Oklahoma State recruiting class beginning where 2012 class ended–with wide receivers
Marcell Ateman, a four-star wide receiver from East High School in Wylie, Texas, announced on Twitter Wednesday night that he had committed to Oklahoma State.
That now makes six wide receivers that have committed to the Cowboys since the calendar turned to 2012. Three were late additions to the 2012 class that signed with the Cowoys–Jhajuan Seales, Austin Hays and Jesse Vester. One was Chance Allen, who committed to OSU in January before switching to Oregon on Signing Day. Then there’s Ateman and Fred Ross, another four-star receiver from Tyler, Texas who was the first 2013 commit.
Those figures don’t include C.J. Curry, Brandon Sheperd and Blake Webb, receivers who all committed in 2011 and signed with OSU as part of the 2012 class.
This all emphasizes the importance of receivers in the Cowboys’ spread offense. Eight receivers caught at least 10 passes for the Cowboys last season, and it’s fair to say that they will need a greater contribution from more players in 2012 after losing Justin Blackmon and Josh Cooper.
Even when OSU only loses two receivers following the 2012 season–Tracy Moore and Isaiah Anderson–consistently reloading is still necessary. Michael Harrison’s unexpected suspension and departure is a perfect example of why.
But the biggest difference between the receivers that signed at the end of the 2012 recruiting season and the ones that have committed early for the 2013 class?
Seales, Hays and Vester were all two-star players, while Ross and Ateman are four-star players. We knew the 2013 class is really where we’d see how OSU’s historic 2011 season would affect recruiting, and so far it’s been understandably positive.
The Cowboys signed three four-star players in February (Curry, quarterback Wes Lunt and linebacker Seth Jacobs). They’ve already got two committed–and at the same position.
Wide Receiver U?
Justin Gilbert a first-round pick in first Sports Illustrated’s first 2013 mock draft
The 2012 NFL Draft just ended, which means it’s the perfect time to already predict where players will get selected in 2013, right?
Sports Illustrated thinks so.
Andrew Perloff came out with his first 2013 mock NFL Draft Tuesday, and Oklahoma State cornerback/kick returner Justin Gilbert is projected to go off the board at No. 14 overall to the Tennessee Titans. There he could reunite with Cowboy teammate Markelle Martin, who was drafted by the Titans in the sixth round Saturday.
Here’s how he projects the first round:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
2. Indianapolis Colts: Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: David Amerson, CB, NC State
4. Oakland Raiders: Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee
5. Minnesota Vikings: Robert Woods, WR, USC
6. Cleveland Browns: Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU
7. Miami Dolphins: Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
8. Seattle Seahawks: Matt Barkley, QB, USC
9. St. Louis Rams: Barrett Jones, OT, Alabama
10. Carolina Panthers: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
11. St. Louis Rams: Jonathan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
12. Buffalo Bills: Chris Faulk, OT, LSU
13. San Diego Chargers, Keenan Allen, WR, California
14. Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
15. Detroit Lions: Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
16. Dallas Cowboys: Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
17. Denver Broncos: Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
18. Cincinnati Bengals: Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
19. Arizona Cardinals: Brandon Jenkins, OLB, Florida State
20. New York Giants: Ricky Wagner, OT, Wisconsin
21. New York Jets: Jonathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State
22. Atlanta Falcons: William Gholston, DE, Michigan State
23. Kansas City Chiefs, Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
24. New Orleans Saints: Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU
25. Baltimore Ravens: Ray-Ray Armstrong, S, Miami
26. San Francisco 49ers: D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
27. Houston Texans: Terrance Williams, WR, Baylor
28. Chicago Bears: Cyril Richardson, OT, Baylor
29. New England Patriots: Star Lotulelei, NT, Utah
30. Philadelphia Eagles: Eric Reid, S, LSU
31. Pittsburgh Steelers: John Jenkins, DT, Georgia
31. Green Bay Packers: Sean Porter, OLB, Texas A&M
Obviously, it’s way too early for these types of predictions. But they’re fun. Here’s a look back at his first 2012 mock draft.
