Between Copeland, Jeremy Hill and that offensive line it's kind of surprising that LSU lost three games this year. That's a lot of pro caliber players with that running game.
Took a look at a few CBs recently. Here's some thoughts. Lamarcus Joyner is interesting. He's got a nose for the ball with one of the better passes defensed rate out of the top CBs in this draft. Playing in the slot he was rarely targeted, something on the order of 10% of all snaps which is about half normal for an average CB. He gets beat more than a CB should, most decent CBs are in the 40% range while Lamarcus is right at 50% on the season. Someone on Twitter told me that Tyrann Mathieu was beat somewhere between 50-55% this season in the NFL and that's where Joyner fits best. Utilize his ability to cover but also use his very effective blitzing skills and give him match-ups where he's not against a 6'5" receiver. I think he's a luxury pick, but a creative DC could find interesting ways to use him. I've just started taking a look at Victor Hampton from South Carolina who I had highlighted before the season. I'm only 4-5 games in, but I'm not particularly impressed with his coverage skills. He gets beat a ton and is always in decent position, but doesn't make the play to break up the ball or blanket the receiver totally. In the game against Bortles he makes a really nice jump on a post route to get the interception, but then gets burned badly on a double-move type route at the goal-line to give up a touchdown at the end of the game. He's an exceptional tackler, but I don't know about his coverage skills.
You read my mind. I was just thinking about Joyner last night for that very reason- to use as a defensive playmaker ala Mathieu. I figured we could let Grimes take him under his wing [if he's re-signed] so he could learn from another undersized playmaking DB.
Here's Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 prospects for perusal: http://www.nfl.com/top50 Top 5: Clowney Watkins Robinson Barr Matthews
Here's my full breakdown over at Rotoworld of Mike Evans, Kelvin Benjamin, Marqise Lee and Sammy Watkins. Click on it and gaze upon the mighty of Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans: http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/46006/349/peshek-top-4-wr-metrics
I think you've captured some numbers that bolster the idea that Watkins and Evans are the runaways as the top tier of the class. I like Marqise Lee and Kelvin Benjamin, but I would have reservations about taking them in the 1st round. There's also Allen Robinson though. He's deserving of a similar look.
I'd like us to also look at Louchez Purifoy. He has some off the field issues but a lot of talent. He was occasionally a 3 way player at UF and made plays on all sides of the ball. Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
For everyone's perusal, here's DT Justin Ellis of LA Tech who had a nice week at the Shrine practices and is doing well in the game right now. Big guy at 330, but he's got some pass rush to him. Might be interesting if we're looking at replacing Soliai down the road: [video=youtube;aiImfEwRg3c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiImfEwRg3c[/video]
Robinson would be a nice fit in this offense after Philbin puts him through his 1 year sideline training course. lol. If we were to trade back and the tackles & Benjamin were off the board I wouldn't have a problem grabbing him.
He has definitely made quite a buzz and I believe he played well in the game though I haven't watched yet. He's certainly got my attention. He abused Gabe Ikard in the pit drills. Just watching the video really the only thing he is missing is getting off the ball with some pop and explosion, which might be asking a bit much for a 6'2" and 350 lbs guy. But he needs to react to the snap a little more instantaneously too as that's part of the problem. Hard to stop him when he's got a head of steam though.
I've been looking at Allen Robinson some more and I have to say, I can see why he's got his cult following. He's really very big and very well built. He squeezes those hips down and can explode out of his breaks. He has very strong toes. I particularly love the way he is able to absorb physicality at the line of scrimmage and break it with his hands while maintaining his balance AND momentum. That's an excellent trait. Really when you're looking at the body size and body type, and the way he moves, I can't help but be reminded of Dez Bryant. The primary difference there I think would be that Robinson doesn't have Bryant's run after catch ability. But then, maybe he does. Allen Robinson and Stanley Jean-Baptiste had an EPIC battle. SJB is a very underrated corner prospect IMO. If Christian Hackenberg weren't so damn inaccurate as a freshman then it would be scary how much Robinson would have produced. As things stand he had 97 catches for 1432 yards and 6 TDs which are already Dez Bryant like numbers except for the touchdowns. If Hackenberg were more accurate the guy could have been a 2000 yard receiver. You could make a case that Robinson belongs in the 1st round even if he doesn't have the same sex appeal as Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans. You could even make the case that those two have weaknesses when it comes to transitioning to the NFL that Allen Robinson does not have, and is the safer bet to be a star. I'm still not quite convinced about Marqise Lee and Kelvin Benjamin, but I'm thinking hard about giving Robinson just a very solid 1st round grade.
