DRAFT TRACKER 2013

Hamilton used his size, strength and speed with the ball in his hands for a huge increase in production as a senior (he had just 542 receiving yards and four touchdowns on a prolific Razorbacks offense in 2011) while also proving he owns the speed and agility to win one-on-one battles against pro cornerbacks. He has some flaws and his concentration wavers. However, he was the only target that Tyler Wilson trusted in 2012 and it showed in his statline (90-1,335-5 TDs). If he runs well at the combine, he could find himself in the third round of the 2012 draft.

Hodges is a converted safety who is growing into a NFL starting Sam linebacker’s frame -– but he still has the movement skills to bring down ballcarriers in space. Hodges most impressive trait is his ability to cover, however. He needs to improve at disengaging from blocks, but his coverage skills will likely see him selected on the second day.

Franklin had his best statistical year by far as a senior, and managed to clean up his fumbling issues. His speed, shifty hips, and one-cut ability will make him at least a nice NFL change-of-pace back.

Boyce’s average height and maxed-out frame won’t wow scouts, but the quickness and strength that made him a playmaker at the college level makes him a potentially dangerous weapon in the slot, with the possibility of being able to line up on the outside.

The third Mauti to play at Penn State, Michael is an extremely intuitive and instinctual player. He's far from a remarkable athlete, but he is coordinated in changing direction, and is fundamentally sound in taking on blocks and making tackles. Versatile enough to play multiple linebacker spots. Tough and physical, but his injury history is a major worry. His medical exams are going to be crucial to his draft stock.

Dobson -- the most promising pro receiver prospect from Marshall since Randy Moss -- has caught 15 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Dobson might not have Moss’ talent, but still possesses qualities that will likely see him selected in the first 100 picks.

Reddick is yet another North Carolina defender with a somewhat turbulent career but possesses the size and athleticism NFL scouts covet in a prospect likely to be picked on the second day of the draft. The four-year starter presents some position versatility in the NFL. He could start in the middle in the NFL as a thumper for a 3-4 team, or, if he proves he has the athleticism, could possibly be a candidate at strongside linebacker for some teams. This position versatility, his production over four seasons starting, and excellent size make Reddick a likely late second to early third day candidate.

Scouts like Michael’s blend of low-center of gravity power and speed in exactly the same way that opposing defense don’t; but he must stay healthy to fulfill his promise after managing to play in just 13 games (with an impressive 1,530 yards and 12 touchdowns in that span) over the last two seasons due to a broken right leg in 2010 and a torn left ACL in 2011. A healthy senior year should translate into at least a top 50 draft slot, if not higher.

An active interior presence who didn’t rack up huge numbers due to Florida State’s constant defensive line rotation (4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks over the last two years) but possesses the quick first step and hands to be a thorn in the side of NFL offensive lines. If a coach can work on his pad level and improve his ability to anchor, he might have potential as a starter down the line. He projects to be a Day 3 draft pick.

Lemonier is a long and projectable athlete, who already has a nice outside rip move. Was tremendously productive as a junior, but saw his play decline as a senior. While his body type is a better fit for 3-4 outside linebacker than 4-3 defensive end, his hips appear to be too stiff to make the transition. Lemonier also lacks powerful hands, and sometime struggles to turn the corner. The fact that Lemonier does not quit on plays, and has a good motor, combined with his athletic potential will likely cast him as a second or third rounder, despite some serious questions about the translating of his play to the next level.

Bell has monster size, but also shows nimble feet. Can make people miss at any level of the field, but doesn't have very good vision. As the season progressed, Bell's lateral agility declined. Bell proved capable of handling a tremendous amount of touches. To become a full-time back though, Bell will need to continue to improve his ability as a pass catcher or become a more consistent blocker, in addition to improving his vision as a runner.

Nearly a carbon copy of 2012 first-round pick Harrison Smith in a physical sense, Motta doesn't have Smith's athleticism, and hasn’t been able to duplicate Smith's dynamic playmaking ability. However, Motta possesses intelligence and physicality similar to Smith. Motta could find himself selected within the first 100 picks.

Winters is a tough finisher at left tackle, garnering plenty of recognition as a long time starter. The former high school wrestler likes to latch on up top, which can cause him leverage problems against better defenders, but he possesses the athleticism to be a late second to early third day pick and a solid NFL starter at guard or tackle in a zone-blocking system.

Williams outgrew the NFL path his father laid before him as a defensive lineman (Brent Williams had 45 ½ sacks in an 11-year career mostly set in New England), but retained enough of the tenaciousness to become a vicious run blocking right tackle. Williams is likely limited solely to right tackle because of his height, and lack of athletic ability. He was considered a second-round prospect coming into this season.