1. Buffalo Bills: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2. Carolina Panthers: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
3. Cleveland Browns: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
4. Tennessee Titans: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
5. Seattle Seahawks: Matt Barkley, QB, USC
6. Denver Broncos: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
7. Cincinnati Bengals: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
8. Oakland Raiders: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
9. Minnesota Vikings: Jonathan Martin, T, Stanford
10. Washington Redskins: Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska
11. Dallas Cowboys: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
12. Detroit Lions: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina
13. Miami Dolphins: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
14. Kansas City Chiefs: Nate Potter, OT, Boise State
15. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
16. Houston Texans: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
17. San Francisco 49ers: Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama
19 Arizona Cardinals: Kelechi Osemele, T/G, Iowa State
20. New York Giants: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
21. Baltimore Ravens: Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
22. Chicago Bears: Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama
23. New England Patriots: Kheeston Randall, DT, Texas
24. St. Louis Rams: Travis Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
25. Indianapolis Colts: Ray Ray Armstrong, S, Miami
26. Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Jenkins, DE, Florida State
27. San Diego Chargers: Devin Taylor, DE, South Carolina
28. Cleveland Browns (via Atlanta Falcons): Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
29. New York Jets: Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor
30. Green Bay Packers: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
31. New England Patriots (via the Saints): Matt Reynolds, OT, BYU
32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Alameda Ta’amu, DT, Washington
Hey, at least he predicted the No. 1 overall pick right.
But what does this mean? Expectations are high for Gilbert, an exceptional athlete known for his dymanic returns but who also developed into a solid cornerback in his sophomore season. He had five interceptions and 10 pass break-ups in 2011, as well as 59 tackles.
Oklahoma State connections on Day 3 of NFL Draft
Spent the majority of the day on the couch watching the NFL Draft. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday.
Here’s what I was keeping track of:
How many former Cowboys got picked? None were selected in Friday’s second or third round. Markelle Martin, Jamie Blatnick, Johnny Thomas, Levy Adcock, Josh Cooper and Grant Garner were possible draftees.
Martin’s name finally popped up on the screen in the middle of the sixth round, getting selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 20th pick (No. 190 overall). His fall was a big shock to me. I thought the knee injury that kept him from working out at the NFL Combine and OSU’s pro day in March could drop him from the third round (where he was projected by many to get selected), but I did not think he’d fall this far. Safeties that were picked before him: South Carolina State’s Christian Thompson (fourth round-Ravens), Maine’s Jerron McMillan (fourth round-Packers), Samford’s Corey White (fifth round-Saints). The Titans were one of the teams at Martin’s individual pro day two weeks ago, so this landing spot made sense.
I was also surprised that neither Blatnick nor Thomas were drafted. I expected Adcock, Cooper and Garner to need to go the free-agent route. It will be interesting to see which teams they sign with.
Like last night, I’m also curious to see what pieces the Browns and Jaguars add to complement Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon. Here are the picks those two teams have (as of now):
Browns
Round 4 No. 5: Travis Benjamin, WR, Miami
Shall we start the hashtag #Weeden2Benjamin? Many thought the Browns would add a wide receiver on Day 2, but they go with Benjamin with their first pick on Day 3. Benjamin ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the Combine–on par with second-round pick Stephen Hill–and tallied 41 receptions for 609 yards and three touchdowns in 2011. He can also return punts.
Round 4 No. 25: James-Michael Johnson, LB, Nevada
Browns go back to defense with their second pick of the fourth round. He amassed 100 tackles (6.5 for loss), three pass break-ups and one forced fumble last season. Mel Kiper liked his work ethic and size (6-2, 240) and said he was one of the big risers during the pre-draft process.
Round 5 No. 25: Ryan Miller, guard, Colorado
More protection for Brandon Weeden, following the Browns’ selection of Mitchell Schwartz in the second round. Miller, who stands 6-7 and weighs 320 pounds, started 48 games for the Buffaloes and was rose from a late-round/free agent prospect to a mid-round prospect during the pre-draft process.
Round 6 No. 34: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
Fans around these parts have seen plenty of Acho at UT. The All-Big 12 first team selection tallied 117 tackles (14.5 for loss), three sacks, seven quarterback hurries, five pass break-ups and a forced fumble in 2011.
Round 6 No. 35: Billy Winn, DE, Boise State
Browns go defense again after addressing the offense so heavily earlier in the draft. He had 33 tackles (eight for loss) and three sacks in 2011. Winn was once projected as an early-round pick, but he struggled at the Senior Bowl and combine.
Round 7 No. 38: Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona
Three straight defensive picks now for the Browns. Wade was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection after compiling 52 tackles, two interceptions and 13 pass break-ups in 2011.
