Over the last few days I had a few conversations with my friends in NFL and they gave me their initial impressions of the PSU kids that declared early. I will stress that this is early and a lot can change as we get closer to the draft. In addition, some of the kids were surprises and not on their radar, so they have not done much of a deep dive on them.
First, all of them basically said none of the PSU kids are finished products and could have all benefited from coming back.
Saunders - the one scout told me he was initially surprised he declared but he went back and checked out his film and said he really likes him. He said he has NFL speed. He also said he makes guys miss and is tough after contact. Another scout told me teams are going to love him because he was not overused and has no major injuries. All basically said he looks to be a 3rd or 4th round pick. They all said from a business stand put, he made a good decision, because he was never going to be a 1st round pick.
Miller - everyone I talked to said he is a nice player that made a lot of plays. He is solid in all areas but doesn't project to be an impact defensive end. They also said he needs to get stronger. They said he could have moved up and helped himself if he came back to PSU, but they also understand that his background and his family might need him in the NFL now and not next year.
McGovern - this was the most shocking early evaluation for me. The one scout has been to PSU a few times and told me that the coaches have always told scouts McGovern was going to be a long term NFL player. That scout flat-out told me that the film he has seen of him does not show it. When I countered by saying but center is his best position, he said his film from last year didn't show that either (he said he looked terrible against Washington). My other contacts were also not very kind. All the scouts basically said he doesn't look ready for the NFL and he is a kid that should have come back.
Bates - all of my contacts basically said that he flashes at times but still has not developed into a can't miss NFL player. The one scout said he did really like his film from two years ago but he never seemed to get much better. They all said that they needed to take a better look at him because he was not a kid on their radar.
Givens - all of my contacts basically said they can't give him an evaluation because they have not focused on him. My one contact that has been up at PSU a few times said he was shocked he declared and said he is not sure where he would fit in the NFL. He said the PSU coaches told him that Givens will test really well. He still said that he thinks Givens was another kid that is taking a big risk by coming out early.
First, all of them basically said none of the PSU kids are finished products and could have all benefited from coming back.
Saunders - the one scout told me he was initially surprised he declared but he went back and checked out his film and said he really likes him. He said he has NFL speed. He also said he makes guys miss and is tough after contact. Another scout told me teams are going to love him because he was not overused and has no major injuries. All basically said he looks to be a 3rd or 4th round pick. They all said from a business stand put, he made a good decision, because he was never going to be a 1st round pick.
Miller - everyone I talked to said he is a nice player that made a lot of plays. He is solid in all areas but doesn't project to be an impact defensive end. They also said he needs to get stronger. They said he could have moved up and helped himself if he came back to PSU, but they also understand that his background and his family might need him in the NFL now and not next year.
McGovern - this was the most shocking early evaluation for me. The one scout has been to PSU a few times and told me that the coaches have always told scouts McGovern was going to be a long term NFL player. That scout flat-out told me that the film he has seen of him does not show it. When I countered by saying but center is his best position, he said his film from last year didn't show that either (he said he looked terrible against Washington). My other contacts were also not very kind. All the scouts basically said he doesn't look ready for the NFL and he is a kid that should have come back.
Bates - all of my contacts basically said that he flashes at times but still has not developed into a can't miss NFL player. The one scout said he did really like his film from two years ago but he never seemed to get much better. They all said that they needed to take a better look at him because he was not a kid on their radar.
Givens - all of my contacts basically said they can't give him an evaluation because they have not focused on him. My one contact that has been up at PSU a few times said he was shocked he declared and said he is not sure where he would fit in the NFL. He said the PSU coaches told him that Givens will test really well. He still said that he thinks Givens was another kid that is taking a big risk by coming out early.
