Welcome to another edition of Heirs to the Throne, where I outline the stars of tomorrow TODAY, whether they are buried on the depth chart or still in the college ranks.
Last year, I was one of the first to alert you to the pro potential of underclassmen LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin and Kenny Britt, and helped uncover buried treasures such as Tashard Choice.
Who are tomorrow's "Heirs to the Throne"? Let's get it after it!
QB Tony Pike, Cincinnati Bearcats
This year's draft promises several intriguing quarterback prospects. Many you already know about: Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Jimmy Clausen. All intriguing for one reason or another. Well we need to throw Pike into that mix now.
Pike has led the Bearcats to an undefeated season thus far, with a Big East championship deciding game against the Pittsburgh Panthers looming this weekend. Pike, a senior, has completed 65.1 percent of his passes in 2009 for 2048 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only 3 interceptions. He missed a few games, but started against Illinois and had one of his best games, completing 32-46 passes for 399 yards and six touchdowns.
The guy definitely has the size NFL teams crave at 6'6 and 225 pounds. And he has improved across the board in regards to his accuracy and interception rate as a two year starter for the Bearcats. But there are those that believe that Pike doesn't have the necessary arm strength to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, nor is he the most elusive cat out there; but in the right system, Pike's accuracy and game management could be invaluable. Just ask the Raiders and JaMarcus Russell what arm strength alone is good for in this league. At this point, I would take my chances with Pike over Tebow and McCoy.
RB Ryan Mathews, Fresno St Bulldogs
Many of the top running back prospects this year are the slightly undersized, electric type variety (Jahvid Best, Jaquizz Rodgers, Noel Devine, CJ Spiller to name a few). But if you are looking for a “prototypical” running back to build your team around, Fresno St. junior running back Ryan Mathews is an interesting name to keep in mind. Mathews, at 5’11 and 220 pounds, is the kind of guy that can carry the rock between the tackles as well as bounce it outside when the opening presents itself. Mathews suffered a concussion in his last game against Nevada, but had been a monster workhorse back before that, with 213 carries on the year, averaging an eye opening 7 yards a pop, which is solid no matter what conference you play in.
Mathews doesn’t play in a BCS conference, so his exposure has been limited, but he has produced well when playing against the best teams on the Bulldog schedule. Earlier this year, the Fresno St. lost three consecutive games against Wisconsin, Boise St. and Cincinnati; however, in those losses, Mathews did his part, averaging 162 yards, including a 234 yard masterpiece against the still unbeaten Boise St. Broncos and carrying the ball 38 times against a very solid (and undefeated) Cincinnati Bearcat defense. He hasn’t caught that many passes this year (just 11 receptions), but when you are averaging 7.0 yards a carry, you can be excused until pro day.
As mentioned earlier, Mathews, a junior, suffered a concussion in his game against Nevada, and in today’s NFL, we all know running backs do not have a long shelf life. I fully expect Mathews to reevaluate his options at the end of the year and declare for the draft. Mathews will definitely capture the eye of several NFL teams, and in the right situation, could be a “surprise” franchise back.
WR Jordan Shipley, Texas Longhorns
Shipley has quite simply been the undefeated Longhorns' most productive player in 2009. With 99 catches for 1292 yards and 11 touchdowns, Shipley has helped the Longhorns move the chains when the running game could not. He has also contributed on special teams, with 306 punt return yards and two more touchdowns.
And that's good, because coming into the season, Shipley wasn't highly regarded as it pertained to his NFL potential. And even now, after a very productive season, has several huge question marks. The first being his size. At 6'0 and 190 pounds, he simply does not have the frame NFL teams are looking for when they think “franchise” wideout. He really doesn't even have the frame for the prototypical number two receiver in the NFL either. But Shipley does have the tools to serve beautifully doubling up as some team's slot receiver and special teams returner. He runs good routes and has great hands.
I believe Shipley could eventually develop similarly to Brandon Stokely. Don't laugh. Remember what Stokely did for the Colts during his heyday, and what Eddie Royal did for the Broncos last year. In a high powered offense, Stokely could put up borderline fantasy WR2 numbers from the WR3/slot position. Definitely a guy to stash with a later round pick in dynasty.
