A few weeks ago, Odekerk put together a breakdown of Arkansas and Arkansas State products as he was familiar with their time in college following the schools. Since none of us can watch everything there is in college football when it comes to draft prospects, I included a note about contacting me if you had a specific school you followed. It remains an open invitation.
Shortly after that I was contacted by @jricej, who is a big Syracuse fan. Justin ended up putting together a rundown of Syracuse players and whether or not he thought the 49ers should draft them. I've posted it after the jump, so head over and check it out.
Normally I'd like to do these as FanPosts to move to the front page, but I am also cool with posting your content directly on the front page. I have received a couple emails and will follow up with those folks later today. If you are interested in helping out, either post in the comments or shoot me an email (ninersnation@gmail.com). Thanks again to Justin for putting this together.
Chandler Jones DE 6-5 265#
Chandler who is the brother of Arthur Jones (Baltimore Ravens) and Jon "Bones" Jones (UFC Fighter) is a great leader with good size and speed for the NFL. He was voted All Big East first team this year with only playing 7 games due to a lower body injury early in the year. in 2010 he tallied 57 tackles (38 solo & 19 assisted), 9.5 TFL, 4 sacks for 29 yds 3 FF in 13 games. Only playing 7 games in 2011 he tallied 34 tackles (26 solo & 8 assisted), 5.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks for 34 yds, 1 int for 32yds and 2 FF. He has good closing speed and is able to recognize offensive sets. Could be used as an OLB in a 3-4 scheme.
Should we Draft him? I believe Chandler may go late 3rd to 4th round so I dont think this is a position SF needs to address this early in the draft. If he is still around 5th or 6th round I think it would be a good idea to take a good look at Chandler however I dont think he will be there at that point
Phillip Thomas FS 5-11 190#
Phillip is a ball hawk at the safety position with the speed to cover sideline to sideline easily. Very good at reading the QB and has the ability to hit with authority on tackles. He led the Big East with 6 interceptions (16th in the nation). Through 10 games he racked up 54 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 6 Interceptions for 50 yds. His stand out game this year was against a strong USC offense where he recorded 11 tackles (6 Solo) and 1 FF. He may need to bulk up a little for the NFL but definitely has the upside potential to succeed.
Should we draft him? I think Phillip could go somewhere in 4th or 5th round. He may move up a bit if he has a good combine showing. His game closely resembles Dashon Goldson so it would be beneficial to learn from someone like Dashon. If he is there at round 6 it would be worth thinking about.
Nick Provo TE 6-4 249#
Nick ended his career at Syracuse as a red shirt Senior. He is the all time leader in receptions at SU with 92. He was QB Ryan Nassibs go to receiver. He had 23 consecutive games with at least one catch. Nick is big and athletic with great hands and is a good run blocker as well. In 2011 he had 51 receptions for 537 yds and 7 TDs. He totaled 8 catches for 85 yds against USC.
Should we draft him? I dont think Nick is a very big household name amongst NFL GM's so I dont think he will draft high. However with the game changing to a passing league with multiple TE sets his commodity may rise. Again same with the others if he is there around 6th or 7th we need to at least look. Even better if we could get him as an UDFA.
Van Chew WR 6-1 175#
Van had a good junior year totaling 611 yds but dropped off a bit to 37 receptions for 471yds and 3 TDs his senior year. Mostly because of Coach Marrone's run first tight bunch formation sets. He has great hands and good speed for a WR but needs to bulk up a bit for a NFL receiver.
Should we draft him? I dont think Van will be drafted as there are a lot of WR's coming out from much larger programs. If he has a good combine or gets in the eyes of the right team he may go late. However if he doesnt get drafted he would be worth signing as a UDFA.
Dorian Graham WR/KR 5-10 185#
Dorian is leaving as a junior. He does not have a lot of experience at the collegiate level as he did not play as a freshman. He does however have a ton of speed. I would guess he runs a 4.4 or maybe less. He is a bit undersized but there are some receivers doing well in the NFL with his size. He had 24 receptions for 260 yds and 2 TDs in 2011. As well as 8 rushes for 98 yds. He is a good kick returner with good vision and speed at this position. He had 13 KR for 293 yds averaging 22.5 with 1 TD. Against West Virginia he had 2 returns for 115 yds including a 98 yd TD return. For some reason he was not used in KR very often at Syracuse but when he was used he shined.
Should we draft him? This one is a little tougher. I would have to reserve my judgement on this one until after the combine. He has limited experience which lowers his value but he has speed, moves, and physical abilities very similar to DeSean Jackson.
Antwon Bailey RB/HB 5-7 201#
Antwon finished his SU career with 454 rushes for 2144 yds. He also holds the SU career record for most receptions by a RB (91 for 706 yds). He has great break away speed however his size may be cause for concern in the NFL. In 2011 he tallied 240 rushes for 1051 yds and 6 TD's, including (5) 100+ yd games.
Should we draft him? No, I dont think he will be drafted but not because he is not talented. His size will be tough in the NFL. Some team will put him on a practice squad at least after the draft. Also RB is not a cause for concern position for SF at this time.
Mikhail Marinovich DE 6-5 253#
Mikhail is the son of Marv Marinovich (Oakland Raiders) and brother of Todd Marinovich (LA Raiders). In 2011 he tallied 24 tackles, 3 TFL for 22yds, 2 sacks for 21 yds, 1FF and 1 FR. He is a good strong DE and leader.
Should we draft him? No, Again not really a position of concern so not worth using a pick. Maybe as an UDFA as there is the pedigree of the family involved, but other than that no.