From this point on I post 10 stock up and 10 stock down players a week until the regular season ends.
You know how this works the first 3 weeks I only mention 5 stock up and 5 stock down players because its too early to read into anything. As the season progresses more players make this list. Miami Defensive Tackle Marcus Forston was going to be listed on the this weeks list as a stock down player. Forston will return for his senior year so he will not be listed in my next 2012 NFL Mock Draft or on anymore Stock Up Stock Down lists moving forward.
Stock Up
Landry Jones Quarterback Oklahoma Junior Redshirt Now a Top 10 Pick Previously a 1st Round Pick Landry Jones is now back in the top 10 conversation after dominant performance against Texas. I realize the Longhorns had 3 cornerbacks get drafted. Texas still has 2 dominant safeties in their secondary. Jones is still ranked behind Luck, Barkley, and Griffin. For now, Jones is the 4th best quarterback and the 4th quarterback to be ranked in the top 10 conversation.
Jones went 31 for 50 with 3 passing touchdowns and no interceptions. I still believe Landry Jones will flop in the NFL. After seeing him Saturday I won’t be so hard on a team for drafting Jones in the top 10.
Ryan Broyles Wide Receiver Oklahoma Senior Redshirt Now a 1st Round Pick Previously a 2nd Round Pick Ryan Broyles recorded 9 receptions for 122 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown. Ryan Broyles is now my #5 receiver prospect just behind Floyd, Blackmon, Jeffery, and Sanu.
Morris Claiborne Cornerback LSU Junior Now a Top 5 Pick Previously a Top 10 Pick Morris Claiborne has been impressive for LSU this season. Claiborne is had a monster game against Florida. Claiborne is in the conversation with Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick as the top cornerback in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Claiborne has done better in coverage than Kirkpatrick so I have no problem with people projecting Claiborne to get drafted ahead of Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick has the size, hard hitting ability, run stuffing ability, footwork, along with the coverage. Kirkpatick has gotten torched by receivers like Alshon Jeffery and other speed receivers. At the end of the day though, Kirkpatrick appears to be the more complete cornerback than Claiborne which is why he gets the landslide edge over Claiborne for now. On Saturday November 5th Alabama and LSU will play. If both teams remain unbeaten then this game on the 5th will determine who the #1 corner in the 2012 NFL Draft is.
Trent Richardson Running Back Alabama Junior Now a Top 5 Pick Previously a Top 10 Pick Trent Richardson had another monster game. Richardson had 19 carries, 107 rushing yards, and1 rushing touchdown while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
Chandler Harnish Quarterback Northern Illinois Senior Redshirt Now a 4th Round Pick Previously a 5th Round Pick Harnish kept his composure against Kent State. Harnish went 12/15 with 113 passing yards, a passing touchdown, and no interception. Harnish also had 11 carries for 65 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown. Someone will take a mid round flyer on Harnish hoping they can make him a future starter.
Case Keenum Quarterback Houston Senior Redshirt Now a 4th Round Pick Previously a 5th Round Pick Case Keenum went 30 for 37 with 304 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. The Houston Cougars are 6-0 with a 2-0 record in conference play.
Cordy Glenn Left Guard Georgia Senior Now a 1st Round Pick Previously a 4th Round Pick Cordy Glenn had a monster game pass blocking and run blocking against Tennessee. I realize Glenn struggled early against Boise State and South Carolina. Glenn has played much better over the last 3 games and has now put himself in first round consideration. Cordy Glenn has experience at left guard and right guard. Glenn looks like the top guard prospect in the country right now. Glenn has played at left tackle this season, but he is more suited to move inside to guard.
Alfonzo Dennard Cornerback Nebraska Senior Now a 1st Round Pick Previously a 2nd Round Pick Dennard had a monster game in coverage. Teams are throwing away from Dennard and no receivers are gaining monster yards against him. Dennard is now my #5 corner behind Dre Kirkpatrick, Morris Claiborne, Jayron Hosley, and Stephon Gilmore.
