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Rutgers cornerback projected as 3rd/4th round draft pick or better in 2010
BY MIKE VORKUNOV
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
RUTGERS NOTEBOOK
Seven games into the season for Rutgers and some fans have already started looking past this year in hope of finally gaining the first Big East crown in the program's history. But for some players on the Scarlet Knights roster there will be no next year in scarlet and white. For those seniors, next year means something else. And for some of them it may mean the NFL. New Jersey Newsroom recently talked to an NFL scout, who was not allowed to identify themselves or their team, and received the low down on the NFL stocks of the three most prominent seniors on the team, Devin McCourty, Ryan D'Imperio and Tim Brown.
Our scout had the kindest words for McCourty. He called the 5'11" cornerback a "great special teams player", a talent which would help him make a mark quickly. The scout praised McCourty's coverage qualities, evident by the fact that not many quarterbacks throw his way, and also said that he plays well in run support.Where McCourty goes will depend on two factors, a team's needs in the secondary based on their scheme and his combine performance. As more NFL teams are getting away from playing the Tampa Bay Cover 2 defense, which McCourty plays in at Rutgers, that may affect where he goes. How McCourty does in the pre-Draft combine will have a lot to do with where he goes. As of right now the scout sees him as a 3rd-4th round pick, but a 40-yard dash time in the low 4.50s could move him up.
The scout liked most of what he saw from D'Imperio. He praised his ability against the run and his speed, also saying he had "good size" to be a middle linebacker at the next level. He did say that because of where D'Imperio plays in Rutgers' defensive scheme, it is difficult to fully gauge his prospects, which hurts in accurately projecting him. As of right now, the scout had the senior as a late-round pick.
The last player the scout mentioned was Brown. The 5'8" wide receiver's size is an obvious issue but not the deciding factor. The scout liked that Brown was a go-to receiver this year and was the playmaker whenever Tom Savage needed to make a throw. His top-end speed should allow Brown to have a chance at making an NFL roster, perhaps as a special teams player. The scout's opinion, at this point in the season, is that Brown will be a definite training camp attendee, most likely as an undrafted free agent.
The Rutgers Athletic Department also announced the creation of a "Chop Squad." The group, expected to be 1,500 students, will wear red and white t-shirts and create a Block "R" in section 136 and a Block "U" in section 139. The first incarnation will be Nov. 12 against South Florida.
The Rutgers men's basketball program has announced that it is adding Caldwell College to its schedule for the upcoming season. The Knights will play Caldwell on Feb. 9. The program is also dubbing that evening "Fan Appreciation Night", with free tickets and general admission seating.
