It used to be billed as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party… a game between fierce SEC rivals held at a neutral site (Jacksonville) each year. Not wanting people to think that college students and alumni actually consume alcoholic beverages, that name no longer is promoted. Speaking of promotion, it might be time to start switching priorities as to which players we’re promoting. A few big names just aren’t getting it done this year, while others that are relatively unknown are performing at a very high level.


College: Georgia
Conference: SEC
Columnist: Jeff West

Name - # - Ht - Wt - Speed - Pos - Class

Martrez Milner - 87 - 6' 4.0" - 255 - 4.65 - TE - 2007
It’s amazing. Martrez Milner does nearly everything right. He is a very solid inline blocker, showing surprising strength and better-than-average technique. He’s also quite good blocking in space. He has good, quick feet. He uses his hands well. He has good speed. He runs very nice routes and is able to find holes in the defense. But then he drops the ball, literally. Milner better be spending lots of extra hours in front of the Jugs machine after practice, because that one tiny flaw in his game is the one that people will remember most. He caught two balls against Florida and dropped four. (SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE)

Dan Inman - 72 - 6' 7.0" - 315 - 5.15 - OT - 2007
Inman is big and has long arms. His footwork isn’t terrible, but he just suffers too much from his own lack of athleticism. He doesn’t move well. He’s not explosive off the snap. He does show very good strength and is able to get a good push in run blocking and he uses his hands and arms well, providing a nice punch to throw smaller defenders off balance. (SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE)

Quentin Moses - 94 - 6' 4.5" - 257 - 4.67 - DE - 2007
OK, who kidnapped Quentin Moses? I had Moses in for an assisted tackle for the entire game when I thought, with just under 3 minutes left in the game, he was going to throw Andre Caldwell for a loss on a reverse that would have forced fourth down in Gator territory. But he was called for a facemask penalty on the tackle, the Gators got a first down, and then ran out the clock. Moses looks just as fast and explosive as ever. He gets off the ball lightning quick, but is generally getting himself out of position too quickly. He’s still hustling and playing hard, and does get near the QB fairly often, but he’s just not making the same impact as he did a year ago. (NEGATIVE)

Ray Gant - 90 - 6' 2.0" - 281 - 5.00 - DT - 2007
Ray Gant is not getting much playing time any more. The DT positions have been turned over to a true sophomore and a redshirt freshman. I think Gant needs to come out of the database. (VERY NEGATIVE)

Tony Taylor - 43 - 6' 1.0" - 237 - 4.75 - LB - 2007
Taylor did just about everything in his power to try to lift the Bulldogs to victory, but it wasn't enough. Taylor is playing some very inspired football right now. He covers the entire field and is a very sure tackler. He’s built solidly and shows good strength when filling a gap to stop the running game. He’s also able to read blocking schemes and find holes to pressure the QB. Surprisingly (for someone with his bulk and reported 40 time), Taylor is not a liability in pass coverage. He’s shown some ballhawking skills as he picked off his fourth INT of the season against Florida and ripped the ball away from the RB late in the game (although it was recovered by Florida). (VERY POSITIVE)

Jarvis Jackson - 45 - 6' 2.0" - 225 - 4.60 - LB - 2007
Jackson shows very good speed on the field and has excellent range. He’s solid in pursuit, although he does have some trouble fighting through blocks. Once he’s got a blocker on him, he’s generally done for the play. He’s an inconsistent tackler… sometimes wrapping up and dropping the ballcarrier in his tracks and other times he’s trying to grab and drag. He also tends to overpursue and gets himself out of position on misdirection or play action. Despite his flaws, I see him near the ball or in on the tackle very often. He also is very good dropping into pass coverage. (SLIGHTLY POSITIVE)

Tra Battle - 25 - 5' 11.0" - 180 - 4.55 - S - 2007
I really wish I could buy into all of the “Battle hype” that I seem to hear about. This is the fourth time I’ve scouted Georgia this fall and Battle has failed to impress me each time. He tends to do fairly well in run support, diagnosing the run quickly and getting in position to make a play. But this is where it all breaks down for him. Battle is not a good tackler. I watched him botch (or miss completely) a number of tackle attempts. If he’s one-on-one with the ball-carrier, chances are the offense wins that encounter. Battle is shaky in pass coverage too. He seems to have the physical skills and requisite athleticism to be more effective than he is, but something (drive? instincts? football knowledge?) seems to be missing. (NEGATIVE)

