This is our Big Ten preview. It is way deeper, better researched, more serious, and longer than any other list of ~100 Big Ten players to watch. And this time it might not even contain a Michigan player since we've drafted 18 already and only 23 will start. Then again…
Oh and by reader request you can start voting now.
Previously on Draftageddon:
Rounds 1-2: A Heisman candidate QB and the reigning Thorpe winner go after two members of Michigan's secondary. (M players: Peppers, Lewis, Butt)
Rounds 3-4: An underwhelming first swing through receivers, and lots of linemen. (Chesson, Cole, Wormley, Glasgow)
Rounds 5-6: A Michigan second-teamer goes before Purdue J.J. Watt. (Charlton, Hurst)
Rounds 7-8: Hodor. (Taco, Hurst)
Rounds 9-11: We go on a mini Iowa binge, and Brian takes a true freshman (YTTF).
Rounds 12-14: A grueling, three-rounder with safeties, RBs, and MSU legacies flexing. (O'Korn, Braden).
Rounds 15-16: We break out laughing at Tommy Armstrong. (Dymonte, Kenny Allen)
Rounds 17-18: Cheese and tackles. (Magnuson, Delano Hill)
How things stand:
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ACE: Round 19, Pick 1: Demetrius Cooper, defensive end, Michigan State
[Mike Mulholland | MLive.com]
OFFENSE: QB CJ Beathard (IA), RB Saquon Barkley (PSU), WR Jehu Chesson (M), SLOT Curtis Samuel (OSU), TE George Kittle (IA), OT Nick Gates (NE), OT Kodi Kieler (MSU), OG Jacob Bailey (IU), C Michael Dieter (UW), WEAPON Jabrill Peppers (M)
DEFENSE: NT Ryan Glasgow (M), DT Jake Replogle (PU), DE Sam Hubbard (OSU), DE Demetrius Cooper (MSU), MLB Josey Jewell (IA), OLB Brandon Bell (PSU), OLB/NICKEL Jabrill Peppers (M), CB Jalen Myrick (MN), CB Vayante Copeland (MSU), S Nate Gerry (NE)
SPECIAL TEAMS: KR Jabrill Peppers (M), PR Jabrill Peppers (M)
Shilique Calhoun is (finally) off to the NFL, leaving a void for someone to step in as Michigan State’s top pass-rusher. That someone is Demetrius Cooper, who was second on the Spartans with five sacks in 2015 despite not starting a game. That number will rise this year as he goes from rotation piece to full-time starter. Cooper showed what he can do when he obliterated Iowa left tackle Boone Meyers on a bull rush to all but end the Big Ten title game:
He also managed a sack against Alabama, not that it mattered. Cooper carried that momentum into the spring, proving difficult to block in each of MSU’s three spring scrimmages—he looked excellent in their spring game. There’s not a ton to go on, but what’s there is promising.
[After THE JUMP: How can you root for them? Did you even GO to Michigan State?]
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ADAM: Round 19, Pick 2: Josiah Price, TE, Michigan State
Offense: C Pat Elflein (OSU), OG Dan Feeney (IU), WR Amara Darboh (M), RB Justin Jackson (NW), WR Brandon Reilly (NEB), QB John O'Korn (M), OG Ben Braden (M), OT Erik Magnuson (M), OT Jamarco Jones (OSU), TE Josiah Price (MSU)
Defense: CB Jourdan Lewis (M), DE Dawuane Smoot (ILL), DE Taco Charlton (M), DT Maurice Hurst (M), OLB Vince Biegel (UW), CB Matthew Harris (NW), LB Hardy Nickerson Jr. (ILL), S Marcus Allen (PSU), S Damarius Travis (MN)
Michigan State's offense can no longer rely on the Cook-to-Burbridge connection; no. 2 receiver Macgarrett Kings is also gone. That makes RJ Shelton, a slot ninja adept at breaking off chunks of yardage on end-arounds, State's no. 1 receiver. Whoever wins the starting QB job is going to need a big, reliable target (especially in the red zone), someone like, say, Josiah Price.
