NFL Draft 2019 – Pro Prospect Rankings – 

Frank Coyle – Head scout
January Newsletter available mid month –
December Rankings and Newsletter available now

Special Package for NFL Draft available – Call (732) 842-4749

Pro Prospect Rankings
updated Jan 11th

Offense
Offensive Skilled Positions

Underclassmen, Dwayne Haskins and Daniel Jones strengthen average QB class
    Quarterbacks

1 * Dwayne Haskins 6-3 215 Ohio St
2 Drew Lock 6-4 225 Missouri
3 * Daniel Jones 6-5 220 Duke
4 Will Grier 6-1 223 West Virginia
5 Ryan Finley 6-3 215 North Carolina State
6 * Tyree Jackson 6-7 245 Buffalo
7 * Kyler Murray 5-10 190   Oklahoma
8 * Jarrett Stidham 6-3 215 Auburn
9 Clayton Thorson 6-4 225 Northwestern
10 Brett Rypien 6-2 205 Boise State
11 Nick Fitzgerald 6-4 230 Mississippi State
12 Gardner Minshew II 6-1 220 Washington State
13 Jordan Taamu 6-2 210 Mississippi
14 Eric Dungey 6-3 220 Syracuse
15 Drew Anderson 6-3 230 Murray State
16 Easton Stick 6-2 220 North Dakota State
17 David Blough 6-1 205 Purdue

Harris and Love Head Average Senior Group of Running Backs
   Running Backs
1 Damien Harris 5-10 220 Alabama
2 * David Montgomery 5-10 225 Iowa State
3 Bryce Love 5-9 200 Stanford
4 Myles Gaskin 5-9 195 Washington
5 * Justice Hill 5-10 190 Oklahoma State
6 * Benny Snell 5-10 225 Kentucky
7 * Trayveon Williams 5-8 200 Texas A&M
8 * Darrell Henderson 5-9 200 Memphis
9 * Devin Singletary 5-9 225 Florida Atlantic
10 Dexter Williams 5-11 215 Notre Dame
11 * Mike Weber 5-9 215 Ohio State
12 * Rodney Anderson 6-0 220 Oklahoma
13 Karan Higdon 5-9 202 Michigan
14 Josh Jacobs 5-10 215 Alabama
15 Nick Brossette 6-0 220 LSU
16 Qadree Ollison 6-1 225 Pittsburgh

Draft Insiders’ Rookie Spotlight – LB Darius Leonard – Colts

By Frank Coyle

       Draft Insiders’ will post Rookie spotlight players regularly and their Scouting Report from our NFL Draft 2018 Yearbook. Scouting Reports are written from the fall into March annually.

Rookie Darius Leonard has been one of the top impact first year players in the NFL this season. He has been a major difference maker for the Colts playoff run. He has been an every down defender and one of the most productive defenders in the league. His well rounded talent translated quickly to the NFL and he has been an interchangeable defender for all the Colts package defenses

 Here is his Scouting Report from Draft Insiders’ Yearbook 2018 written March 2018

 Darius Leonard #10     South Carolina St         6-2       235       – Sp. 4.65       
    Player Comparison: Thomas Davis                                   Rating 80

