dbair1967

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Broaddus’ Big Board Kicks Off With His Top 25 Prospects

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Bryan Broaddus Football Analyst/Scout


With the 2013 NFL Draft just a few short weeks away, I thought I would take a moment and go over my top 25 players that I have studied as we prepare for the draft. These are players that I have seen on film or watched work out at the Combine or maybe a Pro Day. Check back each week as I do more film study and gather information to get this list perfect for draft day.

•For my first overall player, I have Eric Fisher, the offensive tackle from Central Michigan. There is some really nice depth at tackle throughout this draft with three of them possibly going in the top 15. I think it’s close between Fisher and Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M with Lane Johnson of Oklahoma in the mix as well. The tape on these tackles is outstanding and I can understand why people might have Joeckel a little higher than Fisher because of the conference that he plays in, but if you watch Fisher against the Big 10 teams he faced, plus what he saw at the Senior Bowl, he more than held his own. Johnson is the best athlete of the group and you can really see it in his play. Strength-wise, all three are on par with each other, which is surprising, but technique-wise, Fisher and Joeckel appear better.

•I have defensive tackles Sharrif Floyd of Florida and Star Loutulelei of Utah at numbers two and three on my board, respectively, which should not come as much of a surprise. Floyd is a player that I have been on since day one and there are times when I am studying other players from Florida on defense, but I am always peeking to see what he is doing during the play. Loutulelei will be a great fit in any scheme that he plays in. He is active and strong at the point. It looks like this heart condition is behind him and all has checked out well.

•I think there are more things that you can do with Jonathan Cooper of North Carolina than Chance Warmack of Alabama, which is why I have them at six and seven, respectively. Cooper to me would be better in a zone scheme where Warmack showed some better movement in his workout, so I am not as concerned as I once was but I like Cooper a tick more. Think Cooper could play center if he had to, although I don’t believe that Warmack could.

•West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin might be the most interesting player in this draft, for several reasons. My old boss at the Packers, Ron Wolf, used to say that if a player is short, he had better be able to walk on water. I believe that Austin can do just that. You get a charge when you watch him play. He is one of those guys that can score from any point on the field. He is a difficult player to deal with because of his explosive burst and quickness. He puts huge pressure on the defense with the ball in his hands.

•Ziggy Ansah of BYU has not played much football in his career, but when he does play, you do see something in his game. I really do believe that he can flourish in the NFL as an edge rusher. He has quickness and length to his game. He is one of those players who is hard to run away from. He finds the ball and slides down the line of scrimmage, has a burst to close, and can redirect.

•Notre Dame has put some outstanding tight ends into this league over the years but Tyler Eifert is different in that he is not your normal inline “Y.” He has some flexibility to him. What makes him different is there are plays where you see him line up as a wide receiver. He really does a nice job of getting up the field and adjusting to the ball, and is a difficult player to handle when he gets in the red zone. He plays with outstanding balance and awareness, doing a nice job of using his body to gain separation.

•I think there are some outstanding cornerbacks in this draft. It starts with Alabama’s Dee Milliner, but keep an eye on Jonathan Banks from Mississippi State. Although his Combine 40 time was not great, when you study the games where he covers receivers from Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M, no one is running away from him. He plays with very quick feet, with a burst and catch speed. He can really drive on the ball, and will usually draw the opponent’s best receiver. Doing a nice job of reading routes, Banks knows how to play against the slant and plays well against the routes underneath. He also plays with awareness for his responsibilities. If he has a flaw, he just needs to get off blocks quicker, but teams can use him to cover in the slot because of his feet.

# Player Position College
1 Eric Fisher OT Central Michigan
2 Sharrif Floyd DT Florida
3 Star Lotulelei DT Utah
4 Luke Joeckel OT Texas A&M
5 Dee Milliner CB Alabama
6 Jonathan Cooper OG UNC
7 Chance Warmack OG Alabama
8 Lane Johnson OT Oklahoma
9 Tavon Austin WR West Virginia
10 Sheldon Richardson DT Missouri
11 Dion Jordan DE/OLB Oregon
12 Ziggy Ansah DE BYU
13 Xavier Rhodes CB Florida State
14 Barkevious Mingo DE/OLB LSU
15 Tyler Eifert TE Notre Dame
16 Datone Jones DE UCLA
17 Kenny Vacarro S Texas
18 Kevin Minter MLB LSU
19 Cordarrelle Patterson WR Tennessee
20 D.J. Fluker OT Alabama
21 Jarvis Jones OLB Georgia
22 Johnthan Banks CB Mississippi State
23 Desmond Trufant CB Washington
24 Geno Smith QB West Virginia
25 Bjoern Werner DE Florida State
 

dbair1967

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If Kevin Minter is the 18th best player in the draft than this is a weak draft.

