Yup, would definitely attach "freak" status to Ndamukong Suh. He's so good, he'll actually have common folk making an effort to spell and pronounce his name right.
A sleeper for the late rounds and a zone blocking scheme is Vanderbilt's RT Riley Lauer. He's only 270, is raw and needs to get a lot of strength but he's got great agility and he surprisingly did a good job walling off pass rushers to create running lanes last night for the Vandy backs.
I watched a lot of football at the weekend. The Ndamukong Suh/Gerald McCoy matchup turned out to be a damp squib; there was no contest. Suh won early and often. McCoy is very, very good, but the sight of Suh pushing back a 319lb guard with one hand into Landry Jones will live long in the memory. I thought he was a great big ball of awesome last year, but he's simply spectacular. If there was any justice, he'd win the Heisman. He's easily the best player in college football. McCoy is #2 on my board and that just goes to show how highly I rate a boy called Suh. Was impressed with the Blackshirts on defense. Jared Crick is a very good player in his own right. Also thought the WILL linebacker Phillip Dillard was very active. Matt O'Hanlan is a tad undersized at FS but is very aggressive against the run and he had three picks. But the superstar in waiting might be the corner Prince Amukamara. Converted from WR, he has excellent hips, great speed and a real ability to break on the ball. As Ron Franklin said in commentary, coaches are only scratching the surface on just how good this kid can be. He's a junior, so I hope he stays in school as he could do with another year. Oklahoma were poor. Trent Williams continues to freefall. Alabama/LSU was a decent game. Patrick Peterson, as I mentioned a couple of months back, is a top 10 CB in waiting. He absolutely and totally shut down Julio Jones all game and was jobbed on that late pick. Mark Ingram might be the best RB in the nation, although Jonathan Dwyer was outstanding yet again on Saturday against Wake. Mike Johnson was strong at LG yet again, but got beaten a couple of times, especially down on the goaline, including one for the LSU safety. The player who recorded that safety was Drake Nevis who looks a really good player. Can we just say now that Al Woods is overrated and most of all that Chad Jones is the winner of the Joe Haden DB Award for Most Overhyped. He's slow, he lacks instincts and he's slow. Only watched the first quarter of Northwestern/Iowa so far, but Bulaga is for real. He reminds me of a smaller Jake Long and not just because he's white. He's nasty in the run game, but might have one or two issues in pass pro just in terms of initial speed. He also has an interesting way of using his hands in pass pro, making contact with his arms like he's hugging a tree. Shame that so far he and Wooton haven't gone at it. Was impressed with the way Texas took the reins off Colt McCoy and let him throw downfield. He looks back to his best.
Yep. Was going to write about him on Sunday but didn't have any time to. He's impressive and he runs very well. I like him quite a bit. He just needs to be more disciplined but it's understood why he needs more work on that, having played a different position and all.
my impressions from games I watched this past weekend were 1) lamar houston and sergio kindle from texas are a nice pair. they tend to line up on the same side of the defense and have a nice working relationship between the two. Kindle might be overhyped as a high 1st rounder but seems to be fair value lower 1st round or 2nd. lamar houston really surprised me with his ability to get penetration. might be a great value pick for someone 2) Mike Iupati from Idaho is a nasty, aggressive beast of a guard. what really caught my eye and elevated him in my eyes is a penchant for getting in extra blows that werent really that necessary. i think mommy didnt love him as a kid, lol. hard to gauge how he will be in the pros but will be looking for him in the all star games. could be a great 2nd or 3rd round pickup for somebody. 3) WR Chris McGaha is just fun to watch. Ive seen him three games this year and he just continues to impress. I dont know what he times but if its under 4.6 he will be very good. the guy catches everything and i mean everything 4) sean witherspoon just continues to impress me every time i watch him. if we miss out on mcclain and hughes i would definitely consider drafting him with our 1st. ive seen mock drafts where he goes 1st or 2nd round but I am having a hard time believing he'll last deep into the 2nd. looking like a mid to late first rounder to me 5) wr mardy gilyard really looks good every time i watch him. plays with an attitude and seems very aggressive to me. really want to see what he times at the combine 6) cb kendric burney a junior for north carolina caught my eye. seemed pretty good. anyone scout him?