Round 7 No. 40: Brad Smelley, FB, Alabama
And here’s Trent Richardson’s lead blocker. That nearly completes the revamped Browns’ offense, which added a running back, quarterback, wide receiver, fullback and two offensive linemen.
Jaguars
Round 5 No. 7: Brandon Marshall, LB, Nevada
Still no more offensive players selected by the Jags after Blackmon. Marshall, who impressed at the combine, compiled 102 tackles (7.5 for loss), two sacks, four pass break-ups and one forced fumble in 2011.
Round 6 No. 6: Mike Harris, DB, Florida State
The Jaguars continue to focus on the defense in this draft, a unit that ranked sixth in the NFL in total defense (313 yards allowed per game) a season ago. The former junior college transfer had 58 tackles (six for loss), nine pass break-ups and an interception in 2011. He projects as a nickelback in the NFL.
Round 7 No. 21: Jeris Pendleton, DT, Ashland University
Ah, a late-round small school pick. That’s pretty much all I have to contribute there.
So, the only offensive player the Jags selected was Blackmon.
Oklahoma State connections on Day 2 of NFL Draft
I watched the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft from my apartment in Stillwater Friday night. Not nearly as glamorous as being at the Weeden crib last night. Oh well.
Two things I was monitoring:
If Markelle Martin was selected. He wasn’t. He was projected by many to go in the third round, but I’d imagine the knee injury that kept him from working out at the NFL Combine and OSU’s pro day last month was a factor in him slipping to the fourth round. The Titans, Colts, Jaguars, Patriots, Buccaneers and Falcons were at Martin’s individual pro day two weeks ago, so I’d most expect him to go to one of those teams.
I was also paying attention to who the Jaguars and Browns added to complement Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden. Here’s a breakdown of those picks.
Jaguars’ second-day picks
Second round No. 6 (No. 38 overall): Andre Branch, DE/OLB, Clemson
The Jags went defense with their second selection, upgrading their pass rush by taking the versatile Branch. He tallied 77 tackles (16 for loss), 9.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries in 2011.
Third round No. 7: Bryan Anger, P, California
Well this is interesting. Anger ranked 13th in the nation in punting yards per game (44.25) last season and made the All-Pac-12 First Team.
So, no offensive complements for Blackmon on Day 2.
Browns’ second-day picks
Second round No. 5 (No. 37 overall): Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
Surprised the Browns didn’t go wide receiver here, but Schwartz is a key part of the continued overhaul of the Cleveland offense. And I’m sure Weeden, should he become the starter, will appreciate the protection. The 6-5, 315-pound Schwartz started 51 games at Cal, at both tackle positions, and especially impressed at the Senior Bowl during pass-blocking drills. He told reporters at the Senior Bowl that Cal’s diverse blocking schemes helped him prepare for the pros.
Third round No. 24: John Hughes, DT, Cincinnati
The Browns decided to address the defense after making a trade with the Broncos to move down in the third round. Hughes tallied 51 tackles (12.5 for loss), five sacks and two quarterback hurries in 2011.
Cleveland will have two picks in the fourth round. Perhaps we’ll find the second part of the next #Weeden2 hashtag then?
The draft resumes at 11 a.m. Saturday. Martin will surely come off the board at some point. Jamie Blatnick and Johnny Thomas could go in the late rounds. There’s also a small chance guys like Levy Adcock, Josh Cooper and Grant Garner could be selected late, but they’ll likely need to join a team as an undrafted free agent.
Wes Lunt’s high school coach reacts to Lunt being named Oklahoma State starting quarterback
I spoke to Derek Leonard, Wes Lunt’s former coach at Rochester (Ill.) High School, Thursday evening about Lunt being named Oklahoma State’s new starting quarterback. He was clearly excited, saying, “If he wins the job, we all win the job.”
Obviously, this was a big deal with local media that part of Illinois. Here’s a clip from Sports Radio 1450 in Springfield.
Todd Monken responds to Landry Jones quote
A comment Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Todd Monken made in an ESPN.com story about the Cowboys’ quarterback competition created some controversy Thursday–because the comment was made about Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones.
“It didn’t take long when ol’ (Ryan) Broyles went down and (the Sooners) started running the dozer to think: ‘Do we have our guy? That didn’t take long. Landry went from like, ‘I’m the man to all of a sudden, ‘I haven’t thrown a touchdown pass, I’m fumbling it over my head at Oklahoma State. I gotta go back and see my quarterback guru.’”