I'm not convinced of Lee either. I think if Sammy and Evans weren't in this draft hogging the attention, Robinson would perhaps be viewed as a strong contender to go in the latter third of the first round. There's a lot to like and very little to not like. It's nice to see he has a cult following b/c I thought he was getting ignored like the fat girl of the group.
Aaron Donald measures in at 6007 and 288 lbs with 32.75 inch arms. Didn't say the wing span but I bet it's even wider than normal for 33 inch arms because of broad shoulders. But but but but..I thought he was supposed to be 5'11" and 275 LBs soaking wet? Can he move to linebacker? Lol. Pfffff. #watchthetape.
But, but ,but- I kept hearing about his looong arms and DC has his arms at 31 /3/4, 2nd shortest of the whole group after Sutton. I am surprised that he measured out at 6-0 .7, looks much shorter than that. #trytorememberthatyou'rejustaposteronawebsite http://draftcountdown.com/features/SeniorBowl/reports/Weigh-In.php btw wingspan is 3rd smallest, he's lucky that will sutton is in the group.
Ooooooooh, schooled! Someone's sore about being wrong. Just a poster on a website (that gets paid thousands of dollars for his opinions). He's 6'1" and 288 lbs with 32 inch arms and a 78 inch wing span. Consensus is he came out of measurements a winner. You tried to pin this guy at LINEBACKER for christ's sake. Based on measurements on a page. Measurements you didn't even know, but assumed. Really that one's going to live on in memory like the Zach Thomas ==> Safety thing.
Dude- he looks very short and he can move exceptionally well for a big man, ILB was a spur of the moment thought. I don't remember the last time that I saw a player listed at 6-0 who was actually far closer to 6-1, just a shade under. I very much expected right around 5-11. As to your "Ooooooooh, schooled!" comment, maybe if you put more effort into your analysis instead of acting like a school girl you'll be remembered for something greater than laying a stinky egg with your Ryan Mallett call. Just a thought. #getrealyoufaroverestimateyourself
I like the DT class (1-5) in this order (in my limited "tape" watching and not so informative opinion): 1) Aaron Donald : Is there anyone more explosive than this guy? His height actually works to his advantage in a leverage-sense. I saw a play of his where a guard tries to put his mitts on his outside shoulder, Donald gives him a slight dip and affords himself a clear path to the QB. Just a great player. 2) Timmy Jernigan Jr. : I really like this guy. He got better throughout the year and can really pass rush. His ability to get low and get penetration is pretty damn good. I thought he was the most active DT I looked at besides Donald. Always seemed to be involved in the play. 3) Louis Nix : Awesome size but I have seen two conflicting videos of him. He was awesome in the NC last year (2 years ago?), and the best player on Notre Dame's team besides Eifert. I watched the ND-Michigan game this year and saw an average player. 2 caveats: he was being double-teamed most of the time, and Michigan didn't run it towards him. Still, good DT/NT get through double teams (although, arguably, a NT's job is to occupy the middle of the line like that) and rush the quarterback, which didn't seem to be the case. Gardener was completing passes all day. When Michigan ran it up the gut in garbage time, Nix got two TFL. So while he seems to be pretty good in run support, the pass rush is concerning. 4) Ra'Shede Hageman : Probably the most athletic of the group, Hageman has great spring in his step and you gotta love that height at 6-6. He can disappear sometimes and that's concerning. He might be a better fit as a 3-4 DE, countless times I've seen average college guards get their hands on him and it was all over. Puzzling. 5) is a total crapshoot. I liked Will Sutton but it seems he's lost some explosiveness (he has gap discipline though). I like both of the guys from LSU but I don't think they're anything spectacular. I like Johnson better than Ferguson. Stephon Tuitt looks more like a 3-4 or 4-3 end (how Coyle used Odrick in 2012-2013) to me. Da'Quan Jones looks like a good run supporter but that's about it, I honestly don't think he'll be able to pass-rush at the next level because honestly, he moves sluggishly. Ditto for Kelcy Quarles. One guy that kind of piqued my interest was George Uko from USC, who reminds me a bit of Hageman. Yeah. Some real in-depth analysis right there.
