SI Likes Cousins in Early 2012 Draft Projections

Sports Illustrated takes a way early look at 2012 NFL prospects and has some nice words to say about Kirk Cousins:

"The top senior quarterback on our board is one of the most physically gifted signal callers from his class. He drives the deep pass and gets the ball through the tight spots. His defensive reads and propensity to stare down targets are a concern, yet Cousins offers a large degree of upside potential."

Let me repeat that: "the top senior quarterback." That's pretty high praise. On the other hand, they seem to suggest that two junior quarterbacks will be taken before Cousins: Andrew Luck (Stanford) and Matt Barkley (USC).  

       I'll come out and just say it.  If Cousins has a big year (and I think he will), he could go in the first round.  And then--I'll come out and just say it again--if Jerel Worthy and Edwin Baker come out early (not that I'd want them to), we could see three Spartans going in the first round.  That would be the best draft performance ever in MSU history.  It's far too early to get really excited, so I'll just tone it down to excited.

Players to watch this fall: Max Bullough

Max Bullough will be a very key player for the Spartans, this fall.  He is replacing All-American linebacker Greg Jones at the middle linebacker position.  He has the tools and pedigree to succeed at the position, and he was a highly regarded recruit last year.  Bullough is already starting to excel.  In last week's scrimmage he recorded 13 tackles, as the defense dominated the offense.  Thus, Bullough is a player to watch because (1) he is expected to do great things at MSU, and (2) he must to a reasonable extent replace Greg Jones' production.  Read more on Bullough here.

Players to watch this fall: Le'Veon Bell

Le'Veon Bell exploded onto the scene last year as a true freshman running back.  He was second on the team in rushing, with 605 yards.  Bell was a surprise to me because I didn't expect any running backs to get much playing time behind Edwin Baker and Larry Caper.  But when Caper was injured, Bell stepped in as the "big" running back and looked like he was going to run for a thousand yards.  He ended up getting hurt a bit and that seemed to slow him down.  Anyway, he appears to be ready to take the next step towards greatness.  Unfortunately, the Spartans are so loaded at running back (with 4 potential superstar runners), that Bell may not get the carries he needs to win accolades, such as all-Big-Ten.  At least we know MSU can afford injuries at the running back position--not that we want to see any!  But there is some security there.

Players to watch this fall: Cousins, Baker and Worthy

Since Kirk Cousins, Jerel Worthy and Edwin Baker already get so much coverage and attention, I'll go ahead and just gloss over them as players to watch this fall.  Here's a quick look at all three.

Starting with Kirk Cousins.  Obviously, we are expecting much of Cousins this fall.  Last year, he completed 67 percent of his passes and threw for 2,825 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.  Hopefully, he'll be even better this year--perhaps good enough to win the Heisman trophy and become a first-round draft pick (the probabilities are not there, but they're not completely absent, either).

Edwin Baker has a great career thus far, at MSU, and I'm hoping he'll have a huge year this year.  Last year, Baker ran for 1,201 yards and 13 touchdowns.  This year, he wants to gain 2,000 yards and score 20 touchdowns.  That would, of course, lead to a Heisman trophy and first-round draft pick status.  It's nice to set big goals, but MSU is too loaded at running back for Baker to get the carries he'll need to achieve those goals.  I think it's more likely he gets 1500 yards and 15 touchdowns.  That might not get him the Heisman, but it could make him a first rounder.

Finally, Jerel Worthy is getting a lot of attention, especially since some of the NFL draft gurus started talking about him going in the top 15 of next year's NFL draft.  I thought he showed flashes of that level of talent last year, but to become a top 15 pick he'll need to "bring it" more consistently.  Anyway, I'll be watching for first-round level of play from Worthy.  Hopefully, he'll achieve it.  

