I’ve been lucky enough to attend College Football All-Star games, such as the Senior Bow, and Pro Days in the past, as well as talk to many people who have been to multiple All-Star events and NFL Combines. They are of huge importance to many scouts because they show a level playing field both in workouts, timings, as well as one on one comparisons.
This year, our staff at Optimum Scouting has been and will be continuing to be working with Beyond Sports Network as they begin a new National Combine and College Showcase. This showcase is only for non-FBS athletes, being held in early March, and has the backing, commitment, and resources to be another major stop in the scouting tour people do in person or follow as the draft process continues.
So, in working with Optimum Scouting’s full service scouting, Matthew Elder of BuffaloBillsDraft.com, and Beyond Sports Network, we have developed our 2012 Showcase Watchlist, featuring over 200 small school prospects.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL WATCH-LIST
A few notes on the prospects featured:
–Lots of good FCS quarterbacks we had to choose from, including quite a few that we just didn’t have room for. While BJ Coleman (UT-Chattanooga) and Aaron Corp (Richmond) are firmly draft prospects and Michael Paulus (William & Mary) is already on radars, athlete QBs like Mike Brown (Liberty) and DeAndre Pressely (Appalachian State) have lots of talent, and Ronnie Fouch (Indiana State) and Casey Therriault (Jackson State) have gotten themselves into NFL consideration thus far.
-Three University of Delaware offensive linemen made the list in tackle Shae Allard and guards Gino Gradkowski and Will Nagle. Gradkowski is the best of the bunch, while Allard is firmly in the draftable discussion and Nagle on the fringe as well. Also, center Rob McDowell just missed as well, which would have made a remarkable four of five offensive linemen on the list.
-Roosevelt Kirk of Stony Brook, defensive tackle, was very impressive to me as far as his explosive off the snap and ability to get in great position against his blocker initially. He may be an ideal pass rushing 3-4 defensive end in the NFL.
-Matt Singletary, defensive end from Cal Poly is the son of former 49ers head coach Mike Singletary
-Shawn Abuhoff, cornerback from Dartmouth has been a solid and reliable cornerback from the Ivy league, but his real standout quality that added him to this list is his return ability. One of the most dangerous returners in the country, his versatility and return ability could be enough to get him on NFL radars.
-Thomas Mayo of California (PA) has been talked about multiple times on this site as a Division II receiver to watch, but add Jake Soy of Northwest Missouri State to that list as well. Both have great size, get separation down the field, and are legit NFL prospects, Mayo being very draftable especially at this point.
-Charlie Wilson of Morehouse (Outside linebacker) is becoming a favorite by our staff (in particular, Damond Talbot), and while he lacks great size for an NFL linebacker, he makes too many plays to not be on NFL radars, either as an undersized linebacker or potentially at safety.
-Both tight ends at the Division III level (Kyle Fiedorwicz and Shawn Evans) are both very draftable prospects. Fiedorwicz has been on NFL radars for the past 2 years now, while Evans is playing very well statistically to get attention now.
-All three Division III receivers (Josh McKee, Kyle Vance, and Rico Wallace) all have been playing up to their expectations this year so far, and all three should be draftable.
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