My Top NCAA Player No One Talks About, But Should...

[RavensFan19]

Greetings fellow NFL Fans...

Just a little about me here: I am a Ravens fan first, but I played football for many years all the way up through college and as a result I am a big fan of the sport in general. It's not uncommon for me to watch two or three different games going on at once. I keep notes on college players that I think will be entering the NFL draft in the next coming off-season and I like to note players whom I think would make good Ravens.

These are some of the players in college football right now who are eligible for the draft next year and it is my belief that they are standout players that bring a lot of qualities that I think would benefit the Ravens, however you don't hear much about them because they don't get the national spotlight like the Tim Tebow's and Adrian Peterson's.

Akeem Ayers, OLB/DE, UCLA, 6'4" 255lbs. Solid wrap up tackler with a nose for the ball. He uses his hands well when rushing the passer, but is more of a run-stuffer than a pass-rusher. He returned two INT's for TD's last season and scored another on a fumble recovery. Ayers had 15 tackles for loss last season and 6 sacks as well as 4 forced fumbles. I see Ayers as someone who could play the OLB position in the 3-4 or maybe even the DE spot in a 4-3, however I think he is best suited to be in a 3-4 system. I think he could push himself up into a late 1st round discussion, but I'd say the middle of the 2nd is more likely. Reminds me of Terrell Suggs.

Leonard Johnson, CB, Iowa State, 5'10" 194lbs. Johnson is a no nonsense type of CB. He's not a speedster, but he plays with good position and breaks on the ball very well. What I really like about Johnson is that he will come up and really knock the ball carrier around. He is not afraid to get up into a WR's body and put his shoulder into someone. He's a decent return specialist as well. Mid 4th round to early 5th round is my guess unless he blows the 40 yard dash out of the water, then he might bump himself up to the late 2nd round. Reminds me of Sheldon Brown.

Jeff Van Camp, QB, Florida Atlantic, 6'5" 215lbs. Van Camp took over for the Owls late in the season, but ended up closing the season out on a high note going 3-2, completing 62% of his passes and had a 12/2 TD to interception ratio. He's got a decent arm with solid mid-range accuracy, but his deep ball needs some work and I think that will come with experience. He's a good project guy in the pro's that could be taken anywhere from the 5th-6th round. Reminds me of Matt Schaub from the Texans.

Andy Dalton, QB, Texas Christian, 6'3" 215lbs. If Dalton has a year like he did last year then he could possibly boost himself up into the top of the 2nd round, but with QB's like Locker, Luck, and Mallett all coming out next year, I don't see Dalton being taken before any of them. Dalton has a good arm, but what he brings to the table is escapability and the ability to throw the ball downfield on the move. He moves very well in the pocket and has a natural feel for when protection starts to break down. As of now, I see him being a late 2nd rounder at best, but more than likely a early 3rd round pick. Reminds me of Aaron Rodgers.

Montel Harris, RB, Boston College, 5'11" 205lbs. Ryan Williams and Darren Evans may get all of the hype at the RB position in the ACC, and justifiably so, but Montel Harris has secretly and arguably been the best all around RB in the ACC last season. Harris averaged 4.7ypc for over 1450 yards on the ground and 14 TD's. He's durable and has solid vision. I suspect teams that are interested in Harris at the next level will be hoping that he slips in the draft and they can jump on him in the 4th-6th rounds. Reminds me of Thomas Jones.

DeAndre Brown, WR, Southern Miss, 6'6" 235lbs. A poor man's Calvin Johnson. Brown has the vertical speed and quickness to get behind defenders quickly and he's not afraid to go over the middle and make those tough grabs. He's an ideal red-zone target with his size. If he played for a bigger program then he would be in contentions for a 1st round grade with guys like Julio Jones and AJ Green. Getting this guy in the 4th or 5th rounds would be a steal in my opinion. Reminds me of Calvin Johnson.

Daniel Thomas, RB, Kansas State, 6'2" 230lbs. If McGahee and McClain are not retained, then the Ravens might be interested in Thomas as a change of pace runner. He's a big RB that gets those tough extra yards and rarely goes down on first contact. Thomas was a JUCO Transfer to K-State last year and he rushed for just under 1300 yards and 11 TD's. At best I think Thomas goes in the bottom of the 2nd or early 3rd, but realistically I see him as a late 3rd rounder to early 4th rounder. Reminds me of Willis McGahee.

Greg Little, WR, UNC, 6'3" 220lbs. After sitting behind guys like Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate (both of whom are in the NFL now), Little burst onto the scene last year with 62 receptions, over 700 yards, and 5 TD's. He's deceptivley quick, but he fits the mold of a possession receiver more than anything. Excellent leaping ability and in their bowl game against Pitt last year lept up over a CB and made a ridiculous catch over top of the CB covering him in the end zone. He's got that play maker ability. I would give him an absolute 2nd round grade at this point. Reminds me of Dwayne Bowe.

[NC Raven]

DeAndre Brown was a top recruit out of high school and had his pick of programs. For whatever reason, he picked So. Miss. He's certainly going to be in the same mix --in the scouts' eyes --- with Green and Jones once he gets back to full speed after that horrific injury in the bowl (I think it was, or right before the bowl) his freshman year. All last year he played through it, but was never full tilt, and the offense also dropped off (I think the QB was hurt, or replaced).

Greg Little only started playing WR last season IIRC. He came to UNC as a RB and played there till last season. He's a good player, and a good athlete to be able to make the position switch. What that means in terms of NFL ability..... probably not a lot when it's all said and done.

Daniel Thomas is probably the best offensive player on your list. Snyder (pre-"retirement") always had a good eye for JUCO RBs (e.g. Sproles, and I forget who their RB was before him -on the Ell Roberson team that blew out Okla in the Big12 title game-- but there was another guy before Sproles who was just as good). Anyway, Thomas is right in that mold, and I think makes for a solid pro.

[RavensFan19]

With the exception of two games last season, Brown was active all year long.
So, I would say that he's probably far enough removed from his broken leg that he will be just fine. I would love for the Ravens to have a go at him in next year's draft.


I also really like Greg Little. He's pretty under the radar, but I think he could be a very good WR. He may not be a #1 or so, which is why I don't see him being ranked higher than a low 2nd rounder at the highest, but in the 4th round, I think Little would be a solid choice. He's not as polished as Hakeem Nicks was, but I think Little could be a good starting WR in the NFL. He's got the potential.

[PigtownHusker]

The Ravens won't need Daniel Thomas...but he is a flat out stud. Husker fans were not too pleased when he decided to return to KSU.

Since I am biased and the Ravens will need a corner...I really would like to see the Ravens somehow geth Prince Amukamara from NU. The guy is a VERY aggressive corner both in coverage and in tackling. Former star RB out of AZ...he was moved to defense. He has great size and blocks kicks as well.