I think he's a good player, but I agree. 18 doesn't seem realistic.

He seems like a 2nd rd pick prospect to me. There's also no way he should be a higher rated LB prospect than Alec Ogletree
 
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Lets remember that Broaddus was a part of some of the worst drafting in Cowboys history, and can't get a job back in the league.
 

Rynie

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This is a weak draft class. With that said...I'm glad the BEST positions in this draft seems to be OL. If we don't walk away with on OG, or RT in this draft. I may go Sandy Hook up in Valley Ranch. (too soon?)
 

Cowboysrule122

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Broaddus Big Board: Ansah, Jordan, and Johnson Move Up

Bryan Broaddus Football Analyst/Scout



This week there were several changes in my Big Board so here they are:

•I have flipped Oklahoma tackle Lane Johnson and Alabama guard Chance Warmack. I did this not as a slam on Warmack but it was something that bothered me last week after I put my list together because I didn’t feel like that Johnson was not that far away from Fisher and Joeckel so I wanted to make sure he was in that mix. I still have Cooper over Warmack but would be happy with either player.
•I have dropped Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson to 12 bringing up Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan and BYU defensive end Ziggy Ansah. The value of the pass rushers is too great here and both of these players can get after the quarterback. Richardson has value in this Cowboys 4-3 scheme at tackle and the three technique but if either of these two were on the board with him, I have a feeling I know the direction they would go.
•Texas safety Kenny Vacarro is the only guy in my book that deserves a first round grade and the more I study him, he could be one of those players along with West Virginia’s Tavon Austin that teams from the back end of the draft come forward on. Teams have an idea that Dallas might be the final spot for Vacarro to go. St. Louis would worry me as a team that might make a deal for their pick ahead of Dallas. I have put Vacarro at 15 on my board.
•Moving up six spots is Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner which is a huge jump for me but he was one of the first players that I studied in this draft because I felt like that the Cowboys were going to be hunting defensive ends if something happen with Spencer. Werner is a player that I needed to give more credit to him than what I have. I will probably not move him up much more and keep him at 19. There is a side of me that believes if he were to somehow slide down the board to 18 that he would be a consideration.
•The players that dropped the most were UCLA defensive end Datone Jones and LSU inside linebacker Kevin Minter. I have to admit that I probably fell in love with both of these players and valued them much higher than where others have them rated but I am not going to drop them out of my Big Board ranking. I think there is some real value to both of these players but when I look at where I have them in relation to players like Kenny Vacarro, Tyler Eifert and Jarvis Jones, then I was a little strong.

# Player Position College
1 Eric Fisher OT Central Michigan
2 Sharrif Floyd DT Florida
3 Star Lotulelei DT Utah
4 Luke Joeckel OT Texas A&M
5 Dee Milliner CB Alabama
6 Jonathan Cooper OG UNC
7 Lane Johnson OT Oklahoma
8 Chance Warmack OG Alabama
9 Tavon Austin WR West Virginia
10 Dion Jordan DE/OLB Oregon
11 Ziggy Ansah DE BYU
12 Sheldon Richardson DE Missouri
13 Xavier Rhodes CB Florida State
14 Barkevious Mingo DE/OLB LSU
15 Kenny Vacarro S Texas
16 Tyler Eifert TE Notre Dame
17 Jarvis Jones OLB Georgia
18 Cordarrelle Patterson WR Tennessee
19 Bjoern Werner DE Florida State
20 D.J. Fluker OT Alabama
21 Johnthan Banks CB Mississippi State
22 Desmond Trufant CB Washington
23 Geno Smith QB West Virginia
24 Kevin Minter MLB LSU
25 Datone Jones DE Florida State
 

LAZARUS_LOGAN

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Texas safety Kenny Vacarro is the only guy in my book that deserves a first round grade and the more I study him, he could be one of those players along with West Virginia’s Tavon Austin that teams from the back end of the draft come forward on. Teams have an idea that Dallas might be the final spot for Vacarro to go. St. Louis would worry me as a team that might make a deal for their pick ahead of Dallas. I have put Vacarro at 15 on my board.

Doe she mean the only safety or the only player period that deserves a first round grade?
 

dbair1967

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This is a weak draft class.

Its weak in terms of there are no "franchise" type talents at the top, but it isn't a weak draft overall. I've seen several comments made about how deep some scouts/draft gurus think the draft is between the 20th-120th pick or so.
 
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