The 2012 NFL Draft in the books with Cincinnati leading the Big East in players selected over the weekend. Derek Wolfe got the ball rolling followed by Isaiah Pead, John Hughes, and Adrien Robinson all picked by NFL teams. The foursome of Zach Collaros, J.K. Schaffer, Monte Taylor, and D.J. Woods rounded out the day when they signed to join teams as undrafted free agents. Cincinnati fans should be excited for these 8 players but it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone. Since Coach Jones took over in 2010 he has instilled a philosophy of recruiting the most physically-ready football players into Cincinnati to send through an incredibly physically demanding strength and conditioning program. The end result after 4/5 years is a group of players who are workout warriors and prepared take on the best of the best in the NFL.
It’s a mini-football factory of sorts and while we have yet to see Cincinnati reach the levels of an Alabama, Texas, or USC, Jones and S&C director Dave Lawson have done a nice job developing players at UC. The Bearcats head coach has also stressed the mental aspects of being a football player as well; being a high-character person, representing yourself and your team well, carrying yourself professionally. Jones also has quite a few ties to the NFL which allows him to have some pull around NFL Draft time. Therefore I don’t think we will see a dropoff in Bearcats being drafted in the future. Cincinnati should, in fact, see at least 3-4 players taken by NFL teams during every draft because of those three reasons.
The trend will continue next season with the 2013 NFL Draft. Now I don’t think all of the following players will be selected but 3-4 of them might:
Pat O’Donnell
I have long been in Pat O’Donnell’s corner claiming he will at least be a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, which is given to college football’s best punter. Somehow he was left off the list in 2011 but as a senior should be a frontrunner for that title. The 6’5″ punter has incredibly long legs with a ton of force behind them. He’s also incredibly accurate consistently dropping kicks inside the 20 and even some inside the 5. His 76 yard punt against NC State last season is the highlight of his career and after a strong senior season should get selected in next year’s draft.
Sean Hooey
Hooey has the ideal NFL body for the offensive tackle position; 6’9″, 300 lbs, long arms. He will play left tackle for the Bearcats next season. I’m not sure where exactly Hooey might wind up in the NFL but if he can succeed at that position, which is the one of the most taxing areas of the offense, he should become a very valuable target for pro teams. Also the big OT will have to stay healthy for the entirety of the 2012 season otherwise his healthy might scare some of those teams away.
Walter Stewart
The biggest advantage Walt has is his versatility. He can play anywhere along the defensive line and even pop back to outside linebacker. NFL teams only have so many picks every single year and selecting a player who can bring so much to a defense makes said player all the more valuable. Walt has pretty solid weight right now (~250 lbs) but should probably tack on another 10-15 this offseason. What will also help is putting up the same kind of numbers he did in the last two-thirds of the 2011 season over the entirety of the 2012 season. Overall Walt will need to bulk up and become more consistent.
Travis Kelce
Solid receiving tight ends are becoming more and more valuable in the NFL. The New England Patriots (who else?) have been trend-setters in this regard with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski gashing defenses more than their outside receivers. This transition certainly helped Adrien Robinson get selected in the 4th Round by the New York Giants and I think it will help an even taller Travis Kelce do the same. The 6’6″ 255 lbs tight end is a big target and should catch the eyes of NFL scouts next season.
Drew Frey
I’m sort of going out on a limb by saying this but I think Drew Frey might get some looks in 2012. He has always been a physical beast in Cincinnati’s secondary but his biggest knock was his ability to mentally handle the position. All too many times during his first 2.5 seasons as UC’s strong safety did he bite on play action passes and outright let receivers run right by him. But nearing the end of last year, Frey seemed to improve in that area tenfold, sitting back like a safety should and jumping routes when the opportunity presented itself. NFL teams will love his 6’3″ 200 lbs frame but I’d be interested to see how he continues to develop mentally.
Brandon Mills
I mean, why not right? Mills has been the most consistent Bearcat during his time at Cincinnati averaging 37 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks per season. He also put up those numbers primarily in a backup role. I think an NFL team might take a flyer on him because of his ability to provide a wrinkle along the defensive front. He will jump in on 1-out-of-every-5 snaps or so to keep the offensive line guessing in addition to obvious passing downs. Mills will probably be criticized for ‘only’ being 5’10” 250 lbs but he plays bigger than he looks and the resume speaks for itself.