Lotulelei was forced to miss the NFL Combine after getting diagnosed with a heart condition. He will be a full participant in the Utes' pro day, however, after he was cleared to resume workouts in late February. The 6'3, 320-pound tackle is the position's top-ranked prospect in SB Nation's rankings by Matthew Fairburn.

More: Lotulelei's Draft scouting report Utah coverage at Block U

Once widely considered the draft's top overall propsect, Lotulelei has some work to do at Utah's pro day to ease the minds of NFL teams and reestablish himself in the loaded position group that is the defensive line. He is currently projected to be taken 13th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Fairburn's latest mock draft.

Tennessee's pro day features a group of offensive players that figure to garner plenty of interest from the NFL. Quarterback Tyler Bray remains a mysterious prospect -- though SB Nation has him as the draft's fifth-best QB -- and will try to follow up a strong showing at the NFL Combine to further increase his stock.

Wide receivers Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter are both top 10 prospects in Fairburn's wide receiver rankings for SB Nation, and will likely be jockeying for a potential spot in the first round of the draft. Former Volunteer wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers, after getting kicked out of Tennessee's program due to failed drug tests and then joining Tennessee Tech, will also work out on Wednesday. He sits atop Optimum Scouting'ssmall school draft board.

At Virginia Tech, wide receivers Marcus Davis and Corey Fuller, along with offensive lineman Nick Becton and linebacker Bruce Taylor, will try to stand out at the Hokies' pro day.

North Carolina State quarterback Mike Glennon, the third-ranked quarterback prospect by SB Nation, could continue to attract attention from NFL teams who think he might fit their specific system.

More: Complete 2013 NFL Draft coverage

Elsewhere, both Baylor and the Ohio Bobcats -- with offensive lineman Eric Hermanand defensive lineman Tremayne Scott -- will have scouts hovering over their respective pro days. Western Kentucky, although defensive end Quanterus Smith may not be able to showcase his skills, will feature prospects such as tight end Jack Doyle and offensive lineman Adam Smith.

Other schools holding their pro day workouts Wednesday include Ball State, Central Florida, Ohio and Sacramento State.

2013 NFL Draft: Compensatory Picks

Matt Verderame - Mocking the Draft.com

The NFL announced the 32 compensatory picks for this year's draft, giving teams the final answer to where they stand heading into April.

The big winners from Monday's announcement were the Houston Texans, who scored the highest compensatory pick at No. 95 overall in the third round to go a along with a sixth-round pick. The Kansas City Chiefs also earned a third and a sixth, and the Tennessee Titans earned picks in the third, sixth and seventh rounds.

The Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens earned the most compensatory picks, with four each. The Falcons earned a pick in the fourth as well as three seventh-round picks, while the Ravens earned picks in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. Meanwhile, the Super Bowl runner-up San Francisco 49ers were given a fourth-rounder and two seventh-round picks to add to an already huge bounty of draft picks. You can check out the full list of 2013 compensatory picks here.

Team	No. of Picks	Rounds
Arizona Cardinals	0	-
Atlanta Falcons	4	4, 7, 7, 7
Baltimore Ravens	4	4, 5, 6, 7
Buffalo Bills	0	-
Carolina Panthers	0	-
Chicago Bears	0	-
Cincinnati Bengals	2	7, 7
Cleveland Browns	0	-
Dallas Cowboys	0	-
Denver Broncos	0	-
Detroit Lions	2	7, 7
Green Bay Packers	1	5
Houston Texans	2	3, 6
Indianapolis Colts	1	7
Jacksonville Jaguars	0	-
Kansas City Chiefs	2	3, 6
Miami Dolphins	2	5, 7
Minnesota Vikings	0	-
New England Patriots	0	-
New Orleans Saints	0	-
New York Giants	1	7
New York Jets	0	-
Oakland Raiders	1	6
Philadelphia Eagles	1	7
Pittsburgh Steelers	1	6
Saint Louis Rams	0	-
San Diego Chargers	0	-
San Francisco 49ers	3	4, 7, 7
Seattle Seahawks	2	7, 7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	0	-
Tennessee Titans	3	3, 6, 7
Washington Redskins	0	-

The picks are given out based on which players a team lost in the previous offseason to free agency. From there, the pick depends on how much the player was on the field, how well he performed and his salary. The third round is the highest selection that can be awarded.

