CU at the NFL Draft

—

CU at the NFL Draft

—

May 1st

SEC leads Draft numbers for tenth straight season

Here’s the full breakdown of the 2016 NFL draft by conference:

SEC: 51

Big Ten: 47

Pac-12: 32

ACC: 26

Big 12: 26

FCS/D-II/International: 25

American: 10

C-USA: 10

MWC: 9

Independent: 8

MAC: 6

Sun Belt: 3

—–

April 30th

Five Buffs sign free agent contracts

From cubuffs.com … At least five former Colorado Buffaloes were signing free agent contracts Saturday night after the conclusion of the NFL Draft.

The Buffs did not have a player selected in the 2016 draft.

Among those signing free agent deals were running back Christian Powell with the Pittsburgh Steelers, offensive lineman Stephane Nembot with the Baltimore Ravens, defensive back Ken Crawley with the New Orleans Saints, wide receiver Nelson Spruce with the Los Angeles Rams and safety Jered Bell with the San Francisco 49ers.

Powell, who led the Buffs in rushing three of his four years at CU, said the Steelers had been in contact with him before the draft.

“They told my agent they had an interest in me,” Powell said. “I’m glad to get the opportunity. I’ll play my role and do anything I can to make the squad.”

Powell led the Buffs in rushing in his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, and finished his career as CU’s all-time leading rusher with 2,040 yards, and he also finished with 18 career touchdowns and 33 receptions.

Nembot started 42 games in his CU career, including the final 37 (every game from his sophomore through senior seasons).

“It’s a great place for me,” Nembot said. “It’s where I want to be. They kept in contact with me from the beginning and were honest with me. I’m just looking for a place to compete. If it works out, great. If not — I will go find a job. Professional football has always been Plan B with me, not Plan A.”

Spruce finished his career with more than 40 CU records to his credit, as well as the Pac-12 all-time record for receptions (294). Among Spruce’s other CU records were receiving yards (3,347) and touchdown catches (23).The Rams also spent a pair of draft picks on receivers, selecting South Carolina’s Pharoh Cooper in the third round and Southern Mississippi’s Mike Thomas in the sixth.

Spruce, who grew up near the Rams’ new headquarters, had a personal workout with Los Angeles earlier this spring.

Crawley, a three-year starter for CU, played nearly 80 percent of CU’s defensive snaps over his four-year career and finished his career third on CU’s pass deflection chart (36). The Saints did not add any defensive backs in the draft.

Bell overcame two serious knee injuries at Colorado to finish with seven career interceptions, tied for 22nd on CU’s all-time list.

—

Colorado shut out of the draft in consecutive years for the first time in 65 years

– Since 1990, there have been only five drafts which have been conducted without at least one Buff having their name called. Those five drafts were 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2016. (An oddity – In April, 1989, the spring before CU went 11-0 in the regular season and climbed to No. 1 in the polls for the first time in school history – no Buffs were drafted).

– Only once before the 2015 and 2016 drafts has the Colorado program gone two seasons in a row without a player being drafted, and that was back in 1949 and 1950.

— Other Power-Five conference schools shut out of the 2016 NFL Draft … Tennessee; Kansas; North Carolina; Wake Forest; Iowa State and Duke.

Pac-12 picks

UCLA … 8

Stanford … 5

California … 4

USC … 4

Oregon … 2

Arizona … 2

Arizona State … 2

Washington … 2

Washington State … 1

Utah … 1

Oregon State … 1

—–

April 29th

Pac-12 has four players chose in first round of NFL Draft

The Pac-12 had four players chose in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft, including the first overall pick in Cal quarterback Jared Goff.

Overall, however, the conference lagged behind other Power-Five conferences in first round selections. The SEC had eight first round selections, with eight, followed by the Big Ten, with six (five of those from Ohio State alone). The Pac-12’s four picks was matched by the ACC, with the Big 12 coming in with three first round selections.

(For those keeping score, the final tally for draft picks in the 2015 NFL draft … SEC, 54; ACC, 47; Pac-12, 39; Big Ten, 35; Big 12, 25.

—

Colorado has the 5th-most first round picks in the Pac-12

(Updated to include 2016 draft)

Since the NFL and AFL began the common draft in 1967, Colorado has had 22 first round draft picks*. This is good enough for 5th in the annals of the Pac-12. Oregon State, with the fewest, picked up No. 3 in 2014 with Brandin Cooks.

Washington State broke the longest drought without a first round pick, dating back to 2003, when Deone Bucannon went to Arizona with the 27th pick in 2015. The longest drought without a first round pick now belongs to Arizona, which last had a first round pick in 2008.

