One kid that wasn't on many people's radar but maybe when it's all said and done is Brock Osweiler from ASU. First thing is his physical stature. The kid is 6'8 240 pd QB with a cannon for an arm. I know we just drafted Colin K. But if Harbaugh is not happy with his progress and somehow end up back in the QB market he maybe an option along withe Robert Griffin III who was equally impressive in he opener against TCU. Osweiler is off to a fast start 615tds 5tds while completing 74% of his passes while averaging 10.60 yds per completion. Not sure if he keeps up this pace, however he looks the part of a franchise signal caller. At 6'8 the ball just explodes out of his hand/ Against Mizzou he threw a 60yd strike on a rope. He also has underated athletism as he averaging over 8yds per rushing attempt on 7 tries at 6'8. I will be keeping my eye on this kid as PAC 12 play gets under way.

This could be the year of the QB with Luck,Barkley,Osweiler,Griffin III, Jones, Foles, Moore,Lindley, Weeden, and Cousins either being draft eligble or Seniors.

This is actually a prospect to watch for 2013, since he won't be eligible to come out until then, but Tennessee's Taylor Bray is off to a fast start in his sophomore season. As a true freshman last year, Bray had a very impressive showing after coming in mid-season to start the final 8 games: 1800 yards passing, 18 TD, 10 INT, 55.8% pct.

It's very early, but through two games this year, he's been light's out.

349 ypg (including 405 in his last outing)
78.5% completion
7 TD to 0 INT
A gaudy 204.2 collegiate passer rating

Bray plays in a pro-style offense, and has shown improved arm strength to go with his good accuracy. He has good height and has clearly added weight to his once skinny frame. He's not as mobile as Luck, but is agile and shows good footwork.

Watch this kid, because he could be the 'next' big QB prospect.

Xavier Rhodes is a Red-Shirt Sophmore so he is draft eligble who has the potential to lockdown his side of the field. This kid is a big, physical corner at 6-2 who has good game speed (looks the part of a 4.4-4.5 athlete), ball skills etc. Last year he was credited with 12 pass breakups and four interceptions He also had 2 sacks and 3.5TFL. If he comes anywhere close to last year's production on an FSU's improved defensive unit he can possibly challenge to be the 1st possible CB taken should he make himself available in next draft.

I don't know about Rhodes being the top CB. He has the tools, but he lacks refinement (he was a WR coming out of HS), and he actually got beaten out for a starting job in FSU to start this season. I personally think he'll stay another year, even though he's eligible, unless he has a tremendous year. Starting off the bench doesn't really increase those odds.

The top CB, imo, are Dre Kirkpatrick, Stephon Gilmore, and probably Alfonzo Dennard (who played very strongly opposoite Amakamura a year ago, but has been sidelined thus far this season with an injury -- should be ready to go the next time Nebraska plays).

...Janoris Jenkins. May have rocks for brains but he is a pure shutdown corner.

Janoris is a little undersized, and those rocks for brains have landed him at Northern Alabama instead of on a NFL roster. He also is not a strong tackler, something both Kirkpatrick and Gilmore excel at.

Even prior to his expulsion from Florida I've thought Gilmore and Kirkpatrick would compete with Jenkins for top honors. Both Gilmore and Kirkpatrick have looked good to start the season, too, which is why I don't have any issues placing them at the top of the list.

Jenkins: 5'9, 182  (est. 4.42/40)
Kirkpatrick: 6'2, 193 (est. 4.46/40)
Gilmore: 6'1, 193 (est. 4.49/40)

Regarding QBs, after Andrew Luck, does Matt Barkley & Landry Jones have enough talent to be considered franchise QBs?

There is a real possibility the Niners could be drafting in the top 10 again.  I don't see the team drafting #1 overall letting Andrew Luck go!  Well, perhaps Carolina if they do end up #1 again.

To get to the #1 spot, pretty much need to do a Mike Ditka move even if your in the #2 spot!

So is Matt Barkley or Landry Jones worth drafting with Colin Kaepernick on the roster?

