'08 FB Class Review: DE

Devin Jones
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 245
Scout	*** #72 DE, #18 in Mississippi
Rivals	**
ESPN	77 #63 DE

Only other offer was from Ole Miss. Likely explained by the fact that he injured his knee during spring practices and had to sit out his senior year.

Jones may very well grow into a DT before it is all said and done. At the very least he will probably be a DE/DT tweener type, similar to the role Cortez McCraney plays now. He isn't much of a speed rusher and his pass rushing in general needs work, but he is very strong against the run. One thing you'll always hear is how strong Jones is (state power lifting champion), and his ability to overpower OL and take on double teams.

Trevor Stigers
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 225
Scout	*** #51 DE, #12 in Mississippi
Rivals	*** #27 WDE, #20 in Mississippi
ESPN	72, #116 DE

Stigers was highly thought of, holding offers from Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Auburn. As a junior he had 109 tackles and 14 sacks. Production dipped slightly his senior year, but Stigers still had 84 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 3 FF, and 4 pass deflections.

Stigers is more of a threat as a pass rusher than Devin Jones, but he is still better against the run at this point. He doesn't have the explosion out of his stance you look for, but does use his hands well to get off blockers and does have the power to make a push into the backfield.

Nick Bell
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 228
Scout	** #125 DE
Rivals	**
ESPN	74 #94 DE

As a senior, Bell made 70 tackles in six games from his LB position.

He could stay at LB at Mississippi State but everyone seems to project him as a DE so I'm going to go along with them. MSU fans love to compare him to Titus Brown: both 2 stars, both LB in high school, both somewhat of tweeners in college. So yes, Bell could be the next Titus Brown, but what fans don't realize (or are too blind to admit) is Brown is the exception not the rule.

In any case, Bell will bring great athleticism for the position (4.6 40) but will have some work to do as far as technique is concerned before he is ready. This is a bit of a roll of the dice but with a possible huge payoff. Looks like an almost certain redshirt to me.

Sean Ferguson
Ht: 6'4" Wt: 215
Scout	**
Rivals	**
ESPN	N/A

Ferguson held offers from Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Middle Tennessee, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, South Florida, and Rutgers. He had 35 tackles and 5 sacks his junior year and 57 tackles to go along with 12 sacks his senior year.

I like the huge jump in production his senior year, always good to see that. That jump along with the fact that MSU, USF, and Rutgers all got in late on Ferguson tells me he could be one of those late bloomers that slips under the radar. He'll definitely need to put on some weight.

Shane McCardell
Ht: 6'5" Wt: 220
Scout	**
Rivals	**
ESPN	N/A

McCardell held offers from North Texas, Tulane, Boise State, Baylor, Arkansas, and Texas. As a junior he started just 5 games and had 18 tackles, 12 TFL, and 7 sacks. His senior year, McCardell had 33 tackles, 5.5 TFL, and 3.5 sacks.

McCardell is yet another very interesting prospect. Like O'Neal Wilder he didn't play a down of football until his junior year. Suddenly those stats don't look so bad do they? He ran track in high school and is another 4.6 40 guy. I'm sure he needs some work given he has only played two years, but his potential seems ridiculously high. Plus, that Texas offer is good enough for me.

Kirkland Gainous
Ht: 6'2" Wt: 217
Scout	*** #78 DE
Rivals	**
ESPN	73 #107 DE

Gainous didn't make the grades so he won't be here in August. He hopes to be able to greyshirt and come back in January but is more likely headed to junior college.


Overall Grade: A-
I'll be honest, I'm being a bit of a homer with that grade. Aside from Trevor Stigers and possibly Devin Jones (had the injury not happened), this group isn't highly thought of by the recruiting services. The upside of the others seems extremely high though. Bell's outstanding athleticism should help once he learns the position. By all accounts Ferguson is just starting to come into his own. Finally McCardell clearly is just scratching the surface of his abilities having only played two years.