Ever since stepping foot for the first time on prestigious, elegant Notre Dame campus located in South Bend, Indiana, the spotlight was on a familiar face. The product from Oaks Christian High School was being touted as the next Fighting Irish star, that would finally regain the program to the days of glory it held not to long ago. A career that ended with anything less of a National Championship victory, would be a complete disappointment. Well, Jimmy Clausen never did lead the Fighting Irish to the big stage - nor did he lead the Irish to a legitimate winning season in his time under center. A collegiate career that held a lot of disappointment and shock, yet still Jimmy Clausen still has the potential to be drafted first overall in April by the St. Louis Rams. We breakdown and explain why this might exactly be the case for the former Notre Dame gunslinger.

STRENGTHS:

Instantly when you begin to study and analyze Clausen closely, you are attracted to the feisty and passionate attitude that he carries onto the football field. The true type of leader at the helm you want as a coach. Constantly making the players around him better, and motivating players to reach their complete maximum potential. As well, being at Notre Dame, battling through constant adversity and being under the microscope demonstrates to scouts he has the ability to thrive in difficult and pressure packed situations. Since day one of stepping foot on the campus, Clausen has grown up from living the Hollywood lifestyle and enjoying the fame to being a mature, poised quarterback. The improvements do not stop off the field, the maturation process has continued evidently and most importantly for Clausen on the field. Throwing a total of twenty-seven touchdowns and a outstanding four interceptions, is very clear proof of the growth in his decision making abilities. Working at Notre Dame, he was able to perform in a very pro-like system which included his receivers running a large route tree. A lot of the same routes that he'll have to be very precise on in the National Football League. Very underrated in Clausen's game is his arm strength and quick, accurate release of the football. He has shown the ability to make very tough throws game-in-game-out and a great reason for this, is his superb release and touch. The "never give up on a play" attitude, is very rare and unique within Jimmy Clausen. Many times, the play looked to be dead or a complete disaster, but he made the right play or pass by shoveling his feet and rolling out or underhand tossing it to a near by teammate.


WEAKNESSES:

The talent that Jimmy Clausen brings to the table, is completely astonishing. With that being said, there are a few areas in which he must improve to be a elite NFL quarterback. The deep ball accuracy of Clausen is very suspect, he has shown at times to be able to hit his man stride-for-stride, but many times, overthrowing and underthrowing him. In a league which is changing rapidly to a very arial attack game, the long ball must be improved. Another very mechanical issue within his game, is his footwork in his dropbacks. The footwork overall is nothing special, but at times it can be very slow and sloppy. A necessary improvement must be made within the speed and quickness of the footwork, very comparable to Georgia's Matthew Stafford last year. A very underlooked tool of a quarterback, that can be an absolute weapon, is the infamous play action fake. Clausen has not shown a very pursuasive fake in his collegiate career, nor has it improved at all. Players in the National Football League like Peyton Manning, have made absolute fools out of defenders and have used the fake as a complete threat, and have executed it beautifully. Mechanical issues overall are what Jimmy must address in order to peek, and take the next step as a very elite quarterback for many years in the league.


OVERALL:

Do not be shocked, surprised or in awe when the St. Louis Rams select this April, and you do not hear the three lettered last name everyone is predicting in Suh. Quarterbacks have been coming at an absolute premium in the draft, and with the demand being so high in the league right now, "reach" type of picks are being made every year. However, Clausen in this 2010 Draft is about as sure as it gets at the position to be a very good one for years. If the Rams oppose and do end up going the other way with out Clausen, expect to see a team in the top five such as the Redskins absolutely jump all over the oppurtunity to swipe him off the board. At the end of the day, if he can sharpen up his mechanics and continue to develop and become more mature on and off the football field, expect to see Jimmy Clausen out of Notre Dame as regarded as one of the best in the National Football League in a few years time.


Written by Kristian D'Ignazio of Smashmouth Draft Inc. - February 3rd, 2010.

The Senior Bowl has always been one of the most effective ways for a prospect heading into the National Football League draft to raise their draft stock. The week of preparation, practices and interviews and of course the game itself is always vital for a player to impress. However, as every year many impress and showcase their abilities, others may see their draft status take a nosedive. This upcoming list is no particular order.
Brandon Graham - Defensive End - Michigan Wolverines


Brandon Graham since the opening few drills, showed that he was among one of the best defensive ends at the Senior Bowl - and possibly in the NFL Draft. Graham with a size of 6'2 and weighing in at 265 pounds, had scouts really questioning his arm length and weight. The Michigan product and Big 10 defensive player of the year had no problems being effective for the North defense, recording two sacks and a forced fumble in the Senior Bowl game. Graham clearly stood out from the pack, constantly playing in the backfield of the South, and abusing LSU's Ciron Black all day long. The high motor and aggressive style of play was very evident, and with a performance like this, Graham solidifies himself in the first round next April.

Kyle Wilson - Cornerback - Boise State Broncos


One of the players who made the most money, and had one of the most solid weeks of practice was Kyle Wilson. Wilson shined especially in the 1-1 pass drills, showing the ability to lock down the receivers on short patterns, as well as longer patterns, running stride for stride and attacking the ball in the air. Wilson has matured constantly this season with Boise State, becoming more of a complete corner. The toughness he possesses for a cornerback is very rare and I feel in the right scheme, he could absolutely thrive in the NFL. A team in the mid-late first round searching for a corner, this may be the guy.

Mardy Gilyard - Wide Receiver - Cincinatti Bearcats


Gilyard had an extremely unimpressive first few days of practice at the Senior Bowl. Once the jitters were gone, and Mardy began playing his game, he has shown what has wowed scouts all throughout his career with the Bearcats. The amazing ability to create dynamic plays, as well as the shifty smooth running was very evident in the drills and the game. Gilyard had his way with Javier Arenas of the Crimson Tide in the Senior Bowl game, and looked like too much to handle for Arenas all throughout the game. A complete package threat like Mardy Gilyard is very tough to find, look for a team to pick him up in the mid-second round.