Schwenke has a wealth of starting experience, both at guard and center. Schwenke comes off the ball very quickly, and is sound in his hand placement technique. He plays with a low pad level. Schwenke lacks great power, so he will be a better fit at center.

Slay is an aggressive corner with good length. He is skilled in playing the hands of the receiver and forces incompletions because of it. Slay's toughness translates when it comes to his run defense and special teams play. He's going to have to prove his speed at the combine, but he should go in the middle rounds.

Each year, a handful of redshirt sophomores declare for the draft. In recent seasons, the position to push the most players to the NFL in this category has been running back. This year is no different with Giovani Bernard and Rutgers' Jawan Jamison. The two year starter broke out early in 2012, but an ankle injury appeared to hobble him down the stretch. Although he could have returned as the starter, Jamison felt it was best to take his talents to the NFL after accounting for a large part of Rutgers' offense.

After redshirting in 2010, Jamison was a first year starter in 2011, accumulating 897 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 231 carries. He added eight receptions for 62 yards. As a redshirt sophomore, Jamison added to his totals, rushing for 1,075 yards and four touchdowns on 255 carries. He dressed and played in every game, but there were multiple contests where Jamison was obviously limited by an injured ankle. He caught 28 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns.

This tall, physical, mobile, and intelligent interior lineman first snapped for quarterback Matt Barkley first at Mater Dei High School in California, and then for the Trojans in 2011 and 2012 after starting at guard as a sophomore. Holmes dealt with ankle and leg injuries all season, and the Trojans interior offensive line took a huge step back without him. The senior will need to prove his health since he projects best to a heavy zone blocking scheme.

Davis has good length, foot quickness, and ball skills for the position. Although his recovery speed is a question, he's a fluid athlete with good hips who can make plays on the football. Davis can be beaten deep when he gets overaggressive, but he has more successes than failures in this department. Davis should be a middle-round selection.

The next Pittsburgh running back likely to make his way to the NFL, Graham looked to translate his quickness between the tackles to a big year in 2011 (958 yards, nine touchdowns in eight games) before a torn right ACL struck him down. Graham has averaged six yards a carry for Pitt in his first three years, but durability will be more important to scouts if he is to maximize his draft grade as a senior and join half-brother and Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene as top 75 picks. He did not appear to be playing in 2012 at 100 percent, as he looked noticeably less explosive and his yards per carry dipped (4.7). Being another year removed from his ACL tear could give him the rare elusiveness and top-end speed he once showed however, and he could be one of the steals of the 2012 draft if he checks out medically.

With football bloodlines, Bakhtiari should have always had his sights set on the NFL, but he will be there sooner than many expected. Despite playing his entire career on the edge at tackle, expect the Colorado product to move inside in the NFL. He needs to gain weight as to not get jolted on first contact, but Bakhtiari possesses a mean attitude to finish off blocks and could be a late second-day selection.

After starting 14 games at strong safety in his first three seasons, Holloman moved to the “Spur” hybrid position for 2012, showing off his ability to lay the wood and move in coverage. If teams he can show well on special teams and hold his own against NFL linemen against the run, Holloman could be a solid Saturday draft pick as a Sam 'backer, and a likely candidate to outplay his draft position.

This two-time All-Big Ten pick and two-time Buckeyes captain lacks the height and length most NFL teams want in a defensive end, but teams with less stringent size requirements will covet his exceptional weight-room work ethic. He's late off the ball, and not an explosive athlete, but he understands pad level and hand usage. He's going to have to prove to teams that he can handle himself effectively enough in coverage.

Pough is a tackles-for-loss machine, using his length and speed to chase ballcarriers from behind, as well as attitude to attack them in the hole. His tall, lean build and movement skills could make him a mid-round pick for teams looking for a coverage ‘backer or potential blitzing threat on the weak or strong sides of the formation.

The star dual-purpose quarterback has proven to be too erratic a passer to follow Seneca Wallace’s path to the pros. However, he Robinson could work himself into a slot receiver or hybrid running back/receiver and return specialist role due to his elite straight-line speed and elusiveness in the open field –- though no one knows as of yet whether he is capable of catching an NFL ball consistently. He’s at his best with the ball in his hands, though, and most of his time at Michigan has been spent in a quasi-running back role. If he wants to make the transition, and shows strong hands in workouts, the sky is the limit on his draft stock, and he could go as early as the second round.

Seeing as how Gillislee didn't get an extraordinary amount of touches until his senior season, there isn't a lot of mileage on his tires, despite a good amount of overall experience. He has a good build for the position, and is a solid downhill type of runner. While Gillislee doesn't have remarkable agility or balance, he works at hitting the holes he's given, and runs with some speed and power. He will likely be a mid-round pick that works in a committee.

