One of the colleges with several draft prospects hails from Palo Alto. David Shaw’s Stanford Cardinal should have at least seven players who will be drafted, and perhaps as many as 12 guys who wind up in NFL camps this summer. Here is a brief look at each culled from watching six games in 2014 and three in 2013.

Andrus Peat--the most prominent Stanford prospect is the big left tackle. Peat checks all the boxes; he’s long, he’s strong, he has good feet, he is nimble, he is powerful with good pad level, he is smart. His father played in the NFL too. The issue for Peat is that all those boxes don’t stay checked all the time. He’s inconsistently awesome but more often only average.

Take the game against Washington and Hau-oli Kikaha, who wound up leading the nation in sacks. Peat so thoroughly dominated Kikaha in the first half that my notes read like a Hall of Fame induction speech. Yet two weeks later against Notre Dame Peat was lethargic, played consistently too high and had three penalties. Here’s one of them, which follows a humiliating missed snap count in the opposite direction, too:

His technique is inconsistent as well. There are times where he squares up his target perfectly, sliding his feet with ease and locking out with strong shoulders and excellent hand placement. There are just as many times where he lands his hands either too high or narrow, not stepping through his punch and lunging out to reach his block--particularly when down blocking (crashing inside). His passion meter vacillates wildly, at times fearsome but other times looking like a guy who doesn’t really enjoy playing football.

His upside and pedigree are going to get Peat drafted in the first half of the first round. There’s a very good chance the 6’7”, 313-pounder will be the first offensive tackle selected. It is a big risk, as Peat is a classic boom/bust prospect.

Current projection: No. 9 overall to the New York Giants

Alex Carter--Carter is a smooth cornerback who already plays like a 5-year NFL veteran. At 6’ and right around 205 pounds, he’s got the coveted size. His playing speed is slightly above-average, but he’s got very strong click-and-close ability with the ball in the air.

So why is he widely seen as a 2nd or 3rd round talent? Some of it stems from his almost robotic approach in coverage. You can see him processing the information in front of him before reacting at times, not always trusting what he is seeing. It’s why he can get beat in man coverage and doesn’t always make the plays a player with his athletic skills should. Carter can also be grabby when receivers make their breaks, something readily seen when he matched up with Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong, a top 40 talent.

Dane Brugler of CBS wrote a succinct eval of Carter I wholeheartedly endorse:

 

The Combine will be critical for his draft stock. If Carter measures in at a legit 6’ tall--I suspect he will--and validates the guesstimated 4.45 40 time and solid agility drill metrics, teams are going to look at his positives and elevate him into the top 40 himself. Yet if he’s a half-second slower, a quarter-inch shorter or looks somewhat mechanical in the movement drills, it will be easier to look at his negatives and justify moving him down to the 75-100 overall range. I’m not done with a final ranking yet, but Carter looks destined to wind up in the 40-50 range.

Current projection: Second round to Philadelphia

Ty Montgomery--speed. I am speed. Lightning McQueen’s famous tagline applies to Montgomery, Stanford’s jack of all trades offensive weapon. He’s a track star in a straight line, capable of blazing past just about any defender and quickly devouring yards as a runner, receiver or return man.

Herein lies the rub. Finding a position for Montgomery is difficult. His speed is pretty straight-line, a long-strider who doesn’t decelerate quickly or more laterally all that well. That impacts his route running, and his average size (6’ even and 212 at the Senior Bowl after being listed at 6’2” and 222 by Stanford) and shaky hands curb the enthusiasm for his prospects as a receiver. In the six games I watched for 2014, including USC, Utah and Washington, I counted 11 drops to 33 catches. That’s awful, and I’m generally pretty stringent on placing drops on the receiver and not the quarterback.

As a runner, Montgomery is not very elusive and lacks vision. Stanford used him in a variety of rushing capacities, from jet sweeps to Wildcat to a few looks at tailback. He went down on first contact far too often, a trait which also rears its ugly head as a receiver. That’s not to say he doesn’t show some real potential with the ball in his hands; he ran right through highly-touted Washington CB Marcus Peters and two other defenders for a touchdown, and slammed two separate Oregon DBs to the ground in their game. When he anticipates the hit, Montgomery shows toughness. Unfortunately he doesn’t do that very often. Between his shaky hands, limited vision and inconsistent power, he’s not really a viable, reliable weapon as either a receiver or a runner. His best fit is as a return specialist and situational outside receiver. Someone suggested a comparison of Jacoby Jones, but that seems a little optimistic to me. He will be overdrafted.

Current projection:  Third round to the New York Jets

Henry Anderson--like Montgomery, I got a chance to watch Anderson up close and personal during the Senior Bowl practices. Like Peat, Anderson offers intriguing potential but not always displaying it effectively.

Anderson is a defensive end with nice length and decent productivity (14.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks as a senior). His trademark is his opportunism. He’s not an exceptional athlete; during his catwalk strut at Senior Bowl weigh-ins he lacked muscle definition and had the body of a middle-aged weekend warrior. There isn’t much twitchiness to his movement, though he’s functionally strong through his legs and shoulders. In watching film and during the Thursday session of Senior Bowl practice, I saw a guy who winds up on the ground an inordinate amount. He’s not going to wow you with his physical ability. Instead, he gets by on high effort, smarts and quick reactions.

