More and more teams are looking to the smaller schools for their draft picks. We had a run of corners from places like Texas A+M Kingsville a few years ago and each season a small school prospect ends up in round one; look at Dominique Rodgers Cromartie last year for example or Joe Flacco. Hell you could even call Troy a small school which is where Leodis McKelvin played his ball at. In 2007 Joe Staley from Central Michigan was a first rounder whilst his teammate Dan Bazuin and Justin Durant (Hampton) came from small schools. The year before Danieal Manning was the 42nd pick from Abiliene Christian. In the past teams have shied away from these smaller school prospects in part because information has been few and far between on them and there has always been a wariness to pick a small school prospect because of the competition. But we are in an information age; players get seen more and more. Area scouts film guys at practice, that film can be immediately filed back to teams and scouts and player personnel people can review those players. Scouting reports can be done and e-mailed immediately on laptops, information gets passed on Blackberries, etc. In the 20 or so years I've been following the draft, you tend to build up one or two contacts; people who you ask for film, Sports Information Directors, they lead you to other people, area scouts, etc. I am lucky to know 2 NFL scouts, one at the Redskins, one at the Packers and three NFL area scouts. I also know a handful of high school recruiting experts. Anyway, about ten years ago, I read an article on a back called Cedric Houston who had scored 12 touchdowns as a HS sophomore in one game. I e-mailed the head coach at the school and I got in contact, via a somewhat circuitous route, with an area HS scout who said that Houston was, even then, leaning towards Tennessee which is where he ended up before playing with the Jets. The guy mailed me a few days ago and was talking up Pernell Phillips of Central State who said that at the Maurauders Conference Championship game there were an unprecedented 9 NFL scouts checking out Phillips, an ultra quick DT weighing in at around 330. He said that Phillips had been playing out of his skin for 2 years and was garnering 4th and 5th round talk AT WORST amongst the scouts that were there. So he's sending me some tape of this guy, but if area scouts are talking 4th and 5th round already before the major guys have got close, this is a guy who could end up in the top 75 picks. Mike says that he stacks and sheds like an NFL vet, gets low and gives tremendous punch at the snap; great get off as Coach O would say. As a 3-4 NT, he's the sort of diamond that Jeff Ireland likes to mine for. Whilst he's clearly not going to make the top round, it's not out of the equation that he ends up in the first 4 rounds. Well worth keeping an eye on because there are always small school guys who creep up on you. EDIT: Just checked Mel Kiper's senior DT list and already he has Phillips as his 18th ranked prospect and has him listed as a riser.
Boomer, I have a buddy that I played with in college that is now an administrator for City of Petersburg...guy knows football very well and helps pick players for the game...he said that Phillips was a "rock" in the middle and had a sack. A pretty good performance coupled with your info and this is a guy to keep an eye on for sure...........
The guy who tipped me off about Phillps says that Jack Glowik was at the game and he was shooting the breeze with our own Nate Sullivan. Glowik was a former Dolphins scout who's now with the Ravens of all teams.
Boomer I have been waiting for the Cactus Bowl to watch Sammie Lee Hill who goes about 6'4 330 out of Stillman. How would you say the two compare as possible Nose Tackles who can learn from Ferguson and then take over and not be complete bums like Paul Solai
Thanks, Boom. Have you had a chance to look at BJ Raji yet? It's early, but I keep seeing him in the lower part of the 1st round where we will be picking and wonder if he could be a possibility. I was at the Music City Bowl, but my seats were too close to the field to really evaluate the line play well. Besides, it's tough to draw any conclusions when he's going up against a powerhouse offense like my 'Dores. The Vanderbilt punter actually won the MVP award.
Just got my Ourlads updated December pamphlet and it says thus: "One player making a lot of noise in scouting circles is Central State of Ohio's defensive tackle Pernell Phillips who dominated the interior of the OL at the recent East Coast Bowl in Petersburg, Virginia. Phillips, from Taft HS in Cincinnati, had a tremendous season for the Marauders, standing out particularly against Youngstown State and in the win against Lincoln that finally saw Central lift itself from the basement of the division. An All Conference performer in the Great Lakes Conference, Phillips, at around 6'1 and 325lbs, showed explosion at the snap throught the week of practices and displayed a strong ability to consistently jolt linemen backwards with very quick hands and excellent technique, drawing applause from the coaches. Not noted as a pass rusher in school, Phillips was a consistent thorn in the side of the South offense, collapsing the pocket and pressurising passers Tribble Reese and Curtis Rich. At times he even lined up against the best rated offensive lineman the South had to offer in Delaware State's Adrian Brown. Petersburg was full of members of the NFL, CFL and Arena League scouting community and it was a good chance to see a number of potential small school prospects who could fit in the latter rounds of the NFL's April draft. It must be noted that a number of teams unwilling to go on record for Ourlads, discussed the possibilities of Phillips going as high as the 4th round because of his ability at the snap and his strength at the point of attack. At least two base 3-4 teams described him as a "fascinating pure NT" and he worked out of a 3-4 for part of the Thursday morning practice. Also attracting high grades were Saginaw Valley State OC Desi Mayner and Eddie Young of Fort Valley State." Do not sleep on this kid people. Knowing that Nate Sullivan was there, I would bet we were one of those 3-4 teams. We know that Jeff and Bill will search long and hard, casting their net wide for players and they're not scared of small school kids.
