I recently had the opportunity to sit down with two NFL scouts for a nice conversation regarding a wide range of prospects and topics. One scout is a former NFL player currently employed by an AFC West team as a regional scout. The other is a longtime scout for a NFC South team, who frequent readers will recognize as someone I?ve interviewed in the past. The actual conversation went well beyond what is included here, and I have arranged to speak with both again before the end of the Bowl season. Some highlights: Jeff Risdon: Let?s jump right in with the quarterbacks. I know some are underclassmen, but give me your order on: Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Jevan Snead. AFC West Scout: McCoy is the easy #1 for me. I?d put Tebow next, then Snead. I?m not seeing a lot of NFL qualities out of Sam Bradford. He?s real accurate but his fastball isn?t fast, and he really struggles when you get pressure on him. He?s not going to get all that time at the next level. And you look at how his backup has done, it sort of takes off the buzz. NFC South Scout: I like Snead because he of what he?s done in Ole Miss? offense. The kid has made NFL throws from NFL formations. He needs some work... I would put McCoy next. I like his mobility and his awareness. I agree with (AFC West Scout, hereafter AW) about Bradford, the arm just isn?t enough. He?s got some Chad Pennington to him, but Chad was always the smartest cookie in the box. I don?t get that vibe from (Bradford). And you know, we?ve talked about the Tebow kid before. He?s a NFL fullback. I say that ?til I?m blue in the face, but there are people I know on our staff that think he?s the best player in the next draft. It won?t be my (butt) that goes down with him. Great kid but he ain?t no NFL quarterback. JR: Just so I?m straight, neither of you believe Sam Bradford is worth a high pick. Where would you slot him? AW: I like him in the compensatory picks after the third round. NS: You know he ain?t gonna last past 15 (#15 overall). Teams see that high profile QB and they can?t help themselves. Look at what Tampa did with that Freeman kid (Josh, Kansas State QB taken in the first round). That kid had 4th round written all over him and they took him, what, 20 (overall)? JR: Does Bradford?s shoulder injury have anything to do with his falling stock? AW: Some, yeah. He doesn?t have a rifle to begin with, so he needs to show he can make the longer throws. He?s got a lot of things that you want to see...the accuracy stands out. Maybe he?s the next Drew Brees, but I don?t see it. JR: Oklahoma products haven?t exactly translated real well to the NFL. How much does that factor? NS: (Bradford) ain?t no wide receiver. Those are the kids who can?t cut it. AW: I know some people worry about that, but it doesn?t bother me. JR: Any others that stand out worth mentioning? Maybe Dan Lefevour? Tim Hiller? Tony Pike? NS: Pass on Lefevour. He can go back to Canada with that softball. Tough kid but he puts too much air under the ball, even on short stuff. Pike?s got a shot if his shoulder stays good. He could make a nice backup if he doesn?t blow up his shoulder throwing that three quarters crap. I haven?t seen enough of the Hiller kid to comment. AW: You forgot Jake Locker up in Washington. He?s got some Matt Hasselbeck to him. They brought him in a real coach and he is just, wow, really taking off. Hiller is the best of those guys you brought up. Live arm, good feel for the game, nice touch. He?s got some Drew Bledsoe to him. Can?t move much but he can really sling it, and he?s got that kind of demeanor. Watch him take off after the season, after the Senior Bowl and those workouts. He could be this year?s Joe Flacco. I?m with (NS) on Lefevour, sorry Jeff, I know you like him. I know you see some Vince Young, but I see Bruce Gradkowski. It?s too bad because we?ve all seen him zip it, but the kid just doesn?t let it fly in games. JR: How much did Locker help himself with the USC game? AW: I?ll tell you what I took from that game. Jake Locker is a leader and a fighter. His intangibles are just through the roof. All that losing and he stayed positive and kept working his a** off. NS: (All he has been through at Washington) has to make him look real good to a bad team. I know a guy who compares him to John Elway when he was back