2019 Prospects to Keep An Eye Out For

[MSURacerDT55]

13 hours ago, Calvert28 said:

Ed Oliver is the 2nd coming of Warren Sapp. I thought we might be hearing more of Collin Johnson. But he has just under performed. 

Ndamakung Suh all day

[VanS]

In terms of DTs, why is everyone ignoring Jeffrey Simmons (Miss State)?  

He's behind Ed Oliver and Dexter Lawrence IMO and ahead of Rashan Gary (who is overrated).

[VanS]

On 11/13/2017 at 5:14 PM, Ozzy said:

Trey Smith on Tennessee might arguably be the most impressive freshman that is not talked about enough, kid could be a 1st rounder this year just on potential alone. 

True.  He reminds me of Kelechi Osemele (pro-bowl guard for the Raiders).  He'll be a stud right guard for 15 years in the NFL.  He's legit.

Other Tennessee players that should be top prospects in 2019:

(1) S Nigel Warrior (So.) - he's an elite athlete at the safety position....reminds me of a slightly smaller Jamal Adams

(2) LB Daniel Bituli (So.) - another elite athlete......incredible range and speed for a MLB

Warrior, Bituli, and Trey Smith are the top NFL prospects on Tennessee's team this year.  Along with RB John Kelly.

[NickSabansHat]

A few Alabama guys

RB Josh Jacobs - He and N. Harris should be getting the bulk of the carries next year.

LB Mack Wilson - Has played really well this season in rotational duty. Expected to step up and be the guy next season.

TE Irv Smith JR - Hasn't gotten many targets but he's a really fluid athlete. More than willing blocker as well and technically sound.

[Ozzy]

9 hours ago, VanS said:

True.  He reminds me of Kelechi Osemele (pro-bowl guard for the Raiders).  He'll be a stud right guard for 15 years in the NFL.  He's legit.

Other Tennessee players that should be top prospects in 2019:

(1) S Nigel Warrior (So.) - he's an elite athlete at the safety position....reminds me of a slightly smaller Jamal Adams

(2) LB Daniel Bituli (So.) - another elite athlete......incredible range and speed for a MLB

Warrior, Bituli, and Trey Smith are the top NFL prospects on Tennessee's team this year.  Along with RB John Kelly.

Smith is by far the best talent on that team, the others are not elite and are not near close to the potential Trey Smith has.  Marquez Callaway I think has more potential than the guys you listed, he has good toughness and playmaking ability and Rashaan Gaulden is a smooth cover corner but has to be more consistent.  That secondary overall has disappointed I think with as much experience they had returning.  Overall that Tennessee team is not that talented and the talent they do have underachieve big time, hard to get a read on the linebackers because that D is so bad they are constantly on the field and players do get a lot of tackles and statistics.  Be curious where they go with the head coach situation....

 

Oh and Jeffrey Simmons is not better than Rashan Gary.  Gary is just a beast on the edge and can really collapse the pocket.  Has made a huge improvement from his FR year to his SOPH year, should be even better with his SOPH to a JR next year jump.  Simmons is good but has to be more consistent, and is more of a 3/4 DE where Gary could play in a 4/3 DE spot or even tackle in a 4/3 pass rush situation

 

[BleedTheClock]

On 11/13/2017 at 5:15 PM, ttitansfan4life said:

DE Joe Jackson 

LB Michael Pinckney, Shaq Quarterman

CB Malek Young

Just some Miami guys to keep an eye on that haven’t been mentioned yet. That defense will start pumping out high draft picks soon.

Miami has a ton of awesome sophomore players.

 

 

Also, keep an eye out on my boy Shakif Seymour from Toledo. He's going to be an NFL guy and is only a (RS) Freshman right now. Coached him in HS. Great kid with NFL size, speed, and power. Work ethic is there. Production is there.

[VanS]

On 11/18/2017 at 8:54 AM, Ozzy said:

Smith is by far the best talent on that team, the others are not elite and are not near close to the potential Trey Smith has.  Marquez Callaway I think has more potential than the guys you listed, he has good toughness and playmaking ability and Rashaan Gaulden is a smooth cover corner but has to be more consistent.  That secondary overall has disappointed I think with as much experience they had returning.  Overall that Tennessee team is not that talented and the talent they do have underachieve big time, hard to get a read on the linebackers because that D is so bad they are constantly on the field and players do get a lot of tackles and statistics.  Be curious where they go with the head coach situation....

