I can't help but be intrigued by Aaron Hernandez' ability beyond the normal "traditional" Tight End/H-Back stuff. Basically, his ability to "run" the ball on shovel options. For a team that runs as much H-Back stuff, and is also going to be running Option-style stuff with Pat White you'd think that is a nice selling point on a TE prospect on at a time they are likely looking for one.
Taylor Price of the Ohio Bobcats. Put this one together myself recently. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIOwxj0oh6Q"]YouTube- WR Taylor Price vs Tennessee Volunteers 2009[/ame]
He looks interesting from that clip, but it's tough to gaugue his speed and quickness from those plays. Nice size, 4.36 speed and tough- that's a good start.
He's not a bad player. I've watched him twice. He's not as fast as his forty will indicate but he does a nice job stretching the field. He's going to need to learn more release moves at the line to be able to beat the bump and run IMO. He works the short to intermediate routes well and has shown pretty good hands. In other news, the whole Carlos Dunlap thing has opened up the Draft. He's expected to enter the NFL Draft, which comes unexpected really. Joe Haden will be entering the Draft, as I reported months back. Aaron Hernandez is expected to be leaving the NFL. Word is that the Pouncey brothers are expected to be in the Draft as is Ahmad Black and Major Wright, the safeties. Chris Rainey is expected to enter the draft, which is a surprise because he's still young.
Nice work by the way. I will have a list for you of what I have soon. Maybe you should do a voice over.
I think he's a guy to watch. He's one of the few SENIORS we can see so far that have size and speed to burn, and the ability to play a flanking position rather than just a slot position. What intrigues me about him is his obvious toughness. It's such an underrated trait in a receiver, and I'm sure it's why Boomer loves Golden Tate so much. Here he is with his fellow Ohio Bobcats playing an SEC team with SEC athletes, rather than Cal Poly, Temple, Northern Illinois, Kent State, etc...and he's the one trying to do the intimidating. He's the one beating Brent Vinson (who is a 4.4 athlete, btw) like a rented mule, including on deep routes. He got way behind Vinson on that one deep route despite Vinson having given him 12 yards of cushion, and if the QB could throw the ball with any kind of strength or accuracy that would have been a long TD. As it is he made a heck of an adjustmen on the ball in flight. He's the one popping back up and standing over the very highly recruited (ranked #2 in his class by NDS) Janzen Jackson after Jackson takes a free (probably illegal) kill shot on him while he tried to go up for a ball. And later he absolutely targeted Jackson for a payback shot, you can tell on that block he had multiple options for where to go to help with the blocking effort but he sought out Janzen and cut his feet out from under him, sending him flying. Then he hustles down the field with LeVon Brazill on a big catch just to see if he could help in any way, he gets down there and he couldn't really help in a meaningful way so he knocks Eric Berry to the ground just...well, just because. And let's not even mention how he consistently took on big guys in blocking, from the 220-230 pound Rico McCoy to the 240 pound Willie Bohannon and all the way to the 250 pound Gerald Williams. As for his speed, I think it's genuine. Brent Vinson is not one of those 4.5 or 4.6 guys trying to play corner in a Tampa Two. He's a genuine 4.4 guy, and he was getting beat deep by Taylor Price. Eventually, Tennessee made the conscious decision to switch the more physical (but slower) Art Evans over to him, and so he beat Art Evans too. He had no problems getting off the jam against Tennessee, I can tell you that much. The only issue I saw was on one particular play, a drag over the middle, he allowed himself to be re-routed by the referee who ran up into his path. He probably could have taken a better path than he did, but the ball didn't go his way anyway. On other plays, plays where he wasn't targeted, you could see Tennessee clearly respecting his speed even when the corners were up in a press position, because they would cheat and start running backwards before the snap of the ball. This allowed him to created 5 to 7 yards of separation on 5 yard hitch routes, but the QB wasn't set to look his direction. What you have to like about this game is he faced athletes with SEC speed and explosiveness, playing a pro style defense, which meant that he had to run very common cover two beater pro routes, and he looked pretty good doing it. He found the holes between the zones consistently on his fade and skinny post patterns, he faked really well on his post-corners, he ran hitches really well, he caught challenged balls, and he did everything he could to intimidate players on plays where the ball was not going his direction. I'd like to see his All Star work. That will be a good test. It's one thing to beat a 4.4 speed Brent Vinson. It's another thing to beat a 4.4 speed Patrick Robinson. One thing I will say though is that he will not have big eyes or feel overwhelmed, he will compete on every snap, and he'll try and dish out as much as he can to let everyone know his name is Taylor Price. Those are good qualities in a 6'1" and 210 lbs guy with 4.4 speed (possibly 4.3).
