The Leading Authority of the NFL Draft

Some players take a while to develop, physically…like Ohio University defensive back Thad Turner for example. They nicknamed him “The Worm” because he was about 140 pounds when he arrived on campus. Since then, he’s added almost 50 pounds and now fits the mold of a NFL defensive back. It’s the guys who have already developed, who already weigh 180 coming out of high school, that garner more attention from college recruiters. It is they who have a leg up for scholarships to bigger schools and are one step closer to the NFL.

Being able to talk with players from all walks of football life, from the Florida Gators to Tufts University, you get a real feel for who has the attitude to take it to the next level. However, even with the right attitude, when you aren’t from a big school or a big conference, the hardest part about getting a shot is simply getting noticed.

This is the first annual Lunch Bucket Team, which will be comprised of players from all walks of college football life who, for one reason or another, haven’t received the hype of the prima donnas out there.

When you see the success of Joshua Cribbs and Wes Welker, it makes you wonder how many football souls are out there that never got a shot…that could have been difference makers in the National Football League if only they’d gotten the chance.

The Lunch Bucket Squad is a collection of guys who most likely won’t hear their names called early, if they hear them called at all. However, they are names that might just stick around for a while…

OFFENSE_______________________________________________________________________

QB- Trevor Harris, Edinboro Fighting Scots (PA) – The school had to rev up the printing press because Harris placed his name at the top of nearly every one of the school’s passing records. Harris is 6’ 2” and about 225 pounds. He plays through pain, creates a positive buzz in the huddle and is a leader of men. From the quarterback position, that’s one of the greatest assets a player can possess.

COMPARISON – Brooks Bollinger (Poor Man’s Colt McCoy)

RB- Tunde Ogun, Christopher Newport Captains - Was recruited by Clemson and spent time at Cincinnati before ending up at Christopher Newport playing for the Captains. Ogun looks like a linebacker and with his size (6’ 0”, 218 pounds) and a 4.52 40-time, the East Coast Bowl invitee has the tools to make it at the next level.

COMPARISON – Ahman Green

FB- Lantz Mathers, Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers – This guy took over the New Orleans Saints local pro day and the defending champs were impressed by Mathers’ high football IQ. Two time NAIA winner from the defensive end spot lacks the size (5’10”, 261 pounds) to play that position at the next level. However he has the heart of a lion and with his brute strength, he could become a standout fullback.

COMPARISON – Levon Kirkland

WR- Gerald Baptiste, Southern Miss – Wide receiver DeAndre Brown is a super talent at Southern Miss. His talents have overshadowed a potential diamond in the rough in Baptiste; there simply weren’t enough receptions to go around.  Baptiste isn’t going to wow you at any one thing; at 5’11” and 186 pounds he doesn’t burn 4.3 40s. However, like a fine chef putting together a fantastic meal, Baptiste brings all the ingredients together and leaves everyone more than satisfied.

COMAPISION – Mark Clayton

WR- E.J. Morton-Green, Morgan State – Make sure you circle the name of this Lunch Bucket Squadder, because he has some freakish skills that never fully materialized in college. Like Lee Evans of the Buffalo Bills, Morton-Green had nothing around him to allow him to live up to his potential.  Morton-Green has had visits with the Bengals, Eagles, and Ravens. He is 6’3” and 208 pounds and blazed a 4.47 40 during his pro day. He transferred from Miami of Ohio to Morgan State and two of his favorite players to watch (and play like) are Randy Moss and Isaac Bruce, two great receivers with contrasting styles. Morton-Green wants to incorporate the deep game of Moss and the over-the-middle, possession traits of Bruce. Not a bad target to aim for.

COMPARSION – Roy Williams

TE – Jameson Konz, Kent State – Since I was there to witness his pro day performance I can say without a doubt that Konz put together one of the finest workouts in the nation, highlighted by his 4.3 40 and 46” vertical jump. In fact, Konz’s performance went so well that top NFL scouts had to take notice and revaluate his stock. At 6’ 3” and 235 pounds, size will be an issue for him; teams won’t be sure where to play him. Playing linebacker and tight end/h-back during his senior season Konz will find himself in camp. At what position is anyone’s guess.