 

Oh and Jeffrey Simmons is not better than Rashan Gary.  Gary is just a beast on the edge and can really collapse the pocket.  Has made a huge improvement from his FR year to his SOPH year, should be even better with his SOPH to a JR next year jump.  Simmons is good but has to be more consistent, and is more of a 3/4 DE where Gary could play in a 4/3 DE spot or even tackle in a 4/3 pass rush situation

 

We'll see.  I like Trey Smith.  He's pretty much a lock to be a pro-bowl guard in the NFL.  The other two have high ceilings as well because of their athleticism.  Last year I was attacked when I rated Alvin Kamara ahead of Derek Barnett when it came to who was the better pro prospect coming out of Tennessee.  I think as their rookies seasons prove, I was right in believing Alvin had an elite ceiling while Derek was more average.  While I don't think Warrior and Bituli have the potential Alvin had (which is to be a Hall of Fame caliber player in the NFL), I do have similar faith in Nigel Warrior and Daniel Bituli to become potentially elite players in the NFL.  Both are athletically elite.  They just haven't had good coaching yet.  Similar to what happened with Alvin Kamara at Tennessee.  I'll be interested to see how they progress under a new coaching staff.

With regard to Callaway and Gaulden, I like them but don't love them.  Callaway has great ball skills but his speed is very average.  Don't see him being able to get the sort of separation necessary to be a stud in the NFL.   And while I believe Rashaan Gaulden will be a good player in the NFL, I don't think he has the athleticism to be elite.  Warrior and Bituli have the sort of athleticism that is rare to find which is why they have the potential to be elite with proper coaching.

 

[ronjon1990]

On 11/17/2017 at 10:51 PM, VanS said:

True.  He reminds me of Kelechi Osemele (pro-bowl guard for the Raiders).  He'll be a stud right guard for 15 years in the NFL.  He's legit.

Other Tennessee players that should be top prospects in 2019:

(1) S Nigel Warrior (So.) - he's an elite athlete at the safety position....reminds me of a slightly smaller Jamal Adams

(2) LB Daniel Bituli (So.) - another elite athlete......incredible range and speed for a MLB

Warrior, Bituli, and Trey Smith are the top NFL prospects on Tennessee's team this year.  Along with RB John Kelly.

Nigel Warrior.....best name in a while. 

[Calvert28]

On 11/17/2017 at 8:03 AM, MSURacerDT55 said:

Ndamakung Suh all day

He doesn't take cheap shots like a b!tch. 

[riceman80]

Ed Oliver will be the #1 pick in 2019 barring a major injury. He passes every test with flying colors. Dominant presence, physical tools, makes players around him better, plays big in big games, great work ethic, squeaky clean off the field.

He's born and bred to be a cornerstone player. He's the next Ndamukong Suh except hes not a total d-bag. I love watching him play.

I also believe Justin Herbert is gonna ball out next year and fly up draft boards.

Since im an LSU homer, ill give some from them i like...

CB Greedy Williams - Think Kevin Toliver but with better instincts and ball skills. He's played really well. Leads the team in INTs as a RS FR.

DT Ed Alexander - I hate that he's being used as a 3-4 NT cuz i think his athleticism for his size(6'3" 325) is pretty nuts. If he can stay healthy, he'll be a load to handle.

LB Devin White - A 6'1" 240 lbs tackling machine with sub 4.6 speed. Really stepped up bigtime this year. Looks every bit the next great LSU linebacking prospect.

[MSURacerDT55]

6 hours ago, Calvert28 said:

He doesn't take cheap shots like a b!tch. 

Sounds like a personal issue, its actually a complement to Oliver as a prospect.

[MSURacerDT55]

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 9:54 AM, Ozzy said:

Smith is by far the best talent on that team, the others are not elite and are not near close to the potential Trey Smith has.  Marquez Callaway I think has more potential than the guys you listed, he has good toughness and playmaking ability and Rashaan Gaulden is a smooth cover corner but has to be more consistent.  That secondary overall has disappointed I think with as much experience they had returning.  Overall that Tennessee team is not that talented and the talent they do have underachieve big time, hard to get a read on the linebackers because that D is so bad they are constantly on the field and players do get a lot of tackles and statistics.  Be curious where they go with the head coach situation....

