I love talking sports. It truly is a passion of mine. Chances are if you are reading this you feel the same way as I do. This 2011 season I decided to write a weekly article on some future players we should see in the NFL in 2012. This”watch list” as it is going to be called, will be 5 players that possess the skills, size and opportunity to be blue chip prospects in the draft. I’m going to leave Andrew Luck off my list because unless his right arm falls off, he will be the number one pick in the 2012 NFL Draft (See Brian Filler’s review of Luck on this site). Therefore he will be the Washington Redskins QB of the future. Sorry Skins fans’ but John Beck is not the answer. As Dolphins fan I speak from experience. I also realize the same “for sure” status was whispered about Jake Locker 2 years ago. After deciding to stay at Washington for his senior season, Locker produced less then impressive stats and “slipped” to 8th overall in the 2011 draft. However,Locker did have questions about his accuracy throughout his collegiate career. I guess you never know but Luck appears to be as close to a sure thing that there is.
I also understand a solid NFL team is constructed in the trenches with O and D linemen but you will probably notice that those positions were nowhere to be found on the watch list. No offense to the big men up front (and no pun
intended) but skill position players have many stats to dissect during a long season and those stats are “sexier,” than 300 pounders who collide play after play, all while pouring copious amounts of blood and sweat on each other.
With that being said, drumroll please…. my 2011 Future NFL watch list is:
1. Matt Barkley, QB (USC)
2. Trent Richardson, RB (‘Bama)
3. Justin Blackmon, WR (OK St)
4. Zach Brown, OLB (UNC)
5. Cliff Harris, DB (Oregon)
I realize some are juniors and might not even declare for the NFL draft at the end of the season. I picked them hoping to be able to catch many of their games throughout the college season thus forming my own opinion from actually watching
them play. Hope you come back every Tuesday where I will take a in depth look at each of the five.