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Talented Safety Class Heads Defensive Prospects

Patrick Chung is part of a strong group of safeties that will be among the deepest positions for the upcoming NFL Draft. He is a four year starter with experience at both safety spots and has shown the ability to support the run and matchup in pass coverage to rank among the top defenders in this class.

Photo - Patrick Chung - Oregon

Patrick Chung - 5'11" 210 lbs. - Oregon
Tough athletic senior safety continues to duplicate his outstanding early career season when he was one of the best defenders in the West. He became a force whether in run support or coverage and he has the development to move on to the NFL as a starter. He combines fine size and speed with the ball instincts and toughness to be an impact defender. He has improve further with a strong senior season and should rank among the top defenders in the NFL Draft '09 class. He will get a chance to showcase his skills at a major All-star game this offseason that could elevate him into the early rounds.

Walter Camp Player of the Week

Photo - Willie VanDeSteeg - Minnesota -Senior, Defensive End
Silver Lake, Mn.Glencoe-Silver Lake HS
Senior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg had three quarterback sacks and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown as Minnesota defeated Big Ten rival Illinois, 27-20. VanDeSteeg (5 tackles) also broke up a fourth-quarter pass that resulted in an interception to seal the victory for the Golden Gophers (6-1, 2-1 in the Big Ten). Minnesota's 6-1 start is its best since 2003.
About the Award: This is the fifth consecutive year that the Walter Camp Football Foundation will honor one offensive and one defensive player as its national Bowl Subdivision player of the week during the regular season. Recipients are selected by a panel of national media members and administered by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Photo - Safety Taylor Mays - Southern Cal

1. * Taylor Mays - 6'3" 225 lbs. - Southern Cal
Hard-hitting junior safety has been a stalwart in the Trojans secondary over the past few seasons. He has imposing size with very good range, fine speed and strong tackling skills to rank with any defensive back in this class. He has a very good nose for the ball, showing keen instincts to make the right read consistently. He has developed nicely in pass coverage nicely in recent seasons to be ready to be an every down NFL defender, though much of his coverage responsibilities have been in a zone scheme. He has the recovery speed to be a playmaker and is a blue chip athlete with definite upside as a pro prospect to be a complete pro defender. He shows the package to be one of the blue chip prospects in this class and his fine level of development will probably influence him to declare this January.

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LB Brian Cushing Heads Outside Backers

Photo - LB Brian Cushing - Southern Cal

Pro Prospects Preview '08 for NFL Draft '09 -
Available Now - over 300 Scouting Reports

Sample Pro Prospect Preview Report Below

Brian Cushing - 6'3" 245 lbs. - Southern Cal
Speedy senior defender has been one of the emerging defenders in the Pac 10 over the past few seasons. He is a very good tackler with good read and react skills to get to the ball consistently. He has developed very good football instincts to go with his fine size/speed ratio. He displays the toughness and complete athletic skills the position demands. He has good COD that has allowed him to drop quickly in pass coverage. He hopes to be the next impact defender from the Trojans talented defense to go on to stardom in the NFL next spring

Pro Prospects Preview '08 for NFL Draft '09 - Available Now - over 300 Scouting Reports

Photo - TE Travis Beckum - Wisconsin

Sample Preview Report

Travis Beckum - 6'4" 235 lbs. - Wisconsin
Mobile senior tight end returns after a huge '07 season when he gave one of the nation's best performances as an underclassman. He has the package to be a fine NFL performer with further development as a blocker. He combines excellent pass catching skills that has allowed him to become a go to receiver in this offense. He gets open consistently and displays fine speed and soft hands to make all the catches. He also has the technique, agility and AA to become a quality inline blocker with further development. His natural pass catching ability and his talent to get open and run after the catch will allow him to fill the H-back role immediately as a pro.

Pro Prospects Preview '08 for NFL Draft '09 - Available Now - over 300 Scouting Reports

Rookie QB Joe Flacco gets Starting Call

Photo - QB Joe Flacco - Ravens (Delaware)

The Ravens announced that rookie top pick QB Joe Flacco will be their starting passer in the club's opener with the Bengals. It completes a mercurial rise over the past few seasons that saw this strong armed passer transfer from Pittsburgh to Delaware, start two seasons including the D1AA Championship game. His performance It led to a Senior Bowl invite and eventually he became the Baltimore #1 pick in the NFL Draft '08

Here is the Scouting report sent to a few NFL clubs last Nov. 2007. We recommended him for the Senior Bowl where he became a participant.

Joe Flacco #5 - 6'5" 230 lbs. - Delaware - Sp. 4.9 DOB - 1/16/85
Big strong armed senior QB has started the past two seasons after transferring from Pittsburgh. He displays all the physical talent to surprise and become a pro starting QB. He has put up big numbers working within the Delaware system, mainly operating in the shotgun. He is having a tremendous senior performance that has lead Delaware into the D 1AA semifinals. He is a long limb athlete at just under 6'6". He played at 232 lbs. when I interviewed him after the Richmond game in mid November. He has an excellent arm with fine throwing technique. For such a tall passer, his delivery is surprisingly compact and sound that allows him to make a quick release to deliver the ball in excellent timing. He has a strong live arm and get the ball into tight windows with very good accuracy. He has a fine sense of timing and touch and sees the field well when going through his progressions. He has shown the ability to look off the safety and find the primary and secondary receivers quicker with sound decision making. He shows courage in the pocket and will wait until a receiver runs his route before releasing. He is a strong athlete who successfully fights off rushing linemen. He has adequate lateral quickness in the pocket to create some time, though his footspeed breaks down poorly outside the pocket. He has 4.9 speed and is not a scrambler. Surprisingly, he throws well on the move with fine accuracy. He has improved his overall accuracy significantly with playing time and shows the ability to make the big throw when given ample time. He has taken another step up this fall with further playing time. He has certainly impressed during his final season at the D1AA level. He has refined his overall game nicely and should earn an invite in the postseason to a major All-star game. We recommended him for the Senior Bowl in late December. He had received an invite from East-West but left after the Senior Bowl invitation came in mid January. He has the arm to make all the throws with velocity and accuracy. He is strictly a pocket passer and after playing in the gun offense will need some additional time operating under center and develop further in his three, five and seven step dropbacks.

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Carolina Panthers - Grade B

Photo - Runner Jonathan Stewart - Oregon

The Panthers selected runner Jonathan Stewart in the first round and see him as a key component in their ground game with starter DeAngelo Williams. Stewart should be 100% by training camp from toe surgery. They traded back into the first round with the Eagles for their #2 and #4 picks this year and next year’s #1 pick to select OT Jeff Otah with the 19th overall selection. It was an extremely high price to pay but they felt he was a player they needed to make the offense work. He can play either side and has a good chance to start as a rookie with a good training camp. With their two 3rd round selections, they chose CB Chris Godfrey and LB Dan Connor. Godfrey is a good athlete with experience in both man and zone coverage. He will press for time in the nickel package immediately and should start within a few seasons. Connor is an instinctive defender with versatility and experience. He figures to press for a starting position in camp and could eventually start at either any position though the Mike spot in his best fit.