Mayock's top 5 by position - Updated 3/07/11 - Post Combine

[conrad77]

I think all the focus on DE may just be nonsense to be honest.  Realistically, two to four DE's may come off the board before we pick.  Would our FO really select possibly the 5th best DE in the draft over other players who are ranked much higher at their position?  I think we are in a crap spot for our needs and wouldn't mind trading back this year.  I typically never want to see us do that.  For me, there are only a few guys I am really hoping to see drop and there is slim to no chance of that happening.  I'm just not sold on Watt, Clayborn, Jordan or Kerrigan being a good value at #20.  LB or G may be a better position at that point, but we'll see how it shakes out.

[Biggs3535]

McCarthy's listed weight of 240 is deceiving. He looks 220 and plays like he's 200.

How?

Run defense is his strength.  He's a tough, physical MLB that isn't great in coverage.  He's not a finesse Mike like the guy the Buccaneers have had as a starter for the last few years.

[JDouble]

From NFP

A well-built linebacker prospect who possesses above-average range in pursuit and exhibits the athleticism to make plays away from his frame. Is more of a straight-line athlete who will struggle to break down in space, but has a nose for the football and consistently seems to be getting good jumps on the play. Reads his run keys quickly and does a nice job attacking downhill, finding creases inside and accelerating toward the play. Also does a nice job of keeping himself clean on the move. Isn't a guy who can consistently take on blocks and stack and shed on contact. However, plays with a good motor and his combination of instincts and overall grit allow him to consistently make a blocker miss and fight his way toward the ball carrier inside. Generates only average power on contact when asked to break down, but does a nice job wrapping up in tight quarters. Nevertheless, has a tendency to overrun plays and fails to break down on contact in space, as he isn't the most secure wrap-up guy when working in pursuit.

Possesses a good feel in the pass game and looks comfortable reading his pass keys, keeping his eyes on the quarterback and quickly putting himself around the football. Likes to be physical in man coverage and does a nice job disrupting the timing of tight ends in the pass game and getting his hands into their frame. However, is a bit stiff in the hips and will struggle to quickly redirect out of his breaks and generate a closing burst toward the football. Too often allows completions to take place around his frame simply because of his inability to quickly change directions and make a play on the throw. Really struggles to hold up in man vs. running backs out of the backfield, and simply lacks the fluidity, change of direction skills and initial burst to keep pace.

Impression: An overrated prospect because of where he plays — Miami — and his above-average straight-line speed. However, he isn't real impressive in man coverage, isn't a top-tier tackler and looks more like a reserve type/utility backer to me in the NFL.

From ESPN Insider 

Instincts/Recognition   2   Disciplined but not a robot. Reads keys, diagnoses play quicker than most and shows good natural instincts. Rarely takes false steps. Appears to be right-shoulder dominant. Will try to take on blockers with right shoulder even when he should lead with left, which occasionally puts gap integrity at risk.

Strength/Toughness   3   Lacks ideal upper-body power but is strong enough to control blockers at the point of attack. Uses his hands well and in most cases he shows the ability to quickly disengage from blocker.

Range vs. Run  2   Not an elite athlete. Struggles a bit to change directions in space but does have quick feet. Does a very good job of keeping blockers off his body when it's appropriate. Shows adequate straight-line speed and good lateral agility for his size. Gets to the ball carrier quicker than most ILB prospects and shows the ability to make plays outside of the tackle box.

Tackling   3   Plays a bit out of control at times. A solid wrap up tackler when he's in position but he will take some poor angles and wind up lunging and/or leaving his feet too often. Shows adequate to good strength at the point of attack as a tackler.

3rd Down Capabilities   3   Comes off the field in many nickel/dime packages. Has some stiffness in his hips and will struggle to match up man-to-man versus many NFL backs. He shows good awareness in zone coverage. Does not take many false steps and gets adequate depth on his drops. Overall range in zone is adequate for a SLB/ILB type. Shows ability to stick with TE's in short-to-intermediate zones one-on-one. Flashes good closing burst as a pass rusher but has limited experience being sent on the blitz.

From CBSSports.com

Overview

McCarthy chose to wear No. 44 out of respect to former Hurricane great Dan Morgan. Considering the impact he's had on the team's ability to stop the run, comparisons needn't stop with the jersey number.

Take the 2008 season as an example of McCarthy's importance to the defense. With McCarthy in the lineup, Miami opened the season holding its first four opponents (Charleston Southern, Florida, Texas A&M and North Carolina) to an average of 65 rushing yards. McCarthy was lost for the season after sustaining a shoulder injury during practice prior to the team's fifth game. From there the run defense was sunk. Even after their strong start, the Hurricanes finished last in the ACC against the run (151.8 yards per game) in 2008 and allowed 1,974 yards total -- the ninth- highest total in school history.

