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Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.


ncf_a_fairley1x_200.jpg

Nick Fairley's dominant performance against LSU helped boost his stock.


No two players have improved their draft stock more this season than Auburn DT Nick Fairley and Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers.

Fairley has been absolutely dominant versus premier competition in the SEC this season, knocking three quarterbacks out of games and almost single-handedly ruining LSU's offensive game plan. Fairley has a unique frame (6-foot-4, 299 pounds), and a scout I spoke with this week compared him to 14-year NFL veteran Trevor Pryce (Jets).

Fairley's first-step quickness and closing burst jump out on tape, and he consistently splits double-teams and disrupts plays in the backfield. He is hardly a tree trunk versus the run but he does have better lower-body strength than standout LSU DT Drake Nevis, which is the biggest reason Fairley is rated 16 spots ahead of Nevis on our board.

Bowers always has been blessed with potential Pro Bowl tools, but until this season he was giving practice-squad effort. The light finally came on during the offseason, and Bowers' hard work is evident.

The 6-4, 280-pound junior is in better shape, is showing more explosive hand usage and has become a dominant bull rusher. His effort from one down to the next is much improved from a year ago as well. Bowers currently leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks (12.5), and his best football certainly is still ahead of him.

Skeptics are accusing Bowers of flipping the switch for one year in order to cash in his lottery ticket, and while money certainly is a motivating factor, those close to the program give the impression that Bowers has adjusted his priorities and is simply a more mature young man.

Defensive linemen make up half of our top 10 overall prospects with Alabama's Marcell Dareus, North Carolina's Robert Quinn and Oregon State's Stephen Paea joining Fairley and Bowers at the top of the board. Paea is the only senior in that group, but I have been told by multiple sources that the four underclassmen have all but decided to enter the 2011 draft.


Others on the rise

Fairley and Bowers are not the only college players increasing their NFL price tags this fall. Here is a list of 10 more draft-eligible prospects moving up the board, with draft-eligible underclassmen noted with an asterisk:

1. Oklahoma WR Ryan Broyles*
2. Arizona WR Juron Criner*
3. Oregon RB LaMichael James*
4. Florida CB Janoris Jenkins*
5. Oklahoma State RB Kendall Hunter
6. Iowa WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos
7. Illinois DT Corey Luigit*
8. LSU DT Drake Nevis*
9. Auburn QB Cameron Newton*
10. Wisconsin DE J.J. Watt*


QB class more than the big three

Senior Jake Locker (Washington) and underclassmen Andrew Luck (Stanford) and Ryan Mallett (Arkansas) have been atop the 2011 quarterback class since the beginning of the college season, but Newton (listed above) has entered the mix recently due to his exceptional play as a first-year starter for Auburn, as well as the recent off-the-field allegations that will all but force Newton to turn pro after this season.

Assuming all four are available, it's a good bet Luck, Locker, Mallett and Newton will be the first quarterbacks taken in April.

Somewhat overlooked, however, is the rise of three big-name signal-callers from teams currently in the top 15 in the BCS standings, all of whom are in the process of earning spots on Day 3 of the draft.

Andy Dalton of TCU needs to become more consistently accurate with certain throws and he occasionally holds the ball too long, but he possesses NFL size, adequate arm strength and great poise.

Alabama's Greg McElroy has average size, arm strength and athleticism. However, he makes good decisions and throws the ball accurately, and those are the two most important skills when it comes to playing quarterback in the NFL.

Iowa's Ricky Stanzi has a bit of a wind-up delivery and his pocket mobility is only decent, but he has prototypical size (6-4, 230), is throwing the ball accurately and is making far fewer mental mistakes this season.
 
C

Cr122

Guest
I'd love Fairley or Bowers.

Either one. And I'm starting to like Nevis and Jenkins more as well.
 
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