He was involved in a fight where he punched a guy in the face off campus, but no charges were ever brought. He also has a rather Matt Leinart mentality for the wider world, if you catch my drift. I still believe, regardless of 3-4 or 4-3, that his issues in game - overpursuing, gap selection - will still be issues.
Michael Johnson is easy to get excited about when you're NOT watching him play. When you are watching him play an entire game though...I mean, Vernon Gholston makes this guy look bad, and that's saying something. I think when you're searching for that #1 overall you have to tend toward QBs, OTs, DEs, maybe even RBs. Having a WR go that high is not common and Michael Crabtree does not grade out to me as a Calvin Johnson. The thing to keep in mind is that at #1 overall you're going to look for a complete picture guy, someone that really shows it all...great physicals, great mentals, great production, and perhaps most importantly, great work ethic. To me, that's why George Selvie DOES have a shot, maybe not the best shot but he has a good one. Selvie has the one weapon that makes worrying about his diet a misadventure, and that is work ethic. Developing his diet in order to achieve things with his body is something he should be rewarded for, not something he should be knocked for. How many guys out there, even the highest prospects, simply do not have the mental discipline to live their lives in such a regimented fashion as to accomplish such hard to reach goals? He was raised to a military lifestyle, and he's won awards in the USF locker room for being the hardest worker on the team. He will give you everything he has every hour of every day and that is why he has a shot at the pick if his tangibles match his production. After that I really think you have to start looking at quarterbacks. Matt Stafford has enormous potential, but he doesn't do it for me. He has accuracy issues in my book, and his mechanics get wonky at times. The best quarterback in college football is Sam Bradford. Let's get that out of the way right now, so that we have some perspective. He might have been the best QB in college football last year, his redshirt freshman year...but obviously he was still a young player so I might have to tip toward a few of the older guys. Nobody is better this year. Bradford is a redshirt sophomore. Technically, he could enter the 2009 Draft. I don't think he will, perhaps unless Oklahoma wins the National Championship...and as we stand here today, they have a damn good shot at it...so we'll see. If they do win it all, and he comes out, then he'll have 28 games under his belt and I think he will be the #1 overall and be known as the best QB prospect since Carson Palmer. Moving on from him, the 2009 class is extremely muddled. Cullen Harper? Not big on him. Curtis Painter? Been hard for me to cozy up to him, but he's decent. Hunter Cantwell? No thanks. Among the seniors, truth be told I would expect that Graham Harrell might start to get some more traction, rise up. He's got a lot of intangibles that reach beyond the gimmick offense they run down there. Among the juniors, it's been hard for me to warm up to Matt Stafford when I just see him flinging rockets every which direction, but not showing real accuracy or consistent mechanics. Tim Tebow, don't even get me started. His running skills will look average in the NFL, and when you strip that away from him, what is he as a quarterback? What is he as the maestro of an offense? In the NFL, you don't get to throw 75% of your passes 10 yards straight up the field on crossing routes and slants. Mark Sanchez is really shooting up the boards...for good reason. But, I think back to the old keys to draft quarterbacks...number of starts, and completion percentage. And that leads me to the QB not named Sam Bradford that I think is the best draft prospect as we stand today, and that is Colt McCoy. By the time he comes out this year, he'll probably have about 39 games worth of starting experience, and a career 67% completion at a big program, Texas. He's had his share of bad games and adversity, but that's kind of important because you want to see how a kid like that fights through it. Losing Limas Sweed to injury last year was a big blow. We'll see this year how they handle losing Jamaal Charles. But when you look at Colt McCoy from a tangible, intangible, experience and accuracy standpoint...he looks like he was molded from clay to be an NFL quarterback. That's what I think, anyway. So that brings me to my guesses for the #1 pick... Sam Bradford Colt McCoy Beanie Wells George Selvie Does anyone know if Eugene Monroe allowed any sacks against USC or UConn? Because honestly that's the senior OT I'm keeping my eye on...the man good enough to keep Branden Albert at Left Guard instead of Left Tackle. Highly recruited, didn't allow a sack in his junior year, stands at great size 6'6" and 315.
This guy is getting alot of buzz. I still havent really seen him so I'll keep my eye out for him. Hopefully I see him in a game or two before the bowl games come around. Whats your take on the guy?