He looks a little star struck at times that he's in position to make a play, but he can really run and flips his hips really well.
Houston I like, Kindle is another Joe Haden/Chad Jones type. I like Iupati as well. Gilyard I can't work out if he's another Eddie Royal or whether he's best suited in the slot. Weatherspoon is 6'2 and 241 so I think he might be a bit small. But I agree, he's a hell of a player. Burney isn't bad, although I prefer Deunta Williams at safety.
The email I wrote to my football pals on gameday this past Saturday...(I'll summarize). 1. Corey Wootton might be the best pure DE in the draft. That is, if Cameron Heyward isn't. 2. Andrew Luck is the best draft-ineligible QB in the draft. Ridiculously complete game on a 6'4" and 230 pound stud with a good arm. Coached by Jim Harbaugh! 3. Ras-I Dowling is probably the top CB selected if he comes out. He's a stud. I'm trying to figure out my feelings on him versus Brandon Ghee, currently my top senior CB. 4. Orlando Franklin is the best guard prospect I've seen this season. VERY good player with the physical tools to dominate the next level as he dominates this one. A Branden Albert with a little less gift for playing in space. 5. That Dennis Morris catch over CB Kyle Wilson was so ridiculous I *actually* feel compelled to watch more La Tech footage and see what this kid is about. He also pancaked another good DE later, Winterswyk, on a block. 6. Arthur Jones is very good but a NT doesn't get moved out of the hole by double teams like he did agianst Pitt. I have never agreed that he's a nose. Alen made a good point though that he spends too much time on the ground. I still like him a lot. 7. Allen Bailey really needs to gain some weight and be a DT. 8. If Jimmy Graham sticks with football he'll be a fine TE. 9. I still have C.J. Spiller as the best back for the draft. 10. And of course, absolutely agree with Boomer, Suh is the best player in the country. He is ridiculously good. So good he can make a player of Gerald McCoy's caliber look boring. I still have some more digging to do on the LSU-Bama game, as well as the Iowa-Northwestern matchup. Becoming a big fan of Corey Wootton, though.
CK, have you seen Wootton's wingspan? My god. I'd be surprised if it doesn't rival JPP's of USF. Btw, I don't know if you guys heard but NFL teams are way behind schedule on scouting. As of right now, not a SINGLE team has game film of a college player. Not a single one because the NCAA is looking to get compensated for the game film they provide to NFL teams and their scouts. BLESTO and National have been affected by this as well. I think this is a reason why Jeff Ireland has attended several games early this year. Also, agree on Bailey. Physical specimen that's spent the last three years playing three different positions but sits at 290 right now IIRC. He's very raw though.
Speaking of Taylor Price earlier as a WR threat for us, Ohio is playing right now if anyone wants to watch him.
Apparently Cameron Heyward is staying for his SR year. I guess he would be considered a top 5 pick in next years draft.
Yeah I wasn't sure you could cound on him coming out and it appears he's not. Wootton's a beast, fuh sho.
Mardy Gilyard also seems like the only top WR in this class that is a genuinely good kid. It seems as though there are character/diva concerns about every WR in this draft (Dez Bryant, Mike Williams). The play where Gilyard catches that long touchdown, scares the kid by flying over the back wall of the endzone, and then takes his helmet off and hugs the kid just shows the type of character he is. Anyone know what round is Graham projected to go in? He has the size and the hops, can move in space, and can catch the ball. His potential is through the roof, IMO, just look at Antonio Gates (not to mention Tony Gonzalez translating his skills to the basketball court). The types of cuts that basketball players make translate nicely into route running ability, and I think Graham is the type of guy that can pay serious dividends with the right coaching (wasn't Sparano a TE coach for a while?)
Gilyard would be sick in the slot I think that would be the fallback position but you would try him outside at first. I think he will do fine outside. Really want to see how he times to get a sense of how he'll compete at the next level but I like his football instincts
I don't know about him going that high, CK. I think he's got great potential but production is still an important aspect of scouting and his production isn't great even though he this is his first year playing for the U. To add, he's had some drops issues and he's raw. I think he's got potential but round three is a risk IMO.
