I'm looking for any info anyone may have of the post-season intentions of Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. He is a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Michigan when they hired Rodriguez, and is actually draft eligible this year. If anyone has any definitive info I would appreciated it. Thanks.

He and Earl Thomas are 2 RS Sophomores with grades in the first 1-3 rounds, as of yet neither has made a definite declaration, however I have heard Thomas is at least considering coming out early, it seems Mallett is leaning towards staying at least 1 more year. Hope that helped a little.

Appreciate the info bcdrama.

No definitive info on Mallett, but he absolutely needs another year in school. Hope he doesn't get conned into thinking he's a first-rounder.

I was reading something that former NFL DB Corey Chavous had written on the draft's QB prospects, and he clearly stated he thought Mallett was by far the best NFL QB prospect in the SEC, and that he could see him going to Washington, or even higher if he comes out. I don't argue your reasoning for staying in school, but with the uncertainty of the upcoming outcome of the new NFL CBA, and any rookie salary structure, it would not surprise me if any redshirt sophomores with real talent such as Mallett and Thomas decide to roll the dice now, while the getting is good. I believe that because of the threat of a rookie salary structure similar to the NBA's, that a lot of draft eligible collegians will declare for this year's draft. Just my personal opinion, but if I were in their shoes, I'd be looking closely at the situation myself, as the difference could be a lot of millions.

Here is a list of draft eligible sophomores I've gotten from the web. Can anyone tell me their thoughts on any of these, other than Thomas and Mallet, and where they might go should they enter the draft this year. I know there are a few more with 1st day potential here, and am looking for feedback. Thanks M


Name Pos Hgt Wgt School
Earl Thomas SS 5'10 197 Texas
Ryan Mallett QB 6'6 238 Arkansas
Akeem Ayers OLB 6'4 252 UCLA
Barquell Rivers ILB 6'0 237 Virginia Tech
Blake DeChristopher OT 6'5 313 Virginia Tech
Brandon Maye ILB 6'3 Clemson
Caleb King RB 5'11 212 Georgia
Chase Minnifield CB 6'0 185 Virginia
Chris Galippo ILB 6'2 250 USC
Chris Rainey RB 5'9 178 Florida
Clint Boling OT 6'5 298 Georgia
James Wilson G 6'5 329 Florida
Jared Crick DT 6'6 285 Nebraska
Jerrard Tarrant CB 6'0 202 Georgia Tech
John Clay RB 6'1 248 Wisconsin
Josh Oglesby OT 6'7 330 Wisconsin
Matt Conrath DE 6'7 270 Virginia
Michael Williams SS 5'11 192 Michigan
Nick Foles QB 6'5 235 Arizona
Ryan Broyles WR 5'11 178 Oklahoma
Ryan Van Bergen DE 6'6 271 Michigan
Tank Carder ILB 6'2 232 TCU
Travis Lewis OLB 6'2 232 Oklahoma
Tydreke Powell DT 6'3 310 North Carolina
Tyler Sash S 6'1 210 Iowa

Here's my take on the ACC players you listed:

Barquell Rivers ILB 6'0 237 Virginia Tech - Rivers isn't a guy I've scouted much. I've seen him, but never really looked at him too closely. My initial impression is that, while he's second on the team in tackles, a large majority of those are second-man-in tackles. As the Mike, he's got to be initiating a lot more of those, and I think that comes with experience and playing time. I'd venture a guess and say he wouldn't be drafted if he declared (unlikely) for April.

Blake DeChristopher OT 6'5 313 Virginia Tech - I think Blake has an NFL future, but he's definitely not ready yet. He's still inconsistent, and I'm not sure he's going to stay outside at the next level. As such, I don't think he's draftable in April.

Brandon Maye ILB 6'3 Clemson - Maye is definitely one of the most impressive middle backers in the NCAA right now. He's got size, athleticism, and solid instincts. If he were to declare, he could go as high as third round, but if he waits, then he'll be one of the top ILBs in the draft (McClain & Galippo) in 2011 or 12.