His game against Utah is a good microcosm. Anderson notched three sacks officially. One of those came when Utes QB Travis Wilson ran straight into him as he wildly scrambled, just as Anderson nicely shed a backside block. Another came as Anderson crawled a step after being leveraged to the ground and Wilson stepped into his range. The third came as he was unblocked on a stunt after the right guard lost him in the shuffle. Anderson showed similar opportunism and hustle in other games. He’s not a dynamic player at all, but he is quite effective at what he does. At 6’6” and with some room to add to his 282 pounds, Anderson should make for an effective, understated 5-technique for a 3-4 team like Arizona or Green Bay for several years. I know some are higher on Anderson but I really don’t see greatness.

Current projection: Third round to Green Bay

David Parry--one of the things scouts look for when evaluating players is a defined role. What is something concrete this player can do for my team? At times it can be hard--Washington’s Shaq Thompson is a great example this year. Yet with a guy like defensive tackle David Parry, it’s readily evident.

Parry is a one-technique 4-3 tackle in the NFL, the kind of anchor teams like to pair next to a dynamic 3-tech disruptor. That doesn’t mean Parry won’t make some plays in the backfield, as his 8 TFLs and 5 sacks in 2014 indicate. He’s got some explosion to his legs when he uses his hands properly to separate off the block, and he’s good a locating the ball. His strength is his strength a la Stephen Paea of the Bears, though Parry’s is more evenly distributed than the top-heavy Paea. Stanford’s defense was at its best with Parry and Anderson next to each other and attacking off one another. When asked to do more on his own, Parry struggled. Good NFL teams can absolutely find ways to use Parry effectively, and he could wind up being a middle-round gem. There really aren’t many negatives to his game, but his best attributes aren’t the type that garner lofty draft status or fan acclaim. I will rate him much higher than his ultimate draft slot.

Current projection: Fifth round to Miami

Jordan Richards--an instinctive safety with quick reactions and a knack for great pursuit angles, Richards is a coach’s dream on the field. He’s very good at presnap play recognition and aligning the back end of the defense, attributes he showed during Shrine Game practices with complete strangers around him. There is an easy, natural leadership to him and he quickly gained respect from both his defensive mates and the offensive foes in St. Pete.

Unfortunately, he’s just not very fast. It’s especially noticeable when he’s playing in deeper coverage or single-high alignment as Stanford sometimes deployed him. Faster receivers can get over the top on him, and he just doesn’t have the sideline-to-sideline range of better NFL safeties. There are instances in every game I watched where he’s a half-count away from making the great play, but his 5’11” body just can’t cash in the checks his high football IQ is writing. Given the sorry/desperate state of the NFL safety population, Richards can and probably will earn a starting role fairly quickly but ideally he’s a third safety.

Current projection: Fourth round to Oakland

A.J. Tarpley--the word that comes to mind when watching Tarpley, Stanford’s defensive captain, is reliable. He is reliably in the right position, and his tackling is as reliable as they come. In fact, he didn’t have a charted missed tackle in any of the games I watched. He impressed with his ability to read plays during Shrine Game practices, too.

Here comes the “but”, as there seemingly always is when talking about a guy like Tarpley. He’s smallish at just 233 pounds, and smaller linebackers either have to be freakishly quick (think Lavonte David) or outrageously strong (think Chris Borland). Tarpley is neither. Because of that, he’s likely a backup at the stronger, faster NFL level. Fortunately for him, he does offer versatility in that role. He has the acumen to play inside and just enough athletic ability to handle a few snaps a game as an outside backer who can turn and run with inline tight ends or navigate his way to off-tackle runs. If he embraces the special teams role that comes as an expectation with that job, Tarpley could play for a long time. Not bad for a likely 7th-round pick.

Current projection: Seventh round to Chicago

James Vaughters--as noted with Parry above, zeroing in on a defined role is important for players that are not going on the draft’s first two days. During Shrine Game practices, my good friend Emory Hunt and I quickly saw Vaughters’ NFL destiny:

 

He’s beefy for that role at a well-defined 257 pounds, but he moves fluidly. Another feather in his cap is his fantastic knack for timing the blitz, something he did exceptionally well against Maryland and Utah. He primarily lined up outside for the Cardinal, but his bulk makes him a natural 3-4 ILB conversion in the NFL. His lateral agility is not great, showing some tightness in the ankles and hips, and he doesn’t control his momentum well. He’s not a guy who can charge, plant and adjust to a nifty move. Instead, he’s a downhill backer a team wants attacking a block to free up the safety or outside LB to make the play versus the run, or blitzing up the A gap to create disruption. Vaughters is another player I will rate higher than where he’s likely drafted.

Current projection: Sixth round to Baltimore

Blake Lueders--a hybrid DE/OLB who projects best as a strongside 4-3 DE in the NFL, Lueders has nice size at 6’5” and 275 pounds and good functional strength. He was effective in setting the edge and working on stunts and twists, though his production of 4 sacks and 10 TFLs in his final two years is pretty meager. Lueders played as part of a deep rotation, however, and he’s a player who could emerge as a camp surprise. While he is limited athletically, he showed enough of a closing burst and play anticipation to threaten to make a roster.

Current projection: Priority free agent

Lee Ward--the thumping fullback is about 15 years too late for his NFL usefulness. He’s little more offensively than a lead blocker, a task at which he’s legitimately outstanding. Ward touched the ball just three times in his four years in Palo Alto. Today’s NFL fullback has to offer some value as a receiver or short-yardage back, or be a special teams demon. Ward had some moments on coverage units but registered just 3 tackles over his career. There just isn’t enough outside of his very good, antiquated one dimension to stick at the next level.

Current projection: Undrafted

Others you might see in a camp include punter Ben Rhyne, kicker Jordan Williamson, corner Wayne Lyons, and linebacker Joe Hemschoot. Next year you’ll hear a lot of buzz on quarterback Kevin Hogan, but he will need significant improvement to merit any sort of draft consideration on my part.