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By Russ Lande
Sporting News
Sporting News draft expert Russ Lande and his team of former NFL scouts identify the prospects rising and falling on draft boards around the league:
On the rise
1. Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada
After evaluating film of his junior year, most scouts viewed Kaepernick as a super athletic, developmental prospect who was a long way from being ready to play in the NFL and projected him to go in the fifth or sixth round.
This season, Kaepernick (6-4 3/4, 219) has impressed with his athleticism and speed as a runner but, more important, has shown good arm strength and accuracy as a passer.
Throughout his senior season, he has displayed the consistent ability to be accurate from the pocket and on the move. He also has carried the Nevada offense on his back, making big plays with his arm and legs.
Kaepernick will not be a high pick but with a good week at the Senior Bowl in January he could we set himself up to be a second- or third-round pick.
2. Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M
Miller led the nation in sacks in '09 as an end in a 4-3 scheme, but NFL personnel men were excited to have him return for his senior season mostly because A&M was switching to a 3-4 system and he would get a year of experience at outside linebacker.
He has flashed the explosiveness that excites NFL scouts but battled an ankle/foot injury much of '10 and didn't have the same impact for much of the season. Over the last month, however, Miller regained his health and again is playing at a high level.
Miller (6-3, 240) has impressive pass-rush skills from the stand-up position but also has looked surprisingly comfortable in coverage and playing off the ball vs. the run.
His play the last month -- and with 3-4 outside linebackers in such demand in the NFL -- has vaulted him back into the top 15 of the first round and it wouldn't be surprising for him to sneak into the top five.
3. Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
It always is tough to find tall cornerbacks with elite speed and athleticism, and Smith (6-2, 202) definitely has those traits. Smith always shined in man-to-man coverage but has become more consistent in '10 at playing "off" coverage and in zones.
He still doesn't attack runs and passes in front of him as aggressively as he should, but he has eased concerns about his instincts and reaction time. He never will be great in run support, but as a senior he was solid on runs to his side of the field.
With questions popping up about other top cornerbacks, Smith's stock is on the rise. If he has a great week of practices at the Senior Bowl, he could become the first cornerback drafted.
On the decline
1. Nathan Enderle, QB, Idaho
Enderle is a frustrating prospect, failing to maximize his physical skills. His accuracy has been all over the place this year, and he consistently made bad decisions with the ball.
In breaking down film, Enderle (6-4, 235) sill shows good mechanics, the arm strength to make every NFL throw and the athleticism to avoid sacks and make plays on the move, but he is maddeningly inconsistent. Too often in '10, he forced passes into tight spots and was intercepted and threw passes up for grabs when under duress instead of throwing it away.
Enderle will be drafted in April but not nearly as highly as he could have been if he'd followed up his strong junior season with a productive '10. General managers are now wary of quarterbacks whose performance drop significantly as seniors, learning from the mistakes made in drafting Brian Brohm and Trent Edwards too highly.
2. Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State
Heyward, the son of former NFL running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, was expected to challenge for a high first-round pick, but his play slipped significantly as a senior. He could well fall into the second round.
Heyward (6-5, 280) is a well built and athletic end who flashed the ability to play strong at the point of attack vs. run blocks and as a bull rusher, but far too often as a senior he had minimal impact on games. At times, he was pushed around vs. the run.
He never was viewed as an impact pass rusher, but as a junior he showed a decent job of driving blockers into the pocket to disrupt the quarterback's timing. This year, he struggled vs. the better offensive tackles.
Heyward still is a big, strong and athletic end, but his play as a senior has caused his stock to drop. He now likely will be drafted between No. 25 overall and No. 45.
3. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
To call Amukamara a "faller" is a bit of a stretch because he could well move back into the top 10 with strong performances at the NFL Combine and other pre-draft workouts.
Scouts still love his size (6-1, 205), strength, instincts and willingness to play physical in coverage vs. the run, but he failed to have a dominant '10 season.
Elite college cornerbacks can be tough to evaluate because opponents rarely challenge them, but Nebraska's opponents this year threw his way fairly often and he allowed more catches than expected.
Amukamara has not shown the quick transition to close in a blink on receivers and break up passes. He often reminds us of former Rams CB Todd Lyght, an elite athlete who allowed too many catches and rarely broke up passes. He has not shown the elite acceleration and speed and stay with the fastest receivers downfield.
Amukamara has the talent to be a great NFL starter but must improve his footwork to make quicker transitions and improve his ball skills.
