Penn State DE Maybin declares for NFL

[calfoxwc]

 

Penn State DE Maybin declares for NFL draft

2 hours, 2 minutes ago

 

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP)—All-American defensive end Aaron Maybin will skip his final two seasons at Penn State and declare for the NFL draft.

 

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound sophomore led the Big Ten with 12 sacks and finished with 49 tackles—20 for loss—as the Nittany Lions went 11-1 before losing 38-24 to Southern California in the Rose Bowl.

 

Maybin will be one of the top defensive ends available and is a likely first-round pick.

 

“Leaving Penn State was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve faced,” Maybin said in a statement. “In the end, I’ve decided this is an opportunity I would like to pursue.”

 

Maybin announced his decision after speaking to students at his former high school, Mt. Hebron, in Ellicott City.

 

A year after recording four sacks in spot duty, Maybin emerged as a defensive leader and helped Penn State rebound from a series of off-the-field distractions.

 

Fellow defensive end Maurice Evans—who had led Penn State with 12.5 sacks the previous season—and Abe Koroma were suspended for three games for marijuana possession. A pair of defensive tackles, Chris Baker and Phil Taylor, were kicked off the team over the summer for undisclosed reasons.

 

Maybin led a Nittany Lions defense that allowed just over 12 points per game during the regular season and would likely have played for the national championship if not for a last-second field goal in a 24-23 loss to Iowa

 

 

[Guest Aloysius]

Evans declaring is the bigger surprise. Due to injuries & the pot suspension, Evans only notched 3 sacks this year (down from 12.5 last year). As a result, his draft stock went into the crapper.

 

If he looks good in linebacker drills, he could be a guy we consider taking in Round 4.

[calfoxwc]

Maybin declaring is interesting...

 

One of these guys is the Browns first round draft pick? ( I hope they can trade down a little and still get their

first round guy)

 

Aaron Maybin Scouting Report

Projected Draft Position

by FFToolbox Writers

Joel Welser's 1/13 Mock Draft Round 2: #17 by CHI

Randall Weida's 1/12 Mock Draft Round 1: #9 by GB

Raul Colon's 1/10 Mock Draft Not selected

Ricky Dimon's 1/8 Mock Draft Not selected

Ben Standig's 12/30 Mock Draft Not selected

Position: DE

School & Year/Status: Penn State - Sophomore

Height & Weight: 6'4 - 236 lbs.

 

2009 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:

 

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Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State

Aaron Maybin has wasted no time in becoming one of the most productive pass rushers in college football. Maybin was highly recruited out of high school in Maryland, and came to Penn State in 2006. After redshirting his first year on campus, Maybin played in every game of his redshirt freshman year. He recorded 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, and broke up a pass in coverage, in 13 games last season. Maybin came out of high school weighing only 220 pounds, but has already added 16 pounds of muscle. He has the frame to add more bulk without losing any speed, which is something NFL scouts will be looking at. Maybin has outstanding speed for his size, and is much stronger than his size would suggest. He does his best work coming off the edge and simply running by offensive tackles. Maybin isn't only a speed rusher though. He has excellent technique, and does a good job of using his hands to keep blocker from cutting his feet out from under him. Maybin is taking full advantage of his starting role this season, having tallied 35 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and even breaking up 2 passes in coverage. Maybin will be watched closely by NFL GMs because he's not only an excellent defensive end prospect, but his size and athleticism would make the transition to 3-4 outside linebacker a fairly easy one. If Maybin declares and has a good combine, he could go as high as the second round.

 

Last Updated Oct-28-2008 by Randall Weida

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Brian Orakpo Scouting Report

Projected Draft Position

by FFToolbox Writers

Joel Welser's 1/13 Mock Draft Round 1: #9 by GB

Randall Weida's 1/12 Mock Draft Round 1: #15 by HOU

Raul Colon's 1/10 Mock Draft Round 1: #10 by SF

Ricky Dimon's 1/8 Mock Draft Round 1: #9 by GB

Ben Standig's 12/30 Mock Draft Round 1: #3 by KC

Position: DE

School & Year/Status: Texas - Senior

Height & Weight: 6'4 - 260 lbs.

Ranked #16 on our Top 100 Prospects Board

 

2009 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:

 

person

Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas

Defensive end Brian Orakpo is a superb pass rusher. His numbers at Texas have been good so far, but are not that spectacular. He tallied four tackles-for-loss and a half a sack as a freshman and earned Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors. The following year he managed 4.5 sacks and six tackles-for-loss. As an upperclassman last season Orakpo improved those numbers and ended up with 5.5 sacks and nine tackles-for-loss, although his playing time was limited due to a knee injury. His numbers for 2008 through just a couple games are already impressive.

But even without great numbers in 2008, Orakpo is an NFL ready defensive end. He is 6-4 and 258 pounds and a great athlete who can power or finesse his way into the backfield. He bench presses 515 pounds and squats 600. Those are some pretty impressive numbers, especially for a player who arrived in Austin undersized.

