Last season Jordan Matthews led the SEC with 94 catches, and finished second in the conference with 1323 receiving yards (Photo: Wade Payne, AP)
DraftBrowns.com Staff Writer: Justin Higdon
After starting the season 2-4, the Vanderbilt Commodores finished the 2012 with seven consecutive wins, including a victory over North Carolina State in the Music City Bowl. The bowl win was the school’s first since 2008, and the Commodores’ nine wins was their highest total since the 1915 season. Despite the losses of quarterback Jordan Rodgers and running back Zac Stacy to the NFL, hopes remain high for Vanderbilt as the team heads into its third season under Head Coach James Franklin. However, the Commodores will need to overcome a despicable sex scandal that led to the immediate dismissal of four players. Franklin and company will have a difficult time matching last season’s success.
Jordan Matthews WR 6’3” 205 – As a freshman in 2010, Matthews caught 15 passes in 12 games and scored four touchdowns. The following season, the sophomore wide receiver opened eyes by averaging 19 yards per catch on 41 receptions. Last year, Matthews led the SEC with 94 catches, finished second in yards with 1323, and tied for seventh in the conference with eight touchdown receptions. His performance earned him unanimous First Team All SEC selections from the coaches and the media. Matthews topped 100 receiving yards in seven different games, and scored at least one touchdown in each of the team’s last five contests. He is a big-bodied receiver who is effective on crossing and comeback routes. Matthews is not a track star and should time somewhere in the 4.5 to 4.6 second range in the forty yard dash. As a result, he does not always get the best separation. He generally does well to get his hands out in front of his body to catch the ball, but he occasionally has lapses in concentration that lead to drops. Matthews tracks the ball well and gets his arms extended to haul in deep passes, and he shows the ability to make a tough catch. Despite his size, Matthews doesn’t always attack the ball in the air, and is prone to being outfought by smaller defenders. He also has a tendency to let off the gas at the end of runs. Better effort in these departments will allow him to take advantage of his size and make up for his lack of blazing speed. Matthews ultimately has the potential to come off the board by the end of the second round of the draft with some improvement, but his gaudy numbers may be artificially inflating his stock at this stage.
Kenny Ladler FS 6’0” 205 – Ladler played in all 12 games as a freshman in 2010 and made nine starts at strong safety. He finished the season with 57 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble. In 2011, Ladler played in all 13 games, starting five, and logged 53 tackles, an interception and three pass breakups. Last season, Ladler finally became a full-time starter. He led the team with 90 tackles, and added a sack, a forced fumble and two interceptions. Ladler has a solid frame and plays with good speed. He has experience lining up in both safety roles – crowding the line of scrimmage at times and lining up in a single-high look on other occasions – and his versatility will intrigue NFL scouts. Ladler shows the ability to read the quarterback and rotate in deep coverage, but he needs to be more consistent. The best example of his potential in pass coverage was his interception in the Music City Bowl. There, he read the quarterback immediately and rolled to the right sideline to step in front of the wide receiver. On passes in front of him when he’s running downhill, Ladler shows good instincts, but when his back is to the action, he needs to do a better job turning and locating the ball. Ladler can be an effective blitzer, and he takes good angles in run defense, however he prefers going for big hits rather than wrapping up his opponents. This will obviously lead to missed tackles, and as the last line of defense, this could pose major problems. Currently Ladler has the look of a mid round prospect, but with some fine tuning against stiff SEC competition he will have plenty of opportunities to raise his stock.
Chase Garnham ILB 6’3” 234 – Garnham made news recently by joining the “Ed O’Bannon” anti-trust lawsuit against the NCAA, but his on-field performance for the Commodores has been noteworthy as well. After seeing special teams duty as a freshman, Garnham started the first seven games of his sophomore campaign, but was hampered by injuries that kept him out of three full games and parts of two others. He finished the year with 51 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. He returned healthy last season to set career highs with 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Garnham is an athletic linebacker who played safety in high school. He has good speed, closes quickly on ball carriers and does a good job wrapping up on his tackles. He is a versatile player who played outside as a sophomore before moving inside last season. Garnham’s skill set should earn him an early look at the NFL level as a rotational linebacker and special teamer.
Wesley Johnson OT 6’5” 295 – A fifth-year senior out of Nashville, Tennessee, Johnson has started 38 games in his Vanderbilt career and has proven to be one of the most versatile linemen in college football. As a redshirt freshman he started every game at left tackle. As a sophomore, Johnson started games at left tackle, center and left guard. Last season he was back at left tackle where he earned honorable mention for the All SEC Team from conference writers. Johnson is an athletic player who has proven adept at any spot on the line. He is undersized and could stand to bulk up, but he has added about 50 pounds during his time on campus. Perhaps most importantly to his college teammates, Johnson is viewed as a team leader and has assured fans and media that the remaining Commodores will not be affected by the rape scandal. He is the type of player who will gain value for his ability to play multiple positions, and who should impress in pre-draft interviews.
Andre Hal CB 6’0” 185 – Hal is one of five under the radar defensive prospects previously covered right here.
Also keep an eye on: Walker May DE 6’5” 250, Karl Butler OLB 6’1” 216, Wesley Tate RB 6’1” 224, Javon Marshall SS 5’10” 202, Jonathan Krause WR 5’11” 182