Andre Ellington Running Back Clemson Junior Now a 2nd Round Pick Previously a 5th Round Pick Andre Ellington rushed for over 100 rushing yards against Boston College. BC Middle Linebacker Luke Kuechly may be an instinctive tackling machine. Kuechly struggled to stop the run against Clemson due to Ellington’s speed and burst out of the backfield.
Clemson is off to a 6-0 with a 2-0 record in conference play. Ellington has 528 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns for a 6-0 Clemson team halfway through the season. If Ellington can match these stats during the 2nd half of the season then he could end the year with 1100 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Those kind of numbers along with a breakout combine could propel Ellington to fly up draft boards the same way Ryan Matthews soared up draft boards in 2010 as the draft process played itself out.
After Trent Richardson there is no clear cut #2 running back. We usually see 2 running backs go in the first round. Last year in 2011 was the exception due to the strong depth of prospects on the defensive line, 4 quarterbacks getting drafted in the top half of the draft, and Ingram not being selected until the 28th pick.
I realize Ellington is 5 foot 10 190 pounds. The thing is he has 5 straight games with a rushing touchdown. He can be utilized in goal line situations to pound the rock. Ellington is a player who has the upside to add 15 pounds developing into a 5 foot 10 215 pound back if he puts the work in by the time the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine approaches. I am going out on a huge limb early by believing in Ellington. Besides Trent Richardson and Chris Polk no other back in the country has impressed me more through the first half than Andre Ellington.
There is usually a running back each year who comes out of nowhere and makes a huge splash up draft boards. 2011 that back was Mikel Leshoure. 2010 that back was Ryan Matthews. In 2008 that back was Chris Johnson.
Don’t sleep on Ellington. He could end up being that 2nd running back who creeps into the first round if he keeps playing this well down the stretch in the big games that matter. Ellington has had 2 games of over 100 rushing yards and 5 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown.
I am not stating that we need to move Ellington up draft boards so soon in a premature fashion. All I am stating is that Ellington is a huge dark horse rusher who hasn’t gotten the recognition he deserves around the NFL scouting community.
I was the first person on the Robert Griffin III bandwagon back in June mocking him to the Oakland Raiders 12th overall. I had Griffin in round 1 of my mock before anyone else which makes my arguments credible to a certain extent. Instead of bragging about this awesome accomplishment I’ll let my assessment on NFL prospects do the talking.
I am jumping on the Andre Ellington bandwagon right now. I am making myself the first NFL draft pundit to jump on the Ellington bandwagon. You can hold my word to this statement. Who else wants to join me on the Ellington bandwagon?
Lance Dunbar Running Back North Texas Senior Now a 5th round Pick Previously a 6th Round Pick Lance Dunbar had 29 carries for 105 rushing yards, and 1 rushing touchdown in North Texas’s win against Florida Atlantic. Dunbar could be a player to eye on come Senior Bowl week.
James Michael Johnson Middle Linebacker Nevada Senior Redshirt Now a 3rd Round Pick Previously a 4th Round Pick James Michael Johnson is the middle linebacker for a Nevada defense. Nevada recorded a 37 to 0 shutout over UNLV. James Michael Johnson recorded 6 tackles in the contest. After Vontaze Burfict and Luke Kuechly there is a huge drop off in talent when it comes to 4-3 middle linebacker prospects. James Michael Johnson looks like the 3rd best 4-3 middle linebacker for the 2012 NFL Draft at this point.
Stock Down
Devier Posey Wide Receiver Ohio State Senior Now a 6th Round Pick Previously a 4th Round Pick Devier Posey got suspended for 5 more games after serving his 5 games suspension. Posey is just making some really poor choices off the field.
Nick Foles Quarterback Arizona Senior Redshirt Now a 5th Round Pick Previously a 2nd Round Pick Foles threw 1 touchdowns and 2 picks performing poorly which originally caused me to drop Foles from a 2nd round pick to a 3rd round pick.