Gordon Ely-Kelso - 95 - 6' 2.0" - 227 - 4.90 - P - 2007
He’s one of the top punters in the SEC and the NCAA, but tonight he was nothing more than average. I don’t see anything that makes me think he will be highly sought-after by NFL teams. (SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE)

Brandon Miller - 12 - 6' 3.5" - 248 - 4.54 - LB - 2008
Miller is a hot and cold player. He’s as athletically gifted as anyone on the field. He has outstanding instincts and fantastic speed (even better than his listed 40 time) on the field. He’s able to shed/avoid blocks and fight through the trash to get to the ball-carrier. His big problem seems to be inexperience. He’s often in the wrong place or, if he reads the play correctly, he can run himself right out of the play with his aggressive nature. He does show excellent cover skills (although there is some inconsistency there too). Another year of experience should do wonders for Miller and make him a top prospect at SLB for the 2008 NFL Draft. (NEUTRAL)

Brandon Coutu - 96 - 6' 0.0" - 180 - 4.95 - K - 2008
DNP – Out for season with injury.

Charles Johnson - 99 - 6' 2.0" - 264 - 4.65 - DE - 2008
Johnson started the season like gangbusters, proving to be an unstoppable force on the D-line and providing some verity to Quentin Moses’ statement that Johnson, not Moses, was the best player on the line. However Johnson came up small in this game. He managed to get into the backfield on a couple occasions (making a tackle once and hurrying the QB once), but didn’t show that power and burst that was evident earlier in the season. Johnson does show an uncanny knack for reading the screen pass, dropping into the passing lane, and then surprising the QB with his vertical when he knocks the pass away. (SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE)

Nick Jones - 70 - 6' 3.0" - 295 - 5.20 - C - 2007
If Jones can add some muscle mass without sacrificing his athleticism and speed, then he’ll have a shot to play on Sundays. Jones moves well and is very good at slipping to the second level and engaging/removing the LBs. As an inline blocker, Jones typically needs help as he is overpowered by the stronger and more physical DTs. With some more strength, Jones could be an effective zone blocker. (NEUTRAL)

Paul Oliver - 8 - 6' 0.0" - 205 - 4.40 - CB - 2008
Oliver is a guy who is making NFL scouts take notice. He has blazing speed and has the potential to be a shutdown corner. His inexperience is still evident, even this late into the season. Oliver looks a bit like a rodeo clown when he’s attempting to make a tackle. (Deion Sanders would be proud.) He can be easily overpowered by the stronger backs and receivers and has trouble shedding a block once he’s engaged. Oliver is an aggressive player and is more than willing to come up in run support, showing speed to get to the ballcarrier and around the blocker. His technique also requires some more refinement as he got turned inside out a couple times on simple post routes. I know he’s looking at declaring early, and will likely be a first-day pick, but he’s a guy who could be a first round pick if he waited another year. (POSITIVE)

Players to watch: 30 Kelin Johnson (Jr) – He is fast and aggressive and makes big, important plays. He’s going to be a great one as a senior. FB Brannan Southerland (So) – Southerland is a devastating lead blocker, often delivering the decleater once he breaks the first level. He also doubles as a skill player, providing excellent receiving skills and good short-yardage rushing.


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College: Florida
Conference: SEC
Columnist: Jeff West

Name - # - Ht - Wt - Speed - Pos - Class

Chris Leak - 12 - 6' 0.0" - 210 - 4.75 - QB - 2007
Leak is in a tough position. He is unable to really develop any rhythm as he’s yanked every few plays in order to get freshman phenom-to-be Tim Tebow (who doesn’t throw passes, he just runs QB draws) some PT. Leak seems to have the physical skills to be a decent QB. He throws a nice ball, although he doesn’t have the strongest of arms. He understands where to throw the ball and can read defenses fairly well. He even shows enough mobility to buy time or create on his own if needed. But there’s something going on in Leak’s head that is troubling. He doesn’t seem to forget his mistakes and he gets nervous feet when the pocket shows any sign of breaking down. He also doesn’t project himself as much of a leader. He seems quiet and unassuming and the players don’t seem to rally around him. I don’t know that he has the mental toughness needed to be a next-level starting signal-caller. I think he’ll be a very solid back-up QB in a WCO system in the future. In this game, he played OK, making some nice throws and missing a fair number too. He generally got time to throw, so I expected more from him. He threw a very nice TD pass to Caldwell in the first half, hitting him once he cleared the LBs in the zone. (NEUTRAL)

