Pro Football Draft Network | 2012 Pro Football Draft Analysis

PFDN evaluates the performance of the more promising senior and eligible underclassmen prospects for the upcoming draft:

QB Matt Barkley, USC, Junior: The true junior did a masterful job of managing the game and making smart decisions.   Barkley completed 24 passes in 35 attempts (69%) for 224 yards (6.4 yards per attempt) with 3 touchdowns passes and no turnovers.  He executed a short, controlled passing attack that dominated the time of possession (39.41) for the Trojans.  Barkley slightly overthrew his only two fairly deep shots down the field.  He was content to take the check down and also hit on the occasional medium range pass. 

The USC signal-caller’s quick mind and release enabled him to get rid of the football quickly.  He also was impressive with his pocket presence.  Barkley has good feet and will slide left, right or step-up in the pocket to deliver the ball.  This is why Barkley does not take many bad sacks.  He also is a clever ball handler and works well off of play-action.  Barkley on a couple of occasions rolled out on 3^rd down and short and ran for the 1^st down despite a defender being in his face.  His quick shoulder and pump fakes enabled him to slip past the Notre Dame defensive player.  Barkley was patient in the pocket and used his eyes well to go through his progressions.  He is equally effective under center or from the shotgun.  Matt Barkley did not wow anyone Saturday night, but he sure looked like a future pro with a good head for the game.  However, it would not be surprising if Barkley decides to return to USC for a 4^th season and throw to a young and exciting group of wide receivers.         

RB Marc Tyler, USC, Senior: The big back (5’ 11” and 230 pounds) started despite a slightly separated shoulder.  Tyler paced the USC ground game early and helped USC establish control with some tough downhill running between the tackles.  Tyler finished the game with 67 yards on 13 carries (5.2 yards per).  His best run (15 yards) came in the 3^rd quarter when on a draw play he broke the run outside and took a Notre Dame tackler (Harrison Smith) for a ride.  Tyler is not a creative runner and he did not show exceptional power or speed against the Irish.  His feet looked average and he was unable to break a long run despite some clear paths into the secondary.  He had a chance to catch a touchdown pass, but he was unable to keep his feet inbounds.  Tyler could be a late-round selection in the 2012 NFL Draft.     

LT Matt Kalil, USC, Redshirt Junior: The Trojans’ offensive line dominated in the trenches and Kalil was one of the reasons why.  He moved well and easily was able to pull on sweeps and get out in space to block on screens.  Kalil showed some pop as a run blocker.  He is tall (6’ 7”), but can sink his hips and lower his center of gravity.  Kalil can slide his feet in pass protection and plays with solid technique.  He missed a block in space, but generally connects with his target.  The talented underclassman was penalized once for a facemask penalty.  He is an aggressive player and that is a positive because he plays under control.  Matt Kalil should be a high 1^st round pick should he decide to enter the upcoming draft.

FS T.J. McDonald, USC, Junior: the team captain posted 5 tackles and was solid, overall.  McDonald is a sure tackler and contributed to limiting Notre Dame to only 41 yards on the ground.  He sometimes helped double Michael Floyd in coverage.  McDonald also provided some tight coverage to tackle the Notre Dame tight end (Tyler Eifert) quickly after the reception.  McDonald will be one of the top safeties in the 2012 NFL Draft should he decide to enter early.  He is better versus the run at this point, but his pass coverage skills should keep improving with experience.

DE Nick Perry, USC, Redshirt Junior: The Trojans’ best pass rusher contributed 6 tackles, .5 tackle for loss and 1-batted pass.  Perry has excellent speed that he demonstrated when he ran an outside running play down from behind for a 2-yard loss early in the game.  He relies heavily on his speed to run around an offensive tackle.  Perry did not register a sack against Notre Dame, but he flashed good lateral quickness to create some pressure.  He was active defending the run, but a much better test will soon come in USC’s next game against Stanford.  Perry is undersized (6’ 3” and 250 lbs) for an NFL defensive end.  His athletic ability makes him a candidate to play outside linebacker at the next level.  How well he plays in the 2^nd half of the season likely will determine whether he decides to enter the draft early.  

