Tech’s Dwyer would be No. 8 player in NFL draft, scout says (UPDATED)
Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer has run to the head of the pack for running backs, says NationalFootballPost.com.
(I updated this blog with some comments from Wes Bunting below)
Georgia Tech’s latest surge has done more than just elevate the Yellow Jackets to the No. 7 team in the country. It has raised Jonathan Dwyer to the No. 8 draft-eligible player in the nation, at least according to one scouting website.
In his “Super 30″ rankings updated this week, Wes Bunting of NationalFootballPost.com lists Dwyer, a junior, as the best running back on the board and the No. 8 overall NFL prospect, ahead of Cal’s Jahvid Best (16th) and Clemson’s C.J. Spiller (22nd). Bunting called Dwyer “a violent runner who exhibits good vision between the tackles and has the initial burst to separate from defenders at the second level.”
Dwyer, who hasn’t yet said that he will enter the draft, has rushed for 610 yards and six touchdowns in the last four games, with a 7.27 per carry average.
Bunting also has Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan as the No. 17 player in the draft.
The National Football Post rankings differ from Mel Kiper’s Big Board and the Scout’s Inc. Top 100 list (Both require ESPN Insider membership. But I’ll share this if each of you promise to mail me 50 cents to help defray my expenses. OK? OK.)
Kiper wrote he generally doesn’t list juniors on his Big Board unless they’re obviously a top 15 player. Only two running backs made his overall list of top 25 players: Spiller (12) and Best (19). He has Dwyer listed as the second-best junior running back, behind Best.
Kiper also lists Morgan as the 15th best overall player in the draft. Among juniors, he has Georgia’s Rennie Curran as the No. 2 outside linebacker, Tech’s Morgan Burnett as the No. 2 safety, Tech’s Demaryius Thomas as the No. 4 wide receiver and Georgia’s Reshad Jones as the No. 5 safety.
The Todd McShay/Scout’s Inc. Top 100 list, disagrees with Kiper and National Football Post. He lists Morgan as the No. 6 player in the draft and Dwyer at 34th. He has two Georgia players in his top 100, defensive tackle Geno Atkins (65) and Jeff Owens (109). Curran is not on his list.
I’ll try to check these lists once in a while to keep you up to date.
UPDATE: Here are some comments from Bunting:
♦ On Dwyer: “He’s a violent runner who not only possesses the ability to be physical in between the tackles, but exhibits an impressive initial burst in the open field with the first step to separate from defenders at the second level. Dwyer looks NFL ready right now and has the ability to carry the load at the next level and be an every down type of back. Plus, coming out of the option offense, I think he’s going to benefit greatly from lining up eight yards behind the [line of scrimmage] in the NFL and will be even more instinctive and natural running the ball inside then he is now. His combination or power, burst and lateral agility or second to none in college football.”
♦ On why he’s ahead of Spiller and Best: “I don’t know if Spiller is an every-down back. [He] looks more like a Felix Jones type runner to me. As for Best, [he has] big play ability, and might have a bit more upside then Dwyer, but isn’t as physical and might have some trouble staying healthy. Dwyer just looks more like a sure thing to me. A more physically gifted Jonathan Stewart type runner in the NFL.”
♦ On his own background: “I am the Director of College Scouting for the Nationalfootballpost.com. I have been scouting college football since 2002.”
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350 comments Add your comment
wiley
November 20th, 2009
9:11 am
Once again what is the difference?? explain how it puts him at a disadvantage. Just like every other back in the NCAA…dwyer gets the ball handed off to him or pitched to him. After receiving the ball he proceeds to look for a hole and runs through the tackles…once again something all running backs do. The only disadvantage I see is pass blocking…because he only gets to do that a few times a game.
Rufus
November 20th, 2009
9:11 am
Drafting juniors should be verboten. Make ‘em finish school. After all, the schools have a huge investment in these guys. As I understand it, their “contract” was for four years, and none has played four years, yet.
j
November 20th, 2009
9:12 am
How could there be anyone from UGAYs horrible defense in the top 100? They don’t have anyone that should go in the top 1,000,000. If you don’t believe me, ask Crompton. They made him look like Manning!
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:15 am
Yea and they do it all from a pro style and not with three running backs in the backfield. Pass blocking is huge. I know he wa in a pro style his freshman year but didnt climb onto the scene until last year. He puts up the numbers cause they hand the ball off 900 times a game.
"Chef" Tim Dix
November 20th, 2009
9:17 am
Good at what he does in this offense but if he goes in the first round, Teebow goes even higher.
