Shrine Practices Begin (Monday Report)

I won't post any full articles. I'll post a summary, based on something written by Chad Reuter of NFL Draft Scout.

There is generally a lot of trash to weed out when you're reading some of this stuff.


For me, the needle really moved on some guys. They may have gone from guys I've seen and/or knew about to guys I really like, or they may have just gone from guys I have never heard of to guys that I now know...

My Comments: This is a guy that should already be on radar because he's 6'4" and 200 pounds, and is capable of running a sub-4.40 in the 40 yard dash. He was also literally the most productive of a very talented quartet of receivers at Virginia Tech, catching 5 TDs and 600 yards from Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor, in a very run-oriented offense that likes to play around with option quarterbacking. The things that stand out to me are the effort, the hand usage, and the body positioning. At his size, hand usage and body positioning aren't just techniques, they are weapons. They will be his primary weapons. If you believe this guy could be a superstar one day, it will be because of his hand usage and body positioning at that size. I don't care about catching the ball as much. Too many people are too caught up in "caught everything thrown his way". What an insanely boring note that is, to me. It's pretty much a bare minimum. Your job as a receiver is to do what? Catch balls. And if you don't? THAT is when you get the mark in the notebook. I want to see technique. I want to see effort. He displayed both. Dick Vermeil already likes the kid. He actually had to tell him to slow down, save some for the game at the end of the week. Imagine that! You can tell a LB or a Safety to slow down, because they might be killing offensive players in practice. You can even tell a RB to slow down some if he's getting too physical. But a WR? That's something.

My Comments: This is so typical. Scouts just adore this kind of story, even more when it comes in a small school kid. Any guy that was a playmaker at DE with that kind of size, moves out to LB and shows some kind of natural born instincts there, that's the way to get the scouts flapping their gums about you for a month. Inasmuch as he went from being not on my radar period, to on my radar...yeah, this note moved the needle for me.

My Comments: This guy draws my attention because I happen to know he had a great week of practice in preparation for the Hula Bowl this last weekend. He handled JT Mapu pretty well, and now he's handling Keilen Dykes. I've seen the kid play at Connecticut and they were a good running team to me. He stands out. To go straight from the Hula Bowl and into the Shrine Game with no jet lag or exhaustion, stand out in both practices, if he keeps it up he could rise like a meteor.

My Comments: Any time they whip out the "James Jones" on you, that's some high praise. This is another guy that went from off the radar to on it. But, if he really is a James Jones, he's going to have to prove it in the strength and technique departments, where Jones truly stood out to me a year ago at this time.

My Comments: Most people are pretty familiar with Georgia football so I probably don't need to point out what a tremendous running attack Velasco blocked for in Athens. But, when you're 6'4" and near on 330 pounds and you get noted for quick footwork, that's something. That's a lot of something. When you get noted for quick footwork in addition to "don't give an inch" anchor ability, that's something else, although at 330 pounds they normally expect you to be able to put your butt down, drop anchor and hold.

My Comments: Dotson was already a standout at Arizona. But, to show up at an All Star game and have an experienced evaluator label you the "quckest interior lineman" there, that raises my eyebrow some.

My Comments: This interests me especially, because as a prospect Joe Jon Finley interests me. He's got size and tools, a natural feel for the passing game, but he took a back seat to as talented a group of players in Oklahoma as you'll find anywhere. Malcolm Kelly is probably the #1 WR in this draft. Juaquin Iglesias is also excellent. Jermaine Gresham emerged from behind Joe Jon Finley to catch 11 TDs...but he wouldn't be able to do that if Finley was not a good all-around guy and blocker. Meanwhile Gresham could be a future star, rated the top TE in his 2010 draft class. Finley, in his own right, is a good player, was a top 35 athlete coming out of high school as a quarterback...qualified for state as a hurdler. If he's out there smoking the competition on the All Star field, that is interesting to me.

My Comments: I think too many people will run away with this note, call him the most impressive WR on the field, but not me. It moves the needle inasmuch as he goes from a "who?" guy to a "oh yeah, him" guy. With that size, it's not actually all that difficult to look explosive from the slot. And let's not forget the first part of the note, it's pretty basic football knowing if you're illegally covering up the TE on a play. People may think I'm making more than is there out of Justin Harper while underplaying Dexter Jackson but the reality is the two stories are that different, to me.


TO BE CONTINUED...

 

...CONTINUED

The following are guys that I already really, really liked...and who have reinforced my high opinion of them...

My Comments: I already thought very highly of Pedro Sosa, probably as a technician guard at the NFL level. I also like his teammate, Jeremy Zuttah. I've seen Rutgers play several times and Sosa has stood out. He controlled George Selvie pretty well and helped Rutgers win that game. Showing up to an All Star practice field and looking good like this just strengthens my high opinion of him.

My Comments: I already think highly of Spencer Larsen's leadership abilities, so his looking the part on the All Star field is none too surprising, and therefore not necessarily all that noteworthy.

My Comments: In my opinion, Frank Okam does not belong on the Shrine field, he belongs in the Senior Bowl, and he's showing it. When you're the guy that makes even the good-looking OLs look bad, you're the big fish in a small pond, and this isn't even all that small a pond, really.

My Comments: Obviously the guy that wrote this thinks as highly of Allen Patrick as I do. I think he's a highly underrated runner, and it's a testament to the unbelievable talent and depth of this class that Patrick is more in that #5 to #10 range among his own position. I mean, are you kidding me? Any other draft he would be looking to crack the second or even first round.


The following are guys I would look for to step up, because I know they can do better...

My Comments: He and Paul Smith are two of my newer gem QBs. Initially I liked T.C. Ostrander and had to make a decision between TC and O'Connell, and I chose TC as he'd been coached by Jim Harbaugh. Well, now it's swinging the other way for me, because O'Connell was the big fish in a small pond at the Hula Bowl practices. His tools are pretty damn impressive. I would look for him to step up in these Shrine practices like he did in Hula Bowl practices.

My Comments: Lowery is sort of sinking on some boards and he needs to step up to the plate and do better. I would look for him to be one of those guys that gets better as the week goes on, and starts making plays on the ball. I think very highly of the man. One of our very own FH'ers whose opinion I trust implicitly actually helped coach him at San Jose State and this person helped me identify James Jones very early in the process as a guy that could be a true beast.

My Comments: Bowman is on an impressive decline since his bad knee injury in 2006. He was one of the top corners in college football before the injury, and almost two years later he's still trying to regain control of his ability. He made a play though, and I think as the week wears on he can make more.

My Comments: Tommy Blake is also on an impressive decline. He once was feared as one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the nation, but bi-polar disorder got the better of him. And I do mean that, as there are some FUNKY stories coming out of TCU about his behavior. He spent most of this year out of football because of it. Hopefully he's regained control of his problem and as he rounds into better football shape he should make more plays. I think he will continue to struggle making plays in practice, but he will bring it and make something happen during the Shrine Game.

My Comments: He's looking the part from a movement standpoint, but I expect him to look the part. He needs to do better than that because in the size department he's already getting into the Bob Sanders area without most of Sanders' incendiary qualities. I'd look for him to get more comfortable and become perhaps the most impressive DB at the Shrine Game.

 

Hope that helps!