At this point, where do you think Cato lands in the draft? Is he possibly a Top 10 pick? Man I would love to bring him back to Miami, if we end up with a pick around #13 and he's still there I wouldn't hesitate.
Russell Wilson went in the 3rd round and he, in addition to having possibly the most efficient season in college history at Wisconsin, had also worked in a pro style west coast offense. Doesn't matter that Russell Wilson ended up being what he is. That isn't going to suddenly make all these personnel people forget why they tend to plug guys that look like him into the 3rd round. So I think you look at Rakeem Cato and he's not quite as accurate as Russell Wilson, doesn't have the same smoothness and presentability as Russell Wilson, hasn't worked in a pro style system and hasn't faced the same level of competition. So at that point you gotta figure he's going to be somewhere between a 3rd and 6th round pick.
I would be surprised if he's selected before the 5th round. I think scouts are going to pick him apart - his size, his smarts, his competition, his everything. Whoever realizes that the guy will do whatever it takes and is just a gamer, will be the real winner.
One thing that bothers me about Cato is when he gets the ball after the snap it takes about 1 second for him to gather the ball before his release. Its this weird motion as if he doesn't have a grasp of the ball yet. Not sure what thats about. So far my list is Cook, Cato, Halliday but his arm strength has some question marks for me. I didn't include Winston because I don't think he will be there for us, should be a top 3 pick if not 1st overall.
Remember, Kaep had lots of question marks especially regarding his throwing motion which was as slow as Leftwichs and he did come out of "Nevada." Nothing to brag about competition wise.
Yeah but Kaepernick was like 6'4" & 225 lbs with 4.5 speed and was set to immediately boast the highest velocity on his throws in the NFL. These evaluators are still quite beholden to prototype standards.
Marshall is now #25 in the AP rankings and #24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. That's ahead of teams like UCLA, LSU, Minnesota and Duke. The Coaches Poll has them even ahead of USC. It will be a disappointment if they can't finish undefeated. They play FIU (3-4), FAU (2-4), Southern Miss (2-4), Rice (3-3), UAB (4-2) and Western Kentucky (2-4). I think Rice would have to be their toughest remaining game, as Rice beat them worse than any other team last year. They kept it close with Virginia Tech (29-21 in OT), Ohio (34-31) and Middle Tennessee (51-49) last year, but Rice beat them 41-24. The game will be at home for Marshall. The next week against UAB should be difficult as well, as that's at UAB and should be a good crowd. People can talk crap about the schedule but there just are not many undefeated teams year to year. The only undefeated teams of the last ten years that didn't win the championship were TCU (2010), Boise State (2009), Utah (2008), Boise State (2006), Auburn (2004) and Utah (2004). Most of those teams were national stories by the end of the season whereas right now nobody's talking about Marshall. Go back to 2004 with Utah, that was Urban Meyer coaching them with Alex Smith at quarterback. Smith ended up going #1 overall. That undefeated Auburn team was Ronnie Brown's team, went #2 overall to Miami. The TCU team was Andy Dalton's. The two Boise State teams were somewhat nameless but their story as a team of destiny that desperately wants good teams to put them on the schedule...very famous. There were some players to come from those teams as well like Ryan Clady, Kyle Wilson, Orlando Scandrick, (Legedu Naanee heh). On the other hand if Marshall gets a shot to play a big time team in the bowl game and they fall short or get doused then they'll go down as a Northern Illinois and as irrational as it is, Rakeem Cato will be compared to Jordan Lynch.
First time we've been ranked since Byron's game he broke his leg and was carried by Doug Legursky. Charlie Frye's Akron team... I mean there's nothing Marshall can do about the non-conference schedule. We had Louisville scheduled to come play at Marshall and they had to reschedule for 2016 because of their conference move and obligations. Also, we had obligations with Miami OH because of the rivalry that we signed after we left the MAC and they were good. Not our fault they are terrible 10 years later. I just don't see how anyone can get on their case about it when the schedules are made several years in advance. If Marshall goes undefeated and wins a big bowl game, that will do a lot for Cato's draft stock no doubt. Gosh so great to see Marshall back. Marshall started the small school coming out of nowhere in 1999 when they finished #10 with Pennington, Chris Crocker, John Wade, and multiple other guys that had cups of coffee in the NFL.
