In last year's NFL Draft, there was only one Mountaineer drafted (Selvish Capers to Washington). This year, there could be up to seven drafted, including the likes of Robert Sands, Noel Devine, and Brandon Hogan. Here is our look at what teams are taking looks at your former Mountaineers, where they could go in the draft, and where we think they WILL go.
The Draft process began at the Draft Combine in Indianapolis, continued with WVU's Pro Day, and finished with individual workouts and interviews with NFL teams for the players. It's something akin to a three month job interview. We have shown you how the Mountaineers performed at the Combine and in WVU's Pro Day, so we'll dispense with breaking down stats, measurements, 40 times, etc.
We'll begin with perhaps the biggest names of this Mountaineer draft class in Noel Devine and Robert Sands. The two may have hurt their draft stock with the decisions they made about Morgantown. Last year, Devine elected to stay at WVU for his Senior season. His draft stock was higher following last season than it was at the close of this season. The injuries that plagued Devine's senior year, beginning with the LSU game, hurt his draft stock. Sands may have benefited from another year at WVU, but we'll never know. The player with possibly the most potential NFL talent from the Mountaineers could be oft-arrested, Brandon Hogan. His recent arrest could cause him to slide down the draft board. Take from it what you want, but ESPN's Mel Kiper said that he would pick Hogan over Sands. You'll find in the list below that St. Louis and Tampa Bay have spoken to, or worked out, multiple former Mountaineers. So don't be surprised if a few former teammates are also future teammates.
I'm going to list the Mountaineers that are most likely to be picked in this year's Draft, who they have spoken to, where they have worked out, and based upon what I have learned, will tell you where, when, and for whom will they be picked... if at all. (I will reveal my methodology for choosing a mock-Draft at the end)
- Noel Devine- Has visited or shown interest from the Falcons, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Green Bay. Prediction: 5th Round #151- Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- Robert Sands- Has visited or shown interest from St. Louis, Atlanta, and Minnesota. Prediction: 4th Round # 112- St. Louis Rams.
- Brandon Hogan- Has visited Carolina, Dallas, and NY Giants. Prediction: 5th Round Pick #143- Dallas Cowboys.
- Chris Neild- Has worked out for Kansas City and spoken to many teams that employ a 3-4 defense. Prediction: 6th Round Pick #193- New England Patriots
- Jock Sanders- Has worked out for or shown interest from St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Kansas City. Prediction: 7th Round Pick # 223- Kansas City Chiefs
- J.T. Thomas- Has visited Miami and drawn considerable interest from Cleveland. Prediction: 7th Round Pick #247- Cleveland Browns.
- Scooter Berry- Has worked out for N.Y. Jets and Giants. Prediction: Undrafted but will have an opportunity to sign with the Jets as a FA.
Note: I used the same system for predicting draft picks as Mel Kiper and Todd McShay use, just in a different city. I went to downtown Charlotte to the bus terminal and gave $20 to the first homeless person I could find that knew how to read, showed him a few articles about the Draft, bought him a cup of coffee for $1.50 from the dispenser that uses the shot-glass sized coffee cups, and had him make my picks for me. I know it sounds far-fetched to think that Kiper and McShay utilize this system to create a mock-draft, but can you really prove that they don't?