NFL Draft Watch: Overrated prospects
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The Skinny: Nkemdiche was the top-rated prospect in the 2013 class. His
recruitment basically wound up to be between Ole Miss and LSU but the Rebels
were the heavy favorite going into his signing day decision. His brother played
there and his mother wanted him in Oxford.
Overview: In 11 games, Nkemdiche has totaled 29 tackles (seven for loss)
including three sacks and seven quarterback hurries. Ole Miss faces Oklahoma
State in the Sugar Bowl.
Farrell's Take: Nkemdiche can flash for sure and when he does you see a
300-pounder who moves like a big linebacker and can run things down you would
never expect. However, he was a more consistent player in high school believe it
or not and tends to disappear at times in college, something that should never
happen for a mega-athletic talent. Throw in the recent off-the-field stuff and
this talk of him being a top five pick baffles me a bit. I'd take him as a
first-round talent, but not as high as many project him.
3
CB
The Skinny: The Nashville (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy five-star was rated as the
third-best cornerback in the 2013 class behind Vernon Hargreaves III and
Kendall Fuller. He was No. 10 overall and first in the Tennessee state rankings. Ramsey
had been committed to USC for months (he picked the Trojans over Vanderbilt and
others) but rumors swirled that he probably wouldn't end up there. The five-star
prospect selected Florida State right around National Signing Day.
Overview: Ramsey has registered 43 tackles, a sack, one fumble recovery and 10
pass deflections so far this season as the Seminoles prep for the Peach Bowl
against Houston.
Farrell's Take: I love Ramsey's overall athleticism, there is little doubt that
he's a freaky athlete and he has good size and is long. But I like all those
attributes as a safety and not as a guy you can put consistently on an NFL
island. He doesn't have the most natural and fluid hips, he has shown he can be
beaten at times on routine routes and I think he's much better moving forwards
than backwards. In high school we struggled whether we should project him as a
corner or a safety but felt he could more than hold his own outside. At the NFL
level I have questions as a potential top 10 pick and would take him in the
middle of the first round as a safety, a position much less coveted.
4
LB
The Skinny: Smith was the top-rated outside linebacker and the third-best
prospect in the 2013 class by Rivals.com. The five-star was the No. 1 recruit in
the Indiana state rankings out of Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Luers. Considered
arguably the best signee of the Brian Kelly era, Smith committed to Notre Dame
in June before his senior year. Ohio State and USC were the other finalists.
Overview: Smith leads the Irish with 113 tackles (nine for loss) along with two
fumble recoveries and a forced fumble so far this season as Notre Dame faces
Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Farrell's Take: Smith is a smart, instinctual linebacker who takes good angles,
uses his length to run down plays and disrupt the passing game while being adept
at getting skinny and avoiding blocks which is why he was No. 3 in 2013 behind
Nkemdiche and Hargreaves. But he's still not the biggest or strongest
linebacker, he's an adequate blitzer with exceptional timing but he can be
swallowed up by blockers at times and he has struggled a bit in the open field
with quick backs who can cut on a dime. He also tends to false step a bit. He's
a well-rounded prospect at linebacker for sure but seeing him projected as a top
5 pick is a bit high for me. I would say 11-15 range is more suitable.
5
QB
The Skinny: The three-star picked Memphis over Florida A&M after Florida decided
not to offer the Deltona (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy prospect.
Overview: Lynch has completed nearly 69 percent of his passes for 3,670 yards
with 28 touchdowns and three interceptions for a Memphis offense that averages
just under 43 points per game.
Farrell's Take: Talk about a high ceiling, Lynch is your guy. He's big, he's
mobile, he can sling it and when he's on, he's impossible to stop. But he's also
a guy with poor footwork habits who loves to throw with his arm too often and
when he's in evasion mode his mechanics aren't great. However, he's the one guy
on this list who I could see being an absolute home run in the Ben Roethelisberger range if he develops. But seeing him on some boards as a No.
2 or No. 3 pick is way too high, I see him as a late first rounder at this stage
who could be one of the steals of the draft or a major bust.
Adam Gorney
National Recruiting Analyst
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