Small school QB. So take that for what it's worth. A passer who can run. A great leader. Probably will need time to adjust to the pro level, but has all the tools IMO.
No, lol. As a QB he is light years ahead of Locker. Doesn't have the speed or acceleration of Locker though.
Yeah the Johnson hype is interesting. He was given a 3rd round grade by the Advisory Committee when he petitioned the NFL in January. And yet there is 1st overall talk? I know you're a USF fan and thus have seen Selvie more than most BUT the fact remains, whilst you can pat him on the back and praise him for the great work ethic, the weight thing WILL be an issue if he's on a special diet to simply get to 245lbs. And I want to see him make more plays in the run game because every time I've seen him, he can get overrun. Watching Calvin Johnson right now, I wouldn't trade Derek Hagan for him; guy can't get off the line. Crabtree certainly does that better, but taking WR's first is a non-starter. I really like Jeremy Macklin, but again he won't threaten pick 1. Monroe is interesting as well. Very good player under the radar. Top 5/8 pick IMO as we stand today and could go higher. Jamon Meredith is another under the radar guy at South Carolina. Not for the 1st pick, but for the 1st round. There really isn't any one player who right now you'd say is the man. Beanie Wells' injury confuses the picture further, although taking backs 1st is an issue in itself.
Maclin, from what I can tell, has a lot more straight up wide receiver in him...where Ginn played a little more like a super fast guy playing wide receiver.
You know, the games I've seen him play, he's looked very pedestrian, he's struggled to get off the line and when a CB gets his hands on him, it's over. He's struggled for seperation and he's dropped more balls in 17 games than in a career at Georgia Tech. Listening to Charles Woodson talking about him at the weekend only underlined what I'd seen.
Hard to argue with the production. He was a rookie last year, rookies struggle with the game. You know that. Now he's caught 13 balls for 236 yards and 2 TDs in 2 games. He must be doing something right.
Oh absolutely. I'm not arguing production. I think the Lions are doing a good job of getting him matchups that suit against safeties and nickel defenders. I thought it was fascinating listening to Charles Woodson and Al Harris talk about what they saw when they see him on tape viz a viz him getting off the line and being rather pedestrian in his early moves. There is of course a sense of "they would say that wouldn't they", given he was going up against them, but still, it tallied up with what I'd seen. I look at a kid like Greg Jennings who gets half the play Calvin does and I see a much more polished player, a player who does more off the line, who is quickly through the gears and consistently gains separation.
Corey Surrency WR FSU, if the NCAA says hes a senior due a year playing as a semi-pro. FSU will appeal...good luck with that. IT's been quoted in the local media that the FSU staff is actively comparing him Randy Moss. My take; I've seen Randy Moss at both FSU(kicked off team due to MJ test) and Marshall Talent wise yeah it fits, however Surrency is incredibly raw,he'll need good coaching.
HAHAAHA really They compare him to Moss? So he has a 40+ inch vert, runs around a 4.2 forty? AND has amazing acceleration to go with those hands?
I've heard him referred too as Tebow Jr. Almost joined him in the 20/20 club last year. He's fun to watch although I wonder about the level of talent around him and against him.
Both not terrible. Obviously it's no SEC though. I don't think him going in the 2nd round whenever he decides to come out is out of the realm of possibility. Hell, if Flacco can be a 1st rounder (mid round at that), LeFevour could certainly be a 2nd rounder.
Maybe, but it depends who gets the reins in Detroit. Could go offensive lineman given the improved play that has accompanied the last two teams who in the Top 3 took a LT. Given Detroit's inability to protect its passers it may be worth looking into. If the Bengals get it it could be someone like Beanie Wells or who the **** knows right now.
Beanie would really revitalise that Bengal offense. They're clearly struggling without a bona fida running back and Chris Perry is simply too unreliable. That was such a strange pick in the 1st that I can't even tell you. Jeff Backus is getting on so if it's Detroit it could easily be one of the Smiths, Andre or Jason.
As a Buckeye fan I can't see Beanie being selected that high due to his injuries. LAst year he play with a Broken wrist and a cracked foot? now this year possibly strained or tore a ligament in his foot. Do you think a team would take him high with that kind of injury history?