Athletic, active, senior finished his small college career with incredible consistency as an every down defender. Earned MEAC honors annually, completing his career with an impressive Senior Bowl week. Long rangy defender with fine field speed to make plays at the opposite sideline and drop in coverage. Lean frame and probably has maxed out at the 235 lb. level. His athleticism, quickness, toughness and consistent effort vs a high level of competition stand out on film. Good movement skills with good instincts and fluid hips. Top instincts and quick reactions to use his fine speed and athleticism to make plays. Fiery on-field character with explosive closing speed and able to cover a lot of ground quickly in pursuit. Flashes burst to close on the ball especially in close quarters. Powerful tackler and really brings his pads on contact and consistently able to finish. Good initial quickness off the snap to read plays and defeat blocking angles. Able to contort his body to dip around a block and drop ball-carriers. Holds point fairly well with adequate functional strength. Above average change-of-direction allows him to redirect in space and stay with receivers. Developing cover man with improving ball skills to compete for the Will position in the NFL. That is his best position. Very experienced and effective on all special teams’ coverage units where his sure tackling ranks him as one of the premier special teams’ defenders in this class. High level of self-motivation and excellent competitive drive. Outstanding quickness makes it tough for blockers to get a good fit and compensates for marginal size. Moves laterally well and keeps blockers off his body to flow to the ball. Well-developed backfield vision and usually on time recognizing route concepts. In 2017, he had 114 tackles with 12 TFL and 8.5 sacks, 10 QB hurries, 1 FF, 1 PBU and 2 interceptions. Earned 1st team MEAC honors. In 2016, started 11 games and posted 124 tackles with 14.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 4 FF, 3 PBU and 2 interceptions. Earned 1st team MEAC honors. Good early part time defender and special teams’ performer from his true freshman season. Over his career, recorded 394 tackles with 22 sacks, 53 TFLs, 8 FF, 3 FR, 6 interceptions and 7 PBUs. At the NFL Combine, he came in at 6’2”, 234 lbs. with 34 3/8” arms. He ran a 4.70 time with a 1.67 ten-yard split and did 17 reps.  He was average in the positional drills. Lack of ideal size causes concern about durability. Best fit as Will backer. Many of the same skills as Thomas Davis with keen instincts, big play talent and good work habits. Rising top 100 prospect with upside and the AA to become a pro playmaker in either a 4-3  or 3-4 set. Fine run and chase defender and rising talent with early starting ability. Needs work in coverage for nickel role, but displays the skills to start there. Outstanding special teams’ ability earns him a roster spot. Top three small college prospect to be a fixture in a 4-3 set. Probable Will starter with some coverage work. 

                                                                        Draft Projection: 3rd Round  

Draft Insiders’ and Coaches Final Top 25 Teams –
Clemson Wins Championship Game

Clemson Pounds Alabama to Win 2nd Title in Past Three Years

Players of Week
Offense – QB Trevor Lawrence – Clemson
Defense – DT Christian Wilkins – Clemson

Team of the Week – Clemson Bashes Alabama, 44-16

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Top 25 Teams – Final Rankings

Draft Insiders’ Rankings

Rank/ Team/ Record
1 Clemson – 15-0
2 Alabama – 14-1
3 Ohio St – 13-1
4 Notre Dame – 12-1
5 Oklahoma – 12-2
6 Florida – 10-3
7 LSU   – 10-3
8 Georgia – 11-3
9 Texas – 10-4
10 UCF – 12-1
11 Michigan – 10-3
12 Washington St – 11-3
13 Washington – 10-4
14 Kentucky – 10-3
15 Syracuse – 10-3
16 Texas A&M – 9-4
17 Fresno St – 12-2
18 Penn State – 9-4
19 Northwestern – 9-5
20 Utah St – 11-2
21 Army – 11-2
22 West Virginia – 8-4
23 Cincinnati – 11-2
24 Boise St – 10-3
25 Iowa – 9-4

Coaches Top 25 Poll

Rank/ Team / Record / Points
1 Clemson (63) – 15-0   1575
2 Alabama – 14-1 1512
3 Ohio State – 13-1 1416
4 Oklahoma – 12-2 1392
5 Notre Dame – 12-1 1294
6 Florida – 10-3 1177
7 LSU – 10-3 1170
8 Georgia – 11-3  1127
9 Texas – 10-4 1082
10 Washington State – 11-2 994
11 Kentucky – 0-3 931
12 UCF – 12-1 857
13 Washington – 10-4 790
14 Michigan – 10-3 762
15 Syracuse – 10-3   710
16 Texas A&M – 9-4  616
17 Penn State – 9-4 569
18 Fresno State – 12-2 489
19 Northwestern – 9-5  370
20 Army -11-2 331
21 Utah State – 11-2   248
22 West Virginia – 8-4   228
23 Cincinnati – 11-2  186
24 Boise State – 10-3 164
25 Iowa – 9-4 102

Complete Rankings
Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 101, Utah 72, Appalachian State 56, Stanford 38, Iowa State 29, Auburn 27, Oregon 18, Missouri 14, UAB 9, Georgia Southern 7, Virginia 5, Wisconsin 2, NC State 2, Troy 2, Duke 1

Dropped from rankings: Mississippi State 18, Utah 19

Senior Bowl 2019 Finalizes Roster

 Mobile, Ala. – The Reese’s Senior Bowl has finalized its 2019 roster with the addition of eight players.

This is another strong nationwide group of pro prospects assembled by first year Senior Bowl director, Jim Nagy.

 For Complete Senior Bowl 2019 Roster go to https://www.seniorbowl.com/accepted-invites.php

 Added to the roster this week were Alabama offensive lineman Ross Piersbacher, Ole Miss offensive lineman Javon Patterson, Texas A&M center Erik McCoy, linebacker Alaka Otaro and defensive lineman Kingsley Keke, Miami (FL) safety Sheldrick Redwine, Ohio State wide receiver Terry McLaurin and UC-Davis wide receiver Keelan Doss.

