Delone Carter's NFL Draft Stock Rises After East West Shrine Game

Former Syracuse University running back Delone Carter won a whole lot more than an offensive MVP award Saturday in the East-West Shrine Game. His 11-carry, 54-yard performance in the all-star showcase in front of NFL scouts and general managers likely improved his 2011 NFL Draft stock significantly, and earned him a few million extra dollars.

Here is CBS Sports draft expert Rob Rang discussing the impact of Carter's effort on Saturday.

There were some impressive performances from running backs on Saturday, but none trumped Carter's effort. At only 5-feet-9, one might expect his burst and agility to be his forte. True enough, Carter proved elusive and a quick accelerator Saturday. More impressive, however, was how Carter carried his 226-pound frame. He showcased explosive running, broke tackles and towed defenders for extra yardage. Carter led all rushers with 11 attempts for 54 yards, including a 16-yard scamper around right end for the game's opening touchdown.

NEPatriotsDraft.com said Carter "showed some good burst, vision, and a low center of gravity."

Carter's impressive East-West Shrine Game effort follows his 199-yard performance for Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl against Kansas State, a 36-34 Orange victory in which he was also named MVP.

Carter is currently considered a mid-round draft pick. He ended his Syracuse career with 3,104 yards rushing on 646 carries, 4.8 yards per carry. Syracuse linebacker Doug Hogue and center Ryan Bartholomew also played in the game.

East-West Shrine Game: Syracuse's Delone Carter Scores Touchdown To Help East Win, 25-8

Syracuse Orange senior running back Delone Carter ran for a game-best 51 yards on 11 carries and scored the game’s first touchdown to help the East beat the West, 25-8, in the 86th Annual East-West Shrine Game in Orlando, Fla.

Just 22 seconds into the game, Carter scored from 16 yards to help the East take an early 7-0 advantage. Carter’s TD was setup by West senior running back Alex Green's (Hawaii Warriors) fumble on the game's first play, which was recovered by East’s defensive back Josh Thomas (Buffalo Bulls). Carter scored on the very next play.

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Carter, who earned MVP honors in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, carried the ball 10 more times for an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Carter also added one reception for three yards. On the East’s second TD drive, which gave the East a 16-0 advantage, Carter carried the ball twice for 12 yards.

The East dominated the game, totaling 301 yards to the West’s 126. The East also forced four turnovers and held the West to 1-for-11 on third-down conversions.

All in all, it was a great showing for Carter, who was snubbed from the Senior Bowl. This should help his draft status -- which currently has him as a third or fourth rounder -- a bit. Though it wasn’t against the elite talent of college football, Carter stood out among the rest of the game’s running backs, which is always a good thing.

2011 Senior Bowl: Seven Big East Players Featured, But None From Syracuse

There will be no players representing Syracuse University in next week’s 2011 Senior Bowl, the premier pre-draft all-star game. The Big East Conference, however, will have seven players in the game.

The Big East players who will be participating are:

Connecticut: Lawrence Wilson, LB; Louisville: Johnny Patrick, DB; Bilal Powell, RB; Pittsburgh: Jason Pinkston, OL; Rutgers: Joe Lefeged, DB West Virginia: Noel Devine, RB; Chris Neild, DL.

The game will be held Saturday, Jan. 29 (4 p.m. ET, NFL Network) at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

Three Syracuse players, center Ryan Bartholomew, running back Delone Carter and outside linebacker Douglas Hogue will represent the Orange today in the East West Shrine Game.

The official Senior Bowl roster is below.

Quarterbacks

Andy Dalton- TCU
Colin Kaepernick- Nevada
Jake Locker- Washington
Greg McElroy- Alabama
Christian Ponder- Florida State
Ricky Stanzi- Iowa

Running Backs-Fullbacks

Anthony Allen – Georgia
Noel Devine- West Virginia
Roy Helu Jr. – Nebraska
Kendal Hunter- Oklahoma State
DeMarco Murray- Oklahoma
Bilal Powell- Louisville
Daniel Thomas- Kansas State

Wide Receivers

Leonard Hankerson- Miami
Jerrel Jernigan- Troy
Ronald Johnson-USC
Jeremy Kerley- TCU
Niles Paul- Nebraska
Austin Pettis- Boise State
Greg Salas- Hawaii
Matt Szczur- Villanova
Titus Young- Boise State

Tight Ends

Preston Dial- Alabama
Lance Kendricks- Wisconsin
Mike McNeill- Nebraska
Luke Stocker- Tennessee
D.J. Williams- Arkansas