GOB
November 20th, 2009
9:17 am
Rufus – Athletic scholarships are actually renewed yearly, so the school can drop the players if they want to.
Take The Money
November 20th, 2009
9:20 am
SEC: So, you’re saying that JD is not going to be considered because he gets so many carries. Look at his yards per carry, dolt. And if the defenses are prepared to stop the run, yet JD runs right through arm tackles and over DBs, I guess that’s just something else the pros will throw out the window.
UGA VII
November 20th, 2009
9:20 am
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purebred_%28dog%29#Future_of_purebred_dogs
LG
November 20th, 2009
9:22 am
Dwyer will probably turn pro. Didn’t he want to last year but decided coming back because he was listed as being a 3rd or 4th round pick. If that is true he made the right decision. CJ Spiller made the right choice too because he would have been a mid to late 2nd round pick but now looks to go somewhere in the first round (20 – 25). In years pass it can help to come back for that senior season but it’s not worth it this year with the potential rookie salary cap in 2011.
If there is a chance you can be drafted in the first 4 rounds you have to go pro early this year.
gtbabe
November 20th, 2009
9:23 am
once again I am glad you geniuses have Dwyer packing his bags along wth CPJ…these guys can win a national championship next year and Dwyer would be a top pick for the Heisman with biggest rival being Josh Nesbitt. I know GA and Clemson fans like to see him gone but you do not call the shots…Why is Spiller up for Heisman then and Dwyer not if this is what the media thinks of him?
ZamBonE
November 20th, 2009
9:25 am
Morgan would be the biggest loss for us next season. We have unproven players at DE. Egbuniwe is a solid pass rusher, but is not that great in run support. We haven’t seen enough out of Cross to think that he can handle playing majority of the snaps at DE next year. We are going to be very young on the dline especially at DE. Morgan is excellent in both run support and pass rushing. As much as I want him to say, there is no doubt in my mind, if I was him, I would go pro and get paid. This guy draws constant double teams and holding penalties and is still one of the top sack men in college football. He will be a mid to high first round draft pick.
I can see Dwyer going pro as well. He takes a beating at BBack. The defense is trying to tackle him on every play, whether he gets the ball or not. He has a nose for the endzone scoring 23 TDs since CPJ took over and scoring 9 times as a frosh playing behind Choice in gailey’s pro style offense. Running Backs have the shortest shelf life of any position player in football and since Dwyer has proven his ability to run between the tackles, run through and around lbs and dbs alike, and pass protect, his stock will not get any higher staying another year.
Burnett and Thomas would benefit from one more year of college football, but it would not surprise me if either left. Burnett can still add some bulk and shore up his tackling technique to up his draft stock. He is a ball hawk and pro teams will definitely show interest in him this off-season. Thomas has the build to play in the NFL right now. There will be questions about his route running ability and how well he can go across the middle. He mainly runs comebacks and fly routes in this offense. His run blocking ability will make him a wanted commodity in the NFL.
Of course I would love to see all these guys return for their senior season’s, but it’s not likely they all will.
Go Jackets. beat the pups then win the ACC.
one more time
November 20th, 2009
9:26 am
for CPJ, these guys would stay, for any other snake of a coach, they would not
THWGT
November 20th, 2009
9:29 am
BYE Dwyer!!!!
Sorry that the DivII Coach came in and ruined your future NFL career with that High School crap choot Offense. You will never amount to anything in the NFL.
TO HELL WITH GEORGIA TECH
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:29 am
Ok, i guess reading isnt a bid deal at tech……i said he wont go that high due to the type of offense they run…your reading what you wanna read and not the entire thing. He gets a ton of carries, He never pass blocks, they have three running backs to run the ball. They get their yardage on deception. The only people that dont believe that are tech fans. Its amazing. He IS a really good back its just unfortunate that he is stuck in the system
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:30 am
big*
wiley
November 20th, 2009
9:32 am
SEC with that logic…Texas Tech should never produce a top receiver…oh wait Michael Crabtree! System doesn’t matter…good player shine and the NFL scouts see it.
C tha 1
November 20th, 2009
9:36 am
The only question mark out of GT’s backfield is Josh Nesbitt. But he shouldn’t even consider coming out this year. The rest of the running backs will be fine come draft day. Remember the NFL Draft is based off of stats…even Tebow will go within the first three rounds.