at Stanford and they were terrible. They want it more when they come from lesser programs, like it ain?t been easy for ?em and they, you know, they know how to work. JR: Heading back to the MAC, a couple of prospects stand out to me. Talk to me about Barry Church (Toledo safety) and Taylor Price (Ohio wide receiver). AW: I wish there was a place for Barry Church (with his team). His problem is that he?s not really a safety and he?s not big enough to play linebacker. In a perfect world he?s a Tampa-2 Mike (middle backer) but he?s what, 215? Great college player, but he?s got to really pick up his coverage skills or else he won?t make it out of camp next summer. Your man Price (I am a proud Ohio graduate!) could really be something. Just like Mike Mitchell (Raiders 2nd rounder) last year. Taylor is big and he can flat-put fly, and he isn?t shy about it either. Nice hands, good blocker. He reminds me of Greg Jennings in a way. Probably not as polished but he?s got potential. NS: That kid (Price) can really go, lemme tell you. I caught their opener and he just jumps off the tape. That kid can fly and he?s pretty big. He ain?t real tall but he?s solid and he knows how to use his body. I got him for a 3rd round grade right now. You wanna know something? That kid got helped a lot when their QB (Boo Jackson) got hurt. The new QB (Theo Scott) throws a better ball and all that lets (Price) show off more. ...Church has a chance. I like how physical he is. He plays so damn shallow though. You can tell he played linebacker and that?s where he belongs. I see him like Adam Archuleta, a kid that can really thump in the box but can?t really cover. He?ll get drafted but he?s the kind of kid that has to make it on special teams before he gets a shot on defense. JR: Adam Archuleta tried to come back as a linebacker and didn?t make it. Any thoughts on a comparison to Roy Williams? AW: Kind of similar. I think (of) Aaron Rouse but Church is quite a bit smaller. Darnell Bing is probably the most like him. Church is a better football player than Darnell Bing, but that?s the transition curve for him. JR: A couple of prominent tight ends have recently come down with major injuries. What does that do to the stock for Jermaine Gresham and Rob Gronkowski? NS: No way we?re touching Gresham. That kid is damaged goods. I was never sold on his blocking to begin with, but that?s what, his third major knee surgery? I feel for the kid because I thought he was coming out (in 2009) and he went back to school to win a national title. And he got hurt again, (Bradford) gets hurt, and now he?s probably a 4th rounder if he?s lucky. AW: I don?t know about that. He?s still got a lot of very good football abilities. Obviously the knee issues mean he?s not a 1 (1st rounder) but if he checks out before the draft I could see him in the 2nd. He?s better as a receiver than Jermichael Finley or (Martellus) Bennett, the Cowboys tight end. JR: I?m very wary of his knee and I can?t get the image of Sergio Kindle (Texas LB) blowing him backwards out of my mind. What about Gronkowski? NS: Our scout out there called him a faster Jeremy Shockey. I?ve only seen him play a couple of times so I?ll stick with that. AW: The thing with him is, he just exudes ?football player? (yes he did actually use the finger-quotes!). I get the feeling he could be a hell of a linebacker if he wanted to be one. Now that he got hurt (back surgery) I would tell him to stay in school, you know, come back strong next year and erase the doubts. He?s every bit as good as Kellen Winslow and he?s not an a**hole. That whole program is getting better and he can really capitalize on that if he comes back. JR: Including the likely underclassmen, what positions are the strongest in this draft? NS: D-tackle is stacked, just stacked. Look at some of those kids. Gerald McCoy, the Oklahoma kid, he?s the best player in this draft. Tyson Jackson (#3 overall last April) can?t carry that kid?s water. The Alabama kid (Terrence Cody), if he doesn?t eat too much he?s a monster. Great zero technique nose. JR: Cody has a lot of similarities to Andre Smith, does that worry you? NS: No. Well, a little. The kid plays defense because he likes to be aggressive and hit people. Look at a big man like Grady Jackson. He?s (expletive) fat but he can still play. Cody is