In the next installment, we’ll look at two conferences that I did personally, the Colonial Athletic Association and Patrioit League.
The CAA is always loaded with NFL talent every year, and this year is no different. The Patriot League lacks great depth in talent, as usual, but a few solid prospects that could have an NFL shot are around as well.
CAA Conference
First Team
Pos. Player Team Ht. Wt. Notes
QB – Aaron Corp – Richmond – 6030 – 210 – Knee injury cut season short, former USC QB, good arm, accurate
RB – Jonathan Grimes – William & Mary – 5110 – 201 – Good vision, lacks great quickness, accelerates well, zone runner
RB – Andrew Pierce – Delaware – 5110 – 200 – Tough runner, Walton Payton serious contender this year
WR – Norman White – Villanova – 6030 – 215 – Good length, former basketball player, lacks deep speed
WR – Julian Talley – Massachusettes – 6010 – 185 – Catches and shifts body well, cuts well in the open field
WR – Ryan Moody – William & Mary – 5110 – 171 – Quick, inside out runner, 731 yards last year, ankle injury in ’09
TE – Alex Gottlieb – William & Mary – 6040 – 255 – Reliable hands, short area pass catcher, good ball skills, blocking
OT – Shea Allard – Delaware – 6050 – 297 – Stays low, holds block well, average length, good pass pro
OT – Ryan Goss – Richmond – 6050 – 302 – Stays too high, a bit stiff, reaches too often, drives well
OG – Gino Gradkowski – Delaware – 6040 – 294 – Solid pull and re-engage, drives with upper body very well
OG – Rob McDowell – Delaware – 6030 – 295 – Athletic in space, smart, played center and guard in his career
OC – Roane Babington – James Madison – 6020 – 275 – Good drive and pivot, quick off the snap, good base
DE – Marcus Hyde – Williams & Mary – 6030 – 242 – Gets the jobs done, but average rush moves, lacks great speed
DE – Brian McNally – New Hampshire – 6030 – 258 – Long, productive, fights and engages well, average lower body
DT – Corey Jackson – Richmond – 6020 – 290 – Not a lot of movement, needs to shed blockers better, eats space
DT – James Jenkins – New Hampshire – 6010 – 242 – Aggressive yet undersized, 43 tackles, 4 sacks in 2010
OLB – Matt Evans – New Hampshire – 6000 – 219 – Undersized, but so active, quick, and reads the play very well
OLB – Pat Williams – James Madison – 6000 – 220 – Scrapes/slides and tracks ball well, good reactions
ILB – Tyler Holmes – Massachusettes – 6000 – 220 – Productive, safe tackler, defensive leader, shows coverage ability
CB – James Pitts – Villanova – 6000 – 185 – Lacks deep coverage skills, physical at the line, good length
CB – BW Webb – William & Mary – 5110 – 176 – Productive returner as well, he’s the conferences best CB
S – Jerron McMillion – Maine – 5110 – 215 – Good size, roams well, needs to be productive once again
S – Jordan Dangerfield – Towson – 5110 – 185 – Transfer from Hofstra, good athlete, roams well
K – Mike Perry – Delaware – 5080 – 188 – Hit 20 field goals last year, 77% on the season
P – Dominic Scarnecchia – Villanova – 5100 – 195 – Averaged 43.2 yards per punt on 53 punts in 2010
Second Team
QB – Michael Paulus – William & Mary – 6030 – 218 – Ideal size, stands tall, great touch deep, high and quick release
RB – Jonathan Hernandez – Massachusettes – 5080 – 190 – Feature back even with John Griffin, quick runner, 10 TDs in ’10
RB – Dontra Peters – New Hampshire – 5110 – 198 – Versatile back, can catch and run, 7070 yards last year, 5.0 YPC
WR – Nihja White – Delaware – 6020 – 205 – Productive, deep target last year, should be new QBs favorite
WR – Anthony Baskerville – Rhode Island – 5100 – 185 – Feature receiver, 500 yards last year, should get more in ’11
WR – Tre Gray – Richmond – 5110 – 180 – Quick off snap, attacks the ball well; Not consistent in routes