Monken responded to the story on Friday.
“I want to apologize to Landry Jones and to the Oklahoma football program for using them as a specific example to illustrate a point concerning how quickly an injury to a key player can impact how a team plays. While speaking to a visiting member of the media about the importance of a quarterback’s confidence and demeanor and about how quickly things can change in football, I made the mistake of making a specific reference to illustrate my point.”
You can read Mike Baldwin’s take on the quote here.
J.W. Walsh transferring? “Heck no,” says his father
OSU's J.W. Walsh scrambles during Oklahoma State's spring football game at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, April 21, 2012. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Whenever a quarterback competition is settled by naming a starter, speculation immediately starts swirling about the other contenders transferring. There’s (usually) only one guy who gets to throw the football, after all.
That’s already happened with J.W. Walsh–and to a lesser extent, Clint Chelf–after OSU announced Thursday that true freshman early enrollee Wes Lunt had earned the starting job.
But Walsh’s father, John, who is also the head coach at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, told the Denton Record-Chronicle that Walsh is not considering transferring right now.
“Heck no,” John said.
“Just talking to him, he’s disappointed but he still loves Oklahoma State football and he’s fired up about going to work. Knowing J.W., this will probably turn his work ethic up a couple of notches.
“I know how he’ll respond. I feel bad for him because of how he’s feeling, but I’m still excited about what’s in store for 2012.”
John said he spoke to J.W. shortly after the announcement was made Thursday and that coaches told his son he would still have an opportunity to play. I’ve said before that I fully expect a package to be built for J.W. with both running plays and passing plays. The coaches think too highly of J.W.’s athleticism to leave him on the sideline.
“His initial feeling was disappointment, and probably a little ticked off,” John said. “But in the same breath, he was talking really logically. There’s going to be lots of disappointments before he graduates and it’s how you react that determines your success.”
What’s most interesting to me is to see how this decision affects the Guyer-OSU pipeline that has been developed over the past couple years.
J.W., wide receiver Josh Stewart and defensive end Jimmy Bean are all from the school, and “athlete” Dominic Ramacher is a 2012 signee that will arrive in Stillwater in the fall. On display in John’s office at Dention High School are framed 8×10 photos of J.W., Stewart and Bean in orange OSU jerseys.
Guyer has two 2013 recruits rated three-star prospects by Rivals in offensive lineman Patrick Morris (committed to TCU) and wide receiver Ellis Jefferson. Oklahoma State is not listed as a school Jefferson is interested in or that has offered him.
So no sour grapes from J.W. or John. And Mike Gundy can’t run his program based on who somebody’s father is or the fear that player will transfer. He’s got to play the best guys. But it’s something still worth monitoring.
Brandon Weeden: Already the Browns’ starter?
Yes, according to this report from ESPN.com’s Tony Grossi.
Grossi writes that with the decision to take Weeden with the No. 22 overall pick, “the Browns left no doubt – none whatsoever – that the Colt McCoy era is over after one full season as starter and a two-year record of 6-15.”
“We’ve got a new quarterback that’s going to be with us,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “I think (Thursday night) is more or less about Brandon Weeden and less about the competition.”
Grossi cites sources that said Browns owner Randy Lerner had not been satisfied with the quarterback play and that president Mike Holmgren–known throughout the NFL as a QB guru–would find a new signal-caller in the draft.
Weeden said Thursday night that he was excited to compete with McCoy for the job, even referencing that they both come from Big 12 country.
Looks like the job might already be won.
Oklahoma State football: belated post-spring thoughts
Apologize for the delay on one of these types of blogs, folks. I’ve been a little slammed with draft preview coverage.
We covered a ton of angles from the OSU spring finale in Sunday’s and Monday’s papers, but here are some additional random observations that I had from the game, and from the spring in general, that weren’t noted or explained thoroughly in previous stories.
Not shocked we didn’t get a starting quarterback announcement today. It sounds like it might come Thursday. If that’s the case, can I request it happen in the morning? Some of us are covering Justin Blackmon, and possibly Brandon Weeden, getting drafted Thursday night.
