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2012 NFL Draft - Scouting for Future Chargers: Bowl Games Part 2

By Wonko
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Team Needs
Starter Starter Competition Depth Projects
Current starter is FA next year and has no surefire understudy Current starter is FA next year and has understudy or current starter is inexperienced One or more backups are FAs next year May need a new starter or backup after 2012 season
S, FB, C, DT S, ILB, WR, C, DT, OLB, OG
 S, ILB, WR, RB, TE, CB, OT
 QB, K, OLB, DT, DE, TE

In case you missed it, I justified the most recent updates to the team needs list two weeks ago when I scouted the last week of the college football regular season. There's a lot of unknowns until we know the extent of some injuries and any changes in management are made, so I'm not going to say much more about that. Instead let's go to the games.

Florida Int'l
 		(8-4) vs Marshall
 (6-5) Tuesday 12/20 5:00 PM PT (ESPN)
Beef O' Brady's Bowl (St. Petersburg, FL): The time to watch this game will be when Florida Int'l's offense is on the field and the Thundering Herd defense works to stop them. This is two fold. First, the offensive draft pospect will be on the field in diminutive WR Ty Hilton and second because the best defensive prospect will be on the field in DE Vinny Curry. Curry will team up with fellow DE Jeremiah Taylor (SO. and not draft eligible) to terrorize shaky veteran QB Wesley Carroll. Look for the Panthers to use Ty Hilton in both the run game and the pass game to keep the offense moving as well as counting on him to make some noise in the return game.

TCU (10-2) vs Louisiana Tech
 (8-4) Wednesday 12/20 5:00 PM PT (ESPN)
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, CA): TCU follows up last year's Southern California trip and Rose Bowl win with a trip back to the region albeit further south in America's Finest City playing in the lesser of the city's bowl games. The Horned Frogs replaced last year's potent passing attack that featured Bengals QB Andy Dalton and Lions WR Jeremy Kerley with a stable of young RBs (none will be in this year's draft) they use to ground out wins. The Bulldogs are built to stop the run. Massive Sophomore 340 lb NT Justin Ellis eats up space in the middle while Senior sleep draft prospects Jay Dudley and Adrien Cole make tackles from their linebacker positions. The Bulldogs best offensive prospect is RB Lennon Creer, so expect them to stick to the run as well. On paper their OLine is a mismatch and much bigger than TCU's Jr tandem at DT, but scouts say the Horned Frogs can hold their own against the bigs. Also, watch Louisiana Tech's Jr midseason replacement QB Cobly Cameron who is undefeated in his role and could move his way up draft boards over the next year.

Arizona St. (6-6) vs Boise St.
 (11-1) Thursday 12/20 5:00 PM PT (ESPN)
Maaco Bowl (Las Vegas, NV): Of the 3 games in the article, this one probably has the most NFL talent in it. I count at least 8 Boise State players that should be on NFL rosters next year and probably a couple more if you count practice squads. That includes their QB and team leader Kellen Moore, but prospects like OT Nate Potter, DT Billy Winn, RB Doug Martin, S George Iloka, DE Shea Mcclellin and DE Tyrone Crawford rate higher. Arizona State has a 1st round prospect in ILB Vontaze Burfict although it's unknown how much he'll play given his rumored issues with outgoing Head Coach Dennis Erickson. The Sundevils also have a decent OLB prospect in Brandon Magee.

I'll go over the individual players after the jump.