TE – Chris Jeannot – New Hampshire – 6060 – 254 – Great size, good athlete, can help in multiple ways
OT – Jason Foster – Rhode Island – 6050 – 285 – Good length, good pass protection, slides feet well
OT – Kyle Bogumil – Rhode Island – 6060 – 305 – Started 22 consecutive games, good run blocker at left guard
OG – Will Nagle – Delaware – 6040 – 293 – Agile in space, pulls well, needs to get stronger and punch better
OG – Chris Howley – Maine – 6030 – 295 – Good all around blocker, drives well in run support
OC – Dan Shirey – Villanova – 6020 – 290 – Played guard last year, good football IQ
DE – Michael Atunrase – Delaware – 6020 – 261 – Good rush moves, development, consistent rusher
DE – DJ Bryant – James Madison – 6030 – 245 – Quick off the snap, aggressive, sheds blockers well, quick moves
DT – Antoine Lewis – Villanova – 6030 – 270 – Moves well for his size, an end/tackle hybrid player
DT – Willie McGinnis – Rhode Island – 6030 – 300 – Consistent defender over career, picked up rush moves in ’10
OLB – Paul Worrilow – Delaware – 6000 – 230 – Solid athlete, rangy, finished 4th in the conference in tackles
OLB – Donte Dennis – Maine – 5110 – 220 – Wraps up well, 108 tackles last year, showed versatility in ’10
ILB – Dante Cook – William & Mary – 5110 – 215 – Almost 10 tackles a game, 4 sacks, he’ll be the leader this year
CB – Kyle Flemings – New Hampshire – 5100 – 176 – Very disruptive last year, will be feature CB without Vasso
CB – TJ Cowart – Old Dominion – 5090 – 180 – Tracks ball well deep, good ball skills, 11 pass breakups in 2010
S – Brian Thompson – William & Mary – 5110 – 210 – Totaled 80 tackles last year as a soph, great in the box safety
S – Cooper Taylor – Richmond – 6040 – 225 – Georgia Tech transfer, former starter, great talent, could thrive
K – Wil Kamin – Richmond – 5090 – 175 – Missed only one of 11 field goals last year, long of 45 yards
P – Tim Edger – Rhode Island – 6020 – 185 – Almost 40 yards per punt on 65 punts a season ago
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Patriot League
First Team
Pos. Player Team Ht. Wt. Notes
QB – Chris Lum – Lehigh – 6020 – 205 – Good arm, mobile with good understanding 19 TDs, but 13 INTs
RB – Nate Eachus – Colgate – 5100 – 212 – One of the most productive FCS RBs ever, 5.9 YPC, 21 TDs in 2010
RB – Darryl Whiting – Fordham – 6030 – 225 – Had 771 yards, 8 TDs last year, but could be in danger of losing job
WR – Ryan Spadola – Lehigh – 6030 – 205 – Only WR over 1,000 yards in Patriot League, strength/speed combo
WR – Jake Drwal – Lehigh – 6010 – 190 – Intermediate receiver, slot at the ext level, 622 yards in 2010
WR – Mitchell Bennett – Lafayette – 6040 – 205 – Good size, should be the feature receiver next year
TE – Alex Schnieder – Holy Cross – 6070 – 257 – Extremely tall, hard to defended, 30 catches last year, should go up
OT – Mike McCabe – Holy Cross – 6050 – 316 – Left tackle, good feet, academic all-star in Patriot League
OT – Vittorio Ottanelli – Colgate – 6040 – 299 – Consistent starter, good size and length, next level talent
OG – Ian Dal Bello – Bucknell – 6010 – 280 – Started since freshman year, powerful run blocker, uses size well
OG – Scott Biel – Lafayette – 6030 – 310 – Started all last year at left guard, sits well and directs rushers
OC – James Liebler – Lehigh – 6030 – 280 – Two year starter already, has been in charge of some great O-Lines
DE – Andrew Schatzke – Georgetown – 6040 – 245 – Aggressive to the ball, hurt at the end of last year
DE – Andrew Knapp – Lehigh – 6040 – 260 – Quick to the backfield, rips inside well, 8 tackles for a loss in ’10
DT – Justin Yancy – Fordham – 6000 – 295 – Just a freshman last year, made an immediate impact, athletic
