Three and Out- Weekly Conversation With NFL Mocks Jesse Bartolis

Q: Last week in the NCAA we saw some great games and some really good performances to kick off the season.  Was there a particular team or player that caught your eye and surprised you? And who will you be looking to watch this weekend?

A: I wouldn’t say surprised perse, but just how good is Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State? That guy is an absolute dynamo. He’s pushing Jeffrey for the #1 WR Spot. I think he now has 14 Straight games with at least a 100 yarrds receiving. He runs good routes, has good size, and speed. Just a fantastic player.. Of coruse Robert Griffin the third had a huge week and put himself on notice for the Heisman trophy, though that’s still a little out of reach for now.

In the Miami Game, Lamar Miller had a huge game. it’ll be interesting to see if he can keep it up. He redshirted in 2009. Last year he had a 108 carries and 646 yards (6.0 yards per carry). Running back is a bit of a devalued position right now in the draft, but let’s see if Miller can continue to rise his stock.

Q: With the start of the NFL season this weekend it looks like Carolina is going to go forth with first overall pick, Cam Newton, under center.  How do you think Newton will fare this year and what do you think he needs to improve on fundamentally to live up to his draft ranking?

A: That’s a good question. First I’ll say I disagree with starting Newton for the first game of the season, I would have tried to start Clausen for two reasons. First let Newton learn a little, which is not a bad thing. Peyton Manning and Big Ben were thrown right into the fire, but Peyton was a different prospect and Big Ben had a great team around him. Many successful quarterbacks have missed a large part of their rookie seasons (Eli Manning) or entire rookie seasons (Aaron Rodgers), or developed behind another player for years (Matt Schuab) and I think that’s a good route to go, especially for someone who isn’t yet refined.

I expect Newton to flash brilliance at times, and look absolutely lost at times. Newton will be one of, if not the best athlete every time he steps on the field this year, but that doesn’t always translate to success. Newton will have to greatly improve on route timing with his wide receivers and accuracy in the intermediate part of the feld. The other negative thing for Newton is that he is a rookie with a young WR core (outside of Steve Smith). I’m not sure that’ll help his progress this year, but it could be great a few years because they will have grown up together.

I think the Panthers will be picking 7th through 10th next year, so better than most people expect.

Q: As always, I would like to conclude this weeks chat with your upset of the week.  Being that both the NFL and NCAA will be in full force this weekend, give us an upset we can look for in each league. 

A: Since i generally concentrate on the games from a prospect stand point I hadn’t thought much about upset picks. One ESPN analyst picked Air Force to upset TCU and that one intrigued me. I didn’t love the way the TCU defense looked last week, it looks much worse than it has in recent history so that’s one I’ll be watching for.

 In the N.F.L. two picks I like this week are the Titans over the Jaguars (Titans are getting three points) and the Raiders over the Broncos (Raiders are getting three points).

Matt Hasselbeck vs Who ever the Jaguars quarterback is. Titans have more offensive talent. Kenny Britt is a knucklehead, but he’s a stud and Im’ not sure the Jagaurs can contain him.

i still think the Raiders can run the ball, and the Broncos were one of, if not the worst rush defenses in the league last year. Have they improved that much vs the run? They’re moving Dumervil to the DE spot. Is he going to blow up the run game? Von Miller is a pass rushing demon, but can he shed blocks and help in the run game? I’m not sure.