Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Oregon Ducks Football: Evaluating Ducks in the NFL

Recently teams in the NFL were allowed to sign free agents, and an abundance of Ducks have been picked-up. Here's what the Duck Nuts see shaking out...


Which Duck from the 2011 Draft Class will be most successful in the NFL?

Alex: Jeff Maehl

This one is pretty obvious in my opinion.

Maehl is one of the best Ducks’ receivers of all-time, and a player who gets overlooked way too much. I legitimately believe that he will be a go-to receiver in the NFL within 3-5 seasons.

Chris: Brandon Bair

While Bair is 27, I feel like he can be the Dejuan Blair of the NFL. Bair is 6'7 and can easily add 20 more pounds to his frame and be a 4-3 DT or a 3-4 DE.

With more and more teams moving to the 3-4 I think this is where Bair could thrive. With his combination of size and agility Bair could be a starter in the league for five years easy.

Which Duck will surprise the most people in the league?

Alex: Brandon Bair

Well, I would go with Maehl again but to switch things I’ll go with Brandon Bair. It surprised me that Bair wen undrafted, and I think he’ll find his way onto an NFL roster by kickoff.

Chris: Jeff Maehl

Maehl has some of the best hands and really surprised people including myself by coming within .006 seconds of the record in the 3 cone drill, which showcases a player's agility. Maehl could make a nice living in the slot and is in the mold of a Brandon Stokley/ Wes Welker.

There weren't many expectations for Maehl coming out of Paradise HS in California as a two star safety but he ended up being one of the best receivers in duck history. Maehl has been surprising people his whole life and next season, it will be Maehl time every sunday.

Which Duck will be drafted first in next year’s NFL Draft?


Alex:

Oregon doesn’t have an astounding group of seniors going into next season. They do however have a great group of juniors. Assuming Cliff Harris and LaMichael James choose to return for their senior seasons, the favorite has to be David Paulson.

Paulson is a top-5 tight end in the eyes of most NCAA talent evaluators. He is projected by some to be a late-second round pick and may very well be the first Duck to be called next draft.

Chris:

With only 11 seniors on the roster this year for the Ducks, I'm going to go with Cornerback Cliff Harris. Cliff burst on the scene last year as a corner, returner, and prime quote giver.


Harris excels in man coverage and loves to go for interceptions which is why he got six interceptions, but is also why he occasionally gets burned (Case in point out and up against arizona). The consensus All-American really reminds of Deion "primetime" Sanders and should be the cheese on top of some lucky teams nachos.

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