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Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Tavon Austin – West Virginia

Height: 5084

Weight: 174

Age when drafted: 22

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Position: WR

Collegiate Number: 1

Combine notables: 4.34 40 with 1.45 10 split, 14 bench reps, 4.01 short shuttle, 10’ broad jump, 32” vertical

Games Viewed: 2012 – Maryland, Texas, Baylor, Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, TCU, Syracuse 2011 – LSU, Clemson

BACKGROUND:

Tavon Austin attended Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Maryland. As a senior he rushed for 2,660 yards and scored 34 touchdowns. Austin led Dunbar to three consecutive Class 1A state titles. He set Maryland records for points, touchdowns, total offensive yards, and rushing yards.

Austin was converted to wide receiver when he stepped on campus in 2009. He saw action as a true freshman as he accounted for 15 receptions for 151 yards and a TD. In addition he rushed for a TD and returned a kickoff for a TD as a true freshman. Austin broke out as a sophomore with 58 receptions for 787 yards and a team leading 8 TD’s. As a junior, Austin caught 101 passes for 1,186 yards and 8 TD’s and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Austin’s senior season saw him grab 114 receptions for 1,289 and 12 TD’s. Austin proved his versatility as a senior, lining up at running back and toting the ball 72 times for 643 yards and 3 TD’s. Read the rest of this entry » «Tavon Austin Scouting Report»

David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Travis Kelce – Cincinnati

Height: 6047

Weight: 255

Age when drafted: 23

Hometown: Cleveland Heights, OH

Position: TE

Collegiate Number: 18

Combine notables: Didn’t workout at Combine

Games Viewed: 2012 – Syracuse, USF, Connecticut, Duke

BACKGROUND:

Travis Kelce was a three-year letterwinner at Cleveland Heights High School at quarterback. Kelce was  two-star recruit that had offers from Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Akron, and Miami (OH). His brother, Jason, is a center for the Philadelphia Eagles.

He redshirted in 2008. Played 11 games as redshirt freshman in 2009 as a wildcat quarterback and tight end. Cincinnati coach Butch Jones suspended Kelce for the 2010 season due to a violation of team rules. After his suspension, Kelce recorded 13 receptions for 150 yards and 2 TD’s in 2011. Kelce burst onto the national scene as a senior when he grabbed 45 receptions for 722 yards and 8 TD’s. Read the rest of this entry » «Travis Kelce Scouting Report»

Giovani Bernard – North Carolina

Height: 5083

Weight: 202

Age when drafted: 21

Hometown: Davie, FL

Position: RB

Collegiate Number: 26

Combine notables: 4.53 40, 1.53 10 split, 33.5” vertical, 4.12 short shuttle, 6.91 3-cone, 19 bench reps

Games Viewed: 2012 – Virginia Tech, NC State, Duke, Miami 2011 – Clemson, Missouri, Miami

BACKGROUND:

Bernard is the son of Haitian immigrants and was born in Davie, Florida. His older brother is former Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard. Played his high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He was the No. 2 RB in the state of Florida and originally committed to Notre Dame. He opted to play at North Carolina later in the process.

Bernard tore his ACL during the third day of practice in 2010, as a true freshman. Redshirted his freshman year. Returned in 2011 as North Carolina’s starting tailback. Ran for 1,253 yards and 13 TD’s as redshirt freshman. Bernard entered the 2012 season as one of the top backs in the country and didn’t disappoint. Rushed for 1,228 yards and 12 TD’s. In addition he caught 47 receptions for 490 yards and 5 TD’s as a redshirt sophomore in 2012. Read the rest of this entry » «Giovani Bernard Scouting Report»

David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Sio Moore – Connecticut

Height: 6006

Weight: 245

Age when drafted: 23

Hometown: Apex, NC

Position: OLB

Collegiate Number: 3

Combine notables: 4.65 40, 1.62 10 split, 38” vertical, 10’7” broad jump, 29 bench reps

Games Viewed: 2012 – NC State, Pitt, Rutgers, Cincinnati 2011 – West Virginia

SIZE:

Sio Moore checked into the Combine at just under 6-foot-1 and 245. He has a solid frame that looks maxed out. Evenly distributed musculature with thick lower half.

ATHLETICISM/STRENGTH:

He’s an explosive athlete with quick twitch muscle movements. Sideline to sideline speed has surprising movement skills that showed the ability to cover the slot or tight ends at UCONN. Tested through the roof in the explosive drills in Indianapolis and it shows on tape. Moves laterally very well and can chase plays from the backside as well as any OLB in the draft. Didn’t play with outstanding strength but has heavy/explosive hands. Read the rest of this entry » «Sio Moore Scouting Report»

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is a copycat league and teams will be looking to play catch up with innovative offenses like San Francisco’s, Seattle’s, and Washington’s. As we know it starts and usually ends with quarterback play. Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, and Robert Griffin (to name a few) have the offensive innovators of the world drooling over the future possibilities of the NFL game.

This year’s quarterback crop lacks the top end talent that was present in 2012 and gets the knock of being a poor quarterback draft. Poor may be the wrong term to use when talking about the 2013 crop. I prefer to use ‘incomplete’ when talking about the class as a whole.

As we all know, I’m a Geno Smith fan and think he could fall into an ideal scenario as his value seems to have taken a hit. Likewise, I’m intrigued by many in this class. None more so than Florida State’s EJ Manuel.

Manuel possesses ideal size at almost 6-foot-5, 237 pounds. His size/speed combination have some drawing Cam Newton comparisons. Clearly, he’s not Cam Newton but the question is how far off is he?