 McCoy is a fourth-year junior graduate who has declared for the 2019 NFL Draft. He is one of five junior graduates on this year’s roster, joining Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham, NC State wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, Utah State tight end Dax Raymond and West Virginia linebacker David Long.

 “After a very thorough process that actually began last summer, we are excited to finalize the rosters for our 70th annual Reese’s Senior Bowl game,” said Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy. “Our main objective is to provide the 32 NFL member clubs with the best rosters possible and this collection of players truly represents the best that college football, at all levels, had to offer this year.”

 The official game week North/South rosters will be released on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

 The 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl is January 26th at 1:30pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at www.seniorbowl.com, at 151 Dauphin St. in downtown Mobile or at Piggly Wiggly locations.

 Reese’s Senior Bowl week begins on Monday, Jan. 21 and practices will be on Tuesday (Jan. 22), Wednesday (Jan. 23) and Thursday (Jan. 24) at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. They are free and open to the public.

 All three practices and the game will be televised live by NFL Network

              ** Senior Bowl Game – Jan 26, 2019 Mobile, Alabama – 1:30 pm CT- NFL Network **                                                   Weigh-in- Practices – Monday Jan 21st thru Thursday Jan 24th
                                            Go to https://www.seniorbowl.com/

Raiders and 49ers Coaching Staffs Direct Senior Bowl Teams

The Senior Bowl announced this week that the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers have been selected by the NFL as the two coaching staffs for the 2019 All-star classic in Mobile, Ala. They are the two highest teams drafting with coaching staffs intact for the upcoming 2019 season.

 This marks the 70th year the NFL will send two of its full coaching staffs to the game’s premier all-star and pre-draft event. Reese’s Senior Bowl week starts on Monday, January 21st and concludes with the 70th annual Reese’s Senior Bowl on January 26th at 1:30 pm CT at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

*** Senior Bowl Game – Jan 26, 2019 Mobile, Alabama – 1:30 pm CT- NFL Network ***
                             Weigh-in- Practices – Monday Jan 21st thru Thursday Jan 24th
                       For Complete Senior Bowl info including updated Roster acceptances
Go to https://www.seniorbowl.com/

 “The Reese’s Senior Bowl is excited to have the two Bay Area teams coaching in our 70th annual game,” said Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy.  “The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers are both iconic franchises. With eight Super Bowl victories between them, the Raiders and Niners are historic brands of the league and the Senior Bowl is honored to have them at our game this year.”

 The 49ers will coach the South team and have coached the Reese’s Senior Bowl five times, last coaching in the game in 2008, ending a stretch of three consecutive coaching appearances (Mike Nolan 2006-08). They also coached in 1975 (Dick Nolan) and 1981 (Bill Walsh).

 The Raiders, who will lead the North team, have also coached in the Reese’s Senior Bowl five times previously – 1992 (Art Shell), 1999 (Jon Gruden), 2005 (Norv Turner), 2008 (Lane Kiffin) and 2013 (Dennis Allen).

 Both the Raiders and 49ers finished with 4-12 records in 2018. The 49ers hold the second overall pick and the Raiders will select fourth in April’s 2019 NFL Draft.

 Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden will be coaching in the Reese’s Senior Bowl for the fourth time. He coached the North team as the Raiders head coach in 1999, falling to Bucs’ coach Tony Dungy and the South, 31-21. He then coached in the game twice as the head coach of the Bucs, in 2005 and 2007, going 1-1 in those games.

  “We’re fired up to have Jon Gruden back in Mobile,” Nagy said. “He brings such rare energy and passion to the game of football.  This is a unique opportunity for our fans to see and hear coach Gruden at field level during our practice week.”

 Gruden, 55, returned to coaching this season after spending nearly a decade in the broadcast booth. Gruden compiled a 95-81 (.540) regular season mark in his 12 seasons as a head coach with the Raiders (1999-2001, 2018) and Bucs (2002-2008) and a 5-4 postseason mark, which includes a victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.

 When he was initially hired by Al Davis with the Raiders in 1998, he was the youngest coach in the league at age 34 and posted a 38-26 record, leading the silver and black to back-to-back AFC West titles in 2000 and 2001, including a trip to the AFC Championship game in 2000.