"Well howdy ev'bawdy and yer welcum to tha Chris Kouffman v'dow 'our. I got me plenny'ah acshun fer yer all in tha arena o' foot bawl and we gonna git down and durty like that ole country baw El'dric' Woods ahn a cocktail waitr'ss uh huh, uh huh. Now looke-heer at tha firs' an' ten and this heer cowpoke at yer quateebak. This white baw steppin' up lik' a tin hat in a thunda storm yes sireee." Maybe not.
Does it seem odd to anyone else that the best players in the country at their respective positions seem to be sophomores? Just seems like there are more studs among the sophomores and even freshman than the juniors and seniors. Andrew Luck, Dion Lewis, Mark Ingram, Jonathan Baldwin, Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Michael Floyd, Rob Gronkowski, DaQuan Bowers, Patrick Peterson...
I think there's a remarkable cast of sophomores, redshirt sophomores and freshmen playing at the moment. The 2011 or the 2012 draft's could be ridiculous.
I just don't remember a year where there were so many guys that I wish COULD come out. Usually it's just a ton of guys that I hope will come out, because they're juniors or otherwise draft eligible, and I'm just stuck hoping that they pull the trigger on coming out. This year everywhere I look I see another guy that we just can't even consider because he's ineligible. This senior class looks awful to me, especially on offense. There are basically three senior studs on offense, between C.J. Spiller, Jermaine Gresham and Russell Okung. That's it, though. The defense has more studs, especially in the defensive front. Ndamukong Suh is the Secretariat of the class of course. But I consider Jared Odrick to be a stud as well, and quite possibly Dan Williams as that guy is a monster. I might have been too tough on Terrence Cody. Fat guy that loves being fat or not, he plays a lot of downs for Bama and he eats OLs for breakfast. You could legitimately have four stud DTs amonst the seniors. From there it gets more difficult as I only consider Corey Wootton, Jerry Hughesa and Brandon Spikes to the list of studs. I would add Taylor Mays, but I'm afraid you would set your gang of miscreants upon me for a drive-by retorting.
You bring up a good point about Cody. I've seen a fair bit of the Tide this season and he plays hard on every down. When he comes out it's generally for one play and the he's back in and EVERY down he's taking on the guard and the center. Almost without fail at least one and often both are on the floor at the end of the play. Given his size and the attention he gets, he stays on his feet an awful lot. Jerry Hughes would be borderline on that list as would Sean Weatherspoon. Of course we were denied another top 5 stud in Mark Herzlich. But generally it's a heinous class. My drive by posse is ready if you repeat HIS name.
I forgot to mention a guy in Mark Herzlich who is also not for this draft class. But if that man says he'll be back as good as ever I won't bet against him...so chalk another one up for future draft classes. I swear after watching a few Bama games I wanted to do a body count on how many OLs ended up on the ground, one way or another, after facing Terrence Cody. It's got to be a hugely impressive number. I just recently started to get more of a look at Dan Williams and I can see why he's rising up the boards fast and furious. He is also a monster, and he takes on the doubles really well himself. Where it concerns Miami, could we perhaps be overthinking this one? With Jason Ferguson out the rest of the year, probably set to retire, and Paul Soliai still being rather inconsistent, and with this draft class having potentially four NT worthy studs at the top...might we just pencil in Odrick, Williams or Cody for Miami?
