AMEER ABDULLAH/RB/NEBRASKA #8 5’9/200 … For the past two years I have been ignoring the exploits of ABDULLAH, because somehow I got it in my disjointed brain that he was too small for full-time NFL wars. Then a light went on and I thought of DARREN SPROLES & ANDRE ELLINGTON. So I decided it was time to watch him with a scout’s eye and what better game to pick than against the always physical Hurricanes. The quickness and tenacity of this young man took my breath away. My notes on his play in this game were a full page long. He’s tough as nails, getting most of his yardage running between the Tackles. His forward lean is constant, thereby maximizing his gains. He’s an explosive jump-cut runner who seldom goes down on first contact. His lean-style puts him even closer to the ground and makes him a tough target to find and hit. He can squat in excess of 550 lbs. to give you an idea of his lower body strength. He ripped around and through the ‘CANES Defense for 229 yards on 35 carries. He also displayed explosive return skills. In this game he passed JOHNNY RODGERS as the Nebraska all-time yardage leader. He’s the real deal and has to be a Top 100 prospect. I can think of 20 NFL teams for which he could be their No.1 RB. Think RAY RICE with considerably more speed and explosion. Wait past Round 2 and he’s already off Draft Boards next May.
STEPHONE ANTHONY/LB/CLEMSON #42 6’2/235 … The Clemson defense had a chance to come up big against the Seminoles with WINSTON suspended and ANTHONY led the way. Most of the night DC BRENT VENABLES unleashed the hounds, chief amongst them being ANTHONY. ANTHONY used his strength and quickness to full advantage and spent a great deal of time in the FSU backfield. He was used effectively on multiple blitzes and was very aggressive at shooting gaps to grab RB in the backfield. He also displayed his ability to drop into pass coverage whether it was covering RB out in the flat for dump offs or locking onto TE over the middle of the field. In the 4th Quarter he was the guy who tipped a pass intended for NICK O’LEARY that resulted in an INT and the Tigers final TD drive of the night. He’s probably best suited for a 3-4 scheme as a pro, but I have a feeling he’ll post some very impressive numbers at the COMBINE that will fit almost all schemes. He has good size and excellent athleticism. Could be best suited outside in a 4-3 scheme as a pro. He’s a true top 100 guy who came up big on the biggest stage of all last Saturday.
THURSTON ARMBRISTER/OLB/MIAMI #34 6’3/235 … It’s not a scouting note, but yes he was named after the THURSTON HOWELL, the 3rd, character on Gilligan’s Island. He has really made his mark as a senior earning a starting OLB job. He is a big hitter, like many Hurricane defenders, and has good ball instincts. He is very strong against the run, but can also run with receivers in space. He can indeed be called upon for an occasional blitz with his speed. ARMBRISTER was a part time starter in 2013 and is well on his way to eclipsing his 33 tackles from last year. He plays like a man who should get to show his stuff in the post-season. I like his look a lot as an under the radar senior prospect. Look for him to be at the SHRINE venue, and post some solid numbers at the COMBINE.
AMARI COOPER/WR/ALABAMA #9 6’1/205 … Clearly, COOPER is the best WR in this year’s prospect list. He’s just a notch below SAMMY WATKINS from last year, because he does not possess the explosiveness of SAMMY. He came too ‘Bama as a five star recruit at 5’11/85 lbs. Much to the delight of NFL personnel people he continues to grow physically as he refines his receiving skills. We didn’t quite see the elite match-up we hoped for with Florida’s premier CB/HARGREAVES who was in and out of the lineup with dings & nicks much of the day. But it didn’t seem to matter how the Gators tried to defend him COOPER got open. His first big play of the day was a 79-yard TD catch in the first quarter. By day’s end AMARI had 10 catches, for 201 yards and 3 TD. He’s a “hands-catcher” who can go long, but is also willing to work the middle of he field as well. He picks throws out of the air, tucks the ball away and runs past people. No doubt in my mind that he is the best all-around receiver for the 2015 Draft and deserves Top 10 selection like WATKINS last year.
MARIO EDWARDS/DE/FLORIDA STATE #15 6’3/295 … We only got to watch EDWARDS for a half against Clemson, because he suffered a concussion on a group tackle late in the second quarter. But it was not hard to see what his game is all about, and how it likely translates to an NFL career. He looks even bigger than his listed size, and people just bounce off of his solid frame when he gets a solid hitting angle. Stout, would be my best shot at describing this man/child. He has decent range for his size, but is a bit tight. He looks best suited for a 3-4 DE slot as a pro. He is not much of a pass-rusher because quickness is not his game. He also looks to have average arm length. Despite his NFL pedigree genes, I don’t see him as an elite athlete or prospect. Again, a guy who would be a solid 2nd Rounder. He also looks to be a good fit for a team like Green Bay, which uses a 2-man DL a significant amount of the time.
