The NFL Draft begins Thursday at 5 on ESPN, and will continue through Saturday.
The Daily Wildcat spoke with Shane P. Hallam of NFL Draft Countdown about what to expect for the Draft, along with some scouting reports on some of the Arizona Wildcats prospects.
On Matt Scott as an NFL prospect:
Hallam: Matt’s got a really interesting case of a player, especially in todays NFL, with the athletic upside that he brings to the table, it’s one of those things you can’t really teach. You can’t really expand upon [speed] for NFL quarterbacks. He caught a lot a buzz about a month ago.
On Scott’s draft projection:
I think he has a shot to go early fourth round to a team that hasn’t taken their guy, like if the Jacksonville Jaguars pass on [USC’s] Matt Barkley in the second.
He’s pretty attractive there and if the Philadelphia Eagles want a developmental quarterback, I think Matt Scott becomes an attractive option. Even someone like Seattle that lost Matt Flynn, Scott’s a backup that fit their offense pretty well and I think that’s a team that can look at him.
I think he’s going to go a lot earlier than people are projecting. I have him in my Top 100, I have him at 100. I think he can go late third, early fourth round because teams are projecting him as an athletic quarterback, you can run a read option with him; you can have him sling the ball down the field and be a down the field passer.
On if his lack of experience helps or hurts him:
I think from a quarterback position it probably doesn’t help all that much. I think Matt Barkley you feel a lot more comfortable with just having seen him. He’s had bad games, but you’ve seen him as a senior, seen him as a junior. So if Matt Scott had a bad game, is that the real him or is he something to work with at the quarterback position? Running back, sometimes that’s a lot better, not a lot of tread on the tires. But, with the quarterback you want to see a lot of experience.
On the other side, there is an unknown there. There’s an upside, a little more that can be learned that he hasn’t had the opportunity to do. That’s why a lot of teams have shown some interest.
On if size is a concern with Scott, even with the emergence of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who is 5-foot-11:
It’s still a concern. I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon. It’s going to take a heck of a lot of Russell Wilson’s to change that diagnosis, and that’s exactly why he might not go in the second day, or at least late in the second day [rounds 2-3]. That size is a concern, but I think there are teams that have shown the willingness to take that chance.
On if the emergence of dual threat quarterbacks in the NFL helps Scott’s stock:
I think it helps a lot. I think that’s one thing that helps a lot. That’s absolutely something that you look at and you want to have that type of effectiveness on the team. It just gives you another added dimension that defenses have to prepare for, whether you use it or not. I think he won’t necessarily be a run-first quarterback, that wasn’t the way he [played];that wasn’t the Arizona system. I think that’s something that helps too. It’s like, ‘Hey, we’ve seen him in the pocket and sling it around,’ but the upside is athleticism, and you can’t ignore that. What puts him above some of the other second-tier quarterbacks that maybe … I think he can go above a [NC State’s] Mike Glennon, I think he can go above a Zac Dysert of Miami Ohio, and the athleticism is why.
On former Arizona receiver Dan Buckner:
I think he’s a solid all-around player. I think he definitely makes a team. I don’t have him as a draftable prospect, I have him as a priority free agent right now but I think you can definitely see him on the third day. 6th and 7th round is always just teams getting their guys, he’s one of those players that will stick around. You know what you’re getting with him, you know you’re getting someone that can run his routes pretty cleanly, it’s just about upside. You gotta stay healthy and all those types of things, and those questions push him down in a deep receiver class. I think he’s going to get to a camp, he’s going to have to be a little better than we’ve seen in college, but he’ll get a shot.
On the overall state of this year’s draft:
It’s fun. I think it’s going to be a fun draft. It’s not as top heavy as last year when you had [Andrew] Luck and RG III and Trent Richardson and Matt Kalil, but it’s going to be a fun draft because there’s gonna be a lot of depth. I mean if you try to do a 4 or 5 round mock draft, you see guys in the fourth round still sticking around that gets you thinking ‘man that could be someone that’s a player in the NFL he can contribute.’ That didn’t happen last year.
I’m telling you, it did not [happen] once you got into that third day. Obviously you saw some guys contribute but it was like the talent level dropped off heavily. I don’t think it does in this draft. Certain positions more than others, but I think there’s going to be real steals at the top of that third day; going to be some good players out there.
On sophomore running back Ka’Deem Carey as a pro prospect: (Note: Carey will be eligible for 2014 Draft)
He’s my No. 2 back right now in the class, of all the eligible prospects. I like him a lot. That type of productivity is good. As much as Matt Scott’s going to go high, I think the statistics were that good because of Ka’Deem. I think he’s going to be a really interesting player. He’s built for the NFL and he’s going to have two good years of experience under his belt. If he’s as productive as he was this year, I think he’s somewhat like [UCLA’s] Johnathan Franklin of this years class. He was a late riser. I think [Carey] can be that type player because he can do everything well, he’s a willing blocker. He needs a little bit of work in the passing game, I want to see more from that this year, but I project him probably in the second round right now.
