Recruiting 2014: Gerald Owens

Alrighty, it looks like recruiting is really rolling now.  The Spartans picked up a huge commitment from New Jersey running back Gerald Owens.  He isn't a consensus 4-star recruit, but he is now the second-highest rated recruit in the 2014 class, according to the 247 composite index.  He is huge (6'1" and somewhere between 240 and 265 lbs.).  He also possesses some exciting video.

Owens looks very impressive.  He is by far the most impressive big-back recruit I have seen all year. He combines his startling size with pretty good athleticism.  Clearly, he is expected to be the next LeVeon Bell / Jehuu Caulcrick, and I don't think he'll have any troubles fulfilling that role.   In fact, I think that if the recruiting sites understood how well he appears to fit that role, they would likely get closer to considering him a 5-star recruit.  At least 247 seems to understand that -- they consider him a high 4-star recruit.  

You never know how things are going to turn out, but at this point I would call Owens the most important commitment for the Spartans in the 2014 class, especially if no big backs emerge this year, and especially if the Spartan o-line continues to struggle.

The Spartans are now looking pretty stocked at running back, but they may still try to bring in one more top running back.  I wouldn't be surprised if they continue to go after Chris James or the very explosive Dacorius Law. In any case, this 2014 class is now well on its way to becoming Dantonio's best.

Recruiting 2014: David Beedle

Oh lordy, the floodgates are open now! The Spartans picked up their third commitment this week in the form of Michigan defensive tackle David Beedle.  While there is very little information on Beedle from the recruiting sites, I'm quite excited about this under-the-radar prospect.  He has great size (6'5" and 285 lbs.) and his video looks impressive.

Beedle reminds me a little of 2013 recruit James Bodanis, however, I think Beedle actually moves better.  Beedle is quite fast and he appears to combine that speed with a lot of power.  To me he looks like a solid recruit.  He may ultimately not get rated as a 4-star recruit by the various recruiting sites, but Beedle is one of the guys that intrigues me most in the 2014 class.

I think Beedle should eventually be able to win playing time at defensive tackle, but he also looks like he could easily make the transition to the o-line, if MSU is able to bring in one of the other highly-rated defensive tackles they are after.  That's right, I think the coaches are still going to keep going after guys like Craig Evans and Derrick Nnadi, even though they already have commitments from Beedle and Enoch Smith Jr, and even though they picked up 3 DTs in the 2013 class.  This is why I'm thinking that Beedle may ultimately end up on the o-line, unless he turns out to be so dominant at DT that Narduzzi refuses to let him go.

Recruitig 2014: Jalen Watts-Jackson

The Spartans have picked up their second recruit in a week, heck, their second cornerback in a week.  Jalen Watts-Jackson (JWJ) committed just a few days after earning an offer based on his performances at recent camps.  JWJ has the size the coaches like for a cornerback (6' and 180 lbs.) and apparently the speed (he recently ran the 40 in under 4.45 seconds).  But at this point he is the lowest rated recruit of the 2014 class (according to 247's composite score).  Let's look at some video.

OK, so there's no easily embed-able video, but you can find some here.  If I'm honest with myself, I have to say that JWJ does not look all that athletic in his video.  In particular, I don't see the 4.4 speed.  On the other hand, we're talking about young guys here, so it would not surprise me if he has made a significant leap in athleticism from the end of his junior year to the time of the camps. I do also see him making some nice plays on the ball, and since he also plays wide receiver, he looks like he has some decent hands.  

Most importantly, he appears to have impressed the coaches with his speed and intelligence, and that's good enough for me, at this point. Nonetheless, I'll certainly be checking out his senior highlights as soon as they become available, and I'll update this post accordingly.  

Recruiting 2014: Vayante Copeland

The Spartans received a commitment from Ohio cornerback Vayante Copeland.  This is a pretty solid pick up for MSU.  Copeland's composite score from 247 makes him MSU's second-highest rated commitment, thus far.  He also fits the mold of a Dantonio defensive back: 6'1" and 190 lbs. His film also looks pretty impressive.