Terrence Cody's conditioning actually impresses me given his size. I know he comes off but he can really control the line of scrimmage and actually penetrate double teams. It's quite impressive. He wouldn't be on the top of my list but if it wasn't Dez Bryant, Rolando McClain, Brandon Spikes, Arrelious Benn, Jerry Hughes, or Damien Williams I could be happy with Cody. I think it's a terrible class for Cornerback. Joe Haden will be the class of this draft should he declare but after that it gets interesting. Ras-I Dowling is a solid player but I watched him stuggle against teams like Maryland and georgia Tech who don't have major vertical games. The quality of this draft relies on the declaration of underclassmen; it seems to go that way most of the time actually. We have some good players on the horizon over the next couple of years such as Michael Floyd, Kyle Rudolph, AJ Green, Julio Nones, Mark Ingram, Andrew Luck, Marcus Forston, and D'Quan Bowers.
You think Dan Williams is worthy of a #12-#15 selection? I could see us being all over him in Round 2 but I think Round 1 is dedicated Dez Bryant, Brandon Spikes, or Rolando McClain.
I'm going to have to take a look at Mr. Williams against a few more opponents but no it wouldn't surprise me at all if Dan Williams looked to my eyes to be worthy of a mid-first selection.
Speaking of super impressive sophomores, I swear Dennis Johnson is like another Maurice Jones-Drew in the making. Every time I see the kid run, he impresses the daylights out of me. He's like the Road Runner. His legs are spinning so fast and constantly, that's why it's so tough to tackle him. A defensive back can meet him square in the chest and it's like his legs try and keep going forward while the rest of his body stops and falls. You can pull his legs off the ground, but they'll keep churning in the air.
I hear rumors we were interested in Ray Rice a few years' back. Anyone else hear this? That dood can play
This Saturday is a wet-dream to the "Draftimaniacs" like us especially that Florida-Alabama game. I will be keeping a keen eye on two players on Alabama's defense in particular.. Terrence Cody and Rolando McClain... Loading this game into my DVR is a given as I would like to see more of Kareem Jackson, Justin Wooddall, Javier Arenas, Mike Johnson, Colin Peek, Jermaine Cunningham, Carlos Dunalp (?), Aaron Hernandez, Mike Pouncey,Maurkice Pouncey, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Brandon James, Joe Haden, Admah Black, Major Wright, Carl Johnson, Chris Rainey, Lawrence Marsh .. Did I miss anyone... Oh yes I did. Two of the best young players in the nation in Mark Ingram and Julio Jones.(2011 Draft Boards must have Ingram, Julio Jones, Michael Floyd, AJ Green, Patrick Peterson, and D'Quan Bowers on them already right?)
I'm apprehensive about Cody, at least in his perceived worth as a 1st rounder. You've got to rush the passer at least a little bit in my book to be worth that kind of pick as an DT. He's a big fat guy, but Shaun Rogers and Kris Jenkins are and can play a ton of snaps and rush the passer better than most.
I don't think he is a 3 down player in the NFL. He is going to have to shed at least 25 pounds IMO. A name to watch for in the future not really relevant to the topic is Johnny Simon DT for Ohio St. Guy is going to be playing on Sundays in the future.
Here's another one for ya... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0yUoFnJ6QE"]YouTube- DE Brandon Lang of Troy vs Arkansas, 2009[/ame] I should have a workup of DE Austen Lane versus NC State tomorrow.
I agree on Herzlich. I thought he was head and shoulders the best senior prospect. His skill set is pretty rare; an ability to get after the passer, to play the run and then drop off into a zone and play like a safety or go on on on with a back and a tight end and do it better than anyone at his position in the country. Throw in that he's a great kid with a passion for the game and he and Suh are pushing for that top spot. I wonder how the league will look at his illness in terms of evaluation? After all, they're all over any injury a prospect has ever had, but the spectre of cancer and its possible return is surely going to affect his final grade. As for NT - I don't think we're overthinking it per se. It's just that WR is so heinous for us. Plus, it's pretty good year in free agency for nose tackles.
I don't think Joe Haden is anywhere close to being the best CB in this draft. I've never seen a supposed top quality player get beaten so often. If he IS the best, then it's a damning indictment on the CB class. He's not even the best draft eligible corner out of the SEC. That would be Trevard Lindley or Kareem Jackson. I would much rather ignore Haden and wait a round or so and grab a Walter Thurmond, a Kendric Burney or a Syd'Quan Thompson. By the way, it's Da'Quan.