Not a draft pick, but I wonder if you couldn't look at dangling a pick or Dion Jordan/and a pick at Philly and seeing if you could snag Matt Barkley back at some point. I wouldn't mind going that route and drafting a QB. None of the top-tier guys really scream out at me as a surefire upgrade to Ryan Tannehill. Winston's probably the closest, along with Cook, but even then I don't really find myself "sold" on either of them vs. Tannehill.
I think a lot depends on who is coaching here as to the route we go specifically with QB. One thing I do know is that I would keep Tannehill, he's cheap next year and in addition I am looking to add 2 QBs. Now where and who you add those two depends on the coach IMO. If it was me I would be looking to add a Winston, Mariota, or Cook early and then come back in the 3rd-7th round and take another guy like a Cato, Keeton, Carden, or Halliday. You have to invest in this position if you don't believe Tannehill is the guy…you have to. Keep drafting them until one of them is a no doubt franchise guy…thats the only way were are going somewhere longterm.
While Mel Kiper is far from the best evaluator of talent, he did post his Top 10 at each position. Rakeem Cato wasn't listed in the Top 10. Taylor Heinicke, the QB of ODU (that one Marshall dominated), is listed as a higher prospect. While this isn't the end all be all, it just gives you an idea of what the general consensus believes of Cato...too small, etc.
Starting to feel a little like the Nate Davis situation. There's something I'm missing. With Davis it was that everyone knew he was very, very dumb. It could be the same with Cato although I question whether that's an ethnocentric perception.
Kudos! What a great and informative thread. I've just resigned myself to the fact that it's QB-hunting season again. Can't wait to watch the videos!
Speaking of guys who aren't the prototype...I'm curious to see what Everett Golson does vs. FSU on Saturday. It's early, but I do like him a lot. Some very natural things in his game (pocket feel and creativity, patience through his reads, big plays in big moments)...but Saturday should give a good idea of how his game translates against elite athletes. He was just okay against Stanford, and most of that simply because of that sick game-winner.
Golson has made tremendous improvements under the tutelage of George Whitfield. But I don't know if he has the goods. Decision making is still...I dunno.
This Rakeem Cato website is a trip. He's got someone pretty savvy in his corner doing this stuff for him! http://www.catoin14.com/ Here's a great article about the running rivalry between Rakeem Cato and Teddy Bridgewater. http://terrapinstationmd.com/2013/12/18/marshalls-rakeem-cato-overshadowed-elite-qb/ Another really great article on Cato from B/R: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...cato-college-footballs-most-underrated-player Another good article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...dering-herd-quarterback-rakeem-cato/11813571/ That's a powerful line, given his past and losing his mother at a young age. Starts to explain his being overlookedin the recruiting process: Reference to what rdhst said about Cato being benched in in freshman year because he was just too intense: Telly Lockette was his coach in high school. Lockette is now coaching at USF under Jim Harbaugh's best friend in the world, Willie Taggart. Note: Doc Holliday has coached Philip Rivers, Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Pat White.
I think the last line is really important, Chris. I've got my issues about Doc Holliday the Head Coach (I'll save you all the time on that one), he's been around the block. He's one of the best recruiters in CFB, and Urban Meyer regards him as one of the sole reasons he stockpiled those Florida teams with so much talent. I say that because it means he's been around the block or two when it comes to seeing great prospects/football players. He knows what it takes. Doc has done nothing but glow about Rakeem for the past 3 years to the press. Now, that could be him just giving token responses, but behind closed doors to donors & boosters it's the same. If those stories and thoughts make there way to scouts? They have to be taken with some weight just because of who Doc has been around.
I'm kind of jived that I managed to find a Harbaugh link, lol. Telly Lockette is on staff at USF and has been a big reason we're penetrating the recruiting in the Miami area. Willie Taggart is the guy that hired Telly, and Taggart is basically Jim Harbaugh's best friend. I think in Rakeem Cato, Jim Harbaugh would see something similar to Josh Johnson.
