By John Sarianides
The pre-draft process starts today with the East West Shrine game. There are several quality prospects playing in today’s game and a handful of them could be among the first one hundred players taken in April’s draft. Here are my top twenty prospects to keep an eye on in this game.
1. Cooper Rush, QB, Central Michigan (East): Rush has terrific size at 6-3 230. He is athletic in and out of the pocket and has plus arm strength. I think the upside is there for him to potentially go in the first round or second round.
2. Xavier Woods, FS, Louisiana Tech (East): The 2017 draft is deep at the safety position. Woods is a guy who’ll get lost in the shuffle but he displays terrific range over the top and a willingness to support the run.
3. Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA (West): At 6-0 205, Moreau has the size and arm length NFL coaches look for in cornerbacks today. Moreau is a fluid athlete who displays terrific ball skills and an ability to stay in phase down down the field in man coverage.
4. Andrew King, ILB, Army (East): King was highly productive at Army. He is a physical run stopper who plays with great instincts and can work through traffic to locate the football. King has the potential to be a three down linebacker because of his pass rush skills.
5. Trey Hendrickson, DE, Florida Atlantic (East): Hendrickson has the most upside of any prospect in this game. At 6-4 265, he is a quick twitch, explosive player who closes quickly and finishes plays. Hendrickson has elite explosion off the ball.
6. Joe Williams, RB, Utah (West): Williams runs with good balance and vision. He runs with power inside the tackles and has the second level separation coaches look for. Williams is a sound pass blocker who has the potential to be effective out of the backfield as a receiver.
7. Chase Roullier, OG, Wyoming (West): Roullier is strong at the point of attack. He has strong hands, plays with a good base and he gets movement at the point of attack. Roullier is a solid short area pass blocker who moves well laterally and can adjust to speed rushers who jump into double moves.
8. Avery Genessy, OT, Texas A&M (West): Genessy has the potential to play tackle or guard. He has athletic feet, moves well in all four directions and he can handle speed rushers one on one. Needs to prove he can consistently bend as a run blocker.
9. Eric Saubert, TE, Drake (East): At 6-5 250, Saubert has good size and athleticism. He is versatile because he can line up all over the place in formations and generate match ups, especially in the red zone. There will be doubters because he played at the D2 level but Saubert’s size and 4.6 speed makes him an intriguing prospect.
10. Dan Skipper, Arkansas, 6-10 325 (East): Skipper’s height has been an issue throughout his career but he has proven he is athletic enough to play left tackle in the SEC. Skipper will move to right tackle in the NFL. If he proves he can consistently bend, he could potentially start.
11. Austin Carr, Northeastern, WR (West): Carr was a Biletnikoff finalist this past season. Carr is a terrific route runner who knows how to get open and can separate after the catch. At 6-1 205, Carr has the size teams like in a Z receiver.
12. Zach Johnson, OG, North Dakota State (West): At 6-4 330, Johnson has ideal size for a right guard. Johnson is strong at the point of attack in the run game. He gets inside hand position on a consistent basis and gets movement. Johnson is a good short area blocker but needs to prove he can play in space.
13. Gunner Kiel, QB, Cincinnati (West): Kiel was a highly recruited quarterback out of high school who originally signed with Notre Dame. He eventually transferred to Cincinnati. The size, arm strength and athleticism is there but consistency is an issue.
14. Quincy Adeboyejo, WR, Ole Miss (East): I like Adeboyejo’s size at 6-3 195. He is big, runs good routes and can separate after the catch. He can be inconsistent at times and he gets the drops. The upside is intriguing.
15. Josh Tupou, DT, Colorado (West): Tupou is massive at 6-3 345. He is your classic two gap nose/shade defensive tackle. Tupou projects as a two down player in a 3-4 defense.
16. Wes Lunt, QB, Illinois (West): Lunt started at Oklahoma State and transferred to Illinois. The size and arm strength is there but Lunt takes a lot of sacks and he can be wildly inconsistent. Lunt could be worth taking a flyer on late in day three.
17. Jalen Myrick, CB, Minnesota (East) : Myrick is long and displays quality ball skills. He has good feet and moves easily in and out of his cuts. He has the athletic ability necessary to be a consistent man to man cover corner.
18. Erik Magnuson, OT, Michigan (East): Magnuson projects more is a right tackle in the NFL because he is solid run blocker. Magnuson is strong at the point of attack and he finishes his blocks on his consistent basis.
19. Kenny Golladay, WR, Northern Illinois (East): At 6-4 210, Golladay has terrific size and strong hands. He does a great job of high pointing the ball and winning one on one battles. Gollaway is an intriguing prospect who could go higher than projected.
20. Antony Auclair, TE, Laval (East): The Canadian prospect has good size and strong hands. He is an intriguing prospect despite running a 4.84 last spring.