Who the #@!& Is That Guy?

A look at some lesser discussed prospects that could surprise on draft day, including forgotten Penn State standouts Gerald Cadogan and Deon Butler, as well as small school corner Ladarius Webb.

Gerald Cadogan – OT – Penn State – 6’5” 309 lbs.

First, let’s compare these two players measurables:

Player #1: 6’5 309, 5.18 40 yard dash, 33 7/8” arms, 23 reps at 225,  87% blocking % Senior year

Player #2: 6’5 309, 4.99 40 yard dash,  35” arms,   26 reps at 225,    89.5 blocking % Senior year

The first guy is Eugene Monroe, one of top 2 tackles in the draft and the second guy is Gerald Cadogan.   Cadogan is only the 2^nd Big 10 O-lineman ever to have 7 games in a season where he graded out at 90%+ on his blocking assignments, the other is Joe Thomas.  As a junior Cadogan was 2^nd in the Big 10 with 16 blocks that sprung TD’s, 2^nd only to Jake Long’s 17 key blocks.   So how is a player with measurables and production similar to that of players getting drafted at the top of round 1 rated as a mid round prospect?  Cadogan is a very solid player and has the ability to be an NFL LT.  He should make some team very happy around the 3^rd round.
 

Ladarius Webb – CB – Nicholls St. – 5’10 180lbs

The knock on this small school CB was that he may not have the speed to play on the outside in the NFL.  He answered that by being one of the few CB’s at the combine to post a 40 time in the 4.4 range.  Webb is a good zone corner who has also played safety and was a star return man with over 1000 kick return yards and 3 TD’s.  While he may not crack the top 3 rounds he should be a solid mid round pick and may even move into the end of round 3.  Some character concerns could be enough to push him into the middle to late rounds if they don't check out.

Deon Butler – WR – Penn State, 5’11”  175 lbs.

Can somebody please explain to me why this kid is supposed to be a late round pick?  The “other” WR from Penn State showed up on campus with much less fan fare than Derrick Williams and now enters the draft living in the same shadows.  Williams is thought to be a solid 2^nd round pick yet Butler is being pegged as a late rounder.  Both were 4 year starters at Penn State, and both are in that 5’11 185 lb range.  But their production in the same offense tells a deeper story:

Williams: 161 catches, 1743 yards, 9 TD’s

Butler:      179 catches, 2771 yards, 22 TD’s

And their combine performances add more to the debate:

Williams: 4.65 40 yard dash / 1.58 10 yard vs: Butler:  4.38 40 yard dash / 1.47 10 yard.   Both looked solid in drills, but Butler blazed the 40.  At any rate Deon Butler is one of the fastest WR’s in the draft and has 4 full years of being the top WR at a major D1 program under his belt.  Butler should come off the boards no later than round 3, if not sooner.

Jarett Dillard – WR - Rice, 5’10” 185 lbs. - Jarrett Dillard displayed an incredible vertical at the combine (42 inches).  His record setting production (290+ catches, 4100+ yards, and 60 TDs) is eye popping.  Dillard was a star at the Shrine Game and  his route running was very polished.  Don’t be surprised if some guy named Dillard from Rice gets drafted ahead of some much bigger named WR’s and sneaks into that 3^rd round area if there is a run on wide outs. 

Lawrence Sidbury Jr. - DE/OLB – Richmond - 6’3” 266 lbs

The latest small school pass rusher to shoot up the draft boards.  Sidbury had 20 TFL and 11.5 sacks as a senior.  At the combine he opened some eyes with one of the best work-outs at his position with a 4.58 40, 28 bench reps, and a scary 1.53 10 second split time which is about equal to that of WR Hakeem Nicks and RB Beanie Wells. It bettered that of RB Knowshown Moreno and Jeremy Maclin. 

David Bruton – FS – Notre Dame, 6’2” 219 lbs.

For every 10 times I’ve seen the name Derek Pegues I’ve seen the name David Bruton maybe once.  Bruton has rare size and athleticism ( for the Safety position and was very productive in his final two years at Notre Dame (178 tackles, 8 PBU, 6 INT’s).   The NFL success of recent Notre Dame safetys Chinendum Ndukwe and Tom Zbikowski should bode well for Bruton.   He fared well at the Senior Bowl and combine, and is poised to be selected in the 2^nd.or 3^rd round where he should go off the board before some players at the Safety position that are getting more publicity than he is.