100 in 100: Jerry Hughes (50 of 100)

Authors Note: Well folks, we have officially hit the halfway mark in these 100 in 100 articles. I just want to send out a big thanks to everyone who has participated in these thus far. At the end of these articles, I am going to do a recap post and tally up the comments. I'm not sure how many comments we have had so far, but I imagine it's well in to the thousands range. We're now just 50 days away from the 2010 NFL Draft. Let's now look at TCU's Defensive End, Jerry Hughes...

Hughes has been one of those guys that started out the year with very high expectations but as the year went on, teammate Daryl Washington stole some of Hughes' spotlight. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing for the team but for Hughes personally, it hurt his stock just a bit. He did not have as good a year as he did in his Junior year when he managed to sack the Quarterback 15 times but was still impressive with 11 sacks this year.

Hughes was one of only four true freshman to play in 2006. He didn't rack up a ton of stats but he showed enough upside for him to be considered for a significant amount of playing time his Sophomore year. But it wasn't until Hughes' Junior year until he exploded on to the scene. He could have been a very high draft pick if he would have come out last year but instead decided to stay for his Senior year and graduate. He was a major contributor in '08 and '09 to help the Horned Frogs reach bowl games in each of those years.

Below, we'll take a look at a very thorough highlight video, some of his awards and honors, as well as his career stats. At the very bottom of the page, as always, I will provide my thoughts in a summary and a projection of where I think Hughes could go in this years draft. 

This video shows both Hughes' upside as well as some of the downside. In this video, you will notice that Hughes projects more of a speed rusher. In order for him to reach that "elite" status at the next level, he will need to add some elements of technique that are currently not there. Enjoy the feed.

AWARDS AND HONORS:

• 2008 First Team All-MWC
• 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Finalist
• 2008 First Team All-American
• 2009 First Team All-MWC
• 2009 First Team All-American
• 2009 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Finalist
• 2009 Lott Trophy

CAREER STATS:

SUMMARY AND PROJECTION:

Jerry Hughes has a natural instinct for this game. He was born to play football. He has not nearly reached the potential that he has and will have a lot to prove at the next level. He very well could be drafted in to a 3-4 system to play Outside Linebacker but would also be a threat in a 4-3 as a Defensive End. It will be interesting to see how the team who drafts him uses him. He measured 6'2, 255 LBS at the combine and was a top performer at his position in the 40-yard dash, 3 cone drill, and 20-yard shuffle. I think Hughes will more than likely be selected at the beginning of the 2nd Round but a team could very well take him at the end of the 1st. There is little chance that he falls in to the 3rd Round.

Possibilities -- 1st Round; Picks 20-32, 2nd Round; Picks 33-64.

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http://www.ninersnation.com/section/100-in-100-2010