Players to watch this fall: Trenton Robinson

Keep an eye out for safety Trenton Robinson this fall.  As a senior, he will be one of the Spartans' most experienced defenders, but more than that he should be a high quality defender.  He is on the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back.  He is relatively small for a safety (5'10", 195 lbs.), so he likely won't be a high draft pick in the NFL draft, and it's possible that he won't be drafted at all.  That's the beauty of college football.  You can have a major impact even if you're not the right size.  Even small guys can be big fishes.  Read more about him here.

Players to watch this fall: Dion Sims

Another player I will be watching this season is tight end Dion Sims.  Sims was a highly regarded recruit in 2009, but he ran into some serious legal problems last year.  He has been reinstated and I hope that he can stay out of trouble the rest of his time in East Lansing, and for the rest of his life.  The bottom line is that Sims has the potential to be a first round draft pick, if he can stay out of trouble and if he develops the work ethic.  I say that about a lot of Spartans but with Sims I really mean it.  He's huge (6'5", 275 lbs), very athletic, and he has good hands.  I wish I could share the video I recently saw of Sims scoring a touchdown, but I just can't find it.  To me, he looked extremely impressive.  Anyway, keep an eye out for Sims and read more about him here.

Players to watch this fall: William Gholston

One guy I'm eager to watch this year is sophomore defensive end William Gholston.  He was MSU's highest rated recruit last year (and perhaps ever--in fact, he was the highest rated recruit for the entire B1G).  As a freshman, he only had 13 tackles and a half sack.  But he's apparently having a strong camp and looks ready to fulfill some of his promise.  This guy has the potential to be a first round draft pick by as early as next year.  I hope to see him dominate the Big Ten this year with his strength and speed.  I hope he excels to the point that he gets close to 15 sacks.  If he does so, he may be tempted to leave early for the NFL (as a sophomore), so maybe I want him to only get 12 sacks--would that bring him back for one more year?  At any rate, you can read more about him here.

Players to watch this fall: B. J. Cunningham

One guy to keep an eye out for this season is senior wide receiver, B.J. Cunningham.  Not only has he been a good and consistent receiver for the Spartans his whole career, but that consistency has brought him within 10 receptions of the MSU all-time record for receptions.  Cunningham has 139 receptions for his career, while Matt Trannon holds the record at 148.  Cunningham should break the record by the third or fourth game of the season, if he doesn't get injured (cross your fingers and toes, people!).  That's probably the only record he'll break, however.  He would need almost 1300 yards to break Andre Rison's yardage record for a receiver of 2990 yards.  If Cunningham could do that, he would be the number one pick in the NFL draft.  So it's just not going to happen.  Still, he has a chance break an MSU record, and not just by a small degree.  He could smash it and thus end up holding that record for several decades.  Anyway, good luck to B.J.!

Players to watch this fall: Tony Lippett

I'm hoping to spend the next few days highlighting as many of MSU's key players as I can.  I will try to provide brief notes on each player, along with some links to more extensive reviews of each player.  With that, I start with Tony Lippett.

I start with Lippett because he was just highlighted in a Detroit News article, which you can read if you want more details on Lippett.  Lippett is a redshirt freshman cornerback, who received a lot of attention during spring training.  He's considered to be very athletic and big for a corner (6'2").  In fact, he's so athletic that the coaching staff wants to find ways to get him involved on offense.  Could he become MSU's Charles Woodson?  That would be nice, but only time will tell.  In any case, remember his name this fall as you enjoy the games, but do remember that he is a red-shirt freshmen.  Personally, I'll be watching more for potential (at least a few great plays and at least the ability to manhandle the Big Ten's lesser receivers) than for stardom at this point.

New Recruit But Not Much Info

The Spartans received a commitment from Michigan OL/DE, Kodi Kieler.  Folks, there's not much information on him.  Most sites have not rated him at all, and there are no video highlights to be found online.  Only Scout has a rating for him and they give him a 3-star rating.  He also doesn't have an outstanding offer list: his other good offers are Minnesota and Purdue.  At least he seems to have good size: 6'5" and between 275 and 305 lbs.  But there are literally no other stats available (e.g., speed or vertical).  Well, I hope he's a diamond in the rough, but that's really all I can say about him at this point.