Blackmon’s Stock Skyrockets
By John Helsley, Staff Writer
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Uh oh, Cowboys fans, it may be time to worry. Not about this weekend, but, possibly, for 2011.
All along with Justin Blackmon, a draft-eligible sophomore, his absence from most NFL Draft talk seemed to suggest he was a lock to return to OSU next season. If you’re not a first-round pick, with the potential to move up in subsequent drafts, you don’t come out.
Now, it appears, all the greatness we saw in Blackmon throughout this season — the NFL folks are seeing it, too.
The guru of NFL Draft analysts, Mel Kiper Jr., released his latest Big Board this week. And Blackmon, who wasn’t drawing mention before, is all the way up to No. 13.
Wow, that’s a big jump. And Kiper is clued in, with a great feel for what scouts and personnel men are thinking.
Blackmon is actually the subject of Kiper’s new Big Board feature and he suggests that upon further review, the Cowboy wideout’s stats deserved a closer look and revealed much to like.
This year, Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon fits the profile of a guy whose totals have demanded a closer look. The result being: He has shown that he’s far more than a stat-hound. Blackmon combines immense productivity with explosiveness in the great Cowboys’ offense (which isn’t just an air show but maintains solid balance). The draft-eligible sophomore makes his first appearance on the Board this week.
Cowboys coach Mike Gundy has maintained a strong belief that Blackmon would return for his junior year. He notes that Blackmon has enough to work on (route running, etc.) that he could benefit from another year of college ball, putting him even more prominent in the 2012 draft.
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