Matt Miller’s Week 15 NFL Scouting Notebook: ’17 QB Class Starting to Take Shape

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Another week on the road from work, writing to you somewhere over Missouri and Illinois and then finishing up at Bleacher Report’s home office in New York—where we’ll shoot our weekly NFL draft show for Facebook Live (Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET). It’s been a wild week. The NCAA handed out the Heisman Trophy. A top underclassman quarterback decided to enter the draft. The Senior Bowl and Shrine Game rosters are filling out.

The goal of each Friday’s Scouting Notebook is to catch you up on all things NFL draft from the last week while sprinkling in my analysis and the rumors I hear talking to NFL folks. This week’s should be a good one.

Top quarterback declares for the draft Updated three-round mock draft Fixing Los Angeles AFC scout interview …and how do you get a job with the Patriots?

                                       

The Scout’s Report

—I updated my top-10 mock draft on Instagram this week, and many were surprised at the omission of Michigan defender Jabrill Peppers. Don’t be. Peppers is a tremendous college player, but I don’t yet see the traits that will make him a blue-chip NFL prospect. Erase the hype and focus on the traits—that’s what scouting is, after all—and you’ll struggle to tell me the three or four things that make No. 5 a top-10 player.

—Will Peppers even be in the 2017 draft class? Many assume so, but the redshirt sophomore said after the Heisman ceremony, in a televised interview with the Big Ten Network, that he “hoped to do it again.” That is vague, and Peppers could be playing coy, but scouts I’ve talked to say they haven’t received a solid yes or no from Michigan on his plans.

—Another Heisman candidate, Oklahoma’s Dede Westbrook, came under the microscope of Tulsa World sportswriter Cody Stavenhagen in this fascinating expose on the star receiver’s background. For NFL teams, most telling is the two arrests in Westbrook’s past on family violence complaints. According to Stavenhagen, “Westbrook was accused of throwing the mother of two of his children to the ground. In 2013, Westbrook was accused of biting the same woman’s arm and punching her in the face with a closed fist.”

—I spoke to a former coach this week, looking for background information, and he vouched for the receiver, saying they had no issues with him during his JUCO days. That’s the type of question NFL scouts will be asking as they look for a complete picture of a complex person.

—How good is this tight end class? It’s the best I’ve ever seen. O.J. Howard is a top-15 player. Jake Butt and Bucky Hodges may make the first round. Evan Engram, Jordan Leggett and David Njoku are all potential top-64 guys. If you need a tight end, this is a great year to grab one. And we may see NFL teams do that by focusing on tight end (and safety) early in the draft because it’s not traditionally a position with high-end talent and depth.

—Texas A&M safety Armani Watts tweeted his draft intentions with a photo of himself in uniform with the caption “one more year.” He projects as a strong safety and will enter the 2018 draft as my top senior at the position.

—Myles Garrett is the clear-cut best player in this class. That’s my opinion, and it’s the opinion of every NFL scout I’ve contacted in the last two weeks. If Cleveland can overcome the need to draft a quarterback No. 1 overall, Garrett should be the pick.

—No surprise here, but Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has shot down rumors of his interest in getting back into the NFL. Keep dreaming, Rams.

—Late Thursday afternoon, Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald tweeted breaking news that four Georgia players would return to school for their senior seasons: Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy. Most notable is Chubb, who returned from a serious knee injury in 2015 to have a solid junior season.

            

5 Names to Know

5. CB Gareon Conley, Ohio State

Ohio State’s Gareon Conley is lost in the hype and numbers some of the 2017 cornerback class put up. In fact, he’s rarely mentioned by draft fans asking questions on Twitter. That must change.

Conley, more so than teammate Marshon Lattimore, is NFL-ready and has the frame (6’0″, 195 lbs) to step right into an NFL defense. In fact, I grade Conley out better than last year’s No. 10 overall pick (Eli Apple) coming out of the same scheme.

              

4. QB Josh Dobbs, Tennessee

Scouts are up and down on Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs—and I’ve admittedly done little work on his 2016 tape—but it’s telling that he got a Senior Bowl invite. When I asked one scout his thoughts on Dobbs, he replied that the senior passer “has a football IQ and wiring like Dak [Prescott] but not his decision-making.”

I’ll be keeping a close eye on Dobbs throughout the week of practices at the Senior Bowl, starting January 24.

                

3. EDGE Joe Mathis, Washington

A foot injury took Mathis out for the season in early October, but at the time, he was leading the Huskies in sacks and had made an impact as a power-rusher with some speed and …

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