Scouting the Bowl Games Part 1
by Wonko on Dec 19, 2009 3:29 PM PST
8 comments
I'd been thinking about doing a FanPost on some of the college guys I've been looking at this year as potential future Chargers. I decided on just focusing on players in bowl games and give a little bit of info on each one. The bowl games kind of snuck up on me though and I'm a little late, which is a shame because Fresno State has a RB that I want people to check (I'm sure ESPN will replay the game late night sometime, try and catch it then)
Here are the Bowls for the opening weekend (plus Tuesday):
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. Wyoming
St. Petersburg Bowl: Central Florida vs. Rutgers
New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee State
Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon State vs. BYU
I'm going to focus mainly on players that will probably go in the 1st or 2nd round. I'm going to focus on positions that might interest the Chargers, which means lots of front seven players, offensive tackles and running backs. I might mix in other positions, but I'll give a reason if I do. I'm also just using all draft eligible players, which will include some Sophomores and Juniors who may end up staying in school. I probably won't mention a top of the draft guy, unless I really want to say something about him or I think there is a slim chance he could slip or we could trade up. Okay, on to the players.
Ryan Matthews RB, Fresno State, Junior - Scouts, Inc (a members-only service provided by ESPN) rates him as a 87, which means a high 2nd round grade. The Chargers have been known to use their 1st round picks on guys that Scouts, Inc grades as 2nd rounders (Cason, English) most likely because their evaluation methods are slightly different. Matthews is LT's size and can be a physical runner utilizes the stiff arm to great effectiveness. The knock on him is that he's a liability on 3rd down. I see this as something that can either be worked on or he could be paired with another back. Another knock is that he's not as explosive as a couple of the other RBs in this draft. He'll probably be a nice value for a second round pick, but maybe the Chargers will think that his 3rd down issues are overstated and grab him in the first. I've been watching the bowl game a little already, and I like his running style. Todd McShay from Scouts, Inc is on record as saying he thinks Matthews will declare.
Anthony Davis OT, Rutgers, Junior - Scouts, Inc has him rated as a 93, which makes him a bonafide 1st round pick. He's a big boy at around 6'5 325 lbs. I don't really know that much about him, but I have seen at least one early mock draft that had the Chargers picking him. We'll have to watch the game and see how he does.
Ryan D'Imperio ILB, Rutgers, Senior - He's not the prospect that first two are. He's only got a grade in the 40s, which makes him a late round option, but he is ranked #10 among ILBs. He's about 6'1 244 lbs. He's been described as a leader and coach on the field. Seems like a high character guy. Remember even guys that are late round picks make plays at the college level, so he's worth keeping an eye on.
Torell Troup DT, Central Florida, Senior - My token UCF player. He's got good measurables for a DT at 6'3 315, but he's most likely a UDFA. We always need DL and he could be a guy that ends up on someone's practice squad (maybe even ours).
Calvin Wilson OT, Southern Miss, Senior - Like Troup he's not much of a prospect, but he's a ginormous human being. He's 6'5 361 lbs. Again, he's most likely a UDFA, but if you're watching the game, take a peek (as if you could miss him)
Sean Canfield QB, Oregon State, Senior - I know what you're thinking. A QB? Wonko's gone mad, Rivers isn't going anywhere. I know that. But, Canfield is worth watching. First, he's from Carlsbad, second, I've heard a couple draft gurus drooling over this guy. He could be someone who starts in the NFL someday. He's 6'4 214 lbs so he's got the right measurables for a QB. His completion % stands at 70% right now, he's thrown 21 TDs to 6 INTs and thrown for over 3000 yards this season.
Dennis Pitta TE, BYU, Senior - There's a chance Chargers may draft a backup TE in this draft. He's 6'4 246 lbs, which is kind of small for the Chargers tastes (based off of Manu, Wilson, and former Chargers draft pick Scott Chandler). He's got a 74 grade, so he could go as high as the 3rd round, so he's got some good qualities that may interest the Chargers.