 

If his knee stays healthy, Orakpo has the talent to be a first day selection in April. A strong showing in 2008 and at the Combine could easily move him into the first round. His versatility to play on the end or at linebacker is also a big plus.

 

10/16 Update: No defensive lineman is having a year better than Orakpo. After just six games, the defensive end has tallied 12 tackles-for-loss, eight sacks and 16 quarterback hurries. Orakpo went up against Oklahoma offensive tackle Phil Loadholt in the Red River Rivalry and absolutely dominated the big lineman. That alone nearly boosted Orakpo into the first round.

 

12/17 Update: Orakpo continued his dominance during his senior season and continued to rise up the draft boards. The defensive end finished the regular season with 10.5 sacks and 18 tackles-for-loss. For his efforts he garnered a plethora of postseason accolades. Being named to the AP first-team All-American squad and being the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year are both very nice, but winning the Bronco Nagurski Trophy is even better. Orakpo is well on his way to a successful career in the NFL.

 

 

Last Updated Dec-17-2008 by Joel Welser

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Aaron Curry Scouting Report

Projected Draft Position

by FFToolbox Writers

Joel Welser's 1/13 Mock Draft Round 1: #10 by SF

Randall Weida's 1/12 Mock Draft Round 1: #6 by CIN

Raul Colon's 1/10 Mock Draft Round 1: #20 by DET

Ricky Dimon's 1/8 Mock Draft Round 1: #14 by NO

Ben Standig's 12/30 Mock Draft Round 1: #8 by JAX

Position: OLB

School & Year/Status: Wake Forest - Senior

Height & Weight: 6'3 - 247 lbs.

Ranked #15 on our Top 100 Prospects Board

 

2009 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:

 

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Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest

Aaron Curry's name may not be recognizable to those outside of ACC country, but he has been the best player on one of the conference's best teams over the last few years. It sure did not take the 6-3 linebacker much time before he made his mark. In just the second game of his redshirt freshman year, Curry was inserted into the starting lineup and he has remained there ever since. As a freshman in 2005 he tallied 45 tackles. That number shot up to 83 during his sophomore campaign and 99 in 2007. It was also in 2007 when Curry returned three interceptions for touchdowns (which is really impressive for a linebacker).

Curry is a big play linebacker and can deliver the big hit and cover a lot of ground. He is also extremely versatile and does a good job against both the run and the pass. The only negative to find with Curry is his awareness. There are times when he is out of position and makes mistakes.

 

The hype might be low right now, but NFL scouts will not let Curry slip under the radar for too long. He has the tools and experience to be a first-round draft pick and that will not change between now and April.

 

11/11 Update: Curry continues to put up big numbers for Wake Forest. Through nine games he has 77 tackles, 11.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, three pass break-ups and one interception. Curry is the catalyst and the leader of the defense and if the Demon Deacons continue to be successful and slip into a BCS game, Curry will get the press he deserves.

 

12/25 Update: Curry ended his magnificent senior season with 105 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception -- and the country noticed his great production. Curry won the Butkus Award (honoring the nation's top linebacker) and was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award. He was also named a first-team All-American by just about everybody. As a result, Curry has rocketed up draft boards and could now be a top ten selection. He will need to put up some good numbers for the scouts between now and the draft to remain that high, but he will not drop too far either way.

 

 

Last Updated Dec-25-2008 by Joel Welser

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Rey Maualuga Scouting Report

Projected Draft Position

by FFToolbox Writers

Joel Welser's 1/13 Mock Draft Round 1: #16 by SD

Randall Weida's 1/12 Mock Draft Round 1: #14 by NO

Raul Colon's 1/10 Mock Draft Round 1: #5 by CLE

Ricky Dimon's 1/8 Mock Draft Round 1: #8 by JAX

Ben Standig's 12/30 Mock Draft Round 1: #16 by SD

Position: ILB

School & Year/Status: USC - Senior

Height & Weight: 6'3 - 260 lbs.

Ranked #6 on our Top 100 Prospects Board

 

2009 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:

 

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Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC

Maualuga reminds many of another former USC linebacker, Junior Seau. Maualuga has great size and power. He may lack sideline to sideline speed, but does have good short-area quickness. He is surprisingly smooth for such a big linebacker. Maualuga has improved his instincts as a blitzer. Maualuga is a great middle linebacker prospect and in the right system could emerge as an even better pro than college player. Maualuga finished the 2007 season as USC's leading tackler with 79 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for a loss and 6 sacks. Maualuga had a great game in the 2008 Rose Bowl, including 3 sacks and an interception. He was named the game's "Outstanding Defensive Player." Maualuga is the most instinctual linebacker college football has seen in the last 5 years. He has shown an incredible knack for finding the ball early in the 2008 season. Maualuga sprained his knee in the fourth quarter of Southern California's loss to Oregon State. If he recovers from the injury and can remain productive without losing a step, he will be a top five selection in the 2009 draft.

 

Last Updated Oct-07-2008 by Dustin Claussen