And just a few other things that are known to Marshall fans too. Fortunately my father is a booster. Rakeem Cato has been one of the staunchest supporters of cleaning up the program. Doc has been incredibly tough with some supremely talented kids. Players that Bob Pruett, our former HC that led Marshall to its finest football success, would have given several more chances too. Rakeem actually cares about the program, his legacy on it, and what it will be moving forward. I won't get into them now, but there are some fantastic stories about what he's done off the field for teammates, people, etc. The kid has his warts as any kid would, but he's really a solid dude. He's the closest thing, in terms of how he conducts himself off the field, to Chad Pennington. EDIT: Mentioning Chad Pennington...he and Randy Moss totally think he's legit and capable of playing in the NFL. It just a matter if "he gets the chance, with the right coaching staff". Quotes from those gentleman at the Green/White game this Spring.
Another great Cato article that just came out on NCAA.com http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/hand-him/2014-10-14/marshall-quarterback-rakeem-cato-emerges-player-heisman-race My favorite part...
Brock Huard's mid-season Top 10 quarterbacks on ESPN Insider: 1. Marcua Mariota, Oregon 2. Jameis Winston, Florida State 3. Bryce Petty, Baylor 4. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State 5. Brett Hundley, UCLA 6. Bo Wallace, Ole Miss 7. Everett Golson, Notre Dame 8. Connor Cook, Michigan State 9. Shane Carden, East Carolina 10. Rakeem Cato, Marshall
Top 10 Raw QBR (ESPN) thru Week 8: 1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon - 88.1 2. Connor Cook, Michigan State - 85.5 3. Deshaun Watson, Clemson - 84.3 4. Drew Hare, Northern Illinois - 82.7 5. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State - 81.3 6. Jared Goff, California - 80.9 7. Blake Sims, Alabama - 80.6 8. Rakeem Cato, Marshall - 80.4 9. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State - 79.7 10. Jameis Winston, Florida State - 79.6
Starting to shake out my feelings on some of the quarterbacks.... Seniors: 1. Rakeem Cato, Marshall 2. Shane Carden, East Carolina 3. Cody Fajardo, Nevada 4. Connor Halliday, Washington State 5. Kevin Hogan, Stanford 6. Bryce Petty, Baylor 7. Sean Mannion, Oregon State 8. Clint Trickett, West Virginia 9. Hutson Mason, Georgia 10. Taylor Kelly, Arizona State Haven't sat down and looked at Bo Wallace or Garrett Grayson yet. Been meaning to. Still trying to decide where Chris Bonner of Colorado-St. Pueblo fits in. That's a tough call because of the huge jump in level of competition. And where is Blake Sims going to fit into all of this, as well? He's actually made some pretty damn fine throws and the man is one hell of a runner. Underclassmen: 1. Jameis Winston, Florida State 2. Connor Cook, Michigan State 3. Everett Golson, Notre Dame 4. Marcus Mariota, Oregon 5. Brett Hundley, UCLA Haven't really decided how I feel about Dakota Prescott, but I'm still not leaning toward putting him high. There are some other young guns like Taysom Hill, Gunner Kiel and Jacoby Brissett that will be worth watching but I think there's virtually no chance any of them declares.
Connor Cook is believed to be staying in school. Tony Pauline initially reported that the feeling among scouts was he was staying, and now CBS Sports is reporting he will stay. That cuts the pool of significant talents down. He looks like a legit talent whose primary drawback is making too many overly aggressive throws.
That's interesting. I think he would be my favorite QB at this point, but I can certainly see why he's staying in school.
He's never even been a captain, yet. They have a good program up there so I don't think there's much danger of the team just dropping off the map and making people forget about him. It's a good decision to stay and make yourself a slam dunk. Christian Hackenberg is not the slam dunk people keep insisting he is. At least, not yet. Right now it looks like the eyes for the 2016 draft will primarily be on Christian Hackenberg, Connor Cook and Jared Goff. Some others that could get in there include Gunner Kiel, Jacoby Brissett, Taysom Hill, Dak Prescott, Trevone Boykin, Braxton Miller, Cody Kessler, Kenny Hill and Jeremy Johnson.
