Matty's Big Board Prospect Countdown: 23!

Hey folks, the Super Bowl is behind us and it's time to focus on the next big event and that is the all powerful and mighty draft, which has the ability to take a team from the bottom of the barrel and turn them into a playoff caliber team (ex. Dolphins and Falcons). What I plan on doing is twice a week until draft weekend, I'll be counting down my top 25 prospects, discuss their strengths, weaknesses, overall impact in the NFL and potential landing spot. So, without further delay, I bring you the player who ranked number 23...

23. Alex Mack, C California Golden Bears

2008 Season Stats:
Draddy Award Winner, 1st team All Pac-10

Career Stats:
3x 1st team Pac-10, 2x Morris trophy winner

Personal Stats:
6'4", 315 lbs. SR

Strengths:

Alex Mack is the epitome of everything a team should be looking for in an interior lineman, especially at the center position. He has tremendous size, strength and intelligence for a college prospect, combine that with his nasty mean streak and his love and driving opposing defenders into the ground and he could be the next All Pro center in the NFL. He understands how to block in terms of leverage and technique as he was a dominant high school wrestler, not to mention he's a workout warrior who will only get better, he is durable and he is a leader. He is the quintessential lunch pale player who goes to work everyday, puts on his hard hat and gets the job done regardless.

Weaknesses:

Alex Mack is a player with very few weaknesses but there are a few that will drop him down on certain draft boards. Though he is an outstanding run blocker, he can be overwhelmed in the passing game as even though he understands leverage, it's hard for a 6'4" center to stay low on a NT on every down. He tends to get blown back and spends too much time off his feet, he needs to learn to anchor like he does in the run game to better develop his pass set and work on his footwork as he tends to be very heavy footed. He also might be too aggressive at times and when trying to finish a block, he ends up on the ground again as he loses control on occasion.

Overall:

Alex Mack is the kind of prospect that comes along very rarely, he has all the athletic and physical ability to become an elite talent in the NFL. He will anchor the middle of an offensive line in the NFL for years to come and even if he gets drafted by a team that currently has a center in place, he could play guard as well as he is just too good not to have on your team. I think he will be a Matt Birk or Nick Hardwick type of center, an extremely smart but nasty and aggressive as well and I think he will make one teams offensive line immensely better.



Projected NFL destination:

With the 26th selection, the Baltimore Ravens select...









There you have it folks, be sure to tune in later this week for Prospects #22!

Matty's Big Board Prospect Countdown: 24!

Hey folks, the Super Bowl is behind us and it's time to focus on the next big event and that is the all powerful and mighty draft, which has the ability to take a team from the bottom of the barrel and turn them into a playoff caliber team (ex. Dolphins and Falcons). What I plan on doing is twice a week until draft weekend, I'll be counting down my top 25 prospects, discuss their strengths, weaknesses, overall impact in the NFL and potential landing spot. So, without further delay, I bring you the player who ranked number 24...

24. Brandon Pettigrew, TE Oklahoma State Cowboys

2008 Season Stats:
42 receptions, 472 yards

Career Stats:
112 receptions, 1450 yards and 9 TDs

Personal Stats:
6'6", 260 lbs. SR

Strengths:

Brandon Pettigrew is a solid kid with a huge frame and despite his size, he has all the athleticism and talent to be a great pass catching tight end who can spread the field and stay in and block. He has very long arms, soft hands that are incredibly strong as he can snatch passes out of the air. He uses his body to his advantage to shrug off press defenders and make plays in the red zone and to move the sticks, he is also very aggressive after the catch and can turn a 5 yard out into a big play. His major upside is his blocking, he is the best and most balanced TE in the draft because of this, he anchors well in pass sets, he can get to the second level in the run and runs over smaller defenders as well.

Weaknesses:

He has some weaknesses in his game, he's not the most precise route runner and he lacks the burst and explosiveness that elite TE's have when coming out of breaks. He's had fumbling and durability issues which may make some teams question him because he doesn't like to go down after first contact. He can be inconsistent in the pass game and lacks the career production you hope to get from an elite TE. He's also had some off the field troubles where he pled guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery charges.

Overall:

Brandon Pettigrew is an every down tight end that is well balanced and does everything pretty well. He'll be an immediate starter for a team with a tight end need and could potentially be an elite player down the road when he comes to acquire some consistency and fits well into a system. He is a great blocker who can help in the run game and he showed at the Senior Bowl that he can get down the field and make the big time plays that his career production did not indicate.



Projected NFL destination:

With the 11th selection, the Buffalo Bills select...










There you have it folks, be sure to tune in next week for Prospects #23 and #22!