2013 NFL Draft Picks on Display Today in College Football
Every week during the college football season we’ll highlight a few players in key games you should keep an eye on because they’re NFL draft material in 2013. Here’s last week’s list. Several teams have more than a couple pro prospects and will be featured frequently in this space. So don’t freak out when only two of LSU’s dozen pro prospects are mentioned below.
FLORIDA at TEXAS A&M, Saturday, 3:30 pm, ESPN
AGGIES
Luke Joeckel, junior, 6-6, 310 pounds: Arguably the best tackle in his class. Size and skill to go in the top half of the 1st round in April. His first test of the season will be Florida’s beastly defensive line, led by Shariff Floyd, who is probably a 2nd or 3rd round pick if he comes out.
Sean Porter, senior, LB , 6-2, 230 pounds: Latest in a long line of talented linebackers to play for the Aggies (Dat Nguyen, Johnny Holland, and Von Miller to name a few). First/second round talent with great speed had 9.5 sacks last year, including two against Arkansas. Check the spin move at 3:00.
GATORS: Didn’t it seem like yesterday that Urban Meyer’s Florida teams were littered with first round picks? This is what happens when your highly-rated Class of 2009 doesn’t exactly pan out.
Sharrif Floyd, junior, DT, 6-3, 300 pounds: Highly-acclaimed high school star has taken a couple years to live up to the hype, but he’s poised for a breakout season. (Per Rivals, Florida landed the 1st, 4th and 7th players in the country. Ronald Powell, who was first, did nothing in Gainesville his first two years and is coming off an ACL injury. Floyd went 4th. Dominique Easley went 7th and has done very little, and he also suffered an ACL injury). Floyd’s mostly considered a 2nd or 3rd day draft pick, but with a productive season, there’s no reason he couldn’t get into the first round.
GEORGIA at MISSOURI, Saturday, 7:45 pm, ESPN2:
BULLDOGS:
Aaron Murray, junior, QB, 6-1, 210 pounds: Love Murray – as a college QB. I’m not as bullish on his pro prospects as others due to his lack of size. Usually, QBs under 6-foot-2 have to rely on something else – speed (Wilson) or a system (Brees). Murray had an outstanding freshman campaign and looked like a future star – 3,049 yards, 61 percent completions, 24 TDs vs. eight interceptions. When AJ Green departed for the pros, Murray’s interceptions went up (six more despite just 61 more pass attempts), he took more sacks, his completion percentage dipped a bit and so did his YPA. Other QBs in the conference – Tyler Wilson and Tyler Bray – appeared to pass Murray last year. When you watch Murray ask yourself: You taking him over 2nd-tier guys like Landry Jones and Geno Smith? I’d say Murray is a 3rd round pick right now, with the potential to move up to the 2nd round. Waiting for 2014 might be a wise move. He’s an all-world twitter follow, though.
John Jenkins, senior, DT, 6-3, 360 pounds: Junior college terror was coveted by everyone two years ago, but had an uneven first season in Athens. Good space-eater in the Bulldogs’ 3-4 defense put up modest stats last year (three sacks). Mid-round talent 3-4-5, but because of his size and skill, could play his way into the 2nd round.
TIGERS:
Zaviar Gooden, LB, senior, 6-2, 230 pounds: Speedy linebacker who can run a 4.4 40 and that will get you an a look in the draft. Gooden picked off a pass and ran it back 20 yards for a score in the season opener. Gooden certainly isn’t in the class of Sean Weatherspoon, the 2010 1st round pick (19th) of the Falcons. Inconsistency has been one of the knocks on Gooden (just one sack last year), and a strong showing in a nationally-televised game against Florida would do wonders for his draft stock.
WASHINGTON at LSU, Saturday, 7 pm, ESPN
Keith Price, QB, redshirt junior, 6-1, 205 pounds: He could come out this year, but he might be wise to stick around Seattle one more year, as the 2013 QB talent pool is deep. Price was Jake Locker’s backup in 2010, and emerged as a very good QB in 2011, throwing for 2,625 yards and 29 TDs. Is it possible to throw for 438 yards and account for seven TDs (four passing, three running) and get overshadowed? Price did that against Baylor in the Alamo bowl, but Washington lost, 67-56. A longshot Heisman candidate this year, Price is a bit undersized (6-foot-1) and his balky knees have trimmed down his running ability. Worth a late-round pick? Sure. If you want to take him earlier, what about guys in his class who are bigger (AJ McCarron of Alabama and Ryan Renner of UNC) and the same size but faster/tougher (Tajh Boyd of Clemson)?
