Five Players That Will Boost Their Stock for 2010

The 2009 NFL Draft seen a less than anticipated number of prospects declare. Potential studs such as Taylor Mays (safety, Southern Cal) and Jermaine Gresham (tight end, Oklahoma) elected to return to school despite staring down a barrel of millions of dollars. The aforementioned players, as well as some others should enter the 2010 NFL Draft with the same relative value.

To the contrary, some players did themselves a favor by returning to school to improve on their game. Each year, we see prospects that are not ready for the NFL level declare and do little to nothing on the next level, as they are not prepared.

Arthur Jones (Syracuse)

Arthur Jones, a defensive tackle from Syracuse, should be in the running for a first round selection next season. At 6′4″, 296 lbs., Jones brings an insanely strong presence to the gridiron. By sticking around at Syracuse, he will have an opportunity to break Dwight Freeney’s all-time school record of tackles for a loss.

Jared Odrick (Penn State)

Another defensive tackle, this one from Penn State, has a strong and menacing presence on the interior. He recovered strong from two injuries in 2007 that ended his season to finish with 9.5 tackles for a loss, including 4.5 sacks from the middle. When fellow teammates Maurice Evans & Aaron Maybin declared, many speculated that Odrick would follow suit. He didn’t and with that he has a chance to become a first round selection in 2010.

Naaman Roosevelt (Buffalo)

This wide receiver from the Bulls was watched carefully by us at Sideline Scouting due to his unbelievable production in 2008 where he caught 104 balls for 1,402 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has decent size at 6′0″, 190 lbs., but we would like to see him produce that highly once again. Although, Roosevelt did catch 63 receptions last year. He must improve on his route running though and if he does that, Roosevelt could be a second round pick in 2010.

Brandon Lang (Troy)

One of the more unheralded defensive ends in football came close to entering the 2009 NFL Draft but resisted to his lack of media exposure. He was near the top nationally in sacks and tackles for a loss. Don’t let his school deceive you either as Troy has a pipeline to the NFL which includes Osi Umeniyora, DeMarcus Ware, and Leodis McKelvin. All eyes will be on Gainesville on Sept. 12 when Lang’s Trojans walk into the home of the Florida Gators. Scouts will be paying close attention as Lang has first round upside.

Syd’Quan Thompson (California)

The knock on Thompson is that he may measure in at just 5′8″ but that doesn’t stop him from defending every pass within sight. Thompson is a natural playmaker that does extremely well in zone coverage. He needs to improve in man-to-man but no one can overlook his 4 interceptions. Add in the fact that he is one of the more prolific punt returners in the Pac-10 and Thompson has the perfect formula to be a first or second round pick next year. He needs to bulk up though since he is just 185 lbs. soaking wet and looks rather fragile.

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