2013 NFL Draft: A Review of FRG Scouting’s Big Board

April 29, 2013 by Bryanjperez

In order to become the best possible talent evaluator, you have to look back at your work and be your own worst critic. Now that the 2013 NFL Draft is in the books, I decided to revisit the FRG Scouting Big Board (top 100) and see how it ultimately played out on draft weekend.

Below is the Big Board that was published a few days before the draft kicked off. The players appear in four different colors: Gold, Green, Black, and Red. The players in gold represent picks that were selected within five spots of their big board placement. Players in green are picks that were made within ten spots of their big board placement. Players in black were selected anywhere between 11 and 49 spots of their big board placement. Players in red were selected 50 or more spots from their big board placement.

It should be noted that this does not mean an evaluation was right or wrong. It simply compares FRG Scouting’s Big Board with the various big boards throughout the NFL. Andre Ellington, for example, was drafted 164 spots lower than his No. 23 ranking on FRG scouting’s Big Board. We are confident in our evaluation, but there’s a big disconnect between our grade and what the NFL obviously thought of him. Time will determine who is “right.”

NFL Draft 2013: Mock Draft, Version FINAL

April 22, 2013 by Bryanjperez

Below is FRG Scouting’s final Mock Draft. We decided to approach this mock with blinders on. Most mock drafts are based on the news and notes that are reported by insiders and beat writers.

Not this one.

FRG Scouting’s final Mock Draft is based strictly off of our Big Board. It’s a first round projection according to how we view the talent and where we think they SHOULD go, not necessarily where the WILL go.

Take a look. Tear it up. We’re fully expecting some shock and maybe some awe. At the end of the day, we hope you enjoy our take on what the first round should look like:

FRG Scouting: 2013 NFL Draft “BIG BOARD”

April 19, 2013 by Bryanjperez

NOTE: Player’s grade appears in parenthesis. All players listed have been evaluated by FRG Scouting. There are several CBs and Safeties yet to be evaluated at the time of publication. However, due to time constraints, the following is the 2013 Big Board of evaluated talent.

See GRADING SCALE here.

1. Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU (9.2)

FRG’s Take: Barkevious Mingo projects as the best pass rushing talent in the 2013 draft class. His explosive first step and overall speed will enable him to beat NFL tackles to the corner on a consistent basis. Mingo has everything you look for when targeting a dominant edge rusher.

2. Jonathan Cooper, OG, UNC (9.0)

FRG’s Take: Jonathan Cooper is one of the most gifted athletes to enter the NFL at the guard position in many years. Possessing footwork that would rival much lighter fullbacks and strength on par with NFL defensive tackles, Cooper has the potential to be a 10 year All Pro.

Ranking the Defensive Ends for the 2013 NFL Draft

April 10, 2013 by Bryanjperez

Below is FRG’s current ranking of the top defensive end prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft:

1) Barkevious Mingo, LSU

Grade: 9.2

2) Tank Carradine, Florida St. (Medical)

Grade: 9.0

3) Dion Jordan, Oregon

Grade: 9.0

4) Bjoern Werner, Florida St.

Grade: 8.7

5) Datone Jones, UCLA

Grade: 8.5 Continue reading …

Who to Follow on Twitter for the 2013 NFL Draft

April 9, 2013 by Bryanjperez

After launching FRG Scouting in September, I decided to join Twitter in an effort to share my thoughts on the prospects for the NFL draft as well as to network with established draftniks and fans.

What I found was a community of draft minds that not only exceeded my expectations, but that also provided greater insight and draft content than the mainstream media outlets and major television networks. Below is a list of ten twitter accounts that I highly recommend you follow in an effort to enhance your overall NFL draft experience.

You can thank me later.

There are a lot of fantastic football minds that don’t appear on this list who consistently tweet great nuggets of information. You’ll slowly navigate through the twitter draft jungle by following these names and then paying close attention on who they follow and who they interact with.

I’ll be updating this list as time permits.

So, without further ado:

JOSH LISKIEWITZ (@JoshLiskiewitz)

Josh has been one of the most insightful NFL draft follows that I’ve experienced during my brief time on Twitter. He serves as a college scout for Russ Lande and GM Jr. Scouting. Josh consistently tweets his thoughts on the players he’s evaluating and is always open for NFL draft discussion with his followers.

STEVE PALAZZOLO (@StevePalazzolo)

If you’re a fan of Pro Football Focus, then by default you’re a fan of Steve. Steve is one of the talented analysts at PFF, and he takes his analytical skill-set to the college ranks when discussing draft prospects. As an added bonus, Steve is usually good for a classic one liner from time to time.

RYAN LOWNES (@RyanLownes)

Arguably one of the hardest working draft scouts on Twitter, Ryan burns the midnight oil to bring comprehensive scouting reports to Bleacher Report and his followers. Ryan also produces one of the better NFL draft spreadsheets that he tweets to his followers for free.

JAMES CHRISTENSEN (@NEPatriotsDraft)

James is the developer of the NFL Draft Sites Network and is a must-follow for any Patriots fan. But his content isn’t limited to just Patriots draft talk. In fact, James is one of the best follows for PFA signings. If you take a quick visit to James’ site, you’ll find links to nine other team-specific draft homes. I highly recommend DraftBrowns.com, as Justin Higdon (@AFC2NFC) is one of their lead writers and one of the best follows as well.

SIGMUND BLOOM (@SigmundBloom)

Far and away one of my favorite follows is Sigmund Bloom. Sig provides high-end commentary on draft prospects and can be read on Bleacher Report and heard on his podcast (On the Couch). Sig is also the co-owner of Footballguys.com, one of the best fantasy football sites on the web.

RYAN RIDDLE (@Ryan_Riddle)

Riddle, a former NFL player and current Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, offers his unique player’s perspective and a real insider’s take on the draft and the prospect experience. Riddle recently released one of the best draft spreadsheets that I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Follow him and check it out. You won’t be sorry.

WILL SPENCER (@DraftBreakdown)

If you want to get a good feel for the player your team has selected, you HAVE to follow Spencer and the rest of his DraftBreakdown.com team. The DB team provides game footage of countless draft prospects that proves to be the best resource for scouting and draft analysis. Make sure you take note of the contributors to DB and follow each and every one of them. They constantly tweet out links to new videos posted to the site.

JOSH NORRIS (@JoshNorris)

The draft section of Rotoworld.com is one of the best places to find current and breaking prospect news. Josh provides draft content for Rotoworld and is always tweeting his thoughts on the current news spreading throughout the scouting world. Josh is one of the best scouting minds in the Twitter community.

ERIC GALKO (@OptimumScouting)

Galko, and his entire team at Optimum Scouting, is a must-follow on every level. His team of scouts is amongst the best in the Twitter draft jungle and the content that OS provides is fantastic. Eric and the guys are now providing exclusive NFL draft content for the Sporting News. Note: I strongly recommend following Jared Counterman, one of the many top-level scouts in the OS Scouting Department.

MATT MILLER (@nfldraftscout)

Last, but certainly not least, is Bleacher Report’s NFL Draft Lead Writer, Matt Miller. Miller was one of the first highly followed draft scouts who retweeted some of FRG Scouting’s work. Even with his 50,000+ followers, Miller still finds time to exchange thoughts with many of them. Miller is an ascending figure in the NFL draft media and is absolutely worth the follow.