HBCU NFL Draft Prospect: Prathon Wilkerson, CB, Albany St

One of the top corners in DII football, Prathon Wilkerson, is a true sleeper prospect. Wilkerson stands out on film and had a break-out senior year in 2010 at Albany State with 38 tackles, 16 total PBUs, and 8 interceptions. He has a good understanding of the cornerback position and possesses decent size at 5-10 195 lbs. Wilkerson is a physical and instinctive cornerback who displays good footwork in all directions of the field, quickly breaks to the action, and has a nice burst out of his plant. He bates quarterbacks on pass plays by giving the illusion that the wide receivers are open, then jumps the route and proves he has good hands by rarely dropping interceptions. Wilkerson is a solid open field tackler and breaks down under control to wrap-up. He did a good job at practices during the HBCU Bowl week staying with receivers, reading routes and breaking on the ball. At times he gets a little high in his backpedal and looks somewhat stiff in transition. Scouts also wonder about his man coverage skills and long speed with receivers at the next level because of the competition he faced at the DII level. Wilkerson tested well at the HBCU Bowl combine with 4.5 forty times and 16 reps on the bench. He looks best suited to fit into a zone scheme system, but his ability to make a NFL roster in camp will rely on his special teams skill and his versatility in the secondary.

Prathon Wilkerson film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDEap-UrJT0

HBCU NFL Draft Prospect: Derrick McPhearson, WR/DB, Bowie St

Derrick McPhearson is a former four star high school football recruit who started his college career at Illinois University. McPhearson, aside from being a star football player, was a legitimate baseball prospect in high school and spent some time in the minor league system. During his football career at Illinois he showed inconsistent hands and was known for not running sharp routes. McPhearson ran into some trouble at Illinois and after two years transferred to Hampton University and then finally ended up at Bowie State for his last year in 2010. He has nice size at 6'0'' 195 lbs and was a versatile player this past year at Bowie, starting the first five games at cornerback and then the last five games at wide receiver. After watching film on McPhearson I believe his skill sets are best suited on the offensive side of the ball and he is an explosive athlete with great speed and agility. During the HBCU Bowl All-Star week, McPhearson showed his quickness, skills as an elusive pass catcher and his potential as a return specialist. He is fluid releasing off the line into routes but needs to do a better job of staying low out of his breaks and coming back to the ball. He nicely adjusts to the errant throw, makes the reception in stride and is effective when he extends to catch the pass away from his frame. McPhearson impressed the scouts on hand at the HBCU Bowl combine with his mid 4.4 forty times, 37 inch vertical jump and 10'8" broad jump. Some scouts requested at practice during the HBCU Bowl week to see him in the defensive secondary because of his great athleticism. He also has great NFL bloodlines with his father playing two years for the Patriots and his brother Gerrick being drafted by the NY Giants in the 6th round in 2007. McPhearson transferred schools multiple times and his playing time was limited the last two years in his career with some off-the-field issues. Those combined concerns along with him still looking to play professional baseball have raised red flags in the NFL scouting community. McPhearson has the potential to be a productive fourth or fifth receiver and return specialist on the NFL level, yet he must be totally committed to football and display maturity as a player and person.

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HBCU NFL Draft Prospect: Darian Barnes, DE/LB, Tuskegee University