The Pac-12 conference and the first round of the NFL draft (1967-present):

USC – 70 … Most recent: 2015 – Leonard Williams, DE, 6th pick, New York Jets; Nelson Agholor, WR, 20th pick, Philadelphia

UCLA – 25 … Most recent: 2016 – Kenny Clark, DT, 27th pick, Green Bay

California – 24 … Most recent: 2016 – Jared Goff, QB, 1st pick, Los Angeles Rams

Arizona State – 23 … Most recent: 2015 – Damarious Randall, 30th pick, S, Green Bay

Colorado – 22 … Most recent: 2011 – Nate Solder, OT, 17th pick, New England; and Jimmy Smith, CB, 27th pick, Baltimore

Washington – 20 … Most recent: 2015 – Danny Shelton, DT, 12th pick, Cleveland; Marcus Peters, CB, 18th pick, Kansas City; Shaq Thompson, LB, 25th pick, Carolina

Stanford – 18 … Most recent: 2016 – Joshua Garnett, OG, 28th pick, San Francisco

Oregon – 16 … Most recent: 2016 – DeForest Buckner, DE, 7th pick, San Francisco

Washington State – 9 … Most recent: 2014 – Deone Bucannon, S, 27th pick, Arizona

Arizona – 9 … Most recent: 2008 – Antoine Cason, CB, 27th pick, San Diego

Utah – 6 …  Most recent: 2013 – Star Lotulelei, DT, 14th pick, Carolina

Oregon State – 3 … Most recent: 2014 – Brandin Cooks, WR, 20th pick, New Orleans

(And, in case you are wondering … Colorado State – 4 … Most recent: 1987 – Kelly Stouffer, QB, 6th pick, St. Louis)

* Colorado actually has had 24 first round NFL first round picks overall, counting Byron White, the 4th overall pick in 1938 (Pittsburgh) and Jerry Hillebrand, TE, the 13th overall pick of the 1962 draft (New York Giants).

—–

April 28th

NFL Draft opens Thursday … the waiting for Spruce, Crawley, and Nembot will be over by Saturday

— “Buffs Spruce, Nembot, Crawley Ready For NFL Draft” … from cubuffs.com

The opening: For hundreds of college football players across the nation, the work has been completed for weeks — and by the end of the weekend, the waiting will be over as well.

At least three Colorado Buffaloes are hoping the wait will be worth it. Wide receiver Nelson Spruce, cornerback Ken Crawley and offensive lineman Stephane Nembot are all projected as late-round picks, meaning by Saturday night, they could know what uniform they’ll be wearing next.

“I’ve done everything that I can to this point, and now I’m just waiting for it to be over,” said Spruce, who wrapped up his CU career with more than 40 Buffs records to his name. “I’m more anxious than nervous. I’m ready to get started with the next step in the process.”

With 266 all-time NFL draft picks, Colorado is 22nd in the nation and fourth in the Pac-12 in number of players selected by NFL teams.

… The draft begins Thursday at 6 p.m. in Chicago with the first round, and will be televised by ESPN and the NFL Network. Rounds 2 and 3 will be held Friday, beginning at 5 p.m., with the final four rounds set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.

… Continue reading story here … (you may have to right click and go to “open in new tab” to read the remainder of the story …

—–

April 27th

Scouting Report … Nelson Spruce

— “Nelson Spruce believes his draft value transcends combine” … from the Daily Camera

Quotable:

… “The best thing is to look at my game film,” Spruce said. “My last two years at Colorado, I feel like I was one of the most productive receivers in the country.

“In the combine and all of that stuff isn’t where I’m really going to excel. I feel like I did as much as I could there, and I was happy with the way it turned out, but I feel like if you go back to my game film, you can see that I know how to play this game. My knowledge of the game and my passion is there.”

… “When it comes down to it, I know how to play football,” he said. “(Teams) having a real interest in me is kind of surreal almost, but at the same time, it’s just the beginning for me. I’ve always had super high expectations of myself and my dream is being a successful NFL player and having a long career.

“In one way, it’s pretty awesome, but at the same time, I really haven’t accomplished anything yet.”

—

Nelson Spruce evaluation … From NFL.com

Overview

One of the most productive receivers in college football in 2014, Spruce filled the stats sheet with 105 catches for nearly 1,200 yards and 12 scores. His senior year, however, was not as productive (84-942, three TD) partially due to the team’s offensive limitations. While Spruce is not considered an explosive downfield threat, but he runs solid routes, fights for the ball in the air and is a reliable pass-catcher (he’s the Pac-12’s leader in career receptions) — three important traits for a No. 2 or 3 NFL receiver.

