PROSPECT CENTRAL: April 2013

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Prospect-Central's Final 2013 NFL Mock Draft!!!

Prospect-Central: 2013 NFL Mock Draft

Written by: Prospect-Central

Why are high school athletes ranked? A number of reasons, but it's basically the same reason future pro's are ranked right before they're drafted; to find out who the best of the best are. High school rankings don't always emulate how future drafts play out, but it's still a helpful tool in predicting the unknown.

Today the 2013 NFL Draft is upon us, and it's comprised of players from the high school graduating classes of 2008 (redshirts), 2009 & 2010. Of all the potential first round picks in this years draft, there was roughly 16 players listed in the Top 100 of their Class during high school. That's half of the first round (32 picks). If you're wondering about this years potential #1 pick Eric Fisher; he wasn't even ranked coming out of the Class of 2009.

Obviously rankings aren't an exact science. There's always a number of players drafted each year that were never ranked during high school. Now that these players are about to become professional athletes however, the only rankings that matter are on NFL Draft Boards.

Creating Mock Drafts for the NFL as opposed to the NBA couldn't be more different. First of all, the NFL has 7 rounds, while the NBA only has 2. With more rounds comes more players to analyze, which in turn leads to more uncertainty. There's also more positions to fill in the NFL, so they tend to draft for need, while the NBA usually drafts the best players available.

Since that's the case, in order to make an accurate NFL Mock Draft you really need to have connections with the organization to get a good read on the situation. It doesn't matter how good you think a player is, it's all about the best fit for the team. With the NBA however, you don't need to know what players teams are looking at as much, but rather the players you feel are best in the draft. Obviously you need to know your prospects in order to create a good Mock Draft, but that's the fun of it right?

Perhaps the biggest difference between the NFL & NBA when it comes to creating Mock Drafts; all the trades that take place during the NFL Draft. Since the NFL usually drafts for position, one trade can throw off an entire Mock Draft, and there's usually way more than one trade on draft night. Even though trades definitely take place during NBA Drafts as well, it doesn't effect Mock's as much because the NBA tends to draft the best players available anyway.

Which brings us to Prospect-Central's Final 2013 NFL Mock Draft. Even though PC focuses more on basketball rather than football, last years NFL Mock Draft was actually pretty successful. PC missed only 3 players in the entire first round, and got nearly half the picks exactly right. Hopefully this years Mock can be just as successful, but I'm having my doubts. There's just too much uncertainty with the draft this year. Be that as it may, here's Prospect-Central's final attempt to predict the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

(1) Eric Fisher OT / 6'7'' 305 / Central Michigan / Sr.
Actual Pick: Eric Fisher OT

(2) Luke Joeckel OT / 6'6'' 310 / Texas A&M / Jr.
Actual Pick: Luke Joeckel OT

(3) Sharrif Floyd DT / 6'3'' 300 / Florida / Jr.
Actual Pick: Dion Jordan OLB * Traded to Miami Dolphins

(4) Lane Johnson OT / 6'6'' 305 / Oklahoma / Sr.
Actual Pick: Lane Johnson OT

(5) Ezekiel Ansah DE / 6'5'' 270 / BYU / Sr.
Actual Pick: Ezekiel Ansah DE

(6) Geno Smith QB / 6'3'' 220 / West Virginia / Sr.
Actual Pick: Barkevious Mingo DE

(7) Dion Jordan OLB / 6'6'' 245 / Oregon / Sr.
Actual Pick: Jonathan Cooper OG

(8) Tavon Austin WR / 5'9'' 175 / West Virginia / Sr.
Actual Pick: Tavon Austin WR * Traded to St. Louis Rams

(9) Barkevious Mingo DE / 6'5'' 240 / LSU / Jr.
Actual Pick: DeMarcus Milliner CB

(10) DeMarcus Milliner CB / 6'1'' 195 / Alabama / Jr.
Actual Pick: Chance Warmack OG

(11) Jonathan Cooper OG / 6'3'' 310 / UNC / Sr.
Actual Pick: D.J. Fluker OT

(12) D.J. Fluker OT / 6'5'' 340 / Alabama / Jr.
Actual Pick: D.J. Hayden CB * Traded to Oakland Raiders

(13) Ryan Nassib QB / 6'2'' 230 / Syracuse / Sr.
Actual Pick: Sheldon Richardson DT

(14) Star Lotulelei DT / 6'3'' 325 / Utah / Sr.
Actual Pick: Star Lotulelei DT

(15) Sheldon Richardson DT / 6'3'' 295 / Missouri / Jr.
Actual Pick: Kenny Vaccaro FS

(16) Kenny Vaccaro FS / 6'1'' 220 / Texas / Sr.
Actual Pick: E.J. Manuel QB * Traded to Buffalo Bills

(17) Jarvis Jones OLB / 6'3'' 240 / Georgia / Jr.
Actual Pick: Jarvis Jones OLB

(18) Tyler Eifert TE / 6'6'' 250 / Notre Dame / Jr.
Actual Pick: Eric Reid FS * Traded to San Francisco 49ers

