Draft Meets Tourney: Matching 2011 NFL Draft Prospects with Tournament Teams

I posted an article over at www.BleacherReport.com earlier today in an effort to still make the NFL Draft still relevant, even on the coveted beginning of the NCAA tournament.

While I won’t post the whole there here, here is the introduction and some notes from it:

To some football fans, following the NFL Draft is the most exciting time of the football season. And to probably a greater percentage of basketball fans, March Madness is the peak of the sports season.

There’s so much skepticism, so much risk, so much potential and a chance to change one’s team for the long future in both cases. And before both happen, everyone from the casual fan to the hardcore follower can either be right or wrong, and we don’t know until the start of the events to see how it’ll unfold.

Here’s a (fun) look at how some of the tournament teams compare to potential first round prospects in the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft.

Ohio State – Marcel Dareus, DT, Alabama
–While he isn’t the most talented in this draft, similar to Ohio State maybe not being the most talented as well, you know exactly what your getting out him and he’s a very real possibility, even the “favorite” to be the first pick in the draft.

Still, I don’t see either getting to number one, though both should go pretty far/high.

Kansas – Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M
-Maybe a bit of a stretch of a comparison, but both are elite talents with outstanding athletic ability. Though I don’t think he’s as dominate as Kansas could be throughout March and in April, I think both will come up just short in finishing number one.

Duke – Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
-Both are very safe bets to be productive, both in the tourney and in the NFL. They have the athletic ability, aren’t always flashy, but generally do just enough to shut down opposing teams/receivers. You’ll never hear anything bad about their work ethic or character too.

Pittsburgh – Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
-Generally, having Pitt go far in the bracket is not something many feel confident in, and NFL teams aren’t confident that Gabbert is a top five level quarterback like Bradford, Stafford, Sanchez before him.

North Carolina – Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
-Harrison Barnes was tremendously hyped coming into the year for the Tar Heels and was set to return the program to tops in the country. Cam Newton came to Auburn and early on was seen as the best player in the country and eventual Heisman trophy winner. The Tar Heels should be able to get to the Elite Eight, and Newton is projected in my soon to be posted Mock Draft No. 8 to the Tennessee Titans.

Florida – Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
-Florida a number two seed? Not Kentucky, Texas, Purdue, UConn, all who are in my opinion are better teams, but the Gators get a Top eight seed. Nate Solder is projected to be one of the first two or three tackles taken. But I’d take four tackles, similar to four teams at least over Florida, in this upcoming NFL Draft.

UConn – Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada
-Both had great college coaching (Chris Ault of Nevada, Jim Calhoun of UConn) that really developed them over their season, and both have the wow factor that makes them easy to like and great to root for.

BYU – Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
-Jimmer Fredette was among the best scorers in the country this year, and has been great to watch all season long. Da’Quan Bowers was the sack leader in college football this year, and while he hasn’t been as electrifying as Jimmer, he’s been similarly productive.

However, both BYU and Bowers have big knocks on them that could limit their rise. BYU lost Brandon Davis, their second option after Jimmer and a key part of their team, to a suspension for violating University Rules. Bowers got knee surgery after the season, and the knee recovery is quickly becoming a concern for many teams.

Xavier – Ben Ijalana, OT, Villanova and Kenrick Ellis, DT, Hampton
-Xavier plays in the toughest bracket, arguably, in the tournament, having to likely go through Syracuse, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio State to reach the Final Four. As many as five offensive tackles and as many as twelve defensive linemen could go in round one, so Ijalana and Ellis could also face an uphill battle to be included as well.

Michigan State – Jake Locker, QB, Washington
-First off, neither had a great season, not close to what most were expecting for such a high profile team/quarterback. Both are now viewed as not worthy of being high picks in the tourney/draft, despite having the talent for sure to do so. And I have both going much further/higher than most do.

Not many quarterbacks are emerging as top flight guys, and Michigan State is in arguably the worst section of the bracket. Both are under-appreciated as of now, and both could stay outside the Sweet 16/First Round, but I wouldn’t count out either right now based on their potential and track record.

Find the whole article here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/638505-draft-meets-tourney-matching-2011-nfl-draft-prospects-with-tournament-teams