Agree with your current top 3 CB's. I am a fan of all 3. I didn't realize he had lost his spotBased on his play last year I liked his upside as much as the other top draft eligble players at his position.

pudding wrote:
The top CB, imo, are Dre Kirkpatrick, Stephon Gilmore, and probably Alfonzo Dennard (who played very strongly opposoite Amakamura a year ago, but has been sidelined thus far this season with an injury -- should be ready to go the next time Nebraska plays).

I think in addition to what Pudding already pointed out I don't think he would get consideration from the 9ers based on his off the field history. During this past draft they had Gold helmets next to players they considered "9er material" I know one of the main characteristics was individual character. I'm not questioning this young man (it's not my place). But to get caught up on the same thing more than once in addition to other off the field behavior may give the impression that he may not be a 100% football guy, which I think this regime is looking for. All that to say now if he is there in the later rounds and they do their homework they may take a chance on him, but I don't currently see the 9ers possibly anyone else (aside from the Raiders depending on his 40time) spending a high draft pick on this kid currently.

MontanaBuck3 wrote: ...Janoris Jenkins. May have rocks for brains but he is a pure shutdown corner.

pudding wrote: Janoris is a little undersized, and those rocks for brains have landed him at Northern Alabama instead of on a NFL roster. He also is not a strong tackler, something both Kirkpatrick and Gilmore excel at.

Even prior to his expulsion from Florida I've thought Gilmore and Kirkpatrick would compete with Jenkins for top honors. Both Gilmore and Kirkpatrick have looked good to start the season, too, which is why I don't have any issues placing them at the top of the list.

Jenkins: 5'9, 182  (est. 4.42/40)
Kirkpatrick: 6'2, 193 (est. 4.46/40)
Gilmore: 6'1, 193 (est. 4.49/40)

Not advocating for drafting the guy, but from a pure talent standpoint, he is one of the top guys IMO.  Size in a CB is always attractive, but not the end all be all.  I agree that tackling ability in a corner is nice, but certainly not the most important quality either (ask Deion Sanders).  More and more, the CB's with size that enter the NFL are being converted to Safties; i.e. Malcolm Jenkins, Antrell Rolle (we'll see on Patrick Peterson).

In fact, look at the pro bowl CBs from last year, the only one 6' or over was Champ Bailey.  I've seen Jenkins listed at 5'10" to 5'11", so I don't think his size in an issue.  Again, not clammoring for us to draft him, but I think the size thing in a CB is overrated.  I'm much more concerned with whether or not Janoris can be a productive human being.

I'm not saying size is the end-all be-all, I'm just saying it's one of several dings against him. You look at Janoris, and he's definitely smaller than your typical CB. So, if he's going to be a true shut-down corner, he's going to need not just speed but excellent technique to stay with his man. I haven't seen anything in his game that suggests his technique is where it needs to be to be a true shut-down yet. He gets by on speed and aggressiveness, but I don't know that he's even as good as his predecessor (Joe Haden) was at Florida. Haden had the technique which looked to translate. He lost some luster when he ran a slow time at the combine, but he proved last year (in Cleveland) that the game tape didn't lie.

Just watching Kirkpatrick and Gilmore in the early season, I think they're the top guys. Alfonzo Dennard is just a player who really emerged last year playing opposite Prince, who, as many draftniks noted, was rarely thrown against. Morris Claiborne (the name drama just noted) is another guy to watch. I think he's 1st round material and he excelled opposite Patrick Peterson a year ago, too. His big thing is that he really anticipates routes well and shadows his receivers well without having elite speed (he has good speed). Claiborne tends to miss tackles, though, and that's why I, personally, wouldn't rate him quite as high. We'll see how he progresses. Against Oregon, he missed one tackle that led to a big gain, and gave up one reception off two targets (they didn't look his way often).

PS - As far as Pro-Bowl CB are concerned, I think Derelle Revis (6'0, 205) and Nnamdi Asomugha (6'3, 215) would have an issue with you calling them small.

I think we pretty much agree on Janoris. Could add some size and refine his technique, but I think the raw talent is there. Who knows if the brains are also. Haden is the guy I would've loved to see in a 9ers uniform btw.

I'm really interested to see how things play out this year with the CBs. As I previously stated in this thread, CB pretty much has to be our #1 need.

As for the pro bowlers, I saw Revis listed at 5'11" (obviously splitting hairs on that one.) And didn't think about Nnamdi, he must have been injured and not listed on the roster I saw.

