NFL Draft: First Day SEC Selections

[Jordan]

1st Round
#11) Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt - QB) to Denver
#16) Jason Allen (Tennessee - CB) to Miami
#24) Johnathan Joseph (South Carolina - CB) to Cincinnati
#30) Joseph Addai (LSU - RB) to Indianapolis


2nd Round
#33) DeMeco Ryans (Alabama - OLB) to Houston
#36) Chad Jackson (Florida - WR) to New England
#43) Roman Harper (Alabama - FS) to New Orleans
#50) Marcus McNeill (Auburn - OT) to San Diego
#55) Andrew Whitworth (LSU - OT) to Cincinnati
#62) Tim Jennings (Georgia - CB) to Indianapolis


3rd Round
#68) Claude Wroten (LSU - DT) to St. Louis
#72) Leonard Pope (Georgia - TE) to Arizona
#79) Jerious Norwood (Mississippi State - RB) to Atlanta
#85) Brodie Croyle (Alabama - QB) to Kansas City

[scunyon]

What, no Ko? I wonder if he's thinking that maybe he should be in Garnet and Black right now... I hope that he gets picked up, but I never thought that JJ would blow by him like this.

[GatorNation]

What, no Ko? I wonder if he's thinking that maybe he should be in Garnet and Black right now... I hope that he gets picked up, but I never thought that JJ would blow by him like this.

Not very good for the SEC, imo. ACC had the overall #1 and a few others, and--could it get any worse?--f$u had 4 first-round picks. How the heck did that happen? Cromartie didn't even play this year, and he was taken in the first round.

Does anyone know roughly how many SEC players we had available for the draft? Just didn't seem like a good outing yesterday at all. Scouts must be drinking the ACC koolaid....

:brick:

[Jordan]

Not very good for the SEC, imo. ACC had the overall #1 and a few others, and--could it get any worse?--f$u had 4 first-round picks. How the heck did that happen? Cromartie didn't even play this year, and he was taken in the first round.

Does anyone know roughly how many SEC players we had available for the draft? Just didn't seem like a good outing yesterday at all. Scouts must be drinking the ACC koolaid....

:brick:
I know the SEC has over 100 players who entered the draft, but a HUGE majority of them are not big names.... so nowhere near that number will be drafted. I'm not sure how many the ACC has overall, but they do have a lot more "stars" that entered the draft this year.

Here's how the first day broke down between SEC vs ACC:

SEC Selections
1st: 4
2nd: 6
3rd: 4
Total: 14 players selected

ACC Selections
1st: 12
2nd: 6
3rd: 7
Total: 25 players selected

Like I said though, the SEC really doesn't have that many "star" players that entered the draft the year. We had a few great players, a handful of kind of great players, and a lot of good players with lots of potential. Those in the latter group will be going pretty early today IMO.

[Jordan]

What, no Ko? I wonder if he's thinking that maybe he should be in Garnet and Black right now... I hope that he gets picked up, but I never thought that JJ would blow by him like this.
FYI.... Ko went at Pick #8 today (#105 overall). There were only 2 free safeties selected in Day 1, so I'd say that he is doing pretty darn good to be picked as the 3rd free safety in the draft.

[GatorNation]

I know the SEC has over 100 players who entered the draft, but a HUGE majority of them are not big names.... so nowhere near that number will be drafted. I'm not sure how many the ACC has overall, but they do have a lot more "stars" that entered the draft this year.

Here's how the first day broke down between SEC vs ACC:

SEC Selections
1st: 4
2nd: 6
3rd: 4
Total: 14 players selected

ACC Selections
1st: 12
2nd: 6
3rd: 7
Total: 25 players selected

Like I said though, the SEC really doesn't have that many "star" players that entered the draft the year. We had a few great players, a handful of kind of great players, and a lot of good players with lots of potential. Those in the latter group will be going pretty early today IMO.

Great post, Jordan. Thanks.

I think many SEC players were underrated, imo. Jackson is a better receiver than Holmes....and if he isn't, the difference isn't a drop to the second round. Where is Degory? He dominated Bunkley in the Swamp. Ko should've gone earlier.....Ryans is a better LB than Greenway, imo....how does McNeill (Auburn) fall to the middle of the second round, even with back issues? Leonard Pope goes AFTER some guy named Chis Cocong from Cal Poly?

Some crazy movement, imo.

[Jordan]

Great post, Jordan. Thanks.

I think many SEC players were underrated, imo. Jackson is a better receiver than Holmes....and if he isn't, the difference isn't a drop to the second round. Where is Degory? He dominated Bunkley in the Swamp. Ko should've gone earlier.....Ryans is a better LB than Greenway, imo....how does McNeill (Auburn) fall to the middle of the second round, even with back issues? Leonard Pope goes AFTER some guy named Chis Cocong from Cal Poly?

Some crazy movement, imo.
Yeah, but that's the fun thing about watching the Draft. It really all comes down to what position each team is looking to get with each of their picks, as well as what kind of system the team runs.

Also the rounds, especially after 1st/2nd, really don't mean that much. There have been plenty of NFL stars come out of the later rounds, as they sometime transition better into the style of NFL play. A 4th-rounder might not make as much $$ initially as a 1st-rounder, but after a couple of years of NFL play their stocks might completely reverse.