Strengths

Same guy every snap. Despite a high number of body catches, is extremely sure-handed dropping just three balls over last 288 targets. Willing over the middle and is comfortable in contested catch situations. Fearless, steady punt returner. Production off the charts. Broke Pac­-12 all-time mark in career catches. Will vary speed in routes and is clever with double moves. Knows how to set up a route. Uses plus play strength to fight through press. Technique not always there, but will strike with a purpose as a run blocker.

—–

April 26th

Scouting Report … Stephane Nembot

From CBS Sports …

COMPARES TO: Sebastian Vollmer, New England Patriots – Nembot (Cameroon) and Vollmer (Germany) were each born outside of the United States, but talent like theirs make geographical boundaries meaningless. Just as Vollmer showed rapid development at offensive tackle once he made the switch from tight end, Nembot has steadily improved at offensive tackle after initially playing defensive end for the Buffalos. He has a lot of work to do to match the success Vollmer has enjoyed since being drafted 58th overall in 2009 but has the talent to ultimately emerge as a starting tackle, just as Vollmer has for the Patriots.

IN OUR VIEW: While still quite raw, Nembot’s exciting blend of traits could earn him a surprisingly high grade from NFL teams. With some patience, he could develop into a starter at the next level, likely remaining outside at tackle because of his length and athleticism. However, there is cause for concern after struggles during Shrine Game practices, where he was routinely called out by coaches for playing too high and had struggle adjusting to multiple rushers.

—

From NFL.com …

Overview

Stephane Nembot was born in Cameroon, speaks three languages (English, French, and Spanish) and well as 11 African dialects. He began playing football in his junior year of high school, starring as a defensive end. But as he grew into his massive frame during his redshirt freshman season at Colorado, coaches moved him over to right tackle — during the middle of a game. He started the next week, and the following 36, at that right tackle spot before moving to the left side for the last month of the 2015 season. Nembot has agility and length to spare, and despite his still-leggy frame has added 40 pounds during his career at CU.

Strengths

Long­-levered tackle prospect with gigantic hands. Has experience at both left and right tackle spots. Has shown improvement in each of his year’s at the position. Sack total dropped from six (2013) to 4.5 (2014) to three (2015). Full time starter for the better part of four years. Aggressive with his punch and has some snap at the end of it to impact pass rusher’s course. Has the athleticism and quickness to become a capable run blocker in space. Has high success rate in collapsing his man in down­blocks. Much more disciplined in 2015 cutting holding down from five to one and false starts from four to one.

—–

April 25th

Scouting Report … Kenneth Crawley

“Crawley eager to answer if NFL calls” … from the Daily Camera

Quotes …

“The whole process has been a long process, a stressful process,” he said. “At the same time, these are the moments that you’re supposed to cherish and I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment and this day coming up soon.

“I’m just blessed. I’m still working to try to stay in shape and hopefully I land in the right coordinator’s hands.”

… “I’m anxious, because I can’t wait to get back out there and play football,” he said. “That’s my biggest thing is to get it over with and just fly and play. I’ve been away from football for a long time and I’m just ready to play.”

—

Scouting Analysis

From NFL.com …

Overview

Since his freshman year, Crawley has used his height and long arms to distract and disrupt receivers downfield. He broke up 21 passes in his first three seasons, intercepting two others (both in 2013). Crawley continued his progress as a player during his senior year, making 46 tackles while adding another 13 pass breakups and an interception to his career totals. Crawley’s lack of interceptions kept him from receiving post-season accolades, but his height and length should earn him a long look at the next level.

Strengths

Good height. Three-year starter who has played over 78 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in all four seasons. Shows patience out of back pedal. Won’t open to one side or the other based on basic, first move by receiver. Flashed bursts of athleticism in Shrine Game practices and was able to open hips and transition into a sprint. Has mirror and match ability on stop and go routes. Consistent tackle production. Has balanced approach and usually drives through running back’s legs in run support.

—–

April 24th

Three Buffs hope to have their named called in the 2016 NFL Draft

Three Buffs – wide receiver Nelson Spruce, offensive tackle Stephane Nembot, and cornerback Kenneth Crawley – hope to hear their names called this upcoming weekend during the 2016 NFL Draft (April 28th – 30th).

In mock drafts, Spruce is the Buff whose name comes up as the most likely candidate to be drafted, with DraftSite.com having Spruce going in the 5th round to Kansas City and NFLDraftGeek.com seeing Spruce as a 7th round pick by New England.

At least one mock draft (nfl.com), however, has both Kenneth Crawley (5th round, Minnesota) and Stephane Nembot (6th round, San Francisco) being drafted.

