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The 2012 Meat Market (NFL Draft) is coming up and let the hysteria begin!
6 Cal players were invited to this year's NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Bryan Anger - Punter
Sean Cattouse - Safety
Trevor Guyton - Defensive End
Marvin Jones - Wide Receiver
Mychal Kendricks - Linebacker
Mitchell Schwartz - Offensive Tackle
After the jump, my thoughts on each prospect's chances and some notable omissions.
Thoughts
You don't often see punters invited to the NFL Draft, but Bryan Anger isn't just any punter. He's been one of the top punters in the nation since he first stepped out onto the field and has shown to be a master at changing field position. His consistency has wavered through the years, especially when asked to do rugby style punts. Fortunately, when asked to simply step up and let it rip (as Anger was asked to do at the Senior Bowl), Anger shined. He won't need to do much at the combine to solidify his spot in the latter half of the draft.
Sean Cattouse never quite rounded out to the type of impact safety that many hoped he would, but he did enough to make scouts wonder how he'd project at the next level. He's got the type of physicality to be a solid special teams player in the NFL. Cattouse never appeared to be the strongest or most athletic of defensive players, so it will be interesting to monitor his performance at the combine. But he has nice range and quickness, and if he surprises, may just work his way into the later rounds of the draft.
Trevor Guyton will likely break the two year streak of first round Cal defensive linemen drafted, but he was easily one of the more consistent D-linemen for the Bears this year. I think Guyton will measure up enough to make teams think he's worth taking a shot on in the middle rounds. I'd venture he could go as high as the third, but I'd say the fourth or fifth are more likely.
Marvin Jones has seen his stock go up more so than any other Cal player in the offseason. He had as fantastic of a weeklong performance as one could have at the Senior Game, with scouts raving about his hands and route running ability. His career stats will also back up Jones' abilities as a solid, dependable contributor at the next level. I'd say that Jones has worked his way into the second or third round at this point. He can solidify that spot with a solid combine performance. Jones will need to run in the 4.5 range at the very minimum. And if I'd have to guess, I'd predict Jones outshines most other WR prospects in the bench press.
Mychal Kendricks
The Pac-12 defensive player of the year is going to get drafted plain and simple. He's got all the things you'd want from a linebacker prospect, but his size is going to make scouts wonder where he'd project at the next level. He also sat out the Senior Game, so the combine is going to be a bit of a coming out party for Kendricks to the rest of the NFL. I'd venture that no other player's draft stock may ride more on their combine performance than Kendricks'. Kendricks is a gym rat though, so he'll show up well in most drills, perhaps even running the 40 in the 4.6 range. A second or third round draft pick could be in the making.
Mitchell Schwartz also had a solid Senior Game outing, even filling in at center when called upon. The tackle projects more as a strongside tackle at the next level, and held his own against some of the top defensive linemen prospects. The first word that comes to min in regards to Schwartz is consistency, and my hope is that scouts see it as well. I'd say Schwartz realistically goes anywhere in the 3rd to 5th rounds at this point, unless he were to have an Andre Smith type of performance.
Notable Omissions
DJ Holt - I really thought Holt might be invited after two very solid seasons, the more recent alongside Mychal Kendricks. Kendricks will be the first to tell you that a lot of his success can be attributed to playing alongside Holt. It's a shame as I think Holt would measure out very well. If Holt can show up during Cal's pro day, I expect him to be picked up in free agency fairly easily.
Anthony Miller - His production never fulfilled expectations after a solid sophomore season. Inconsistency on his part and of the passing game as a whole led to that. But Miller can be an aggressive (though inconsistent) blocker, and he's too athletic for his size not to show up well during drills. Miller will need to work on his physique to get scouts' attention, as while he is certainly large, he doesn't have the physical freak type of build to grab NFL teams' attention. I would have liked to have seen him get a shot at the combine, but Cal's pro day is his shot at free agency.
DJ Campbell
This guy played almost as well as Chris Conte (a Cal 3rd round safety pick) did last year, and may post better measurables. He won't impress in the 40 yard dash, but he'll post solid numbers.
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