/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/9482537/155988132.0.jpg)
Every year the NFL Draft has a good number of players leave with a year (or sometimes two) of eligibility left, and only in rare instances are they risk-averse, like what Jadaveon Clowney will be next year. There are a myriad of reasons why guys jump early, but usually they have heard from NFL teams that they'll get drafted around where they'd hope to be picked, so they make the leap. One guy who made that decision this year is Logan Ryan of Rutgers.
Ryan started all 13 games for the Scarlet Knights each of the past two seasons, earning All-Big East honors in each season, while playing sparingly as a redshirt Freshman in 2010. He totaled 170 tackles for his career, 11.5 for a loss, pulled in seven interceptions, forced two fumbles, and broke up 31 passes over the three years, 17 last season. While the Big East isn't the top tier of big-time football, it's clear he wasn't afraid to hit someone, and could get into the backfield on occasion as well.
The biggest knock I've seen on Ryan is he needs some work on technique, which is the easiest thing to fix once a guy arrives in the NFL. Size, speed, athleticism, etc. is tough to manufacture, but as long as a guy is willing to put in the work, technique can be fixed. I've also seen where he can get a little too aggressive, putting him out of position and will commit some penalties because of it. He's also not a blazing guy, but 4.5 speed is still on par with starters in the NFL.
He's being looked at in the second to third round range, leaning more towards the second, so there's a decent chance he won't be around for the Colts 3rd round pick. Chuck Pagano likes his players to want to hit people, get in the Offense's faces, and can play different schemes, which Ryan did while at Rutgers. He could easily play either inside or outside, probably starting on the inside until his technique improves. At the end of Round 3, Ryan looks to be a pretty good pick for the Colts.
Scouting Profile from NFL.com:
Strengths
Good size for a corner. Extremely physical. Active all across the field, and not afraid to come up an participate in the run game. Reckless abandon for his body, but still a sound tackler.
Weaknesses
Still raw in terms of technique. Lacks blazing speed. As a result, will fly his hips open far to quickly to compensate, leading to a lot of short completions.
NFL Comparison
Dunta Robinson
Strengths: Enough size and strength for the position with good length. Strong man cover skills and works hard to gain body position and make a play on the ball. Athletic feet and flexible ankles to stick with receivers' hip pocket. Smooth hip movements with the footwork needed for the position. Strikes through the ballcarrier and closes in a flash with good make-up quickness to recover.
Weaknesses: Lacks elite top-end speed for the position and can be beat vertically. Will play overaggressive in the open field tackle and needs to be more consistent breaking down on the move. Needs to use better eye discipline and can be susceptible on fakes and double-moves.
Stats from Sports-Reference.com
Combine Measurements:
Height | Weight | 40 Time | Bench | Broad Jump | Vertical | 3 Cone Drill | 20 Yd. Shuttle | 60 Yd. Shuttle |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5'11" | 191 | 4.56 | 14 | 9'8" | 32.5" | 6.69 | 4.06 | 11.28 |