… In the upcoming days leading up to the draft, check back under this headline for draft profiles of CU’s draft hopefuls …

—

NFL pre-draft interview with Nelson Spruce

Nelson Spruce is looking to be drafted this upcoming week (draft coming April 28-30). FanSided has posted an interview with Spruce, which can be found here.

Some excerpts:

Is there a coach who’s had a strong impact on your life and career?

My last WR coach I had —Troy Walters – as a player and a person he was someone I could always count on to give me good advice. He’s been through it all, he played in the League for a few years and was someone I could relate to.

What is your biggest strength as a player?

My reliability.

What does being the Pac-12 all time receptions leader mean to you?

It means a lot. You obviously want to be the best and leave your mark. To be able to say I held that record with the great receivers that have come through our conference is pretty awesome.

What will you miss most about Boulder, CO?

The college experience. It was a great place to spend four and a half years. I will always have a lot of great memories.

—

Beware of draft years divisible by five …

In the period from start of the common draft, in 1967, there have been only six drafts which have gone without a CU player being selected.

When the 2015 draft came up empty for the Buffs, however, it marked the third time in the past 11 drafts without a Buff being picked, with CU finishing with no draft picks in 2005, 2010, and 2015.

Or, to put it another way – In the 38 drafts between 1967 and 2004, there were only three empty drafts for the University of Colorado … but there have been three empty drafts since.

—

Colorado has the 5th-most first round picks in the Pac-12

Since the NFL and AFL began the common draft in 1967, Colorado has had 22 first round draft picks*. This is good enough for 5th in the annals of the Pac-12. Oregon State, with the fewest, picked up No. 3 in 2014 with Brandin Cooks.

Washington State broke the longest drought without a first round pick, dating back to 2003, when Deone Bucannon went to Arizona with the 27th pick in 2015. The longest drought without a first round pick now belongs to Arizona, which last had a first round pick in 2008.

The Pac-12 conference and the first round of the NFL draft (1967-present):

USC – 70 … Most recent: 2015 – Leonard Williams, DE, 6th pick, New York Jets; Nelson Agholor, WR, 20th pick, Philadelphia

UCLA – 24 … Most recent: 2014 – Anthony Barr, LB, 9th pick, Minnesota

California – 23 … Most recent: 2011 – Cameron Jordan, DE, 24th pick, New Orleans

Arizona State – 23 … Most recent: 2015 – Damarious Randall, 30th pick, S, Green Bay

Colorado – 22 … Most recent: 2011 – Nate Solder, OT, 17th pick, New England; and Jimmy Smith, CB, 27th pick, Baltimore

Washington – 20 … Most recent: 2015 – Danny Shelton, DT, 12th pick, Cleveland; Marcus Peters, CB, 18th pick, Kansas City; Shaq Thompson, LB, 25th pick, Carolina

Stanford – 17 … Most recent: 2015 – Andres Peat, OT, 13th pick, New Orleans

Oregon – 15 … Most recent: 2015 – Marcus Mariota, QB, 2nd pick, Tennessee; Arik Armstead, 17th pick, San Francisco

Washington State – 9 … Most recent: 2014 – Deone Bucannon, S, 27th pick, Arizona

Arizona – 9 … Most recent: 2008 – Antoine Cason, CB, 27th pick, San Diego

Utah – 6 …  Most recent: 2013 – Star Lotulelei, DT, 14th pick, Carolina

Oregon State – 3 … Most recent: 2014 – Brandin Cooks, WR, 20th pick, New Orleans

(And, in case you are wondering … Colorado State – 4 … Most recent: 1987 – Kelly Stouffer, QB, 6th pick, St. Louis)

* Colorado actually has had 24 first round NFL first round picks overall, counting Byron White, the 4th overall pick in 1938 (Pittsburgh) and Jerry Hillebrand, TE, the 13th overall pick of the 1962 draft (New York Giants).

—

… And CU is fourth in the Pac-12 in overall draft picks …

USC is the nation’s leader in draft picks all-time, with 493. Only Notre Dame, with 486, is close to challenging the Trojans (Ohio State is third on the all-time list, with 418).

In the Pac-12, USC is followed by UCLA, tied with Michigan State for 15th-place, with 303 draft picks, and Washington, in at No. 17 with 285 picks.

Colorado is a solid 4th on the all-time Pac-12 list, with 266. That total is good enough for 22nd on the all-time list.

Pac-12 teams catching up with the Buffs – but with still a ways to go – are No. 27 Stanford (249) and No. 30 Arizona State (239).

