NFL Draft 2013: Russ Lande Scouting Notes

Russ Lande, who has taken Wes Bunting's place over at National Football Post, has some scouting notes up today on a couple of prospects that will be of interest to the Tennessee Titans early in April's draft. The first is LSU's Barkevious Mingo. There is no doubt he has the tools, but can he translate those tools into a successful NFL career? Some of the scouts Lande talked to have their doubts:

While there is no debate as to Mingo’s athleticism, there definitely is a split as to where he should be drafted and how successful he can be in the NFL. An explosive athlete with rare first step quickness, Mingo can get to the turn point in a flash and has the athleticism to beat OT inside and out. However, more than a few scouts I spoke to wondered why he did not make an impact in every game he played and wasn’t LSU’s most productive pass rusher.

Another guy that the Titans will be putting some work in on is Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International. He is quickly rising up draft boards, and some people are speculating that he will be picked before Matt Elam. Here is part of what Lande had to say about him:

Muscular and well built, Cyprien definitely looks the part "on the hoof" and once he hit the practice field in Mobile he proved he has the athleticism necessary to be productive in pass coverage in the NFL. After showing good range and coverage skills on film, scouts were happy to see him display the same traits throughout the week. Scouts were also impressed with his ability to come up the field and make last second adjustments to square up on his target.