 

Oh and Jeffrey Simmons is not better than Rashan Gary.  Gary is just a beast on the edge and can really collapse the pocket.  Has made a huge improvement from his FR year to his SOPH year, should be even better with his SOPH to a JR next year jump.  Simmons is good but has to be more consistent, and is more of a 3/4 DE where Gary could play in a 4/3 DE spot or even tackle in a 4/3 pass rush situation

 

You can say the same thing about Gary

[Ozzy]

23 hours ago, VanS said:

We'll see.  I like Trey Smith.  He's pretty much a lock to be a pro-bowl guard in the NFL.  The other two have high ceilings as well because of their athleticism.  Last year I was attacked when I rated Alvin Kamara ahead of Derek Barnett when it came to who was the better pro prospect coming out of Tennessee.  I think as their rookies seasons prove, I was right in believing Alvin had an elite ceiling while Derek was more average.  While I don't think Warrior and Bituli have the potential Alvin had (which is to be a Hall of Fame caliber player in the NFL), I do have similar faith in Nigel Warrior and Daniel Bituli to become potentially elite players in the NFL.  Both are athletically elite.  They just haven't had good coaching yet.  Similar to what happened with Alvin Kamara at Tennessee.  I'll be interested to see how they progress under a new coaching staff.

With regard to Callaway and Gaulden, I like them but don't love them.  Callaway has great ball skills but his speed is very average.  Don't see him being able to get the sort of separation necessary to be a stud in the NFL.   And while I believe Rashaan Gaulden will be a good player in the NFL, I don't think he has the athleticism to be elite.  Warrior and Bituli have the sort of athleticism that is rare to find which is why they have the potential to be elite with proper coaching.

 

Ok so you think Alvin Kamara is a Hall of Fame caliber player?  What?  The kid is good, having a fine year but he is with one of the best QBs to ever play the game and really knows how to pass to the running back and keep the defense off balance with his ability to throw the ball.  Kamara is having a good year but so are many rookie running backs so it is not exactly rare this year especially.  Also there are many good pass catching running backs this year and will be some more next year.  Oh and kind of helps having Mark Ingram on your team as well, Kamara is in a perfect situation really for his talents.  And Derek Barnett is a fine pass rusher and sure started out slow but is becoming a very productive rookie, one year does not tell much, both are solid players but cannot ever throw around Hall of Fame talk this early for anyone.

 

As for Warrior and Bituli, not sure I have seen much consider them locks for NFL elite level talent.  Sure Bituli had that great first game and awesome production but Reeves-Maybin looked like a tackling machine before the injury issues and was putting up crazy numbers.  Again not hard to get production tackling when you defense gets consistently walked up and down the field game in and game out.  I am more impressed with defenders actually stopping offensive players and producing results getting off the field, rather than just stats and tackles down field not stopping the ball carrier.  Have not see much stopping and slowing down the offense from either guy but will see how they develop.  If they were that elite as prospects Tennessee would have put up much more of a fight defensively than they have, again will see how they do.

[VanS]

20 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Ok so you think Alvin Kamara is a Hall of Fame caliber player?  What?  The kid is good, having a fine year but he is with one of the best QBs to ever play the game and really knows how to pass to the running back and keep the defense off balance with his ability to throw the ball.  Kamara is having a good year but so are many rookie running backs so it is not exactly rare this year especially.  Also there are many good pass catching running backs this year and will be some more next year.  Oh and kind of helps having Mark Ingram on your team as well, Kamara is in a perfect situation really for his talents.  And Derek Barnett is a fine pass rusher and sure started out slow but is becoming a very productive rookie, one year does not tell much, both are solid players but cannot ever throw around Hall of Fame talk this early for anyone.

 

As for Warrior and Bituli, not sure I have seen much consider them locks for NFL elite level talent.  Sure Bituli had that great first game and awesome production but Reeves-Maybin looked like a tackling machine before the injury issues and was putting up crazy numbers.  Again not hard to get production tackling when you defense gets consistently walked up and down the field game in and game out.  I am more impressed with defenders actually stopping offensive players and producing results getting off the field, rather than just stats and tackles down field not stopping the ball carrier.  Have not see much stopping and slowing down the offense from either guy but will see how they develop.  If they were that elite as prospects Tennessee would have put up much more of a fight defensively than they have, again will see how they do.