J.W. Walsh told me that he didn’t know the finale/game/whatever was going to be “live” (as in tackling) until Saturday morning. “We didn’t know what (the spring finale) was.” None of us did, really. I was under the impression that it was going to be another “thud” scrimmage. Granted, the quarterbacks didn’t get hit unless they took off running, and running plays were often blown dead early. But there was definitely more hitting than I expected.
Have a day, Charlie Moore. As I mentioned in my Monday Insider, I certainly did not expect him to explode for nine catches, 243 yards and three touchdowns. But I was not surprised to see him become a solid target and make some really athletic plays. One of the best plays of the entire spring was a connection between him and Lunt on a 40-50-yardish deep ball in a scrimmage about two weeks ago. Moore ran either a wheel route or a go route down the far sideline. Lunt slightly overthrew the ball, and Moore made a remarkable diving catch in the end zone. I’ve also seen him out-jump defenders on more than one occasion and use his size to snag the ball. I was surprised, however, at his speed on that first touchdown grab. He split the defense and outran a quick secondary on his way to the house. Spring stars don’t always become fall stars, and I still expect Tracy Moore and Josh Stewart to be the Cowboys’ go-to receivers in 2012. But “Chuck” definitely showed this spring that he can contribute.
The defensive linemen have been really good at tipping balls at the line of scrimmage. Part of that could be on the quarterbacks, but you’ve got to have solid awareness and athleticism to get a hand up.
Staying with the defensive line, I thought one overlooked player was Ryan Robinson. He had three tackles (two for loss) and one sack. He’s quick off the edge. Mike Gundy has praised Robinson throughout the spring, saying he’s in so much better shape now and has finally “gotten it” after transferring from junior college a year ago.
I thought we’d see more of Herschel Sims. Running backs coach Jemal Singleton was extremely high on Sims’ development when I spoke to him a couple weeks ago. He had really started to show up in recent scrimmages, displaying some speed to get to the outside and then cut up the sideline. That said, it was a positive sign to see Desmond Roland rip off a big 30-yard run run. OSU is pretty stacked at running back, which will be a big help to whoever wins the starting quarterback job.
Cowboy fans better hope that David Glidden can catch a punt.
One of the most entertaining moments happened after the game. While I was in the middle of a media group around Joseph Randle, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a couple reporters were talking to new tight end/inside receiver Blake Jackson. Interviews are a big no-no for first-year players—yes, even junior college transfers. It took a couple minutes before an OSU media relations staffer noticed this madness, grabbed Jackson and pushed him away. I think this is a silly rule with how much these kids talk to the press during the recruiting process, but it’s something Gundy is pretty adamant about. This means if Wes Lunt wins the starting QB job, you won’t hear from him all season unless the rule is changed or an exception is made.
Once this starting quarterback decision is made—or the decision is made that they will not yet decide on a starter (see what I did there?)—we’ll head into some down time in the summer months. I might even take a vacation…eventually =)
But until some QB news breaks…
Oklahoma State QB decision may not come Wednesday
Following Oklahoma State’s spring finale on Saturday afternoon, coach Mike Gundy told us about this magical meeting between him and the offensive staff taking place on Wednesday. The topic: quarterbacks. The goal: name a starter going into the summer.
Tonight, Oklahoma State sent out a press release saying this:
“We just want to give you a heads-up that it is not necessarily a given that Oklahoma State will have an update on its quarterbacks tomorrow. If we have something, we will certainly share it with you, but please don’t view it as an absolute that an announcement is coming tomorrow.”
This is something that my partner, John Helsley, and I have heard some rumblings about the last couple days. That certainly doesn’t mean that a starter will not be named tomorrow. And the possibility has always existed that a starter would not be named after the meeting. People change their minds. That statement could also simply mean that an announcement could come, say, Friday instead of Wednesday.
I know Gundy wants to name a starter in the very near future. He said it before practices began last month. He said it at every media availability throughout the spring. He said it Saturday multiple times.
I also know offensive coordinator Todd Monken was more hesitant about this when I spoke to him before the spring began. He didn’t come out and say that the Cowboys weren’t ready to name a starter after the spring finale, but I can’t imagine his feelings have changed much, based on how close this race has been. He did say in March that he for sure wanted to narrow it down to two quarterbacks before fall camp, however.
We’ll have a story in Wednesday’s Oklahoman breaking down what it would mean for the Cowboys if Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh or Wes Lunt won the job. Or the alternative–if OSU continues the competition into fall camp.
