Thursday night NFL Draft watch notes

Tonight during the South Florida/Rutgers game, it will be typically filled with plenty of NFL scouts.

But according to Chris Steuber of Scout.com, several other notables will be attendance. Among them is Patriots director of player personnel director Jason Licht. Other lead personnel men there will be Terry McDonough of Jacksonville, Rick Spielman of Minnesota and Les Snead of Atlanta.

None of those top the New York Giants who will send general manager Jerry Reese, director of college scouting Mark Ross and an additional scout.

Why all the love? That’s because South Florida could possibly send five defensive players to the NFL next year.

The best among them could be junior college transfer Jason Pierre-Paul. A tall, lanky defensive end, Pierre-Paul has 9.5 tackles for a loss this season and two sacks. But his upside is tremendous. He’s 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds and all arms and legs. He could become a dominant force along the defensive line if he returns for his senior season.

Senior end George Selvie will also get plenty of attention. Steuber reported on his Twitter page that Selvie is a favorite of the Vikings. While Selvie’s sack numbers are down this year, he’s always a factor. Few ends possess his quickness at the snap and Selvie can make plays all over the field.

Safety Nate Allen also has plenty of intrigue, as do cornerback Jerome Murphy and linebacker Kion Wilson.

However, the best player in the stadium could be playing for the Scarlet Knights. That would be left tackle Anthony Davis. A junior, Davis is expected to declare early for the 2010 NFL Draft.

Considered by many evaluators as a possible top 10 pick, Davis made his name last season by shutting Selvie down.

“George can run,” Davis told reporters about Selvie. “Looking at him on film, he can get from sideline to sideline. He’s a great player, a great pass rusher. I’m looking forward to going against him.”