I have tried searching for anything and everything on this kid but still not much comes up. Thanks for the heads up Boomer. Could this be a swipe in the 3rd round while all the other teams are sleeping ala Langford like last year?
The great thing about the internet Joey is that you can find out the inside leg measurements of the major school prospects, but you hear nothing and generally find nothing about the small school guys till they're drafted unless they're fanfared like DRC was a year ago. How many knew there was an East Coast Bowl? It's about now that the scouting services like Ourlads come into their own so that we can try and be a beat ahead of the curve on guys like Phillips.
Interesting that the regime would look at a guy that size, considering their believed archetype is around 310 or so. But, Toribio was signed as an UDFA I believe and he was of similar size. Doesn't this kid have have pretty long arms for his 6' frame as well? If he does, that could be a great asset, allowing him to slide down the line pretty well as he could keep the offensive lineman off his body. I think the key in all of this is the quickness aspect of his game. If he has the ability to split a double and handle it to make plays in the run game, he could be a stud in the middle.
Got me on the East Coast Bowl game. Is that a flag game between Yale and Harvard rejects? I have noticed in the past with small school players they seem to pick between 1 to 3 guys and harp on them to death, but you can never find information on anyone else. If I remember correctly, didn't guys like Jerry Rice, Walter Payton and Terrel Owens all come from small schools?
When you think about how many programs there actually are at the college level it isn't that much of a thing to have guys get no "known" attention. The scouts and GM's may have an idea who a guy is. But to us on the outside of that inner circle and Draftniks, it can be hard to have a good enough pulse to make up a bio about that player. If you did that you'd probably have 1500 players to do, and that is nuts.
School has him at 316. Ourlads have him at 325. The guy who tipped me off on him said he went about 330. Yeah, apparently he has big wings. Am still waiting for the tape. The tale of which will be in the watching!
It's knowing where to look which is the difference. There are people whose job it is solely to look at the small schoolers, guys who work for NFL teams or for BLESTO or National to which the majority of teams have contracts to. So when Cleveland Collie of Grand Valley State turns up as the 83rd pick and you've never heard of him, you can be damned straight-sure that the people who need to know, knew. And yes, Rice, Sweetness and TO all came from smaller schools.
Thats the one thing about college player stats; the numbers are so varied, and especially weight is fudged. Height gets mucked with too, but no where near the level of weight.
Has a wooden left leg or something. He sticks it in the ground and just pivots on it "he who can't be moved" is what they call him. He's great on a wet and sloppy field.
We have to wait until the Combine. Wonder what his forty time would be with that sucker on? See his big *** peggin it down the track. But back on topic here, before this thread gets inadvertently hijacked; we need to look any NT candidates we can find. The nose is one of those spots that you really don't see rookies thrown into early with great success. Typically NT come around after some time; I don't know the exact average, but it must be somewhere around 2 years.
Yes, which is why we will almost certainly take one now. Fergy will be hard pressed to finish 2 more solid years, and we dont seem to have another starter on the team. Would be ideal to have someone sitting and rotating behind him. Anyone know if Soliai is on the outs with the staff or if he looks to be a rotational guy as well?
I think Soliai will be fine. He's gotten more playing time as the season has progressed and when he missed games the coaches were clearly pissed not because he'd done something wrong but because he wasn't on the field. Guys like Vonnie and Fergie have worked hard with him off the field with his mentality which is coming round. And remember, he was a NG in a 4-3 in college, so it's going to take time.
He actually played pretty well this past week. He wasn't great, but he did get some penetration on more than one occasion. If he could get the light to come on full time he could definitely be a viable replacement for Ferguson. He has the quickness this regime seems to covet.
sorry to reply to this thread so late, but any information needed on Pernell feel free to ask, i've been one of his closest friends for roughly 4 years now and for the record he is a beast. Much of last years season as well as this year scouts from both the bengals and jags were regularly at our team practices
I take it you were on the same team with him? Thats pretty cool You need to make sure he doesnt go to the Patsies lol. Tell him all the toilets at Gillette Stadium give you herpes or something Seriously though, I think rounds 2-4 will see us take a NT. Depending on who goes where we could be looking at Brace 2a or 2b, Terrence Taylor at 2b or 3, Phillips in that same area, maybe the kid from Clemson, Dorrell Scott I think.
yea i was, and he says he hasn't been contacted by anyone yet personally, but he's still optimistic about his draft position since he had an amazing pro day
Thats just wrong CK, LMAO at this thread, Pernell Phillips....... is he even 6 feet tall? Where are his pro day numbers?
Pernell is a real guy: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=86597&draftyear=2009&genpos=DT Just not a real legit NFL prospect (IMO).
Didn't realize Pernell was from Taft HS. He's pretty much automatically got toughness just from having gone there. Nice to hear a local boy doing well.
