Moffitt at Senior Bowl: 'I have nothing to hide'

USF linebacker Ben Moffitt is the Bulls' lone representative at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and Rivals.com reports that a big part of the week for players are the interviews with front-office types from NFL teams, but Moffitt has no problem, even after his wife Shauna told newspapers she wrote papers and took online classes for him at USF.

"They ask, and I'm just 100 percent honest with them," Moffitt told Rivals.com. "I have nothing to hide, and I level with them. I hope they appreciate that."

This time of year, everyone is chiming in with thoughts on the NFL Draft, and one blogger bold enough to publish a five-round mock draft (at that point, go ahead and do a full seven, no?) has Moffitt and former USF cornerback Trae Williams going in the fourth round. The same mock has Mike Jenkins falling to No. 20 to the Bucs and also has West Virginia running back Steve Slaton going to the Bucs in the third round.  Another blog has Moffitt and Williams in the top 200 players, but not in the top 100, which would translate somewhere between the fourth and sixth rounds. Again, nothing authoritative, but fun as a conversation starter ...

-- More credible name-dropping. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, musing about the Cowboys' options at No. 22 and 28, calls Jenkins "ideal for the Cowboys" but admits he's unlikely to fall that far. Seems foreseeable that Dallas could trade up into the top 10 with those two picks if cornerback were indeed their top priority for the draft ... I've generally seen Jenkins and Kansas' Aqib Talib as the draft's top two corners, but the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer quotes the NFL Network's Mike Mayock as saying the top two are Jenkins and Troy's Leodis McKelvin, with Talib in the second tier.

-- We'll have a capsule in Sunday's Times on USF's recruiting, and this is the final major weekend for the Bulls' official visits. USF only has a handful of scholarships still in play, so the visitors this weekend include seven players already committed to the Bulls, who go from recruits to recruiters, trying to sway three visitors who aren't committed. (Two have previously committed elsewhere, actually). The Ocala Star-Banner leads its recruiting notes with Vanguard tight end Jeff Hawkins, USF's first commitment of the year and an unabashed salesman for the Bulls who should help with the undecideds this weekend.

Comments

From SI.COM 01/24 Senior Bowl Final Analysis: The South

Ben Moffitt/LB/Central Florida: Moffitt played 100MPH and does a great job diagnosing the action then flowing to the ball. He did struggle in coverage and looks like a two down defender.
http://www.tfydraft.com/news.php?newsID=41

[VOR]

The article is by "tfydraft.com" NOT SI.com.
Different level of disrespect.

[Dave W]

I like Jenkins to the Patriots. They appreciate versatility and size in their secondary. Considering that Asante Samuel is probably gone, Jenkins is the logical fit.

I really can't see him falling to the Cowboys. He;s rocketing up most value boards- kudos to Mel Kiper for being the first big-time analyst to rank him so highly. Everyone is just starting to jump on the Jenkins bandwagon. I think he is the best CB in a weak draft, and because that is a position that teams always focus on, he should be gone by #14.

[Ari Hinkelberger]

I bet you Moffit does not make an NFL team...

Anybody want to put a wager on it?

He is slow.

TOMMY STREETER !?!?!?!?!?!?

[Jordan]

I dont know Ari; in the rutgers game, Moffit chased down Ray Rice from behind when he broke through the line. He might not be a burner, but he surely has football speed.

[Dave W]

Moffitt can easily be covered up by a safety. I think he'd be a good MLB in a 3-4, where one guy often plays run. There is always a place in the NFL for tough, strong, and quick (he might not have a great 40, but I bet his shuttle and cone drill times will be good) LBs. Put it this way: Junior Seau is still a good LB in the NFL and he certainly is no speedster.

[nybullsfan]

Hey Ari,

How about a bag of hand-picked NY apples for a bag of hand-picked FL oranges?

Go BULLS!

[Ken]

Some of these comments are so asine. I believe I'm pretty safe in saying that Ben Moffitt reads just fine--and doesn't say such silly and stupid things about other people either. Will he start in the NFL next year--I don't think so. But someone is going to want a smart, heads up, hard-working backup linebacker, who will also be great for special teams play.