Despite being overshadowed by teammate Knile Davis for a large portion of his career, Johnson made a name for himself whenever he was given the opportunity to fill-in as the starter before eventually overtaking Davis at the top. Despite having a bit of a bowling-ball look to his game, Johnson’s burst and strength as a ball carrier not only helps him get tough yards as a runner (averaged 5.9 yards per carry in his career) but also break off chunks of real estate as a returner and receiver, which means he could prove to be a valuable mid-round pick as a regular contributor on offense and special teams. He may be the best third down back in college football.

Simon is sure to draw a lot of interest based on his length and play-making ability, along with the fact that his hips are much more fluid than most other tall corners. Some of Simon's length is mitigated by the fact that he doesn't press very well, and he'll need to clean up his footwork and technique at the next level.

Gooden has the speed to cover a lot of ground at the next level, as well as surprising strength and form tackling to bring down big ball carriers in the open field and handle himself in traffic. Injuries hampered his senior season, but that combination of attributes helped him lead the Tigers in tackles as a junior (85, 7.5 for loss, three sacks) and should allow him to earn a top-100 grade as a potential starter on the weak side of the formation. Even if he doesn’t immediately earn a spot as a starter, he should be a valuable contributor on special teams while being groomed as a linebacker.

King lacks tremendous size, and his hands have also been an issue at times, allowing potential big plays to slip through his fingers. However, he's a very fluid player, with impressive quickness and balance. He should be a mid-round selection.

Boyd’s average size might scare off teams who aren’t sure if he’s athletic enough to make the switch to the three-technique spot, but some NFL coach will push his general manager to use a mid-round pick on his constant motor – especially if he again produces (eight for loss, 5.5 sacks in 2011) without first-round pick Fletcher Cox garnering extra attention this fall.

Thomas lost both his parents before his sophomore year in college, and is now the head of a family including six children. The hard-hitting and speedy safety considered leaving for the NFL early, but returned to get closer to achieving his degree and increase his value to NFL scouts. Though his lack of height is not ideal for a pro defensive back, his coverage skills and ability to support against the run make him a potential starting strong safety who is likely to be selected in the middle rounds.

Consistent, upright three-step approach on placements. Good trajectory on kicks, gets them up quickly with a strong downward strike on the ball. Misses are just outside of the uprights to the left or right, not major misfires. Flashes 55-yard range with NFL-caliber height on the kicks, not line-drives. Excellent strength and height on kickoffs, times well over 4.0 seconds consistently and gets the ball to the middle or front part of the end zone even with nice trajectory. A potential special teams weapon.

This extremely lean edge defender needs to get bigger and stronger, but he flashes violent hands on the edge, covers a lot of ground off the edge, has one of the better first steps in the class and has shown good motor as a pass-rushing defensive end (7.5 sacks in 2011). Not to mention, he can handle short-area coverage responsibilities when asked to stand up as a linebacker. That sort of scheme versatility will be valued by NFL teams, but they need to get to find the cause of his poor senior season. His 2012 film suggests he’d be nothing more than a mid-round project, but his lethargic play and struggles disengaging could have been due to losing so much weight before the season started. A strong season could see his stock rebounding back into the second round.

A tall, long defensive end/rush linebacker who hasn’t been able to break through quite yet, but flashes the strength and quickness (10 career sacks) to be a factor. The production has never been there, but Washington's flashes and potential will likely result in a team selecting him to contribute down the line.

Barner put up an extremely impressive statistical season in Chip Kelly's system, making the most of his opportunity to be the lead back. His speed is undeniable, and he can be a weapon catching the ball out of the backfield. However, Barner has numerous concerns, including fumbles, pass protection, and the tendency to try and bounce everything to the outside. In spite of all of this, Barner can still be an extremely dangerous weapon in a running back committee and as a kick returner.

Quessenberry is around 300 pounds now after coming into college at around 240 pounds. He's still going to need to gain the necessary upper-body and leg strength to handle NFL defensive linemen, but the 2012 first-team All-WAC pick should win over scouts with his impressive overall skill set. Quessenberry may be able to stay at tackle at the next level, but might be a better fit for offensive guard.

Lawson could be the third straight All-Sun Belt receiver to land in the third round of the NFL Draft. Scouts like his reliable hands and understand his skinny build belies a strength after the catch appearing throughout the 2011 season (1,092 receiving yards, 193 coming in the team’s New Orleans Bowl win over San Diego State).

With the Badgers producing first-round offensive linemen in each of the last two drafts, it is doubtful Wagner will continue that streak. He has been a consistent figure on the left side of Wisconsin's offensive line the last two seasons, but expect Wagner to find his home on the right side in the NFL with an outside shot at playing left tackle in a pinch.