What call? That Ryan Mallett was worth a 1st round pick and had about a 50/50 chance of being a starting quality QB in the NFL? That has yet to be seen. Tom Brady's been completely healthy and Mallett has yet to have his chance. Or are we talking about my saying that all of the rumors, whispers and buzz about Ryan Mallett being the worst human being imaginable with inevitable future incarcerations and/or rehab stays was all overblown? Because I was 100% correct about that one, to this point. That one's a full feather in our (Simon's and my own) cap. Look at what he's done so far with the Patriots. NOTHING. No trouble. No bad press. No arrests. No rumors that he's not getting along. He just does a bunch of charity work, and on twitter talks about family and whatnot. Yet this dude was supposed to be an A-Hole of the highest order, not to mention a coke head. Have you seen him talking about how he should start, or otherwise making waves while being stuck behind Tom Brady? Nope. So, I'll take that as a compliment if you're going to talk about our call on Ryan Mallett's character being correct.
Wow, nice attempt at spin given that Mallett fell to the 3rd round and the QB starved Dolphins and every other team passed on him at least twice. So much for championing him as a 1st round pick. Me thinks that you protest a bit too much, but no worries, the egg on your face has long since disappeared. "Someone's sore about being wrong"- is that how it goes? Probably, but if it was your writing there'd probably be an "Oh, snap!" before it, in line with your school girl style.
Josh Liskiewitz @JoshLiskiewitz 3m His combination of quick, violent hands and foot quickness off the snap allowed him to consistently defeat blockers w/ wide variety of moves
When you write this, I assume you are actually aware of how wrong you are, but you write it anyway...is that correct? Or am I giving you too much credit and you actually DON'T know how wrong you are? Let me give you the kindergarten math. I rate what I think players are, and I'm fully prepared for some NFL teams disagreeing with that. If enough of them with the right needs disagree, a guy falls. That's the way it is. But a guy falling doesn't make the evaluation wrong. I evaluated Aaron Rodgers as the best player in the 2005 NFL Draft. Was I wrong because he fell all the way to the 24th pick? Nope. I was right. They were wrong. It happens. They also end up right where I am wrong. That happens too. I would THINK a grade schooler could comprehend this stuff but I guess maybe you can't? I don't know. I suppose I should just give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know all of this and the things you are saying just have no integrity behind them. That's the best possibility. Why was I on to talk about Ryan Mallett? One reason and one reason alone. We said that a deep dig into these hazy character "questions" about Mallett showed that there's not a lot to them. That they're not likely to be much of an issue in the NFL. Here we are three years later. Three years of him having to accept a backup position (which I'm sure grates on him) on one of the strictest teams in the NFL when it comes to behavior with the press. Not a peep. No arrests. No incidents. No rumors. No outbursts. Nothing. Just charity work and positive stuff on twitter. We were RIGHT. They had us up there to try and debunk our theory that these ambiguous rumors were overblown, they had us up there to tell us "We KNOW he's a bad guy, and you don't"...and they were wrong. That's just a fact. And you can't refute that, unless you lie. If you like being a liar, go on keep on refuting it.
Uh, sure. Who wrote this? "With all that in mind, I do not believe Ryan Mallett’s past transgressions off the field – as Simon has gone someway to prove - warrant making a football decision based on non-football factors. Months ago, before Cam Newton was generally considered as premium a prospect as he is today, you heard us make a defense of Cam Newton, proposing that his experience at Blinn College and Auburn helped him to turn over a new leaf and forget his misdeeds in Gainesville. I see no reason to extend that olive branch to Newton, and then withhold it from Ryan Mallett based on far less substantial evidence of wrongdoing. I believe the smart money will be on Ryan Mallett going much higher than some in the media believe, and the Miami Dolphins would be lucky to have the ability to take him at the 15th spot." Yeah, that's what I thought.
Wait, wait. So THAT's what this is about?? You're essentially criticizing a mock draft prediction? (Officer Farva voice) "You said this guy would go in the 1st round and he didn't. Ha ha, what an idiot!" Wow. On the one hand, I'm shocked. On the other, we're looking at the guy who looked at some numbers on a page and tried to put Aaron Donald at middle linebacker because of them. So...