Sporting News
Sporting News draft expert Russ Lande and his team of former NFL scouts identify the prospects rising and falling on draft boards around the league:
On the rise
1. Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada
After evaluating film of his junior year, most scouts viewed Kaepernick as a super athletic, developmental prospect who was a long way from being ready to play in the NFL and projected him to go in the fifth or sixth round.
This season, Kaepernick (6-4 3/4, 219) has impressed with his athleticism and speed as a runner but, more important, has shown good arm strength and accuracy as a passer.
Throughout his senior season, he has displayed the consistent ability to be accurate from the pocket and on the move. He also has carried the Nevada offense on his back, making big plays with his arm and legs.
Kaepernick will not be a high pick but with a good week at the Senior Bowl in January he could we set himself up to be a second- or third-round pick.
2. Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M
Miller led the nation in sacks in '09 as an end in a 4-3 scheme, but NFL personnel men were excited to have him return for his senior season mostly because A&M was switching to a 3-4 system and he would get a year of experience at outside linebacker.
He has flashed the explosiveness that excites NFL scouts but battled an ankle/foot injury much of '10 and didn't have the same impact for much of the season. Over the last month, however, Miller regained his health and again is playing at a high level.
Miller (6-3, 240) has impressive pass-rush skills from the stand-up position but also has looked surprisingly comfortable in coverage and playing off the ball vs. the run.
His play the last month -- and with 3-4 outside linebackers in such demand in the NFL -- has vaulted him back into the top 15 of the first round and it wouldn't be surprising for him to sneak into the top five.
3. Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
It always is tough to find tall cornerbacks with elite speed and athleticism, and Smith (6-2, 202) definitely has those traits. Smith always shined in man-to-man coverage but has become more consistent in '10 at playing "off" coverage and in zones.
He still doesn't attack runs and passes in front of him as aggressively as he should, but he has eased concerns about his instincts and reaction time. He never will be great in run support, but as a senior he was solid on runs to his side of the field.
With questions popping up about other top cornerbacks, Smith's stock is on the rise. If he has a great week of practices at the Senior Bowl, he could become the first cornerback drafted.
On the decline
1. Nathan Enderle, QB, Idaho
Enderle is a frustrating prospect, failing to maximize his physical skills. His accuracy has been all over the place this year, and he consistently made bad decisions with the ball.
In breaking down film, Enderle (6-4, 235) sill shows good mechanics, the arm strength to make every NFL throw and the athleticism to avoid sacks and make plays on the move, but he is maddeningly inconsistent. Too often in '10, he forced passes into tight spots and was intercepted and threw passes up for grabs when under duress instead of throwing it away.
Enderle will be drafted in April but not nearly as highly as he could have been if he'd followed up his strong junior season with a productive '10. General managers are now wary of quarterbacks whose performance drop significantly as seniors, learning from the mistakes made in drafting Brian Brohm and Trent Edwards too highly.
2. Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State
Heyward, the son of former NFL running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, was expected to challenge for a high first-round pick, but his play slipped significantly as a senior. He could well fall into the second round.
Heyward (6-5, 280) is a well built and athletic end who flashed the ability to play strong at the point of attack vs. run blocks and as a bull rusher, but far too often as a senior he had minimal impact on games. At times, he was pushed around vs. the run.
He never was viewed as an impact pass rusher, but as a junior he showed a decent job of driving blockers into the pocket to disrupt the quarterback's timing. This year, he struggled vs. the better offensive tackles.
Heyward still is a big, strong and athletic end, but his play as a senior has caused his stock to drop. He now likely will be drafted between No. 25 overall and No. 45.
3. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
To call Amukamara a "faller" is a bit of a stretch because he could well move back into the top 10 with strong performances at the NFL Combine and other pre-draft workouts.
Scouts still love his size (6-1, 205), strength, instincts and willingness to play physical in coverage vs. the run, but he failed to have a dominant '10 season.
Elite college cornerbacks can be tough to evaluate because opponents rarely challenge them, but Nebraska's opponents this year threw his way fairly often and he allowed more catches than expected.
Amukamara has not shown the quick transition to close in a blink on receivers and break up passes. He often reminds us of former Rams CB Todd Lyght, an elite athlete who allowed too many catches and rarely broke up passes. He has not shown the elite acceleration and speed and stay with the fastest receivers downfield.
Amukamara has the talent to be a great NFL starter but must improve his footwork to make quicker transitions and improve his ball skills.