To me Copeland looks like he's quite capable of playing cornerback (he's quite fast and agile), but he actually has the size and physicality to play safety.  He also has great length and seems to know how to go up for the ball.  The bottom line is that Copeland is an excellent and versatile athlete, and his commitment keeps this class on it's path to becoming Dantonio's best class ever.

While I wouldn't be surprised if Copeland eventually ends up at safety, he likely is being recruited right now as a corner.  I suspect the coaches will bring in at least one more corner, and perhaps even two more, depending on whether they can bring in another highly rated recruit or whether they find a diamond in the rough.

Too Early Look at Spartans Who Could be Drafted

One reason I don't panic about MSU's recruiting rankings is that Mark Dantonio has built a program, much like Boise State's, that now regularly produces NFL talent.  Barring any gross misfortunes, it looks like the trend will continue in the 2014 NFL draft and may actually hit a peak.  Below is a list of the seniors and juniors on MSU's roster.

Dan France	OL	SR	Mylan Hicks	CB	JR
Darqueze Dennard	CB	SR	Tony Lippett	WR	JR
Jairus Jones	LB/S	SR	Connor Kruse	OG	JR
Isaiah Lewis	S	SR	James Kittredge	DL	JR
Micajah Reynolds	DL	SR	Keith Mumphery	WR	JR
Kyler Elsworth	LB	SR	Shawn Kamm	OT	JR
Denicos Allen	LB	SR	Niko Palazeti	FB	JR
Denzel Drone	DE	SR	Taiwan Jones	LB	JR
Henry Conway	OT	SR	Travis Jackson	C	JR
Max Bullough	LB	SR	Nick Hill	RB	JR
Andrew Maxwell	QB	SR	Jeremy Langford	RB	JR
Danny Folino	LB	SR	Ty Hamilton	FB	JR
Derek Hoebing	OT	SR	Marcus Rush	DE	JR
Blake Treadwell	OG	SR	Mike Sadler	P	JR
Kevin Muma	K	SR	Andrew Gleichert	TE	JR
Fou Fonoti	OT	SR	Leland Ewing	SN	JR
Bennie Fowler	WR	SR	Kurtis Drummond	S	JR
Tyler Hoover	DT	SR	Michael Dennis	OT	JR
			Skyler Burkland	OT	JR
			DeAnthony Arnett	WR	JR
			John Jakubik	WR	JR

To me, it looks like 5 of the seniors have a good shot at getting drafted, including: Dennard (who will probably be MSU's highest pick), Bullough, Lewis, Allen, and Fonoti.

After that, there is a small group of seniors who I'll stick my neck out for and say that they have a shot IF they can "put it all together" this year and/or they actually get a chance to show their stuff.  I think Maxwell has all the tools (except perhaps the mobility and confidence) to emerge as a late round pick.  I think Kyler Elsworth is a very smart and athletic linebacker, who may be hurt by his size, but could still emerge as a late round pick -- if he actually gets a chance to play.  Unfortunately for Kyler, MSU is loaded at linebacker.  I think that Bennie Fowler could go in the later rounds, if he can finally catch with consistency.  His lack of speed hurts him, but he's strong and somehow gets open a lot.

After that, there is always the possibility that someone could become a pleasant surprise.  Perhaps the transition to linebacker allows Jairus Jones to "blow up."  Or perhaps Treadwell puts all the injuries behind him, or Hoebing becomes the next Lane Johnson.  The probabilities are much lower with this group, but they still exist.

Finally, there is the possibility that a junior or two could decide to leave early.  Right now, I'd say that Taiwan Jones may be the most likely and only member of this group.  But it's always possible that a guy like DeAnthony Arnett can surprise with a big year, and then decide to head out early.

So overall, I'm going to guess that at least 6 Spartans will be drafted in 2014, but I'm going to hope to see as many as 8 going in the draft.  In any case, MSU should end up at or near the top of the Big Ten in terms of players getting drafted in 2014.  Why are we so blessed?