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:37 am
hahah seriously!? okay, how well has crabtree done this year. Second your talking about two way different positions. This alone shows why people hate most Tech fans. Its your lack of knowledge about the game itself. You are prob a bandwagon fan. The system does matter and its dropped players stocks before and it will happend again. Everything they do in college matters now days. They will ask….will he fit our system? unless your al davis and just draft speed. Look where thats got him. A WR is the one picking up a blitz to save your franchise players ass. A WR is trying to make his way through 300 lb men that are way faster than anything you have seen in college. A WR plays in the open field. Also i would like to add that i hope he can run over DBs and he can cause he did it to ours but they are they smallest players on the field sooo…..if you cant do that then you dont need to run the ball at all
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:38 am
A WR isnt*
GT87
November 20th, 2009
9:41 am
SEC, you are showing your ignorance. We NEVER line up with three running backs in the backfield. And Dwyer has the numbers because he is averaging over 7+ yds/carry on 21 carries/game the last 4 games. I believe Herschel used to carry the ball 30+ times a game.
GA Tech Insider
November 20th, 2009
9:43 am
“gtbabe” – I’m not sure who you are pretending to be, but it’s obviously not a GA tech fan. Paul Johnson isn’t going anywhere. Crawl back under your UGA rock.
If Jonathan Dwyer, Derrick Morgan, Demaryius Thomas, and yes, even Morgan Burnett decide to go pr after this season, all Jacket fans will wish them well and hope they return to campus to finish their degrees. They have played honorably for GA Tech on the field and represented the Institute well in all aspects as “scholar athletes”.
But not to worry, Yellow Jacket nation; the cupboard isn’t bare. While, obviously, it will be a sad day to lose any, or all of these fine players, and they will be missed on the field both with the talent, and their leadership, but there are other guys who are waiting in the wings who will step in and play admirably as well; players who have learned from the best; players who believe in their coach(es). The best is yet to come…
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:43 am
you have A-back B-back and nesbitt, correct?
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:44 am
Which is why his numbers are “down” this year. Those arent just my words either.
GT87
November 20th, 2009
9:44 am
Only the B-back lines up in the backfield.
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:45 am
So the where is your A-back? haha
SEC
November 20th, 2009
9:47 am
Did you have to look it up or something? well?
Lance
November 20th, 2009
9:50 am
Tech’s top talent will bolt for the NFL and the nerds will be right back where they belong — at the bottom of a very bad ACC conference.
Take The Money
November 20th, 2009
9:52 am
The point, SEC, is that JD is a great running back who would be putting up big numbers in anyone’s system. The nuts and bolts of what he does is the same. True, he doesn’t strictly pass block, but he does do his fair share of blocking. And most running backs at the next level are going to cut block, anyway. He should know how to do that pretty well.
dude
November 20th, 2009
10:00 am
“SEC”, looking at your writing ability, I think you must have some sort of learning disability. Get help.
ZamBonE
November 20th, 2009
10:02 am
SEC
Dwyer’s numbers are almost exactly the same from last year. He would need 96 yards the next two games to match his yardage from last season. He only needs one more rushing TD to match last years output. If you followed Tech last year or this year, you would have known that Dwyer turns it up in the 2nd half of the season, hence his last 4 games with and avg of 152.5 ypg and 1.5 TDs per contest. The only numbers down are his ypc avg which is only down from 7.0 to 6.6. Not to mention he does all of this without having a FB lining up in front of him to block.
Go Jackets
juvenal
November 20th, 2009
10:03 am
a-back lines up like split-end;matter of semantics-if contact beolow the waist is so dangerous, let’s ban TACKLING below the waist(often done from BEHIND & WITHOUT WARNING!)…like the song says, take the $ & run!…top draft pick better than a heisman, means more ask archie griffin…
CantonTechFan
November 20th, 2009
10:04 am
There is an A back either side of the line (2), and a B back directly behind Nesbitt (1) and Nesbit (1). There are also 2 wide receivers in most of his sets. One of the A backs, or in some cases, a WR, goes in motion to wind up behind the B back when the ball is snapped. So there are two running backs lined up behind Nesbitt when the ball is snapped. Nesbitt plays QB.
SEC
November 20th, 2009
10:05 am
I agree “take the money” that he is a great back and will eventually fit great into a system…im just not sure if they will risk that at #8. I think he will go first round unless something crazy happens. any other style offense it would be a no brainer that he is the first running back taken
Brian jones Tech fan
November 20th, 2009
10:05 am
THWGT ruined his NFL carrer he is going to get top 10 money your blabbering idiot. And all you people keep calling the offense gimmick, HS, just maks your team look that much worse when he runs the ball right up your ass. You people have no clue what CPJ is about to do on the flats once he gets his oline set is going to be ugly for dog fans for many years he will run saint richt right out of athens.