The jump in Garrett Grayson's third down effectiveness this season has been quite dramatic. He's in the Jameis Winston range which is absurd range to be in. He deserves attention. I've honestly not looked at him.
I am told that as of right now, Cody Fajardo and Rakeem Cato are a little bit of a question mark for senior bowl invites. However the Senior Bowl is a complicated situation. I'm told that Shane Carden and Bryce Petty are considered locks for Senior Bowl invites. But this year they will invite juniors who have completed their degree and graduated, and that includes Marcus Mariota. However, Mariota may decline to participate. Other juniors they're considering will include Brett Hundley and Dak Prescott. After that they have a list of other seniors that they still have to choose from and I'm told that list mostly includes Brandon Bridge, Garrett Grayson, Bryan Bennett, Bo Wallace and Sean Mannion. However there are those that believe Cato should be right on the cusp of a Senior Bowl invite, and his stock could be boosted significantly if Marshall goes undefeated and gets invited to play in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Eve. They will finally get their wish of playing a good team in that game and if Rakeem Cato has a nice day and especially if he gets the victory, I would expect his stock to rise similar to what we saw in Blake Bortles although not to the extend Bortles received.
Thank you fot all of your work CK. I hope the Dolphins at least draft one QB if not two. I feel strongly why we have waited so long since Marino is we put all of our eggs in one basket and never look ahead. Lately we never even have an honest competition in camp for who our starter is. While I am impressed with Tanny's improvements this year he still cannot see a collapsing pocket and scramble out of trouble and the deep ball??? I think both are very important traits to have. I really like Cato and of course Winston and a couple of others. I feel strongly that we need to have an REAL QB Competition before we pay Tanny. To me the deep ball is a huge part to the QB's game as well as realizing when to scramble out of harms way.
I'm with you. The Dolphins need to draft a guy that has the skills to be more than a backup. Right now I consider those guys to be Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Brett Hundley, Rakeem Cato, Shane Carden and Cody Fajardo. Dak Prescott, Bo Wallace, Kevin Hogan and Bryce Petty also have the physical skillset to be dynamic players at the next level, but I think there's a little something missing from them. Those guys could rate similarly to guys that don't necessarily have DYNAMIC skillsets but do have interesting pure passing skills, like Connor Halliday, Garrett Grayson, Sean Mannion, Taylor Heinicke, Jake Waters and Clint Trickett. Then you have a guy like Chuckie Keeton that will interest some people despite his significant injury issues. And then you have a guy like Brandon Bridge who has a great pure skillset but who probably should be moved to wide receiver. Really being overrated by the draft twitter crew.
CK, here is a scenario for 2015 draft. Oakland Raiders have the #1 pick but in 2014 they took their QB..We become trade partners and now have the #1 Pick...Do we draft Jameis Winston since he declared ? I say yes!! Go for broke because I think he has IT..later in same draft take Cato
The reason I am going to say no to that is because we will not have the #1 pick or even close to the #1 pick to start out, and the transaction cost to go from wherever we'll be to the #1 overall pick would be incredible. It would make the price we paid to go from #12 overall to #3 overall look like a drop in the bucket. So it's a bad hypothetical scenario, IMO. We'll worry about Jameis Winston if he starts to fall closer to wherever we're picking. He's worth the #1 pick but there's a difference between being worth the #1 pick and being worth trading up to the #1 pick which would mean gutting three entire drafts.
I really think Miami becomes a legitimate Super Bowl contender with Ryan Tannehill. I do want to draft a QB to groom.. But I'd much rather get some game changers early in the draft now.
Jameis goes to Tampa Bay..Hopefully not NY. Marriota I'm ok with him going to the jets..I think his game will struggle in the NFL and I don't know who he would fit in with really. Be nice if we draft Cato.