DeShawn Wynn - 21 - 5' 11.0" - 235 - 0.00 - HB - 2007
I kept waiting and waiting for Wynn to get a carry, and it wasn’t until midway through the third quarter before he was handed the ball. It seems like Urban Meyer has so much disdain for his RBs that he’s going to rely on reverses and direct hand-offs to the WRs (Caldwell and Harvin) instead. In fact, Wynn only got 6 carries in the game (Harvin and Caldwell combined for 11). Wynn didn’t show much of anything when he did have the ball. He didn’t break any longer than 5 or 6 yards and seemed to get 3 or 4 yards on each of the carries (although he was not thrown for a loss at any time). He’s got the size and speed to be a decent RB, but he’s just not that effective. (NEGATIVE)

Billy Latsko - 42 - 5' 10.0" - 232 - 4.75 - FB - 2007
Latsko is a very good FB who is used almost exclusively as a blocker. He’s not a threat to run the ball and managed only one catch for a short gain during the game. As a blocker, he is effective both as a lead blocker, getting to the second level and quickly engaging a would-be tackler, and also in pass protection. He just doesn’t jump out at me as a guy who has a future on Sundays. He lacks the pure blocking ability of a Cory Anderson (Tennessee) and the versatility of a LeRon McClain (Alabama). (NEUTRAL)

Dallas Baker - 81 - 6' 3.0" - 206 - 4.55 - WR - 2007
Baker had an uncharacteristically quiet game from an offensive standpoint. He managed only a couple receptions, although he was thrown to six times. Paul Oliver generally had good coverage on him. The thing that stands out about Baker is his willingness to block downfield. Not only is he willing, he’s a very good blocker, getting his hands inside the defender and driving him away from the ball-carrier. (SLIGHTLY POSITIVE)

Andre Caldwell - 5 - 6' 1.0" - 203 - 4.40 - WR - 2007
Caldwell seemed to be a bit slow in recovering from his 2005 injury and didn’t have a great start to this season. He was clearly the most impressive player in the game today though. On the first drive alone, Caldwell had a couple receptions and a pair of runs (including a 12-yard TD run on a reverse where he broke a few tackles). He was used a lot on short screen passes this proved to be very effective as Caldwell consistently was able to produce YAC by breaking/avoiding tackles. He got open on a precisely run post pattern that resulted in the only Leak TD pass. A few more good games and he’ll re-emerge as a top senior WR prospect. (VERY POSITIVE)

Marcus Thomas - 44 - 6' 3.0" - 295 - 5.00 - DT - 2007
Marcus Thomas was more of an “occupier” than a “playmaker” in this one. He faced constant double teams from the OG and the C, tying up two blockers and freeing up Jarvis Moss to make plays from the outside. Thomas moves very well for a man his size and shows a nice burst off the snap. He would be an ideal UT in a 4-3 scheme, where the NT could occupy the double teams and allow Thomas to go one-on-one against a single guard and really utilize his strength and quickness. (NEUTRAL)

Joe Cohen - 20 - 6' 2.0" - 295 - 4.88 - DT - 2007
Almost non-existent. I saw him make a tackle on a QB draw in the fourth quarter. I didn’t see much else. He got plenty of playing time, but he seemed to just be a body on the field. I was surprised that he was handled so easily by the Georgia OGs, whom he was often single-teamed by. (VERY NEGATIVE)

Steven Harris - 93 - 6' 4.0" - 285 - 5.00 - DT - 2007
He’s listed on the participation report, but I didn’t notice him at all. I wonder if he’s really a prospect. (INCOMPLETE)

Ray McDonald - 95 - 6' 3.0" - 280 - 4.85 - DE - 2007
McDonald is playing some very inspired football this year, after an injury-plagued 2005 season. He bounced back and forth between DT and DE. He was more effective as a DE, but the Gators obviously wanted his athleticism and production in the middle, especially with a young Derrick Harvey playing so well at the DE position. McDonald found a ball laying on the ground and returned it a short distance for a big Gator TD. McDonald showed nice explosion off the snap and gets into the gap quickly from a DT position. As a DE, he is able to use his strength and leverage to get an advantage on the OTs. He didn’t rack up many tackles, but he played very well from a non-statistical standpoint. He’s a guy who’s going to be climbing the charts quickly – maybe even sneaking into day one come April. (POSITIVE)