BFTB Scouting Targets:
Player School Pos. Class Height Weight
Nate Potter
 Boise State
 OT
 Sr. 6'5 295 lbs
May not be a good enough athlete to play LT in the NFL, but he could be a starter at RT or OG. He's more accustomed to and skilled at zone blocked rather than any other type. Not a mauler, will use technique and position to get the job done. Won't see him pancaking defenders. His lack of athleticism makes it so he wouldn't be the best at blocking on screens or anything that makes him locate a defender in space. No character issues, good student, played this season while pursuing a graduate degree. (3rd round)
Vontaze Burfict
 Arizona State
 ILB
 Jr. 6'3 252 lbs
Prototypical height, weight, build, speed for the position. He fits the mold as an NFL MLB and will have 4-3 teams drooling to have him lead their defense. He's impressive over the middle, showing the ability to punish players that come his way while also being a sure tackler, violent when taking on blockers and gets through traffic with hands, speed and strength. His run sopping ability is so good, it almost sounds like a negative when talking about his pass coverage, which isn't as good but still would rank as one of the best among ILB prospects. A bit of a freelancer and can lead with his helmet. He also plays with a little too much intensity and can pick up personal fouls in bad situations. (!st round)
Billy Winn
 Boise State
 DT
 Sr. 6'3 293 lbs
Great character and has an outgoing personality. Expect him to be a leader and a media darling wherever he goes. His strength, size and athletic ability show that he could play in a variety of systems. A 4-3 DT or a 3-4 DE would be the ones he's best suited for, although his quickness could allow him to rush the pass in a pinch. His run stopping skills don't grade out as well as his pass rush ones. He's got strength, but not the power and leverage to really penetrate in the run game. (3rd round)
George Iloka
 Boise State
 S
 Sr. 6'3 216 lbs
Tall for a safety. Good at diagnosing plays. Can use this awareness to get good breaks and anticipate routes. He can be a physical presence down the middle of the field. Long strider that can cover ground, but has issues man-to-man. Needs to prove he has the athleticism to play the ball in difficult situations. Not the best run support safety. (4th round)
Tank Carder
 TCU
 OLB
 Sr. 6'2 224 lbs
Potentially a weakside LB in the 4-3 or an ILB in the 3-4. Interesting story about how he was nearly paralyzed in a a crash, but in his junior season of high school finally got to play football. That shows some dedication to the game. Needs discipline in holding his gaps, but he's an aggressive (sometimes wreckless) defender that can chase down plays that don't come his way. Good, sound tackler. Most of this scouting report would imply that he'd be a keeper on special teams at the least. (4th round)
Vinny Curry
 Marshall
 DE
 Sr. 6'3 260 lbs
Has the size to be a pass rushing threat in any defensive scheme, but might struggle athletically in the 3-4 as an OLB. His pass rushing game relies on physicality as he relies on rip moves, violent hands and power to get to the QB. Not great in the run game, but doesn't struggle either. (4th round)
Brandon Magee
 Arizona State
 OLB
 Sr. 5'10 232 lbs
Smallish LB prospect, but makes up for it with good top end speed. Good character guy, intelligent. Does have the size to put much force behind his tackles, but uses solid wrap technique to get the job done at times. Can use speed and awareness to occupy passing lanes. Good blitzer if he can run by a blocker. (4th round)
Shea Mcclellin
 Boise State
 DE
 Sr. 6'3 255 lbs
(4th round)
Tyrone Crawford
 Boise State
 DE
 Sr. 6'4 279 lbs
(5th round)
Ty Hilton
 Florida Int'l
 WR/KR Sr. 5'9 178 lbs
(Mid to late rounds)
Gerrell Robinson Arizona State WR Sr. 6'3 222 lbs
Big bodied WR that converted to the position after being a HS quarterback. Has good ball skills and, as you'd expect from someone with that skill and his size, he's good a shielding defenders by using his large frame. He can take long strides, but he's not a fast runner so he can't consistently be a deep threat. He needs to find holes in zone and just get into positions where he can keep the defender from the ball. Similar to a Danario Alexander who has been a decent role player for the St. Louis Rams. (Mid to late rounds)
Jamaar Jarrett Arizona State DE Sr. 6'5 259 lbs
(Mid to late rounds)
Kyle Efaw
 Boise State
 TE Sr. 6'3 237 lbs
(Late rounds)
NFL Prospects:
Player School Pos. Class Height Weight
Doug Martin Boise State
 RB Sr. 5'9 213 lbs
Plays to contact and will gain yards when running through traffic. Great in the weight room and that's probably where he gets all that strength from. Will take practices to a new level of competitiveness. Doesn't waste a lot of time running side to side or getting shifty. Can be effective in the passing game with his natural hands and ability to go from catch to run quickly. (3rd round)
Kellen Moore Boise State
 QB Sr. 5'11 195 lbs
Possibly too undersized to ever make it in the NFL. However, he's got those great intangibles that potentially could make up for it. Student of the game, makes great decisions on the field, team leader, all of that. Arm strength and accuracy are a little below NFL standards and need to be improved just for him to even be a viable backup QB at the next level. (Mid to late rounds)
Sleepers:
Player School Pos. Class Height Weight
Tyron Tillman
 Marshall OT Sr. 6'4 289 lbs
(UDFA)
Lennon Creer Louisiana Tech RB Sr. 5'11 213 lbs
(UDFA)
Adrien Cole Louisiana Tech ILB Sr. 5'10 232 lbs
(UDFA)
Matt Broha Louisiana Tech DE Sr. 6'4 251 lbs
(UDFA)
Jay Dudley Louisiana Tech OLB Sr. 6'4 223 lbs
(UDFA)
Ryan Williams Louisiana Tech CB Sr. 5'10 185 lbs
(UDFA)
Greg McCoy TCU CB Sr. 5'9 178 lbs
(UDFA)
Anson Kelton TCU P Sr. 6'2 258 lbs
(UDFA)
Braylon Broughton TCU DE Sr. 6'4 255 lbs
(UDFA)
Jerrell Gavins Boise State CB Sr. 5'7 170 lbs
(UDFA)
Dan Paul Boise State FB Sr. 5'11 248 lbs
(UDFA)
Byron Hout Boise State ILB Sr. 5'11 241 lbs
(UDFA)
Chase Baker Boise State DT Sr. 6'1 290 lbs
(UDFA)
Aaron Tevis Boise State OLB Sr. 6'2 238 lbs
(UDFA)
Jarrell Root Boise State DE Sr. 6'3 267 lbs
(UDFA)
Cedric Febis Boise State S Sr. 6'2 210 lbs
(UDFA)
Tyler Shoemaker Boise State WR Sr. 6'1 212 lbs
(UDFA)
Mike Willie Arizona State WR Sr. 6'2 218 lbs
(Late rounds)
Garth Gerhart Arizona State OC Sr. 6'1 305 lbs
(UDFA)
Mike Marcisz Arizona State OG Sr. 6'5 298 lbs
(UDFA)
Eddie Elder Arizona State S Sr. 5'9 189 lbs
(UDFA)
Aderious Simmons Arizona State OT Sr. 6'6 299 lbs
(UDFA)
Dan Knapp Arizona State OT Sr. 6'4 276 lbs
(UDFA)
T.J. Simpson Arizona State WR Sr. 6'0 191 lbs
(UDFA)

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