Jon Gruden's 15 favorite NFL draft prospects

[gettlemanjack]

here were his 15 least-favorite:

here are his 15 favorite:

QB

Marcus Mariota - "I don't understand why he isn't the No. 1 player in this draft on Mel Kiper's Big Board. I don't know anybody in this draft that can do for a football team what Mariota can do. He can read the field. That whole thing about Oregon being a no-huddle, dive-option team, that is just a narrative resulting from a lack of information. The Ducks run a lot of pro-style concepts. Mariota does a lot with the protections. I've seen him throw the ball with touch and timing in tight windows. ... he is incredibly elusive, and man, is he a playmaker ... I see him functioning in the pocket, out of the pocket, and if you want to run a zone-read, he'll rip the defense apart. He is like Russell Wilson, only he is 6-4."

RB

Melvin Gordon - "He is going in the top 15 picks. ... He looks like Roger Craig out there. ... Gordon has a slight edge over Todd Gurley in my book based on the injuries."

Jeremy Langford - "My dad coached running backs, and I've always had a special appreciation for the position. Gordon and Gurley are clearly the top backs in this draft, but Langford is a guy I really like. I don't understand why we don't hear his name more. ... He breaks tackles, he picks up blitzes and he looks like an NFL back for sure. He is tough, he can catch, he has home run speed"

WR

Amari Cooper - "Cooper reminds me of a young Tim Brown coming out of Notre Dame. Tim was "The Natural" and so is Cooper."

Nelson Agholor - "They run a pro-style scheme at USC, and Agholor can line up anywhere. He is outstanding after the catch. ... I like him better than Marqise Lee coming out, better than Robert Woods coming out, because he can run double moves."

OL

The Scherff - "What is Scherff going to be? Who cares! If you take him, he is probably going to be your best left tackle. If you move him to guard, he'll be your best guard. If you play him at right tackle, he will be your best right tackle.

Jake Fisher - "Fisher is someone I really like. Watch him use his hands and punch on tape. He is in shape, he is athletic and he can switch stunts. I think he can be a left tackle and a right tackle. He dominated Eddie Goldman in the Rose Bowl. I like him in the late first round and think he can be a sleeper pick."

EDGE

Dante Fowler - "I do not dislike anything about him."

Shane Ray - "Unlike some of the sack artists in this class, Ray defends the run as well. I just love how he plays. He is just a pain in the butt to block. ... He gets off the rock with an edge rush that is hard to block. ... You can line him up at right end, left end or move him over the guard in your sub package. They stood him up as well. They used him on these stunts where he is really effective. ... a lot of defensive ends that don't like coming in there because sometimes that center whacks your face off. Ray comes inside on these stunts with a recklessness that I love."

Trey Flowers - "reminds me of LaMarr Woodley coming out of Michigan. .. He is a legitimate defensive end. ... There is a playing style that Fowler has, that Shane Ray has and that Flowers has. I love him. He has the ability to move on a zone blitz, read the quarterback, break on the ball and intercept it. He is instinctive, he is physical and he is relentless. A lot of times, teams are forcing you to play nickel all the time, anyway, and the outside linebacker in a 3-4 plays defensive end in the nickel. I need a guy who can play both positions. Flowers can do that."

Bud Dupree - "one of the top 10 players in this draft."

LB

Denzel Perryman - "College football is not producing players like this anymore. ... If he doesn't fit your defense, fire your defensive staff. ... He has great zone awareness, and he understands routes. He can line up off the tight end, see the checkdown and make the play ... He has instincts, he has leadership, he has communication, and if he sees something, he will run through a backside swap combination and get a tackle for a loss. ... Perryman makes all the tackles. He is the most explosive hitter in this draft."

Eric Kendricks - "I don't think there is a better all-around player than Kendricks. He is a polished pass defender and is also pretty good against the run if you cover him. ... These guys like Perryman and Kendricks never leave the field, and they call all your signals. They have done it at a high level at major programs. ... We talk about these quarterbacks all the time, but no one talks about the guys who set up the defense. We have to have somebody who has the football aptitude and the tenacity to set up our base defense, our nickel defense and our goal-line defense, and then you've got all these no-huddle teams."