Offensive Tackles

Clint Boling – Georgia
James Brewer – Indiana
James Carpenter- Alabama
Anthony Castonzo- Boston College
Gabe Carimi- Wisconsin
DeMarcus Love- Arkansas
Jason Pinkston- Pittsburgh
Derek Sherrod- Mississippi State
Nate Solder- Colorado
Lee Ziemba- Auburn

Offensive Guards

Marcus Gilbert- Florida
Rodney Hudson- Florida State
Benjamin Ijalana- Villanova
John Moffit- Wisconsin
Mike Pouncey- Florida
Steve Schilling- Michigan
Danny Watkins- Baylor

Centers

Kris O’Dowd- USC

Defensive Ends

Sam Acho – Texas
Pierre Allen – Nebraska
Allen Bailey- Miami Hurricanes
Jeremy Beal- Oklahoma
Adrian Clayborn- Iowa
Cameron Jordan- California
Ryan Kerrigan- Purdue
Pernell McPhee- Mississippi State
Brooks Reed – Arizona

Defensive Tackles

Christian Ballard- Iowa
Sione Fua – Stanford
Jarvis Jenkins – Clemson
Chris Neild – West Virginia
Drake Nevis- LSU
Stephen Paea- Oregon State
Phil Taylor- Baylor

Linebackers

Josh Bynes- ILB- Auburn
Mason Foster- ILB – Washington
Mark Herzlich- OLB – Boston College
Ross Homan – LB – Ohio State
Nate Irving – LB – N.C. State
Greg Jones – LB – Michigan State
Casey Matthews – OLB – Oregon
Colin McCarthy – LB – Miami Hurricanes
Von Miller – LB – Texas A&M
Kelvin Sheppard- ILB- LSU
Quan Sturdivant – LB – North Carolina
Chris White- OLB- Mississippi State
K.J. Wright- ILB- Mississippi State

Cornerbacks

Curtis Brown – Texas
Jalil Brown- Colorado
Kendric Burney – UNC
Rashad Carmichael- Virginia Tech
Marcus Gilchrist – Clemson
Curtis Marsh- Utah St.
Johnny Patrick- Louisville
Chris Rucker – Michigan State
Shareece Wright- USC

Safety

Ahmad Black- Florida
Quinton Carter- Oklahoma
Ras-I Dowling- Virginia
Zac Etheridge – Auburn
Joe Lefeged- Rutgers
DeAndre McDaniel – Clemson
Da’Norris Searcy – North Carolina

Special Teams

Danny Aiken- LS- Virginia
Kai Forbath- K- UCLA
Alex Henery- P- Nebraska
Chas Henry- P- Florida
Josh Jasper- K- LSU
Christian Yount- LS- UCLA

2011 NFL Draft: Fifty-Six Players Declare For Draft

The NFL announced today that 56 players, the most ever, have been granted special eligibility for the 2011 NFL Draft. to be held April 28-30. Last year 53 players were granted special eligibility.

The deadline for receiving applications was January 15. Each of the 56 players has met the league’s three-year eligibility rule and each has submitted a written application in which he renounced his remaining college football eligibility. 

The full list of players granted eligibility is below. No Syracuse University players are on the list.

2011 NFL Draft Prospects: Big East Conference Players To Watch

The East West Shrine Game is this week, and we have already told you about players to watch from the Big East Conference who are performing in that game.

As the draft process begins in earnest, let’s look at the list of the top 200 prospects as put together by SB Nation’s home for all things NFL draft related, Mocking The Draft. Peruse the full list at your leisure. Here are the Big East players on the list.

19. Jonathan Baldwin | 6’5, 220 pounds | WR | Pittsburgh
50. Johnny Patrick | 6’0, 190 pounds | CB | Louisville
68. Robert Sands | 6’4, 221 pounds | FS | West Virgnia
71. Jordan Todman | 5’9, 190 pounds | RB | Connecticut
85. Noel Devine | 5’8, 176 pounds | RB | West Virginia
110. Bilal Powell | 6’0, 215 pounds | RB | Louisville
115. Delone Carter | 5’9, 216 pounds | RB | Syracuse
116. Cameron Graham | 6’4, 253 pounds | TE | Louisville
127. Jason Pinkston | 6’4, 305 pounds | OT | Pittsburgh
145. Scott Lutrus | 6’3, 240 pounds | MLB | Connecticut
164. Brandon Hogan | 5’10, 190 pounds | CB | West Virginia
174. Doug Hogue | 6’2, 228 pounds | OLB | Syracuse
180. Lawrence Wilson | 6’1, 220 pounds | OLB | Connecticut
190. Greg Romeus | 6’6, 270 pounds | DE | Pittsburgh

Players will, of course, move up and down draft boards as the process unfolds the next couple of months. This is, however, an interesting reference point to start from.

