NFL Draft Guru Rick Gosselin Talks About Michigan State Football Prospects Kirk Cousins & Jerel Worthy!

Rick Gosselin has been in the sporting world for a long time. He has written on all of the major sports: baseball, hockey, basketball, college football, and pro football. The experienced writer is best known for his NFL Draft predictions. He has covered the league for 35 years and accumulated countless contacts. Gosselin is the best NFL draft prognosticator around and is universally accepted by both the NFL and the media as the go to man for information. Gosselin correctly predicted more draft picks than Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, and Peter King in the 2011 draft.

The Dallas Morning News columnist took some time to talk to Spartan Nation Radio with Hondo about Michigan State and two of its best prospects: Kirk Cousins and Jerel Worthy.

Kirk Cousins enters his senior season on the cusp of stardom. The 2011 season marks his third year at the helm of the Michigan State offense. Cousins has thrown for 5,815 yards and 41 touchdowns, completing 64% of his passes. His stats show his outstanding ability at the position. Gosselin believes Cousins has a high draft value: “If he has the same type of season he had last year, with an additional step forward, I think he’s a first round draft pick.” Gosselin stated that Cousins is just as good a player as Christian Ponder or Jake Locker. Both were drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft. “I haven’t been around Cousins enough to know what the intangibles are, the leadership and such, but I think he’s got the skill and the talent to be a first round draft pick.”

This does not seal the deal for Cousins. An injury or bad year could easily scare away NFL suitors. But if the young Spartan ends his career on a high note, many NFL organizations will come knocking. “This league needs quarterbacks. If a guy has skill, he’s going to get drafted and he’s going to get drafted high,” Gosselin said. “And Cousins has put himself on track to be a first round draft pick.”

Junior Jerel Worthy has high expectations to meet in the 2011 season. The young defensive lineman has been pegged by many as a top notch player. Phil Steele rated him as the second-best defensive tackle in the nation. Worthy must live up to these predictions by exceeding last season’s stellar statistics. He was a major physical presence, racking up 40 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. One major advantage Worthy has is that he plays defensive tackle. “That’s the money position,” explained Gosselin. “That’s why the Lions took Suh…That’s why Fairley went fairly high.”

The evolution of the defensive line into a key position will work out in Worthy’s favor. “The edge rushers are diminishing because of three and five step drops. The outside rushers can’t get to the quarterback. It’s the dominating tackles that now have value in the salary cap world.” The Spartan tackle will see his draft stock soar if he produces. “If he has another All Big Ten, potential All-American type season, he’s going to be a very high pick. The league wants defensive tackles.”

Rick Gosselin’s predictions bode well for the two MSU prospects. If Cousins leads the offense effectively and Worthy holds the line on defense, Spartan Nation will see two of its best go very high in the NFL draft.