Injuries have been an issue for Grissom during his career, but he worked hard to return for the start of his senior season after breaking an ankle in spring practice. When healthy, he looks like a mid-round pick as a space-eating nose tackle with enough quickness to win a gap to wrap up running backs get into the sight of quarterbacks.

Teams that value physicality and tackling ability from their corners will surely like Ryan. He's an active, physical player that often finds himself around the football. He's not the fastest, and will need to clean up his technique in order to be successful at the next level, but he is still likely to be a second-day selection.

Hawthorne is a physical defender with the size to start outside against larger NFL receivers, hands and read-and-react ability to make plays in coverage, and aggressive nature to hold up his end of the bargain in run support. Illinois had plenty of draftable defensive talent in 2012, but the unit as a whole was putrid. Hawthorne's extreme injury in the middle of October may have played a part in it, but the senior was not the same player in 2012 as he was in 2011.

A pivotal part of James Franklin's growth of the Vanderbilt program, Stacy was one of the most consistent runners in the country throughout his career. His best accomplishments might actually be off the field, as Stacy majored in Special Education and frequently volunteers with local charities to do his part of community service. The senior did hit some rough patches as a freshman and sophomore, failing to finish those two seasons due to injuries, an ankle issue in 2009 and a head injury in 2010.

A three sport athlete in high school (baseball, basketball), Stacy immediately contributed to the Commodores as a freshman, starting four games and rushing for 478 yards and three touchdowns on 107 carries. He added another 72 receiving yards on seven receptions. Stacy missed two games that season and was limited in another two. As a sophomore, he rushed for 331 yards and three touchdowns on 66 carries, with another 32 yards on nine receptions. Stacy missed the final three games of the season. During his junior year in 2011, Stacy finally earned a full-time starting role and it paid off for the Commodores, rushing for 1,193 yards and 14 touchdowns on 201 carries. He added 106 receiving yards on 20 catches. Finally, as a senior, Stacy took 207 carries for 1,141 yards and 10 touchdowns. He added 10 catches for 205 yards.

Williams looks like a lean offensive tackle, and often blocks like one; he might have the speed of a lineman, as well, but his solid receiving hands and red zone presence will virtually guarentee that he sticks in the NFL for a very long time as a team's second tight end.

A tall lean end/linebacker hybrid for Southern Miss, Collins racked up 20 tackles for loss (and 10 sacks) for the Golden Eagles during his first-team All-Conference USA senior season. Though he’s not an elite pass rush talent and is still growing into his frame, he presents scouts with surprising agility for his size and the length to be an effective 3-4 ‘backer capable of doing a bit of everything, with untapped potential as a mid-round pick.

As gifted as any quarterback in the class, the physically imposing Manuel has a chance to shoot up this list using his strong arm and mobility in 2012. Scouts appreciate his leadership qualities and toughness (played through his mom's cancer treatments and a broken leg in 2011’s Champs Sports Bowl win over Notre Dame), and hope he can improve on his consistency. The Seminoles' decision-making and accuracy drop in the face of pressure, but Manuel has the velocity and mobility teams look for in a project quarterback.

Edwards hasn’t started a lot of games, and his statistics aren’t exceptional. But that’s no shame given the elite talent in front of him on LSU’s depth chart; even in his somewhat limited reps, scouts can see he has the physical tools to contribute as a mid-round 4-3 defensive end prospect able to play on either side of the line of scrimmage. Edwards should be able to find a niche in the NFL as a swing man defensive end, just like he plays at LSU.

Hughes is a wide-body nose tackle with the agility scouts and coaches love to see. He needed a prep school detour for academic issues, which dogged him during his time in Tennessee as well before his dismissal from that program. Teams will need to see him prove his work ethic, but if he does, he could be a nice rotational piece for a 4-3 base defensive team at the next level.

Goodwin’s lack of bulk might be an issue when taking hits from NFL-sized defenders, but scouts can’t ignore the athleticism that allowed him to win multiple long jump titles in the World Junior Championships during his high school days and NCAA outdoors once he reached UT. He won the long jump title at the U.S. Olympic trials, finishing 10th in the event in London. If he can prove himself as a more consistent route runner, the vertical threat that his pure speed makes him will potentially attract some Day 2 looks.

A cornerback with the build of a starting outside receiver (and the athleticism to have been a late-round MLB draft pick as an outfielder) will certainly generate interest among NFL scouts. As expected given his size, Commings can be physical and bully wide receivers. However, his footwork and quickness aren't ideal for a corner, so there is a potential conversion to safety in his future.