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Hudgins’ Earns Preseason Payton Award & FCS All American Nominations

Photo – WR Terrell Hudgins – Elon

Elon University’s senior wide receiver Terrell Hudgins was named to both the preseason Walter Payton watch list and first team FCS All-American player list. Hudgins is a senior from Rocky Mount, N.C. and a legitimate pro prospect for the NF Draft 2010 As a junior last season, he hauled in 86 receptions for 1,116 yards and 10 TDs on his way to receiving 1st Team All-Southern Conference accolades from the league's coaches for the 2nd consecutive season. He was chosen as a 2nd Team All-SoCon honoree as a redshirt freshman by the conference coaches in 2006. Hudgins became the Elon and SoCon all-time career leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions in 2008. Hudgins has been named to the watch list for the Walter Payton Award and was named a preseason All-American selection by Draft Insiders.

Player of the Year Walter Payton Award Watch List

A total of 20 candidates for the Walter Payton Award were announced in alphabetical order earlier this preseason, with four candidates being released each week. The watch list will be revised in October and again in November before the final ballot is announced. Voting from a panel of FCS sports information directors, writers, broadcasters and other football experts will be conducted after the regular season ends. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 30 and will be invited to the 23rd Annual Awards banquet, Dec. 17 in Chattanooga, Tn. the night before the NCAA Division I Championship Game. The Eddie Robinson Award (top FCS Coach), Buck Buchanan Award and Walter Payton Award will be presented that evening.

Payton Award Watch List

Armanti Edwards, Appalachian St
Chris Evans, Samford;
William Ford, South Carolina St
Pat Grace, Northern Iowa
Cameron Higgins, Weber St
Terrell Hudgins, Elon

2009 Ted Hendricks Defensive End Award Watch List

DE Jerry Hughes – Texas Christian

TCU consensus All-American Jerry Hughes has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2009 Ted Hendricks Award, presented to the nation's top defensive end. Hughes was a finalist for the 2008 Ted Hendricks Award and was also one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, recognizing the nation's best defensive player.
Draft Insiders.com ranks Hughes as the No. 3 defensive end available for the 2010 NFL Draft. Hughes also appears on watch lists for the Rotary Lombardi Award and Lott Trophy. Hughes led the nation in 2008 with 15 sacks and six forced fumbles. The 6’3” 257lb. senior from Sugar Land, Tx., also ranked in the top 10 in tackles for loss (19.5) and fumble recoveries (three). He added two interceptions, including one returned for a TD.

The Ted Hendricks Award is named in honor of college football¹s first three-time first-team All-American. After his standout career at Miami (Fl.), Hendricks played 15 years in the National Football League. He earned selection to both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now in its eighth season, the Ted Hendricks Award is named in honor of college football's first three-time first-team All-American. As a defensive end at the University of Miami, he used his agility, height and reach to block passes and kicks, force interceptions and pressure quarterbacks and running backs. He roamed the front line, read plays and blitzed on impulse, completely transforming the way the defensive end position was played. His professional career spanned 15 years and 215 consecutive games. It included four Super Bowl victories, eight Pro Bowl selections and inductions into the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. It is in the spirit of Ted Hendricks' aggressive style of play, winning attitude and determination that the Defensive End of the Year Award for college football's premier defensive end is presented.

NFL Draft Goes Primetime for Three Days

Taylor Mays - Safety - Southern Cal

The NFL announced that the 2010 NFL Draft will be held over three days starting on Thursday April 22nd. The opening round will be during primetime on Thursday evening beginning at 7:30 pm est. The NFL Draft will continue with the second and third rounds held on the Friday night beginning at 6:30 pm est while the remaining rounds, 4 through 7 held on Saturday starting at 10 am est. The three day event will be held at Radio City in New York City and carried by both ESPN and the NFL Network.

AFC North Team Draft Grades

Photo – Michael Oher - Ole Miss

Baltimore Ravens - Grade B+
The Ravens had a strong draft class and were able to address their biggest needs on their offensive line and back seven on defense. On the 1st round, they moved up quickly when OT Michael Oher was still available late in the round. He is a well developed left tackle and capable of starting early in his pro career. It was a great move to land a premier left tackle for their young developing line. On the 2nd round, they selected LB/DE Paul Kruger, a versatile quick defender who is an ideal addition for their front seven. He fits the outside role as an attack linebacker with good pass rushing skills and the ability to play up and down. On the 3rd round, they chose CB Lardarius Webb, a compact tough defensive back with fine natural cover skills. He has fine closing speed and the COD skills to match up well in man situations. He is also a sure tackler and should press for the nickel corner role in camp. He has intriguing upside to start on the corner and probably sooner than expected. We ranked him the #2 small college prospect with an early NFL starting grade. With two 5th round picks, they chose LB Jason Phillips and TE Davon Drew. Phillips is a good athlete who runs well and has the instincts and toughness the Ravens seek in a defender. He had a strong career and was a rising prospect until injured. He figures to help on special teams and has the athleticism to play a few linebacker positions for a few roles. Drew is a mobile sure handed receiver who gives them a nice H back prospect behind veterans Heap and Smith. With their 6th round pick, they drafted runner Cedric Peerman, a shifty runner with a nice combination of skills. He is a tough back who fell off ball security concerns. He is a good inside runner who put a few moves together. He must show better ball security to make this roster, but with improvement there, he is a talented back who can surprise in camp and win a backup role.