COMPARISON – Boss Bailey

OT – Joel Reinders, Waterloo Warriors – Reinders looks to make the jump from Canada’s 12-man game to the 11-man game in the States. Reinders is nasty, physical, and at 6’ 8”, 320 pounds he’s going to impress and stick with an NFL team. Watch his YouTube clip. I’ll wager that you’ll pass it along for someone else to view. He’s that impressive.

COMPARISON – Kyle Turley

OG – Derek Hardman, Eastern Kentucky – Voted to the 2009 Associated Press FCS First Team, this kid isn’t anyone to take lightly when looking for quality offensive line help. Hardman might excel in a zone blocking scheme at 6’ 5” and 304 pounds. He was invited to play in the Texas vs. Nation Game,  where the NFL could see him up close.

COMPARISON – Chris Kuper

C – John Estes, Hawaii Warriors – Estes isn’t an unknown; he had an NCAA record 54 consecutive starts at Hawaii and reminds me of Jeff Saturday. Remember, Saturday went undrafted back in 1998 while 42 offensive linemen where taken ahead of him. Estes will receive the same lack of attention, but in ten years I believe he will be anchoring a line as a savvy veteran.

COMPARISON – Jeff Saturday

OG – Casey Bender, South Dakota State – When Bender and former teammate and roommate Casey Knaps depart, the Jackrabbits will be losing two standout players. Knips was an invite to the Texas vs. Nation Game and is a player to keep a close eye on during draft time. Bender didn’t get the extra appearances in the college all star games, but did manage to showcase his skills in front of 13 NFL teams during the South Dakota pro day.

COMPARISON – Joe Thomas

OT – Jeraill McCuller, North Carolina State – A mountain of a man at 6’ 7” and 330-plus pounds, McCuller received an invitation to the Texas vs. Nation Game after going virtually unnoticed early in his college career. He has been building on that momentum, training at WPI with former Cleveland Browns Tony Jones and Michael Dean Perry. During the Senior Bowl practices, the former pros shared that McCuller really had it down pat and was going to be a riser when this draft evaluation process was over.

COMPARISON – Gosdor Cherilus

DEFENSE________________________________________________________________________

DE- John Russell, Wake Forest – After he finishes his NFL career, there is little doubt that Russell will be a coach. He is a student of the game and a real Bill Parcells-type of guy—a hard-working, over-achieving, game film junky. Between classes at Wake Forest Russell would sit in the back of the room while coaches broke down film; that’s how much he craves learning. When asked who he would compare himself to, Russell said, “Jared Allen”, although he knows he’s not at that skill level yet; Russell is, however, at Allen’s level when it comes to passion and love for the game.

COMPARISON – (Poor Man’s) Howe Long

NT- Robert Calloway, Saginaw Valley State – Possessing character with athletic ability to boot, Calloway is a dynamic run stuffer. At the East Coast Bowl teammates from the linebacker position were commenting that they wished they had a guy like him playing up front. Calloway’s Cardinal teammates, the linebacking duo of John Jacobs and Mike LeVand, combined for 273 combined tackles this past season, proving that Calloway can occupy blockers and allow the players behind him to flow to the ball.

COMPARISON – Casey Hampton

DE- Aaron Morgan, Louisiana-Monroe – This Sun Belt standout (First Team in 2009) is a sack machine, but at 6’ 4” 240+ pounds, he now finds himself being labeled a ‘tweener. Depending on the team that takes him he will play end or outside linebacker in the NFL. His 22 sacks placed him second all time in the Sun Belt Conference. He compares his style to that of the Julius Peppers and says his ability to “drop” in coverage is something NFL teams will be very happy to see once camps open.