SEC
November 20th, 2009
10:07 am
dude,
You really have no input on football? Do you just surf these things looking for gramatical errors. That must be real fun. does it make you feel good that someone with an apparent “learning disability” knows more about football than you do?
George P. Burdell, Sr.
November 20th, 2009
10:07 am
Obviously, the Chan era brought in some decent players. This means Teck will rack up about an 0-11 record next season with guys who want to avoid that high school offense. We need Bill Curry back, a coach who can lose with any players (but egomaniac traitors who learned under Dooley).
CantonTechFan
November 20th, 2009
10:10 am
The thing is, people want to slam it as a HS offense, but it isn’t. There is much more to CPJ’s offense than a HS would run. We are running much more of a playbook this year than we did last year. The players understand it more this year, so more of the playbook has been “put in”. I would also imagine that there are a few plays that we haven’t seen that will be “put in” the playbook over the next week of practice. If we have a HS offense, what does that say about UGA’s defense?
WTH
November 20th, 2009
10:10 am
The A-back does not line up behind the B-back. They are generally in motion when the ball is snapped. I don’d think I have seen one play that Gt has ran in CPJ’s offense where ther is more than one RB lined up behind the QB other than when they try to draw somebody offsides.
SEC
November 20th, 2009
10:10 am
The A back is mostly always in the backfield at the time of the snap. Im not sure what the arguement here is. There are 3 in the backfield. Thats why this offense works. Its deception.
SEC
November 20th, 2009
10:11 am
I never said they line up in a power I or anything. What the hell is wrong with ya’ll. Did i ever mention a formation. I just made a statement that you have 3 in the backfield….A, B, and QB and thats the truth.
Steve
November 20th, 2009
10:12 am
Tech can lose Dwyer, Morgan and Burnett and still be ok – the system makes the RB’s at Tech – Dwyer just happens to be a great RB regardless of system. Losing Nesbitt or Thomas would hurt worse. Nesbitt is the driving force of Tech’s offense – he knows the system and is a great athlete and ferocious competitor. On D – Tech has great coaches – they just never get to practice against normal Offenses and it show’s on Saturdays.
SEC
November 20th, 2009
10:13 am
It says the Willie Martinez wouldnt do a good job coaching a high school defense or any defense for that matter.
CantonTechFan
November 20th, 2009
10:14 am
Why are there UGA fans here on a tech blog? Nothing else to do than start crap with Tech fans?
SEC
November 20th, 2009
10:16 am
It is entertaining. Plus, its the only updated blog this morning when i got to the office.
Steve
November 20th, 2009
10:16 am
On Thomas – Stephen Hill would replace him, but not much behind him, and in Tech’s system you need 2 Wr’s of quality, not just 1 for the O to work at max efficiency.
And a shout out to Chan Gailey – who never had a losing record at Tech – he did leave Thomas, Nesbitt, and Dwyer at Tech for CPJ. CPJ is a great coach, but he did have some perfect players for his system in place when he got to Tech.
GT '05
November 20th, 2009
10:16 am
i would never blame a running back for leaving early. When RB’s in the NFL start slowing down at 27-28 because of all of the hits that they take, i would get as many good years in as I could. Focus on the next few games, run all over the Dawgs, and then go get paid!
SEC
November 20th, 2009
10:19 am
Plus i had to deal with lowlife Tech fans talking trash about a dog dying. They showed no class at all. At least i have shown class and have not mention that ya’ll are bad or anything. i gave my opinion and apparently its debatable. isnt that what these things are for.
CantonTechFan
November 20th, 2009
10:24 am
Just curious as to why the venom you seem to have. I have friends that are UGA fans and we don’t talk trash to each other at all. We respectfully “rag” each other a bit, but never like this. And, the comment about the dog dying wasn’t right. I will give you that. I wish one of the GT fans would have laid off the heart monitor comment.
PMC
November 20th, 2009
10:26 am
Did he actually see Reshad Jones play this year or is that just how bad this class of safeties could be behind Berry?
Everyone else I totally agree with.
calvin
November 20th, 2009
10:26 am
You AJC writers should be ashamed of yourselves for
encouraging players to leave their teams early. You
could and should be arguing for the opposite. Instead
you propagandize against Sarah Palin and call yourself
a journalist.