The All-Big Ten third-team honoree returns to State for his fifth and (probably) final season as the school's career leader in touchdown receptions by a TE. Last season he had six, second on the team and just one behind Burbridge. He was targeted on just over 9% of State's passes, a number that should increase quite a bit this season. His 59% catch rate and 6.9 YPT in 2015 weren't phenomenal, though they'll likely increase this year. Regardless, CBS Sports has him ranked as the seventh-best draft-eligible TE because, though he may not break away for 30+ yards, he's fast enough to make life difficult for a linebacker:
Price has also been harangued into improving his blocking by OC/TE coach Jim Bollman, which means he'll see more snaps as he's able to be utilized in packages where he was a liability in the past.
“We do a lot of the things by our personnel groupings, and he’ll be in the mix of more of those groupings than he has. That’s the biggest situation, he’s made a concerted effort to work on that part of his game.”
Taking anyone whose production relies in large part on an unknown starting quarterback is a risk, but Price has the track record to mitigate that.
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Seth: Ouch, guys.
Ace: @seth I’ll trade you Cooper and a PTBNL for Cobbs if you pick soon. I’m getting really antsy that Brian is going to ruin my planned next pick.
Seth: Sorry the sewer claims adjuster is here.
Ace: Bah.
Seth: I promise I would much rather be getting s*** from you guys right now than where I'm currently getting it.
BiSB: Let him make the next pick.
Seth: He is actually an occasional MGoBlog reader, so if I told him it's for Draftageddon my computer would shortly be added to the claim.
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MIKE FROM STATE FARM: Round 19, Pick 2.5: Write the Ohio State UFR already!!!
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SETH: Round 19, Pick 3: Brandon Lingen, TE, Minnesota
OFFENSE: QB J.T. Barrett (OSU), RB Corey Clement (Wis), WR Chris Godwin (PSU), WR Simmie Cobbs (IN), TE Brandon Lingen (Minn), OC Mason Cole (M), RG Sean Welsh (Iowa), LG Billy Price (OSU), LT Ryan Ramczyk (Wis), RT Michael Dunn (Md)
DEFENSE: NT Bryan Mone (M), DT Darius Hamilton (RU), WLB Nyeem Wartman-White (PSU), MLB Riley Bullough (MSU), HSP Delano Hill (M), SS Godwin Igwebuike (NW), FS Dymonte Thomas (M), FCB Desmond King (Iowa) BCB Greg Mabin (Iowa)
SPECIAL TEAMS: KR/PR Desmond King
First off: nice song selection, Minnesota media. Second, this is a pretty good tight end to slip to the bottom of the draft. Lingen's 8.7 yards per target were second in the Big Ten for tight ends, just ahead of Jake Butt. Lingen and Butt also had nearly identical catch rates. Butt had about twice the production on twice the volume, but Lingen didn't really get to crack the lineup until October.
While he missed the opportunity to pad his stats early, the 6'5/250 sophomore made up for it with a four-game stretch of 54, 111, 50, and 105 yards against Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa. Now, a big chunk of those Michigan yards were stupid luck (still a nice catch from the ground), but Lingen also ran option routes through the hole that contributed to Desmond Morgan's no good very bad day.
That excellent route running was a constant, according to the guy who's seen some things:
>“Don’t tell Maxx this, but his route running …” Leidner said before laughing. “(Lingen’s) might be a little better than Maxx’s, to be honest. He just runs really well and is a really big, athletic guy.”
Much of that article, as the headline suggests, is about Lingen's versatility: his coaches credited Lingen's blocking for Minnesota's big run plays, and discussed how they can use him inline, as an H-back, or flexed out in the slot.
I get the trepidation on him since Lingen's got injury issues: he had to redshirt for a torn labrum, missed much of last September for a concussion, and missed this year's spring game for a shoulder surgery. On the other Lingen's targets could plausibly double this season.