Once again, nice try at the spin. Donald at MLB was a thought given what I thought to be his actual size, ability to drop some weight on that puffed out frame and his exceptional movement skills that I saw on film. You far overvalued Mallett- live with it, it's not a crime. Better luck next time, and hopefully then you'll feel less of a need to justify a bad call so defensively and vigorously.
You're talking yourself in circles. You try and say Mallett is a failure of mine and imply that it's because where he went in the draft determines what his value really is. When I point out that I don't care where a guy goes only what he does, and cite the Aaron Rodgers example, you shift the argument to saying it's a failure of mine because of mock draft issues of me saying he'd go around this pick and he really went around this other pick. When I point out how trivial mock draft type criticisms are, you go back to implying it's a failure because where he went in the draft is proof of what he really is. And around and around we go. I think when people bring up the Mallett thing it really just kind of shows more about them than it does me. The fact that you're reaching for an instance where I was wrong shows the agenda, but after giving a good natured ribbing about how silly the whole Aaron Donald thing looks, it's obvious what your agenda was in your response anyway. But what choosing Mallett does is show lack of thoughtfulness. If you want to just point out instances of me being wrong then there are WAY better examples. For example Brandon Weeden. That guy just isn't even that talented on the field, which is something I really did not expect, at all. It happens, but it's one instance where I feel like I missed bad, and I feel bad about it. But your lack of attention to detail has you picking out Ryan Mallett, even though we were literally and factually damn near 100% vindicated on our suppositions that the character issues in Mallett's past were overblown and not likely to affect him as a pro (i.e. the subject we addressed on television). I mean that's not even arguable, really. He's spent three years in the NFL and not a single incident, not a single rumor or anything but harmony in the locker room, etc. He's kept his mouth shut even though he's a backup and you know the guy wants to be a starter. So we got on TV and told everyone Ryan Mallett's character issues weren't as bad as advertised, Paul Burmeister disagreed, he was wrong and we were right. That's literally that. That's a lack of attention to detail on your part. Next time you try and "get me" because you can't take a little light ribbing about something you said about a guy and were proven wrong on, I suggest you bring your "A" game.
I don't think there's any point in denying the drug use as I believe it's public that he's been suspended before for positive tests. All he said was that he used to party too much and got into trouble for marijuana use and he's put that stuff behind him. What he said isn't really a data point. The past is a data point. Do you trust that he's moved beyond that stuff? Don't know. Guess it depends on how bad it was and how recent.
It does seem to be repeated bad behavior; he had to leave USC, and despite monstrous physical gifts, failed to start at the except in spots, and was suspended numerous times for undisclosed violations. If you believe that once is an anomaly, twice could be coincidence/happenstance, but three times is a pattern, then it's a pattern with him. Plus, it's not like he messed up early and straightened out—he was suspended twice, IIRC, just this past season. That's why I'd be wary investing too much; he's being coached to say the right things now, but history doesn't lie.
Yeah I would tend to agree. Seems a little recent to be comfortable with a high investment in him. But at the same time the dude showed up at Senior Bowl weigh-ins from what I hear at 6'7" and 331 lbs he looked muscled as all get-out, rocked up. That's the upside. Despite clear issues, the dude has SOME amount of dedication else he doesn't achieve a body like that. All you need is for the guy to grow up. Remember, Bryant McKinnie gets glowing reviews from people that talk to him (including from Section126)...yet "Big Mac" is a hell of a partier and gets into some trouble that cause headlines. My thing is I try to be careful about making football decisions based on non-football stuff. It's important to get that right because if you've got a great talent that you know is a great talent and if he's sitting in front of you and you don't take him, that's costly. Personnel is so hit or miss that actually failing to pounce on an opportunity you correctly identified is probably even more costly than simply picking a guy and him turning out to be a dud.
Jerick McKinnon, Georgia Southern. Possible sleeper running back to keep any eye on, especially come combine time. Even on a sprained ankle he was faster than UF's entire defense when he posted 9 carries for 125. Despite the ankle costing him some time this year he still tallied nearly 3000 yards, 32 TDs, and a 6.7 avg the past 2 years. At 1:35 he blows by UF defenders like they're a D2 school in route to a long would-be TD run until he lets up b/c of his ankle. ...and then at 2:45 he has a 14 yard TD run where he scoots around the corner like he's Apalo Ohno. [video=youtube;6jWeY7_hCuw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jWeY7_hCuw#t=114[/video]
