The California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal both have some great talents that will be available in the 2012 NFL Draft. All of them have some work they could be doing in trying to improve their stock in this week's Combine.
Two of these players are expected to be among the ones that could be drafted the highest for each team. Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro will obviously fall behind Andrew Luck and probably Jonathan Martin, but he is a bona fide first round pick. Tony Pauline of Sports Illustrated reports that a switch in position could do DeCastro's draft stock well.
DeCastro closely resembles Steve Hutchinson on the field with his aggressive nature and dominant strength. Scouts wonder if DeCastro can make the move from guard to right tackle in the NFL. He's listed at 6-foot-5 on the Stanford website, the perfect height for a right tackle prospect. If his Combine measurement is close to that number and DeCastro turns in a good workout, franchises around the league could place him on their draft board at the right tackle position. His draft stock would then soar.
Jones was cast as a possession wideout with minimal upside entering the 2011 campaign. He topped off a tremendous season by impressing NFL decision-makers at the Senior Bowl. The question remains: How fast is Jones? If he matches his 40 times in recent workouts (low 4.4s), Jones will be viewed in a whole new light and could jump into the second round.
To discuss DeCastro and Stanford football with Cardinal fans, head on over to Rule of Tree. To talk about Jones and Cal football with Golden Bears fans, check out the California Golden Blogs.