CB

D'Joun Smith - "I just know he is going to be one of the complete corners in this year's draft. ... Marcus Peters of Washington is my top CB, provided he goes to a team with a strong locker room. But some of the other corners you see rated highly just do not tackle well enough to be first-round picks in my book (Trae Waynes and Kevin Johnson) ... When I watch Smith at Florida Atlantic, I'm telling you, ... He will knock your running back down. He had seven interceptions two years ago. He does not have the ideal size, but neither does Waynes, and he's being mentioned as a possible top-10 pick."

S

Eric Rowe - "Versatility is a big part of what I like about Rowe. ... Safety has become such an important position. We cannot have one-dimensional safeties (Landon Collins), because if we do we lose our disguises. I see Rowe as a man who can cover a third receiver the way Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots can, and Rowe can come down in the box and be solid in all areas. ... It is great to have a player on your team like Rowe to whom you say, "Hey, we are seeing a team that plays a lot of four wides this week, so we need you to play a dime corner." Or you could put him at left corner in an emergency situation. Rowe might be one of the real finds in this year's draft."

http://www.espn.co.uk/american-football/draft2015/insider/story/_/id/12757349/marcus-mariota-dante-fowler-jr-jon-gruden-favorite-prospects-2015-nfl-draft

[frash.exe]

Somebody tell me the last USC receiver that had a lasting impact on a team

[The Huddler]

I want Randy Gregory real fuggin bad

[Wyank]

Somebody tell me the last USC receiver that had a lasting impact on a team

 

Keyshawn Johnson? maybe

[Fidel Cashflow]

nice

[SetfreexX]

Somebody tell me the last USC receiver that had a lasting impact on a team

 

Look at the teams that drafted them...

 

Jake Delhomme/Matt Moore-Panthers-Dwayne Jarrett

 

Blaine Gabbert/Blake Bortles-Jacksonville-Marquise Lee

 

Eli Manning-Giants-Steve Smith

 

E.J. Manuel/Kyle Orton/Ryan Fitzpatrick-Bills-Robert Woods

 

Only one of those receivers went to a team with an established, better than average QB, the rest went to dumpster fire passing offenses, where the QB position was in flux. I'm sure there are other examples but these came to mind 1st. 

[Frizzy350]

Somebody tell me the last USC receiver that had a lasting impact on a team

 

Still too early but Woods is shaping out real nicely in Buffalo.  No his stats aren't that impressive (look at the QB situation there) but he's awfully solid and when you watch him play there is a lot to like.  He'd be an immediate number 2 here.

[gettlemanjack]

ex-scout Bucky Brooks compares Melvin Gordon to a current perennial All-Pro franchise running back, and writes:

"Melvin Gordon is the most explosive runner available in the Draft...a rare find at the position... ultra-explosive

...

the film reveals an electric runner with all of the blue-chip qualities evaluators covet in a franchise running back. ... certainly possesses the physical tools to be a difference-maker early in his career. ... In addition to top-end speed, Gordon possesses vision, short-area quickness, patience, poise, speed, quickness and burst - an explosive playmaker capable of going from zero to 60 in a hurry when he spots a crease. Gordon's big-play ability is breathtaking; he's a threat to score from anywhere on the field...thrives on the perimeter or between the tackles. ... a rare inside/outside runner with enviable wheels, yet he also displays the toughness and grit needed to handle a heavy workload. Given his potential to contribute as a three-down back, I believe Gordon is one of the few blue-chip talents in this draft class. Several teams will view him as a franchise RB capable of transforming an offense from good to great in the coming years.

As a receiver, Gordon is a dangerous weapon out of the backfield...has the hands and ball skills ... will excel on screens, swings and option routes designed to get him the ball quickly in space, leading to big plays when he eludes and outruns defenders on the perimeter. ... Gordon is a dangerous playmaker in space ... a home-run hitter in the passing game

for the NFL team that takes Gordon, their offense would certainly have explosive potential in 2015 with the rookie Gordon in place at tailback....Gordon would bring a home-run threat to the backfield that would force opponents to put extra defenders near the line of scrimmage, creating one-on-one opportunities for the receivers. Gordon would immediately add a spark to the ground attack, giving his team a dynamic runner to lean on in hard-hitting contests against the NFL's most rugged defenses ... The running game is key to winning pivotal contests down the stretch; NFL teams needs an explosive talent like Gordon to compete with the elite teams ... The addition of an electric back like Gordon could help a team hoist the Lombardi Trophy "

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000471858/article/melvin-gordons-nfl-fits-include-cardinals-ravens-cowboys

[Kurb]

Somebody tell me the last USC receiver that had a lasting impact on a team

Lee was solid last year....kinda..