 “The Oakland Raiders are excited to coach in the premier all-star game in the land,” Gruden said. “The opportunity to interact with the Senior Bowl rosters and help these great young men achieve their dreams has the entire Raider staff galvanized. We could not be more pumped to get to Mobile.”

 Shanahan, 39, who will coach the South, will be making his head coaching debut in the Senior Bowl, but coached twice in the game previously as an assistant. Ironically, his first coaching experience in the Reese’s Senior Bowl was in 2005 as the Offensive Quality Control Coordinator for Gruden with the Bucs. In 2012, he returned to Mobile as the Offensive Coordinator of the Washington Redskins, under his father Mike Shanahan.

 “Our players are lucky to have the opportunity to be around coach Shanahan and his staff for a week,” Nagy said. “He is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game today and the Reese’s Senior Bowl is excited that our fans will get an up-close look at how he prepares players.  In addition, we are excited to have a great football man like General Manager John Lynch around our game all week, as well.”

 “The Senior Bowl is a tremendous opportunity for NFL teams to get a firsthand look at some of the top college prospects, and the City of Mobile has always been a gracious host,” Lynch said. “The opportunity to coach these young men is an invaluable asset to our evaluation process and one that we are excited to have. We look forward to getting to know these guys personally while working with them on the practice field, in meetings and even in the dining facilities.”

 Shanahan has 15 seasons of coaching experience in the NFL, the past two as the 49ers’ head coach, where he has compiled a 10-22 record. Prior to his first head coaching position, he served as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons (2015-2016), Cleveland Browns (2014), Washington Redskins (2010-2013) and Houston Texans (2008-2009).

 Following the 2016 season, in which the Falcons appeared in Super Bowl LI, Shanahan was named the Associated Press Assistant Coach of the Year.

NFL Draft 2019 – First Round Mock Draft –

Frank Coyle – Head scout
* Underclassmen expected to declare for the NFL Draft 2019
       Exact draft order to be determined at close of postseason
        x – Division winner      y – made playoffs

December Newsletter – Two Round Mock Draft –
Top 100 Prospects for NFL Draft 2019

1st Round
1 Arizona         3-13      – * Nick Bosa                    DE            6-3, 265         Ohio State
2 San Fran       4-12      – * Quinnen Williams    DT            6-3, 295         Alabama
3 NY Jets          4-12      –  Josh Allen                     LB            6-4, 250            Kentucky
4 Oakland         4-12      – * Ed Oliver                    DT           6-2, 290             Houston
5 Tampa Bay    5-11      – * Greedy Williams      CB           6-1, 180                         LSU
6 NY Giants      5-11      – * Dwayne Haskins       QB          6-2, 215                         Ohio State
7 Jacksonville  5-11      – Clelin Ferrell                DE                    6-4, 260                         Clemson
8 Detroit           6-10      – * Rashan Gary              DE                    6-4, 280                         Michigan
9 Buffalo          6-10      – * Jonah Williams          OT                    6-5, 300                         Alabama
10 Denver         6-10      – Drew Lock                     QB                    6-3, 225                          Missouri
11 Cincinnati    6-10      – * Devin White              LB                     6-0, 245                         LSU
12 Green Bay   6-9-1     – Montez Sweat              LB                     6-4, 245            Mississippi State
13 Miami          7-9        – * Raekwon Davis          DT                     6-7, 315                          Alabama
14 Atlanta         7-9        – * Derrick Brown           DT                     6-3, 325                         Auburn
15 Washington 7-9        – Deandre Baker           CB                    5-11, 180                        Georgia
16 Carolina      7-9        – * Greg Little                 OT                    6-5, 320                         Mississippi
17 Cleveland    7-8-1     – * AJ Brown                  WR                   6-1, 225                         Mississippi
18 Minnesota   8-7-1     – Zach Allen                   DE                    6-4, 285             Boston College
19 Tennessee   9-7        – * Jeffery Simmons       DT                    6-3, 305             Mississippi State
20 Pittsburgh   9-6-1     – * Brian Burns              LB                     6-3, 265                         Florida State
21 Philadelphia 9-7      – * Byron Murphy          CB                    5-11, 175                       Washington
22 Indianapolis 10-6     – Jerry Tillery                DT                     6-4, 310                         Notre Dame
23 Seattle         10-6      – * Deionte Thompson   FS                     6-0, 215                         Alabama
24 Oakland (Dallas) 10-6 – * N’Keal Harry     WR                   6-2, 215                         Arizona State
25 Baltimore    10-6      – * Jachai Polite             LB                     6-2, 242                         Florida
26 Houston      11-5      – Lukas Denis                   FS                     5-11, 190            Boston College
27 New England 11-5   – * Daniel Jones              QB                    6-5, 220                         Duke
28 Oakland (Chicago)  12-4 – * David Edwards  OT                    6-7, 320                         Wisconsin
29 LA Chargers 12-4    – * Dexter Lawrence      DT                     6-3, 340                         Clemson
30 LA Rams     13-3      – Austin Bryant                DE                    6-4, 265                         Clemson
31 Kansas City 12-4     – Kelvin Harmon            WR                   6-2, 220            North Carolina State
32 Green Bay (New Orleans) 13-3 – * Taylor Rapp  SS               6-0, 215                        Washington