Jan Jorgenson DE, BYU, Senior - At 6'2 256 lbs he's too small to be a DE for the Chargers, but he's a good size for an OLB in the 3-4. Chargers are always on the lookout for pass rushers and this guy might be there for them at the end of the draft or a UDFA.
This FanPost was written by a member of the Bolts From The Blue community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bolts From The Blue editors or SB Nation.
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Got to watch most of the New Mexico Bowl
Like I said in the post, I like the way Matthews run. He’s not super fast (like Chris Johnson or Steve Slaton), he’s not a darter (like Addai or Forte or Pierre Thomas), he’s not a big back (like Jacobs or Grant or Stephen Jackson) and he’s not a bulldozer (like Michael Turner or Larry Johnson or Marion Barber). He’s somewhat fast, he’s physical and definitely uses the stuff arm, he’s got good vision to find holes and he’s shifty without needed time to cut like LT does. Maybe Frank Gore is a good comparison, but actually he runs a lot like Adrian Peterson, but without the size or speed. Unfortunately he has the same flaw as AP. He uses the stiff arm so much that he doesn’t use two hands to cover up the ball a lot. He’s not an upright runner though like AP or Jamal Charles and he keeps the ball close to his bbody, so it’s still difficult to knock it loose, but it is a little unprotected when he’s running through traffic. It showed up in the game when he fumbled in a pretty big situation. I still like him, but he’s got to work on some stuff and he’s much less of a risk as a 2nd round pick that a first, but he probably won’t fall that far. I might watch the game again just to see if he got any passes thrown to him or did any pass blocking. I didn’t see any plays like that when I watched it live.
Wisdom can not be cultivated through ignorance of information.
I watch BYU a lot being in the MWC
They have a lot of playmakers on offense…you can see one Cougar breaking out this year for Indy in Austin Collie who has been a big part of their offense. Wonko mentioned Pitta who was a consensus all american; QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga are pretty good too.
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by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Dec 19, 2009 9:39 PM PST reply actions
Max Hall is ranked 23rd among QBs by Scouts, Inc. Basically a good college QB with minimal NFL prospects. We’ll probably see him in a college All Star game. Unga seems to be missing from their database.NFL Draft Scout has him as 11th among junior RBs and figures him to go in the middle rounds if he declares. Judging by his size and projected 40 time, he profiles as a tweener back where he probably will end up with a role like Jacob Hester’s if he works hard.
Wisdom can not be cultivated through ignorance of information.
Matthews is a beat
really hope the chargers can get him
Big kid tested, mother fucker approved
by CurbEnthusiasm on Dec 19, 2009 10:25 PM PST reply actions
He is not in a bowl game this year
but what are your thoughts on Anthoney Dixon RB from Miss ST. I am starting to like him more than Dwyer. Dixon runs hard and seems to be a decent receiver.
Dixon definitely improved his stock with a good senior season. Most of the top RBs are juniors so we’ll probably get to see him in the Senior Bowl or another all star game, which I would think can only help his draft stock. He’s a big back at 6;0 240 and he’s a mauler. The knocks on him will be be speed, elusiveness and vision. He’s good at running into people and moving the pile, but in the NFL you need the versatility to do more than that. He also wasn’t used much in the passing game, but has the potential to be a good pass blocker. He doesn’t appear to have the attributes you see from other big NFL backs, but maybe his upside is Ryan Grant. He could go as high as the 2nd round with great performances at the Senior Bowl and the combine, but right now he’s looking like a 3rd or 4th round pick.
Wisdom can not be cultivated through ignorance of information.
I should also point out
His abilities and measurables are very similar to Toby Gerhart. I think Dixon’s draft position will depend on where Gerhart ends up, because if you like Dixon, you have to like Gerhart better.
Wisdom can not be cultivated through ignorance of information.
Your comparison to Grant
seems pretty accurate and would be a good upside for him. Miss ST doesn’t throw a ton but he was third on the team in receptions this year, so I think that he can at least catch the ball.
I only watched Dixon play twice this year so I am by no means an expert on him, but I got a better “feeling” watching him play than I did watching Gerhart. Dixon seemed a little more elusive to me, but I could be wrong.
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