I know Ive heard this before. I hope he stays so he can dominate further. Just need Gibson to stay and that Dline will be BEAST.
I'm watching Buffalo (again) against Ohio right now and Naaman Roosevelt is putting on a show statistically. He's got like three touchdowns and 150 yards at this point. He's shown good hands thus far and he's created some separation. I don't know how much of that separation has to do with the Ohio cornerbacks not being so good but I'm about 2 quarters and a half through the game and I've seen three pass patterns from Roosevelt thus far - a corner route (once), a go route (3 times) and a bubble screen (2 IIRC). That's it. He's gotten his touchdowns from one corner route and two go routes. He hasn't really been tested at the LOS because Ohio is playing loose coverage but they have played some press-bail so he has been asked to create some separation at the line to develop into his route down field. He's shown a single and a double move at the LOS to develop into his route, which isn't bad IMO because two's a good number. I'd like to see one more added on though because I question his speed. I would also like to see him run some more routes but maybe that will come later, as I continue to watch the game. Moving on, Kendric Hawkins, the Buffalo CB that I talked about last week is looking pretty good again this game. He's shown fluidity in his pure back pedal and he's played some side saddle. He's also played press-bail. He bit on a trick play early in the game and got burnt for the touchdown but he showed quality recovery speed as he managed to strip the ball of the pass catcher about five yards prior to the goal line. However, the ball was recovered by the opposition and it resulted in a touchdown. Also, Hawkins has been in a rotational role it seems and I wonder if that has to do with injury. Or does it have to do with the fact that he's an inconsistent open field tackler. He's had two runs his way and he's whiffed on both. Buffalo's WR Brett Hamlin who I said looked a little like Greg Camarillo and Brian Hartline last week looks good once again. Nice pass patterns, showing good hands and making the tough catches. His field awareness is fantastic. He knows where the markers are, he knows exactly how much depth he's suppose to get on his route and he knows when to break it off at the right time whilst selling it as well. He's not going to blow by anyone with speed and he's not a competent blocker but he can run routes pretty well and seems to have good instincts or at least intelligence on the field. Ohio's Taylor Price was talked about in another thread here by Big Red and ToddsPhins I think and I think for pretty good reason. He looks good tonight. His quarterback is terrible at ball placement and is shaky on accuracy but Price has done a pretty good job adjusting. He's shown good hands, some quickness and he's shown good route running on short patterns, mostly slants to be honest. He showed good footwork on those slants and did a good job of selling it with his upper body. I'd like to see him run more routes though and I've heard that he's a burner. I went on NFL Draft Scout to see what they have his projected speed at and I think it said 4.36. I don't see him playing at his timed speed. He runs well and he can stretch the field a bit but he's not as fast as advertised IMO. Last, I wanted to add that Price needs to also develop moves at the LOS. He has a single move, basically where he plants his inside foot and then uses his quickness to get to the sideline. He's also been bumped at the line exactly zero times. I want to finish up by saying Buffalo's Davonte Shannon doesn't look like a bad in the box safety at all IMO. (I'll probably add to this by the end of the night)
I could see him going in round three depending on how he finishes the season and what his workouts look like. The kid is a natural. He's 6'8" and 260 pounds, has a ridiculous vertical, can run, is a wicked threat in the end zone, and is one of the best shot blockers in UM school history. He's got 4 touchdowns in 7 games and he only just picked up a football. He's an excellent prospect and the scouts are drooling. Did you see that play he makes in the back of the end zone against Virginia? With his height, hands and vertical, if you have a QB that can throw to the same spot with any kind of consistency, that's a damn nearly indefensible play.
Yeah I saw that play against Virginia. I don't know man, I just have a hard time seeing a guy who is raw, has played one year of football and has shown some issues catching the ball going in the third round. You could be right though, we'll see.
Antonio Gates didn't even play college football and he is the best TE in football, becoming dominant in his second year in the pros. Precedent has been set for basketball players to make the transition to TE. Additionally I think Graham's issues with the drops are more a product of his not having as many reps catching the ball early on in the season. He has soft hands as demonstrated on the basketball court and as he gains more experience on the football field I expect his surehandedness to improve dramatically.