McCarthy began his career with the Hurricanes playing special teams. A standout as a freshman, he was among the team leaders with six special teams tackles and had the team's only blocked punt. He earned the starting outside linebacker job in 2007 and finished fifth on the team with 74 tackles, including a team-leading 12 tackles for loss. McCarthy impressed early in 2008 (21 tackles, forced fumble) before the injury and returned to earn second-team All-ACC accolades in 2009 (95 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss) after moving to inside linebacker.

He posted improved totals last season at inside linebacker as a senior (105 tackles, nine tackles for loss in the regular season) and was honorable mention All-ACC.

Athletic, instinctive and physical, McCarthy has all the makings of a starting NFL linebacker. He fits best in the middle. While he played outside linebacker in the past, McCarthy's lacks the elite athleticism to move back there in the pros. He isn't flashy, but could provide a stabilizing force against the run and will still be available on the second or early third day of the draft.

Analysis

Read & React: Good instincts for the position. Reads his keys quickly and efficiently moves towards the ball. Can be too aggressive toward the line of scrimmage against the run, leaving cutback lanes vacant. Over-aggression makes him susceptible to good play-action. To his credit, he isn't fooled for long and doesn't quit until the whistle blows.

Run defense: Attacks the line of scrimmage in run defense, taking questionable angles. Can get tripped up inside but did show improvement last year in his ability to protect his legs. Often beats blockers to the point due because he constantly attacks the line of scrimmage, resulting in high tackle production. Provides a quick, physical pop to keep blockers off of him when his good lateral agility isn't enough to elude them. Has seen time at all three linebacker positions. Has at least moderate straight-line speed. Pursues with passion laterally and downfield.

Pass defense: High and choppy in his backpedal and is a bit stiff in the hips. Gains good depth on his drops and keeps his head on a swivel in pass defense, but has only moderate overall agility to keep up with potential receivers. Typically is in position to make the tackle, but may not be athletic enough to consistently break up passes.

Tackling: Arguably his best skill. Is an aggressive, wrap-up tackler that seems to enjoy the physicality of the game. Shows no hesitancy taking on big ballcarriers. Flashes some explosiveness as a hitter, showing textbook hit-lift-drive form. Breaks down well in space to handle elusive running backs.

Pass Rush/Blitz: Moderate speed off the edge as a stand-up blitzer. Can pressure the tackle's outside shoulder and shows some natural pass-rush instincts with his ability to cut back inside. Has to develop better technique; he's overly reliant on the bull rush when engaged. Needs to do a better job of protecting his knees from the cut block.

Intangibles: A standout special teams player early in his career. Was granted a medical hardship in 2008 after four games. Slipped on wet turf during practice and injured his shoulder, which required surgery. Considered leaving for the NFL after his junior season.

[Detrimental]

After watching those highlights, can we just wait till 2012 please?

Hell, I think Upshaw and Hightower are going to be better than all of these MLB's and they are probably will be #3 or #4 at their position next year. I rather gave McKenzie a shot rather than most of these mike prospects to be honest. I DO however, would love to grab a playmaking will. Greg Jones might be too enticing to pass up but hopefully we take care of some needs in the off-season.

[Feel Real Good]

After watching those highlights, can we just wait till 2012 please?

Hell, I think Upshaw and Hightower are going to be better than all of these MLB's and they are probably will be #3 or #4 at their position next year. I rather gave McKenzie a shot rather than most of these mike prospects to be honest. I DO however, would love to grab a playmaking will. Greg Jones might be too enticing to pass up but hopefully we take care of some needs in the off-season.

I completely agree.

[JDouble]

I like Nate Irving, Mario Harvey, Casey Mathews, Josh Bynes, Alex Wujciak, Tressor Baptiste, and even this Colin McCarthy guy to play MLB.....I just don't want any of them before the 4th round or later. They are all projects with potential and weaknesses, but at least they are all football players. Martez Wilson is an athlete but doesn't appear to have the instincts or drive of a football player. I'll be sad if we waste our 2nd round pick on him. I hope Sabby taught us to draft football players instead of the best athlete.