DT DaJohn Harris, USC, Senior: Harris had a quiet game and was not credited with a tackle.  He did show a decent rip move, but generally had trouble disengaging from blocks.  Harris was not blown off the ball, but he was not disruptive.  He maintained his gap responsibility.  Harris looked slow to free himself when attempting to spin away from the offensive lineman. 

MLB Chris Galippo, USC, Senior: The USC middle linebacker tallied 1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass breakup and 1 quarterback pressure in the game.  He timed a blitz well early in the game to put a hit on the quarterback.  His alert hustle resulted in a fumble recovery late.  Galippo is a marginal pro prospect who will have to excel on special teams to make an NFL team.  He does not have the elite diagnostic or physical skills to warrant a high selection.

TE Rhett Ellison, USC, Senior: The Trojans ran for 219 yards and averaged 5 yards per carry.  Ellison did a fine job blocking whether lined-up as a tight end or as a fullback.  He caught one pass for 2 yards.  Ellison failed to catch a short touchdown pass when he let a pass go through his hands.  The USC tight end has to make the most of the passes that do come his way.  He will not be much of a pass-catching threat in the NFL.  However, Ellison can block and there is always a need for two tight end formations.

WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame, Senior: Notre Dame’s top offensive weapon was held to only 4 catches for a mere 28 yards (7.0 per).  There were a number of reasons why.  First, USC did a good job having a safety over the top for much of the game and the coverage was typically tight.  Second, the Irish’s quarterback play in this game was pretty bad.  There were times that Floyd was open and his quarterback failed to spot him or went for the check down.  There were other times Floyd and his quarterback were not in sync and the ball was thrown to the wrong spot.  Third, USC totally dominated the time of possession and the Notre Dame offense spent a lot of time on the sideline.  Floyd did not have a good game offensively, but it was not all on him.  He did show consistent effort during the game from a blocking standpoint.  

ILB Manti Te’o, Notre Dame, Junior: The talented inside linebacker was active with 10 tackles.  However, most of his tackles were down the field after positive gains.  He did not diagnose any plays extremely quickly and blow-up the play before the blocking could develop.  Te’o did a solid job, but his defensive line lost the battle against USC’s offensive line.  Te’o was out of position on a touchdown pass early in the game when Matt Barkley’s eyes led him astray.  He had a USC running back bounce off of him for what would have been a loss.  Te’o failed to wrap-up on this play.  The big thumper (6’ 2” and 250 lbs) flashed what he can do in coverage when he leveled a USC receiver after making a short catch in the 2^nd half.  He displayed excellent range on stops near the sideline.  Overall, Te’o was unable to make a big defensive play to change the momentum of the game.  However, his speed, size and physical nature were obvious.

S Harrison Smith, Notre Dame, Senior: Smith led the Irish with 14 tackles.  He also broke up a pass over the middle by knocking down the ball as soon as it arrived.  Smith’s sure tackling was one reason why USC was unable to break any long runs.  Smith did his job and came to play.  However, any defense is in trouble when the big guys up front are being effectively blocked.

OLB Darius Fleming, Notre Dame, Senior: The versatile defender had a solid game with 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and a couple of quarterback pressures.  Fleming looked comfortable as an outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense or putting his hand on the ground as a defensive end.  Fleming showed his pursuit skills on a sweep by USC on 3^rd and 2 to prevent a 1^st down in the 2^nd quarter.  He played hard throughout the game.  Fleming’s quick inside move beat USC’s right tackle to stuff a run in the 4^th quarter as Notre Dame tried to keep the game close.  He did not show a dominant pass rush move, but Fleming put some pressure on Matt Barkley.

TE Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame, Junior: He led Notre Dame with 7 receptions for 66 yards (9.4 per).  Eifert is a crafty route-runner who catches the ball well.  He was unable to shake a tackle and turn a short completion into a bigger gain.  Eifert has good size (6’ 6” and 250 lbs) with a frame that looks like it can handle more weight.  His aggressive blocking ability was not a big factor because the Irish only ran the ball 14 times.  The senior class of tight ends available in the 2012 NFL Draft is not a strong group.  Eifert could decide to add his name to the mix if he plays well down the stretch.