(19) Chance Warmack OG / 6'2'' 325 / Alabama / Sr.
Actual Pick: Justin Pugh OT

(20) Manti Te'o ILB / 6'2'' 250 / Notre Dame / Sr.
Actual Pick: Kyle Long OG

(21) Eric Reid FS / 6'1'' 215 / LSU / Jr.
Actual Pick: Tyler Eifert TE

(22) Alec Ogletree ILB / 6'3'' 235 / Georgia / Jr.
Actual Pick: Desmond Trufant CB * Traded to Atlanta Falcons

(23) Cordarrelle Patterson WR / 6'3'' 205 / Tennessee / Jr.
Actual Pick: Sharrif Floyd DT

(24) D.J. Hayden CB / 5'11'' 190 / Houston / Sr.
Actual Pick: Bjoern Werner DE

(25) Sylvester Williams DT / 6'3'' 315 / UNC / Sr.
Actual Pick: Xavier Rhodes CB

(26) Datone Jones DE 6'4'' 285 / UCLA / Sr.
Actual Pick: Datone Jones DE

(27) DeAndre Hopkins WR / 6'1'' 215 / Clemson / Jr.
Actual Pick: DeAndre Hopkins WR

(28) Bjoern Werner DE / 6'3'' 265 / Florida State / Jr.
Actual Pick: Sylvester Williams DT

(29) Xavier Rhodes CB / 6'2'' 210 / Florida State / Jr.
Actual Pick: Cordarrelle Patterson WR * Traded to Minnesota Vikings

(30) Desmond Trufant CB / 6'0'' 190 / Washington / Sr.
Actual Pick: Alec Ogletree ILB * Traded to St. Louis Rams

(31) Matt Elam SS / 5'10'' 205 / Florida / Jr.
Actual Pick: Travis Frederick C * Traded to Dallas Cowboys

(32) Justin Hunter WR / 6'4'' 195 / Tennessee / Jr.
Actual Pick: Matt Elam SS

2013 NFL Draft
First Round
Second Round
Third Round
Fourth Round
Fifth Round
Sixth Round
Seventh Round

NFL Draft History
1936 - 2012

Monday, April 22, 2013

DENG ADEL: Australia's Hidden Gem Ready to Emerge!!!

DENG ADEL: Class of 2015

Written by: Prospect-Central

Knock, Knock...Who's there?...Deng....Deng Who?...Deng this kid's got game!

Chances are you don't know who Deng Adel is yet, but that could change real soon. Like so many mystery hooper's before him, Adel's name first started to make waves on basketball chat forums a couple weeks ago, but in this case there might actually be some substance to the hype.

Some outstanding young prospects have emerged from Australia over the past few years & Prospect-Central has been right there to document them all. Thon Maker, Ben Simmons, & Dante Exum are just a few players PC was ahead of the curve on, and now it might be time for another Aussie to make a name for himself.

I tracked down Deng Adel via social media to see if I could learn more about this intriguing hooper, and I found out he's not just an excellent basketball player, he's an intelligent, hard working, and extremely humble young man.

Born February 1st, 1996, Adel moved to Australia from Sudan when he was 8, which ironically is the same path of freshman sensation Thon Maker. Unlike Maker however, Adel plans to finish high school in Australia before he ventures to the States for college.

While he's on the radar of literally no college programs at the moment, believe me when I say it's only a matter of time before that changes. In my opinion, Deng Adel is indeed a high-major D1 recruit.

Deng Adel currently attends Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia, and the 17-year old would probably be a Top 100 player in the Class of 2015 if he lived in the United States. That may sound like high praise, but Adel's game speaks for itself.

At 6-foot-7, 185 pounds, Adel has the size of a forward and the skills of a guard. As he stated to me in our conversation, he definitely needs to get stronger, but he's attending weight training sessions three times a week to make sure that becomes a reality. He does have a 33-inch vertical leap & 6-foot-10 wingspan though, and those are some pretty solid measurable's to say the least.

There's a lot to like about Deng's game. He excels in transition, attacks the basket with either hand, finishes aggressively above the rim, and has a jump shot that keeps defenders honest. His jumper might actually be his trademark also. He's got a really nice mid-range game, strokes the 3-ball with ease, and can catch fire in a hurry. Due to his length and shooting ability, Deng says the player he's been compared to the most is Kevin Durant.

Deng might not be as polished on defense that he is on offense, but he says he's really trying to focus on that area of his game, in particularly his shot blocking. He's also trying to tighten up his handles, as well as work on his body control when attacking the basket off the bounce. For a sophomore in high school though, Deng Adel's a pretty impressive basketball player.

The level of competition in Australia obviously can't compare to the United States, but Deng Adel can only play the opponents in front of him, and that's exactly what he's been doing. Adel's been absolutely sensational playing for the Waverley Falcons of the 18U Victorian leagues, averaging 27.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, and 4.7 apg. He's also shooting over 50% from the field, including 40% from downtown. I know stats don't always tell the whole story, but it certainly doesn't hurt to put up numbers like these.

Like all aspiring hooper's, Deng Adele's goal is to one day play in the NBA. Whether he accomplish's that or not is anyone's guess, but you can't knock him for trying. Before that time comes however, he wants to play college ball in the States. He listed Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Louisville, Kansas & UCLA as some schools he's interested in, but like I said before, no colleges even know he exists yet.

If coaches & recruiters are smart, they'll pay this kid some attention, because 2 years from now they might be saying, "DENG IT", to the fact Deng Adel slipped through their fingers.