Some questions have been piling up from friends & readers who spend quite a lot if time following the January (mostly) ALL-STAR venues of note. So here here we go with some of the most interesting queries to me.
How does a prestigious venue like the SHRINE BOWL end up with a 12-3 game, featuring not a single TD? Where are the QB prospects?
A close friend and avid NFL follower asked me these questions over lunch last Friday. The answer to part one is many layered, but the second question in part addresses that TD scoring draught, and general lack of Offense. Once again, I believe we are faced with the harsh reality that there are not a significant number of pro ready QB in this year’s Draft Class. Thank goodness BRYCE & C.J. are coming out. BRYCE YOUNG was eligible for a Star Game and Jim Nagy was after him to head for Mobile, but no dice. STROUD & ANTHONY RICHARDSON, were not eligible. HENDON HOOKER was in Mobile, but rehabbing his knee injury. WILL LEVIS is out there somewhere hiding from the media. These are my Top 6 QB for the Draft and none of them were in a Star Game. So, in essence you end up with at best, potential Day Three QB running offenses in these games. So with lesser talents running the Offenses there is likely to be less scoring. Then remember that there is a lot more to be learned in one week for offensive players than there is for defenders. So in lieu of writing a short novel on this issue, let’s say the QB dilemma is the biggest challenge to increasing the scoring right now in the annual Star Games in general.
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Darius, from Kentucky, sent me an email asking why so man more “smaller” school players seemed to be in the games in recent years?
There are of course multiple factors at play, but I think the top two are easy to recognize. First and foremost the overall talent level at the smaller school programs is increasing. And the scouting tenet that no matter where you play ball the NFL scouts will find you, has never been truer. And in turn those smaller school athletic departments are helping more in bringing their top players to the attention of pro football scouting departments. My only concern/question is whether or not the Transfer Portal and NIL will lure more good players to transfer “up” to D1 programs. It is always an evolving dynamic that sorts itself out over time, and everyone adjusts. I will add here, that in general Draftniks like myself appreciate the expanded inclusion of smaller school players in Star games in general. I almost always come out of these games with multiple new players to scout, that I had never seen play until January each year.
As an example of my last sentence, let me express my delighted surprise watching the edge-rush work of B.J. THOMPSON, from Stephen F. Austin. He’s a long drink of water with speed, quickness and amazing length. He’s a tough fit positionally right now, but he can rush out on the edge and that is a highly sought skill set in today’s NFL.
Now that the Star games are in the books, and underclassman declarations have become official what are the top positional groups for the 2023 Draft?
CB is my top group because of a combination of talent and volume. Every time I turn around I seem to find another player worth watching that had not previously been high on my radar. For instance, at the Senior Bowl last week CB DARIUS RUSH of South Carolina was a shining star with his practice play, and also had the fastest GPS tracked, with a playing speed of 21.65 mph. There are plenty of Edge Rushers, and a core group of TE likely to be Day 1 & 2 Draft Picks. WR may not be great at the top, but depth developed as new players got targeted to find replacements for last year’s solid group of receivers entering the NFL. Even though most will tell you RB is just not a major high draft priority, it will be very difficult not to take BIJAN ROBINSON/Texas in the top half of Round 1. With many more to follow from Round 2 on.
On the other side of the coin the Safety group and OT slots have as many questions as answers relative to true pro potential right now.
I was specifically asked who were my top guys in the currently beloved TE group.
So here you go, as of today:
- MICHAEL MAYER Notre Dame
- TUCKER KRAFT S. Dakota State
- LUKE MUSGRAVE Oregon State
- DARNELL WASHINGTON Georgia
- DALTON KINCAID Utah
- SAM LaPORTA Iowa
- PAYNE DURHAM Purdue
- WILL MALLORY Miami (F)
- CHRISTIAN LATU Alabama
- LUKE SCHOONMAKER Michigan
Ask me again on this group after the Combine. I especially want to see some of them in the agility drills like 3-Cone & Short Shuttle & Vertical Jump.
As Dean Martin used to joke on his television show, “keep those cards and letters coming folks”. I guess in these days it’s more like emails & tweets, than cards & letters though.
Cheers all
Pigskin Paul
P.S. Just a quick mention of how we missed out departed teammate LARRY PARKER during the Star Games. Larry always kept us up to snuff on details and had some favorite players he wanted me to eyeball up close & personal for him. Larry passed away shortly just before Christmas. Missed you, and thought of you, LP.
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