1.  I believe Alvin Kamara is another Marshall Faulk.  He's going to have a 1,000 yard rushing and 1,000 yard receiving season very soon.  He's got incredible balance, toughness, ability to break tackles, explosiveness, and pass catching ability.  Him + Sean Payton = ridiculous stats for years to come.  I had faith in him before the draft and he's done nothing since then to let me think he'll be nothing less than one of the best RBs in the NFL for the next 5-7 years.

2. One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to project players from college to the NFL is relying too much on college production and stats.  Jalen Reeves-Maybin may have put up better stats in college but he didn't have the athletic tools that Bituli has.  I never take what happens in college too seriously.  Either in terms of individual production or team success.  I mean people used the argument last year against Kamara.  They said if he was better than Cook and McCaffery, why wasn't he more productive at Tennessee or why did he never get more than 18 carries in a game?  Football is a team sport.  You can't use college team success or individual statistical success in college to try and predict a guy's individual potential at the next level.  Bituli and Warrior have the athletic skill set and profile to be elite at the next level.  I keep my evaluations strictly limited to player's athletic profile and performance on tape.  I don't care about stats or team success.  That's how I was able to identify Kamara as a better talent than Fournette, Cook, and McCaffrey even though they enjoyed more individual and team success at the college level.

[Ozzy]

2 hours ago, VanS said:

1.  I believe Alvin Kamara is another Marshall Faulk.  He's going to have a 1,000 yard rushing and 1,000 yard receiving season very soon.  He's got incredible balance, toughness, ability to break tackles, explosiveness, and pass catching ability.  Him + Sean Payton = ridiculous stats for years to come.  I had faith in him before the draft and he's done nothing since then to let me think he'll be nothing less than one of the best RBs in the NFL for the next 5-7 years.

2. One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to project players from college to the NFL is relying too much on college production and stats.  Jalen Reeves-Maybin may have put up better stats in college but he didn't have the athletic tools that Bituli has.  I never take what happens in college too seriously.  Either in terms of individual production or team success.  I mean people used the argument last year against Kamara.  They said if he was better than Cook and McCaffery, why wasn't he more productive at Tennessee or why did he never get more than 18 carries in a game?  Football is a team sport.  You can't use college team success or individual statistical success in college to try and predict a guy's individual potential at the next level.  Bituli and Warrior have the athletic skill set and profile to be elite at the next level.  I keep my evaluations strictly limited to player's athletic profile and performance on tape.  I don't care about stats or team success.  That's how I was able to identify Kamara as a better talent than Fournette, Cook, and McCaffrey even though they enjoyed more individual and team success at the college level.

You can believe what you want, Kamara is a very talented player with a lot of potential but he is not a Hall of Fame player and he is not Marshall Faulk, one of the best running backs in the history of the NFL.  But yes in that Sean Payton offense that knows how to use backs on of the backfield he will do impressive things, but Cook played great before the injury, McCaffrey would be just as good on the Saints and is a better route runner as a RB than Kamara has been and Fournette is a flat out beast this year, not to mention Hunt.  So again many rookie backs are succeeding, so to call Kamara the far out winner in that draft class at RB is just not true, especially this early.  Oh and Ezekiel Elliott, David Johnson and Todd Gurley doing kind of well and are all better than Kamara by far...  I do not see Kamara as a consistent Pro Bowl talent much less Hall of Famer but there is a long ways to go in his career will see, just is a little extreme prediction and comparison I would say with Faulk.

Faulk was the #2 overall pick in the draft, 7 time pro bowler, 3 time All pro and Pro Football Hall of Famer and College football Hall of Famer.  Oh and that was when they actually hit and could tackle aggressively in the NFL, so it makes Faulk's success even more impressive.  In the pass happy cannot touch you NFL pass defense now it is not as hard to be successful and get yards.  Sure the skills are better one could argue at catching and throwing but it is also made easier for the offense of course.  

 

As for college production, sure it is not the be all and end all but it does matter.  It is the best minor league system in pro sports arguably.  Thus LSU for example have many young defenders who I find to be far more impressive than Bituli and Warrior because they actually stop the offense from time to time.  Give me White and Delpit over Bituli and Warrior all day long.  

 

Oh and only two players in NFL history have had 1000 yards rushing and receiving.  Marshall Faulk did it one year and so did Roger Craig one season.  That is it, now Kamara is going to do it soon?  It is not that easy, even with the pass friendly rules of today....