First thing's first, let's put the Team Needs chart. Nothing has changed much even though Bob Sanders is now on IR. He was on a one year contract and it was known that even if he did well this year he'd be gone next year. The defensive line issues don't change anything since most of the players are on multi-year contracts.
| 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 | S, ILB, WR, RB | QB, K, OG, OLB, DT, DE |
In the college world, there are few good matchups this week, but I've already covered some of the teams involved. Alabama and Texas A&M both have pivot games against Florida and Arkansas respectively. In case you don't recall, Alabama has one of the top safety prospects, Mark Barron. That ties in with the aforementioned Bob Sanders injury. Texas A&M has WR Jeff Fuller. Arkansas hasn't been covered in this space, but they have a decent WR prospect named Greg Childs. But, enough about those games. On to the scouting.
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The Cornhuskers are traveling to Madison to take a new conference foe. This is the first Big Ten conference game for Nebraska and they will be greeted by another undefeated team. Another thing these teams have in common is that they both have returning players that were covered in the scouting reports written here last year. Wisconsin has a WR and Nebraska has a DT that were both thought to possibly come out after their junior years, but didn't. Instead they'll face off in this battle of unbeaten newly minted rivals. Lots to look forward to in this one. |
| BFTB Scouting Targets: | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
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Jared Crick |
Nebraska |
DE |
Sr. | 6'4 | 286 lbs |
| Crick earned prominence a couple years ago when he benefited from playing alongside Ndamakong Suh. However, he's a solid defensive line prospect in his own right. He'd need to bulk up to play the 3-4, but his great character and high work ethic would help him make the transition. He's got good burst too, so he might be able to become a pass rushing threat while also covering the normal DE responsibilities. (1st round) |
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Lavonte David |
Nebraska |
OLB |
Sr. | 6'0 | 223 lbs |
| I feel like a broken record record every week, but this another OLB that would seem to be suited for 3-4 ILB a la Jonas Mouton. He hustles and has got quickness and speed to chase down RBs from behind. He's also a good tackler with proper fundamentals and can knock balls loose. He's shown an ability to survive in coverage and wouldn't have to come off the field on 3rd down. (2nd Round) |
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Nick Toon |
Wisconsin |
WR |
Sr. | 6'3 |
213lbs |
| Toon, like Crick, is returning to the scouting reports for a 2nd (if not 3rd) year. He's got NFL genes as some of you might remember Al Toon from the 80s and early 90s. He's good hands and good enough speed and size. He's not a burner, but he runs hard which helps his after the catch running. He'll need to perfect his route running at the next level. (2nd round) |
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Kevin Zeitler |
Wisconsin |
OG |
Sr. | 6'3 | 322 lbs |
| Really hard worker who would have something to prove if he came to the Chargers since I'm not sure he's their type. He plays in that power running Wisconsin offense and would need to learn to pass prospect for a more pro style offense in San Diego. His main asset in the passing game is that he won't be beat often by power rushers. In the run. He's better in the run when he's not used as a pulling guard. (4th round) |
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Aaron Henry |
Wisconsin |
S |
Sr. | 5'11 | 208 lbs |
| The top safety prospect in the game, but as of right now he's not looking like someone that can start in the NFL right away. He's got the fluid hips that you look for in the position and he's rangey enough to cover the deep routes. He'll need film room study to get his route recognitions up to par. He also hasn't shown much of an ability to be a playmaker, but the same good be said of 2011 Chargers draft pick Marcus Gilchrist. (Mid rounds) |
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| NFL Prospects: | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
|
Alfonzo Dennard |
Nebraska |
CB |
Sr. | 5'9 | 204 lbs |
| Smallish CB prospect that's still a good NFL prospect. I think the Chargers value size at the position too highly to take a look. His strength comes in the form of his cover skills despite his lack of height. (2nd round) | |||||
| Player | School | Pos. | Class | Height | Weight |
|
Marcel Jones |
Nebraska |
OT |
Sr. | 6'6 | 327 lbs |
| OT is not a Chargers need, but Jones is a fringe NFL prospect. (Late rounds) |
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Mike Caputo |
Nebraska | OC | Sr. | 6'0 | 275 lbs |
| The Chargers have a future need a center and this one remind me a little of Hardwick, (UDFA) | |||||
| Austin Wells | Nebraska | TE |
Sr. | 6'3 | 246 lbs |
| The Chargers are always on the lookout for UDFA TEs. (UDFA) | |||||
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Austin Cassidy |
Nebraska |
S |
Sr. | 6'0 | 210 lbs |
| Safety is a need and Cassidy is Nebraska's top safety prospect. (UDFA) | |||||
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Bradie Ewing |
Wisconsin | FB |
Sr. | 5'11 | 238 lbs |
| More a run blocking FB in Wisconsin's offense, but worth a look to see if he'd be useful. (UDFA) | |||||
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Russell Wilson |
Wisconsin | QB |
Sr. | 5'11 | 207 lbs |
| Obviously, he's a little short for a QB, but he's had such a hot start for a top team that he's worth mentioning. (UDFA) | |||||
| Jake Byrne |
Wisconsin | TE |
Sr. | 6'4 | 266 lbs |
| Wisconsin has a good history of producing TEs and while Byrne isn't quite as well liked as previous ones, but it's enough to qualify him as a sleeper, (UDFA) | |||||