I think I'm sticking by my original Colt McCoy for now, at great personal risk. If it's the Bengals, obviously Colt goes right out the window. Beanie Wells would definitely revitalize that offense I agree. But, something tells me the first pick will go to someone like the Oakland Raiders, or maybe the Kansas City Chiefs. I think the Raiders without Kiffin stand a good chance of seeing their offense go completely in the tank, and their defense isn't good enough to win. I look at their schedule and I think every team they play from here on out is better than them...Jets, Ravens, Falcons, Carolina, Miami, Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, New England, Houston, Tampa Bay. So if it is the Raiders, it won't be Colt McCoy OR Beanie Wells. Who, then? Well...that's when I think a Michael Crabtree or maybe even a Jeremy Maclin may come back into focus. This is Al Davis, remember. I mean, they could probably also go for an OT, but I'm not seeing Andre Smith for that. I think Eugene Monroe may actually be rising in the eyes of scouts...into top 5 pick territory...and I know Boomer seems religiously opposed to it, but there are a lot of people that like Michael Oher. I think he and I will just have to agree to disagree as to what constitutes reasoning why teams will not take Michael Oher with a top pick.
I love the Michael Oher story, the Mike Lewis book is a tremendous read, but no NFL team is going to pony up that money for Oher if they've read that book, which they will have done. The background has more red flags than......you know.....something with a lot of red flags. I'll defer this to Aaron Curry who's played againstOher and Jason Smith already this year and faces Monroe later this month. Curry was asked who's the best of the three: "Curry’s answer was quick and decisive - Jason Smith of Baylor whom he said is athletic and strong. In fact there was a sense coming from Curry that Oher is overrated by many on the outside." That bears out over and again through conversations with the BLESTO and National scouts and most obviously it bears out on film. He's not the sum of his parts and he certainly hasn't become the LT that he looked like being before he went to Ole Miss.
If people thought predicting a #1 overall last year was hard, this year is ridiculous right now. No one stands up says I'm in consideration like the handful of guys last year IMO. The level of talent at the top seems different this year in many ways. Like either McCoy or Stafford - do either rate better or even favorably to Matt Ryan? That's a tough one there.
Yes, but I believe that if he doesn't get considered up there it will be because of the fact that he's overrated, not because of his troubled past. Jason Smith of Baylor will probably be the riser then. I'm not an Andre Smith believer. I don't think a sub-6'4" junior goes in that top, top area. I'm sure there are a lot of folks thinking he might be a RT at the next level. If Michael Oher is overrated as many believe, and it's not just the typical "pick at the top dog" mentality that we've seen time and time again...then Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe will duke it out for top tackle status.
I think Colt McCoy can actually fit into that Phil Rivers type category except without a funky delivery, with a better arm, but a smaller frame. I'm very confident in Colt McCoy. His story checks out. His background checks out. His height checks out (I believe, we'll see if he gets a full 6'3"). He's got 4.5 speed which will impress some folks the way they were impressed with JP Losman's speed. His arm checks out. He made a lot of waves when he first took over for Vince Young, and he was throwing passes over top to Limas Sweed. He struggled a lot in his second year as starter, with Sweed injured and the surrounding cast not doing so hot. He's become a bigger and bigger part of the offense all along, to where now he IS the offense. He's got a career 69% completion. He knows how to get the ball out quick and in a hurry. He can throw it over top. He can scramble. He can overcome bad games and bad decisions. He leads well. If I were in need of a quarterback, this is my guy...right now. Strong consideration for Matt Stafford. But, Colt McCoy is my battle tested QB with the experience and the completion percentage (which have both historically been the two highest correlated measurable factors when it comes to NFL success). And, he's not even done yet. With some QBs, that would be a scary proposition...you wonder, with the remaining schedule as it is, will they do something that screws them up? But, with Colt McCoy, I watch him and I more wonder what he'll do to raise himself even further. Last year around this time I looked at Matt Ryan's remaining schedule and said this guy could end up the top QB in the draft when he gets done with this schedule. At the time, he was running behind a couple of others, not quite or only barely considered a first rounder. I see some of that in McCoy's schedule. Seems like the sky is the limit when you can go to Oklahoma and win the battle of the best QBs in college football like that.