TIGERS:
Barkevious Mingo, redshirt junior, 6-4, 250 pounds: No hyperbole, no bullshit, but I see a little bit of Lawrence Taylor in him. By the team he leaves school, he should be bigger than Taylor. The guy is an animal with a tireless motor. Seems ideally suited to be a 3-4 linebacker but the kid has so much talent he’ll be fine anywhere. Closing speed reminds me of a shark (check the Auburn game in the video below). He’ll be a top 10 pick and I wouldn’t rule out him going 1st. Last year: 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Here’s some video of him last year.
Sam Montgomery, DE, redshirt junior, 6-5, 265 pounds: As absurd as it sounds, he’s also a 1st round pick, could go in the top 10, and he’s completely overshadowed by Mingo, who has an awesome name, and even defensive back starts Honey Badger and Mo Claiborne. But two of the three are gone, and I expect Montgomery to improve on his team-leading nine sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Keith Price won’t see a tougher tandem this year.

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19 Responses to “2013 NFL Draft Picks on Display Today in College Football”
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September 8th, 2012 at 8:36 AM
Weak slate of games
Is college football your new baseball? Holy shit. It is college football Saturday. Rejoice. There are plenty of potentially awesome games on today.
September 8th, 2012 at 8:39 AM
Mingo is 6’5″ 240. Not 6’4″ 200.
And for the love of God. In what way is Drew Brees a “system” QB? Most ognorant statement in the history of this blog. Watch more football.
September 8th, 2012 at 8:40 AM
*ignorant (typed on an iPhone)
September 8th, 2012 at 8:46 AM
Mamba he was posting from his phone too. System = short
September 8th, 2012 at 9:14 AM
THIS to everything Mamba said. It’s amazing that anyone would take you serious sometimes, Jason.
September 8th, 2012 at 9:27 AM
People take his “we” seriously? I can’t decide who he evaluates more incorrectly–football or basketball players.
And, good to see Gooden’s performance today doesn’t matter, and he has to wait until they play Florida to make an impression.
September 8th, 2012 at 9:30 AM
Game day from Kyle Field. Whoop.
September 8th, 2012 at 9:44 AM
It’s telling that the EIC watches college football with NFL draft goggles on.
September 8th, 2012 at 9:45 AM
And for the love of God. In what way is Drew Brees a “system” QB? Most ognorant statement in the history of this blog. Watch more football.
You mustn’t have been here for that time he said he’d rather have Mike Vick than Drew Brees. (Note: he said it BEFORE Brees won the Super Bowl, FWIW.) And the EIC gets his Drew Brees dig in just before the season starts. Well played, sir.
/realizes Jets fans would murder their friends and families to have a QB like Brees
//remembers who IS under center for the Jets
///laughs heartily
September 8th, 2012 at 9:45 AM
If anything, there are to many games on at the same time I wanna watch. Oh and also that kick ass GOLF tourney with Tiger and Rory battling.
September 8th, 2012 at 9:49 AM
Samantha Steele sucks at her job. She is brutal.
September 8th, 2012 at 10:06 AM
In your citaay is so terrible. Hard to tell ESPN is a Michigan homer. Denard Robinson was shown more than any other player or team in that intro.
September 8th, 2012 at 10:24 AM
KC – how many games are there between 2 ranked teams?
September 8th, 2012 at 10:26 AM
as for Brees … rooting HEAVILY for him Sunday.
-8.5 vs. the Redskins.
GO SAINTS
work that system, Drew
September 8th, 2012 at 10:33 AM
I agree that short people need help and assistance, like systems, to succeed.
/tall guy’d
September 8th, 2012 at 10:43 AM
KC – how many games are there between 2 ranked teams?
Rankings are meaningless this time of year. My Saturday is filled with goodness. College Football Saturday!!!
/I may be obsessive. I was geeked up over last night’s Utah/Utah St. game.
September 8th, 2012 at 11:23 AM
2nd-tier guys like Landry Jones and Geno Smith?
Does anybody have Aaron Murray ranked over either of those guys? Is he even comparable? Geno Smith is probably a top 10 pick and Landry Jones could be, too. What does it take to be 1st-tier?
September 8th, 2012 at 12:18 PM
So only games between ranked teams matter to you? Do you actually care about sports or just about what garners ratings and headlines?
September 8th, 2012 at 1:43 PM
define “care.” I watch football every saturday and sunday. so yes, i like football. i “care” about my family.
work, fantasy, gambling. the better storylines, the better the material for the site.
fantasy and gambling need no description.