Manuel struggles with decision-making. His career at FSU was largely disappointing (given the enormous expectations). That disappointment deals a great bit with sporadic decision-making with the ball. He has fluctuated between highly touted prospect to almost losing his starting gig to losing his spot and back to starter. His inability to hold down the fort after showing so much promise is concerning and deserves a further look.

Manuel drew the praise of the national media during his week in Mobile. He looked to be the most consistent quarterback of the week. The Senior Bowl was a set up for success for Manuel as defenses were limited in coverages and blitzes. In a clean pocket with base coverage reads, Manuel is a star. The problem is that things aren’t going to slow down for Manuel at the next level. Instead the kitchen sink will be thrown at him in terms of coverage and blitz packages. Read the rest of this entry » «How high is too high for EJ Manuel?»

Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Shamarko Thomas – Syracuse University

Height: 5087

Weight: 213

Age when drafted: 22

Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

Position: SS

Collegiate Number: 21

Combine notables: 4.42 40, 1.50 10 split, 40.5” vertical, 11’1” broad jump

Games Viewed: 2012 – USC, Pitt, Rutgers 2011 – USC, West Virginia

SIZE:

Shamarko Thomas checked in at under 5-foot-9 at February’s Scouting Combine. He possesses solid musculature on his compact frame. At 213 pounds, he has plenty of bulk and his frame is completely maxed out. There will be concerns with Thomas’ size given his reckless style of play. Thomas has been compared to Bob Sanders, who was another undersized but physical safety. Sanders career was shortened due to injuries and NFL teams will carry similar concerns with Thomas. Read the rest of this entry » «Shamarko Thomas Scouting Report»

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Jamie Collins I Southern Miss I OLB I 6034 I 250 I Senior

40 Time (E): 4.64

Overview: Jamie Collins has been a starter since his freshman season at USM. He started six games as a freshman and never looked back. He’s a versatile prospect that has played safety, outside linebacker, and the “bandit” (hybrid DE/OLB) during his collegiate career. Collins appears best suited to play rush linebacker in a “30” front at the next level. His combination of size, speed, strength, and athleticism are rare and should have him hearing his name called earlier than expected. Collins played on some poor Southern Miss teams and wasn’t surrounded by much talent. Despite that fact, he managed to produce 10 sacks during his senior campaign on an 0-12 team. There are some limitations to his game, particularly as a run defender, but his upside as a rush linebacker will intrigue teams early on day two and possibly late in day one. Read the rest of this entry » «Jamie Collins Scouting Report»

Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports

Margus Hunt I SMU I DE I 6081 I 277 I Senior

40 Time: 4.60

Overview: Margus Hunt will be a 26 year old rookie when he’s drafted. The native Estonian that came to the State to participate in track and field. He’s a world class shot and discus thrower that began playing football in 2009. Hunt is a freak athlete at over 6-foot-8 and 277 pounds he ran 4.6 40 at the Combine and posted a 38” vertical. His otherworldly athleticism will have height/weight/speed guys drooling. There are significant questions that have to be answered before Hunt is taken. The team taking Hunt will have to be patient with him as he’s not near ready to compete as more than a situational/special teamer at the next level. I’ve seen projections with Hunt in the first round, that would be a massive mistake. There is some upside with Hunt but getting the most out of him may take awhile. Read the rest of this entry » «Margus Hunt Scouting Report»

Andrew Weber-US Presswire

Jamar Taylor I Boise St. I CB I 5015 I 192 I Senior

40 Time : 4.39

Overview: Jamar Taylor was a three-year starter for the Broncos. Taylor was primarily the boundary corner but Boise’s use of multiple coverages gives him valuable experience in all techniques. He’s a playmaker with the kind of attitude to challenge the best of what the NFL has to offer. He’s a vastly underrated corner that could challenge in the second wave of corners, after Dee Milliner, Xavier Rhodes, and Desmond Trufant. The major knock on Taylor was a lack of competition as he didn’t get challenged often and didn’t play against great receiver competition. That said, he was solid at the Senior Bowl and showed well at the Combine in testing and drills.

Man Coverage: Taylor’s experience in off man and press man will pay dividends come draft day. He’s at this best when he’s physical at the line of scrimmage but that’s not taking away from his ability to play in off man. Taylor has excellent strength and redirects receivers with physicality. His arm length is usually a concern for press coverage but his technique made up for it and I think he has a future in heavy press coverage. He’s smooth in his backpedal and drives on the ball when it’s in the air as well as anyone in the draft. He has great straight line speed and flips his hips fairly well. Taylor’s aggressive nature makes him susceptible to double moves. He has a tendency to jump routes and relies on his recovery speed to make up for his over-aggression. Read the rest of this entry » «Jamar Taylor Scouting Report»

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Barkevious Mingo I LSU I DE/OLB I 6042 I 241 I Junior

40 Time: 4.58

Overview: There’s a lot to love about Mingo but there are major concerns with his game. He played LE exclusively in 2012, lining up over the RT. He’s best suited to transition to a standup linebacker in the NFL or play LEO role in 4-3. Lacks the bulk to set the edge in the run at DE. Freakish athlete with natural movement skills and explosive burst off the edge. Questionable football instincts as he’s constantly around the pile but lacked tackle production. That speaks to his instincts because with his movement skills he should be making tackles instead of observing piles. That said, its rare to find someone with his length/athleticism combination. He could come off the board as high as No. 2 and could fall to the mid-20’s. Either way he won’t make it out of the first round, just too much upside with this guy.   Read the rest of this entry » «Barkevious Mingo Scouting Report»