Chase Minnifield CB 6'0 185 Virginia - Certainly has the pedigree (Dad is Frank Minnifield) and has been fairly impressive so far at UVA. He's excelled on special teams and has been solid on defense as a nickel back. Right now, he'd probably get called late in the draft, but another year and a chance to shine as a starter would give him a shot at day one.

Jerrard Tarrant CB 6'0 202 Georgia Tech - Outstanding playmaker who could probably make an impact in the NFL immediately. He has the size, speed, and physicality I love in a corner. He has a red flag in his past, so I think NFL teams would like to see him stay in school to see if he can stay out of trouble, but if he were to declare, I think he could go as early as the second round.

Matt Conrath DE 6'7 270 Virginia - Got off to a decent start this season, but then had an ankle injury. Don't think he'd even consider coming out yet. I think he needs at least another year to get stronger.

Tydreke Powell DT 6'3 310 North Carolina - I haven't scouted Powell heavily yet, but my initial impressions are that he's a big-potential player, but he's not NFL-ready yet.

As always, Jeff, I really appreciate your insight. Thanks a lot.

I really like Mallett. He's a massive QB with a large frame and an absolute cannon for an arm. He definitely can make any and all the throws. He's also showed off great accuracy at times but he's very inconsistent. He seems like he'll be a really good prototypical QB in the NFL but he'll definitely need some seasoning as he's a risk taker who will force the ball at times. Overall, I'd say he'd be my 2nd or 3rd ranked prospect definitely behind Bradford as at this point Bradford is more Pro ready, more accurate and a more consistent QB. However, with Bradford's injury concerns and Mallett's great physical attributes, he could end up possibly being a top 15 to top 20 pick. I definitely like him as a prospect and think he could be a very good to great NFL QB but he won't be Pro Ready day 1 and it will be a mistake if a team drafts him expecting him to be.

Also, anyone else think that Jerrod Johnson from TAMU might come out this year and could possibly be the Josh Freeman of this draft(a QB who wasn't considered first round talent during the season but worked himself up into the first round after great workouts). I think he could be a very good QB, he reminds me a bit of a more athletic Culpepper but he definitely is a really raw prospect. However, he looked pretty amazing vs. Texas.

Read this Tuesday

From Espn's SEC blogger Chris Low

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/6198...gs-record-books

Talks about his stats, a bit about build as a QB, and how his O Coordinator says he should come back for another year, Mallett won't say yes or no, but seems to be leaning towards coming back.

In general, I think QBs should RARELY consider making an early jump to the NFL. Yes, he definitely has first-day talent, and appears to have the makings of a solid NFL starting QB, but when it gets down to it, there are only so many teams that will be choosing a QB on the first day (BUF, CAR, SEA, STL, and WAS are the ones most likely to do so, although CLE, JAX, OAK, and SF could too -- although with free agency, I'd expect only about half of those listed to actually go QB early). And then you have to consider all of the QBs that will be available (Tebow, McCoy, Bradford, and Pike, and then add some juniors likely to make the jump in Locker and Clausen) and there's a LOT of competition for those QB draft spots. Mallett would do himself a world of good by sticking around for at least another year. Sure, everyone looks at Bradford and says he would have been a (the?) top draft pick last year, but even with the injury this year, he'll still be a high pick in April.

At the QB position the ability to be patient, handle adversity, make sound decisions, possess leadership, etc these are all things needed to succeed and all other things being equal 22 and 23 year olds have those qualities in greater abundance that 20 and 21 year olds. True early entries, those who left at least a year in advance of their graduating classes, thus far the two most successfuk have been Bledsoe and Van Brocklin, [who needs an asterisk since he was nearly 24 due to WWII Navy service] the others have ranged from Maddox to Marinovich, Vick to Leaf the most recent: Freeman and Stafford may reverse the trend, however the percentages are not good. RS Sophomores have a pretty dismal history: Marinovich, Vick, Smith, Maddox might be the closest to a happy ending.