Baltimore
1 23 Michael Oher - OT - Mississippi
2 57 Paul Kruger - DE - Utah
3 88 Lardarius Webb - CB - Nicholls St
5 137 Jason Phillips - LB - Texas Christian
5 149 Davon Drew - TE - East Carolina
6 185 Cedric Peerman - RB - Virginia

Cincinnati Bengals - Grade B+
The Bengals addressed major need areas especially in the early rounds. They selected players with high grades at key need areas. On the 1st round, they chose OT Andre Smith, a very well developed blocker who they hope becomes a cornerstone performer on their offensive line. He should win a starting job in camp and possibly the left tackle position. He also has the versatility to play inside at guard. On the 2nd round, they were surprised to see LB Rey Maualuga available and quickly chose the Mike defender. He is an athletic defender who is a tough and dominated run defender. He can start on the inside and a defender that HC Marvin Lewis sees as a core player in his scheme. On the 3rd round, they chose DE Michael Johnson and TE Chase Coffman. Johnson is a big athlete who was an underachiever over his career. He is a quick edge rusher with the prototypical skills to be a top flight pro pass rusher. He may be the biggest boom or bust prospect in this class, but a good risk this late and capable of being a huge surprise if motivated. Coffman is a sure handed receiver who is well developed in all areas of the passing game to help immediately in a few roles. He is only a marginal blocker as an inline performer. He was good value here and should start early in his career. On the 4th round, they added OC Jonathan Luigs and punter Kevin Huber. Luigs is a sound technician who understands angles and has the intangibles necessary to start. He was an excellent addition here with a fairly early pro starting grade. Huber is a good punter who can win the job outright in camp. In the 6th round, they added CB Morgan Trent and runner Bernard Scott. Trent is a savvy cover man who fits a cover 2 scheme and will press for the nickel corner role. Scott is a troubled prospect with natural running skills. He gets a huge chance here at a position with only marginal talent after the release of veteran Chris Perry. On the 7th round, they added FB Fui Vakapuna, DE Clinton McDonald and WR Freddie Brown. Vakapuna is a tough relentless blocker with good physical skills to compete for the starting role. He can play on special teams. McDonald figures to challenge for a roster spot along their average front four. He can fill a few roles and has a make it grade. Brown is a big athlete with good hands to compete for a backup role.

Cincinnati
1 6 Andre Smith - OT - Alabama
2 38 Rey Maualuga - LB - Southern Cal
3 70 Michael Johnson - DE - Georgia Tech
3 98 Chase Coffman - TE - Missouri
4 106 Jonathan Luigs - OC - Arkansas
5 142 Kevin Huber - P - Cincinnati
6 179 Morgan Trent - CB - Michigan
6 209 Bernard Scott - RB - Abilene Christian
7 215 Fui Vakapuna - FB - BYU
7 249 Clinton McDonald - DE - Memphis
7 252 Freddie Brown - WR - Utah

Top Feature Backs Knowshon Moreno & Donald Brown Chosen in First Round

Photo - Brian Cushing - Southern Cal

New Jersey has always supplied college football with premier talent that has helped teams like Penn St and Southern Cal compete for national titles. This year the Jersey college talent converted into seven #1 picks in the NFL Draft 2009, including two prospects in the top ten overall selections. OT Eugene Monroe and NT B.J. Raji were among the elite draft selections this past weekend with each selected among the top ten picks.
The top two running backs, Knowshon Moreno and Donald Brown were selected in the first round. Both prospects are Jersey Shore players who I have been familiar with for the past six seasons and ranked at the top of the class. Each prospect is a talented feature back and carries an early NFL staring grade. Both have excellent intangibles and character, in addition to well rounded running skills.
The Jersey first round contingent fittingly finished with Rutgers wideout Kenny Britt selected by the Tennessee Titans as the 30th overall selection. Britt was the first Rutgers player ever chosen in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.

First Round Selections
Overall - Player - Pos - School
8th Eugene Monroe - OT - Virginia
9th B.J. Raji - DT - Boston College
12th Knowshon Moreno - RB - Georgia
14th Malcolm Jenkins - CB - Ohio St.
15th Brian Cushing - LB - Southern Cal
27th Donald Brown - RB - UConn
30th Kenny Britt - WR - Rutgers

Jersey - Rutgers Players Highlight NFL Draft 2009

Photo - Eugene Monroe - Virginia

Scarlet Scuttlebutt with Keith Sargeant

Scarlet Scuttlebutt caught up recently with Frank Coyle, a nationally-known pro football scout based in Red Back who publishes Draft Insiders’ Digest. In its 18th season, DraftInsiders.com is a website and publication dedicated to the year round coverage of NFL and NCAA Football.

Coyle discussed the NFL Draft prospects of each Rutgers hopeful as well as several other New Jersey products in a Q&A.