Even 5'11, 205 is considerably bigger than 5'9, 182. However you slice it, I think a guy like Revis is probably close to 2" and 20 lbs bigger than Jenkins. Deion was listed at 6'1, 195. I think the guy who matches most physically with Jenkins in the NFL right now may be Asante Samuel, who is a very good zone coverage corner, but is challenged in press/man-to-man coverage partly due to his size limitations in being able to jam receivers off the line of scrimmage. Of course, if Jenkins can be as good as Samuels, he'll be a very solid NFL CB. I just think, at this point, Kirkpatrick, Gilmore, and Kennard probably are the top guys.

Things can change over the course of the year, of course, but both Kirkpatrick and Gilmore have looked good to start the year. I'd give Kirkpatrick the edge right now, as I think he's a better pure cover corner than Gilmore, who is cut a bit in the Nate Clements mold in terms of his style of play (i.e., physical run stopper who uses his size to maneuver WR to where he wants them to go).

Here's how Kirkpatrick was described coming out of HS as a top recruit:

---

Kirkpatrick's game has very few discernible physical or fundamental flaws. His natural athleticism and coverage skills are excellent and extremely rare for a defensive back with his large frame. He has great height and a long, rangy body that should fill out nicely while allowing him to maintain his current speed and quickness. Has a smooth pedal and transitions extremely quickly in and out when turning and running or closing on the ball. Has great footwork and quickness. Shows very flexible hips and smooth turns for his size. Well-versed and excels in a variety of coverages. Can mirror without allowing separation in man-to-man, shadowing receivers out of their breaks. Can ride a receiver's hip on vertical routes while demonstrating proper hand placement and soundly playing the ball. Uses his long arms to effectively jam and slow receivers off the line in press coverage, and flashes great recovery speed. Has excellent physical skills and a strong understanding of zone concepts. Covers a lot of ground, expertly reads quarterbacks, matches patterns, innately anticipates throws and flashes great burst to undercut and jump routes. .. (more at ESPN Insider)

---

If I'm picking a #1 guy right now, it's probably Kirkpatrick, but people will be watching how he does if/when he faces up against Alshon Jeffrey again (if they do, it'll be in the SEC championship, as they aren't scheduled against each other this year). Jeffrey sort of ran rough-shod over him last year (7-127, 2 TD), although he can do that to a lot of players.

BTW - I was watching a little of the LSU-Oregon game again yesterday to watch Claiborne a little more closely, and noticed that he might not be the best CB on his own team. Tyrann Mathieu, who is wearing #7 (Patrick Peterson's old number) was an absolute monster that game. He caused a fumble on a punt return, recovered, and then took it in for a TD. He shot through the Oregon OLine on a blitz to help on a sack. He was all over the place in coverage, knocking down two passes.

He's definitely pretty small, but he looks sort of like a bowling ball (compact and muscular). Watch LSU and look for him. He's all over the place and could be the next big secondary prospect to come out of there. Of course, he's only a sophomore (and only 19), so it might be a year or two before he actually starts playing on Sundays.

Thanks for the info on Claiborne Pudding. I seen that Oregon game as well and didn't remember him jumping out at me. I do remember seeing that kid wearing #7. Do you think it's possible that Claiborne is getting a overvalued a little based off of playing last year opposite of Petersen?

I think Claiborne has the skills to be a good corner. The guy is very fluid. He doesn't have the raw athleticism that Peterson had, but he makes up for it in smarts. If he plays as well as he did a year ago, he'll be a 1st rounder. I just don't know if he's up in the class of Kirkpatrick and Gilmore in terms of long-term upside. Also, as noted, the guy playing opposite him looks like he might be the real stud in that secondary.

One thing is for sure. LSU continues to recruit some excellent DBs.

I was passively watching the game last night, but I believe Claiborne had 2 ints.

Desmond Trufant younger brother of Marcus and Isiah Trufant maybe a potential nice prospect at CB as a Jr. Statistically he is off to a strong start with 20 total tackles and 2Ints through 3 games. He is listed at 6'1 and 185pds. Maybe more of a prospect for 2013 but will continue to watch his progression.