Matt Miller’s Week 4 NFL Scouting Notebook: Looking Back at Wentz, Prescott

By admin
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: September 30, 2016

It’s a big weekend for college football with marquee matchups on Friday night (Stanford vs. Washington) and all day Saturday. That’s good news for draft fans and great news for this weekly column. With so much activity in and around the world of the NFL draft, there’s a lot to get to.

Here’s what’s going on this week:

Where would Dak Prescott go in a redraft? Off-field issues making waves in the SEC and NFL draft world An updated Round 1 mock draft What did the scouting reports say on Prescott and Carson Wentz? …and an interview with NFL super-agent David Mulugheta

The Scout’s Report

—This week I asked one scout, one director of player personnel and one quarterbacks coach where Dak Prescott would go in a redraft.

The answers:

Scout: “I think he has to go in the top five. You’d take Wentz first and then maybe one of the tackles [Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin], but Dak is in that conversation.”

Director: “It’s very early and we haven’t seen [Jared] Goff yet, but I’d put Dak right behind Wentz as the best draft pick so far in this class. Regardless of position.”

Coach: “You guys love to hype these guys up, don’t you? Based on the preseason and three weeks, sure, I’d say he looks like a first-rounder.”

—Every scout I’ve talked to this year has downplayed the senior quarterback talent across the country. Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs was high on some watch lists to start the year, but one scout I spoke to this week said Dobbs “isn’t an NFL passer.” The search for a top-tier senior quarterback continues…

—LSU defensive lineman Davon Godchaux was gaining buzz in the scouting world heading into last weekend. Then news broke that Godchaux would be suspended after he was arrested on charges of domestic abuse batter/child endangerment and false imprisonment.

Those charges were dropped, and Godchaux’s suspension was lifted, according to Jim Kleinpeter of the Times-Picayune. A massive defensive line prospect, the 6’4″, 299-pound Godchaux’s status for this weekend’s game against Missouri is unknown.

—Alabama edge-rusher Tim Williams, a player in the top 20 of my Big Board, was arrested Thursday morning on gun charges, per Mia Watkins and Kelvin Reynolds of WBRC. Williams was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, a misdemeanor. This isn’t likely to be a big enough red flag on its own to hurt Williams’ stock, but NFL teams will file it away and ask him about it during interviews.

—Auburn’s Carl Lawson isn’t getting the same hype Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett is, but the stand-up pass-rusher has top-10 potential. Here’s our spotlight of his talents.

—”If it weren’t for the off-field [issues], Joe Mixon would be in the five best backs [of this class]. Guaranteed.” That’s from a Southwestern area scout who loves Mixon’s pro-style running. But yes, off-field issues are a major concern for Mixon.

Mixon was charged with a misdemeanor after hitting a woman in the face in July 2014. The incident was caught on a surveillance camera and led to Mixon’s being suspended for the 2014 season. He entered a plea deal that allowed him to escape felony charges. Mixon was reinstated to the football team for the 2015 season.

5 Names to Know

5. WR Fred Ross, Mississippi State

Fred Ross went off last week with an eight-catch, 126-yard, two-touchdown performance against UMass at Gillette Stadium. He’ll be playing on that field again in his NFL career.

Ross, at 6’2″ and 205 pounds, has excellent size for an NFL wide receiver and backs it up with speed, quickness in and out of cuts, and with the strong hands to make contested catches in traffic. Don’t sleep on Ross as a potential top-five wide receiver in this class.

4. WR J’Mon Moore, Missouri

A junior wideout with NFL size, J’Mon Moore is 6’3″ and almost 200 pounds. He uses that size well to stretch the field and attacks the ball in the air with a tenacity we don’t see often in college. Moore, playing in Missouri’s spread scheme, is also good with the ball in his hands after the fact.

The current receiver rankings feature Clemson’s Mike Williams at the top and then a big question mark. Moore might fill that void if he keeps up his current pace.

3. EDGE Ejuan Price, Pitt

There are times when stat production is so good it makes you stop and take a look at a player formerly not high on the radar. That’s what Ejuan Price has done in registering seven sacks, seven quarterback hits and seven quarterback hurries, per College Football Focus.

Price doesn’t have NFL size at 6’0″ and 255 pounds, but his ability to dip and bend at the edge will get him a long look from scouts obsessed with finding pass-rushers.

2. FS Marcus Williams, Utah

Jamal Adams, Jabrill Peppers and Justin Evans dominate the first round of mock drafts and big boards. But one of the best safeties in the nation plays late at night when most of the media has gone to bed. Utah’s Marcus Williams is a hitter with range, and he’s shown ball skills with eight career interceptions.

Williams isn’t getting major publicity yet, but he’s a top-40 player at the moment.

1. CB Quincy Wilson, Florida

There is no clear-cut No. 1 cornerback in the 2017 draft class. At least not yet. Many would point to Florida’s Jalen “Teez” Tabor, but his teammate Quincy Wilson has equally good tape.

According to College Football Focus, Wilson has allowed just 11.1 percent of passes thrown his way so far this season to be completed—one catch for 12 yards. He also has two interceptions while rarely being targeted.

3 Questions with: Agent David Mulugheta

Each …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com

Breaking news