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BRIAN: Round 19, Pick 4: Miles Taylor, S, Iowa
[Jim Slosiarek/The Cedar Rapids Gazette]
Offense: QB Tommy Armstrong (NEB), RB LJ Scott(MSU), TE Jake Butt(M), WR Jordan Westerkamp (NEB), WR Rob Wheelwright(UW), OL Cole Croston(IA), OL Brian Allen(MSU), OL Dan Voltz (UW).
Defense: DE Tyquan Lewis(OSU), DE Rashan Gary(M), DT Chris Wormley(M), DT Malik McDowell(MSU). LB Raekwon McMillan (OSU), LB Anthony Walker (NW), LB Jermaine Carter(MD), CB Gareon Conley(OSU), CB Will Likely (MD), CB Channing Stribling (M), S Miles Taylor (IA).
ST: Kenny Allen(K/P), Likely(PR/KR)
Seth tried to bone me by taking yet another safety a couple rounds ago, but there's still a returning starter who was at least adequate as a sophomore in Iowa's secondary who will be just fine as a guy to make the tackle and live to fight another day. With my front seven that's all I need. His name is Miles Taylor, and he is boring.
Iowa, as is its wont, gave up vanishingly few long plays last year. 16 of 30+ was tied for third in the league, just three behind Michigan and boring safety patron saint Jarrod Wilson. This was despite a relatively large number of opportunities to screw up: Iowa was 8th in ceding both ten and twenty-yard plays. Taylor was a part of that despite being the most inexperienced member of the Iowa secondary.
Moving into his upperclass years a breakout is expected by ESPN's Mitch Sherman, who notes that a "series of bone-rattling hits" were amongst his 69 tackles a year ago. Nice. Iowa DC describes Taylor as a "very intense individual and very violent football player," but more importantly he's the kind of guy who isn't going to Shazor a bunch of plays:
He really understands the game and understands the plays, and he's very sharp at understanding what the guys are trying to do to him, and he is always referring back to, hey, this play, this play, and he spends a lot of time in that film room that makes him a good player. But he's very intense. He has a passion. It means something to him, and we're excited to see where he can go.
FWIW, CBS thinks he's eminently draftable. Delano Hill should have a good year but there's little to choose from amongst most of these safeties.
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BRIAN: Round 20, Pick 1: Channing Stribling, CB, Michigan
If "Michigan's other cornerback" was certain to be one particular person that person goes much higher in this draft. It's not, so this is a bit of a leap of faith. It's one I'm relatively comfortable taking because I thought Jeremy Clark was very good last year and Stribling has blown past him in spring the point where Jim Harbaugh is saying things like this in press conferences:
“Channing Stribling. He’s a starter. It’s cold. It’s in stone."
So certain is Harbaugh of this that he followed that up by giving Stribling most of the spring game off. That's a perk offered to guys so established (De'Veon Smith, Jourdan Lewis, Amara Darboh) Michigan would prefer health to information about them. Stribling must be for real.
Also in "for real": Stribling was also Don Brown's very first dude of the day. Last year I took James Ross because I thought he was better than Joe Bolden. I might have been right about that but we had little opportunity to find out; this year I'll stick with the words the coaches are saying, especially since they're so strident.
As for Stribling himself, he's always had the physical ability to stick with receivers. At a speedy, agile 6'2" he's very hard to shake. This hasn't been particularly useful for Michigan because he has a tendency to phase out of this reality at the moment of truth. But like a freshman Jourdan Lewis, being in the right spot almost all the time while still getting dunked on can be a precursor to being really damn good. Stribling made good on that this spring with a pile of practice interceptions. I'll ride with Harbaugh and Brown here.
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Ace: Was wondering if/when he’d go. “Michigan 2nd CB” would’ve done pretty well in this draft.