Just throwing this out there but sitting here watching some of the Iowa - Northwestern game and AJ Edds of Iowa stands out. Big linebacker who did a lot of coverage duties in this game. A good amount of the game he was covering the slot receiver. He hasn't done a lot of blitzing so its tough gauge how quick he is off the edge at OLB but he runs well laterally, he's done a good job of avoiding trash at his feet and he's shown some fluidity dropping back. I want to see more of him, as I think I have two other games at least, but he's an intriguing player that I would be interested at as possibly an ILB. I've been working on a study to see how big the players have been that Parcells has drafted at specific positions and right now, I'm on 1995 when he was with the Patriots. I've gone through his Giants years. Thus far, I've got 7 ILB's listed and four of them are at least 6'3" 235 pounds. Faucette at 6'3" 242 lbs, Pepper Johnson at 6'3" 259 lbs, Greg Mark at 6'3" 252 lbs, and Reasons at 6'3" 235 lbs. AJ Edds is 6'4" 244 lbs. Average is 6'3" 247 lbs. Also wanted to add that its good to see Wotton getting healthier. He looked good this game. Did a little dropping and didn't look too bad changing directions. He's so damn big though. His arms are very long and if you go to the play at 3.40 in the 3rd quarter, he is playing contain on an end around I believe. He reads it, starts running laterally, has grasp of # 81 in one hand and then makes the tackle with the other, bringing down both the ball carrier and the tight end lol. Last, Mike Kafka does not look bad for Northwestern. Bulaga is just mirroring and over powering pass rushers so well. He and Russell Okung are at the top of the class IMO. Then it's Anthony Davis. Possibly. You may be right.
I watch a decent bit of ACC basketball and am very impressed with the kind of fire and intensity Graham plays with. He's ferocious on the court....absolute baller with a high passion level IMO. I'd love to draft him as a TE. Posted via Mobile Device
Word is USF's Jason Pierre-Paul will be entering the 2010 Draft. The same goes for Michigan's Donovan Warren, OSU's Chimdi Chekwa and Thaddeus Gibson.
Yeah I'd love him here to play OLB. I think he can do it. I just think this management would not be happy with his lack of starts in Div. 1.
Also, apparently Mike Williams wanted to stay on Syracuse's football team and wanted to impress scouts so he could get highly drafted. However, after his latest mishap, Syracuse coach Doug Marrone denied him and said he could not play football.
I'm not so sure. I think Jeff Ireland finds personal joy in digging up unknowns like him. On Mike Williams, I suppose it's good he didn't quit the team but nonetheless the whole development is pretty bad. He's so talented, though.
Thaddeus Gibson is pretty good. Wonder how he'll do at the combine but he looks good on film. Cant see him lasting past the 2nd round. Wonder if he could go late 1st?
I agree that Ireland finds joy in digging players up like that but I wonder what they thought about a guy like Clay Matthews last year. Possibly.
Has anyone watched the USF/Rutgers tape yet? I'm finishing up and it's pretty interesting seeing a first round OT like Anthony Davis go up against George Selvie and then Jason Pierre-Paul. When he is matched up with Selvie, he easily walls him off and keeps on hand fighting. Also, Selvie is pure speed rush and Davis keeps sliding out wide but that hurts him against Jason Pierre-Paul often. He slides wide and Pierre-Paul powers through the interior. To add, Davis struggles with strength (he also lacks a mean streak) and will sometimes get tall coming off the LOS; because of that, Pierre-Paul uses his eighty-one inch wingspan and simply powers through with ease and gets into the backfield. JPP does a good job exposing Davis' flaws. In JPP's case, he's still raw IMO as he doesn't have many moves, he just uses his quickness and bobs around until he gets free. However, his potential is enormous. Also, Jerome Murphy is inconsistent, man. Talented but up and down. Too tall in his backpedal. Devin McCourty still isn't anything special IMO, though I think a team wouldn't mind him in the late rounds. This was hailed as one of McCourty's better games and he did some nice things but nothing outstanding. Overrated a bit I'd say.
