Sporting News sees a Round 1 Tech windfall in its mock draft
Jonathan Dwyer, Morgan Burnett and Derrick Morgan announce they're leaving Georgia Tech. Will two of them wind up being NFL first-rounders? (AJC photo by Vino Wong)
It’s just a mock draft, OK? It might not pan out. Still, if you’re a proud Georgia Tech fan, this is one to clip and save. (Or, seeing as how Sporting News Today is an online-only publication, to print, clip and save.)
Here’s the Sporting News Today pre-combine mock draft: The No. 2 overall pick (going to Detroit) is Derrick Morgan, the defensive end from Tech; the No. 12 overall pick (going to Miami) is Demaryius Thomas, the wide receiver from Tech. And now you’re asking: How long since we saw a local school produce two players in the draft’s top dozen?
Answer: Ten months. Matthew Stafford went No. 1 overall last April to Detroit, and Knowshon Moreno went 12th to Denver.
But wait! Sporting News also has Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer going to San Diego with the 28th pick in Round 1. (As you might have heard, the Chargers cut LaDainian Tomlinson.) So: How long since a local team had three first-rounders in one draft?
Since never.
Seeing Morgan slotted as No. 2 overall is a bit of a surprise, but only a bit: He has been projected at/near the top five since December. Seeing Thomas at No. 12 a week after he broke a bone in his foot during training in Arizona is a shock. But his whole rocket-up-the-draft-board trajectory has been remarkable. Nobody considered him a first-rounder in January.
Oh, and you’re asking: What of the Falcons? You won’t be shocked to hear that Sporting News has them taking a cornerback, though not Kareem Jackson of Alabama (the projected pick in Todd McShay’s latest mock draft on ESPN.com) and not Kyle Wilson of Boise State (the choice of ESPN’s Mel Kiper and SI.com’s Don Banks). SN goes with Patrick Robinson of Florida State.
Scouts Inc. rates Robinson the sixth-best corner and the 45th-best player in the draft. (Link requires registration.) Taking him with the 19th (or 20th) pick might seem a reach. But that’s why mocks are such fun. One outlet sees something another doesn’t. At issue is what Thomas Dimitroff and the Falcons might, or might not, see. Speaking of which …
And now, as promised/threatened: As he readies for the combine, Dimitroff takes about cornerbacks, pass rushers and yes, mock drafts.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
165 comments Add your comment
Technophobia
February 24th, 2010
7:52 pm
Mark, any word on where Burnett will go in the draft?
BCWRECK
February 24th, 2010
8:53 pm
Burnett will surprise. He is the best Safety ever at Tech including Landry. Morgan has NFL speed, can cover anywhere, hammers, can play up, and has a sense of what the QB is doing.
Morgan may be the best of the bunch.
TECH
February 24th, 2010
8:56 pm
Enter your comments here
TECH
February 24th, 2010
8:58 pm
sorry about that last post, i didn’t mean to hit enter.
I agree. Burnett is a very good player, he could alternate between corner and safety. His speed is the most underrated part of him, and he’s a heck of a player. Expect good things from him. Most draft experts see him as a mid 2nd round pick, to answer your question, Technophobia
atl-xmen
February 25th, 2010
7:21 am
i think tech might have two in the first round..but im leaning on 1 and it wont be the 2nd pick of the draft thats for sure.
i think either dwyer or derrick get pushed to the 2nd round with bey bey.
now way tech has 3 in the first round. too many question marks on bey bey. dwyer is behind the most of the backs in draft thanks to pj high school /div 1aa offense. he will need a yr in the pros just to learn the running backs duties i na pro style offense. reason i say he will be a 2nd rounder. he is a great runner though and i think the best pick of the 3 but defense seems to be most teams wants and needs these days.
atl-xmen
February 25th, 2010
7:29 am
stafford and moreno are so much better than those techsters coming out it was even a debate that they were both 1 round picks. and both were jrs…just goes to show you how great a job richt and company are doing to prepare there players for the nfl. both are starters right now as well as massaquoi. even asher allen received playing time as a rookie on nickel defenses for the vikes.
atl-xmen
February 25th, 2010
7:29 am
should read “it wasnt even a debate”…
atl-xmen
February 25th, 2010
7:34 am
that is 3 guys(stafford, moreno and asher allen) that were supposed to be playing their sr year at UGA but were good enough to leave early and start on sundays right away…that will be yet another reason better recruits will pick UGA over tech and other colleges that are recruiting against UGA.
Gatorguy
February 25th, 2010
8:06 am
Hey thirty points!
((((((((((((((((((((((41-17))))))))))))))))))))))
7 out of 9
17 out of 20
atl-xmen
February 25th, 2010
8:13 am
kiper and todd mcshay dont have 3 tech guys in the 1st rd..they seem to be pretty close most years. also i think after the combine others will agree aswell.
snapshot
February 25th, 2010
8:57 am
Hmmmm mutts still worried about CPJ and the future of the Yellow Jackets football program. Got to love their idiot posts from the “library” computers.
National football rankings
February 25th, 2010
9:16 am
TECH # 13….still looking for UGA in the top 30. Nuff said
NO FUSSING JUST FACTS
February 25th, 2010
9:24 am
If grades make you a long shot for college, you’re much more likely to get a break if you can play ball.
An Associated Press review of admissions data submitted to the NCAA by most of the 120 schools in college football’s top tier shows that athletes enjoy strikingly better odds of having admission requirements bent on their behalf.
The notion that college athletes’ talents give them a leg up in the admissions game isn’t a surprise. But in what NCAA officials called the most extensive review to date, the AP found the practice is widespread and can be found in every major conference.
The review identified at least 27 schools where athletes were at least 10 times more likely to benefit from special admission programs than students in the general population.
That group includes 2009 Bowl Championship Series teams Oregon, Georgia Tech and Alabama, which is playing Texas for the national title Jan. 7.
what about that admission standard bragging for atheletes now ? all foot ball programs are the same they do what they have to when fielding the best team they can except maybe Vandy
GO COMMODORES !!!!!!!!!!!!!
GPB
February 25th, 2010
10:42 am
Mark,
Honestly, you really think the ACC is going to be that tough this year? Clemson lost a lot this year so it will be interesting to see how they recover. Miami looks to be back on the up and up and VT continues to look good. But that’s about it since I don’t think the Atlantic will be much of a factor. Like it or not, UGA fans are right when they make fun of ACC football.
We have a good shot at going into Clemson 7-0, with UNC as a potential loss. It would be nice to get 2 of 3 with Clemson, VT, and Miami but will be a tough three games. Then there’s Duke and UGA. I don’t know what UGA will have next year so I’ll have to watch them before I even venture a guess.
I see 7 wins guaranteed with potentially a couple more but I don’t see us matching last year’s performance, perhaps 9-3. I think it will somewhat depend on how deep we end up as to whether we have a good season. Lack of D-line and linebacker depth really hurt us last year. I would put us 3rd in the Coastal, maybe 2nd if we get a break. VT, Miami, GT. VT plays Boston College in the title.
The Tar and Feathers Party
February 25th, 2010
11:49 am
UGA TO BE CLOSED AS A COST SAVINGS STEP BY THE STATE OF GEORGIA: They produce nothing but fluff degree’s anyway, according to a high ranking state official. As long as we have Georgia Tech, the state will be ok on the National stage, according to the same high ranking state official. On a related noted, there has been a sudden increase in the number of people looking for work as janitors, especially in Athens.