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NFL Draft Guru Justin Van Fulpen previews his top ten Mid-Major prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft.
1. DE Brandon Lang, Troy (Sun Belt) – Lang along with his teammate Cameron Sheffield, who is lower on this list, form a great pass rushing tandem. Troy has produced some very good NFL talent on the defensive side of the ball in DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys and Osi Umenyiora of the New York Giants. Lang is 6’3, 252 and has a great burst off the line of scrimmage. Last season, he led the team in sacks (10 ½), tackles for loss (17 ½) and quarterback hurries (28), to go along with 69 total tackles. Lang is very versatile and can play standing up or with his hand on the ground- with his size he could fit in a 3-4 defense or a 4-3 defense. You might not hear much about him during the season but when we get closer to the NFL Draft, expect to hear Lang referenced often as someone who could end up being a first round pick.
2. DT D'Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech (WAC) – Standing in at 6’2, 307, Smith possesses an excellent combination of size and athleticism with the ability to plug the holes in the running game and also get after the passer. Last season he started all 13 games, and earned first team All-WAC honors, racking up 65 tackles, eight tackles for loss and five sacks for the season. Smith shows good pass rushing moves for a defensive tackle and that is something that 4-3 defenses tend to look for at the next level. Currently, Smith carries a second round grade entering the season with a chance to move into the late first round.
3. DE Justin Cole, San Jose State (WAC) – Cole plays defensive end at San Jose State but a number of teams project him to be an outside linebacker in the NFL due to his size (6’2, 241) and athleticism. As a junior, he had 68 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and one interception. The biggest question mark is going to be his overall speed and whether he is able to flip his hips and cover as a 3-4 outside linebacker when need be. At this point, Cole looks like to be a second round pick.
4. DE Jerry Hughes, TCU (Mountain West Conference) – The knock on Hughes entering the draft will be his height, standing in at just 6’1 and his subpar speed (4.7-range). Skeptics should point no further than to Dwight Freeney as an example of an undersized end who has had success at the next level but the label will be hard to shed. It will be interesting to watch how his draft stock plays out as we approach the draft, since the production is there; 52 total tackles 19 ½ tackles for a loss, 15 sacks and two interceptions last year. It’s safe to say that Hughes has a solid mid-round grade with potential to move up.
5. RB James Starks, Buffalo (MAC) – Starks has great size and acceleration for a running back at 6’2, 205 and near 4.4-timed speed. Entering his senior campaign, the Niagara Falls native has an opportunity to post some big time numbers, coming off a year in which he accumulated 1,333 rushing yards, caught 52 passes for 361 yards and scored 17 total touchdowns. Could Starks be this year’s Donald Brown who skyrockets up the draft board because of his ability to not only run the football, but also catch it? It’s unlikely that Starks achieves first-round status but with NFL teams emphasizing a lot of two running back schemes, Starks could be a very valuable player in the NFL. Right now Starks holds a late second-to-early third round grade.
6. QB Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan (MAC) – Last season LeFevour only played in 11 games but still managed 2,784 passing yards and 21 touchdowns and only six interceptions, while completing 66.8 percent of his passes. He also led the team in rushing with 592 yards and an additional six touchdowns. His sophomore season was even better then last season, as LeFevour ran for 1,122 yards and 19 touchdowns, while throwing for 3,652 yards and 27 touchdowns through the air! The Illinois native possesses solid size at 6’2, 227 and is a good overall athlete with a strong arm. The issue question marks begin with how he will adapt from playing in a spread offense and the inferior competition he played against. His post-season performance could carry a lot of weight as scouts will diagnose every aspect and see how he performs in an All-Star game before making a final judgment but LeFevour currently owns a third-round grade from NFL evaluators.
7. DE Cameron Sheffield, Troy (Sun Belt) – We already talked about Sheffield’s teammate Brandon Lang, and Sheffield wasn’t as productive as Lang last season but don’t sleep on him. He is 6’2, 250 and had 66 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks a year ago. A good overall athlete with good pass rushing skills, Sheffield has good explosion off the line of scrimmage, in addition to great strength he utilizes in his bull-rush technique. He can play the run as well as the pass and will be a good addition to any team in the mid-rounds.
8. QB Tim Hiller, Western Michigan (MAC) – Last season Hiller started all 13 games and broke a number of Western Michigan single-season records for passing attempts with 522, completions with 339, yards with 3,725 and touchdowns with 36. He also completed 64.9 percent of his passes while only throwing ten interceptions. He has good size for a quarterback at 6’4, 230 and can make all the throws that will be asked of him at the next level. He is mostly a pocket passer but is a good enough of an athlete to scramble and avoid the rush but isn’t much of a runner. Right now he has a third-to-fourth round grade.
9. CB Kyle Wilson, Boise State (WAC) – Last season Wilson was named first-team All-WAC cornerback and second-team all-conference punt returner. He lead the team with five interceptions, 10 pass breakups and 15 passes defended, to go along with 35 total tackles and five tackles for loss. He had 33 punt returns, good for 470 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson is 5’10, 184 and runs in the 4.4-range. He excels in both man-to-man and zone coverage and when he get his hands on the ball can make plays. He isn’t just a cover cornerback but will come up and support the run. Entering his senior campaign, Wilson holds a third-to-fourth round grade.
10. OLB Daryl Washington, TCU (Mountain West Conference) – Washington is a productive linebacker that projects to be a weakside linebacker at the next level because of size (6’1, 215) and quickness (can run 4.5 in the 40). Last season, he had 63 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception. Washington is a good overall athlete and has the ability to make plays both in the running game as well as the passing game. He displays above-average coverage skills in both man-to-man, as well as in zone. Expect to hear Washington get his name called at some point on day two.
Click to see our Top 10 SEC Senior Prospects
Click to see our Top 10 Big XII Prospects
Click to see our Top 10 Pac 10 Prospects
Click to see our Top 10 Big Ten Prospects
Click to see our Top 10 Big East Prospects
Click to see our Top 10 ACC Prospects
Click to see our Top 10 Mid-Major Prospects
You can follow my updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jvanfulpen
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