… If you are keeping score at home, the Buffs enter the 2016 draft two behind No. 21 Wisconsin (268), and four ahead of Auburn and Minnesota, tied for 23rd on the all-time list with 262.

—

Some notes about the University of Colorado and the NFL draft …

– Colorado has had 24 first round draft picks in NFL history. The highest-ever pick was Bo Matthews, taken as the No. 2 overall pick by San Diego in 1974. Colorado is one of only three schools in the Pac-12 (the Arizona schools being the others) to not have at least one No. 1 overall draft pick (USC has had five – the most by any school – while Stanford has had four, and Cal has had two. No other Pac-12 school has had more than one No. 1 overall pick).

– The most recent first round draft picks for CU came in 2011, when Nate Solder was taken in the first round by New England (17th pick overall), followed shortly thereafter by Jimmy Smith, going to Baltimore with the No. 27 overall pick.

– The first Buff to be chosen in an NFL draft was halfback Byron White, taken in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers (the No. 3 pick overall) in the 1938 NFL draft.

– Paul Richardson, in 2014, became only the eighth player in CU history to declare early for the NFL draft. All eight have been drafted – defensive tackle Leonard Renfro (1st round, Philadelphia, 1993); running back Lamont Warren (sixth round, Indianapolis, 1994); running back Rashaan Salaam (first round, Chicago, 1995); defensive end Shannon Clavelle, sixth round, Buffalo, 1995); cornerback Ben Kelly (third round, Miami, 2000); running back Chris Brown (third round, Tennessee, 2003); David Bakhtiari (4th round, Green Bay, 2013); and Paul Richardson (2nd round, Seattle, 2014).

– Since 1990, there have been only four drafts which have been conducted without at least one Buff having their name called. Those four drafts were 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2015. (An oddity – In April, 1989, the spring before CU went 11-0 in the regular season and climbed to No. 1 in the polls for the first time in school history, no Buffs were drafted).

– Only once in school history has the Colorado program gone two seasons in a row without a player being drafted, and that was back in 1949 and 1950.

– The most Buffs ever drafted in the same spring came in 1976, when 11 Buffs were drafted. The 1975 Buffs went 9-3, and produced three first round draft picks – center Pete Brock (New England, 12th overall pick), defensive tackle Troy Archer (New York Giants, 13th overall pick), and offensive tackle Mark Koncar (Green Bay, 23rd overall pick). That draft also had Buff great Dave Logan going to the Cleveland Browns in the third round (65th pick overall).

– Twice in school history, ten Buffs were drafted in the same season. In 1974, ten Buffs were selected, led by fullback Bo Matthews and tight end J.V. Cain in the first round. In the 1995 draft, ten Buffs were chosen as well, with Michael Westbrook going to the Washington Redskins with the No. 4 overall pick. Westbrook was joined in the first round by Heisman trophy winner Rashaan Salaam, who went to the Chicago Bears at No. 21. Three other Buffs were chosen in the second round of that 1995 draft – tight end Christian Fauria (Seattle); linebacker Ted Johnson (New England); and quarterback Kordell Stewart (Pittsburgh).

– In the 1974 draft, it took 16 rounds to get to ten Buffs. In 1995, ten Buffs were gone by the end of the sixth round.

– The NFL team which has chosen the most Buffs? … The Green Bay Packers, with 18 Buffs, the most recent being Bakhtiari in 2013 and linebacker Brad Jones in the 7th round of the 2009 draft.

– The NFL team which has chosen the fewest Buffs? There is a tie. The Jacksonville Jaguars have only selected one Buff through the draft, being cornerback Chris Hudson in the third round of the 1995 draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have only chosen one Buff, offensive tackle Steve Young, taken in the third round of the 1976 draft (perhaps the Bucs were thinking that they were drafting quarterback Steve Young, who also played for the Bucs, and that is why they have never again chosen a player from CU).

– Jacksonville has only been around since 1995, with Tampa Bay coming into the league in 1976. I found it surprising that the Minnesota Vikings, who have been around since 1960, have only chosen two Buffs in their history – offensive tackle Jerry McClung in the 17th round of the 1964 draft, and fullback Jim Kelleher, in the 12th round of the 1977 draft.

… and, finally, a little trivia for Bronco fans … There have been 14 Buffs selected in the draft by the Denver Broncos, but none since 1980. Can you name the last Buff drafted by Denver? It was nose tackle Laval Short, taken in the 5th round of the 1980 draft (136th pick overall).

—–

Tags: Kenneth Crawley, Nelson Spruce, Stephane Nembot
This post, about the spring game, from the 2016 Season, is filed under Article.
You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment.