With the Super Bowl only a few days away, I thought I’d take the Super Bowl hype for a little 2010 NFL Draft spin. 

We’ll take a look at some Super Bowl starters that remind me of some current NFL prospects. Guys like Pierre Garcon have their Division III counterparts, while stars like Reggie Bush have their clones as well.

So, let’s take a look at hour some Super Bowl XLVI compare to some NFL prospects.


Donald Brown—Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
When it comes to hard-nosed runners, it’s tough to top the monster of a back that Gerhart is. Gerhart doesn’t have the elusive speed or the great open field burst, but he does have the acceleration bursting through the hole, the physicality to break arm tackles, and the drive to find the end zone.

Brown has been a crucial complement to the more featured back Joseph Addai in the Colts offense, as he has done just as good, if not better, than Dominic Rhodes and the host of other backs that spelled Addai and Edgerrin James before him.

Brown has been an integral part of the Colts balance on offense, and the running game has opened up the Colts to take more medium and down the field shots this season. That’s exactly what a back like Gerhart can be: not a feature guy, but pair him with an explosive playmaker like a Maurice Jones-Drew or LeSean McCoy, and it could be a tough to stop offense.


Pierre Garcon--Orlando Webb, WR, North Carolina Wesleyan
Much as has been talked about in this two week (feels like two months) Super Bowl press coverage, including a lot about the Division III stud to Colts top target in Pierre Garcon.

While it’s near impossible to find the next deep, deep Division III sleeper at any position, nonetoless at receiver, I’ve found I guy who I like as a long term prospect.

Orlando Webb has put up some impressive numbers for tiny NC Wesleyan in his career, consistently being featured with the deep ball. He is a little soft and needs to work on the nuisances of playing receiver, such as route diversity and catching with his hands routinely. But, Webb has elite speed, good jump ball skills, and the desire to improve.

Again I’ll say that finding the next Pierre Garcon is like finding the next Tom Brady, so it may be a stretch, but in search of a D3 receiver who has a shot at the next level, Webb’s my favorite for that slot. Tough shoes to fill.


Austin Collie—Blair White, WR, Michigan State
Collie, this year’s rookie stud, stepped in beautifully for the early injuried Brandon Stokley. He, like Stokley, ran his slot routes perfectly and gave Manning a quick target across the middle or a seam deep theat.

Blair White is more of a Wes Welker-like sleeper, as he was a walk-on to start his Michigan State career. But he emerged this season as the go-to target, routinely beating some of the more highly touted safeties in the country.

White should fit the role of a route precision slot receiver in the pros, and with a great quarterback (like Manning) could fit into a role very similar to Collie.


Dallas Clark—Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida
The age of the slot receiver/tight end pass catcher/occasional blocker is now, and based on the past two seasons, players with Clark’s skill set aren’t going to be rare.

However, his ability and production will be hard to replicate.

If anyone in this class can, it’s the former favorite target of the Tim Tebow-lead Florida Gators. Hernandez is a very fluid tight end who can make plays in space after making the initial grab. If you watched any games for the Gators you’ll know that Hernandez was such a good open field threat, he was the common receiver on a variety of screen passes and inside shovel passes. 

Clark has been a major reason why Peyton Manning rarely gets sacked, and why the transition from the Harrison years to the Garcon years has been so smooth. Hernandez likely won’t able to be that productive in his early career, but if he can be a complete player like he has the potential to be, he’ll be a quarterback’s best friend.


Robert Mathis—George Selvie, DE, South Florida
I was tempted to put Dwight Freeney as Selvie’s comparison, but Selvie isn’t that much of a lock to be great as Freeney was out of college.

Still, the quick pass rush moves and the speed off the edge still fit the mold of the defensive end opposite the Pro Bowler and likely main focus for the Saints offensive line with the injury to Dwight Freeney.

Mathis is, and was coming out of college, a very undersized defensive end. But, he gets by (very well I might say) for his size because of his great burst on the edge and his uncanny ability to get in the back field and disrupt plays. 

Selvie is a very similar player. Very undersized since he went to South Florida as a 217 pound defensive end, Selvie still blossomed at the college level because of his elite quickness to the ball and his feet that make him very hard to contain.

Selvie will need either a 3-4 or a pass rush 4-3 to excel, but in a Cover 2 type system like the Colts run where pressure is the main thing asked of the ends, he could fit just as nicely, if not better, as Robert Mathis does.


Reggie Bush—CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson
If you take a look at the hype CJ Spiller is receiving for his abilities in college, it is very similar to Reggie Bush coming out of USC.

Spiller and Bush both were electrifying in their college career with huge runs, angle-breaking jukes, and clutch kickoff returns. 

Spiller should have gotten more Heisman consideration than he did as if it’s an MVP trophy, no one outside of Toby Gerhart was more crucial to his team that Spiller.

But, aside from the accolades that Bush has over Spiller, Bush’s impact at the pro level thus far is probably not what scouts (and CJ himself) are expecting for his career. However, Bush’s play this season give the Saints reason to be optimistic and only enhance the stock of a similar speedy back like Spiller.


Marques Colston—Pat Simonds, WR, Colgate
The 6”4’ physical receiver was one of the biggest steals in recent NFL history. The Hofstra grad fell to the 7th round of the draft, where the Saints scooped up the oversized receiver with very average speed.

That oversized, possible tight end convert burst onto the scene as a rookie, started 12 games, and had over 1,000 yards. Now he’s the focal point in the Saints passing game and their favorite red zone target with his big, physical body.

Pat Simonds of Colgate is similar in the sense that he, also 6”4’, has the physicality to be a jump ball receiver and make catches away from his body. He gives his quarterback a wide window to place the ball into, and rarely gets outplayed on the ball.

While he doesn’t have great speed and likely won’t break many big plays, neither does Colston so it’s proof that deep speed isn’t required of Pro Bowl receivers. Simonds will likely fall to a similar part of the draft as Colston, and maybe some offense will get lucky once again.

Jahri Evans—Vladimir Ducasse, OG, Massachusetts
The Bloomsburg graduate wasn’t as highly touted as Ducasse coming out of college, but that goes to show what the FCS level programs can produce, regardless of hype.

Evans was a mauling left tackle in college, but made the switch inside to guard in the pros when the Saints grabbed him. Found in the same draft as Marques Colston, Evans started the entire year and both playoff games, and had nearly as big of an impact. He hasn’t looked back since and was a Pro Bowler a season ago.

Ducasse is considered by many draft outlets as one of the top three FCS prospects in the country, and with good reason. He is a mauler in the run game with potential to develop into a great NFL pass protector with more coaching. He could potentially play right or even left tackle in the pros, but his best fit, like Evans, may be at guard.

Jonathan Vilma—Daryl Washington, ILB, TCU
One of the more unheralded players for the Saints team has been the inside linebacker and one of the vocal leaders of the team in Jonathan Vilma. 

Vilma flies all around the field and really bails out the ends and outside linebackers at times when they don’t fill their responsibilities. He isn’t a sure tackler nor is he a playmaker each game. But he does the little things in pursuit and breaking down a play. Even in coverage he’s a big help.

Washington was a favorite of our staff at Optimum Scouting (www.NFLHouse.com) for a while, but he recently got noticed by the general public during the Senior Bowl where he really shined as a top tier inside linebacker. 

He could be best fit in a coverage 3-4 defense, but I could see him playing in a 4-3 defense similar to the Saints, where he can utilize his speed in blitzes and coverages. His versatile, and productive, TCU defense has molded him well, and he could enjoy a long career thanks to his versatility.

Darren Sharper—Earl Thomas, S, Texas
To me, outside of Brett Favre, no free agent acquisition has made as big of an impact as Darren Sharper did this season since Drew Brees did when he came to the Saints.

Sharper has completely turned this defense around and, with the help of the creative and well-respected mind of Greg Williams, made them into a ball-hawking, playmaking unit.

His vision on the field and understanding of the offenses he faces is amazing to me, only triumphed occasionally in seasons by the Ravens safety Ed Reed. 

Earl Thomas, the ball-hawk from Texas, has the potential to be a similar performer if he develops the way he is expected to based off of his play at Texas in two years.

He had eight interceptions this year, five in the first six games, and has the tackling ability to play strong or free safety. I feel his best bet is to stick back in the deep zone, make big hits when available, and be a center field/defensive receiver and make plays on the ball like he did in college and just like Darren Sharper.

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