More: Mocking The Draft

Last year, a total of 15 teams received compensatory draft picks. The Raiders were the only team to get a third-round compensatory pick.

It is also worth pointing out that the compensatory picks can not be traded under any circumstances. The team granted the slot has to draft a player right then and there.

For example, Brandon Carr was signed away from the Kansas City Chiefs by the Dallas Cowboys last year. Carr went on to be a full-time, high-caliber starter, which netted the Chiefs a compensatory third-round pick.

Some might sneeze at the idea of a compensatory selection, blowing it off as being the bottom of the barrel. But not so fast pal, I'll give you a few examples.

Linebacker Miles Burris of the Oakland Raiders was taken with a fourth-round comp pick last year and developed into one of the best rookies in football, making 96 tackles and starting 15 games.

In 2011, the New York Giants snagged Jacquian Williams from South Florida, and he became a key player in bringing Big Blue another Super Bowl championship that season.

The year before that, the Green Bay Packers landed offensive tackle Marshall Newhousein the fifth round, now a nice tackle for the Pack.

Don't sleep on the compensatory picks.

Scouting Combine Observations: Defensive Line & Linebackers

Written by Tiger Hebert

• Dion Jordan showed he is every bit the freak athlete that we thought he was.  Not only did he run fast, jump high, etc., but he looked like a natural in the different bag drills.  He bends surprisingly well for someone of his height.  The only knock on Jordan is that he is too light right now to play a traditional end role in the NFL.
• Barkevious Mingo has question marks concerning his effort and production, but his workouts were exceptional as expected.
• Ezekiel Ansah flashed the elite athleticism that we expected with a 4.63 forty and a positional best 1.56 10-yard split.  Ansah also put up a decent 21 reps, considering his arm length (35.18).  Ansah will not escape the top 15.
• The "Eastern Block", Margus Hunt wowed everyone with his combination of size and athleticism.  The Estonian stands 6'8 and 277 pounds.  He benched an amazing 38 times, especially with such a long frame, and ran an official 4.60 which is one of the fastest among defensive ends.  The big question about Hunt is why there was minimal production at SMU, outside of his nearly record setting 17 blocked kicks. 
• DaMontre Moore, as I previously mentioned, was a huge disappointment over the last few days.  He only repped out at a pathetic 12 bench presses.  His forty time was terrible at 4.95, which was slower than defensive tackle Shariff Floyd.
• Bjoern Werner was rather average among the defensive ends.  He did have 25 reps, but his 40 was officially 4.83 and his 10-yard split was a respectable 1.66.  Ultimately I need to study more tape on Werner because his production seems solid, but I think he will be over-drafted in April.

• Florida Gator defensive tackle Shariff Floyd raised concerns with his tiny little arms which only measured in under 32 inches, but when he did the rest of his workouts, his talent was on display.  He looked very fluid in his drills, enough for Warren Sapp to comment on his ability to really flip his hips and run.  He also had an impressive 4.92 forty while being 300 pounds.   Floyd seems to be a lock for a top 10 pick come April.

