Corey Chavous reveals SEC's No. 1 NFL QB prospect -- it's not Tebow
September 21st, 2009 By Corey Chavous
DraftNasty.com founder Corey Chavous was on the road again this past weekend, evaluating Cal RB Jahvid Best in person and watching film of a dozen other games. Chavous has a surprising choice with which QB has moved to the top of his SEC NFL prospect list in his "Instant Replay" from the weekend:
Cal RB Jahvid Best: His best running play is still the "28 Stretch." He also is developing more patience when it comes to counter runs and delayed draws. One of the things he is becoming adept at is bursting through the "A Gap," particularly off combo blocks by the Cal offensive linemen on the "0- or 1-technique" defensive lineman. Those guards then often leave the combo block to get up on linebackers: See LG-75) Matt Summers-Gavin on 27 yd. TD run vs. Minn). If the linebacker does not react fast enough, then Best is already on top of the safety. When Cal's WRs make downfield blocks, Best is just about automatic for a long run. He has gained weight, and appears to be stronger than he was last season. He still has the bad habit of bouncing runs outside too soon.
West Virginia RB Noel Devine: Is Devine the best RB in the nation? On his 71-yard TD run vs. Auburn, you saw his power-clean ability, and how he is the strongest player, pound for pound, on West Virginia's team. He has incredible balance and can make NFL-level athletes miss in a short area. He reminds me of Joe Washington of the Washington Redskins from the mid-1980s. Devine runs with agility and can catch the ball out of the backfield. The difference between him and Washington is that Devine displays more lower body strength. You're not going to "arm tackle" Devine on a consistent basis.
Washington coach Steve Sarkisian: With his coaching performance in the upset over USC, he reminded me of his stellar outing as BYU's QB vs. Texas A&M in the first game of the 1996 season -- passing for 536 yards and six touchdowns in the upset. That performance solidified him as one of the better QB's in BYU history. What a job Sarkisian has performed as a coach with Washington QB Jake Locker. His fundamentals have improved tremendously. In the two-minute drive to win the game, Locker did an outstanding job at attacking the middle of the field. Sarkisian has Rocker well-versed on picking up the blitz, and the Washington coach mixed up his personnel groupings well on the final drive to keep USC's talented defense off balance. He went from Regular personnel (2 WR, 2 RB, 1 TE) to Tank personnel (2 RB, 2 TE, 1 WR), and also mixed in a little Spread Offense. Instead of using Locker to simply run in a Washington "Wildcat" formation, he has Locker do it in Pro Style formations with play-action fakes and bootlegs. He still gives Locker the run-pass option, and just overall is helping him make better QB decisions. Locker will contend for Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Year. Meanwhile, USC continues to struggle against unranked opponents on the road.
Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett: My friend, ESPN's Shaun King said it on TV, and now I'm starting to believe it. Mallett, at 6-foot-7 and 248 pounds, is the top NFL prospect in the SEC at QB. He made every throw you want to see a premier QB make Saturday night. The Arkansas staff has really concentrated on helping him with his footwork. The SEC took a lot of heat before the season for its lack of elite quarterbacks after Florida's Tim Tebow and Ole Miss's Jevon Snead. However, things have changed in a hurry and now you have five SEC quarterbacks playing at a winning level: Tebow, Mallett, Auburn's Chris Todd (down 14-0 vs. West Virginia and didn't blink), UGA's Joe Cox (big-time turnaround vs. Arkansas), and Alabama's Greg McElroy. By the way, Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead is off to a snail like pace in 2009 and will have to duplicate his 2nd Half turnaround from a year ago to enter the 2010 NFL Draft.
Texas DE Sergio Kindle: If you want to see someone who I consider a lock to go in the top 15 of the draft, then watch Kindle in the first quarter vs. Texas Tech OT Marlon Winn. His "bullrush" after threatening Winn (6-6, 325 pounds) with his speed -- it gets Winn so off balance that he goes straight to the ground after being punched in the chest by Kindle. Kindle is stronger than his size suggests. Later in the same game, he beats Winn around the corner and nearly takes the head off Texas Tech QB Taylor Potts.
Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor: The 38-0 win over Toledo was a snoozer for most college football fans, but it was one of the most definitive games in Pryor's career with 372 yards total offense. Toledo is hot, and Pryor showed me once again that his fundamentals are tied directly with his footwork. I scouted Pryor in person vs. USC. In the second half of that loss, his footwork was off, therefore his passes were inaccurate. When he focuses on mechanics and gets rid of the ball at the top of his drops, he looks like an NFL QB and not NFL athlete. The only thing I am left to question is his maturity in pressure situations but I have to remember he's only a sophomore.
Florida QB Tim Tebow: Another great leadership performance vs. Tennessee. His toughness is evident. The NFL question marks will continue to revolve around his 3-step and 5-step footwork and mechanics. His delivery and footwork have to improve. He can't be this deliberate with the wind-up in his drop in the NFL.
Florida OL Maurkice and Mike Pouncey: The twin brothers play both guard positions and are adept at getting to the second level and blocking the linebackers and charging safeties. They often open up the huge holes for Tebow, Demps and Rainey to run up the middle. The twins don't get as much publicity as the skill players, but they are critical to Florida's offensive success. Both are on the Outland Trophy watchlist.
Florida DB Joe Haden: Has very good instincts in zone pass coverage, and reads the QB very well. You saw that against NFL No. 1 pick Matt Stafford (of UGA) last year, and again in the third quarter vs. Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton. Excellent ball skills. His interception set up the third of Florida's three field goals.
Clemson RB C.J. Spiller: Continues to show his explosiveness, with another long 77-yard punt return for a touchdown vs. Boston College. Every game, you know it's only a matter of time before Spiller gets into the open field to showcase his blazing speed. The only bad news for Spiller vs. BC is that he left the game with a foot injury.
Michigan State WR Blair White: Has deceptive speed and will also block. His physical style of play really stands out. I talked with Denver Broncos safety Renaldo Hill, and he's most impressed with White out of all of Michigan State's wide receivers. White had a big TD vs. Notre Dame in the fourth quarter, exhibiting these characteristics.
USC RB Joe McKnight: More injury issues, and his durability will be questioned for the next level. He was injured on a kickoff return. We've also talked before about his fumbling problems in clutch situations. McKnight had another fumble after a 34 run in the fourth quarter (fortunately recovered by USC). Lots of ability but has to improve ball security. Too nonchalant in this facet of his game. Say it ain't so, Joe.
Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd: Second straight year he has been hurt. This time, it's a broken collarbone which is likely a season-ending injury. Last year, Notre Dame lost a lot more than people realize with Floyd's speed and explosiveness on the field.
Nebraska DL Ndamukong Suh: Nebraska is a tough team to beat, and it took a full sixty minutes for Virginia Tech to do it Saturday in Blacksburg. Defensively, the Cornhuskers remind me of their "Blackshirt Days." Suh is projected to be a top-5 pick in this year's NFL Draft. What a performance by Suh vs. Virginia Tech. He had 8 tackles, 4 passes defended, and was credited with a half-sack. He has consistent up-field gap penetration. He plays on the other side of the LOS. He has quickness, power, and athleticism. He uses his hands well. He can line up on the edge of an offensive line or in middle of your defense. He provides versatility at the next level, whether it be in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme.
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Comments:
One cut and go RBs ? Stephon Johnson I thinks makes a good candidate. I also like the tall lean Miami TE/H-back for the Texans on Saturday. If anyone doesn't have there center of the future by now, it's a sin. There's been a herd of them pass though the last three boards.