Mitch Petrus Scouting Report

Petrus redshirted in 2008--still for mostly unknown reasons--so it looks like he will be returning to Arkansas for his senior season. It's known that Petrus did not want to redshirt and school officials said no violations were involved, so it could have been connected to an academic situation. Whatever the case, Petrus missed a disappointing 5-7 season for the Razorbacks under first-year coach Bobby Petrino, so his draft stock probably would not have benefited much from playing (barring a real standout season). In 2007, the offensive guard was names to the All-SEC Second Team. Another year at left guard will do him a world of good before going to the next level because Petrus actually played fullback for Arkansas during his sophomore season. As a freshman he played mostly on special teams, so he could use some senior experience at his projected NFL position. Technically Petrus is an extremely effective blocker, but he probably needs to get either bigger (and he has the frame to do it) or faster (around 5.0 in the 40) in order to become a true dominant lineman. He will go back to school, so check back for a more important update during the 2009 season.