Cardinals Hold 1st Overall Pick Selection After Final NFL Weekend

Frank Coyle/ Publisher – Head Scout

NFL Draft 2019 Selection Order – The Cardinals are ‘On the Clock’!

The Arizona Cardinals are ‘On the Clock’ with the first overall selection for the NFL Draft 2019. They earned the top overall draft choice off the horrible 3-13 record. Rookie head coach Steve Wilks inherited a roster in transition with top pick, QB Josh Rosen struggling through his initial campaign. Their recent overall draft decisions have been weak. Wilks was fired on Monday after only one season

Arizona finished with the #1 selection off their 3-13 record. The 49ers earned the 2nd overall selection off opponent’s won/loss records, though tied with #3 Jets and #4 Oakland at 4-12. The Bucs, Giants and Jaguars hold the #5 thru #7 overall choices on the merit of their poor 5-11 records. There is a logjam with four clubs at 6-10 that will impact the top half of the first round over the final Sunday of the 2018 season. Detroit, Buffalo, Denver and Cincinnati hold the #8 through #11 selections.

Opponents’ W-L record determine all tie situations. Teams that are still tied will flip though none necessary this year. Playoff teams will shuffle according to their postseason results to determine the final top 32 selections.

Teams’ upcoming decisions in both veteran Free Agency and the NFL Draft 2019 will dictate the movement of many players this offseason especially among the premier selections.

     Playoffs – Conference & Super Bowl games determine final positions
               x – division winner         y – playoff berth

   #  Team                        W-L  / Opp W-L %
1 Arizona                         3-13      .527
2 San Francisco           4-12      .504
3 NY Jets                        4-12      .506
4 Oakland                      4-12      .547
5 Tampa Bay                5-11      .523
6 NY Giants                   5-11      .527
7 Jacksonville              5-11      .547
8 Detroit                         6-10      .504
9 Buffalo                        6-10      .523
10 Denver                      6-10      .523
11 Cincinnati                6-10      .535
12 Green Bay                6-9-1     .488
13 Miami                        7-9        .469
14 Atlanta                      7-9        .482
15 Washington              7-9        .486
16 Carolina                    7-9        .508
17 Cleveland                    7-8-1     .516
18 Minnesota                  8-7-1     .504
19 Tennessee                    9-7        .520
20 Pittsburgh                  9-6-1     .504
21 y Philadelphia            9-7        .518
22 y Indianapolis           10-6      .465
23 y Seattle                        10-6      .484
24 x Oakland (Dallas)    10-6      .488
25 y Baltimore                  10-6      .496
26 x Houston                      11-5      .471
27 x New England              11-5      .482
28 x Oakland (Chicago)   12-4      .430
29 y LA Chargers               12-4      .477
30 x LA Rams                       13-3      .480
31 x Kansas City                  12-4      .480
32 x Green Bay (New Orleans) 13-3    .482

Team tie-breaking procedure for the NFL Draft
If two or more clubs are tied in the selection order, the strength-of-schedule tie breaker is applied, subject to the following exceptions for playoff clubs:  The Super Bowl winner is last and the Super Bowl loser next-to-last. Any non-Super Bowl playoff club involved in a tie shall be assigned priority within its segment below that of non-playoff clubs and in the order that the playoff clubs exited from the playoffs. Within a tied segment a playoff club that loses in the Wild-Card game will have priority over a playoff club that loses in the Divisional playoff game that in turn will have priority over a club that loses in the Conference Championship game. If two tied clubs exited the playoffs in the same round, the tie is broken by strength of schedule. If any ties cannot be broken by strength of schedule, the divisional or conference tie breakers, when applicable, are applied. Any ties that still exist are broken by a coin flip.