Jarvis Moss - 94 - 6' 6.0" - 255 - 4.60 - DE - 2008
The DTs do a lot of the dirty work inside, and then Jarvis Moss takes advantage from the outside. Moss was a monster in this one. He looks a lot like Quentin Moses did a year ago, but Moss is even bigger. He uses his quickness to get off the snap with a burst and get the OT off balance immediately, especially when he lines up wide. But Moss isn’t just a one-trick pony. He’s also a very formidable defender against the run. He’s a first-round pick in 2008, and would go no lower than round 2 this April if he declares early. (VERY POSITIVE)

Earl Everett - 30 - 6' 3.0" - 234 - 4.50 - LB - 2007
Everett has ideal triangle numbers at the WLB position. He also shows a good deal of strength and power at the position. He is able to fight through blocks with a powerful upper body and he’s also quick enough to avoid the bigger, slower linemen that try to get to him at the second level. He shows a nice burst through the gap on designed blitzes and can fill nicely on running plays. Everett plays until the whistle blows and seems to have very good football instincts. He’s definitely a first day selection at this point. (VERY POSITIVE)

Brandon Siler - 40 - 6' 2.0" - 235 - 4.60 - LB - 2008
Siler is another tremendous prospect. He’s only a junior, but is likely to declare for this April’s draft after having started for the past three years at MLB. Siler has exceptional range and plays a lot faster than the speed we have listed for him. He’s very quick, getting into the gaps and making sure tackles. He’s good at getting into the backfield and disrupting plays there. He has excellent instincts and puts himself into position to make plays. (VERY POSITIVE)

Chris Hetland - 39 - 6' 0.0" - 185 - 4.90 - K - 2007
He missed two makeable FG attempts. He’s been bad all season and is coming out of the database. (VERY NEGATIVE)

Eric Wilbur - 10 - 6' 2.0" - 200 - 4.90 - P - 2007
Eric Wilbur had a good day punting the football. He averaged more than 45 yards on his 6 punts and banged a 60-yarder. He also dropped one that was downed inside the 20, but he had 2 more go into the endzone. He’s still not separating himself from the rest of the top SEC punters and isn’t draftable. (SLIGHTLY POSITIVE)

Tate Casey - 84 - 6' 5.0" - 240 - 4.75 - TE - 2008
The TE is becoming a forgotten man in Gainesville. With Florida running primarily a 3 wide set and a RB and FB in the backfield, Casey spends a lot of time on the bench. He made one catch in this one, but didn’t get a whole lot of work otherwise. (INCOMPLETE)

Steve Rissler - 79 - 6' 3.0" - 305 - 5.15 - OG - 2007
Rissler played center in this game and was very impressive. He held did a fantastic job keeping a couple young and talented Georgia DTs from making much of an impact. He is a big center who moves well enough (not overly well though) to be effective. He’s money as a pass protector, not giving much ground. He’s better than average as a run blocker, using strength more than athleticism to gain an advantage. He did struggle with some inconsistent shotgun snaps (some low, some high). (SLIGHTLY POSITIVE)

Kyle Jackson - 3 - 6' 1.0" - 200 - 4.55 - S - 2008
He played very sparingly. I didn’t see him enough to evaluate. (INCOMPLETE)

Reggie Nelson - 1 - 6' 0.0" - 200 - 4.45 - S - 2008
Reggie Nelson was getting a LOT of props from the announcers who were touting him as the MVP of the SEC. It’s interesting to see him line up 15 yards deep every snap, counting on his speed to get himself in position quickly. Despite his speed, ALL of his tackles came downfield, so he’s not getting up near the line of scrimmage to get involved in run support. He is a solid tackler who can also deliver the big hit. It’s hard to tell what his secondary responsibilities were… it seemed like he was just playing centerfield. He wasn’t able to prevent any passes from being completed, but he closed quickly on the receivers and made the tackle. He also recovered a fumble on punt coverage and had a short punt return of his own. He does like to talk (almost to the point of taunting) a bit too much. (SLIGHTLY POSITIVE)


Players to watch: DE Derrick Harvey (So) – Harvey looks to be the next in a long line of quality DEs in the SEC. He’s tall and lanky, but lightning quick and he has a nose for the ball. In consecutive series to start the third quarter, Harvey forced a fumble that was returned for a TD by a teammate. On the ensuing series, he recovered another fumble. He has excellent speed as one of his tackles was on a RB screen play 15 yards downfield. CB Ryan Smith (Sr) – Smith was a controversial transfer from Utah. He is a graduate student, so he was able to transfer without sitting out a year. He played a very solid game, holding Massaquoi to just two catches. He also added an impressive INT and made some nice tackles in the open field and came up strong in run support.