COMPARISON – Manny Lawson

OLB- Patrick Benoist, Vanderbilt – Reminds me of Coy Wire though he might follow the opposite path at the next level. Wire started at safety for the Buffalo Bills and is now playing linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons. Benoist isn’t the biggest guy at 6’ 0” and 220 pounds, so size is going to play a big role in how NFL teams plan to use him. Benoist finished in the top ten in tackles in the competitive SEC Conference and was an academic standout, so we know he is a quick leaner in case he moves to the secondary.

COMPARISON – Coy Wire

ILB- Justin Brancaccio, Albany – A three-year starter and two-time team captain, the Larry Izzo type could find himself nestled in the back pocket of Bill Belichick. Brancaccio is a throw-back player who will get by on hard work and need to prove he belongs on an everyday basis. A quick sidenote for the readers out there: Tony Sparano’s two sons both play for the Great Danes, so at least one NFL coach has to be familiar with Brancaccio and what he brings to the table.

COMPARISON – ZACH THOMAS

ILB- Chris Carey, Cincinnati – This is one guy I simply could not leave off the Lunch Bucket Squad. His size (6’3”, 247 pounds) pushes him to the OLB position or DE, but he has played both positions in college and was even a backup quarterback at one point. With that kind of versatility Carey can play almost anywhere, so placing him at ILB isn’t too much of a stretch.

COMPARISON – Mike Vrabel

OLB- Danny Batten, South Dakota State – A passionate player with a solid work ethic, he’ll be a team and fan favorite wherever he ends up.  Everyone loves the guy who just plays hard on every down and  Batten doesn’t know any other way to play. The Texas vs. Nation invite is 6’ 2” and 246 pounds and was the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference’s Co-Player of the Year.

COMPARISON – Ben Leber

DB- Terrence Washington, West Virginia State – I didn’t even know there was a West Virginia State until Washington popped up on the radar. He was recruited by Iowa, but couldn’t get a high enough ACT score to attend, but the talent is there; he had visits by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. At 5’11” and 181 pounds don’t let the size fool you, he has 4.42 speed and posted 29 reps of 225. That’s the same number posted by combine invites Sam Young and Ed Wang, and they’re offensive linemen. Regardless of where he lands no one will question his heart and passion to make it as he was driving to every pro day he could just to get noticed.

COMPARISON – Antoine Winfield

DB- Dominique Dixon, Montclair State – The Red Hawks’ Associated Press Little All American said that honor was unexpected even he thought he had a “good year” and said, “It took me a while to soak it all in” once the realization of how “prestigious that award is”. Dixon admitted was a late bloomer, “I was tall and lanky and didn’t have good feet or footwork”. Those awkward days are long gone for the man whose area teammates refer to as “Dixon Island”. At 6’1”, close to 198 pounds, and having broken up an astonishing 22 passes, he was a shoe-in for the Lunch Bucket Squad.

COMPARISON – Bradley Fletcher

FS- Eddie Hicks, Southern Miss – The First Team Conference USA selection in 2009 was Conference USA’s active interception leader, hauling in 13 during his time at Southern Miss. With 145 career tackles Hicks can also lend support to the run defense. He is light at 192 pounds, which is the reason he isn’t receiving the attention that others are at the position. With 4.49 speed, the possibility of him playing corner or nickel back exists.

COMPARISON – Thomas DeCoud

SS- Chris Maragos, Wisconsin – A walk-on at Western Michigan, Maragos had rapid-fire success and  quickly leap frogged to the Big Ten and finished his college career with the Badgers. Maragos played receiver at Western Michigan and after being named to the Big Ten’s 2009 Honorable Mention Team as a safety, it’s clear he brings versatility and smarts to the field. He reminds me of Boston College’s Jamie Silva, who has been with the Indianapolis Colts since 1998…the year he went undrafted.

COMPARISON – John Lynch

The Lunch Bucket Squad is only 22 names long. That’s not much considering there are thousands that could become NFL players if only they got a shot. Some will get drafted and some will not, but it’s not where you start it’s where you finish. Just ask Ryan Leaf or Kurt Warner. Keep the above players on your radar and wait to see if they make a push to earn a living playing in the NFL.