Three Area Players Selected in NFL Draft Sunday

Former Thomson star Jasper Brinkley was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 14th pick of the fifth round (150th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft Sunday afternoon. 

Irvin, a 6’3”, 301 lb. defensive lineman out of the University of Georgia, was taken by the Carolina Panthers with the 29th pick of the third round of the NFL Draft, 93rd overall. 

After graduating from Laney, Irvin played two seasons at Georgia Military College before going to Athens.  He became the Bulldogs’ starter at left tackle before his senior season in 2008 when Jeff Owens was lost for the year due to injury.

With Irvin’s help, the Bulldog defense held opponents to 312.0 yards in total offense, including 122.31 yards rushing in 2008.

At the NFL combine he impressed with a 40 yard dash time of 5.03 seconds, a vertical jump of 24.5 inches, a broad jump of 97.0 inches, a three-cone drill time of 97.0 inches and a20-yard shuttle time of 4.73 seconds.

NFLDraftScout.com sizes up Corey this way:  “Positives: Long arms with a square build and room for additional growth. ... At least adequate initial quickness off the snap. ... At least adequate lateral quickness to generate some pass rush from the interior. ... Learning to utilize his long arms to keep blockers off his body. ... Locates the ball and plays with good hustle in pursuit. ... Good lower leg drive to anchor against the run. ... Gets his arms up to provide obstacles in the passing lanes. ... Improved throughout the week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

Negatives: Raw and lacks the eye-popping athleticism to indicate high upside. ... Not quick enough off the snap or when msoving laterally to generate much of a pass rush. ... Only short-area quickness. ... Needs an open lane to close. ... Adequate size and strength to hold up against the run, but struggles to disengage.

Compares To: ROCKY BERNARD, New York Giants—Irvin has good athleticism and a great wingspan, but he has limited production at both levels of college competition. He can create problems coming off a single block, but he lacks great lateral agility to chase down plays in space. He is more of a bull rusher than one who can get an edge off a tackle. He uses his hands with force, but is not a quick engage-and-shed type. He needs to show more aggression in his play, but might not be anything more than a rotation player than a starter.“

He became the fourth Georgia Bulldog taken in the 2009 Draft after Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions), Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos), Mohammed Massaquoi (Cleveland Browns) and Asher Allen (Minnesota Vikings).

Brinkley, a 6’ 2”, 252 lb. inside linebacker from the University of South Carolina.  was a member of Thomson’s 2003 state champion football team.  He spent two seasons at Georgia Military College where he was named the team’s MVP both his freshman and sophomore seasons and earned first team All-America honors.

At South Carolina, he earned All-Southeastern Conference honors as a junior in 2006 while leading the team with 107 tackles, including 85 solo hits (79% of his total). He finished third on the squad with five sacks and led the squad with 14.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, ranking sixth in the conference with an average of 1.08 tackles for loss per game. 

Brinkley earned pre-season All-SEC honors before his senior season in 2007, but tore an anterior ligament in his right knee against LSU that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.  After earning a medical redshirt to return to South Carolina in 2008, he led a Gamecock defense that finished 13th in the nation in total defense, allowing only 291.92 yards per game and finished second in pass defense (159.23 ypg).

At the recent NFL combine, he impressed scouts with a 40 yard dash of 4.72 seconds, a vertical jump of 35.5 inches, a broad jump of 114.0 inches and a 20 yard shuttle of 4.32 seconds.

NFLDraftScout.com analyzes Jasper this way:  “Positives: Prototype size and strength for the inside linebacker position. ... Immediate impact defender for South Carolina after transferring from Georgia Military College, and improved gradually. ... Shows some burst as pass rusher on the blitz. ... Good short-area quickness to elude blockers. ... Reliable open-field tackler and can be a punisher inside. ... Intimidating presence whose size and power project nicely as a 3-4 inside linebacker.

Negatives: Relies on his physical attributes and is still developing his instincts and technique. ... Too often looks to slip blocks instead of using his size advantage. ... Struggles with his hand placement and is slow to disengage. ... Can be fooled by misdirection and lacks the explosiveness to recover. ... Lacks the instincts and foot speed to be a factor in coverage. ... Missed all but four games of the 2007 season after tearing his ACL. ... Underwent surgery September 2007 and wasn’t the same player in 2008, when his athleticism was nowhere close to what it was pre-injury. “

His twin brother Casper signed a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers last year.

Wynn, a 6’3”, 275 lb. defensive end out of the University of Georgia, played high school football for coach Larry Campbell at Lincoln County where he was named first-team All-State as an offensive lineman in 2003 and All-GHSA Class-A as a defensive lineman in 2004. 

During two years at Georgia Military College, he earned second-team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American honors following the 2006 campaign, was voted team captain and defensive MVP earning him a scholarship to Georgia where he tallied 33 tackles and four sacks in two years.

NFLDraftScout.com sizes up Jarius:  “Positives: Looks the part. ... Appears to have the frame to handle adding additional mass and make the transition inside to defensive tackle. ... More technically refined than most junior college prospects. ... Good hand usage to take on and slip blocks. ... Has the lateral agility to force the play out wide. ... Can break down in space and make the secure tackle. ... Might be an ascending player.

Negatives: Lacks burst off the snap. ... Bit of a “tweener.“ ... Lacks the speed off the edge to generate a consistent pass rush from the outside and the bulk to play inside at this time. ... Needs an open lane to close on the ballcarrier. ... Never established himself as a playmaker in the SEC despite plenty of hype.“