Mark Bradley broke down Tech's four talented juniors and their NFL Draft prospects on Wednesday. He thinks Demaryius Thomas, Derrick Morgan, and Jonathan Dwyer all leave while Morgan Burnett would benefit from staying another year. I agree with his assessment. Coley Harvey also put up a piece earlier in December.
Derrick's got a lot of hype and if he puts up some good numbers against Iowa's OL, he'll be gone. I still think the interesting thing, from a reflection type view, is that I never thought Derrick Morgan would have more hype coming into his Draft than Michael Johnson. MJ was the epitomy of energy and explosiveness and Tech fans adored him because of it. I'm not hating on Derrick 'cause I think he'll be a helluva NFL baller. I just find it interesting to reflect on what we thought 2 or 3 years ago.
Concerning Dwyer, he has a lot of film in NFL GM files already and scouts are sandbagging him. He should have a ton of great measurables when the Combine looks at him (size, speed, strength). Running backs only have so many carries and it just seems like Dwyer's stock will only go down as our offense grows and continues to redistribute the carries next season. A goner, he shall be and I wouldn't be surprised if he were the first Tech player taken.
Morgan B. has as many highlights as lowlights this season. I kinda feel like he had a James Butler-esque season. Butler went into his senior season as a top 5 Mel Kiper Draft Pick, if any of you can remember that far back. And like Butler, Morgan had a lot of hype leading in to the season and a lot of lowlights throughout the season like missed tackles, busted coverages, and such. I think it would be foolish for Burnett not to come back. I think he has the talent to bounce back next season. Pair it up with a retooled, healthy defense and he should be a much higher pick in 2011.
Demaryius Thomas is the big question mark. I don't see him improving his stock drastically. I don't really know who the big time receivers are outside of Golden Tate, Dez Bryant, and the idiot from Syracuse. I also don't really know who he'll be competing against next year but for hype's sake, you'd think a receiver would wanna be better than the 4th or 5th "best" player before thinking about leaving college early. The other issue I think a lot of teams might have is route running. How many precise, highlight caliber routes will be on film for D Thomas? I think a lot of teams will see him as raw talent or a project player with the physical tools to play ball rather than the NFL-ready player. Our passing offense, to me, is... not the most complex scheme out there. His strength and speed are undeniable but he's not beating guys on precise cuts, which is kinda where the NFL is leaning in the Draft lately.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Cord Howard, Brad Sellers, or even Sedric Griffin get picked up in the later rounds of the Draft. Howard and Sellers have shown that they can compete with some of the best ACC defensive linemen and Tech has had a steady flow of linebackers to the NFL since Dodd's days.
Since the Gailey Era, we've had four guys drafted as third years. The most famous was Calvin Johnson. Tony Hargrove and Tony Hollings were part of the eleven GT athletes that failed out during Chan's second season. And the fourth was Nat Dorsey, which was kinda expected from a lot Tech fans. Currently, only Hargrove and Calvin have jobs in the NFL.
Let us know your thoughts.
Derrick's got a lot of hype and if he puts up some good numbers against Iowa's OL, he'll be gone. I still think the interesting thing, from a reflection type view, is that I never thought Derrick Morgan would have more hype coming into his Draft than Michael Johnson. MJ was the epitomy of energy and explosiveness and Tech fans adored him because of it. I'm not hating on Derrick 'cause I think he'll be a helluva NFL baller. I just find it interesting to reflect on what we thought 2 or 3 years ago.
Concerning Dwyer, he has a lot of film in NFL GM files already and scouts are sandbagging him. He should have a ton of great measurables when the Combine looks at him (size, speed, strength). Running backs only have so many carries and it just seems like Dwyer's stock will only go down as our offense grows and continues to redistribute the carries next season. A goner, he shall be and I wouldn't be surprised if he were the first Tech player taken.
Morgan B. has as many highlights as lowlights this season. I kinda feel like he had a James Butler-esque season. Butler went into his senior season as a top 5 Mel Kiper Draft Pick, if any of you can remember that far back. And like Butler, Morgan had a lot of hype leading in to the season and a lot of lowlights throughout the season like missed tackles, busted coverages, and such. I think it would be foolish for Burnett not to come back. I think he has the talent to bounce back next season. Pair it up with a retooled, healthy defense and he should be a much higher pick in 2011.
Demaryius Thomas is the big question mark. I don't see him improving his stock drastically. I don't really know who the big time receivers are outside of Golden Tate, Dez Bryant, and the idiot from Syracuse. I also don't really know who he'll be competing against next year but for hype's sake, you'd think a receiver would wanna be better than the 4th or 5th "best" player before thinking about leaving college early. The other issue I think a lot of teams might have is route running. How many precise, highlight caliber routes will be on film for D Thomas? I think a lot of teams will see him as raw talent or a project player with the physical tools to play ball rather than the NFL-ready player. Our passing offense, to me, is... not the most complex scheme out there. His strength and speed are undeniable but he's not beating guys on precise cuts, which is kinda where the NFL is leaning in the Draft lately.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Cord Howard, Brad Sellers, or even Sedric Griffin get picked up in the later rounds of the Draft. Howard and Sellers have shown that they can compete with some of the best ACC defensive linemen and Tech has had a steady flow of linebackers to the NFL since Dodd's days.
Since the Gailey Era, we've had four guys drafted as third years. The most famous was Calvin Johnson. Tony Hargrove and Tony Hollings were part of the eleven GT athletes that failed out during Chan's second season. And the fourth was Nat Dorsey, which was kinda expected from a lot Tech fans. Currently, only Hargrove and Calvin have jobs in the NFL.
Let us know your thoughts.