so much quicker than Grady. AW: I?m with (NS) on defensive tackle. You didn?t even mention Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska, and I would bet money he?s the first player drafted. You couldn?t design a better 3-4 defensive end, but he?s athletic enough to play the 3 (technique, a 4-3 DT spot). ...Arthur Jones up in Syracuse is going to be a good one. Plays a lot like Ziggy Hood from last year. I see Cody being a lot like Pat Williams. Let him clog the middle on first and second down, then bring in a quick rusher for passing downs. JR: I love Suh. I completely agree about his versatility and how he can fit all over a line. What about Marvin Austin from North Carolina? I?ve seen him twice and he really stands out. AW: Oh yeah, he?s a good one. Ideal 3-technique if he can keep his legs going. NS: I?ll give you a kid who you?re going to hear more about too. They got a kid at Hampton named (Kenrick) Ellis, goes about 350 but he?s real quick for his size. Our guy down there is convinced he?s gonna come out...(he) calls him a taller Shaun Rogers. JR: Any other positions that really stand out? NS: There?s some good safeties coming up. It?s top heavy but the top is better than it has been. JR: Quick question: Taylor Mays or Eric Berry? AW: Berry. NS: Yep. Berry is special. I see a lot of bust written on that Mays kid. JR: I agree about Berry being better. Care to elaborate on Mays, because I share the opinion that he could be a major bust. NS: Look at how damn deep the kid lines up. He?s 22 yards off the ball. When they move him up he can?t keep his deep help, he just forgets about it. The kid is built like a body builder, not a football player. That tight build worries me, makes him stiff. It ain?t like he?s the most natural guy back there anyways. AW: That?s my big concern is the injuries. Guys built like that are always worried about the smallest little pains... I don?t see a lot of instincts in coverage either. JR: Who do you see as overrated right now? NS: How many you want? Start with (Sam) Bradford. Lemme see. The (Trevard, cornerback) Lindley kid from Kentucky. AW: Greg Hardy and Jevan Snead. NS: (laughs) what you got against Mississippi? AW: I know who you think (is) Jeff, so I?ll say it for you. Ciron Black (T, LSU) JR: I qualify that by saying I think he could make a good guard, but at tackle, absolutely (overrated). Another guy getting a lot of props that I just don?t see it is Jerry Hughes (DE, TCU). NS: I dunno. That kid can get after the quarterback. AW: But that?s all he offers. I don?t think he can play standing up other than as a nickel rusher. JR: Sam Young (Notre Dame tackle) seems to be losing steam. Is that fair? NS: That kid is too stiff. He?s a right guard in a left tackle body. JR: I know we?ve all seen Corey Wootton at Northwestern. Your opinions of the Wildcats? defensive end. NS: For as tall as that kid is (Wootton is 6?7), he sure can move. ...real active hands. AW: I love how he handles himself inside. The way Jay Ratliff is being used down in Dallas, with that quickness inside, I can see Wootton being that type of player. (Wootton) is probably too tall for that, wrong body type, but put him at end in a 30 (3-4) front and his quickness is going to cause problems. JR: I was glad to see his knee looks fine. I?ve seen him drop in coverage and not look bad. Any chance he can move to outside linebacker at times? AW: I don?t think so. You get a player with his arm length and quickness and you want to use that right, You don?t put him out in space, you put him on the line and let him use his skills. JR: Give me a couple of names that are under the radar now but are players you are keeping an eye on. AW: I saw UConn play and they have a defensive end that just jumps out. Lindsey Witten. He?s faster that Cody Brown (former UConn end drafted in the 2nd round at OLB), better in space already. I bet you didn?t know he?s Donte Whitner?s little brother. JR: I knew he was from Glenville (Cleveland, OH high school) but I did not know he was Whitner?s brother. I saw (Witten) tear up Ohio U. and he reminded me of Cliff Avril. After several more names... NS: The best kid we?ve talked about here is Brandon Ghee (Wake Forest CB). He can?t catch a cold but he?s gonna be a real good zone corner. That kid can really bring it and he knows it.