The Miami Hurricanes message from a longtime scout. And where Canes stack up in NFL Draft
You can point to coaching all you want — and that’s certainly a factor — but on Thursday, we will be reminded of the real reason why UM isn’t a college football power anymore.
While Clemson and Alabama and LSU again will have multiple first-round draft picks, the Canes likely won’t have a single player selected until the fourth round at the earliest, just like last year.
UM’s last first-rounder? You would need to go back to 2017, when David Njoku went 29th to Cleveland.
And the Canes’ last top-10 pick? They’ve had only one in the past 14 years: Ereck Flowers, who went ninth overall to the Giants in 2015 and is now a Dolphin.
Heck, UM had six first-rounders in the 2004 draft alone. They have had only 10 since - most in the second half of the first round.
While there’s no excuse for losing to Duke, FIU and Louisiana Tech, one 30-year-veteran NFL scout said he’s still struck by the stark difference between the talent of Canes teams 20 years ago and last year’s team.
He said he sees one experienced UM player with the type of talent we saw on those vintage Canes teams, and that’s sophomore-to-be defensive end Greg Rousseau, who would be eligible for the 2021 draft because he’s entering his third season at Miami.
“You talk about a talented kid! Holy [expletive],” the scout said. “If he keeps progressing, he’s a clear first-rounder. Unbelievable instincts for a kid his age. Heck of a pass rusher. Can play the run too. I couldn’t believe he didn’t start the first month of the season.”
Rousseau offers hope that UM — with smart decisions and some luck — doesn’t necessarily need a bunch of five-star prospects to become a top 20 program again. Rousseau was a four-star prospect who wasn’t rated in Rivals’ top 300. In fact, 247 Sports rated him the 485th-best player in the 2018 class.
As for UM’s other top junior-to-be, tight end Brevin Jordan, the scout said he rated him as a fourth-round pick “who can move into the second day” if he can produce this season and “really show he can run. I don’t think his speed is what everyone is looking for as a [seam threat]. But he’s a good player. His blocking effort is as good as you’ll ever get. He’s not a dominant blocker but really competes. He has good hands, catches well.”
But the scout reiterates what anyone can see: Rousseau is the type of player that UM needs more of to become nationally relevant again. “He has size, pass rush ability, good technique,” the scout said. “He has everything you want.”
As for this draft, the scout sees none of UM’s draft-eligible players going before the third day (rounds four through seven).
In fact, he says this is the worst collection of FBS Florida school prospects (UM, UF, FSU, UCF, USF) that he can remember this century.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein’s comments on all of the UM prospects:
▪ Receiver Jeff Thomas: “Highly explosive playmaker with field-stretching speed and short-area quickness. Thomas’ impressive athleticism and talent were wasted by sub-par quarterbacking and self-sabotage. He relies on athletic gifts over route acumen, but that can be corrected. His draft profile is bolstered by his potential as a return man, but he’s likely to have his name scratched from some draft boards due to character concerns, despite the talent.”
▪ Defensive end Jon Garvin: “Edge defender capable of playing 4-3 end or 3-4 rush linebacker. Garvin’s strong 2018 was followed up with inconsistent effort and an inability to stamp his presence on games with much consistency. Pressures are nice, but sack-makers get paid, and that won’t happen unless he cranks up the effort and plays to his traits and potential. Garvin has Day 2 talent, but may not go until Day 3. However, there might be gold to mine if a coach can get it out of him.”
▪ Linebacker Shaq Quarterman: “Four-year starter and team leader with a physical demeanor and impressive level of production. Quarterman is durable and dependable in the middle of the defense, but he lacks NFL range and has below-average short-area agility and quickness as open-field tackler. His size and toughness give him a shot as a backup inside linebacker.”
▪ Running back DeeJay Dallas: “The production is modest and the instincts are a work in progress, but there are flashes of run-lane feel and downhill smoothness that could be a sign of future development. He has size, speed and a surprising amount of pop as a finisher. He lacks third-down readiness, but his special teams talent should make up for that. The traits and toughness make him an intriguing upside prospect on Day 3.” (Some evaluators have higher regard for Dallas than Zierlein does; NFL Net’s Daniel Jeremiah calls him the best pass-blocking back in the draft.)
▪ Defensive end Trevon Hill: “Virginia Tech grad transfer who is short on physical traits, play strength and explosiveness, but has enough athletic ability to create pocket traffic as a rusher at both schools. He’ll be pegged as a standup outside linebacker. While he lacks threatening edge speed, he might have a shot at finding a practice squad as a developmental edge rusher.” (Some scouts have Hill rated considerably higher than Zierlein does.)
▪ Cornerback Trajan Bandy: “Slot cornerback whose ball production doesn’t always match with his athletic ability. He’s more effective in zone but still needs to trust his eyes a bit more. The run support is way too ragged and teams will have to determine if it’s toughness or technique causing it. He has a chance to become a backup slot with more work.” The fact he measured at 5-8 at the Combine won’t help.
▪ Linebacker Mike Pinckney: Last month’s hip surgery on a torn labrum could knock him out for part of his rookie season. “Four-year starter with annual stat sheets that looked remarkably similar in all four years. Ironically, some scouts argue that Pinckney hasn’t shown enough growth and improvement beyond his standout freshman season. He’s physical and plays with decent instincts, but he’s an average athlete. He’s been solid at Miami, but his ceiling might be as a backup linebacker and special-teams contributor as a pro.”
▪ Receiver K.J. Osborn: “Osborn played mostly from the slot at Buffalo and mostly outside at Miami, but Buffalo likely had it right. His size, quickness and speed fail to stand out and he’s not fully equipped to get away from tight man [coverage] on the pro level. From the slot, his instincts in space and overall toughness could serve him well, but are still garden variety at best. However, Osborn has been a consistently productive punt returner for three seasons and is able to cover kicks and punts if asked. The special teams work gives him a shot if he can be functional as a backup receiver.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 4:36 PM.