Scuttlebutt: Have you ever seen a year like this, where there’s so many New Jersey products scattered through the draft. I mean, seven alone could go in the first round.

Coyle: “No I haven’t to tell you the truth. It’s pretty interesting, especially the running backs — Knowshon (Moreno) and (Donald) Brown and (Shonn) Greene. And then you start factoring the Rutgers kids and B.J. Raji is a kid from North Jersey. Michael Ray Garvin, the kid from Florida State who ran a 4.22. There’s a lot of players.

“You know, Penn State made a 25-year gravy train off New Jersey kids when Rutgers was no good. And obviously Rutgers stepped up, so it’s kind of changed it a bit. But Jersey’s always had a good base of kids. They just never went to Rutgers.

“But I do think the high school talent-level has increased with better coaching, and I think it’s going to be reflected in the draft.”

Scuttlebutt: The Rutgers guys, let’s get them out of the way first. Kenny Britt is obviously the headline guy. Where do you see him going?

Coyle:“Possible late-round guy to the Colts or the Giants, and certainly off the board in the first 10 picks of the second round. A kid who really came on strong after his one-game suspension. Big, good run-after-catch ability, not a true burner but good speed and some good, natural receiving skills. I expect him to play and play well fairly early in his career.”

Scuttlebutt: Tiquan Underwood, Courtney Greene are guys being discussed in the mid-rounds. What do you think of their chances this weekend?

Coyle: “Greene, I like him a lot. I think some inconsistencies probably cost him an early-round grade, but I give him a middle-round grade and I see him being a starting NFL strong safety in the right set. He’s going to have to prove more consistent in coverage but he’s a good player and I think someone in the 4th, 5th round is going to get a real quality safety.

Sidbury is our highest rated small college prospect. He leads our Dirty Dozen List of the top 12 Small College Pro Prospects that will be available in our Update Online Book this week.

Photo - DE/LB Lawrence Sidbury

Lawrence Sidbury #2 - 6’2” 265 lbs. - Richmond - Sp. 4.65
Hindu Theory - Shaun Phillips
Quick relentless senior defensive end has performed well over his small college career, playing a key role in the UR national title last fall. Lawrence is a quick twitch player who gets the most out of his good athleticism and projects to both end and outside linebacker in the NFL. He earned CAA first-team honors over his final two seasons, as one of the more dominant defenders at the lower level. He is fast on the snap to gain a quick advantage over blockers and wins many matchups with relentless effort. As a pass rusher, he comes out of his stance quickly with a strong fast hand punch that jars a blocker and uses his very long reach to keep blockers off his body. He has a sudden burst of speed that allows him to get his shoulder pass a blocker and bend the edge. He flattens out nicely with the burst of speed to finish with big plays. He has fine hand technique that allows him to counter quickly, though he needs development on his footwork and hand use to separate better and more consistently. He has the speed to pursue and makes plays from the backside. In run support, he struggles to play well at the POT and needs to get stronger and better as a technician. He is a high motor undersized end that plays with a lot of intensity, instincts and fine work ethic. He played both at end and up at linebacker in the Spiders defense with impact ability at each position. Despite a top motor, his lack of bulk and size causes him to get bounced around at times at the POT and washed out too often. He may need to rotate in a 4-3 set until he proves capable of playing the run better when directed at him. He can get worn down late in the game vs the run and needs to add bulk before being ready for fulltime duty. He has good change of direction skills with the flexibility and agility to redirect and make plays in space. In space, he is usually under of control and has keeps his feet underneath him to move toward the ball. He needs to be more consistent in his use of leverage and learn more moves for rushing the passer, other than trying to just beat the blocker off the snap with quickness. During his senior year, he started every game and finished the regular season with 11.5 sacks including 4 sacks in the national title victory over Montana. That performance earned him first team CAA honors for the 2nd time and several invites to the major All Star events. As a junior, he started 13 games and totaled 48 tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PBU including 3 TFL and 4.5 sacks that earned him 1st team CAA honors. Over his career, he started 30 contests and was a two time CAA honoree while recording 145 tackles, 38 TFL, 21sacks, 4 FF and 2 FR. At the combine, he ran 4.55 and 4.56 times, had a 35” VJ, a 10’ BJ and did 28 reps in the lifting. He had decent times in the agility drills to complete a good overall workout. He is the type who best fits an end position in a 4-3 scheme, though undersized and needs to lineup on the weakside. He needs to read plays and blocks quicker with film work development to improve his instincts. He also needs to develop better hand usage playing off blocks in close quarters that would help him to stay more active along the line. He has the athleticism to move to a 3-4 linebacker, but faces a tough learning curve there that will delay early contribution. He needs to show he can drop in coverage and matchup with backs or tight ends. He probably needs a creative coach like Rex Ryan or Bill Belichick to find a niche for him in their front seven as a flexible situational role defender like the Chargers Shaun Phillips. He is the type with good athleticism and toughness, but with ‘tweener size that needs to settle into the proper pro position. Top 100 grade but may fall beyond that in the draft. Clubs like the Ravens, Cardinals and Dolphins interested. Playmaker needs right setting, but he can rush the passer and has a relentless attitude to become a major surprise within a short time.