Mel Kiper Top 10 by position
Mel Kiper (insert jokes here) posted his early look at the top ten NFL prospects by position. (link). Interesting things to note:
- Jake Butt is the #2 TE
- Jourdan Lewis is the #7 CB
- Joe Kerridge is the #8 FB
- No other Michigan player appears anywhere.
- MSU has 5 players on the list (Cook, Conklin, Allen, Pendleton, Calhoun)
- PSU has 4 players on the list (Hackenberg, Nassib, Johnson, Zettel)
- Ohio State has a stunning 12 players on the list. I'm not going to name them all because it makes me sad.
That last bullet point is the best way to explain why OSU is ranked ahead of Iowa despite a worse resume. (Iowa has one person on this list.)
It will be hard for Jake Butt to stick around if he's the #2 TE on the board when the draft rolls around. If that's the case, let's hope he tears it up the rest of the season in a bunch of Michigan victories.
November 19th, 2015 at 2:23 PM ^
Jake B might not have ESPN insider, right? Rats.
November 19th, 2015 at 2:25 PM ^
the dramatic change in Michigan player inclusion on this list after Harbaugh has been here for a few years
November 19th, 2015 at 2:31 PM ^
Speaking of Carl Nassib for PSU, that guy scares the crap out of me for Saturday. Super productive
November 19th, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
I'm no longer an Insider but I'd be interested to see who his top 10 safeties are. Outside of Wilson and OSU's Bell, I can't think of any B1G safety prospects.
November 19th, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
The way the Pats use Gronk will cause NFL teams to look closer at TE's in this draft. I'm not sure if this will work for or against Butt. In other words, will his tools or measurables translate to pro offenses who may be inclined to use TE as a passing weapon?
November 19th, 2015 at 2:36 PM ^
I think he can be similar to how the Pats use Gronk as an in-line player, but I don't think he's the athlete where he's the match up nightmare regardless of where he lines up. I think that hurts his stock a bit as his blocking isn't where it needs to be yet to play the other side of the coin.
November 19th, 2015 at 2:40 PM ^
For the all the attention Gronk gets its is rarely mentioned how good a blocker he is, and how that makes him even more effective in the passing game.
November 19th, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
Butt isn't really your current standard for pass catching TE; I don't think he's fast or quick enough to be that. He does run very good routes and has very good hands, which make him a great receiver as a classic in-line TE.
The issue is, he also isn't nearly good enough at blocking yet to be an in-line TE.
I like Butt as an NFL prospect, but I do honestly think he'd help himself by coming back. He struggles to run away from defenders in college at times, and that would be even more apparent in the NFL. He needs to be a true multi-purpose TE at the next level to get to the level he wants to get at. Right now, he's a project in the blocking aspect.
The results are that he'll likely slip in the draft because he's not a flashy player whose athletic abilities jump off the screen. If he comes back and refines his blocking, he could jump off the screen as a TE that does it all, and could very well be a 1st round pick because of it. But with that part of his game questionable right now, I'd be afraid he slips into the middle of the pack a bit more and gets selected in the mid rounds as opposed to the early rounds.
I'd advice Jake to come back a year, refine his blocking, and try to get to that next tier. And I think he can (and that's not just me saying this to get him to play another year at Michigan).
November 19th, 2015 at 3:16 PM ^
Agreed on all counts. Butt's lack of elite blocking skills may be a reason that AJ Williams has been getting so many reps. And it's not like AJ has been locking guys down in-line.
November 19th, 2015 at 3:23 PM ^
slower Funchess, but with better hands. Funchess could also have benefited from playing WR another year
November 19th, 2015 at 4:15 PM ^
An interested Funchess could have benefited from another year. Drops seemed to follow him to the NFL for the first few games this season. Lately it appears that Carolina has been sending him on deep patterns to some success.
November 19th, 2015 at 7:23 PM ^
Butt is just a guy at the NFL level, in my opinion. He's not a good enough athlete to be a standout there. However, I think he could very well be a guy who carves out a 10-year career as a #2 tight end or a journeyman-level player.
November 19th, 2015 at 8:27 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 2:40 PM ^
Clearly Butt should stay for another year
November 19th, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 2:49 PM ^
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco / Brady Quinn) talks up Rudock/Chesson's NFL prospects:
November 19th, 2015 at 2:52 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 2:54 PM ^
...he also pegged goat Tom Brady as a 6th round pick.
November 19th, 2015 at 4:02 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 4:03 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 10:05 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 3:08 PM ^
Where is Burbridge?
November 19th, 2015 at 3:15 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 3:36 PM ^
He is mocked 5th to 6th round. I think people overestimate him here because Cook has to throw to someone and he is MSU's best wr. So in that offense someone is going to get production. They dont throw to rbs and tes like we do, so that production goes to their wrs.
I think Tony Lippett was a more explosive player and he can play CB (I believe he is doing so at Miami?) and was drafted in the 5th or something like that. I expect about the same for Burbridge. Burbridge has good hands but is not an elite athlete nor super tall (6'1) for a wideout. Guy from western (Corey Davis) is thought of much higher than him @ next level.
The big 10 guys NFL scouts drool after are Thomas from OSU and Carroo. Its a down year for wrs in the conf just as its a big up year for DL.
November 19th, 2015 at 3:37 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 3:34 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 4:21 PM ^
Also, being a top TE in the draft isn't the same financially as being a top DE or a top WR. Even if he's the second TE drafted, Butt will probably be in the late 1st round or the 2nd round at highest, which is an easier amount of money to delay for a year than the tens of millions associated with being a top-10 pick.
November 19th, 2015 at 8:17 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 3:43 PM ^
Hey AC1997, I tried to insert Mel Kiper jokes into your post like you asked, but was told I need your password. Do you mind posting it so we can insert our jokes?
November 19th, 2015 at 3:46 PM ^
I wouldn't draft a QB earlier than the 4th round in this draft.
I see a bunch of very solid backups, Brian Hoyer types.
November 19th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 3:58 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 3:59 PM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 4:02 PM ^
But sure. Kiper has honestly been pretty good throughout the years at predicting where teams will take players.
November 20th, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^
November 19th, 2015 at 4:08 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 4:19 PM ^
EDIT:
November 19th, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^
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November 19th, 2015 at 4:48 PM ^
Over under on fantasy football team names including Butt?
November 19th, 2015 at 7:17 PM ^
Hackenburg should be the #1 rated QB. He's awesome. I've never seen him throw 4 INTs in a game. His every pore exudes leadership, intangibles, and grit. Toughness is his middle name. What a rocket of an arm.
November 20th, 2015 at 9:59 AM ^
November 20th, 2015 at 10:51 AM ^
Size is the thing that hurts Lewis's stock, there have been a grand total of like 1 or 2 corner backs under 180 lbs taken in the last few NFL drafts.
As for Butt? If he's rated in the top 2 rounds as a TE, he probably should leave, but I think he stays either way.