B.J. FINNEY/OC/KANSAS STATE #66 6’4/305 … I always like to find those OL who are grinders and fundamentally sound. They often do better as a pro than some of the more athletic players, especially on the interior. FINNEY is as solid as they come. He calls the line play assignments and was very effective getting out to second level blocks against a very deep and athletic Auburn defensive front. He can be bullied at times by massive NT types, as was evidenced in the Wildcats TD drive. The actual TD run went outside but FINNEY was simply knocked backwards, and on his ass, in the center of the formation. He’s clearly pumped up and as weight-room strong as he is likely to get. He may also be a bit slow afoot for a precision-passing Offense, but I could see him fighting for an NFL job on a power running team like either San Diego or Kansas City. RIght now he reminds me of a NICK HARDWICK over achiever. He has played OG so might have serious NFL value as an Interior OL back-up. I like his play and attitude, but can’t see him in my Top 100 list.
TRE’ JACKSON/OG/FLORIDA STATE #54 6’4/340 … The past couple of years have provided some seriously good, monstrous OG for the NFL. I’m thinking of LARRY WARFORD/LIONS, CHANCE WARMACK/TITANS & GABE JACKSON/RAIDERS. Here comes your next jumbo sized, surprisingly athletic OG. I saw JACKSON running downfield 20+ yards on multiple occasions Saturday night looking for 3rd level blocking opportunities. I also noticed that the Clemson blitz action went away from JACKSON’s area. On almost every play TRE’ had his man locked up and stoned at the line-of-scrimmage. I will go so far as to say that if every member of the FSU OL had played as effectively as JACKSON did, there would have been more of a running game established, and much less pressure by Clemson on stand-in QB/MAGUIRE. I did not check official game stats, but I do not recall #54 being called for any of the multiple OL penalties in this game against FSU. He was the most effective of the 5 FSU senior OL Saturday night. He’s in my Top 50 right now.
TYLER LOCKETT/WR/RS/KANSAS STATE #16 5’11/175 … It wasn’t a great performance by LOCKETT against AUBURN, but it was a solid opportunity to watch him work against a very talented Defense, that was clearly focussed on minimizing his impact on the game. He was double-teamed all night long, which in part allowed teammate SEXTON to lead the Wildcats in receptions. LOCKETT dropped 2 balls in my notes, including a bullet throw in the end zone that got through his hands and bounced off his chest, and the resultant deflection resulted in an INT. Elite receivers cannot let that happen. But overall he made some nice catches amongst his 6 balls for 45 yards. He showed very well as a Punt Returner, and got to display his jitter bug, multi-move running style. He’s quick enough to break open and fast enough to run long. He looks like a TD waiting to happen on almost every return that gets past the first 5 yards. He showed his acrobatic moves on some jump balls against multiple defenders. The lack of a running game by K-State allowed AUBURN to concentrate on shutting him down all night long. In an NFL Offense, with a strong armed QB, I see LOCKETT as being the same explosive kind of threat as DeSEAN JACKSON, now in Washington. If this is his weakest effort, against an elite team, geared to shut him down, then he’s still a top WR prospect in my book.
NICK MARSHALL/QB/ATH/AUBURN #10 6’1/210 .. He’s not RG3, but I’m not prepared to close the book on MARSHALL as an NFL Athlete and 3rd string QB option. When he got in a groove in the second half against K-State he was slicing up their defense with some excellent throws both short and long. He finished the night, against a solid though not great Wildcat defense, with 17/31- 231 yards- 2 TD- 1 INT. He also ran 10 times for 46 yards. He’s a good all around athlete with quick feet and a head for the game. If he can display some strong athleticism at the COMBINE and impress teams at the white board he could become a late Draft Pick. Being that he plays for AUBURN I wold expect he will get an audition for the NFL during Senior Bowl Week. It could be quite interesting. He looks like a bigger bodied, better armed DENARD ROBINSON to me.
CLIVE WARFORD/TE/MIAMI #46 6’4/260 … Purely and simply, in two games I have watched Miami play this season against Louisville and Oklahoma, WARFORD grades out as the best all-around TE prospect I have seen this month. He has ideal size and above average athleticism. Against Nebraska he caught 7 balls for 80 yards and a TD. And he’s not just a dump-off target. I saw him 15+ yards down the field on 3 different occasions. He’s a solid blocker right now, but pro scouts will be looking for improvement in that area as the season wears on. He displays dependable hands and better than average body control and flexibility for a man his size. He can run a bit after the catch and will make DB pay for tackling him low. A good, not great, player who has a chance to move up Draft Boards in this mediocre draft eligible group at the TE position. As his Freshman QB improves WARFORD could be a serious beneficiary of more targetting in the Hurricanes passing attack.