Brian: I decided I wouldn't do the Ross thing I did last year where I assume a guy will play because he seems good to me. Also Harbaugh said Stribling starting was "in stone" soooooo
Ace: I mean, if he’d just stayed in this dimension for three or four plays earlier in his career I think everyone would be excited about this.
Adam: Pretty sure he'll stay in this dimension in 2016. Not a coincidence that Harbaugh talks about Stribling being set "in stone" and getting guys to develop a "football callus," imo.
Seth: That Stribling comment is the most annoying bit of offseason data I can remember, because my eyes and your UFR and last year's snaps distribution all agree Clark was better despite being the far more unlucky one last year.
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SETH: Round 20, Pick 2: Ryan Santoso, K/P, Minnesota
Punting is America.
Offense: QB J.T. Barrett (OSU), RB Corey Clement (WI), WR Chris Godwin (PSU), WR Simmie Cobbs (IN), TE Brandon Lingen (MN), OC Mason Cole (M), RG Sean Welsh (IA), LG Billy Price (OSU), LT Ryan Ramczyk (WI), RT Michael Dunn (MD)
Defense: NT Bryan Mone (M), DT Darius Hamilton (RU), WLB Nyeem Wartman-White (PSU), MLB Riley Bullough (MSU), HSP Delano Hill (M), SS Godwin Igwebuike (NW), FS Dymonte Thomas (M), FCB Desmond King (IA) BCB Greg Mabin (IA)
Special Teams: KR/PR Desmond King, K/P Ryan Santoso (MN)
He is 6'6/248. He was the top kicker of his high school class, representing one side of the Army All-American game. He has hit kicks of 60 and 70 yards in practice, and hit a 52-yarder last year to win the Purdue game. He also hit 4/4 against Michigan, part of a 17/21 season in which Santoso converted 1/3 attempts from 50+, 6/8 from 40-49, and never missed inside that. That 81% accuracy would be a good year (it was 2nd in the Big Ten) if he never attempted one outside 35 yards. This guy is automatic when the offense gets him into should-kick range, plus he has the leg power to get some points the offense barely deserves at the end of halfs.
Santoso also punted once last year, that short line drive away from Peppers that took a fortunate (for Michigan) bounce back to net just 29 yards. Minnesota's coaches later explained that Santoso was planned to be the long punter in that game due to an injury to Peter Mortell, and was regularly skying 45-yarders all week before that. Santoso will be taking over for Mortell full time this season and giving up some of his kicking duties. As you can probably guess, I plan to have him do both and save the scholarship.
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Brian: Would just like to point out that Minnesota loves Ryan Santoso so much they're trying to strip him of field goal duty under 50 yards.
Emmit Carpenter will go into camp as the favorite to take over the team's main field goal kicking duties.
Seth: Unless you/they think Carpenter can improve upon Santoso's 16/18 performance there, I'm comfortable explaining that as Minnesotans just take punting very seriously. Also you buried the lede from that article:
Gophers coach Tracy Claeys said Monday that the team plans to incorporate helmet stickers this fall with tiny gold bricks that will be awarded for plays that help the team win.
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ADAM: Round 20, Pick 3: Jason Cabinda, ILB, Penn State
[Eric Upchurch]
Offense: C Pat Elflein (OSU), OG Dan Feeney (IU), WR Amara Darboh (M), RB Justin Jackson (NW), WR Brandon Reilly (NEB), QB John O'Korn (M), OG Ben Braden (M), OT Erik Magnuson (M), OT Jamarco Jones (OSU), TE Josiah Price (MSU)
Defense: CB Jourdan Lewis (M), DE Dawuane Smoot (ILL), DE Taco Charlton (M), DT Maurice Hurst (M), OLB Vince Biegel (UW), CB Matthew Harris (NW), ILB Hardy Nickerson Jr. (ILL), S Marcus Allen (PSU), S Damarius Travis (MN), ILB Jason Cabinda (PSU)
Penn State went into the 2015 season under the impression that they'd continue to shove that "linebacker U" nickname down everyone's throat, and that was true for part of a game. Then one of Nyeem Wartman-White's knees and that whole "linebacker U' thing popped simultaneously. Without Wartman-White, Penn State was forced to move Jason Cabinda—the least experienced of PSU's three starters as a true sophomore with one start to his name—to the all-important MIKE spot.