• Khaseem Greene will need to rely on his production and game tape, because he disappointed during the combine.  The former safety ran a pedestrian 4.71 while putting up just 17 reps.  Fortunately he did have a 1.62 10-yard split though which should help.
• Zaviar Gooden is a player that I am high on and his stock continues to rise with an impressive combine showing.  He ran a sub 4.5 forty, 27 reps and a 34 inch vertical.  You see the explosiveness and athleticism, the question will be why his production dipped after his impressive sophomore season.
• UConn's Sio Moore did not run quite as well as I anticipated as he was in the mid 4.6 range, but he had better size than I realized at 6/1 245 with 33.58 inch arms, so that makes up for the speed difference.  He also had a very good 10-yard split like Greene at 1.62.  With this size and 29 reps on the bench, I think Moore is a good fit for both 4-3 and 3-4 teams and could go as early as the 2nd round.
• I don't want to over-analyze Manti Te'o's workout at the combine, but it is work taking a look at.  His forty was slow as expected, but I am not sure that many people thought he would run in the 4.8s.  Again he is much quicker than fast, and he showed it with a decent 10-yard split of 1.62.  I am curious as to why Manti declined the bench.  This may not be anything, but it does concern me that he didn't feel prepared to display his strength.  He did show decent lateral agility and the quickness in his drills, but his feet didn't look as clean as they could have been.  I don't know if this is an issue or if he was just dealing with nerves and anxiousness.  If I were to make a pro-player comparison at this point in the process, I would have to liken Manti to Rey Maualuga.  So I looked up Rey's combine performance and I found his numbers for the most part to be in the same range as Manti.  I believe Manti is better in pass defense where Rey is more a thumper, but ultimately I think they both fall to the second round and do not have the same impact in the NFL that they did in the college ranks.

Mecial test reveals heart condition for defensive tackle prospect Star Lotulelei's

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 24, 2013, 5:39 PM EST

AP

Star Lotulelei, a defensive tackle from Utah who is widely viewed as one of the best players in this year’s draft, was found to have a heart condition when examined at the Scouting Combine.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that Lotulelei’s left ventricle is pumping at 44 percent efficiency, below the normal range of 55 percent to 70 percent. As a result, Lotulelei will leave Indianapolis without going through any workouts.

Lotulelei’s condition was discovered via an echocardiogram conducted as part of the normal Combine medical evaluation. He will now return home to Utah to undergo more tests.

ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. ranks Lotulelei as the No. 1 overall player in this year’s draft, at any position. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock calls Lotulelei the second-best defensive tackle in the draft.

Scouting Combine Observations: Offensive Skills Positions

Texas A&M's Chrstine Michael

Written by Tiger Hebert

• Geno Smith still has many question marks about his accuracy but he showed that not only was he incredibly productive in college, but he is a much better athlete than many people may have realized.
• Overall, the quarterback group seemed to lack any players that really stood out from the crowd.

• Tavon Austin was blazingly fast running an unofficial 4.25 with a final "official" 4.34.  Austin showed excellent burst and long speed as was expected, but his 40 time was even better than advertised.  Further he showed excellent hands seemed natural in positional drills, he may not escape the first round.
• Texas A&M's Ryan Swope surprised with a much faster 40 time than many expected when he ran a 4.34 with a 1.47 split, showing he could be more than just a possession receiver at the next level.
• Denard Robinson's best time was 4.4, but more importantly he showed better hands than what were on display at the Senior Bowl.  He will still be a project player taken in the later rounds, but this improved his stock.

• Overall the running back group was a bit of a let down to me, because I expected that with the abundance of smaller backs that we would see more burners today.  However many of the players that I thought would torch the 40 ran in 4.5s or higher.  
• Only two running backs ran sub 4.4 forties today.
• Arkansas running back Knile Davis became relevant again today after putting on a show.  The 227 pound back ran an official 4.37 and did 31 reps on the bench.  If he can prove that he has put his medical problems behind him, teams will really need spend more time evaluating him and why he struggled so much in 2012.  
• Christine Michael is a player that I find very intriguing.  He has red flags for have some off the field issues, including having issues with his coaching staff at Texas A&M.  Without knowing the details it is hard to tell if there is a lack of maturity or if the player can be trusted, but his talent is unmistakable.  Today he ran a 4.54 at 220 lbs and had an impressive 1.51 second 10-yard split.  He also hammered out 27 reps.  One thing that stood out beyond the numbers was watching him run through the positional drills.  He ran angry, even during the drills.  This guy might be a huge risk, but I think he could be special.     
• I did not really know anything about Johnathan Franklin, but apparently I will be watching some film now after watching and hearing about him today.  Former NFL coach Jim Mora Jr., who coached him at UCLA gave a glowing endorsement of the young man.  He said Franklin reminded him of a running back that he coached in the NFL named Warrick Dunn.  He said that he was like Dunn both as a running back, but more importantly as a person.  Saying that Franklin was the most impressive combination of talent and character that he has ever coached in his 30 years of experience.