draft pick snapshot
Which guys on this year's roster do you think will eventually be drafted to the NFL?
Roster: http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/nd-m-footbl-mtt.html
first-pass guesses:
probables at this point in time
Allen
Blanton
Clausen
Crist
Fauria
Fleming
Floyd
Hughes
Johnson
Neal
Robinson
Rudolph
Smith, H.
Tate
Walls
Young
borderline at this point in time
Aldridge
Brown, S.
Duncan
Gray, G.
Gray, J.
Kamara
Olsen
McCarthy, K.
McCarty, D.
McNeil
Motta
Smith, B.
Smith, T.
Stewart
Stockton
Wenger
Williams, H.
Williams, I.
I suppose we can expand this to cover incoming guys, too (like Te'o).
I have to admit
that not seeing Filer on either list is disappointing. I had high hopes for him.
I think we're on the cusp of a big wave of ND in the NFL, health permitting. About time.
The 2008 class could have several first-round picks
When's the last time we could say that?
The 1994 draft
by Kevin 
, Thursday, April 23, 2009, 10:27 (6243 days ago) @ BPH
- No text -
My list and my definitions
by Kevin , Thursday, April 23, 2009, 08:15 (6243 days ago) @ Jay
Probable based on what we've seen of them at ND:
Clausen
Floyd
Johnson
Rudolph
Tate
Walls
Young
Brian Smith
Blanton
Possible and close to the line based on their time at ND:
Hughes
Allen
Olsen
McNeil
Stewart
Aldridge
Kyle McCarthy
Harrison Smith
Neal
Duncan, Fauria, Gary Gray, Jonas Gray, Robinson, Sergio, Stewart, Kamara, and the Williamses could emerge this year, but I can't peg them one way or the other based on what I've seen to this point. If Kamara doesn't make the jump this season, he may never do so -- the guys who could pass him are his age or younger.
I'd bump up....
Olsen, Stewart, B. Smith, and Kyle McCarthy.
Olsen, in my mind, is as good a player as Dan Santucci and Dan Stevenson.
Stewart has two more years to develop and I think he will get there.
Brian Smith will be an NFL OLB.
Kyle McCarthy is a better college safety than Bruton and while not the athlete I think his production will get him drafted.
I think B. Smith has to get a lot better
if he wants to play LB in the NFL. I like his pluck and energy but at this point I don't see him being any better than an undrafted Brandon Hoyte or Corey Mays: decent college players, but benchwarmer NFLers not worth a draft pick.
I think Smith is a far superior athlete to Hoyte
As for Mays, he only started for one season, whereas Smith could finish as a four-year starter. That's a whole lot more film for NFL scouts to evaluate.
I just don't see it -- yet
I know he made some plays off the edge as a freshman, and has converted some nifty turnovers. But for a guy who played damned near every snap last year (in the games where he wasn't hurt), and in the middle of the defense -- and in a defense that is supposed to funnel tackles to the linebackers -- he was very average. Harrison Smith had more tackles than him, although he probably played way fewer snaps than B. He only had two sacks all year, despite blitzing a ton.
I'm not saying he's terrible -- the question was about NFL ability. I liked Hoyte and Mays a whole lot, but they didn't get drafted either.
His tackle lines are just not all that impressive. 4 against SDSU. 6 against Stanford. 5 against Pitt. In the same games, Kyle McCarthy is racking up 10, 14, 15.
Agreed. Smith, at least last year...
by domer.mq 
, Thursday, April 23, 2009, 09:55 (6243 days ago) @ Jay
brought "always around the ball" to the negative connotation. He was always around the ball, but not making the play. More importantly, he was around the ball a lot when the ball had already advanced 5 yards.
Granted, he wasn't, apparently, playing his most natural position, but for all the fire, his actual production was out of synch. I'm hoping he gets much, much better at shedding blocks. Read: "I'm hoping he learns how to shed a block."
--
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