Then I took into account that Foles left the game with an injury which made me drop Foles to a 4th round pick because we don’t know how severe the injury is or how it will affect his throwing motion.
The final reason I dropped Foles another round was because Arizona lost to a winless Oregon State team which the Wildcats were expected to beat. After taking all that into account you have to believe that Foles will get selected somewhere in round 5 on day 3 of the 2012 NFL Draft.
A strong Senior Bowl and NFL Combine could propel Foles up to a late day 2 pick. Foles may have the potential to develop into an elite starter 3 years down the road. In order for this to happen Foles has to get placed in the perfect situation. Its just at this point Foles is a major project player who should not be selected before the 5th round. Some plays you see Foles perform like a late first round pick and other plays he performs so poorly you wonder if he should even get drafted.
Riley Reiff Left Tackle Iowa Junior Redshirt Now a 2nd Round Pick Previously a 1st Round Pick Riley Reiff left the Penn State game with an injury. Scouts may question Reiff’s durability in the wake of this injury which could bump him down to a 2nd round prospect. Reiff would still be graded out as a higher prospect than Mike Adams.
Reiff went against Adrian Clayborn in one on one drills and it toughened him. I may move Reiff down to a 2nd round prospect cause of this injury. At the end of the day I still see Riley Reiff succeeding having a Bryan Bulaga type impact.
Jeff Demps Running Back Florida Senior Now a 7th Round Pick Previously a 5th Round Pick Demps has struggled against 2 stingy Alabama and LSU run defenses. Demps and Rainey are late round talents not mid round flyers.
Tauren Poole Running Back Tennessee Senior Now a 7th Round Pick Previously a 5th Round Pick Remember what happened with James Starks? Starks was a late 3rd early 4th round prospect prior to a season ending injury he suffered. This injury caused Starks to fall to the late rounds. Poole can be an effective starter at times and is best utilized as a #2 back in the backfield like Starks when healthy.
Tauren Poole reminds me a lot of James Starks because both had monster junior campaigns before injuries lingered during their senior years. Poole’s injury is not as severe as Starks which was a season ending injury, but that is beyond the point. The main point is Poole is developing a history of injuries so scouts will question his durability.
Casey Heyward Cornerback Vanderbilt Senior Now a 3rd Round Pick Previously a 1st Round Pick Casey Heyward struggled in coverage against Marquis Maze. I had Heyward graded out as a first round talent after his game against Ole Miss a few weeks ago. Heyward got torched all night in man to man coverage. Heyward seems to struggle against speedy receivers. Heyward goes from being a long shot late day 1 selection to a borderline day 2 selection with his performance against Alabama.
Jeff Fuller Wide Receiver Texas A&M Senior Now a 3rd Round Pick Previously a 2nd Round Pick Jeff Fuller was limited to 1 reception for 12 receiving yards against Texas Tech. A&M nearly blew their 3rd straight half time lead due to Fuller’s inability to produce in this contest.
Ryan Lindley Quarterback San Diego State Senior Redshirt Now a 5th Round Pick Previously a 4th Round Pick Ryan Lindley went 5 for 14 with 71 passing yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 pick against TCU in the first half. Robert Griffin III torched this Horned Frogs defense so Lindley clearly isn’t as good as the media made Lindley out to be during the preseason.
Christian Scott Strong Safety Texas Senior Redshirt Now a 5th Round Pick Previously a 4th Round Pick Texas had 3 cornerback prospects for the 2011 NFL Draft. I ranked those prospects Aaron Williams, Chykie Brown, Curtis Brown from most talented to least talented in that order.
Texas has 2 equally talented safeties in strong safety Christian Scott and free safety Blake Gideon. Both safeties were graded out as 4th round prospects prior to this game. After getting torched by Jones I am moving both safeties down to 5th round prospects.
Blake Gideon Free Safety Texas Senior Now a 5th Round Pick Previously a 4th Round Pick Landry Jones picked apart Longhorn free safety Blake Gideon at will on Saturday. Gideon has looked pretty useless without his corners.
