Big Ten’s Top Ten NFL Prospects
By1. Terrelle Pryor 6′6″ 235lbs QB Ohio State Sophomore
Pryor showed a ton of potential as a true freshman but what convinced us to put him on top of this list was the 4.33 forty he ran at Ohio State’s summer camp. Any 6′6″ 235-pound athlete who runs that fast will help a football team regardless of the position he plays. If he develops as a QB, Pryor will be a lethal weapon. The Buckeyes will probably stunt his ability to grow as a true quarterback though. He is too valuable to keep in the pocket, especially in the Big Ten. The offensive scheme at OSU will revolve around Pryor’s athletic ability and may not focus on his refined passing skills until the Buckeyes get more playmakers and he improves as drop back passer.
2. Arrelious Benn 6′2″ 220 WR Illinois Junior
Benn combines speed, power and great hands, making himself one of the most electrifying athletes in college football. At 6′2″ he’s tall enough to play any wide receiver position but also strong enough, at 220-pounds, to snag balls across the middle. He also possesses 4.5 speed, which would will play up against NFL press coverage packages. His ability to get off the press will be one his most valuable assets at the next level. Benn is a great looking prospect that won’t last past the early part of the first round in the 2010 NFL Draft.
3. Bryan Bulaga 6′6″ 312 OT Iowa Junior
The Mammoth from the Midland is ranked by many scouts as the best junior offensive tackle in the country. Tackles don’t last very long in any NFL Draft and demand some of the largest paychecks every year. Bulaga won’t be the exception. Bulaga is as effective in the run game as he is in the pass game. He easily manipulates defensive linemen, overpowering them with his great balance and powerful upper body. The Big Ten hasn’t produced the most picks in the draft over the past few years but Bulaga will fight to be the top pick in 2011 if he stays in school.
4. Eric Decker 6′2″ 215 WR Minnesota Senior
NFL scouts aren’t the only ones impressed with Decker’s skill set. He’s been taken in the last two MLB Drafts and was considered the best baseball prospect in the state of Minnesota this past season. On the football field, Decker runs precise routes, has great hands and will burn you deep with his speed. He broke his own school record for catches last season and should be even more productive this season as QB Adam Weber enters his third season as Minnesota’s starting quarterback. Decker will end up with a good NFL franchise that focuses on what he can do instead of what he can’t. They better not wait too long to take him though. Decker should be a late first-early second round pick this season.
5. Jared Odrick 6′5″ 310 DT Penn State Senior
Odrick has to fight back from injuries that ended his junior season in order to make the impression on NFL scouts they’ve been waiting two years for. Odrick is explosive off the snap and powerful enough to dominate the run. With today’s hybrid defenses in the NFL, an athletic defensive tackle is as important to a good defense as an O-tackle is to an explosive offense. Odrick will cash in on that fact come next April.
6. Greg Jones 6′1″ 225 LB Michigan State Junior
Jones is the type of tough guy leader people in Michigan love. He’ll enter his third season as a Spartan starter this year and he’s been productive since his first snap. He might have to add 10-15 pounds for the next level but Jones has the type of motor, sideline to sideline speed and hard hitting ability that NFL scout love.
7. Brandon Graham 6′2″ 270 DE/LB Michigan Senior
Graham is an excellent all-around athlete. He explodes around the edge and uses that athleticism to mark it hard on opposing quarterbacks and running backs to get their jobs done. Graham won’t be hurt by Michigan’s recent poor performances and will be a star at the NFL Combine. While NFL teams have a hard time committing to defensive end under 6′4″, Graham’s power and athletic explosion will make it tough for any NFL franchise in the lower part of the first round to pass up.
8. Corey Wootton 6′6″ 270 DE Northwestern Senior
Wootton is the other defensive end garnering a lot of press coming into the season. Wootton recorded 10 sacks last season and put up numbers in every defensive category imaginable. His wing span and ability to get to the quarterback will make him a hot commodity next April. He still has to prove he can stay full healthy but he has done everything in his power to make sure that happens.
9. Evan Royster 6′1″ 215 RB Penn State Junior
Royster combines with Darryll Clark to form the most dangerous backfield in the Big Ten. But alone, Royster is a hard-nosed runner who is just as likely to get you the tough 3 yards as he is to break off a 30-yard run. That’s what makes him attractive to the NFL scouts. Some scouts will be turned off by his forty time because he’s in a class with some speed demons but the team that takes him will be extremely impressed with his ability.
10. Sean Lee 6′2″ 240 LB Penn State Senior
Lee has done nothing but perform since stepping on the campus of Linebacker U. he has good, not great, speed but makes every tackle asked of him. He takes on and sheds blockers better than most college linebackers. He has to prove he can stay healthy as well but we like his chances of doing so.
Best of The Rest
Amari Spievey CB Iowa JR
Jammie Kirlew LB Indiana SR
Donovan Warren CB Michigan JR
Cam Heyward DE Ohio State JR
Stefen Wisniewski C Penn St JR
Gabe Carimi OT Wisconsin JR
Mark Dell WR Michigan St JR
Navarro Bowman LB Penn St JR
Mike Adams OT Ohio State SO
Chris Rucker CB Michigan State JR
Thadius Gibson DE / OLB is a day one draft pick.
Nick Toon WR Wisconsin “Al Toon’s son” I think will be one to watch this year as a prospect you don’t know about.
J
If your not taking into account this particular draft (and because Pryor is included, you are not) then you have to include Michael Brewster who started at the Center position for OSU last year as a true freshman. Other than QB, it can be said that this is the toughest position to come right in and play. OSU had other options at the center postion last year in Jim Cordle who proved effective the previous year at the postion. However, Brewster won the job. At 6′5 296 lbs he also has the measurables for the positon. The center position has become more and more important in the NFL because of the calls that need to be made. I dont know that Lecharles Bentley started at center as a true frosh. This kid is special and a future All American.
I guess you didn\’t take into account that Ohio State either mis-timed Pryor or just flat out lied.
There was a great article on Rivals about how Pryor\’s time was impossible.
Greg,
After that article a follow-up was done by the Cleveland Plain Dealer which verified that the fourty was laser timed. Its not like someone was standing there with a stop watch like the old days. However, OSU’s track has always been known as about a tenth of a second faster than the combine track. So, what if its a 4.43 at 6′6 235lbs I dare say that is unbelievable for a QB, or any athlete. It was also the fastest time posted by any OSU player, considering that folks like Laamar Thomas on the team were national high school track stars on the team, that is impressive….BTW, Thomas is from MD so the Ohio has slower players doesnt fly. However, taking my Buckeye Goggles off, I have concerns about TP’s ability to become a pure pocket passer of NFL caliber. I still don’t see the improvement that I thought I would to this point, but he understands defenses much better at this point. He still has some mechanical and footwork issues he will have straighten out. Troy Smith had the same problems, and JT helped him work them out.
It’s not crazy to believe Pryor’s time. Anybody who thinks LeBron James and Dwyane Wade can’t run a low 4.4 or high 4.3 is mistaken. We’ve always had freak athletes who have don’t the unthinkable. As we evolve more as humans, these unthinkable acts are going to become even more impressive.