DT – Jack Maliska – Holy Cross – 6040 – 294 – Got hurt the second half of the year, good hand usage
LB – Tanner Rivas – Lehigh – 6010 – 240 – Good off the edge, tracks down the ball well, high IQ also
LB – Ricky Otis – Holy Cross – 6010 – 220 – Had 108 tackles, team captain, plays well in the box
LB – Mike Groome – Lehigh – 6030 – 245 – Emerged last year, finishes tackles well, 10.1 per game in 2010
CB – Jayah Kaisamba – Georgetown – 5100 – 190 – Best player on average defense, decent athlete, engages well
CB – Tom Mannix – Holy Cross – 6000 – 175 – Played a bit of both DB positions, 7 passes defended, 42 tackles
S – Brandon Ellis – Lafayette – 5090 – 185 – Defensive MVP for Lafayette last year, 65 tackles last year
S – David Quintero – Georgetown – 6010 – 190 – Productive, good instincts especially close to the line, 48 tackles in ’10
K – Brett Weiss – Georgetown – 6000 – 170 – Only 7 field goals last year, consistent, should get more chances
P – Patrick Murray – Fordham – 5070 – 160 – Averaged 39.3 yards per punt, had 10 kicks over 50 yards
Second Team
QB – Ryan Taggart – Holy Cross – 6020 – 214 – 5th year senior, not a great arm, but sufficient. 14 TDs, 7 INTs in ’10
RB – Alan Elder – Lafayette – 5090 – 195 – Has solid speed, reads blockers fairly well, 3.8 YPC
RB – Tyler Smith – Bucknell – 5090 – 195 – Only 110 touches last year, tough runner, should get more carries
WR – Gerald Mistretta – Holy Cross – 6010 – 203 – Top returning receiver from the very prolific offense, 3 TDs in ’10
WR – John O’Leary – Georgetown – 6040 – 205 – Good size, solid body control, 5 TDs last year
WR – Daniel Cason – Colgate – 6030 – 194 – Only 21 catches last year, should be top target in 2011
TE – Kevin Doty – Lafayette – 6030 – 255 – Caught a pass in 8 or 11 games, versatile as a tight end.
OT – Anthony Buffolino – Lafayette – 6050 – 325 – Played left tackle last year, will be back to right side in 2011
OT – Kyle Pedretty – Holy Cross – 6040 – 285 – Allowed just 17 sacks as a team, 11 games started at right tackle
OG – Keith Schauder – Lehigh – 6040 – 295 – Played guard last year, likely the replacement for Will Rackley
OG – Kyle Cannon – Holy Cross – 6040 – 290 – Started 3 times last year, good size, played both guard and center
OC – Sean Whited – Holy Cross – 6030 – 279 – Academic honor role in Patriot league, started 8 games in 2010
DE – Rob De La Rosa – Bucknell – 6020 – 290 – Active, tracks the ball well, good size and length
DE – Mike Grimaldi – Lafayette – 6020 – 255 – Started all of last year, had 3 sacks, undersized but good motor
DT – Ben Flizack – Lehigh – 6070 – 265 – Tremendous size, former linebacker, athletic enough for new position
DT – Phil Winnett – Lehigh – 6030 – 260 – Injured a lot over career, 6 tackles for a loss last year
LB – CJ Martin – Holy Cross – 5110 – 218 – Tracks the ball well, 95 tackles last year along with 2 interceptions
LB – Robert McCabe – Georgetown – 6020 – 230 – Moves well for his size , downhill tackler as well
LB – Colin Newton – Lehigh – 6010 – 195 – Third best on a loaded Lehigh linebacking corps, 7.5 sacks in ’10
CB – Cav Koch – Holy Cross – 5110 – 183 – Started all last year at cornerback, had 40 tackles,
CB – Jeremy Moore – Georgetown – 5110 – 175 – Broke up 12 passes last year with one pick, and had62 tackles
S – Wayne Heimuli – Georgetown – 5110 – 205 – Good field vision, quick to the ball, two interceptions last year
S – Brendan Malanophy – Fordham – 6010 – 205 – Good size, vision, range and should be the feature defensive back
K – Evan Godszak – Colgate – 5110 – 191 – Punted well last year, likely viewed as the teams best kicker in ’10
P – Alex Smith – Lehigh – 6000 – 195 – 26 punts inside the 20, averaged 38.3 yards per punt
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