Jackson: The WR spot was just not a highly touted position for teams yesterday. He's got slightly better hands than Holmes IMO, but both of them are playmakers that are on about the same level going into the pros. I think Pitt just saw something in Holmes that made him a better fit in their system. But honestly, I think Jackson is going to have much better opportunities with the Patriots than he would have with the Steelers. So even if it's a little less money, I think in the long-term he will come out ahead in the deal.

Degory: Most NFL scouts didn't rate him that high. They said that his speed and style will be big issues to overcome as a center in the NFL. I think I remember someone saying that the Scouts didn't like the way he tends to bend at the waist instead of at the knees, which can not only make you miss blocks but also can lead to injury.

Simpson: Again, this wasn't a highly sought position yesterday. Also, I think many scouts thought he needed a little more experience... so the fact that he came out of school early probably hurt his stock in the draft. The only guys drafted above him at free safety were Roman Harper (who in my biased opinion was the best free safety in the draft) and Anthony Smith. Many scouts thought Smith lacked consistency, while they thought Ko is a consistent player.... so that would be the surprise pick I guess. But again, I think the leaving school early was what hurt him this year in the draft.

Ryans: I love this guy, and I think one thing he brings to the table compared to others is his ability to motivate the guys around him. He is the definition of a team player and a hard worker. But his height and speed dropped him below the other OLBs that went ahead of him. This year was stock-full of quality OLBs... most years Ryans would have been a mid-first round pick. I don't think we'll hear him complaining about going as pick #1 in the 2nd round, as some analysts had him in the mid-to-late 2nd round.

McNeill: This just wasn't a highly sought position early-on yesterday. Marcus was the 4th OT selected, which isn't bad considering the ones that went ahead of him. Injury might have been a slight concern for some teams, but I think his style of play was what hurt him the most. Like Degory, many scouts had a lot of comments about his playing style and thought he'd require some extra work over the other guys when entering the pros.

Pope: I've always loved this guy, and I think Arizona got a steal to pick him up in the 3rd round. The thing that hurt Pope is blocking, as the TEs that went before him yesterday were much better blockers than him. With the right conditioning, he might can get a little more flexibility which would really help him out in this area of the position. In the NFL, you have to be able to consistently make good blocks to be a great TE.

[IH8Orange]

As of right now (waiting on pick 152) ACC has 35 and the SEC has 20

[IH8Orange]

Of course as soon as I say that, 152 gets a UGA boy. 21

[GatorNation]

Jackson: The WR spot was just not a highly touted position for teams yesterday. He's got slightly better hands than Holmes IMO, but both of them are playmakers that are on about the same level going into the pros. I think Pitt just saw something in Holmes that made him a better fit in their system. But honestly, I think Jackson is going to have much better opportunities with the Patriots than he would have with the Steelers. So even if it's a little less money, I think in the long-term he will come out ahead in the deal.

All true, but San Fran needs WRs more than they need TEs. I mean, they got a MONSTER with Vernon Davis but--and this goes back to what you said about Pope--he needs to improve his blocking. I guess at 4.3, he's pretty much uncoverable, which is why he went so high, but SanFran has perimeter needs that are just as palpable in the NFL's worst-ranked offense. Almost any NFL analyst will tell you that the TE can't be your #1 WR threat. Smith needs more help out there. They lost their only good WR.

Degory: Most NFL scouts didn't rate him that high. They said that his speed and style will be big issues to overcome as a center in the NFL. I think I remember someone saying that the Scouts didn't like the way he tends to bend at the waist instead of at the knees, which can not only make you miss blocks but also can lead to injury.

I agree. I read this about him, too, but he dropped too far considering his experience, durability, and, particularly, how he handled the top (i.e., first-round) competition he faced. Bunkley had one sack, and that was on a stunt misread by the LOG. Sure, he needs some work, but I think he is a steal for the later rounds....and it's a crime to let him slide to day two.

Ryans: I love this guy, and I think one thing he brings to the table compared to others is his ability to motivate the guys around him. He is the definition of a team player and a hard worker. But his height and speed dropped him below the other OLBs that went ahead of him. This year was stock-full of quality OLBs... most years Ryans would have been a mid-first round pick. I don't think we'll hear him complaining about going as pick #1 in the 2nd round, as some analysts had him in the mid-to-late 2nd round.

Not sure I agree here. Ryans (4.7) had a better 40 than Greenway (4.8) and was only three-hundredths slower than Hawk (4.67). Ryans also has comparable size, right between A. J. and Greenway (he's actually a 1/2 inch taller than Hawk).

[Jordan]

Good post GN! I'll be the first to admit, I don't know that much about SF's team. They are not a team I keep up with that closely, so your comments are much appreciated on them needing a WR more than a TE.

As for Ryans, that's just part of the draft. I was hoping to see him in the 1st round, but was even more just hoping he wouldn't go too late in the 2nd... so I was pleased with this selection. Most of the top 6-7 OLBs yesterday are fairly even in terms of current and potential skills, so it really just boiled down to how the teams thought each of them could fit in with their defenses. I think DeMeco is still going to do quite well in the NFL, and would be surprised if he doesn't have a contract comparable to a few of the 1st round OLBs.