MKRob Sports

Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin Badgers

Travis Beckum is part of a new wave of tight ends in not only the Big Ten, but in football in general. Like Dustin Keller last year, Beckum is essentially an H-back and/or a big slot receiver. Beckum’s versatility allowed him to set school records for a tight end in 2006 with 61 catches, 903 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 2007 Beckum went out and re-broke all three of his records by posting a 75 catch, 982 yard, 6 touchdown junior year. His 75.5 receiving yards per game average led the Badgers last season.

These numbers look all the more impressive in light of Wisconsin’s run first, run second style of offense. Beckum is similar in a lot of ways to the Indianapolis Colts’ Dallas Clark; More wide receiver than traditional tight end. His comfort ability playing in the slot causes match-up nightmares for opposing defenses. At 6’4″ and only 235 lbs., he is slightly undersized for the position; however, he more than makes up for his lack of size with great speed and athleticism for a tight end. One of the most impressive things about this prospect is that he has only been playing tight end for 2 1/2 seasons. Beckum came to Wisconsin as one of the most highly sought after high school linebackers in the country.

After a freshman year spent playing mostly special teams, Beckum switched to tight end before his sophomore year and became a huge part of the Badger passing attack. Beckum’s production has dropped off this season, partly due to injury (he missed 7 games), and partly because the emergence of fellow Badger tight end Garrett Graham has diminished his touches in the passing game some. Beckum needs to recover from his various injuries and have a good Senior Bowl and Combine to raise his draft stock back up to its prior level. He is currently a late fourth round prospect, but a good off season could see him shoot back into the late third round.

Travis Beckum’s showing at the NFL Combine in February may have helped his draft stock some. He is coming off of injury so he didn’t run, but did participate in the bench press which opened a few eyes. Beckum put 225 pounds up 28 times, which has NFL scouts more confident that he has the strength to become an effective blocker on running plays. Because there are a lot of quality tight ends available, he may still last into the early fourth round; however, he could see his name called in the third if teams start making a run on the top players at his position.

Travis Beckum ran a less than impressive 4.61 40 yard dash time at his Pro Day workout. He is recovering from an injury, but the impressive performances of many of the other tight ends could push him into the fourth round.

Jasper Brinkley, LB, South Carolina Gamecocks

Brinkley played two seasons at Georgia Military College before transferring to South Carolina, where he was the defensive star when healthy. In 2006 he led the team in total tackles with 107 — a whopping 85 of which were solo. As a result, Brinkley went into the 2007 season on the Pre-season All-SEC First Team. An ankle injury, however, slowed him in the beginning before torn knee ligaments sidelined him for the year. Because that happened in September, Brinkley received a medical redshirt and returned to Columbia in 2008 for his senior campaign. Nevertheless, the linebacker was never the same and he recorded just 54 tackles last season. As such, physical concerns are the main red flag surrounding Brinkley among NFL personnel. He is also better against the run, and if he never regains his past speed and athleticism, he won’t be much of a factor against the pass. When he is at full speed he can run under 4.7 in the 40, a scary element to go along with being 6’2” and 270 pounds. It is definitely not fun for opposing running backs to see Brinkley coming their way. Nor is he fun to see in blitz packages, as Brinkley is great at getting into the backfield and taking care of quarterbacks. His draft stock really hinged on his 2008 performance, and because he was limited, there is almost no way he will go off the board in the first round. Still, some NFL teams are not afraid of a high-risk / high-reward situation and could be willing to snag Brinkley before the end of round two.

Joe Burnett, CB, UCF Golden Knights

Burnett made headlines since starting as a freshman because of his skills as a cornerback (16 career interceptions, 35 pass breakups) and return man (three punt, two kickoff returns for touchdown). The four-year starter was named first-team All-Conference USA at cornerback and kickoff and punt returner as a senior. A bit smaller and slower than most teams would like in a starter, Burnett is a strong, confident Tampa-2 corner in the making.

Nate Davis, QB, Ball State Cardinal

At one point this past season, many mock drafts and player projections had the Ball State junior going as high as the middle part of the first round. But, an atrocious off-season and mediocre workouts have left behind an unpolished passer, West Virginia’s Pat White and a raw prospect, Sam Houston’s Rhett Bomar.

Despite this, Davis is a very good athlete. He ran a slow 4.95 4o time at the Combine (has run in the mid 4.60s). With good feet movement and balance, he also has one of the most fluid and effortless throwing motions. He does a good job reading defenses and going through his progressions, and has shown good zip on deep outside patterns. Davis’ arm strength is better than above average and he is very accurate while playing from an elevated passing formation such as the shut gun. He is a leader with competitive fire.