You could say he responded pretty well, finishing the season with 100 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, and 5 PBUs. Cabinda enters 2016 penciled in at middle linebacker, though Wartman-White's return from injury at the beginning of fall camp could push him back to the WILL spot at which he started the first game of 2015; NWW has experience at the WILL as well, so it's possible Cabinda stays in the middle and NWW slides over.
Either way, Cabinda's going to play on the inside and fill one of the two starting spots.
Cabinda's fine carrying a back to the flat, but he excels in against the run and--to the surprise of no one considering the team I've assembled--rushing the passer. PFF really liked the limited body of pass-rushing work he and Brandon Bell assembled last season:
While they rushed as a collective unit just 138 times in 2015, Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell did so with outstanding success, as they managed to combine for seven sacks, nine hits and 26 other pressures. They certainly had the element of scheme and surprise on their side, but both individually pressured the QB on better than one out of every four rushes.
It wasn't necessary for PSU to rush their LBs often thanks to their killer 2015 d-line, but what Cabinda does in that area is just icing on the cake. He's at his best reading and reacting to the run, where he's shown that he's adept at shutting down his designated gap. He's also really good at getting off blocks and making the tackle in tight spaces; I learned my lesson (and the importance of LBs getting off blocks) after taking a certain M linebacker last season.
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ACE: Round 20, Pick 4: Noah Brown, wide receiver, Ohio State
[Eleven Warriors]
Offense: QB CJ Beathard (IA), RB Saquon Barkley (PSU), WR Jehu Chesson (M), WR Noah Brown (OSU), SLOT Curtis Samuel (OSU), TE George Kittle (IA), OT Nick Gates (NE), OT Kodi Kieler (MSU), OG Jacob Bailey (IU), C Michael Dieter (UW), WEAPON Jabrill Peppers (M)
Defense: NT Ryan Glasgow (M), DT Jake Replogle (PU), DE Sam Hubbard (OSU), DE Demetrius Cooper (MSU), MLB Josey Jewell (IA), OLB Brandon Bell (PSU), OLB/NICKEL Jabrill Peppers (M), CB Jalen Myrick (MN), CB Vayante Copeland (MSU), S Nate Gerry (NE)
Special Teams: KR Jabrill Peppers (M), PR Jabrill Peppers (M)
With Cabinda off the board, we’re deep into the portion of the draft where the choices are between experienced players with limited ceilings or talented players who’ve yet to see the field much. I’m taking a couple swings at the latter here.
Ohio State has the best-regarded quarterback in the league, but so far the only Buckeye who even resembles a receiver to go off the board is Curtis Samuel, a slot-type who began his career as a running back and could see extensive snaps in the backfield again this year. Someone is going to haul in a healthy chunk of the 146 receptions gone from the 2015 squad. My guess is that someone will be Noah Brown.
Brown was poised to be OSU’s #2 or #3 option on the outside last year, but broke his leg at the very end of an outstanding fall camp. He’s slated to be healthy for the fall, and when he hits the field he should be an imposing possession receiver (he’s listed at a strapping 6’1”, 240) with some athletic upside—in his senior high school highlights, he displays the same powerful run-after-catch ability that makes Amara Darboh an ideal complement to Jehu Chesson. At this point in the draft, I’ll take the poor-man’s version.
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Where things stand:
The Draft:
By Position:
By Team:
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You vote
Let's try this.
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Next time on Draftageddon: Ace keeps drafting our enemies until he has to call himself out for it. We rip slot ninjas. Someone takes a Penn State offensive lineman. And a Michigan third-teamer goes off the board. Only one of these things isn't true!