Prospect Darian Barnes was a defensive end in college but is projected to be a rush outside linebacker at the next level in a 3-4 alignment for NFL teams. Barnes has an impressive frame with an athletic looking build at 6-3, 245 lbs and 34 inch arms. His athletic ability jumps out on film, but he is raw. He explodes off the snap with a great first step, keeps his feet moving on contact, and is fluid in changing direction. Barnes plays with a good degree of quickness, immediately alters his angle of attack and shows a burst of closing speed baring down on the play. On film, Barnes shows good spin, dip and swim moves when rushing the passer. He effectively uses his hands, plays with good knee bend and pad level. Breaks down well and gives a lot of effort hustling around the field. Barnes showed his pass rushing skills during the HBCU Bowl week getting the best against most of the selected offensive lineman in one-on-one drills and in team sessions. He stood out in the HBCU Bowl All-Star Game constantly getting pressure on the quarterback and registering two sacks. He did not run for scouts at the HBCU Bowl combine, but is reported to run in the mid 4.6s. Barnes did show his strength for scouts with 22 reps on the bench. In watching film on Barnes, it shows that he has a tendency to bite on play-action passes and get caught up the field and out of position. Sometimes Barnes gets easily blocked on plays away from the ball which leaves him lost in traffic during the play. Barnes primarily lined up in a three-point stance in college and was not asked to drop back in coverage, which is a concern for scouts in projecting his transition to fit as a LB in a 3-4 scheme. Barnes is the type of player that teams look to develop on practice squad and hope will contribute over time. He will also have to impress and contribute on special teams to increase his chances at the next level. Barnes offers a good degree of upside potential and is a solid developmental prospect for the next level.
Darian Barnes youtube film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBhC_eWnQ6s

HBCU NFL Draft Prospect: Phillip Sylvester, RB, Florida A&M

Phillip Sylvester, FAMU RB, started off slow in 2010, but finished the season very strong with some big performances against then undefeated Bethune-Cookman, Hampton and NC A&T. In watching Sylvester, the things that stood out to me were his speed, quickness and elusiveness. He's a smaller back at 5-8, 185 lbs, which is a concern for NFL scouts, but they love the fact that he has the speed and acceleration to take it the distance on any play. Sylvester has the feet, wiggle and change of direction that you like in a back. He also displays good instincts and has the ability to make the first defender miss. He does a decent job of setting up his blocks, but needs to show more consistency in this area and he also needs to run with better pad level as he has a up right running style. After watching film, it is evident that Sylvester runs hard, breaks tackles, and does not go down on the initial contact. Sylvester is the type of player that you want to put in space to make plays. Durability is not a big concern for Phillip, but he has battled some injuries in his career. During the HBCU Bowl week he was the most impressive back on the East roster. He also impressed the NFL scouts on hand at the HBCU Bowl Georgia Dome combine with his 4.3 and 4.4 40-yard dash times. Sylvester is currently training at the Success Athletic Training Facilities and I expect him to put up an even faster forty time at his pro day in March. Sylvester catches the ball well out of the back field and will have to make his mark at the next level as a return guy and change of pace back. He's a good blocker for someone his size but might not fair well against the linebackers that he will face at the next level. Sylvester should get an opportunity in a NFL training camp where he may surprise some people, but he will have to establish himself as a return man to better his chances at the next level.

HBCU NFL Draft Prospect: Jordan Miller, DT, Southern University

After watching film on Southern University's DT Jordan Miller this past season; the first thing that stood out to me was his explosive first step and quickness off the ball. He stays low out of his stance and gets good leverage at the point of attack; he's also very active with his hands and displays good strength while holding his gap. Miller showed a lot of his quickness and strength against the offensive lineman during the HBCU Bowl week last month and was unblockable at times; especially in one-on-one drills. He put up very good workout numbers at the GA Dome HBCU Bowl Combine held on Monday during the week with 30 reps on the bench and running a 5.1 in the 40 (considering he just finished a full football season).  Miller has a unique football story, he didn't play football until his senior year in high school and only played in a few games. He decided to walk-on at Southern University and was still learning the nuances of the game his first two seasons. Everything started coming together for him in his Junior year at Southern with leading the team with five and a half sacks and eleven tackles for loss. Miller had an even more productive Senior year with nine sacks and fifteen tackles for loss, but it was over shadowed by his team losing record and two other DT prospects in the SWAC conference in Arkansas Pine-Bluff Ibraham Abdulah and Alabama A&M's Frank Kearse getting most of the publicity. But Miller deserves to be mentioned with them in his own right and scouts have taken notice.

Jordan Miller youtube film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_xPGxk6b6Y