On the negative, Davis does not feel the rush well. He wears a glove on his throwing hand, giving him a funky ball grip. He needs to improve his ball security. Davis is a streaky passer who is prone to mistakes. Lacking touch on shorter patterns, complex defenses tend to confuse him. he is a shot gun QB.

A better QB than his late season meltdown has shown, Davis will be a better pro than college QB. He will need time to develop and adjust to the speed of the pro game, but the ability is there. Davis went from a projected late first / early second round pick, to the middle of the third round (possibly the fourth); which should make him want to prove something.

Rashad Jennings, RB, Liberty Flames

Jennings originally committed to play for Pitt but did not qualify. He played the 2005 season for the Panthers, rushing for 411 yards on 86 carriers (4.8 average) and one touchdown. In 2006 he transferred to Liberty University where he started nine of eleven games, recording 1,020 rushing yards on 179 carriers (5.7) with 10 TD. He also caught six passes for 56 yards. Jennings was voted to the Big South Conference First Team. He then followed his breakthrough campaign in 2006 with a similarly impressive 2007 season. Although, he only played in nine games gaining 1,113 yards on 191 carriers (5.8) with 15 TD. He also caught 13 passes for 276 yards and two TD, earning the Conference’s Player of the Year Award. In 2008, Jennings rushed for only 411 yards (4.8 average) with one TD. He also made seven receptions.

Jennings has the size and strength NFL teams covet. He has good stamina and the ability to wear defenses down with his inside running. Jennings loves to run inside the tackles, where his bruising style and superior instincts allow him run through many would-be tacklers. He is a hard worker, who will do anything to improve.

Despite tremendous effort, he still lacks explosiveness. Jennings has improved on his footwork, but it is still below average. He is very slow outside, having been clocked in the 4.55-4.63 range. He will have trouble making the corner in the NFL.

Jennings had an outstanding postseason headlined by his impressive showing at the 2009 East-West Shrine game. His performance may have put him in the upper stages of the third round. He could be a steal in the mode of Chicago Bears’ 2008 second rounder RB Matt Forte.

Frantz Joseph, LB, Florida Atlantic Owls

Joseph came to the Florida Atlantic program via Boston College, where he redshirted as a freshman in 2004. He patiently waited two seasons before he was able to step on to the playing field for the Owls, but over his last two campaigns he ranked among the nation’s leading tacklers.

However unrecognized he was to the media, Joseph certainly drew the attention of opposing offensive coordinators. Despite playing in just 37 games at Florida Atlantic, he shattered the school career record with his 346 total tackles. He holds the top two spots on the school’s single-season record tackle list with 131 hits in 2007 and 154 in 2008. His 2008 totals ranked second in the nation, much like his school single-season record 81 solo tackles.

Joseph was a two-sport standout at Fort Lauderdale High School, excelling in football and basketball. He earned Class 4A All-County, All-American Student-Athlete and team Most Valuable Player honors as a linebacker during his senior season. The team captain paced the squad with 96 tackles, seven forced fumbles and two interceptions in seven games during his senior year, adding a team-high 73 tackles in five contests as a junior.

Joseph spent the 2004 season on the scout team at Boston College. After the season, he decided to transfer closer to home and sat out the 2005 campaign at Florida Atlantic under NCAA transfer rules. “Opportunities and taking advantage of every opportunity given was something taught by my mother, who came to America from Haiti as a teenager,” Joseph stated. “I learned at an early age how to support your family both financially and emotionally. That is a major reason I chose to play at FAU, a place where I could play football at a high level and be there for my family. This team works hard and is committed to the coaches’ plan.”

He made his first appearance for the Owls in the second game of 2006, finishing third on the squad with 61 tackles (39 solos), adding one sack and 2.5 stops for loss. He picked off one pass and recovered a fumble for a 12-yard return.

As a junior, Joseph earned All-Sun Belt Conference first-team accolades. He led the league and ranked 28th nationally with a then school single-season record 131 tackles (64 solos) from his middle linebacker position. His 12.5 tackles for loss tied the school season mark. He also posted three sacks with three fumble recoveries, a trio of pass deflections and two interceptions.

Joseph received All-American third-team and All-Sub Belt Conference first-team honors as a senior. The Owl ranked second in the nation with a school single-season record 154 tackles, as his 81 solo hits also ranked second in the NCAA. He had nine stops behind the line of scrimmage, the eighth-best season total by a FAU player. He also recovered two fumbles to go with three pass deflections.

Who are your sleepers for the 2009 NFL Draft???