East West Shrine Game: Three From SU Among NFL Draft Prospects

Three Syracuse University seniors are on the East roster for Saturday’s East West Shrine Game (4 p.m. ET, NFL Network). Center Ryan Bartholomew, running back Delone Carter and outside linebacker Douglas Hogue will represent the Orange.

Here is Sideline Scouting discussing Carter:

Positives: Very good at holding onto the football, rarely fumbles… Leaves it all out on the football field, constantly giving 100 percent and gets all the tough yards… Great runner between the tackles, keeps his pads low and churns his legs… Always keeps his legs moving, gets a ton of yards after contact… Should contribute nicely as a short yardage back.

Negatives: Rather slow, gets caught from behind and has trouble reaching the corner on stretch plays and tosses… Below average in the open field, doesn’t have a ton of moves to break long runs… Raw in pass protection, typically is substituted out in third down situations… Hasn’t been asked to contribute much as a receiver, only has 28 career receptions in his four years at Syracuse.

Here is FFToolbox discussing Hogue:

For a player who has only spent 24 games at linebacker, Hogue will only get better. He has good speed and great instincts…whether it be hunting down the ball carrier or the quarterback. Hogue has solid hands, which he developed during his days as a running back and he could even be a short yardage ball carrier in the NFL. However, his true position at the next level is as an outside linebacker and some team that has time to teach Hogue and allow him to learn more about the position will be getting a steal in the fourth or fifth round.

Here is an FFToolbox look at Bartholomew:

Bartholomew will impress scouts with his strength and speed leading up to the NFL Draft and that should help boost his stock. For a player who probably will not be drafted until the later rounds, Bartholomew has all the tools to be a solid center at the next level and is certainly worth a sixth or seventh round pick for a team in need of a versatile and smart center.

Several other players from the Big East Conference will be part of the East roster for Saturday’s game. They are Zachary Hurd (OG, Connecticut), Scott Lutrus (LB, Connecticut), Gregory Lloyd II (LB, Connecticut), Terrell McClain (DT, South Florida), Anthony Sherman (FB, Connecticut).

2011 NFL Draft Prospects: Cam Newton Declares, So Where Will He Land?

The New York Giants and New York Jets are likely to have zero interest in drafting Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who Thursday declared his intention to enter the 2011 NFL Draft. That, however, does not mean Giants and Jets fans should not pay attention to what happens with Newton's draft stock. After all, there are a few NFC East and AFC East teams who could be looking for a quarterback, so they might be seeing a lot of him.

The Buffalo Bills pick third. That might be too early for Newton, and the Bills might feel they are OK with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. Still, I don't think you can look at Fitzpatrick and see an upper-echelon guy.

The Miami Dolphins pick 15th. Are the Dolphins really committed to Chad Henne as their long-term answer at quarterback? Personally, I don't see Henne as a big-time NFL quarterback. Do you? So, that would make the Dolphins a possibility.

The Washington Redskins pick 10th. We know coach Mike Shanahan has soured on Donovan McNabb and that it is extremely unlikely McNabb will be back. That leaves Rex Grossman at the helm in Washington, and I doubt Shanahan sees Grossman as the long-term answer. The Redskins using their first pick on a quarterback would not be a stunner at all. Would Newton be the guy Shanahan wants to build around? Could be.

SB Nation's Mocking the Draft posted a scouting report on Newton today. Here is part of it:

Cam Newton will be the most polarizing player in the 2011 NFL Draft. It's easy to see why some will fall madly in love him and why others will go mad if their team drafts him.

Newton is a rare talent. With his size, athleticism and arm strength, Newton has more potential than any player in this year's draft. That alone will get him picked in the first round. He also displays great leadership skills that are impossible to teach. In only one year at Auburn, the Tigers rallied around Newton and he led them to a  national title.

But his negatives may scare some teams off completely. Newton will have to greatly refine all of his mechanical flaws if he wants to succeed in the pros. His field vision and pocket poise are average, at best. Then there are the questions about his character – fair or not. He's had multiple off-field issues and has bounced around from Florida to Blinn Junior College to Auburn.

Newton will be one of the most fascinating players to watch throughout the draft process. And on draft day.