[jeanclaud]

I think all the focus on DE may just be nonsense to be honest.  Realistically, two to four DE's may come off the board before we pick.  Would our FO really select possibly the 5th best DE in the draft over other players who are ranked much higher at their position?  I think we are in a crap spot for our needs and wouldn't mind trading back this year.  I typically never want to see us do that.  For me, there are only a few guys I am really hoping to see drop and there is slim to no chance of that happening.  I'm just not sold on Watt, Clayborn, Jordan or Kerrigan being a good value at #20.  LB or G may be a better position at that point, but we'll see how it shakes out.

The thing is, DE is regarded as by far the deepest all-around position in this draft. Take a look at any of the well-regarded draft sources and look at their top 32 overall prospects. They'll have at least 5 DEs in their top 20.

[mgchat76]

I think all the focus on DE may just be nonsense to be honest.  Realistically, two to four DE's may come off the board before we pick.  Would our FO really select possibly the 5th best DE in the draft over other players who are ranked much higher at their position?  I think we are in a crap spot for our needs and wouldn't mind trading back this year.  I typically never want to see us do that.  For me, there are only a few guys I am really hoping to see drop and there is slim to no chance of that happening.  I'm just not sold on Watt, Clayborn, Jordan or Kerrigan being a good value at #20.  LB or G may be a better position at that point, but we'll see how it shakes out.

Just because their may be players that are ranked at the top of their position, doesn't mean they will be the BPA.

[mgchat76]

According to Rob Rang with nfldraftscout.com:

"Some have pegged Clayborn as a falling prospect this season because his production didn't match his incredible 2009 season. In reality, the Iowa coaching staff asked him to play the gaps, rather than rush upfield, limiting the number of impact plays he made himself. Clayborn's unselfish play translates well to the Chargers' scheme."

For more insight  on Clayborn, people can also go to bleacherreport.com and search for a contributing writer named "hawkeye gamefilm."  He has been kind enough to do a detailed breakdown of a bunch of Iowa games.  To be fair, he didn't break down the defense for all the games,  just the first 5.  He didn't breakdown the games toward the end of the season when they went 3-4.  In the games he did break down, though, he often noted how the opposing teams gameplanned to nullify Clayborn.  He also notes when Clayborn broke down the pocket allowing teammates to get some splash plays.

[JDouble]

Clayborn is poo.

[conrad77]

I think all the focus on DE may just be nonsense to be honest.  Realistically, two to four DE's may come off the board before we pick.  Would our FO really select possibly the 5th best DE in the draft over other players who are ranked much higher at their position?  I think we are in a crap spot for our needs and wouldn't mind trading back this year.  I typically never want to see us do that.  For me, there are only a few guys I am really hoping to see drop and there is slim to no chance of that happening.  I'm just not sold on Watt, Clayborn, Jordan or Kerrigan being a good value at #20.  LB or G may be a better position at that point, but we'll see how it shakes out.

Just because their may be players that are ranked at the top of their position, doesn't mean they will be the BPA.

Agree entirely, but show me a scenario where 4 DE's come off the board before we pick and there isn't better value at another position.

[JDouble]

If Quinn, Clayborn, Watt, Houston, Smith, Bowers, and Jordan all go before 20 and Kerrigan is the 8th DE off the board....he could very well still be the BPA.

[alldaway]

After the combine, I am still in Clayborn's corner.   When I watch him play, I see a player always heading towards the football, but more importantly, very difficult to cut block, and disengages blockers with his hands to make a play on the ball.  Clayborn is a physical player who plays the game of football violently.  If his production was slightly better this past year his stock would be a lot higher.  I honestly don't know where the meme on him that he isn't a full effort type coming from, but the tape doesn't lie.

[Buc45]

Where is Mason Foster?  I am trying hard to buy into this guy, especially since PR touts him so much...  I am really starting to like Casey Matthews and now Mayock has him rated fourth (I think Charlie had him going in the third round right after we pick Foster)...What do you guys think of the Matthews?

[conrad77]

If Quinn, Clayborn, Watt, Houston, Smith, Bowers, and Jordan all go before 20 and Kerrigan is the 8th DE off the board....he could very well still be the BPA.

In that scenario too many people potentially fall for me to honestly buy into him being the BPA.  I'm just not sold on the bottom of this first round graded DE group.  Give me Pouncy, J. Smith, or Ingram instead.  Plus, some of these cats, like Kerrigan, may not even be RDE material.  With our athletic interior, we are in need of elite pressure more than run support.  I know we need both given our lack of, well, anyone, but I personally would not be willing to give a LDE the nod at #20.  They can be found in FA.  Maybe I'm just struck by Bowers and Quinn and haven't come to terms with guys like Kerrigan, Claborn or Houston but they feel like a miss congeniality award to be honest.  Especially when we could potentially get a guy like Romeus in the 3rd or 4th.  JMO