seats 50 to 46 – Café Crème Sport

The NFL season is over, it’s time for the Draft! On April 27, no less than 250 newcomers ready to smash everything in the big league will be called. To best prepare for this annual celebration, the CCS invites you to come back to our 50 favorite prospects. After evaluating all of this vintage, here are the 50 former university players who obtained the best marks. To decide between them, Hugo and Cyprien each made their own ranking. The rankings were then aggregated to obtain an average position per player. The 50 winners will be presented to you each week in groups of 5. Here they are!

50 – Andrew Vorhees, Offensive Guard, USC

At Cyprien’s: 59

At Hugo’s: 39

WE love :

Powerful hands, well placed and at the right time: when Vorhees punches, you feel it. The USC Guard wins through strength and tenacity, which they combine with very clean and consistent technique. His feet are well in sync with his violent hands and his strength in the core of the body makes him nearly unmovable for a DT. As a good trench player, he is constantly looking for work when he is not taken, and it will be very difficult to fool him with stunts/twists. In summary: Andrew Vorhees is an NFL ready player, ready to take a starting position for the next 10 seasons.

We like less:

Vorhees’ concern is the lack of movement. If it’s difficult to move him, the Trojan has trouble moving himself… He’s a very solid Guard on his feet but who, on the other hand, finds it difficult to move. In the racing game, it will be necessary to reserve a limited menu of blocks for it, at the risk of suffering several failures. Overall, Andrew Vorhees is a player with relatively limited potential, who is hard to see becoming a reference in his position.

49 – Clark Phillips III, Cornerback, Utah

At Cyprien’s: 60

At Hugo’s: 35

WE love :

An overflowing energy, an obvious love for his sport. Phillips is a real powerhouse in the field and still keeps the right level of technical cleanliness. Between his clean tackles, his fluid and coordinated backpedal, we know immediately that the Utah cornerback has perfected his game. Athletically not to be outdone, his frequency of support and his reaction time are impressive, making him a very good profile in off-man or zone. His top speed is also satisfying and he will have no problem defending the deep parts of the pitch. He is an intelligent and very instinctive player, ready to make the QB pay for the slightest mistake, as evidenced by his 6 interceptions this season.

We like less:

The problem with Clark Phillips is very simple: he is small. If Utah measures him generously at 5’10 (we will wait for the measurements at the Combine), there is no doubt that the height deficit is felt. Phillips tackles with good technique, but not as successfully as we would like. And faced with more physical receivers like the NFL has by the dozens, the former Utah will have a lot to do to make a successful transition. Players like Asante Samuel Jr and Roger McCreary have shown that it is possible, provided you have a good pattern around it and measured expectations.

48 – BJ Ojulari, Edge Rusher, LSU

At Cyprien’s: 29

At Hugo’s: 66

WE love :

Azeez’s little brother, playing in the same position, BJ Ojulari offers the same explosiveness. He is an aggressive exterior pass rusher who combines an excellent first step with feline agility in his changes of direction. We particularly appreciate his constantly active hands which keep his chest free from those of his opponent. And of course, his bend is excellent and makes him simply elusive.

We like less:

In Georgia, Azeez Ojulari showed surprising power despite his size, especially in his defense against the run. We do not find this quality in BJ. He is a player who plays a lot more finesse and will struggle on runs aimed at his side. He is therefore a player who is more schematically limited than some of his classmates. Thus only teams evolving with odd fronts will be interested in its profile, being able to align it against TEs rather than Tackles. The other concern that we note with Ojulari is this unpleasant impression of irregularity. Against Georgia, we see a creative and technical pass rusher, then we see an uninspired and sometimes lost player against Alabama. Which version will we find once in the NFL?

47 – Garrett Williams, Cornerback, Syracuse

At Cyprien’s: 63

At Hugo’s: 27

WE love :

Garrett Williams is to be put in the box of “Fun to Watch” players. Because if everything is not always perfect, the Syracuse CB never lacks intensity. Dynamic on its supports, fluid in its movements, and always aggressive in its behavior on the ground, the basic package is pleasant. In off coverage, its qualities shine. Her click and close is excellent and dives on short courses with a lot of authority. Not to be outdone either on the tackle, Williams once again brings all his energy to it.

We like less:

His aggressiveness is pleasant to see, but it can also be a flaw in Williams. His desire to always succeed big play has already served him more than once and he will have to gain discipline. We also feel that his footwork is sometimes too undisciplined, his press technique quite hazardous. We would simply like to see him more in control and more serene. Physically, he will have to gain in power to win in the press, to finish his tackles better or to play the ball against the biggest receivers. His cruciate ligament injury will also necessarily impact his status in the draft.

46 – John-Michael Schmitz, Center, Minnesota

At Cyprien’s: 48

At Hugo’s: 40

WE love :

John-Michael Schmitz is experience. Even without having set foot on an NFL field, the former Golden Gopher is a veteran. With 33 tenures in BIG 10, Schmitz knows trench warfare. All this shows through in his playing which stinks of technique and intelligence. His punch is applied, his legs coordinated with his hands allow him to maintain his blocks for a long time, and he is excellent at spotting stunts And blitzes. Her leverage and its anchoring are also strong points. He’s a good enough athlete to run in varied patterns, and he’s totally capable of stalling and blocking in space.

We like less:

If Schmitz is experienced, it is also because he is older. He will be 24 on draft night and was therefore more mature than the players he faced. He’ll be called « adequate » in power and athletic ability, but he might struggle against some NFL monsters. We will also keep an eye on his stature, which sometimes played bad tricks on him when he had to block in one on one.

The TOP 50 of the 2023 NFL Draft:50 to 46 – 45 to 41 – 40 to 36 – 35 to 31