That draft eligible class for 2011 at WR is ridiculous. Quite apart from possible seniors like Benn, Demaryious Thomas, Damian Williams, Golden Tate, etc., you're also looking at Baldwin, Julio Jones, Floyd, AJ Green, DeAndre Brown, Malcolm Williams, the kids from Miami, etc.
Boom you think Miami takes a serious look at Aaron Hernandez in the first round? He seems to be the Percy Harvin of the Tight Ends With all that talent next year for Receiver I wouldn't mind passing on one in the first round of this years draft.
I don't know mate is the honest answer. He's a good player - a very good player - but is he better than Gresham? I don't see it. He's also a little size challenged for a Jeff Ireland tight end at around 6'2 and 245. But he has more versatility in that he lines up all around the formation. As for your point on WR's, I don't think anyone in a position of personnel could ever put off picking a position in year X because so much could happen in year Y. If Jeff Ireland ignores WR and it's still an issue for Miami in the 2010/11 season then his job is under threat. His coach could get sacked and the new coach might not like him. And that WR class might turn from a strength to a weakness. Julio Jones might tear an ACL, Jonathan Baldwin might decide he wants to go and work with orphans in the Sudan, AJ Green might have a terrible season and see his stock fall, Michael Floyd might get arrested and sent to prison for 18 months. I simply don't believe that you can ignore a position one year when it's a weakness on your squad because the perception is that it's a stronger draft class the following year. Most GM's would be out of a job sharpish operating like that.
I don't think he is as polished as a Tight End and in terms of blocking he isn't all there but the offense lacks a Dynamic receiving Tight end. David Martin did damn well in this offense I don't think we have that kind of guy on the roster. I also think if we use the WC in the future having a versatile Tight End would do wonders. I might be overrating Hernandez. Very true but free agency has some players where I think we should throw some money at. Brandon Marshall Vincent Jackson Antonio Bryant You could also reverse the role and go after Daniels or Scheffler, and Spaeth and draft a Receiver.
I dunno, I think the "size" component is something they are willing to compromise on. Although David Martin was listed as 265(Which I'm real skeptical is correct), they appeared quite willing to accommodate his skillset, which was basically that of an oversized WR. Korry Sperry is another example. He's listed as 238 pounds, and I can't imagine the reality is far off of that. You'd know this alot better than I would, but I got the impression that the Dolphins took some hard pre-draft looks at guys like Travis Beckum, Shawn Nelson, and Jared Cook, who I would all characterize as not having the traditional well-roundedness(Blocking) of the Tight Ends Parcells typically targeted.
Can we all agree that our biggest off-season needs are at NT, WR, and ILB? If so where do you think Parcells,Ireland, and Sparano will look in Round 1? I see Wide Receiver as our biggest need because I see Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor as better players than Ginn; also for the development of our young Quarterback it is essential we surround him with CAPABLE options. I am sure Henne has zero confidence in Ginn
Haden has strong ball skills but his size hurts him when battling big receivers; we might see a preview of this when he lines up against Julio Jones thi Saturday. SydQuan Thompson is a good prospect. He is a 4th Rounder kind of guy eh?
Free agency does have some decent players but I don't see sceranio's where Brandon Marshall leaves Denver or Vincent Jackson leaves San Diego. Antonio Bryant is a real possibility given his history with the tuna. peope we could throw some money to who are players I'd love to see include... Malcolm Floyd-Wide Receiver Owen Daniels-Tight End Mile Austin-Wide Receiver Casey Hampton-Defensive Tackle Vince Wilford-Defensive Tackle Shawn Merriman-Outside Linebacker Kirk Morrisson-Inside Linebacker D'Qwell Jackson-Inside Linebacker Antwan Barnes-Outside Linebacker
Haden's not aggressive enough IMO. Thompson wouldn't surprise me to see him land late second - early third. He's got very good ball skills and he's aggressive in run support. Not to mention he's extremely disciplined.
Austin won't go anywhere. Hampton might be available. Wilfork could get paid, it's likely IMO. Merriman cant' stay healthy. Morrison is very light. Jackson is a possibility after coming off a knee injury.
Wouldn't be surprised to see Miami go after Merriman though on one of those show me contracts where you can cut the guy easily after one year.
